My Islamic Perspective...

Community Life Forward

2011-05-01T20:59:00.000-04:00

www.communitylifeforward.com

Blogging Hiatus

2009-11-14T21:25:00.000-05:00

I will be taking a blogging hiatus. I haven't been able to put in the time to blog like I want to and I think that my blog deserves much better.

Please refer to my archives or search the blog for good posts on Islam, Imam W. D. Mohammed, Obama, or any of the labels listed at the bottom of the blog. May G-d have Mercy on us.

thelegacymaker

IWDM COMMENTS - on Ablution

2009-11-10T23:36:00.002-05:00

With the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Compassionate

Performing Ablution:

"Before making ablution we must mentally confirm our intention so that our minds and hearts will not be influenced by the false values of society. Make your ablution with the Name of Allah, knowing that when we become attentive with both heart and mind, we can better answer the call to obey Allah and His Messenger."

"We state our intention to give reverence, respect, humility, and obedience to Allah, The Most High, so that the physical action of ablution becomes a conscious one, and not just a routine exercise."

"We begin our ablution by washing the right hand three times to remind us of our duty to uphold that which is right. We are not to act physically, mentally, or spiritually in a corrupt way. The hands are used to symbolize action, and the right hand is symbolic of our conscious acts. In order to correct our unconscious actions we must first discipline our conscious actions. We depend upon our hands to help us be productive in business, defense, literature, and many other areas.

Next we wash the left hand three times. The left hand is symbolic of our impulsive or unconscious acts. These acts are subject to negative influences when our conscious acts are not rightly oriented. Washing the left hand reminds us of our responsibility to give help to those who are oppressed and culturally blind. Prophet Muhammad [(Peace be upon him)] said to his followers, "Help your brother whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one." When the people asked Prophet Muhammad how they could help their brother if he were an oppressor, he answered, "By preventing him from oppressing others." [Through appealing to his conscience.] We should be positively influenced by people who have more strength or understanding than ourselves. Those with less moral and spiritual knowledge should voluntarily support those with greater knowledge; those who have good moral characters, stronger faith, and who courageously resist injustices and corrupt influences.

After cleaning our hands we wash out our mouths three times. The mouth symbolizes moral discernment. Even if you do no harm to others with your hands, you may still hurt them with your tongue. With our mouths we can injure others mentally, morally, and spiritually. A person cannot do shameful, filthy acts and not be affected by them. The corrupt influences we allow to come into our lives affect us psychologically. When a man restrains himself from doing harmful things, his words will begin to reflect restraint and thoughtfulness.

Prophet Muhammad [(Peace be upon him)] taught that the thing which gets a person into hell or paradise quickest is his tongue. The Muslim who protects the honor and safety of his brothers and sisters with his hand and his tongue can receive salvation."

"After cleaning the mouth, we clean the nostrils three times. The nose is also symbolically represents desires and aspirations. If we work on our actions and our speech to discipline them, we will force our desires to come under control. If we force ourselves to speak the truth we deny our negative desires a medium of expression.

The nose is also symbolic of the intuitive spirit of the human being. You have heard the common expressions, "I can smell it in the air," and "I can smell something cooking." These expressions do not refer to the physical sense of smell. They relate to a kind of intuitive awareness. This intuitive awareness is not something on which we can fully rely. Intuition means that which comes to us through feeling or instinct. Intuitive awareness comes automatically, without our minds perceiving the process. it will not, however, guarantee intellectual enlightenment unless it is rationally assisted by the signs of Allah.

Throughout the ages of millions of misinformed people have looked for magical ways to solve their problems, and they have been victimized by occultists and soothsayers. Over-dependence on intuition can lead to superstition. Superstition comes into our lives when we do not get a proper understanding of reality. When we get enough true answers to our questions about life we will not be interested in fantasy."

"Thus far we have checked our actions by washing of the hands. We then gave our intention to our mouths in speaking the truth and in keeping our words and thoughts clean. Next, we washed the nose to symbolize the removal of superstitions and unclean desires. When we clean up our actions and desires, and also develop our spiritual awareness, we become conscious that we are not perfect and that we are ever in need of Allah's Help.

After washing the nose, we wash our face three times. The face symbolizes a person's character. Just as an evil can be created by our mouths or our hands, a facial expression can also start an evil to work. When we say, "Do not pay any attention to him, there is another face that he is not showing you," we mean that his real character is hidden. A two-faced person can never make himself presentable to Allah.

After washing the face, we wash the arms three times up to the elbows, starting with the right arm. The arm is symbolic of power. We are not to use our power to force others to our way of thinking. Some people are unable to discipline themselves, yet they are ready to use their power to force others to submit to their wills. By the same token, nations and communities are sometimes guilty of using their power in the form of wealth, or knowledge or warfare, science, psychology, religion, etc., to dominate and exploit others.

In washing the arms three times we are reminded that power is given in three ways: physically, mentally, and spiritually. Power can interrupt, corrupt, and disrupt our physical, mental, and spiritual lives. After washing the right arm, we wash our left to reinforce the principle so that it will become habit for us.

After washing the arms, we wipe the hair once. The hair is a symbolic of sub-skin intelligence, and wiping it is symbolic of keeping our emotional senses clean. Emotions are subject to the influence of instinctive intelligence. Once a society develops to a civilized level, the most important things for its leaders to do are to preserve its knowledge and to safeguard it from distortions and impurities. Once its knowledge is corrupted, a society on the path of growth and development.

After wiping the hair, we wipe the ears simultaneously, cleaning them only once. The ear is an open door to our minds and hearts. It is symbolic of another form of desire, the desire, if the intellect and the heart to know. When cleaning the ears we should be conscious that we are to protect ourselves against suggestions and influences which could corrupt our minds. If something is not in agreement with the Holy Qur'an and Hadith, we want to stop it right at the door.

Our ears are not interpreters; they only receive information under the influences of sentiment and logic. When we listen, it is because we desire to know something in order to satisfy our minds and hearts. Sometimes people may plant things in the ear which can disrupt and unseat the mind and heart. Once something comes into our ears, it is up to us to use our intelligence to see if it is good or evil, logical, or illogical. Once we recognize evil, we must fight its influence in all forms.

According to the Holy Qur'an and the Bible, Adam and Eve lost their place in the Garden of Eden because they were tempted to listen to the deceiving whispers of Satan. In ignorance, they let their hearts and intellects take diverging paths, and the attention of their ears became imbalanced between the requirements of logic and sentiment. Most people are impulse-directed-burden-bearers without skill. That which comes into our ears must be consciously examined. This is something to which we have to devote our entire being.

We clean the feet after cleaning the hair and ears. Symbolically speaking, the body represents the structure of society, and the feet represent the innate spiritual intelligence of the people or masses. Society stands upon the emotional stability of the people. You cannot tell the masses to be clean and upright, and to fight evil influences in all forms before involving both heart and intellect in the cause of truth and justice.

For the individual the feet represent habit-formed convictions and morals. Think of the expressions, "I stand on my faith and convictions," Walk of life," and "What road do you follow?" Your walk of life, or the road you follow, forms your habits. You do not have to think consciously about your habits in order to form them. You speak a certain way, walk a certain way and perform certain social functions because they have become your way of life. Society has passed these habits on to you. They are both emotionally and rationally based.

It is essential that we understand and live in accordance with the symbolic meaning associated with the ritual of ablution. The constant repetition of its steps should reinforce our awareness of the way Allah directs us toward the life He intends for us, and it should remind us of our need to constantly reorient ourselves in accordance with the principles it illustrates. The symbolism of ablution shows us that no matter what the situation is, we are required to maintain a clean, rational attitude.

In order for our unconscious actions to be properly oriented, our thoughts and conscious actions must first be disciplined to uphold that which is right. Once we have disciplined ourselves physically we become able to practice moral discernment and clean, creditable speech. When we reach this point in our development we hope that our character is acceptable to Allah. Through these steps we learn to understand our own potential and how to use it properly, so that we can protect the purity of our knowledge and wisdom. Next we learn to protect our minds and hearts from evil influences and suggestions, and to correct our personal habits so that they will conform to Al-Islam. Once we have progressed in this endeavor, we can better live the lives of upright Muslims in a continuous state of mental and spiritual ablution."

Excerpts from the Book - "Prayer and Al-Islam" By Imam W. Deen Mohammed Â© 1982

The American Muslim - blog‏

2009-11-08T22:30:00.000-05:00

"Funny thing is, I go to the same Mosque Maj Hassan went to while he lived in the DC Area. I happen to believe and act on the Imam’s sermons when he calls for Muslims to be good citizens, neighbors, etc. and Hassan did not. But then again I attended many church sermons where the Pastor talked about the evils of adultery and fornication, and somehow members of the congregation did that very exact thing.

Do we blame the entire church, Pastor, or religion? Nope.

Niqabi Sister Help Police Arrest Gunman by Convincing Him to Surrender

2009-11-05T09:28:00.003-05:00

Niqabi Sister Help Police Arrest Gunman by Convincing Him to Surrender

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Thoughts on Imam Luqman's death

2009-11-05T07:44:00.000-05:00

Over one thousand American Muslims gathered in the city of Detroit on Saturday to mourn the prayers leader who was shot [18] times by the FBI in an apparent attempt to arrest him.

This is an injustice.
The FBI was wrong and the Media was wrong in their attempt to smear Islam.

This tragic shooting raises deep concerns regarding the use of lethal force by law enforcement agents.

Since the investigation was "solely criminal" based upon "smuggling and fraud," we urge law enforcement and the media not to take undo advantage of this tragedy in order to demonize American Muslims generally, and those who are African American Muslims in particular. -MANA

CARRYING THE LOGIC TO IT’S LOGICAL CONCLUSION

2009-10-31T13:45:00.000-04:00

Imam W. D. Mohammed

2003 Annual Islamic Convention – (excerpt)

Jumah 8-29-03

Chicago , IL

Now!

CARRYING THE LOGIC TO IT’S LOGICAL CONCLUSION. Should Not WE Plan Our Life in these United Sates of America? Where We’re living, among, mostly Christians, Non Muslims. Our Neighbor most likely, will be, a Christian. Should Not WE Plan Our Life, so that Our Life, not only, contribute to Our, well being and Good future. But, also to Their, well being?! And, Their Good future?! Since, G-d has told Us, that Mohammad, is a Mercy, to all the worlds. Rahama til ala-meen. And, He has also told us, that WE are to give to the needy! To the poor! To the suffering! And, that WE are to give to Those Who Ask, and, also to Those Who, Don’t Ask.

Thank You, very much. I think You are with me.

And, That’s what WE have to do. Let’s, Plan OUR Future in the, United States of America. So, that WE ESTABLISH A MODEL. In this, New, part of the world. WE ESTABLISH A MODEL that all Muslims Will Be Happy With. That All Muslims will be HAPPY WITH. And, if WE can ESTABLISH it here, in Quote, the Wilderness of North America, end Quote, it will be Seen By The Whole World.

So, WE ask Allah to help, us. Befriend us always, Our Lord. And, give us Mercy. For without Your Mercy we will not have Guidance. We ask You to help us win Your Friendship. Not, the friendship of the world. But, to win Your Friendship. And, to help us keep it. And, to give us in this life, Good, and, in the next Good. And, to save us from the punishment of the fire. (Prayer) Raba na atin na fiduna has na ta wa kil at ti has san a tan wak I na ah tha bin naah.

Honoring a Pioneer: Salimah Omar

2009-10-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "He is not of us who does not have mercy on young children, nor honor the elderly" (Al-Tirmidhi)

I recently learned about this sister from Bro. Mubaashir, and I decided to forward an email to assist in her cause. She is now in hospice care and her family needs support for after she returns to Allah. I've added a few pictures and a youtube video about Sis. Salimah. May Allah reward her for her good and grant her a place in paradise.

“Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. If one or both of them reach old age with you, do not say to them a word of disrespect, or scold them, but say a generous word to them. And act humbly to them in mercy, and say, ‘My Lord, have mercy on them, since they cared for me when I was small.” (17: 23-24)

Dear Muslims, Network Members, and Friends,

I have several things to report to you as of this evening:

HEALTH

Allahu Akbar! Family, friends, and medical personnel are doing all they can to provide a loving, warm, comfortable rest for Salimah. She is truly loved by many.

INSURANCE

Allahu Akbar! The family found 3 small insurance policies totaling $2,287.00. This cuts the amount of money we are raising almost in half.

YOUR DONATIONS

Allahu Akbar! We have received 18 donations totaling $875.00. This gives us a total of $3,162.00 towards the $5,100.00, leaving us with a balance of $1,938.00.

WHO IS SALIMAH OMAR?

For those wondering, "Who is Salimah Omar?" If you don't know her, you will read more about her in the Muslim Journal. Suffice it to say for now that in our Islamic community she is a great woman to all who know her, including Imam W. Deen Mohammed, who named her the first Muslim Woman of the Year from our community. She is a great example of a Muslimah, a great musician, champion of culture and fierce advocate for the arts and education. She is a mother to us all. A member of our community since the 1950s or 60s, I believe. She was 86 years old on Monday.

Let me give you one example of the kind of person she is. If you saw the pictures I sent out yesterday, she was on that bed with her eyes closed selling her book of poetry called Islamizing Our Culture (copyright 2008). Her daughter would tell visitors who wanted to buy the book to go over to her and ask the price. As they approached her to speak, with her eyes closed and head tilted to the side (you would think that she was sleep), she would pronounce the price.

WHY ARE WE REQUESTING DONATIONS NOW?

For those wondering, "Why we are collecting donations now while Salimah is still with us?" We understand that the final determination rests in the hands of Allah and believers are making du'aa for Salimah daily and nightly. We pray that Allah chooses to defy all indications and restore our sister to health. However, Muslims understand that none of us know the hour of our departure from this life and thus, we are encouraged to prepare ourselves ahead of time so that we, our families, and friends are not overly burdened by our departure.

Hence, we purchase our burial plots before they are needed. We purchase life insurance to cover our departure arrangements. We write wills to instruct those we leave behind how to dispose of our property and possessions. We do these things while we are living, not because we are second-guessing Allah, but because HE enjoins us and it is our custom to be prepared for life and death. So we plan ahead.

Our beloved sister Salimah has managed her affairs very well. Our assistance effort is a humble attempt to help augment Salimah's preparation and ease the burden on her children.

May Allah bless our good and forgive our mistakes.

A DUA FROM SALIMAH'S BOOK

Oh Allah

I thank you for knowing me

Better than I know myself

And knowing myself better

Than others know me

Make me I pray thee

Better than they suppose

And forgive me

What they do not know

Salimah Omar

I will keep you updated...

Peace Be Upon You,

Mubaashir Uqdah

mubaashir.uqdah@verizon.net

You can donate HERE.

A time for this and a time for that...

2009-10-25T14:14:00.000-04:00

It was narrated that Hanzalah al-Usaydi said:

Abu Bakr met me and said: How are you, O Hanzalah? I said: Hanzalah has become a hypocrite. He said: Subhaan Allaah! What are you saying? I said: When we are with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) he reminds us of the Fire and the Garden until it is as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we depart from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), we attend to our wives and children and businesses, and we forget a great deal. Abu Bakr said: By Allaah, we experience something similar. Abu Bakr and I went and entered upon the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and I said: Hanzalah has become a hypocrite, O Messenger of Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Why is that?” I said: O Messenger of Allaah, when we are with you, you remind us of the Fire and the Garden until it is as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we depart from you, we attend to our wives and children and businesses, and we forget a great deal. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if you continued as you are when you are with me, and continued to remember (Paradise and Hell), the angels would shake hands with you in your homes and on the streets. But, O Hanzalah, there is a time for this and a time for that” (he said it) three times.

Narrated by Muslim (2750).

THE GROWTH OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS

2009-10-21T23:16:00.000-04:00

THE GROWTH OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS
Lecture by Imam W. Deen Mohammed

"Let us move on now to the concept of prophet. We have now a quick picture of Allah, that is a quick, real brief, idea of the unity of allah, His oneness, His uniqueness, His independence. Now, let us come to the prophet, or concept of the prophet, and see the precious light of Al-Islam. On the concept of Prophet Muhammad, Prophet Muhammad is not an ordinary Prophet. Prophet Muhammad is the major Prophet, extraordinary Prophet, and thelast of the prophets, last of the Major Prophets. The Major Prophets are those prophets who bare a direct relationship to our individual growth as a human being, as a conscious creature. There are Minor Prophets who dealt with social problems, political problems, different problems--those are Minor Prophets. They don't bear directly their meaning. Their role does not bear directly on the natural evolution of me as a person. How do we know this? Allah says in the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad has taught it--that in you are seven grades and above you are seven corresponding grades. The seven in us refers to the natural steps of growth that takes place in the conscience of the individual to reach the fullness of growth that Allah has ordained for us, in creating us, our natural forms, our nature-biological nature, our spiritual nature, our political nature.

Do you know that you have a political nature. My political nature, all of it has already been clocked and designed by Allah who created it. In creating it, he designed it and clocked it. And He designed and clocked it, so that, it moves up along certain planes of elevation. Each plane of elevation gets broader. The first plane is more narrower and it not as broad as the second one. The second one is broader than the first one. The third one is broader the second one. And the fourth is broader the third one. The fifth one is broader than the fourth. The sixth is broader than the fifth. The seventh is broader than the sixth. So, if you see this going up, it looks like a cone so to speak. It gets bigger as we go up into the grades.

Now, where does Prophet Muhammad stand? Where is he placed? Since Allah says, correspondedly there are seven above you. The word in Arabic clearly tells us that the seven above us are not different than the seven in us. It clearly tells that the seven above us are the same as the seven in us. Oh, is he saying that the seven prophets, the Major Prohets are in us? Yes! But they are asleep in us. The average one of us cannot reach the potential that the great Prophets achieved. Because we have not earned the blessings that they earned. But if we had been upright and G-d chose us for the blessings, there is already the resources in her for G-d to bring out. The resources of the Major Prophets are in me, in every human being. And G-d has to bring it out. He brought it out with each major Prophet. He brought a plane or elevation of that until it reached seven. And we know, according to hadith, if the hadith is correct and we must agree that it is correct whether we know the hadith is correct or not because the ummah is the ummah after the millah of Ibrahim--the Prophet Hanifah--peace be on him.

...Dear believers, sometimes I don't feel like talking to you this way because most of you are doubters. And it is not justice to give precious knowledge to doubters. It is not justice. That is not right--you see. But if you understood this, you would understand how your self, as a person, is a type of the great Prophet. And G-d has not sent us leaders that we can't follow. Because the leader that he has sent represent what is inherent in us, or inborn, or innate in us. So, Prophet represents the consistency, the logic that connects them all--also it is in us."IWDM (THE GROWTH OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS)

Very Powerful Story posted on www.ummah1.com

2009-10-20T16:17:00.002-04:00

There were only 15 minutes left before Salat-ul Isha.

He quickly made Wudhu and performed Salat-ul Maghrib.

