5/5/11 ADAM WAS CREATED IN A KNOWLEDGE CITY

How does heaven look like? Where is that heaven, here on earth, or hanging somewhere? Why did the Zabur, Taurah, Bible and Al-Quran said, Adam, the first human being was created from earth? What is the concept of earth then? Does it mean soil? Or does it mean clay? Or does it merely mean solid substance as compared to wind (angel) and fire (satan)?

(2) I wonder, why then Adam was created in heaven? A place described with every necessities, name it, everything are there. Today, I woke up very early. Since I don't want to go back to sleep, thus I picked up a book to read. The reading takes me back to Montreal, Canada, a place I visited in July 2007. Since it was summer, the night was bright, where, in fact I took a stroll of the City on foot at 4am, while all my other freinds were snoring deep. I was immersed with the City-scapes. All the fabrics seem well connected. Intensive thinking and designing might long ago had taken place.

(3) I wonder, not long time ago, 40,000 years ago, Adam probably was created in a City. A City, a perfect City called Heaven. It was (may be is) a Heavenly City, which Allah described conceptually, as a Garden, a place of Peace, Hormony, in Perfect Order, Complete. Was the Hanging Garden of Babylon and Al-Hamra of Cardova, not the manifestation of the Heaven by the human mind. The same is now signified by the 'peopleless' mural in the Bukhara Mosque? I believe, the Muslim of the past, ie 600-800 years ago, had been working hard to study and practice Islam to it true course that made them ahieved such a glory.

(4) When Adam was to be created, Angel objected to it, because Angel could see, Adam (human) would create imbalance to all those orderness of the Heavenly City, but Allah said, Adam is a creature of knowledge: Adam is to be created with full of knowledge that would make him the leader to all His creations.

(5) Thus, Heaven, is not only a City of Social-Endowmentally Complete, but is a City of Knowledge. Allah, endowed Adam with knowledge to sustain this world, and with such, He ordered and entrusted Adam (human) to be thereon leader of all His creations. Allah message, with knowledge, human being will be a leader and he will master his world. This simple clue, I would believe, probably had not been well though by human being, surely not by the nowaday Muslim, thus, we now merely see Heaven as Allah promised of a hereafter world rather, the world that we must build for the sustenance of human civilization. Thus we only 'pray-hope' for such a life, rather working hard to build such a life!

(6) With such a simple believe, now I'm reaching to my solution of my long searching of a Heavenly City Planning, the Model of Future Human Habitat that we must think and seriously develop. I pray my understanding of Allah's heaven is correct, and I pray my interpretation of Allah's Heaven is actually His Conception of Human Habitat that we must build to sustain our existence in Prosperous and Orderly manner. If we can't achieve that, there is where His next promised will come soonest: Kiamat, a day of destruction for we failed to build what is great for all, we failed as His entrusted leader to manage this world.

(7) Again, as I might have put it earlier, we, the Muslim failed to be the leader because we failed to see, interpret, teach, and practice Islam the way it should be. Our uztazs, our Islamic scholars, and we the Muslim must now rethink, despite our more than 1,400 years of practicing Islam, we still probably remain as the Third Class Ummah of Allah! Why? What went wrong?

(8) City lives is the future of the Human Habitat. Today, in developed countries, the urban population had reached 75 perccent of the poupulation. In Malaysia, almost 50 percent of our population is in the urban area. All this pointing to the fact that, probably within the next 50 years (two generation from today), majority of the world population will inhabitat the cties. Thus, we must be concern over the need to seriously thinking of the Future Organic City, city that could accomodate the growth and welbeing of its citizen.

(9) Back to the Heaven, let now start thinking, is the number of the population of Heaven be limited to certain figure? Did any of His book, did Allah reveal the absolute figure? What does this mean then? Is not Heaven an Organic Place?

(10) This book, titled: Knowledge cities: Approaches, Experiences and Perspective by Francisco Javier Carrillo really inspired me. Few cities in today world have been defined as Knowledge City, namely:Barcelona (Spain), Stockhom (Sweden), Munich (German), Montreal (Canada), Dublin (Ireland) and Deft which actually began to emerge in the 1980s. And these cities, despite numerous global economic crisis, they seem to survive well.

(11) The main characteristics of these Knowledge Cities (KC) are grounded along these five elements:
(a) strong dynamic of innovation accross all sectors of economics and social activities with particular emphasis on the establishment of the correct and focussed R&D and Innovative facilities as well as the promotion of cultural diversities and uniqueness;
(b) better educational services with establishment of better universities, skill development centers, and libraries (eg in Munich, there are about 700 public libraries which are well IT-connected eg Stockhom, fully broadband-connected city);
(c) citizens are actively involved in their city's development especially the private investors;
(d) a more sustainable economy; and
(e) creation of a tolerant environment toward minorities and immmigrants, which basically entail the survival for all.

(12) The basic essence of the so called Knowledge City is the broad opportunities for educational and technological advancement, through wireless connectivity for sustainable growth of innovation thus enabling ever expanding economies.

(13) Based on such approach, probably interesting to see, how the Mecca 2020 Development Plan, could be transformed Mecca into a Holly-Knowledge City for the good of the whole humainkind. Accordingly, our home, our kampung and neighborhood, should also be planned and develop along the same concept of Peaceful-Knowledge Place, emulating the Heaven that Allah conceptually said in His books. The elements of moral and spiritual must also be part and parcel of the social consideration.

Kuching, Sarawak
5-7 may, 2011