Allah’s Apostle (S.A.W) kissed Al-Hasan bin Ali (R.A) while Al-Aqra’ bin Habis At-Tamim (R.A) was sitting beside him....
BITS ‘N’ PIECES
Narrated Abu Huraira (R.A):
Allah’s Apostle (S.A.W) kissed Al-Hasan bin Ali (R.A) while Al-Aqra’ bin Habis At-Tamim (R.A) was sitting beside him. Al-Aqra said, “I have ten children and I have never kissed anyone of them,” Allah’s Apostle cast a look at him and said, “Whoever is not merciful to others will not be treated mercifully.”
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 26
The Doomsday Clock has been moved more than 20 times since it was introduced in 1947. It has never reached midnight.
The Doomsday Clock is not an actual clock counting down to the end of the world. It is a symbolic warning created in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to show how close humanity may be to a global catastrophe. Midnight represents catastrophe, while the minutes and seconds before it represent how much danger scientists believe the world is facing.
The clock was originally created in the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when scientists were increasingly concerned about the dangers of nuclear weapons. Over the decades, however, its warnings have expanded to include climate change, biological threats, disruptive technologies and artificial intelligence.
What makes the clock particularly interesting is that it can move backwards as well as forwards. It is therefore not a prediction of the future but a warning about the choices we are making today.
Interestingly, the clock does not move according to a mathematical formula. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists consults experts in areas including nuclear weapons, climate change, biotechnology and emerging technologies before deciding where to place the hands.
The clock’s first setting was seven minutes to midnight in 1947. For much of the Cold War, nuclear tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union dominated its position. In 1991, following the end of the Cold War and the signing of major arms reduction agreements, the clock was moved back to 17 minutes to midnight, its furthest point from catastrophe.
So, while the clock has become famous for showing how close humanity is to danger, its history also contains an important message: things can improve when countries make difficult decisions to reduce risks.
Why does our brain notice danger so quickly?
Have you ever been startled by a sudden noise even before understanding what caused it? Your brain is designed to detect potential threats rapidly. The amygdala, an area involved in processing emotions and particularly fear, can respond to threatening information before the slower, more analytical parts of the brain have fully processed what is happening.
This reaction was useful for our ancestors, who needed to notice predators and other dangers quickly. Today, however, the same system can react to less immediate threats such as alarming headlines, social media posts or constant notifications.
That does not mean every danger signal deserves our full attention. Learning to pause, assess the situation and distinguish between an immediate threat and information that merely feels threatening can help us respond more rationally.