While making Tasbih, he again remembered his grandmother and was embarrassed by how he had prayed.

His grandmother prayed with such tranquillity and peace.

He began making Dua and went down to make Sajdah and stayed like that for a while.

He had been at work all day and was tired, so tired.

He awoke abruptly to the sound of noise and shouting.

He was sweating profusely. He looked around. It was very crowded.

Every direction he looked in was filled with people.

Some stood frozen looking around, some were running left and right and some were on their knees with their heads in their hands just waiting.

Pure fear and apprehension filled him as he realized where he was.

His heart was about to burst.It was the Day of Judgment.

When he was alive, he had heard many things about the questioning on the Day of Judgment, but that seemed so long ago.

Could this be something his mind made up?

No, the wait and the fear were so great that he could not have imagined this.

The interrogation was still going on.

He began moving frantically from people to people to ask if his name had been called.

No one could answer him.

All of a sudden his name was called and the crowd split into two and made a passageway for him.

Two angels grabbed his arms and led him forward.

He walked with unknowing eyes through the crowd.

The angels brought him to the center and left him there.

His head was bent down and his whole life was passing in front of his eyes like a movie.

He opened his eyes but saw only another world.

The people were all helping others.

He saw his father running from one lecture to the other, spending his wealth in the way of Islam.

His mother invited guests to their house and one table was being set while the other was being cleared.

He pleaded his case, 'I too was always on this path.

I helped others.

I spread the word of Allah.

I performed my Salah.

I fasted in the month of Ramadhan.

Whatever Allah ordered us to do, I did.

Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did not.'

He began to cry and think about how much he loved Allah.

He knew that whatever he had done in life would be less than what Allah deserved and his only protector was Allah He was sweating like never before and was shaking all over.

His eyes were fixed on the scale, waiting for the final decision.

At last, the decision was made.

The two angels with sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the crowd.

His legs felt like they were going to collapse.

He closed his eyes as they began to read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam.

His name was read first.

He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn't be, 'How could I go to Jahannam?

I served others all my life, I spread the word of Allah to others'.

His eyes had become blurry and he was shaking with sweat.

The two angels took him by the arms.

As his feet dragged, they went through the crowd and advanced toward the blazing flames of Jahannam.

He was yelling and wondered if there was any person who was going to help him.

He was yelling of all the good deeds he had done, how he had helped his father, his fasts, prayers, the Noble Qur'an that he read, he was asking if none of them would help him.

The Jahannam angels continued to drag him.

They had gotten closer to the Hellfire.

He looked back and these were his last pleas.

Had not Rasulullah [SAW] said, 'How clean would a person be who bathes in a river five times a day, so

too does the Salah performed five times cleanse someone of their sins'?

He began yelling, 'My prayers? My prayers? My prayers.?'

The two angels did not stop, and they came to the edge of the abyss of Jahannam.

The flames of the fire were burning his face.

He looked back one last time, but his eyes were dry of hope and he had nothing left in him.

One of the angels pushed him in.

He found himself in the air and falling towards the flames.

He had just fallen five or six feet when a hand grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.

He lifted his head and saw an old man with a long white beard.

He wiped some dust off himself and asked him, 'Who are you?'

The old man replied, 'I am your prayers'.

'Why are you so late! I was almost in the Fire!

You rescued me at the last minute before I fell in'.

The old man smiled and shook his head, 'You always performed me at the last minute, did you forget?'

At that instant, he blinked and lifted his head from Sajdah.

He was in a sweat.

He listened to the voices coming from outside.

He heard the Adhan for Salat-ul Isha.

He got up quickly and went to perform Wudhu.

Pass this on to your friends and family...Maybe, you can help someone open their eyes.

And who knows?

Maybe, this is a good deed that can help you during the day of

judgement.

(INSHA-ALLAH)

Thanks to David "Ahmad "Cork UMMAH 1 Member

Question your own creation...

2009-10-19T16:42:00.000-04:00

Why you should recite Ayat-ul-Kursi every night

2009-10-16T07:19:00.001-04:00

Why you should recite Ayat-ul-Kursi every night

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Weekly Wisdom - 10/16

2009-10-16T07:14:00.000-04:00

467. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Look at those who are inferior to you and do not look at those who are superior to you, for this will keep you from belittling Allah's Favor to you.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

This is the wording in Sahih Muslim. The narration in Al-Bukhari is: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "When one of you looks at someone who is superior to him in property and appearance, he should look at someone who is inferior to him".

Commentary: By looking at the worldly goods and riches of others, a person gradually becomes unthankful for the blessings which Allah has bestowed on him. The best remedy for this "disease" is that which has been prescribed by Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in this Hadith. The remedy is that one should look at the people who have lesser worldly goods and riches than one's own. If a person has a small house of his own which can protect him from the harshness of weather, then he has no need to see enviously towards sky-high buildings and palatial houses of others. He should look at the homeless people who spend their nights on footpaths and live in huts which in rain leak like sieve and are swept away by a wave of flood water, etc. But from a religious angle, one should see towards those who are more fearful of Allah and observe their Salat meticulously so that one becomes more fond of obedience of Allah, has a greater fear of Him and devotes more time to prayer and devotion. This dispensation is also given in other Ahadith.

Omar Regan reciting with a different tilaawa(sound) & quick view of HAJJ PROS CEO

2009-10-15T00:22:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of our upcoming Hajj season. (Tariq...I see you in the back...lol)

Going from one extreme to the other...

2009-10-06T14:43:00.000-04:00

Egypt cleric 'to ban full veils'

Egypt's highest Muslim authority has said he will issue a religious edict against the growing trend for full women's veils, known as the niqab.

Sheikh Mohamed Tantawi, dean of al-Azhar university, called full-face veiling a custom that has nothing to do with the Islamic faith.

Although most Muslim women in Egypt wear the Islamic headscarf, increasing numbers are adopting the niqab as well.

The practice is widely associated with more radical trends of Islam.

The niqab question reportedly arose when Sheikh Tantawi was visiting a girls' school in Cairo at the weekend
and asked one of the students to remove her niqab.

The Egyptian newspaper al-Masri al-Yom quoted him expressing surprise at the girl's attire and telling her it was merely a tradition, with no connection to religion or the Koran.

A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/8290606.stm

Published: 2009/10/05 13:07:55 GMT

© BBC MMIX

10 Steps to Increasing our Iman (Faith)

2009-09-30T06:18:00.002-04:00

10 Steps to Increasing our Iman(Faith)

The Prophet Muhammad (S) said: "Faith wears out in the heart of any one of you just as clothes wear out, so ask Allah to renew the faith in your hearts” (Mustadrak al-Haakim).

Our Iman is not always as sound and strong as we want it to be as it often fluctuates according to life circumstances. There are several causes for weakening Iman such as deficiencies in our prayers or the insinuating whispers from the Shaytan. Regardless of the cause, it is crucial for all of us to keep a check on our Iman and if we feel it is faltering in any way then we should take measures to restore it. It is our responsibility to know which things decrease our Iman and how to avoid them and those that increase our Iman and how to embrace them.

What are signs of a weak imaan?

Signs of weak imaan:

• Committing sins and not feeling any guilt.
• Having a hard heart and no desire to read the Quran.
• Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for salat
• Neglecting the Sunnah.
• Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and bothered and irritated most of the time.
• Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Quran, for example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad tidings.
• Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making dhikr.
• Not feeling bad when things are done against the Shariah.
• Desiring status and wealth.
• Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth.
• Ordering others to do good deeds when not practising them ourselves.
• Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others.
• Being concerned with whether something is haram or halal only; and not avoiding makroo (not recommended) things.
• Making fun of people who do simple good deeds, like cleaning the mosque.
• Not feeling concerned about the situation of Muslims.
• Not feeling the responsibility to do something to promote Islam.
• Being unable to deal with calamities, for instance crying and yelling in funerals.
• Liking to argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof.
• Becoming engrossed and very involved with dunya, worldly things, i.e. feeling bad only when losing something in terms of material wealth.
• Becoming engrossed and obsessive about ourselves.

Here are 10 ways that we can brighten up our Iman starting from today!

1. Recognise and Repent

As humans we all commit sins no matter how hard we try to avoid them because were created to be imperfect. Engaging in evil deeds decreases our Iman. Actions like lying, cheating and stealing, to name only a few, take a toll on the human heart and soul which makes us more susceptible to being lead astray from the Path of Allah. It is important for us to reflect upon our deeds and weed out the ones that are contrary to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (S). Allah has gifted us with an innate sense of justice and the ability to reason and make sound judgements. Our fitrah (natural disposition) necessitates that we all know when we are committing a sin. And if we don't know, we certainly have a bevy of resources to find out from!

• Conditions for the acceptance of repentance

The word tauba which is rendered as repentance in English, is not a simple term as most people believe. It is very rich in meaning and implication, and is not simply a word of mouth after which the sinner continues in his sins. Says Allah, Glorified be He: "Seek forgiveness of your Lord and then turn to Him in repentance." (Hud: 3). Do you notice how turning to the Lord in repentance has been added to the search for His forgiveness?

It is quite in keeping with its importance, therefore, that repentance should have, as the scholars have stated, conditions attached to it for its acceptance.

They are as follows:

• First: Giving up of the sin itself.
• Second: Remorse over what has been committed.
• Third: A resolve not to repeat it, and, Fourth: Compensating those who have been wronged or obtaining their forgiveness.

2. Perform Salah Regularly

Completing the five daily prayers, on time and according to the Sunnah, is an excellent way to increase our Iman. Not only are we performing an obligatory deed when praying, but by doing so we have a standing audience with the Creator of this world where we can ask for help and mercy. The effect of the salah on the human soul is cooling as Muhammad (S) once said that it cooled his eyes. The salah connects us with our Creator and, along with obedience to Allah, helps us to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.

Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:

"The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses -this Qur’an- are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses) increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone); Who perform salah and spend out of that We have provided them. It is they who are the believers in truth. For them are grades of dignity with their Lord, and Forgiveness and a generous provision (Paradise)” (Al-Anfal: 2-4).

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah (RAA) Rasulullah (SAW) said: The similitude of five prayers is like an overflowing river passing by the gate of one of you in which he washes five times daily. Hasan said: No filthiness can remain on him. (Sahih Muslim Book 4, Hadith # 1411)

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RAA) Rasualullah (SAW) said, "Martyrs are those who die because of drowning, plague, an abdominal disease, or of being buried alive by a falling building." And then he added, "If the people knew the Reward for the Zuhr prayer in its early time, they would race for it. If they knew the reward for the 'Isha' and the Fajr prayers in congregation, they would join them even if they had to crawl. If they knew the reward for the first row, they would draw lots for it." (Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 1, Book 11, Hadith # 688)

For the people who don’t pray:

Informing us about the inhabitants of Hell, Allaah (SWT) says "(The people in Hell will be asked What has caused you to enter Hell? They will say: "We were not of those who used to offer their Salât (prayers). Nor did we feed the poor. And we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allaah hated) with vain-talkers. And we used to belie thc Day of Recompense. Until there came to us that which is certain (i.e., death). So no Intercession of intercessors will benefit them. (Sura Al-Muddaththir, ayah 42-48)

Rasulullah (SAW) said "The covenant between us and them is prayer, so if anyone abandons it he has become a disbeliever." (Agreed upon by Ahmad, Tirmidhee and Nasaa'ee to be authentic)

In an other Hadith of Rasulullah (SAW) said "What lies between a man and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer."( Agreed upon by Muslim, Abu Dawood and Nasaa'ee as sahih authentic)

3. Qur’anic Recitations

Medical studies have shown that simply listening to a recitation of the Holy Qur’an has a physiological effect on our bodies. Research has also proven that the Qur’an has healing qualities on the body, mind and spirit. What better way to increase our Iman than to listen to the recitation of the Holy Qur’an on an audio device! Listen to the melodious rhythm of the Qur’an and while doing so try to reflect upon the meanings of what you are listening to.We should always strive to read as much of the Qur’an as possible as reading the word of allah especially with the meanings will significantly increase our imaan and elevate us in this world and the next!

Hazrat Abdullah bin Masud radhiyallahu anhu narrates that The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said: "Whoever reads one letter of the Quran receives the reward of one good deed. And one good deed is multiplied ten times.

Hazrat Abu Huraira radhiyallahu anhu reports that Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said: "Whoever listens to one verse of the Book of Allah, a good deed that multiplies continuously is recorded. And one who reads a verse of the Quran, that verse will be a Noor for him on the Day of Judgement."

Hazrat Anas radhiyallahu anhu reports that Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:"Whoever reads the Quran, Allah grants that person ten good deeds for every letter. And for one who hears the Quran being recited, Allah grants a good deed for every letter, and such a person will be resurrected among those who will recite and ascend the stages of Jannat."Hazrat Ibni Abbas radhiyallahu anhu narrates that Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said: "He who listens to one letter of the Quran, ten good deeds are recorded for him, ten sins are forgiven, and his status is elevated by ten stages."

4. Engage in Dhikr

"…Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." (13:28)

Remembrance of Allah indeed is the greatest virtue.(29:46).

O ye who believe let not your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah . (63:10)

O ye who believe, remember Allah much. And glorify Him morning and evening (33:42-43)

When the signs of the Gracious Allah are recited unto them, they fall down, prostrating themselves before Allah weeping.(19:59)

According to these verses the attitude of those who truly remember Allah is the following:

1. Their hearts are filled with the fear of Allah because they are reminded of the status and the Glory of their God.
2. Their skins creep, i.e., the hair on their bodies rise due to their state of fear.
3. Their bodies are softened, their hearts become tender.
4. They prostrate, i.e., they start worshiping Allah .
5. They cry or weep.

Remembering Allah much through acts of dhikr brings much peace and tranquility to the heart. It also gives us a sense of taqwa(fear of allah), a consciousness that makes us realise that Allah Almighty is ever near and that we should always strive to please Him.

Some beneficial dhikr include:

Subhan'Allah- 'Praise be to Allah'
Al-Hamdullilah- 'Thanks be to Allah'
Allahu Akbar – 'Allah is the Greatest.'
La ila ha illallah- There is no worthy of worship except allah

Abu haraira(ra) Narrates: Prophet(saw) said: whoever says: Subhanallahi Wa Bihamdihi – (I deem Allah free of any resemblances to anything whatever in any repeat, and I glorify his praises) one hundred times a day will have his sins forgiven even though they may be as much as the foam of the sea – (Bukhari,b73:c19)

Read much of this zikr:

Subhaan-Allahi walhamdu-lillaahi, wa laa ilaa-ha illa-la ill-lal-lahu wallahu Akbar, walaa haula wala quoow-wata illa billa hil-Aliyyil-azeem.

"Glory is for Allaah and all Praise is due to Allah. There is none worthy of worship except Allaah. Allaah is the greatest. There is no power and no strength except with Allaah the Most High, the Great."

5.Voluntary Fasting

Fasting can be thought of as a prescription for us, which cures the maladies of the human soul. There are innumerable benefits to fasting nawafil fasts. Fasting helps us be thankful to Allah for His Bounty, control unlawful desires, have compassion for the less fortunate and it weakens the effects of waswas, the insinuating whispers from the Shaytan.

Here is an explanation of the spiritual meaning of the Islamic Fasting:

1. It teaches man the principle of sincere Love: because when he observes Fasting he does it out of deep love for God. And the man who loves God truly is a man who really knows what love is.

2. It equips man with a creative sense of hope and an optimistic outlook on life; because when he fasts he is hoping to please God and is seeking His Grace.

3. It imbues in man the genuine virtue of effective devotion, honest dedication and closeness to God; because when he fasts he does so for God and for His sake alone.

4. It cultivates in man a vigilant and sound conscience; because the fasting person keeps his fast in secret as well as in public. In fasting, especially, there is no mundane authority to check man's behavior or compel him to observe fasting. He keeps it to please God and satisfy his own conscience by being faithful in secret and in public. There is no better way to cultivate a sound conscience in man.

5. It indoctrinates man in patience and selflessness, as through fasting, he feels the pains of deprivation but he endures them patiently.

6. It is an effective lesson in applied moderation and willpower.

7. Fasting also provides man with a transparent soul, a clear mind and a light body.

8. It shows man a new way of wise savings and sound budgeting.

9. It enables man to master the art of Mature Adaptability. We can easily understand the point once we realize that fasting makes man change the entire course of his daily life.

10. It grounds man in discipline and healthy survival.

11. It originates in man the real spirit of social belonging, unity and brotherhood, of equality before God as well as before the law.

12. It is a Godly prescription for self-reassurance and self-control.

6.Carrying out Good Deeds

Doing good deeds for others can be like switching on a light bulb in a darkened room. No matter how awful we are feeling there is just something about offering a helping hand to someone in need that lifts our spirits and brightens our Iman. We should get to the stage where we crave to do good deeds! Because our good deeds are our eternal investment which will benefit us for the rest of eternity rather than investment into this life which is very temporary indeed! So what investment sounds better? Eternal investment which will give us eternal bliss or temporary investment which has a chance of failing even though we spend our whole lives investing in it! You choose!

Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an: "For those who believe and work righteous deeds is a reward that will never fail”(Fussilat: 8).

Time in Islam is more than gold or any precious material thing in this world. Of all religions, only Islam guides mankind not only to the importance of time but also how to value it. Allah I the Almighty and His Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad r, very clearly tell us the value of time, why we must not waste it and how we can make use of our time wisely to increase our iman (faith) and thus attain success, especially eternal success in the life Hereafter.

Bin ‘Abbas narrated t that Allâh’s Messenger r said,“There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good.” (Bukhari 8/421)

Abdullah Bin Mas’ud t narrated: “I asked the Prophet, ‘Which deed is the dearest to Allah?’ He replied, “To offer salaat (the prayers) at their early fixed times.” I asked, “What is the next (in goodness)?” He replied, “To be good and dutiful to your parents.” I' again asked, “What is the next (in goodness)? “He replied, “To participate in jihad (religious fighting) in Allah’s Cause.” (Bukhari 1/ 505)

Abu Qatada, Bin Rab’i t narrated that the Prophet , said, "Allâh the Exalted said: ‘I made five times (daily) prayers obligatory on your people. And I took a guarantee that if anyone observes them regularly at their times, I shall admit him to Paradise. If anyone does not offer them regularly, there is no such guarantee of Mine for him." (Abu Dawood 430)

If we fear Allah for His wrath and hope for His rewards in the eternal world to come, time has come for us to give due value to the importance of time. We should try not to waste most of our time seeking worldly pleasures. It is for our guidance that we must take admonition from the following authentic hadîth:

Abu Hurairah t narrated that Allâh’s Messenger r said, Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. During (that stormy period) a man would be a Muslim in the morning and an unbeliever in the evening or he would be a believer in the evening and an unbeliever in the morning, and would sell his faith for worldly goods.” (Muslim 213)

Abu Hurairah t narrated that Allâh’s Messenger r said,“Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the west, the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast and (the death) of one you or the general turmoil.” (Muslim 7039)

“Call then upon Allâh with sincere devotion to Him even though the Unbelievers may detest it.” Qur'an 40:14

Verily, time is very important for our success both in this temporary world and the eternal world to come. If we waste time, if we abuse it, then we waste and abuse our lives. In the Life Hereafter we will be among the losers, who will suffer the torments in the Hell-Fire, if Allah I the Almighty will not forgive us. Therefore, if we really give value to our lives then, we must give due value to the importance of time.

