64. Al-Taghabun/Mutual Neglect
I/We begin by the Blessed Name of Allah
The Immensely Merciful to all, The Infinitely Compassionate to everyone.
64:01
a. Whatever is within the celestial realm the terrestrial world is Glorifying Allah – The One and Only God.
b. For HIM is The Sovereignty, and for HIM is The Praise and Gratitude.
c. And HE Manifests Sovereignty over all existence.
64:02
a. It is HE WHO created you as human species starting from Adam and Eve,
b. then, among you, some would be a disbeliever and among you some would be a believer.
c. And Allah Watches over whatever you do: good and evil.
64:03
a. HE created the celestial realm the terrestrial world with truth: meaningfully and for a
definite purpose,
b. and gave you shape and shaped you well,
c. and made the human form to be the best of forms.
d. And to HIM is going to be your return: starting with death and then upon the resurrection.
64:04
a. HE Knows whatever is within the celestial realm and the terrestrial world,
b. and HE knows whatever you hide of your motives and deeds as well as whatever you disclose of them.
c. And Allah is All-Aware of whatever is within the hearts.
64:05
a. Has not the account of those come to you who disbelieved before you in the Missions and the Messages of their Messengers?
b. So they tasted the evil consequences of what they did, and for them was a painful punishment.
64:06
a. That was so because their Messengers came to them with Clear Messages, but they would
mockingly say:
b. What!
c....
A Sufi poet, teacher and philosopher, Hallaj was executed on the orders of an Abbasside caliph for uttering these words, taken to mean Hallaj as claiming himself to be God. After more than a decade of imprisonment, Hallaj was eventually executed publically in Baghdad in the year 922. He is seen by many as a revolutionary writer and teacher of his time, when practices of mysticism were not meant to be shared publically. Yet he remains a controversial figure, revered by Rumi, hated by many, he was labeled an intoxicated Sufi and is still read today. After his arrest in Sūs and a lengthy period of confinement (c. 911–922) in Baghdad, al-Ḥallāj was eventually crucified and brutally tortured to death. A large crowd witnessed his execution. He is remembered to have endured gruesome torture calmly and courageously and to have uttered words of forgiveness for his accusers. In a sense, the Islāmic community (ummah) had put itself on trial, for al-Ḥallāj left behind revered writings and supporters who courageously affirmed his teachings and his experience. In subsequent Islāmic history, therefore, the life and thought of al-Ḥallāj has been a subject seldom ignored. Here we get a realistic overview about him and his teachings.
Background: Aminoglycosides are commonly used in the treatment of severe gram-negative infections. Their use is associated with substantial risk of toxicity and hence need to monitor therapeutic drug levels. The prevalence of abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels in hospitalized children in our local setting has not been determined thus putting into question the cost benefits of providing therapeutic drug monitoring services in our resource poor settings. Objective: To determine the prevalence of abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels in children below the age of 12 years with clinically suspected gram negative infections at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi. The secondary objective was to determine if glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation using Schwartz formula correlates with drug trough levels in children on aminoglycoside therapy. Methods: Children aged 1 day up to 12 years started on aminoglycoside therapy with either gentamicin or amikacin were identified in this hospital based cross-sectional survey that was undertaken at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi over a period of six months. Aminoglycoside drug trough levels and serum creatinine measurements were done in 81 patients at 24hours after initiation of aminoglycoside therapy. GFR was calculated using Schwartz formula for all the serum creatinine values obtained. Data analysis: Data accrued were analysed using Stata Data Analysis and Statistical software. The prevalence of abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels was calculated. The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated between the drug trough levels and estimated GFR. The prevalence, sensitivity, specificity, positive and vi negative predictive values as well as likelihood ratios, and hence accuracy of estimated GFR in predicting for abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels was also calculated. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was also determined. Results: A total of eighty one participants were recruited into this study with a median age of three days, 48.2% of whom were males and 51.8% female. The prevalence of abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels in children below the age of 12 years with clinically suspected gram negative infections admitted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi was 4.9% (95% CI 1.4% to 12.2%). There were no reported adverse outcomes in any of the children with abnormal drug trough levels upon follow-up. The strength of the association between aminoglycoside trough levels and glomerular filtration rate was found to be weak with Pearson correlation co-efficient of -0.342. The sensitivity and specificity of estimated GFR in predicting for abnormal aminoglycoside trough levels was 25.0% and 98.7% respectively. The