World's Better Half

📖 About Surah Al-Baqarah (Page 29) Page 29 provides clarity on the boundaries of the fast, specifically the permission for intimacy during the nights of Ramadan and the timing for beginning and breaking the fast. The page also contains a stern prohibition against consuming the property of others through bribery or injustice. Finally, it shifts toward the principles of self-defense , commanding believers to fight only those who fight them and never to be the aggressors. 🕌 Arabic Text (Page 29) 🌍 English Translation (Sahih International) Verse 187: It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]... And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset... Verse 188: And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they mi...

📖 About Surah Al-Baqarah (Page 28) Page 28 is beloved by many as it contains the verses of Ramadan . It explains that fasting was prescribed for us just as it was for those before us, with the ultimate goal of attaining Taqwa (God-consciousness). This page also highlights the Quran's revelation in Ramadan and ends with one of the most intimate verses in the Quran—where Allah promises that He is near and responds to the caller whenever they call upon Him. 🕌 Arabic Text (Page 28) 🌍 English Translation (Sahih International) Verse 183: O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous. Verse 184: [Fasting for] a limited number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] - then an equal number of other days [must be fasted]... Verse 185: The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance f...

Foundations of Algorithmic Decision Making Representation for Probabilistic Reasoning Uncertainty is everywhere. Even systems governed by precise physical laws — like satellite trajectories — can drift because small imprecisions compound over time. Measurements contain noise. Sensors fail. Humans behave unpredictably. A decision-making system that ignores uncertainty is fragile. One that models it explicitly becomes powerful. Probability gives us a structured language for representing uncertainty and reasoning under it.    1. Degrees of Belief Probability can be interpreted as a degree of belief — a numerical way of expressing how plausible we think a proposition is. $$ A \succ B \quad \text{or} \quad P(A) > P(B) $$ To behave rationally, our beliefs must follow two core assumptions: Universal Comparability — Any two events can be ranked. Transitivity — If $$ A \succeq B $$ and $$ B \succeq C $$, then $$ A \succeq C $$. ...

📖 About Surah Al-Baqarah (Page 27) Page 27 contains one of the most comprehensive verses in the Quran: Ayat al-Birr (Verse 177) . This verse defines true righteousness, moving beyond mere outward rituals to internal faith and social justice. The page also introduces laws regarding Al-Qisas (legal retribution) to preserve life through justice, and the importance of leaving a will (Wasiyyah) for parents and relatives. 🕌 Arabic Text (Page 27) 🌍 English Translation (Sahih International) Verse 177: Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, despite love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah... Verse 178: O you who have believed, prescribed for you is legal r...

The second part of our series on Foundations of Algorithmic Decision Making continues with the Five Regions of Decision Complexity—a framework to help map uncertainty to the right decision-making approach. Foundations of Algorithmic Decision Making: The Five Regions of Decision Complexity We make decisions all the time, but not all decisions are alike. Consider the following situations: Reasoning: About uncertainty and objectives at a single point in time. Sequential: Making a sequence of decisions while observing outcomes as we proceed. Learning: Acting in an environment where the model is unknown and must be learned through interaction. Imperfect Information: Where the full state of the environment is not observable. Multi-Agent: Making decisions in environments shared with multiple a...

📖 About Surah Al-Baqarah (Page 26) In Page 26 , Allah (SWT) criticizes those who refuse to use their intellect and instead cling to the traditions of their forefathers even when they lack guidance. The page clearly defines Prohibited (Haram) foods —dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which is sacrificed to others besides Allah. It also speaks of the severe consequences for those who conceal the Scripture to attain temporary worldly benefits. 🕌 Arabic Text (Page 26) 🌍 English Translation (Sahih International) 170. And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allah has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing." Even though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided? 172. O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship. 173. He has only forbidden to you dead anima...