7.Remembering Death

Every soul shall taste death

Allah has said in the Qur’aan:"Every soul will taste death.”

From this verse we know that death is such a thing that you can’t escape from even if you are in a house, which is built with metal walls, and has a massive padlock. Death will not only come when hair and the beard turn white, but it can come at any time, even when you are a baby, or an old person or a teenager or of middle age. Even if you are a king, a Prime Minister or a leader of one of the tribes.

Merits of the Remembrance of Death

Know that the person, who is engrossed in the world and cheated by its charming coquetries, is unmindful of the remembrance of death. They do not remember death and when they are reminded of it, they do not like it. Allah has said regarding such a man:“The deaths from which you flee away will meet you. Thereafter you will be led to the Knower of the world seen and unseen. You will then be informed of what you did.”

Hazrat Bilal bin Masood and Umar bin Abdul Aziz Radiallaho Anho said, “O People! You are not created for being destroyed”. You will travel from one home to another home. For a believer, death is a gift.

Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam has said, “The gift for a believer is death".

Due to the hardship which the believer goes through in this world, death becomes easy for him and all of his anxieties disappear. Therefore, it is described as a gift in the Hadith.

Hazrat Mahmood bin Labeed says that the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam said, “Mankind likes two things very much. One of these things is life, though death is much better for him, and the second is wealth though poverty makes accounting easy.

Hazrat ibn Umar Radiallaho Anho says, “This world is paradise for the non-believers (they are engaged in their worldly desires and aspirations). This world is a jail or prison for the faithful (momins). They are bound by the laws of Shari at in every matter. Therefore, when the soul of a momin leaves his body (at the time of death), it is as if a captive has been freed from the cell. He cleans himself by turning in the dust.

8.Gaining knowledge

To seek knowledge is a sacred duty, it is obligatory on every Muslim, male and female. The first word revealed of the Qur’an was "Iqra" READ! Seek knowledge! Educate yourselves! Be educated.

Surah Al-Zumr, ayah 9 reveals: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?"

Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 269 reveals: "Allah grants wisdom to whom He pleases and to whom wisdom is granted indeed he receives an overflowing benefit."

Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (S) said: The position of only two persons is enviable; the person whom Allah bestowed wealth empowering him to spend it in the way of righteousness, and the person whom Allah gave wisdom with which he adjudges and which he teaches to others

According to Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (S) said: A single scholar of religion is more formidable against shaytaan than a thousand devout persons.

Islam is our greatest gift. We have to be thankful for this gift. We have to render to Allah His due. Allah has given us so much by making us a part of the Ummah of the Prophet Muhammad (S) so we must totally commit ourselves as followers of the Prophet (S). We must become true Muslims.

A person without knowledge is like someone walking along a track in complete darkness. Most likely his steps will wander aside and he easily can be deceived by shaytaan. This shows that our greatest danger lies in our ignorance of Islamic teachings and in our unawareness of what the Qur’an teaches and what guidance has been given by the Prophet (S). But if we are blessed with the light of knowledge we will be able to see plainly the clear path of Islam at every step of our lives. We shall also be able to identify and avoid the dangerous paths of Kufr, Shirk and immorality, which may cross it. And, whenever a false guide meets us on the way, a few words with him will quickly establish that he is not a guide who should be followed.

Every one of us, young or old, man or woman, should at least acquire sufficient knowledge to enable ourselves to understand the essence of the teachings of the Qur’an and the purpose for which it has been sent down. We should also be able to understand clearly the mission, which our beloved Prophet (S) came into this world to fulfil. We should also recognize the corrupt order and system, which he came to destroy. We should acquaint ourselves, too, with the way of life which Allah has ordained for us.

No great amount of time is required to acquire this simple knowledge. If we truly value Iman, it cannot be too difficult to find one hour every day to devote for our Iman.

Hadith states:

"He who acquires knowledge acquires a vast portion." AND "If anyone going on his way in search of knowledge, God will, thereby make easy for him the way to Paradise."

May Allah (SWT) give us strength to behave and act just as He likes us to do and be pleased with us, and that should be the purpose of our lives. Rabbi zidnee ilma (O Lord, increase us in knowledge). Aameen.

9.Making much dua(supplication)

Dua is defined as any invocation or prayer addressed to Allah (SWT). In our times, we find many reasons why people do not make Dua; we forget, don't know how, or just do not think it will be answered. Fundamental to this is the loss of dependence and trust upon Allah. As Muslims there is something very wrong when we believe our Duas won't be answered.We do not turn to Allah in our times of need and instead put our trust, dependence and hopes on worldly things that we think willhelp us. Although these temporal things are the means through which our Duas can be answered, the root of our being should be trained automatically to turn to Allah and not anything or anyone else. Through Dua, we strengthen our Imaan and our relationship with Allah, as well as heighten our awareness of cause and effect that can help inspire and motivate us to be closer to Islam in our lives.

We find many reassurances throughout the Quran for those who make Dua. Allah the Exalted, has said: "And your Lord says: Pray unto me: and I will hear your prayer" (Quran 40:60), "Call upon your Lord Humbly and in secret" (Quran 7:55),
"When My servants question thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me" (Quran 2:186), "Is not He (best) who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him, and who relieves its suffering." (Quran 27:62)

Aisha radhiallaahu anha said, "No believer makes Dua and it is wasted. Either it is granted here in this world or deposited for him in the Hereafter as long as he does not get frustrated."

In fact, it is even wrong to never make Dua, "Whosoever does not supplicate to Allah, He will be angry with Him."[Saheeh Jaami`as-Sagheer #2414]

We can and should make Dua in every condition, i.e. in hardship and in prosperity.

There are also some special times to make Dua where it is more likely to be accepted:

1. When one is oppressed
2. Between the time of Athan and Iqama
3. At the time of the call for prayer
4. At the time of fighting when warriors are engaged with each other
5. When it is raining
6. When one is sick
7. The last third of the night
8. Ramadan (especially Lailatul Qadr)
9. After the Fard part of prayer
10. When traveling
11. When breaking fast
12. In Sujood
13. Fridays, some say on Friday after Asr prayer
14. While drinking the water from the well of Zamzam
15. At the start of prayer (Dua of Istiftah)
16. When one begins the prayer, i.e. with "all praise be to
Allah, the Pure and the Blessed one"
17. While one recites al-Fatiha (which is a Dua)
18. When Ameen is said in the prayer (also relating to Fatiha)
19. At the time of raising the head after the Rukoo
20. In the last part of the prayer after conveying blessings unto the Prophet (SAW)
21. Before finishing the prayer (before Tasleem (saying the Salaam to the angels))
22. At the end of Wudu
23. On the day of Arafah
24. On waking up from sleep
25. At times of adversity
26. Prayer after the death of a person
27. Dua when someone's heart is filled with sincerity and when it is focused on Allah
28. Dua of the parent against or for his children
29. When the sun moves from its meridian but before the Dhuhr prayer
30. The Dua of a Muslim for his brother without the latter's knowledge
31. At the time the army advances to fight in the way of Allah.

Dua can be beautified and perfected by certain actions:

1. Have Wudu, face Qibla, be neat and clean
2. Raise both hands up to the shoulder with palms open facing up
3. Use words of Allah and Muhammad (SAW)-i.e. Duas found in Quran and Hadith
4. Ask by Asma alHusna- Allah's Beautiful Names
5. Ask Allah by your good deeds
6. Be insistent-repeat (i.e. 3x's)
7. Glorify Allah and recite Durud for the Prophet (SAW) at both the beginning and end
8. Show humility, entreaty, desire and fear while making Dua
9. Repent and try to make amends where one has wronged
10. Confess mistakes, shortcomings, and sins
11. Keep voice between a whisper and speaking aloud
12. Show the need for Allah's help and implore Him for release from weakness, hardship and tribulation.
13. Seize the opportunity of time, situation and circumstance in which prayers are answered
14. Avoid rhymed prose to keep concentration
15. Crying when making Dua
16. The Dua of Dhun-Nun (Yunus) by which he invoked Allah from within the belly of the whale was: "LAa ilaha illa Anta, Subhanaka innee kuntu min aDH-DHaalimeen."

No Muslim ever makes Dua with it but Allah answers it." [at tirmidhi in his sunan, ahmad and hakim reported it and hakim declared it authentic and adh dhahabee agreed]

17. End with "Alhamdulillah rabbil alameen"

Allah Almighty says in the Qur'an:

"When my servants ask you concerning me, (tell them) I am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on me." [2:186] The place of duaa is so high to Allah, that the Prophet had said: "Nothing is more honourable to Allah the Most High than du`a."
[Sahih al-Jami` no.5268].

He also said: "The most excellent worship is du`a."
[Sahih Al-Jami` no. 1133];

In order to warn those who are arogant, or careless in making duaa, the Prophet said: "The most incapable person is the one who does not make du`a, and the most miserly person is the one who does not give salaam."
[Sahih Al-Jami` no. 1055],

And let not there be anyone who says: "... my Lord won't answer my prayer, because of this and that.. or because of so and so..". No! Indeed Allah is the Most Generous King. Is there anyone who met a king, and praised and glorified him, and then asked, yet the request was not granted? So what about Allah, the King of the Heavens and the Earth - who has total control over your life, your wealth and your future. Why would He not grant you your request? I

Indeed, our beloved Prophet had said: "Verily your Lord is the One modest and Generous, and when His servant raises his hands to Him in supplication, He is diffident (in some wordings, shy or hesitant) from returning them empty."
[Ahmad, Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi - Hasan]

10.Having Trust in Allah

The best way for us to increase our Iman is to completely submit our will to Allah and have full trust in him and we can do this by doing out utmost to follow every command in the Qur’an and Sunnah. We should live our life according to them and we will find success around every corner of our lives inshallah. If we turn to Allah in happy times then he will help us in times of distress and anguish. We should have patience in Allah's Decree and accept it that it is for the best and is meant to happen because he is the knower of all things and the almighty and always remember that no matter what trials or tribulations we do face in this World, one day we will be called to account for our deeds which were hopefully sent forth with much goodness and patience.I pray that inshallah on qiyamah we be given our good deeds in our right hands and allah has mercy on us and gives us Jannatul Firdaus.[B] Ameen[/b]

In Surah At-Tauba: 51, Allah (SWT) says "Say: 'Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our protector': And on Allah let the Believers put their trust."

In Surah Ash-Shu'araa:217 Allah (SWT) says "And put thy trust on the exalted in Might, The Merciful."

In Surah Al-Imran:159, Allah (SWT) says "...Then, when thou hast taken a decision, put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him)."

If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: If He forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you? In Allah, then, Let believers put their trust. 3:160

It does not matter what you do, obey or disobey, the result will be that you will receive what Allah has ordained for you. You can not add to it or subtract from it. What you do is either benefit yourself with the blessings of obedience or harm yourself with the fruits of your disobedience. We have been told that what is for us can't miss us and what is not for us can't hit us.

We have to learn to trust that Allah will take care of us when we obey Him and that He wills withdrawal His Great Mercy when we disobey. Every morning the bird goes out to seek the provision Allah has given him, and every night he comes home with it. Allah has promised us our provision.

Umar Ibin Al Khattab narrated that he heard Allah's Messenger say, "If you were to trust in Allah genuinely, He would give you provision as He does for the birds which go out hungry in the morning and come back full in the evening. Tirmidhi and Ibin Majah (sahih).

Trusting in Allah means that when we hear a command, we obey it. We recognize that we are limited and that Allah has no limits. He knows what we do not know. We do not try to explain away the commands of Allah by saying that it is for another time or another people. We don not say that what Allah has commanded for us is oppressive. We accept and obey. This is faith and trust.

There is much reward in trusting Allah, paradise. There is sin in distrusting Him. We need to stop relying on our desires our minds our version of logic and realize that Allah is the one who knows while we know not. Allah is the Wise, and His judgements are wise by default. Allah is the Just and His verdicts are Just by default. We can not see everything in every issue as Allah can, so why do we insist on believing that our minds can be trusted before or instead of Allah?

I pray to You, O Allah, to make us trust you and only you. May you make us of the Trusting and keep us from trusting or worshipping our minds before you. Ameen.

Finally let’s have full hope in Allah, for verily Allah the All Mighty says:
“Be not deceived by the [uninhibited] movement of the disbelievers throughout the land. [It is but] a small enjoyment; then their [final] refuge is Hell, and wretched is the resting place.” [Aal-Imraan 196-197]

Jummah on CAPITOL HILL Live!!

2009-09-25T05:35:00.003-04:00

http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/Home_Page.html

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What to Do If the FBI Contacts You

2009-09-23T14:26:00.002-04:00

Council on American Islamic Relations- NY

475 Riverside Drive, Suite 246

New York, N.Y. 10115

Tele 212.870.2002 Fax 212.870.2020

cair-ny.org

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: What to Do If the FBI Contacts You

American Muslims strongly support law enforcement and the protection of our national security. If you know of any criminal activity taking place in your community, it is both your religious and civic duty to immediately report such activity to local and federal law enforcement agencies. As Americans, we also value the civil rights of every individual. Considering recent events in Queens, NY, we suggest to the Muslim community the following steps if visited by FBI at their home or workplace:

You should have a lawyer present when speaking with federal law enforcement agencies. Under the law, you have the legal right to have a lawyer present when speaking with federal law enforcement agencies. This is true even if you are not a citizen or have been arrested or detained. This is your legal right. Refusing to answer questions cannot be held against you and does not imply that you have something to hide. Answering a question the wrong way can hurt you more than not answering at all. An attorney is best able to protect your rights.

You do not have to permit them to enter your home or office. Under U.S. law, law enforcement agents must possess a search warrant in order to enter your house. If they say they have a warrant, politely ask to see it before allowing them to enter. If they have a warrant, be courteous and polite, but remember that you are under no obligation to answer questions without a lawyer present. You may also state for the record that you do not consent to the search so that they cannot go beyond what the warrant authorizes.

You should never lie or provide false information to the FBI. Lying or providing false information to an FBI agent is a federal crime. You may simply excuse yourself from the conversation and take down their contact info.

Remember to get the name, agency, and telephone number of any investigator who visits you so that you may give it to your lawyer.

If you are contacted by the FBI, immediately call 212.870.2002.

Please note: This above is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Should you have any questions about the material herein or about a specific case, please consult with your attorney.

Eid Mubarak!

2009-09-20T15:41:00.002-04:00

Eid Takbeers - Takbir of Id

اللّهُ أكبر اللّهُ أكبر

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
Allah is Great, Allah is Great

اللّهُ أكبر

Allahu Akbar
Allah is Great

لا إلَهَ الا اللّه

La illaha il Allah
there is no God, but Allah

اللّهُ أكبر اللّهُ اكبر

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
Allah is Great, Allah is Great

و لِلّه الحمدَ

walilahil Hamd
to Him belongs all Praise

اللّهُ أكبرُ كَبيِرَا

Allahu Akbaru Kabeera
Allah is the Greatest

وَالحَمدُ لِلّهِ كَثِيرا

wal-Hamdulilahi katheera
And all Praise is due to Him

وَ سُبحَان اللّهِ

wa Subhan allahi
And Glory to Allah

بُكرَةً وَأصْيِلا

bukratan wa aseila
eventide and in the morning

لا إلَهَ الا اللّه

La illaha il Allah
there is no God, but Allah the Unique

صَدَقَ وَعدَه

sadaqa wa'dah
He has fulfilled His Promise

وَنَصَرَ عبده

wa nasara abda
and made Victorious His servant

وأعزَ جُنَده

wa a'azza jundahu
and made Mighty His soldiers

وَهزم الأحْزَابَ وحْدَه

wa hazamal-ahzaaba wahdah
and defeated the confederates

لا إلَهَ الا اللّه

La illaha il Allah
there is no God, But Allah

وَلا نَعبُد الا أياه

wa laa na'budu illa iyyah
He alone we worship

مُخلِصِّينَ لَهُ الدّيِنَ

mukhlessena lahud-deena
with sincere and exclusive devotion

وَلوْ كَرِهَ الكَافِروُن

walaw karehal-Kafeeroon
even though the idolaters hate it

اللّهمَ صَلِّ على سيْدنَا مُحَمد

Allahumma salli ala sayyedna Muhammad
O Allah, have Mercy on our Prophet Muhammad

وَعَلى آلِ سيْدنَا مُحَمد

wa ala aalie sayyedna Muhammad
and on the family of our Prophet Muhammad

وَعَلى اصْحَابِ سيْدنَا مُحَمد

wa ala as-haabie sayyedna Muhammad
and on the companions of our Prophet Muhammad

وَعَلى أنصَارِ سيْدنَا مُحَمد

wa ala ansari sayyedna Muhammad
and on the helpers of our Prophet Muhammad

وَعَلى أزوَاجِ سيْدنَا مُحَمد

wa ala azwajie sayyedna Muhammad
and on the wives of our Prophet Muhammad

وَعَلى ذُرِّيَةِ سيْدنَا مُحَمد

wa ala dhurreyatie sayyedna Muhammad
and on the progeny of our Prophet Muhammad

وَ سَلّم تَسْلِيماَ كَثّيرا

wa sallim tasleeman katheera
and Bestow upon them much peace.

Fatwa on Hilal Sighting With Locality

2009-09-18T06:15:00.002-04:00

Fatwa on Hilal Sighting With Locality

View more documents from hilalsighting.

Reflecting a little deeper on Laylatul Qadr

2009-09-17T07:01:00.001-04:00

Take a moment....

Take a moment to reflect a little deeper on Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power). The importance of this night is a direct result of the revelation of the Qur'an. This brings the blessings (it is a Blessed Night), Power, and eventually spiritual enlightenment.

We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: -(Holy Qur'an 97:1)

By the Book that makes things clear; We sent it down during a Blessed Night: for, verily, We have always been warning [man]... -(Holy Qur'an 44:1-3)

So, the revelation came in the night...Night is significant because in the day or in the light, there is no need for spiritual enlightenment. Revelation came in the night because the people were in a time of ignorance.

In the Qur'an, Darkness/night is synonymous to ignorance/spiritual misunderstanding. And light is synonymous to spiritual understanding/revelation.

The revelation of the Qur’an, symbolized by that "blessed night" of its beginning, provides man with a standard in which to distinguish between good and evil, or "between all that leads to spiritual growth through an ever-deepening realization (ma’rifah) of God’s existence, on the one hand, and all that results in spiritual blindness and self-destruction, on the other." The magnatude of revelation and spirutal guidance upon man is as the magnitude between life and death!

Take another moment....

Take another moment to reflect a little deeper.

Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the succession of night and day, there are indeed messages for all who are endowed with insight, -(Holy Qur'an 3:190)

From the language of Imam W. D. Mohammed, the beginning of Man's creation is synonymous to the beginning of man's spiritual understanding and the beginning of revelation. Just as the night is brought to day by the light of the sun...Man's dawning (fajr) is only reached by the Light/revelation of Allah (swt).

"The night of power has more to do with the hunger in the soul for understanding, the hunger in the intellect for perception, than anything else." -Imam W. D. Mohammed

So, in odd nights of the last 10 days of Ramadan, we strive and search for the Night of Power. But what are we searching for? We are searching for spiritual understanding. Just as the Prophet Muhammad (saw) retreated to the cave of Hira' in the Jabal An-Nour (Mountain of Light) for PEACE from the world....we find ourselves in a peaceful night striving for the Mercy of Allah.... attempting to come close to the struggle for spiritual enlightenment.... just like our leader and best example, up until the fajr (dawning of spiritual enlightenment)!

Peace!...This until the rise of morn! -(Holy Qur'an 97:5)

Al ‘Afuww in the Qur’an

2009-09-16T13:28:00.000-04:00

Al ‘Afuww in the Qur’an

High-way Code

2009-09-14T05:41:00.000-04:00

Lailatul Qadr

2009-09-12T05:20:00.000-04:00

Lailatul Qadr

Message from M.A.L.I.: Last 10 nights of 30 nights of Ramadan‏

2009-09-10T23:43:00.002-04:00

As-Salaam Alaikum,

This evening, at Magrib, begins the 21st night of Ramadan. This is the first of the last ten nights of the 30 nights of Ramadan. Within these last ten nights is the Night of Power, a blessed night.

Dear Believers let me remind you of the presentation that was presented before the Month of Ramadan began. That is we count the nights instead of the daylights, we count 30 nights then we have the Eid. There is no sin in having the Eid as part of the numbered period. And remember that we break the fast the morning of the Eid. "If you do not eat prior to the Eid Prayer, it is as though you have kept the fast."

We do not count the daylight we count the nights. If we look at the daylight sky it appears basically the same each day. The daylight helps up keep up with the time during the day, i.e., the sun moving across the sky gives us the times of the day. Also, the daylight gives us the counting of the years by the seasons. Whereas, it is the night sky that gives us the time for measuring the days of the month, i.e., the moon going through its phases.

To make this connection with previous scriptures it is said, "The evening and the morning is the first day."

Therefore, the Eid Al-Fitr will be on September 20th.

M.A.L.I. introduces this method to be used so that we can determine ahead of time the day of the Eid. This will allow us to be prepared in notifying school systems, employers, etc. and it will allow us to be prepared for the Eid.

To count 30 came from Imam W. Deen Mohammed verifying the scriptures.

Thank you for taking the time to read this note.

Salim MuMin
M.A.L.I., Director
muslimamericanlogic.com

Thoughts 1 year after the passing of Imam WD Mohammed

2009-09-09T15:49:00.000-04:00

http://dawudwalid.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/thoughts-1-year-after-the-passing-of-imam-wd-mohammed/

The President's address to back to school students

2009-09-09T11:43:00.001-04:00

The prepared text of President Barack Obama's back-to-school address scheduled for Tuesdays, as released in advance by the White House:

Hello, everyone — how's everybody doing today? I'm here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through 12th grade. I'm glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could've stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday — at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn't too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I've given a lot of speeches about education. And I've talked a lot about responsibility.

I've talked about your teachers' responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working where students aren't getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer — maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper — but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor — maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine — but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life — I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can't drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn't just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You'll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You'll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don't do that — if you quit on school — you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.

Now I know it's not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that's like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn't fit in.

So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I'm not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our first lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there's not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life — what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home — that's no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That's no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three. He's endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer — hundreds of extra hours — to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he's headed to college this fall.

And then there's Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren't any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same. That's why today, I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education — and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you'll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you're not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject you study. You won't click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you — you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one's born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice. It's the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust — a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor — and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you — don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best. It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you've got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down — don't let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Tinley Park Muslim convention focuses on unity :: The SouthtownStar :: News

2009-09-07T13:39:00.001-04:00

Tinley Park Muslim convention focuses on unity :: The SouthtownStar :: News

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Man's Shared Freedom Space

2009-09-03T07:53:00.004-04:00

"Seek instead, by means of what God has granted thee, [the good of] the life to come, without forgetting, withal, thine own [rightful] share in this world..." (Holy Qur'an 28:77)

Imam Mohammed said, " Those who use their freedom are strong enough to respect what's important. People avoiding their RESPONSIBILITY cannot be FREE. Freedom is the reward for hard work."

The term "shared freedom space" has a direct reference in the Qur'an. Allah says to seek the afterlife with your means and wealth, but do not forget (uphold your responsibility) to your SHARE in this world.

As Imam noted, the concept of freedom implies responsibility. Freedom is not to just be "free" in the sense that you can do whatever you want, when you want, how you want. That is insanity, not freedom. Even the creation that exhibits aspects of freedom has limits and responsibilities associated with that freedom.

AND HE it is who has given freedom of movement to the two great bodies of water the one sweet and thirst-allaying, and the other salty and bitter - and yet has wrought between them a barrier and a forbidding ban. (Holy Qur'an 25:53)

The suffix "-dom" means a "state of being" or a "place". So Free-dom is a state of being or a place where people are free.....free from what? Free from OPPRESSIVE RULE.

People who are already "free" do not desire freedom. Freedom is desired when people are being controlled or oppressed. But freedom is not devoid of Moral Law and Responsibility. Freedom space cannot be shared accept in dignity. Each person in that freedom space must know the value of their own self-worth.

Man's shared freedom space has another direct reference to community. Community life must operate under freedom and responsibility to your "shared" space. This was the example of the Prophet's (saw) Ummah and this is what we should seek if we choose to establish Islamic life in America.

Iftar at the White House‏

2009-09-02T17:17:00.000-04:00

White house welcome Muslims in celebration of Ramadan. (See Video below)

PBS and Ramadan

2009-08-31T23:48:00.000-04:00

MASJID MUHAMMAD Hafiz Student FUNDRAISER for Ramadan 2009!!!

2009-08-31T17:29:00.004-04:00

MASJID MUHAMMAD Hafiz Student FUNDRAISER for Ramadan 2009!!!

Sura Al-Baqarah (2:261) “The parable of those who spend their substance In the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears, and Each ear hath a hundred grains. Allah giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: and Allah careth for all and He knoweth all things.”

Masjid Muhammad’s Board of Trustees is working hard to make this Ramadan the best Ramadan yet. Classically trained Hafiz student Adrian Kirk (“Ashir”) has agreed to share his knowledge of Qur’an with our community this Ramadan. We are taking up a collection for him that will help him in his continued studies. He has been memorizing Qur’an at a hafiz school in Morroco.

Listen to recitation: http://www.youracreator.com/video/finally-finished-sura-araaf

To give for this noble cause right now via PayPal click here: DONATE Help Bring a Hafiz student to Masjid Muhammad

Although he has agreed to accept whatever funds we are able to collect, we are raising the bar. We would like to raise $4,500 to cover the cost of his lodging, round trip plane ticket and put some money in his pocket so that he can continue his studies. If 45 people give $100, we will be able to meet this goal.

Hafiz Student Profile:

Mr. Adrian Kirk (“Ashir”) from New Haven , Connecticut (22 years old)
Student of Imam Zaid Shakir from Masjid Al-Islam in New Haven , Connecticut
3 years of intensive Islamic education (Abu Nour Institute Damacas , Syria : Intensive study in Arabic and Islamic sciences including: Qur’anic memorization, tajweed, nahu (grammar), sarf (etymology), Fiqh (Islamic law), hadith sciences, written and spoken Qur’anic Arabic, balagah (metaphors and prose), Usool ul-Fiqh (Origins of Fiqh), Tazkiyyah, and other Islamic sciences)
3 years of intensive Qur’anic study ( Syria and Morocco ); Teachers: Shaykh Samir An-Nass M.D., Shaykh Anas Al-Hibri, students of Shaykh Muhammad Sukkar (from the family of the Prophet (saws) and has the shortest chain linking him to the Prophet (saws) in Quran and Tajweed); 1-1.5 years left in his hafiz studies
Listen to recitation: http://www.youracreator.com/video/sura-rahman-full-warsh

Masjid Muhammad Ramadan Responsibilities:

Leading the Tarawih Prayer during Ramadan 2009
Leading the 3-5 daily Salaat during Ramadan 2009
Teaching Qur’an and Tajweed at Clara Muhammad School 1-2 hours a day 3-5 days a week
Teaching Qur’an and Tajweed at Masjid Muhammad 3-5 days a week

Total Compensation: $4,500

$3,000 (breaks down to $100 a day for 30 days; helps to fund his continued studies)
Lodging in a room or apartment of Masjid Muhammad (close proximity is necessary)
Round-Trip Ticket from New Haven , CT to Washington D.C.

To give for this noble cause right now via PayPal click here: DONATE Help Bring a Hafiz student to Masjid Muhammad

Or write your check payable to "Masjid Muhammad" with "Ramadan Hafiz Student" in the memo line. Eligible for Zakaat or Sadaqa

Mail your check to:

Masjid Muhammad

1519 Islamic Way ( 4^th St. ), Northwest

Washington, D.C. 20001

(202) 483-8832 • Fax: (202) 265-3562

Or give cash - bring in person to the above address during regular business hours Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

This fundraising effort is being managed by Mr. Tariq Najee-ullah, Masjid Muhammad Board Member, with the approval of the Board of Trustees and Resident Imam Yusuf Saleem. If there are any questions about this fundraising effort, please contact Tariq at tariq_najeeullah@yahoo.com

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A Man who killed 100 People

2009-08-31T05:05:00.000-04:00

A Man who killed 100 People

[Sahih Muslim : Book 37, Book Name Kitab Al-Tauba Number 6662]

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Radi Allah Anhu) reported Allah's Messenger (sal-allahu-alleihi-wasallam) as saying:
"There was a person before you who had killed ninety-nine persons and then made an inquiry about the learned persons of the world (who could show him the way to salvation). He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine persons and asked him whether there was any scope for his repentance to be accepted. He said: No. He killed him also and thus completed one hundred. He then asked about the learned persons of the earth and he was directed to a scholar, and he told him that he had killed one hundred persons and asked him whether there was any scope for his repentance to be accepted. He said: Yes; what stands between you and the repentance? You better go to such and such land; there are people devoted to prayer and worship and you also worship along with them and do not come to the land of yours since it was an evil land (for you). So he went away and he had hardly covered half the distance when death came to him and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment. The angels of mercy said: This man has come as a penitent and remorseful to Allah and the angels of punishment said: He has done no good at all. Then there came another angel in the form of a human being in order to decide between them. He said: You measure the land to which he has drawn near. They measured it and found him nearer to the land where he intended to go (the land of piety), and so the angels of mercy took possession of it. Qatada said that Hasan told him that it was said to them that as death approached him, he crawled upon his chest (and managed) to slip in the land of mercy."

Allah (SWT) forgave him.

Native Deen -- Ramadan is Here

2009-08-30T05:19:00.000-04:00

From M.A.L.I. : A Weighty Message‏

2009-08-26T11:54:00.002-04:00

As-Salaam Alaikum.

"Soon shall We send down to you a weighty message." Qur'an 73:5.

Ramadan is the month the Qur'an was revealed and this is the month to spend extra time in reading the Qur'an. We should try as much as we can to read the entire book by reading one thirtieth each night (day).

The Qur'an is not to follow us but we are to follow it. We should not have our own thinking and then refer to the Qur'an but we should read the Qur'an then have our thinking come from it. The Qur'an is our Imam so keep it in front of us.

When reading the Qur'an, accept it on the heart first. That is, believe everything in it, have no doubts about it and know that it is guidance with no doubt in it. It is a pure book with no flaws so accept it on the heart even if you don't understand.

The Qur'an was revealed on the heart of Muhammed The Prophet, not the intellect. The intellect will question because it wants to know, it wants to understand, it wants to see and comprehend the logic. Consequently, it has the tendency to reject what it doesn't know. However, the heart will accept it in its purity. The message in the Qur'an is too heavy for the intellect. You can't understand the message right away, it would crush the intellect. Metaphorically, if this Qur'an had been revealed upon a mountain surely it would have crushed it.

After it is placed on the heart then read what's on the heart and the understanding will come gradually, if Allah pleases.

Thank you for taking time to read this note.

Salim MuMin, Director
M.A.L.I. (Muslim American Logic Institute)
muslimamericanlogic
.com
muslimamericanlogic.blogspot.com

The meaning of Ramadan

2009-08-23T12:08:00.000-04:00

The word “Ramadan” is from the root word “ramida” which means, “scorched earth”. It refers to the wrapping up of the feet of tender animals during the hot months in order to save them from the torment of the ground when extremely heated. As an analogy, Ramadan alludes to the effects of the extreme heat of our appetites and passions upon our material or “earthly” nature and it provides us with the protection for it through fasting or abstinence.
-Imam Ben Bilal

President Obama Gives Ramadan Message

2009-08-21T12:07:00.004-04:00

RE: Calculations vs. Moonsighting

2009-08-21T06:07:00.000-04:00

REPOST from last year. Check it out.

Ramadan Reruns

2009-08-20T11:12:00.001-04:00

Ready for Ramadan???

The company you keep...

2009-08-19T13:51:00.000-04:00

Iman (faith) is strongest when you are around other sincere believers. This is why there are many hadith that mention you are of the religion of your friends. Our closest friends are only a reflection of our own selves.

The spiritual life is greater than the physical life

2009-08-17T23:24:00.000-04:00

Our physical body will eventually reach its peak and die. Our soul on the other hand (though it may taste death) will live on past the limiting confines of this Earth. So, why wouldn't we invest in that which will develop our spiritual life, our true life?

Former Rap artist Loon interviews on the Deen show

2009-08-15T11:50:00.000-04:00

I saw this on MR's blog and I had to post it...
Muslims who enjoy the “clubin” lifestyle should watch this

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It's the little things...

2009-08-14T01:08:00.002-04:00

Shaytan (Satan) has given up trying to attack man on big things. His plan is to divide our ummah on small things... to excite enmity and hatred between us...to hinder us from the remembrance of Allah.

Even during a month where we devote ourselves to the remembrance and worship of our Lord, we often remain divided over when the month should start or how many rakah should be prayed in Tarawih prayers. Its the little things...

And if you believe shaytan is "locked/chained up" during this month have no doubt that the scheme's of shaytan are still at work. Combat the schemes of Satan with Taqwa!

Reflections...

2009-08-13T01:08:00.002-04:00

Bismillah

The first, inshAllah, in a series of short reflections that will come straight from whatever is on my mind for the moment or day. Hopefully they will be of some benefit

Here we go...

Allah speaks in the Qur'an about men who mislead others by their "appetites unchecked by knowledge". Pause. Now, reflect on that.

How many examples can you think of where someone has mislead others, following his/her own desires, unvalidated by any real knowledge? You have to ask yourself this question too...am I guilty of this ...leading others by my own desires, irregardless of real knowledge???

Knowledge comes from G-d, so why not check your desires with that which G-d wants/commands for you.

Desire....To eat...
Knowledge/Command from G-d....Eat halal

10 great goals to set for this Ramadan -

2009-08-12T23:27:00.000-04:00

10 great goals to set for this Ramadan -

Asalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakathuhu,

1. Eat, drink and be moderate

Almost all of us do it - once Iftar time hits, we just keep plowing food and drink into our mouths till it's hard to move afterwards. And those of us who do it know this is totally contrary to the spirit of Ramadan, through which we're supposed to learn self-control not self-indulgence. Let's try to stick to the Prophetic rule on eating: fill our stomachs with one-third food, one-third water and one-third breathing space, even in Ramadan.

2. Give a dollar a day in charity...or five or ten

The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was always generous but even more so in Ramadan. Let's open our hearts and dig a little deeper in our wallets this year. Even less than a dollar a day adds up. Whatever you can give, it's the intention that counts.

3. Memorize 4 new Surahs

Memorizing the Quran often seems like a daunting task. But the key is doing it in small bites. Since there are four weeks in Ramadan, try to memorize one new Surah a week. Start off with a short, easy one. Once you've started,you'll build momentum and may even want to memorize a longer one the following week.

4. Go to Tarawih prayers

Post-Iftar, the first urge is to sleep after an exhausting day. But try your best to head out to the mosque for Tarawih prayers. Praying alone is wonderful, but doing it in congregation is fantastic. The community spirit is part of Ramadan's blessings. Don't miss it this year. If going every day is not possible, try going at least one week.

5. Attend the Tarawih prayer in which the recitation of the Quran will be finished

Call the local mosque and find out which day the Imam will be finishing the recitation of the Quran in prayer. Attend to not only hear part of the Quran's recitation in prayer, but also participate in the heart-rending Duas that follow it.

6. Stop swearing and/or backbiting - with a special box

It's hard not to shoot our mouths off when someone's upset us. Whether we utter those four-letter words or backbite about someone to our family and friends, we know this isn't the God-approved way of letting off steam. In Ramadan, when we want to build our spirituality, we've got to wage Jihad against our bad habits.

Try this: get a box and every time you catch yourself swearing or backbiting put some money in it. It could be a buck or less. The point is to choose an amount that makes it feel like punishment. At the end of the month send the money to a charity or buy a gift for the person whom you've backbitten the most against.

7. Call/email your relatives

You'd think that given the easy access to email, competitive long-distance calling rates, phone cards, etc. these days, we'd keep in touch with family and friends more often. But the opposite seems to be the case, as we get caught up in life's "busyness."

Strengthening ties with family members and keeping in touch with friends is part of our way of life and an act Allah is very pleased with. This Ramadan, call family and friends or at least email them a Ramadan card and ask them how their fasting is going.

8. Go on a technology diet

Even if you work in the IT industry, you can do this. Avoid checking personal email and surfing the web during your fast. After Iftar, instead of plopping yourself in front of the screen, go to Tarawih. The same goes for the television. The point is to try to give our full attention to spiritual elevation this month.

9. Read 5 minutes of Quran a day...just five, not more, not less

Even if you feel you've got absolutely no time, set a timer or the alarm on your cell phone and find a relatively quiet place. You can read the first page of the Quran you open or follow a sequence. The choice is yours. The point is simply to connect with God through His revelation in the month of the Quran.

10. Forgive everyone who has hurt you

Still got a festering wound from the fight with your friend last year? Still upset about something your spouse said during a heated argument? Or are you still bitter about the way your parents sometimes treated you as a kid? Let go of the anger and pain this Ramadan and forgive those who have hurt you. Forgiving someone is not only good for the body, but it's also great for the soul. And in Ramadan, ten days of which are devoted to Allah's forgiveness, shouldn't we lesser beings forgive too?

If you find it very difficult to forgive everyone, forgive at least three people.

A'ishah (radhiallahu `anha) reported that she asked Allah's Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), "O Messenger of Allah! If I knew which night is Laylat ul-Qadr, what should I say during it?" And he instructed her to say: "Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee - O Allah! You are forgiving, and you love forgiveness. So forgive me."

Recorded by Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and at-Tirmithi. Verified to be authentic by Al-Albani

Arabic roots, body and soul

2009-08-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

Arabic roots, body and soul

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Fasting in Shaban to honor Ramadan

2009-08-05T12:09:00.005-04:00

http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0409-2468

Weekly Wisdom - 7/31

2009-07-31T04:59:00.001-04:00

RAMADHAN SESSION 2004, pg. 70-71 of 75
Imam Warith Deen Mohammed

Sub-title: Quran 2.36: Get down from here
..."Concluding this, there were no people on earth and G_d said to the angels, "I'm about making khalifa in the earth. And when I have formed him you make your sajdah to him." You know we make sajda to G_d, don't we? Sajdah to Allah swt saying that He revealed His plan for the human family to the angels and He told the angels, "When I have made him, the father of the human family, the leader of the human family, the guide for the human family, when I have made him you angels do sajdah to him."

Then G_d questioned Iblis and those who refused asking, "What is the matter with you, what come into you? I didn't form you like that . I formed neither man nor jinn for any purpose except My worship. Now what has gotten you outside of what I created for you that has given you this mind to reject what I planned and to refuse to make sajdah to the man I created with My two hands? That is what G_d said.

Get you down from here, this is no place for you, get into the earth. Go back to the material realm, go back to the objective world. Get out of this heaven of spiritual existence and spiritual mind. Get out from here into the earth where you will have a chance to be organized again and be raised up, and you are going to die.

Sub-Title: The first sajdah is symbolic of your intelligence extracted from the earth.
...You will be put into the erth again but I promise a resurrection. So we do sajda with the head once and with the head twice. G_d puts us in the earth and if we're blessed to have His help we will come out of the earth. But what is coming out of the earth? Your intelligence. He put your intelligence in the earth, you bring it out, raise it up to a sitting position now he has set you up on your throne.

Sub-Title: {subtitled RAKAT FOUR, THE FOUR WINDS OF EZEKIEL}

...Don't forget the connection we are making. We are making connection with the biological life, with the material life, with the spiritual life and we're bringing the sciences from the material body to the spiritual life so that we can understand G_d's communication, praise be to Allah swt." IWDM RS 2004 pg.71 of 75.

Sh. Bin Bayyah on Holidays Free of Religious Overtones

2009-07-30T00:02:00.000-04:00

Read this: http://www.suhaibwebb.com/blog/general/sh-bin-bayyah-on-holidays-free-of-religious-overtones/

“The holidays which are forbidden [for Muslims] to observe are those with religious overtones [such as Christmas and Easter*] not the festive gatherings people observe due to certain events. Therefore, people are allowed to celebrate wedding anniversaries, birthdays or any occasion as such celebrations are not related to religious holidays. It is imperative that we work to remove the confusion surrounding this misunderstanding and the doubts that have affected many people [regarding this issue]. [Because of this misunderstanding] people find hardship and difficulty in their religion. Especially when a religious minded person holds [such non religious celebrations] to be from the major sins or rejected acts when, in fact, they are not.

Imam Qasim Ahmed - Internalization of the Qur'an Through Subconcious Reading

2009-07-24T12:12:00.002-04:00

Register NOW!!!

2009-07-21T21:26:00.000-04:00

The Mosque Cares: 2009 Annual Muslim Convention and Ramadan Session

UPDATE ISSUE #2

Fitrah- definition from Imam Ben Bilal

2009-07-20T23:46:00.001-04:00

ف - mouth; expression; opening
ط - goodness (as a potential)
ر - movement of subconscious

الفطرة - Fitrah - the opening of the potential goodness of the subconscious

The Mosque Cares: 2009 Annual Muslim Convention and Ramadan Session

2009-07-12T18:19:00.010-04:00

See Full ad HERE

Imam Salim MuMin on Micheal Jackson

2009-07-10T18:05:00.000-04:00

Micheal Jackson

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages."

Michael was placed on the stage at a very early age. We can say that he was on the stage as a performer before he was conscious of his own identity or awareness. Thereby we may say that he saw the world as one big stage and people were his audience. At times his brothers served as supporting casts but for the most part he was solo.

If everyone is viewing you as an actor on stage, then the question becomes, "who am I?" "What is my true self?" I believe that Michael's life is a sign for us. When in search for his own true identity he came in contact with the innocent self, the nafs wahidah.
This is the identity of self before we take on a male, man, female, woman, black, white, tall, short, American, Chinese, etc. identity. For we all are equally created from the nafs wahidah.

Not only does Michael recognize that he is a player but those he came in contact with for the most part were players also, perhaps, not as good a player as Michael. For, it was Michael who began to alter his own costume and makeup, thereby being transformed from one character to another. But when Michael didn't want to be on stage and wanted to be Michael he turned to the innocent self and it appears as though he wanted to identify with others like him. Consequently, he only found this same true innocence in children and animals, the nativity scene.

Often time's people could not tell the real Michael from the character on stage. It was only a few times he would reveal himself in the public's eye and even then this original self was rejected sending him back to the stage.

Well, now that Michael has received his curtain call, though he has received a standing ovation for such life performance, there is no encore. In his world of play and amusement he receives the award for best actor, best costume and makeup, and artist.

For, what is this world but chattels of deception?
For the Muslim we too are players. And we all are auditioning for the character of Muhammed The Prophet. It is that character to be most emulated and it is that character that will take us to the seventh stage.

Thank you for reading this note.
Salim MuMin

Tribute to Imam WD Mohammed at ISNA 46th Annual Convention

2009-07-10T05:05:00.008-04:00

Cynthia McKinney Speaks on Return to U.S. After Being Held by Israel

2009-07-09T10:13:00.001-04:00

M.A.L.I.’s Qur’anic Conference Raises the Bar

2009-07-09T04:16:00.002-04:00

M.A.L.I.’s Qur’anic Conference Raises the Bar

by Q. Daawud Greym

In holding its first Qur’anic Conference from June 19^th – 21^st, the Muslim American Logic Institute (M.A.L.I.) set a new standard for conferences, whose focus is the study of the Qur’an.

With such presentations as “The Qur’an as User-Friendly” and a “Conceptual Analysis of the Qur’an,” as well as a number of public exercises displaying the grammatical expertise of the M.A.L.I. students, the bar for Qur’anic conferences was raised to the next level for the supporters of Imam W. D. Mohammed (IWDM).

According to its website, M.A.L.I. is “an institution devoted to the study and preservation of Imam W. Deen Mohammed’s Qur’anic logic and teachings of Al-Islam in America.”

The three-day conference, held at Masjid Ash-Shaheed in Charlotte NC, featured four main addresses, all presented on Saturday, June 20^th. A fifth address by Imam Abdullah Yahya of Dallas, TX was cancelled because of his inability to attend. The topics of the four addresses, which were presented in this order, were: (1) “The Impact of the Usage and the Loss of the Classical Arabic Language on the Muslim World;” (2) “Consonantal Connections in the Qur’an;” (3) “The Qur’an as User-Friendly;” and (4) a “Conceptual Analysis of the Qur’an.”

(Unfortunately, this reporter was unable to attend the shorter presentations on education, business, health and the prison system, scheduled for Sunday.)

In the June 19^thJumah khutbah, Imam Qasim Ahmed, founder and director of the traveling Islamic Learning Institute, Inc and the Mercy Community Center in Tampa FL, set the tone for the conference. “Are you going to learn to read the Qur’an (in Arabic) this weekend? No!” he emphasized. But what he hoped the conference would achieve, was to “build an appetite” for reading it.

And this “appetite for the Qur’an” is natural and inborn. He related a conversation with an estranged Muslim relative who recently died and had “a different mindset.” Imam Qasim said the uncle told him that his own written material reminded the uncle of stories about his “great-grandfather” who used to sit in circles with other slaves and write Arabic in the ground. “There is an innate nature in the souls of our people (African-Americans) for Qur’anic Arabic,” Imam Qasim declared.

A stronger proof of this “innate” connection was given in the fact that the Qur’an was revealed upon Prophet Muhammad’s heart. “And surely this is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds. The Faithful Spirit has descended with it upon your heart…” 26:192 -194. Imam Qasim stressed to the audience that Allah has not created two hearts in anyone’s body (33:4). “The heart was created by Allah to love him,” and therefore, the Glorious Qur’an, he concluded.

But he asked the rhetorical question: “Why is it that you don’t have a strong appetite for this Qur’an, where you are knocking down the doors (to learn the Qur’anic Arabic)? Who has destroyed that appetite?” The explanation for the African-American’s motivational coma was given in a quote from IWDM: “We live in an oppressive word-environment.”

Then, Imam Qasim reminded the Muslims about the first commercial book that IWDM recommended to the community,“Subliminal Seduction,” in 1975. The book described the subtle techniques used by the advertising industry “to cause havoc in your subconscious and create an appetite for the unG-dly,” he said. “The designers (of this society) arrested our innate nature to love and respect G-d,” he added.

In his Saturday lecture, Imam Qasim proposed a “powerful” strategy to counteract this motivational coma for
reading the Qur’an. He proposed that the Believer read the Qur’an with just her/his subconscious mind.

HOW? By speed-reading a portion of the Qur’an every day. “Don’t worry about trying to understand the Arabic. Just go as fast as you can, because the subconscious is taking an automatic picture of every word,” he said. He pointed out that 90 % of the power of the mind is in the subconscious which controls all of the vital systems in the body, i.e. circulatory, respiratory, nervous, etc. The consistent activity of speed-reading the Qur’an will enter the subconscious and provide a protection - “hafeez” - against the corrupt words and negative influences that enter the mind from society.

But, Imam Faheem Shuaibe of Masjudul-Waritheen in Oakland CA, who is also founder and director of Muslim American Research Institute Advocating Marriage, gave the first major address on Saturday. However, he approached the Qur’an from a different perspective. His topic - “The Impact of the Usage and the Loss of the Classical Arabic Language on the Muslim World,” offered a more panoramic view. Reading mostly from an 11-page prepared text, Imam Faheem covered a lot of ground, starting with Adam and the origins of language and ending with the language of the Qur’an.

Many references to the Qur’an and the commentary of IWDM were made in his presentation, too. His first quote from IWDM was: “Human beings were on the earth a long time before Adam was on the earth…it was not until man became conscious of himself as a creation of G-d…that the biological person became Adam,” according to IWDM.

Then, Imam Faheem referred the audience to 30:30: “(Establish) Allah’s handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind.” The “pattern on which He has made mankind” is Al-Insaan, the “completed” human form, Imam Faheem explained.

In order to build, maintain and restore this “human form” he made reference to 55:1- 4 (Allah) Most Gracious! It is He Who has taught the Qur’an. He has created man. He has taught him speech (and intelligence).

Imam Faheem said it’s the technical language that really makes the professional. “Take them before they acquired the (technical) language and you don’t have the named professional,” he said. Likewise, “the language that constructs Al-Insaan (the complete human) is the language of Al-Qur’an.”

As he began to explain the origins of language and grammar, reference was made again to the commentary of IWDM. “People in the beginning used animals as a model for language, then the intellect took over,” Imam Faheem quoted IWDM as having said.

“When the intelligence took over, they started to refine that language. But as they had to face the job of refining their language, they had to use their intellect to study matter – the language in G-d’s creation. Then…they took words from G-d’s creation and built their language up...Not only did they take words and concepts from G-d’s creation, they took the logic for those concepts and used them for connecting. From the connection of the concepts, they gave the logic to their language and call it grammar…” according to Imam Faheem’s quote of IWDM.

In referring to the role of classical Arabic, Imam Faheem said that it was designed for the Qur’an. “The original Arabic language was grown specifically to be the vessel for the last revelation of Allah,” he said.

He compared the process Allah used to produce classical Arabic to the methodology that scientists employ “to culture” or grow certain micro-organisms in the laboratory for experimental purposes. “Allah used the Arab people as the soil out of which a special language was grown. Allah created Arabic for containing divine ideas, concepts and logic. It was His plan.” Imam Faheem concluded.

While Imam Faheem had a broad, comprehensive approach to Qur’anic Arabic, the second presenter, Imam Benjamin Bilal of the Human Restoration Center of Queens NY, took a minimalist and elementary approach to the language.

Imam Benjamin’s topic was the “Consonantal Connections in the Qur’an. However, even with the study of just the letters of the Arabic alphabet, he was still able to arrive at the same conclusion as Imam Faheem – the completed human form is Al-Insaan or “the social man.”

English is known to be a “bastard language,” Imam Benjamin said. It is “an extracted language from the Germanic tribes and it was invented by the Benedictine monks for the purpose of satire,” he explained

For this type of understanding of language and words, he encouraged the audience to start using an etymological dictionary which traces the origins and development of words.

“Every letter has its own meaning; therefore every letter is a word. And every word is a sentence,” Imam Benjamin declared.

He also mentioned that every letter has “a phonetic value” and “a pictograph” associated with it. For example, the letter “alif” means “strong or to protect ,” while the letter “baa” means “house.” Thus, the Arabic word “abu” means “the strength or protector of the house,” which “is really the father,” Imam Benjamin revealed..

Another example was the letter “lam,” whose pictograph is a “shepherd’s staff or hook.” Its meaning, according to Imam Benjamin, is “to teach,” which is seen when the shepherd points the sheep in the right direction with the staff (a form of teaching) and when he holds them back from danger with the hook (another form of teaching that protects the animal).

Imam Benjamin apologized for the lack of a “power-point” projector for his presentation, as was originally planned. But he more than made up for it when he emphasized to the audience that the real “power” was in “the point” that was being made during his lecture.

Last, but not least, was the presentation by Muslim Journal columnist and the director of M.A.L.I., Imam Salim MuMin of Detroit, MI. It was entitled “Conceptual Analysis of the Qur’an.”

For his presentation, Imam Salim used an overhead-projector to display five groups of words on the masjid’s side wall. Each group formed an imaginary-square with a “focus-word” in the center and four “key-words” at the corners of the square.

“What I did, was take a word from the Qur‘an and find other verses that contain the same word. Then, I took key words that surrounded it and looked at their contextual meanings,” Imam Salim told the audience. As he positioned the key-words around the focus-word, a “conceptual field” of meanings emerged from them, he said.

In the last word-group, Imam Salim took the focus-words of the first four groups and used them as key-words for his last focus-word – “furqaan.” These converted key-words (with Imam Salim’s definitions) were: “futuur (original pattern) tafaawut (surface, passing, perishable); mutashaabihaat (facsimile) muhkamaat (plain, everyday logic without interpretation). Their collective effect on “furqaan” pushed its meaning from “to split, separate or divide” to a conceptual-meaning of “having the ability to tell the difference between a facsimile and the original,” Imam Salim said.

In a private interview, he explained the object of his “conceptual analysis” approach. “The object is to develop a conceptual wholeness or world view. It allows you to go beyond the dictionary meanings and use the Qur’an to define itself. This is the key to studying the logic of Imam Mohammed.” Imam Salim concluded.

Co-facilitator, Sr. Hafeeza Muhammad of host Masjid Ash-Shaheed, who also composed a splendid dua for her son to read on Saturday, cited a conference-attendance of 220 Muslims. She said that the figure was “beyond” their expectations.

###

Sun and Moon

2009-07-05T12:22:00.001-04:00

The word "shams" (sun) is feminine, and "qamar" (moon) is masculine. The sun burns itself out to give light and life to everything around, and the moon is muneer, meaning it reflects the light. Within itself it has no light; it radiates the brilliance of the sun. So when we shine as men, the implication is that we are reflecting the glorious light of our women. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'aala be pleased with them.

REPOST: A Healthy Patriotism

2009-07-04T12:13:00.000-04:00

http://myislamicperspective.blogspot.com/2008/10/weekly-wisdom-88-healthy-patriotism.html

Weekly Wisdom - 7/3 : The Jinn

2009-07-03T04:00:00.003-04:00

Hadith - Sahih Muslim 6757, Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, similar narration 6759 by 'Aisha, r.a.
Allah's Apostle said: There is none amongst you with whom is not an attache from amongst the jinn (devil). They (the Companions) said: Allah's Apostle with you too? Thereupon he said: Yes, but Allah helps me against him and so I am safe from his hand and he does not command me but for good.

Imam Mohammed responding to a question about the jinn nature:

"The Jinn is an aspect and a property of human nature. The Prophet called his Jinn he said, "I had one!" That means that was a property belonging to him "But he became Muslim." So that would support what you're saying that is in human nature and that's given to us also in Qubad. Qubad means"In one entity, tied together like the fist." This is Qubad, that's what it means. See say "Qubad, Qabda", means "Make a fist" from Qubad. "Qubad" means "Tied together or put together like a fist holding like a fist. So "Get ye down from here Qubad, all together" it's translated. Right? All together.

That tells us that those entities that are addressed separately to form a narration is done depicting elements or components in our own essential human nature. That's the rational man, pardon me, the social man, that's our original nature the social man. IWDM RS 1995

On the passing of Michael Jackson...

2009-06-26T16:39:00.000-04:00

A few MUST READS around the net give an Islamic perspective to MJ's passing. He will forever be missed.

1. Imam Zayd's Blog

2. Dawud Wharnsby Ali – The Passing of Michael Jackson

3. Yusuf Islam on Michael Jackson’s Death

4. Did Michael ‘Jacko” Jackson Die As A Muslim?

5. Farewell Michael Jackson. The King of Pop and a Very Troubled Man, Dead At 50

Nicolas Sarkozy: burqa not welcome in France

2009-06-23T19:12:00.000-04:00

See...thats why France was crossed off my list of places to go...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090622/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_sarkozy_burqa

YRAC in Muslim Journal

2009-06-22T01:47:00.000-04:00

My article in the Muslim Journal:

http://myislamicperspective.blogspot.com/2009/03/muslim-community-social-network-yrac.html

Weekly Wisdom: 25 Ways to Enter Jannah

2009-06-19T22:49:00.002-04:00

445. Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Jannah is nearer to you than your shoelace, and so is the (Hell) Fire".
[Al-Bukhari].

Commentary: Jannah is close to him who adopts the path of righteousness and he can easily attain it. Its opposite case is also equally true. He is close to Hell who takes the path of evil. Thus, this Hadith has an inducement for virtue and warning against evil.

25 Ways to Enter Jannah

من لقي الله لا يشرك به شيئاً دخل الجنة -البخاري

1. Whoever meets Allah without ascribing anything to Him will enter Jannah. [Bukhari]

من آمن بالله وبرسوله ، وأقام الصلاة ، وصام رمضان ، كان حقاً على الله أن يدخله الجنة - البخاري

2. Whoever believes (has emaan) in Allah and His Messenger (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), and establishes the prayer and fasts the month of Ramadan, it is incumbent upon Allah that He enters him in Jannah. [Bukhari]

من بنى مسجداً يبتغي به وجه الله بنى الله له مثله في الجنة -البخاري

3. Whoever builds a masjid seeking by it the Pleasure of Allah, Allah will build for him a similar place in Jannah. [Bukhari]

من صلى البردين دخل الجنة - البخاري

4. Whoever prays the two cool prayers (Asr and Fajr) will enter Jannah. [Bukhari]

من غدا إلى المسجد وراح أعدَّ الله له نزله من الجنة كلما غدا أو راح- البخاري

5. Whoever goes to the masjid (every) morning and in the afternoon (for the congregational prayer), Allah will prepare for him an honorable place in Jannah with good hospitality for (what he has done) every morning and afternoon goings. [Bukhari]

من يضمن لي ما بين لحييه وما بين رجليه أضمن له الجنة -البخاري

6. Whoever can guarantee (the chastity of) what is between his two jaw-bones and what is between his two legs (i.e. his tongue and his private parts), I guarantee Jannah for him. [Bukhari]

من صلى اثنتي عشرة ركعة في يوم وليلة بُني له بهن بيت في الجنة - مسلم

7. Whoever prays 12 raka’at in the day and night, a house in Jannah will be built for him. [Muslim]

من سلك طريقاً يلتمس فيه علماً سهّل الله له به طريقاً إلى الجنة - مسلم

8. Whoever treads a path in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him the path to Jannah. [Bukhari]

من قال مثل ما يقول المؤذن من قلبه دخل الجنة - أبو داود

9. Whoever repeats after the mu’adhdhin from his heart (i.e., sincerely) will enter Jannah. [Abu Dawud]

ما من أحد يتوضأ فيحسن الوضوء ويصلي ركعتين يقبل بقلبه ووجهه عليهما إلا وجبت له الجنة - أبو داود

10. There is not one of you who perfects his wudu and prays two raka’at setting about them with his heart as well as his face except that Jannah would be mandatory for him. [Abu Dawud]

من قال رضيت بالله رباً ، وبالإسلام ديناً ، وبمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم نبياًّ وجبت له الجنة - أبو داود

11. Whoever says: “I am pleased with Allah as my Rabb, and with Islam as my Deen, and with Muhammad (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) as my Prophet, Jannah would be mandatory for him. [Abu Dawud]

من كان آخر كلامه لا إله إلا الله دخل الجنة- أبو داود

12. Whosoever last words are: laa ilaaha il Allah, will enter Paradise. [Abu Dawud, Saheeh]

من قال سبحان الله العظيم وبحمده غرست له نخلة في الجنة - الترمذي

13. Whoever says “SubhanAllah al-Adheem wa biHamdihi, Glorified and Exalted is Allah, The Great, and with His Praise”, a date-palm will planted for him in Jannah. [Tirmidhi]

من مات وهو بريء من ثلاث : الكبر ، والغلول ، والدّين دخل الجنة- الترمذي

14. Whoever dies and is free from three: arrogance, grudges and debt will enter Jannah. [Tirmidhi]

من عال جاريتين دخلت أنا وهو الجنة - الترمذي

15. Whoever raises two girls, he and I will enter Jannah. [Tirmidhi]

من أذن اثني عشرة سنه وجبت له الجنة ابن ماجة

16. Whoever calls the adhan for 12 years, Jannah will become mandatory for him. [ibn Maajah]

من سأل الله الجنة ثلاث مرات قالت الجنة : اللهم أدخله الجنة الترمذي

17. Whoever asks Allah for Jannah three times, Jannah will say: “O Allah, enter him into Jannah.” [Tirmidhi]

من عاد مريضاً أو زار أخاً له في الله ناداه مناد أن طبت وطاب ممشاك ، وتبوأت من الجنة منزلاً - الترمذي

18. Whoever visits an ailing person or a brother of his to seek the Pleasure of Allah, an announcer (angel) calls out: `May you be happy, may your walking be blessed, and may you be awarded a dignified position in Jannah’. [Tirmidhi]

إن الصدق يهدي إلى البر وإن البر يهدي إلى الجنة -البخاري

19. Indeed, truthfulness leads to righteousness and indeed righteousness leads to Jannah. [Bukhari]

تكفل الله لمن جاهد في سبيله لا يخرجه إلا الجهاد في سبيله وتصديق كلماته بأن يدخله الجنة - البخاري

20. Allah guarantees him who strives in His Cause and whose motivation for going out is nothing but Jihad in His Cause and belief in His Word, that He will admit him into Jannah. [Bukhari]

أيها الناس ، أفشوا السلام ، وأطعموا الطعام ، وصلوا والناس نيام ، تدخلوا الجنة بسلام -الترمذي

21. O people, spread the salaam (greetings), feed the hungry, and pray while the people are asleep, you will enter Jannah in peace. [Tirmidhi]

العمرة إلى العمرة كفارة لما بينهما ، والحج المبرور ليس له جزاء إلا الجنة - البخاري

22. (The performance of) Umrah is an expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous Umrah; and the reward of Hajj Mabrur (i.e., one accepted) is nothing but Jannah. [Bukhari]

إن لله تسعة وتسعين اسماً مائة إلا واحداً ، من أحصاها دخل الجنة- البخاري

23. Allah has ninety-nine Names, one hundred minus one, and whoever believes in their meanings and acts accordingly, will enter Jannah. [Bukhari]

لقد رأيت رجلاً يتقلب في الجنة في شجرة قطعها من ظهر الطريق كانت تؤذي الناس- مسلم

24. I saw a man going about in Jannah (and enjoying himself) as a reward for cutting from the middle of the road, a tree which was causing inconvenience to the Muslims. [Muslim]

اللهم أنت ربي لا إله إلا أنت ،خلقتني و أنا عبدك، و أنا على عهدك و وعدك ما استطعت، أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت ، أبوء لك بنعمتك عليَّ وأبوء لك بذنبي فاغفر لي ، فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت . من قالها من النهار موقناً بها فمات من يومه قبل أن يمسي فهو من أهل الجنة ، ومن قالها من الليل وهو موقن بها فمات قبل أن يصبح فهو من أهل الجنة -البخاري

25. O Allah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped except You, You created me and I am You servant and I abide to Your covenant and promise as best I can, I take refuge in You from the evil of which I committed. I acknowledge Your favor upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sin except You. “If somebody recites this invocation during the day, and if he should die then, he will be from the people of Jannah. And if he recites it in the night, and if he should die on the same day, he will be from the people of Jannah.” [Bukhari]

CAIR-NY Welcomes City Council Vote on Muslim Holidays in Schools

2009-06-18T16:37:00.002-04:00

(NEW YORK, NY, 6/18/09) - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today joined a coalition of community organizations in welcoming the passage of a resolution by a committee of the city council that calls for adding Muslim holidays to the school calendar.

Resolution 1281, passed overwhelmingly by the New York City Council Education Committee, calls on the “New York City Department of Education to incorporate the Muslim holidays of Eid Ul-Fitr and Eid Ul-Adha as observed school holidays in the school calendar for the city school district of the city of New York” and also asks that the state legislature “pass, and the Governor to sign into law, A.8108/S.5837, an Act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring that Eid Ul-Fitr and Eid Ul-Adha be school holidays in the city school district of the city of New York.”

SEE: Proposed Res. No. 1281-A
http://tinyurl.com/no9tto

The Coalition for Muslim School Holidays - a broad interfaith, inter-ethnic coalition of labor, community, civil rights, and religious organizations – also urged the entire city council to support including Muslim holidays in the school calendar.

“Today marks a positive step forward in the effort to provide a more inclusive educational
environment for all students,” said CAIR-NY Community Affairs Director Faiza N. Ali, who sits
on the steering committee of the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays. “This resolution advances religious liberty, recognizes the growing Muslim population in New York and promotes our great city's values of diversity and inclusion.”

She noted that the New York City area is home to some 1 million Muslims, one of the fastest
growing and most diverse religious populations in the city. More than 90 percent of Muslim students attend public schools and one in eight public school students is Muslim.

CAIR offers a booklet, called “An Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,” designed
to promote diversity and accommodate Muslims students in educational institutions.

SEE: An Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices
http://www.cair.com/Portals/0/pdf/education_guide.pdf

Ali also urged Speaker Christine Quinn and the entire city council to pass Resolution 1281: “Our
community continues to face issues of harassment and discrimination in schools. The city now has an opportunity to help foster a better understanding of Islam and re-affirm that Muslims are a valued part of this city.”

In a similar effort to promote religious inclusion in New York, CAIR-NY yesterday joined
the Sikh Coalition in its request to end a Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) uniform
policy that requires Sikh and Muslim transit workers to brand their religious head covering with MTA logos.

SEE: CAIR-NY Supports Sikh Call for Change in MTA Uniform Policy
http://tinyurl.com/ktl9sv

Follow CAIR on Twitter
http://twitter.com/cair_usa
Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CAIR/42590232694

CAIR, America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and
in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

-END-

CONTACT: CAIR-NY Community Affairs Director Faiza N. Ali, 212-870-2002, 718-724-3041, E-Mail: fali@cair.com; CAIR-NY Civil Rights Director Aliya Latif, 212-870-2002, 732-429-4268, E-Mail: alatif@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

Expansion of Masjid ul-Haram

2009-06-16T19:55:00.000-04:00

I thought I did a post on this a while back...but I recently came across this video so I'm posting it again.

You ready for this?

Insight on Islam

2009-06-14T14:48:00.001-04:00

My good friend Ibrahim AbdulMatin representing an American Muslim view to Fox. Good job brotha. May Allah continue to bless you and facilitate your good endeavors.

Why I prefer YRAC...

2009-06-13T21:20:00.000-04:00

...to Muxlim.com or Muslimsocial.com

10. I can find ALL my Muslim friends on YRAC.

9. YRAC was created, designed, and run by Muslims that are my age (this means that they know what I want in a social networking site).

8. YRAC has its own Journalists! Great articles from writers like Nadirah Angail and Mecca Donna.

7. YOU R A CREATOR (YRAC) Supports, And Is Proud to Partner With "Muslim Journal"!

6. I can find out about local and national Muslim events in my own community.

5. I can give Sadaqah on YRAC through PayPal.

4. Every Friday at 2pm, I can watch Jummah prayer LIVE on YRAC!

3. I can discuss and have conversation about even the most taboo Islamic topics through blogs, discussion forums, and interest groups on YRAC (and of course those topics are not representative of views by YRAC).

2.. I feel most connected with Muslim cultural expression through YRAC then any other website.

1. ...because its more than just a website....it's a Movement.

YRAC: the #1 networking site of thelegacymaker

Weekly Wisdom - 6/12

2009-06-12T11:19:00.000-04:00

"The Group Identity"

Peace Conference Lecture

2009-06-09T18:43:00.000-04:00

The following is a lecture delivered by Imam Ben Bilal from Jamaica, NY on June 7th, 2009. It was at an inter-faith conference.

With Allah’s Name, The Merciful Benefactor, The Merciful Redeemer

INTER-FAITH PEACE CONFERENCE

Sunday, June 7^th, 2009

Hosted by: The Ahmadiyyah Community of Bait-uz-Zafar

Guest Speaker: Imam Benjamin Bilal

of the Human Restoration Center

142-64 Rockaway Boulevard, Jamaica, N.Y.

Greetings to our gracious hosts here at Baituz Zafar and greetings to all of the inter-faith participants on the dais as well as in the audience of listeners. I greet all of you in the universal greetings of peace; As Salaamu ‘Alaykum! Peace be upon you all!

“Salaam” in Arabic means the same as the word “shalom” in Hebrew, and in fact, as most of you know, they are sister languages within the Semitic group of languages. This word, which is commonly translated as “peace,” also alludes to the concept of “wholeness” or “completeness”. So, As Salaamu ‘Alaykum and Shalom Alaychem not only mean “May Peace be upon you,” but also, “May wholeness or completeness be upon you.”

The human being is a composite being. None of us are simply one thing. The human life is multi-faceted and stratified, and for that reason, all of the major concerns involving how human life is to be lived are addressed by G-d in our respective Scriptures and historical sacred writings. Our Scriptures speak specifically to, not only our physical or material concerns, but more importantly, our collective mental, moral, social and spiritual concerns.

Muslim is not an ethnic group, nor a geographical location; nor is its identity the prized possession of Arabs or Arabic-speaking people alone. The Qur’an was revealed to Muhammed the Prophet over 14 centuries ago in order to provide guidance for the completion of man’s life as a social/spiritual entity on earth. It is a Book for any who believes in a Creator and who also believes in ultimate accountability to that Creator. You do not have to be a Muslim proper in order to quote from and benefit from the guidance in the Qur’an. If you don’t believe me, ask President Barack Obama.

Paraphrasing the words of Muhammed the Prophet, may prayers and peace be upon him; Every human child is born upon the fitrah which is the natural pattern inherent in created matter, but it is man’s fabricated environment that subsequently causes him or her to veer away from that original pattern. All religions, including Islam, have been victimized by those who assumed to know better than G-d how human life is to be motivated and directed. Some have even chosen to pervert G-d’s words for those ends. But in the process of perverting G-d’s Word, the image of what a true human being is got corrupted also. As a consequence, many of the people who claim religion do so believing that they are G-d’s favorite because of race, geographical location, special instruction, or some other perceived favor.

According to Muhammed the Prophet’s teachings, there is no superiority of a white over a black, or a black over a white, or of an Arab over a non-Arab or a non-Arab over an Arab. The only superiority is in moral regardfulness called “taqwa” in the Qur’an. This sense of regardfulness educates the soul by promoting good-will and selfless service to humanity, and will not allow, race, ethnicity, language, geography, gender, age, or any other false division to hinder one’s self from promoting freedom, justice and equality among fellow human beings.

Like many so-called “black” people in this country, I use to believe that “Islam” was the private possession of blacks and that we were in fact, the only legitimate race on earth with the only approved “religion”. These were teachings that were taught to a black man in Detroit, Michigan named Elijah Poole, later re-named Elijah Muhammad, and these teachings were given to us, through him, beginning in the early 1930s. The originator of these teachings, however, was a man called W.D. Fard who immigrated to this country from what would later come to be known as Pakistan.

Mr. Fard’s teachings represented a uniquely strange blend of Black Nationalism, mysticism, geology, mathematics and eastern mythology wrapped up in Islamic terminology. However, he left hints and clues in his peculiar brand of what he called “Islam” that we believe were designed to eventually bring us into the universal fold of Islam as it is presented within the pages of the Qur’an and the life example of Muhammed the Prophet.

I cannot possibly chronicle for you how this evolution from Elijah Muhammad’s teachings to where we are today happened in the small amount of time we have for this presentation. You can learn about that history alongside countless other subjects by attending our class called: “The Sacred & Secret Language of Religion and Culture,” held every Sunday at 1:00PM at the Human Restoration Center, 142-64 Rockaway, Boulevard in Jamaica, NY. Suffice it to say that, the progression from race-based ideology to our present universal perception of mankind was fulfilled for us in the mission of our late and honorable leading imam, Imam Wallace. D. Mohammed, the son of the late and honorable Elijah Muhammad. Imam W. D. Mohammed passed from this life on September 9^th, 2008.

During his tenure as leader, Imam Mohammed continued to systematically dismantle those notions in his father’s teachings that were inconsistent with Qur’anic logic while continuing to promote the good moral behavior and industrious thinking that his father had worked so hard to institute in his followers. Beginning in 1975, Imam Mohammed worked to establish inter-faith dialogue and cooperation among all groups of ethnic and religious people.

That is just a brief peak into the miracle that G-d performed on us in the last 30 years right before your eyes, in America! Upon accepting the mantle of leadership, Imam Mohammed’s first major lecture was entitled: “Remake the World”. Coincidently, that happens to be a favorite phrase of our current president.

My concluding message is to Muslims all over the world: Let us do our best to remain true to our label. Our Muslim identity is our human identity. Let us as Muslims regain the true human spirit we had that contributed towards the advancement of peoples in Africa and Asia and whose sciences helped bring Europe out of the so-called Dark Ages. Let us remember the ethical, cultural and scientific leadership Muslims exhibited as the leading influence in Spain for close to 700 years.

In the Qur’an, Allah says to protect the houses of worship of any people wherein the name of the Creator is pronounced. Let us not continue to fall victim to the age-old trick of Shaytan to bury us under fancy terminology and rhetoric while our original and essential human form suffers dissipation due to neglect.

If we do not utilize the fine precepts given to us in our Sacred Book and in the excellent human model of Muhammed the Prophet, we as Muslims will begin to exude that which is putrid, stale and unworthy of the label, “Muslim” although the kufi, the khimar, the jalabiyyah, the Arabic names, etc. still carry the label, “Muslim”. And this is what happens to people of various faith groups, whenever they choose to pay more attention to labels than to substance.

Let us all rally around one label: “Human”! And let us bring our sensitivities and sensibilities back to that which is pleasing to the Creator and which serves the best interest of all creatures; a sacred regard for all, and the promotion of human excellence.

This Peace Conference is a great example contributing towards that effort. Bait-uz- Zafar, keep up the good work. Thank you. As Salaamu ‘Alaykum!

Imam Mohammed on: Barack Obama

2009-06-07T15:33:00.002-04:00

Here are a few statements that Imam Mohammed made about Barack Obama:

"G-d says your life and your resurrection is as that of one living soul. If we are to return to the good life, if we are to have a resurrection of our spirit, it has to happen in one person. G-d has given us great help. A new day is here. A bright day is here. Relief has come in one soul: Barack Obama.

This is not politicking. I have to keep this separate from his campaign. But I have to connect it with him, because G-d has blessed him to aspire for the presidency of these United States. The same G-d has blessed him with strong support from strong and rich White, European Americans.

Whether he gets there or not, the victory is already real. The spirit and souls of Black folks will never be the same again. G-d has permitted that one person whom we identify as a Black man or African American going with green lights in the road, no red lights in the road to the White House. This is the Day of Awakening for sure.

Some months ago, I said 'Goodness is on the rise.' Now look at the proof: Barack Obama. Goodness is on the rise. Here is a man who made himself known at the 2004 Democratic Convention. They are so impressed with him, because he is so clean and straight. Look where he is now.

If he loses everything from here on and gets no more support, and someone else gets in the White House, what he has done to sensitize African Americans, Hispanics, poor Whites, rich people, everybody high and low, cannot be erased or removed. G-d has enthused into the human world a power pack of energy for renewing this whole planet.

Whether you want it or not, you are going to get better because of the rise of Barack Omama. Whether you want it or not, you are going to become a better human being. Nobody will have to force you. You are going to become that just because of your being in touch as a human being with feelings. You have already been touched by him, and that is going to grow and grow.

Think about it. Think of how your children behaved before Obama was seen rising in the sky of the high Nation of the United States of America. Before he was seen rising and no acknowledgement of him, as it is now. He is supported by different races with their money backing him. Reflect back on the spirit and behavior of your children before that. Already there is a change for the better. Your children are more sensible and respect good sense now. Your children have started to grow anew under the new sun that is shining on the whole world from the United States of America: Barack Obama.

You say 'Oh you are lifting him up too high.' No, I am not! G-d has lifted him up that high. Isn't that what Scripture says: As the one man is falling who thought he could go it on his own, making decisions by himself, brought all of us down and causing all of us to lose sight on G-d's Plan in our lives, so will one man coming back into his innocent nature, and speaking from and acting from his innocent nature, can cause all of us to rise again. We live in the best times, perhaps, ever on this planet earth. I know in man's history, this is the best time ever. Jesus (peace be upon him) and Muhammed (peace be upon him), pointed to this time. They did not say the greatest things were happening in their time. They pointed to the future. Now we have come to that future... in this time where man is connected all over the planet earth."

Imam W. Deen Mohammed - Chicago Heights, Ill., May 4, 2008. From his book: "Life - The Final Battlefield" published May 2009. www.wdmpublications.com

Thoughts on Obama in Cairo

2009-06-05T09:04:00.000-04:00

I am proud to be represented by Barack Hussein Obama as an American. This guy gave a excellent speech! A few noteworthy points"

1. What had me lol was how he was sooo cool and collected with Arabic terms. At the beginning of the speech he's like, "oh thank you, Shukran, Shukran". LOL! He sounds just like a Muslim. (Not to deny his faith)...but what other president has pronounced "Qur'an" instead of "Koran" (go back and listen!).

2. I like how he noted the history of Islam to the World and to America. And of course Congressman's Ellison's use of the Holy Qur'an to be sworn in. I like how he noted the quote:

In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President John Adams wrote, "The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims."

3. Did he just quote THREE ayah from the Qur'an in one speech?? Yes. He did.

4. "...America is not - and never will be - at war with Islam."

5. I like how he was very frank and truthful about the tensions between Islam and America and Israel and Palastine. It should make people almost feel embrassed about their actions.

But if we see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be blind to the truth: the only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security.

6. Oh and I LOVE how he sited the struggle of Blacks in America to pursue peace.

...Violence is a dead end. It is a sign of neither courage nor power to shoot rockets at sleeping children, or to blow up old women on a bus. That is not how moral authority is claimed; that is how it is surrendered.

7. What American president sends PEACE upon the Prophets?

8. I like how he numbered his issues.

The President in the Middle East

2009-06-04T00:00:00.002-04:00

Posted by Jesse Lee

The history of the relationship between America and the Muslim World is deeper and more complex than the common perception might suggest. Thomas Jefferson taught himself Arabic using his own Quran kept in his personal library, and had the first known presidential Iftaar by breaking fast with the Tunisian Ambassador at sunset. President Dwight Eisenhower attended the dedication ceremony of the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C. on June 28, 1957. President Bill Clinton issued the first presidential greeting for Ramadan, appointed the first Muslim American ambassador, M. Osman Siddique, to Fiji, and sent the first presidential Eid al-Adha greeting to Muslims. And one year after President George W. Bush placed the Holy Quran in the White House library in 2005, Representative Keith Ellison took the oath of office on the same Quran owned by Thomas Jefferson two hundred years before.

With his speech in Cairo, the President will lay another marker, addressing America’s relationship with the Muslim World in the heart of the Middle East. Whereas the past years and decades have deepened the rift in that relationship, the President will seek a new start by opening up a serious, honest dialogue to find areas of common interest where we agree, and new ways of communication where we do not. By continuing unprecedented outreach to the Muslim World, the President is strengthening national security and opening up new opprtunities to address some of the problems that have seemed so intractable over recent years.

The speech will be given at 1:10 in the afternoon in Cairo, 6:10 in the morning here in Washington, D.C. No matter where you are, watch it live on WhiteHouse.gov/live. For those abroad, sign up to get text updates in Arabic, Urdu, English or Persian at America. gov.

UPDATE: In advance of the speech tomorrow morning, we thought we would share with you a few stories of Muslim Americans who are proudly serving their nation in the federal government. Check out the video:

Merciful storekeeper changes robber's mind, religion

2009-06-03T21:07:00.001-04:00

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A potential victim became a compassionate counselor during a recent robbery attempt, changing the would-be criminal's mind -- and apparently his religion.

Surveillance video shows storekeeper Mohammad Sohail holding a robber at bay with a shotgun.

Storekeeper Mohammad Sohail was closing up his Long Island convenience store just after midnight on May 21 when -- as shown on the store's surveillance video -- a man came in wielding a baseball bat and demanding money.

"He said, 'Hurry up and give me the money, give me the money!' and I said, 'Hold on'," Sohail recalled in a phone interview with CNN on Tuesday, after the store video and his story was carried on local TV.
Sohail said he reached under the counter, grabbed his gun and told the robber to drop the bat and get down on his knees.

"He's crying like a baby," Sohail said. "He says, 'Don't call police, don't shoot me, I have no money, I have no food in my house.' "

Amidst the man's apologies and pleas, Sohail said he felt a surge of compassion.

He made the man promise never to rob anyone again and when he agreed, Sohail gave him $40 and a loaf of bread.

"When he gets $40, he's very impressed, he says, 'I want to be a Muslim just like you,' " Sohail said, adding he had the would-be criminal recite an Islamic oath.

"I said 'Congratulations. You are now a Muslim and your name is Nawaz Sharif Zardari.'"

When asked why he chose the hybrid of two Pakistani presidents' names, the Pakistani immigrant laughed and said he had been watching a South Asian news channel moments before the confrontation.

Sohail said the man fled the store when he turned away to get the man some free milk.

He said police might still be looking for the suspect but he doesn't intend to press charges.

"The guy, you know, everybody has a hard time right now, it's too bad for everybody right now in this economy," said the storekeeper.

Obama’s Egypt Speech: What He Should Say to the Muslim World...

2009-06-02T22:37:00.000-04:00

http://www.suhaibwebb.com/blog/general/obamas-egypt-speech-what-he-should-say-to-the-muslim-world-middle-east-arab-israeli-relations-human-rights-diplomacy-islamic-world-project-on-us-relations-with-the-islamic-world-the-brooki/

13-Year-Old Conn. Muslim Headed to University

2009-06-01T21:41:00.002-04:00

Weekly Wisdom - 5/31

2009-05-31T15:05:00.000-04:00

"We need to correct our thinking (like all others). We have been misinformed and we have followed ignorance and darkness. We have been influenced to move without thinking and to make major decisions that will affect our lives until we are dead without using the rational mind".

"We must rise above where the world places us. We have a shared purpose and we must make clear what our goals and objectives are, and set high standards for team or group performance,

Work with me with a sincere and unselfish heart while I unlock the doors to human excellence and dignity for all of us". -Imam WDM

The Values of Booker T Washington

2009-05-28T09:12:00.000-04:00

Deepak Chopra on "The Third Jesus"

2009-05-25T22:40:00.000-04:00

I see it as the nafs mutma'inna...

CRUCIFIXION OF THE WORD

2009-05-18T23:22:00.002-04:00

Recently, I have been reflecting on an arabic word: (umiya) أمي

"Those who follow the apostle, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the law and the Gospel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper." -Holy Qur'an 7:157

Umiya, according to many arabic dictionaries, is translated as "illiterate" or "uneducated". Yusuf Ali uses the translation: "unlettered" (which I think is a better translation, but still insufficient).

This translation has to be placed in the correct context. Our Prophet Muhammad (saw) was not illiterate or uneducated in the general sense, he was unlettered in scripture. Meaning he had not been taught any of the previous revelations nor did he come from a people who had previously received scripture.

"In the Qur'an, G-d said that Muhammed is the Unlettered Prophet, meaning he was never schooled or taught by any religious teachers. He was a businessman working for his wife, Lady Khadijah, may G-d be pleased with her. He was not acquainted with the Bible or any scriptures – unlettered or unlearned in scripture." -Imam W. D. Mohammed

So, this debunks any argument saying that the revelation of the Qur'an through Prophet Muhammad was not authentic. It is illogical to believe that a man (prayers and peace be upon him) with no training or knowledge of previous scripture, or formal, wordly, education could create a book as remarkable as the Holy Qur'an.

But the word Umiya...what is the connection with "Um" (Mother). Why use a word to mean uneducated or illiterate with a word that means mother? In what way is a mother illiterate?

"There are some among the religious groups of people who use to believe that women do not have to be educated. There are actually some who still believe like that. Do you see how that inference can easily be drawn? If “ummiy” is translated as “unlettered” which basically means “untaught” or “unschooled” then one can easily assume that women do not have to be educated. This then leads to the idea that women do not have the same capacity for learning as men do. This idea stretched so far to the point where it was eventually accepted by certain members within the hierarchy of several major religions that women did not have souls. The words “mother” and “matter” come from the same root. Therefore, women were seen as merely materialistic beings put here to service the man’s needs and pleasures." -Imam Benjamin Bilal

It is very important to have the correct perception, especially when studying scripture. The Ummi or the unlettered are those who do not have knowledge of scripture. They only have that which the common people have when they come from the womb of their mother, mother wit !

Look how the tone changes from something harsh and degrading to something innocent and innate! An innate knowledge, free from wordly or outside influence, a motherly knowledge. This is what the Prophet had.

Look at how words can influence our perception and understanding things!

"When Imam Mohammed told us that “words make people” he was bringing us back to the origin of language. He could have said that sentences make people or paragraphs make people, but instead, he went to the root of the problem and said that “words make people” and he said that a word is “anything that brings a picture or message to your mind”. Now, let me show you something about this word “word”.

The Bible says that, Jesus is the word and the Quran calls Jesus a “kalimatan min Allah” which means a word from Allah. Do you see how simple this is? This is not something that you need to go get a PhD in Islamic Studies in order to figure out. All you have to have is a free-thinking brain and a pure heart. And you have to stop allowing the culture to influence your understanding. Learn to think naturally.

In the Bible Jesus says that, “I am the word”. Separate that from what you have been told concerning Jesus being the “son of G-d”. In the Qur’an, Allah addresses what has been said in the Bible by stating that Jesus is a “word from Allah”. Do you see the correction? He is a word, but from Allah. He is not Allah. And Allah is not “the word”. Some Muslims have made the mistake in believing that, Allah is the Qur’an or that the Qur’an represents the totality of what it is Allah knows. Allah is not limited by His Word. The Qur’an is everything that you need to know. Allah’s knowledge is infinite. In fact, it is much more than you will ever need to know.

By Allah saying that Jesus is a word from Allah, look at the help that this gives the Christian in the Qur’an. The Qur’an is here for the Christian as much as it is here for the Muslim. The Qur’an is here to correct Jewish understanding as much as it is here to shape mold and establish Muslim understanding. “Muslim” is simply the nature that Allah put in us, in the Christian, Jew and everybody else. It is our original nature. “Muslim” is our human makeup. It is that which is related to the “fitrah” and the fitrah is the natural pattern upon which Allah created, not just everybody, but everything. As a consequence, everything in creation has Muslim nature.

The key for Muslim success in this day and time is to return back to the study of the sciences. We will not be successful, in my opinion, until we turn our attention away from seeing Islam as ethnicity. That is the trap. The trick is to make us think that “Muslim” means Muslim country or that it is relegated to certain Arabic speaking ethnic groups.

If the Christians say: “Jesus was crucified on a cross.” And then Allah says that, Jesus was a word from Allah, then what is that suggesting? First of all, “kalimatan” does not mean just one word. “Kalimatan” actually means a “group of words”. It can mean “sentences”. It is given as a singular word but it has plural significance and application. Therefore, we are now talking about the crucifixion of language. This is explained in our Muslim “Bible” (Qur’an) as a help for those who follow the Christian Bible. The Christian may ask: “You mean to tell me that, this is not talking about the crucifixion of my Lord?” No indeed, not as a flesh and blood person. It is referring to the crucifixion of Christ Jesus as a principle representing what the schemers have done to the Word of G-d. Right now, the process is afoot to try and do the same thing to the Qur’an. Putting the word on the cross means that they situate your scripture so that you can’t make progress with it. The Bible actually conveys the blueprint for how language itself is crucified and revived or resurrected over and over again. Those who can read the blueprint also have the knowledge of how to bring the people back to scriptural understanding."
-Imam Benjamin Bilal

Fundraiser for Imam Siraj Wahhaj

2009-05-14T21:20:00.001-04:00

http://www.mujahideenryder.net/

MR's online fundraiser for Imam Siraj Wahhaj from MR on Vimeo.

10 wonderful two letter words

2009-05-14T21:04:00.002-04:00

The 10 wonderful two letter words
that can really change our life, if understood correctly are :

IF IT IS TO BE,
IT IS UP TO ME.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T05:45:00.002-04:00

A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet said: Your mother. The man said, ‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man further asked, ‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man asked again, ‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your father. (Bukhari, Muslim).

Weekly Wisdom - 5/8

2009-05-08T11:45:00.000-04:00

Superpowers are Responsible for Terrorism & Extremist; not Islam

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed

"….And people have been made to believe that our religion is a religion that condones extremism. We have terrorist that's put before us and they are called extremist. And we are made to believe that our religion is a religion that is giving birth to these extremist. That is wrong.

What gives birth to these extremist, these guerrilla fighters, or these freedom fighters, or liberators trying to liberate Palestine, or whatever they are trying to liberate. What gives birth to them is the evils that are put upon them by the superpowers.

The superpowers have taken away their life; have made it impossible for them to live the only life they know. They have taken away their land, their home and everything. And destroyed families, and killed their babies and their old people.

So, the superpowers that brought those evils upon those people in Palestine and in other parts of the third world or the Islamic world; they are responsible for the terrorist. They are the makers of terrorist. They are the makers of extremist. Not our religion…."

May 8th, Imam Siraj Day

2009-05-06T15:26:00.005-04:00

From Imam Suhaib Webb:

Asalamu alaykum,
Last week the Muslim youth in America pulled off an amazing fundraiser for Imam Siraj Wahhaj. While 26 K. was donated we are still well short of our goal of $125,000.

The Idea:

Muslim organizations could call for "America's Imam Day" designating a Friday where funds could be raised for the Imam across the country! It would be awesome if others such as our brothers in the U.K got on board as well. Let us all write, call and encourage our organizations like ISNA, ICNA, MAS, MSA,MAP, RIC, MYNA, AlMaghrib, Seekers Guidance and Zaytuna to make this call together.

I'm willing to fly to the states for one day, give the khutbah for the Imam and fly back for my exams in Egypt. I say this brothers and sisters because of my love for the Imam. By Allah I love him and hope and pray that we can moblize for the sake of Allah to help him.

The ball's in your court....

SDW

May 8th, Imam Siraj Day

MSA National is proud to join our fellow brothers and sisters in designating Friday, May 8th as Imam Siraj Day. The goal is to raise $75,000 to help Imam Siraj Wahhaj pay for his cancer treatment. As college students, we struggle to raise a few hundred dollars to support our own MSAs. While fundraising is sometimes difficult, here is a man who raised millions of dollars for our communities, built masjids, traveled to our campuses and MSA conferences, and gave his time for the sake of others. We believe small amounts raised by the many can have a huge impact. Join the effort and contact cstf@msanational.org for more information!

Are you participating in Imam Siraj Day? If so help us track the money raised by reporting your fundraising efforts!

Visit http://www.msanational.org/imamsiraj/ for more info.

June 20, Concert Fundraiser with Sami Yusuf for Imam Siraj Wahhaj

On Saturday, June 20, Preacher Moss and the "Allah Made Me Funny" Company, Native Deen, Sami Yusuf, Da'wah Ensemble, and myself will be presenting a benefit roast and concert for our beloved leader, Imam Siraj Wahhaj and his family. This is scheduled to take place at the famous Symphony Hall in Atlanta, Georgia.

The bookkeeping for this event is being handled by Masjid At-Taqwa in Brooklyn, New York, which as you are aware is the 501(c)(3) institution that Imam Siraj established and still leads.

Won't you please be so kind as to help us prepare for this historic occassion, by becoming one of the sponsors for this event, and choosing a category below. We will also make available for you event tickets to coincide with your sponsorship contribution, in addition to listing your company or organization in our promotional material, which will begin within two weeks from today, insha Allah t'Ala.

Platinum Sponsor - $2,000
Gold Sponsor - $1,000
Silver Sponsor - $500
Bronze Sponsor - $250

Checks can made payable to Masjid At-Taqwa, and mailed to Bilal Hinson, c/o Masjid At-Taqwa, 1266 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11216. Please however, email me at mana.events@gmail.com to confirm your support and submission of sponsorship contribution.

Your Brother,
Imam F. Qasim ibn Ali Khan,
Director of Events & Fundraising
Please visit www.mana-net.org

Imam leads House prayer

2009-05-02T17:12:00.001-04:00

by Michael C. Bender | April 27th, 2009

As usual, the Florida House opened session today with a prayer. But for the first time this year (and possibly the first time ever), that prayer was led by an imam, Qasim Ahmed, from the Islamic Learning Institute in Tampa.

The prayer was videotaped by Ahmed Bedier, United Voices of America director, who remarked on the absence of House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Boca Raton. Bedier said he was videotaping the “historic” moment.

“We did notice Hasner’s empty chair. That’s definitely noticed,” Bedier said.

Hasner led a press conference on Muslim Day at the Capitol last month to protest Bedier’s organization. This weekend, Hasner hosted a “Free Speech Summit” with controversial writer Geert Wilders, leading the Council On American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to demand Hasner be removed from his leadership position.

Hasner said he wasn’t on the floor this morning for personal reasons and noted the iman was in the House at the invitation of Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek.

“It’s Jim Waldman’s right as a member to invite whomever he wants,” Hasner said.

Bilal Ibn Rabah (RA): a type in all people

2009-05-02T16:47:00.001-04:00

When studying this companion, we should first see that the life of Bilal speaks directly to the condition of the African American people. This is why Imam Mohammed would call us (African-Americans) "Bilalians".

Now, lets look at what else Bilal represents.

Bukhari 2.250; Bilal's footsteps heard in paradise before the Prophet

Abu Harariah reported the Prophet pbuh said, "At the time of the Fajr prayer the Prophet asked Bilal, "Tell me of the best deed you did after embracing Islam, for I heard your footsteps in front of me in Paradise." Bilal replied, "I did not do anything worth mentioning except that whenever I performed ablution during the day or night, I prayed after that ablution as much as was written for me."

Commentary, Imam Mohammed: "I'm not as sure of that hadith being a valid hadith and that it came from the Prophet's pbuh mouth just like that, I'm not that sure of it. But if it did, which I have to allow that perhaps it did, what it is saying is that the soul in its innocence precedes the soul communicating or speaking or expressing that innocence.

The spirit goes ahead of the voice and Bilal there is representing that type in all people and the Muslim scholars they know that I have been sitting with them myself and they wanted me to feel comfortable I guess knowing that they love black people and they have no problem with black people. So they were innocent most of them, loving Muslims, they said to me, "You know we all are Bilal." And I understood that to meant that we all have the same nature. Bilal is not an African in the higher understanding of him, he is a type that is in white, black and in all people. He represents the human soul in its innocence that has been denied an opportunity to have its enlightenment. G-d created the human soul for its enlightenment in Arabic it say, "Fujurah and Taqwaaha" not only for its piety or for its righteousness but also for its enlightenment. "

Me: So, what if Bilal represents the human soul in its innocence and the Prophet Muhammad represents the progression of that human soul!!!

Now, let's look at this concept. Here is an African slave who was freed an became Muslim, and given the honor of calling all other Muslims to the worship of Allah (Muethin)...doesn't that sound mighty familiar to the story of the African-American people? And here is Imam Mohammed's community calling Muslims from around the world to the worship of Allah with the commentary, tafsir, and leadership of Imam W. D. Mohammed.

Let's look further in scripture...

Numbers 22.21-31; Baal's donkey said why have you hit me these three times

Numbers 22:21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. [27-28] And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. [28] And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

[31] Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

Commentary, Imam Mohammed: But understand Bilal is also in the Bible. Baal riding the donkey is the soul deprived of enlightenment, that is the donkey. And the soul deprived of its enlightenment can never help the situation of the donkey, but abuse the donkey. And it said why have you struck me these three time? The donkey speaks with a man's voice in the Bible. So we mentioned three parts of the human life didn't we?

And about the soul being one part of it, but here is the soul speaking that used to be ignorant, but now something has happened to make the soul become a thinker and talk with man's voice. And what happened? It said there was an angel of light with a flaming sword standing in the way and the donkey saw it and the rider did not. So the donkey stopped and would not go any-further and when the rider wanted to force it to move, he said why have you struck me these three times? I'm not obeying you any more I want some answers.

That represents an individual, the donkey is an individual, the same individual, the donkey is one part of the individual. The rider is another part of the individual, now let me tell you African American people you are the donkey most of you, as a people you are the donkey. And you got Baal riding you and you haven't seen the flaming sword yet, so you're not speaking with a man's voice. So what am I saying with that?

Though this represents what happens in the soul of an individual, it also represents what happens in the community of people where the type forms and the rider becomes not the soul of an individual either but the rider becomes the soul of the of people collectively. And the one representing that soul may be the ruling order and sometimes it is the ignorant people who have to bulk, just stop and go no further with them and speak out with a man's voice and asks them, "Why have you struck me these three times? Why have you with your wisdom and knowledge of the nature of the human soul exploited the waters of my soul and afflicted me in my body, my mind and my spirit three times?"

Me: I think when Imam Mohammed says that Bilal is in scripture he is referring to two things: 1. the African American people are symbolic of the donkey in scripture (in this particular story). 2. the soul in its innocence is represented also by this donkey in scripture. This is why Bilal can be seen as both a symbol of African-Americans and of the soul in its innocence. And remember, " Bilal is not an African in the higher understanding of him, he is a type that is in white, black and in all people. He represents the human soul in its innocence that has been denied an opportunity to have its enlightenment."

But, I think I would be remissed if I did not touch on the Qur'anic aspect of this story too. Imam Muhammad al-Baqir said: "Though it relates to Balaam (Baal), Allah intends to set an example for those who receive true guidance from Allah, yet prefer to act according to their own desires in order to lay hands on the worldly gains." InshAllah, I'll just provide the ayah and a link for futher reference.

"Relate to them the story of the man to whom We sent Our signs, but he passed them by: so Satan followed him up, and he went astray. If it had been Our will, We should have elevated him with Our signs; but he inclined to the earth, and followed his own vain desires. His similitude is that of a dog: if you attack him, he lolls out his tongue, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls out his tongue. That is the similitude of those who reject Our signs; So relate the story; perchance they may reflect." Holy Qur'an 7:175-176

For more on the story of Bal`am bin Ba`ura, himself, you can find some Tafsir of Ibn Kathir here.

Weekly Wisdom - 5/1

2009-05-01T09:40:00.000-04:00

1376. Mu`awiyah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah said, "When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of Deen.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary: Knowledge and understanding of Deen (religion) here stands for the understanding of the Qur'an and Hadith, religious injunctions, and knowledge of the lawful and the unlawful. This Hadith highlights the excellence of knowledge and the fact that it is a sign of Allah's Help to the person who possesses it and acts upon it.

The Bible and the Quran

2009-04-30T12:59:00.000-04:00

I was just read a few comments from Imam Mohammed about a story in the Bible. Balaam or Bil'am who road a donkey (spoiled flesh; Bilal). I've included a few comments as well as a good website that compares the Bible and Qur'an.

Numbers 22.28; "And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?"

"When they are talking about donkeys in the Bible they are talking about people. When they are talking about snakes in the Bible they are talking about people. When they are talking about dogs in the Bible they are talking about people. There is no animal in the Bible that is a real animal in their minds when they were writing that. All the animals in the Bible are human beings. Now why would animals be in the Bible if it is not for human beings? There is a donkey talking, saying, "Why have you struck me these three times?"

That is enough to make you go crazy or enough to entertain an African American who has nothing else to do but be entertained by foolishness. What gives a seeing man the holy ghost is good sense...

...Bilal in the Scripture carries "baal" upon his back; I'll just say he carried "having a ball" upon his back, always having a ball. He carried "baal" upon his back and his own soul was riding him. He stopped, because he saw an Angel in the path ahead of him, standing blocking the way.

According to the Scripture, the Angel had a flaming sword in his hand. Even a donkey will stop when seeing something like that. When he saw that, he asked his rider, "Why have you struck me, strapped me these three times?"

THE THREE: LIVING FLESH, MIND and SPIRIT

Life starts in the physical body, the flesh. When a baby is born from its mother, it has no life anywhere except in its physical body. It becomes conscious of our world, then life starts in the mind and in the soul. But before that time, there is no life anywhere except in the physical flesh.

The baby is not expressing itself yet. Sometimes, they don't wake up automatically on their own. The doctor has to strike the flesh to get them to breathe air and for air to come into them.

Once they breathe air on their own, now he is a living child, a human. If he does not breathe air, he is called a still born. He is dead and never came into life as a human person.

The first life is in the flesh before even the conscious comes on and life comes in the mind. If the mind hangs around long enough, that particular child is going to develop its own spirit. Now the child is a living spirit. Living flesh, living mind and living spirit. That is the three.

The donkey asked the rider, which is a living soul, "Why have you struck me, strapped me these three times?" No answer came. But the donkey had stopped being a donkey. The donkey spoke with man's voice, not with an animal's voice, not with a donkey's voice.

I close this out by saying Mr. Fard had a point, when he told them to form a baseball team. Everything that happens in human life, as designed by our Creator, has a sign for our intelligence, for our mind to read. And everything carries both knowledge and mercy.

When you understand the knowledge in the problem, now you have a way to bring mercy.

Peace, As Salaam Alaikum.

http://www.bibleandkoran.net/

Non-Muslims Beware!

2009-04-27T15:07:00.001-04:00

I was just joking with my wife the other day....If we find any Muslims with swine flu we might need to have a serious talk with him/her.

But the reality of the situation is that anyone can catch it because it is spread through human-human contact as well. Here's a little info:

What is influenza and the “swine” flu?

Influenza (“the flu”) is a virus that infects people every year throughout the world. The flu season in New York City typically runs from late fall through early spring; the flu season this year has been relatively mild.

Just like in humans, different types of influenza infect pigs and birds each year. Influenza infection in pigs is called the “swine flu” and in birds is called the “avian flu.” Swine flu and avian flu have rarely caused infection in people in the past – these infections are usually mild and don’t spread from one person to another.

What’s going on with swine flu now?

Over the past few days, public health authorities identified people in Mexico City infected by a type of swine flu that can be spread from one person to another. Although many deaths have been reported in the media, we don’t know for sure how many of these deaths are due to swine flu or to other causes of pneumonia. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is conducting an investigation with Mexican authorities. In addition, a number of people with swine flu have been identified in several US states and New York City. All these infections have been mild and most have not needed hospitalization for treatment.

Is there “swine” flu in NYC?

Yes — on April 26^th the Department of Health confirmed that a group of students in a school in Queens were infected with swine flu. Some of the students had travelled to Mexico and likely were infected there. All the students had mild illness and are reported to be recovering. The Health Department is actively investigating other clusters of illness, but no further swine flu cases have been identified in NYC thus far.

How is swine flu spread and how do I keep myself safe?

Both swine flu and the regular flu are spread from person to person through droplets released in the air when the infected person coughs. These droplets can only travel up to 3 feet from a person with influenza – so anyone within 3 feet of a patient with flu should wear a mask. Currently the CDC is recommending a N95 type mask for all persons providing direct patient care – but this recommendation may change to a surgical type mask (which is what is done for the regular flu) once more information is available. During circumstances that may create a lot of droplets in the air (intubation or bronchoscopy for example), the use of an N95 mask is always warranted.

What are the symptoms of swine flu?

The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions. If you develop symptoms like these, you may want to contact your health care provider, particularly if you are worried about them. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

How do I keep my family and loved ones safe?
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Everyone should take these everyday steps to protect their health:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand cleansers
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
If you get sick with influenza, contact your health care provider and your supervisor. Employee Health Services may indicate when you can safely return to work.

2009-04-26T21:37:00.003-04:00

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

It was related on the authority of Abu Hurairah, *radiyallahu 'anhu*, thatthe Prophet, *sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam*, said:

"Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world,Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter.Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay hisdebt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and theHereafter. Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal hisfaults in this world and the Hereafter. Allah will aid a servant (of His) solong as the servant aids his brother. Whosoever follows a path to seekknowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. Nopeople gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book ofAllah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descendsupon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah makesmention of them amongst those who are in His presence. Whosoever is sloweddown by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage." *

[Muslim]

Weekly Wisdom - 4/24

2009-04-24T07:56:00.000-04:00

In other words, educate the people regarding the natural makeup of mankind. Teach the people their natural life and natural makeup, how G-d has given them wonderful urges for their establishment - in their own nature. Teach them, so they will be enlightened regarding what is in them as a created being.

-Imam W. D. Mohammed

Random Rants....once again

2009-04-21T22:58:00.000-04:00

1. Can we PLEASE show a greater interest in supporting our Islamic Schools?! We know some of you out there are "products" of public schools and "turned out just fine", but the reality of the situation is ...how do you plan to invest in your child's future? Let's try an Islamic environment. And if you can't bring yourself to enrolling your children...at least support the schools in other ways. Got criticism??? Turn it into positive, productive energy.

2. In December 2004, Robina Niaz founded Turning Point for Women and Families and serves as its Executive Director. This organization is the only non-for-profit that provides help specifically to Muslim women and families involved in Domestic Violence. Please consider giving your Zakat to this organization. It would go directly to helping victoms of Domestic Violence.

3. Ok, you ready to face the issue upfront? This is a MUST READ article: Saudi King Says, "Make us proud boy"

4. N.O.I Minister Larry 4X Prescott (aka Akbar Muhammad), Convention Speaker For MANA, Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud. (Not that I agree with Bro. Abdur-Rahman's views...but interesting nonetheless.)

5. Is it wrong that I find Ahmadinejad pretty funny? That boy does not care about being politically correct. I'm sure his advisors are doing their best to try to smooth over his views and comments. And apparently, screening/filtering takes place across languages too.

6. Enough politics...who's going to see Wolverine May1st?

7. http://www.youracreator.com

8.Can it get warm please....ya Allah. I'm ready to play some ball outside!

9. A huge CONGRATULATIONS to Mrs. PhD Extraordinaire for getting her....you guessed it...Ph.D!

10. A nice Khutbah....listen to it in its entirety:

Weekly Wisdom - 4/17

2009-04-16T22:56:00.001-04:00

Just a little history...in case you didn't know...

Imam Ali Khan of DC dies from heart attack this morning

2009-04-14T18:33:00.002-04:00

From Ayesha K Mustafaa...

I know this is shocking news, after seeing Imam Ali Khan all weekend coordinating various parts of the National Imams Meeting.

We got word that he was killed in a car accident in DC this morning; he blanked out behind the wheel; he had a niece in the car with him and she is reported to be okay (alive; condition not confirmed).

Surely, our time of death is only with Allah, for Ali was the epitome of life all weekend. He made sure I had full accommodations as Editor of the Muslim Journal, with a superb room and meals.

We pray for his family, his wife Ophelia, Daughter Ebony who performed at Muslim Journal's last Awards Dinner this past December, his son Imam Rahman Khan who also was at the Imams Meeting and his son in Atlanta (don't have name) and others in his family.

I hear that his janazah probably will be this Friday. More as we find out more.

As Salaam Alaikum,

Ayesha K Mustafaa

Muslim Journal Editor

*Please refer to corrections, below

RE: Cultivating an Indigenous Muslim culture

2009-04-13T22:11:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Brother Dash for the recording. Search "Shuruk 2009" on youtube for more videos...

"Muslims of the past were thoroughly capable of making the distinction between Non-Muslim and UnIslamic."

A Black Imam Breaks Ground in Mecca

2009-04-12T20:02:00.000-04:00

By ROBERT F. WORTH

Published: April 10, 2009

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia

TWO years ago, Sheik Adil Kalbani dreamed that he had become an imam at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.

Waking up, he dismissed the dream as a temptation to vanity. Although he is known for his fine voice, Sheik Adil is black, and the son of a poor immigrant from the Persian Gulf. Leading prayers at the Grand Mosque is an extraordinary honor, usually reserved for pure-blooded Arabs from the Saudi heartland.

So he was taken aback when the phone rang last September and a voice told him that King Abdullah had chosen him as the first black man to lead prayers in Mecca. Days later Sheik Adil’s unmistakably African features and his deep baritone voice, echoing musically through the Grand Mosque, were broadcast by satellite TV to hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world.

Since then, Sheik Adil has been half-jokingly dubbed the “Saudi Obama.” Prominent imams are celebrities in this deeply religious country, and many have hailed his selection as more evidence of King Abdullah’s cautious efforts to move Saudi Arabia toward greater openness and tolerance in the past few years.

“The king is trying to tell everybody that he wants to rule this land as one nation, with no racism and no segregation,” said Sheik Adil, a heavyset and long-bearded man of 49 who has been an imam at a Riyadh mosque for 20 years. “Any qualified individual, no matter what his color, no matter where from, will have a chance to be a leader, for his good and his country’s good.”

Officially, it was his skill at reciting the Koran that won him the position, which he carries out — like the Grand Mosque’s eight other prayer leaders — only during the holy month of Ramadan. But the racial significance of the king’s gesture was unmistakable.

Sheik Adil, like most Saudis, is quick to caution that any racism here is not the fault of Islam, which preaches egalitarianism. The Prophet Muhammad himself, who founded the religion here 1,400 years ago, had black companions.

“Our Islamic history has so many famous black people,” said the imam, as he sat leaning his arm on a cushion in the reception room of his home. “It is not like the West.”

It is also true that Saudi Arabia is far more ethnically diverse than most Westerners realize. Saudis with Malaysian or African features are a common sight along the kingdom’s west coast, the descendants of pilgrims who came here over the centuries and ended up staying. Many have prospered and even attained high positions through links to the royal family. Bandar bin Sultan, the former Saudi ambassador to the United States, is the son of Prince Sultan and a dark-skinned concubine from southern Saudi Arabia.

But slavery was practiced here too, and was abolished only in 1962. Many traditional Arabs from Nejd, the central Saudi heartland, used to refer to all outsiders as “tarsh al bahr” — vomit from the sea. People of African descent still face some discrimination, as do most immigrants, even from other Arab countries. Many Saudis complain that the kingdom is still far too dominated by Nejd, the homeland of the royal family. There are nonracial forms of discrimination too, and many Shiite Muslims, a substantial minority, say they are not treated fairly.

“The prophet told us that social classes will remain, because of human nature,” Sheik Adil said gravely. “These are part of the pre-Islamic practices that persist.”

BLACK skin is not the only social obstacle Sheik Adil has overcome. His father came to Saudi Arabia in the 1950s from Ras al Khaima, in what is now the United Arab Emirates, and obtained a job as a low-level government clerk. The family had little money, and after finishing high school, Adil took a job with Saudi Arabian Airlines while attending night classes at King Saud University.

Only later did he study religion, laboriously memorizing the Koran and studying Islamic jurisprudence. In 1984 he passed the government exam to become an imam, and worked briefly at the mosque in the Riyadh airport. Four years later he won a more prominent position as the imam of the King Khalid mosque, a tall white building that is not far from one of the Intelligence Ministry’s offices.

Theologically, Sheik Adil reflects the general evolution of Saudi thinking over the last two decades. During the 1980s he met Osama bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam, a leader of the jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan. He initially sympathized with their radical position and anger toward the West. Later, he said, he began to find their views narrow, especially after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Now he speaks warmly of King Abdullah’s new initiatives, which include efforts to moderate the power of the hard-line religious establishment and to modernize Saudi Arabia’s judiciary and educational establishment. He reads Al Watan, a liberal newspaper.

“Some people in this country want everyone to be a carbon copy,” Sheik Adil said. “This is not my way of thinking. You can learn from the person who is willing to criticize, to give a different point of view.”
His life, like that of most imams, follows a rigid routine: he leads prayers five times a day at the mosque, then walks across the parking lot to his home, which he shares with two wives and 12 children. On Fridays, he gives a sermon as well.

HE expected it to continue that way for the rest of his life. Then in early September he woke up to hear his cellphone and land line, both ringing continuously. Stirring from bed, he heard the administrator of the Grand Mosque leaving a message. He picked up one of the phones, and heard the news that the king had selected him.

Two days later he walked into a grand reception room where he was greeted by Prince Khalid al-Faisal, the governor of Mecca Province. Sheik Adil tried to introduce himself, but the prince cut him off with a smile:
“You are known,” he said.

Next, Sheik Adil was led to a table where he sat with King Abdullah and other ministers. He was too shy to address the king directly, but as he left the room he thanked him and kissed him on the nose, a traditional sign of deference.

Remembering the moment, Sheik Adil smiled and went silent. Then he pulled out his laptop and showed a visitor a YouTube clip of him reciting the Koran at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

“To recite before thousands of people, this is no problem for me,” he said. “But the place, its holiness, is so different from praying anywhere else. In that shrine, there are kings, presidents and ordinary people, all being led in prayer by you as imam. It gives you a feeling of honor, and a fear of almighty God.”

Muhammad al-Milfy contributed reporting.

Obama, Islam, and the daily show

2009-04-11T01:32:00.000-04:00

"American will never be at war with Islam." -Obama

Sounds like he's saying ...America will never be at war with "peace" (as long as I'm President). Looks like Obama is setting a stage for new relations with the Islamic world. In the following video, Jon Stewart jokes about America being a Muslim country, but one thing is for certain: It is not soley a Christian country.

Thats a big step from the Bush line of thinking to the Obama perspective on things. But it further argues a point made by Imam Zayd Shakir a while back:

"This election was a referendum on Islam in America"

Hat tip to Abdul-Halim for inspiring this post/title

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