Iqra Newsletter - April Edition

7/28/2019 Iqra Newsletter - April Edition

1/12

Iqra

Jazakallahu Khair,Mushtaq Dualeh

Iqra Newsletter Director

Issue 8: Peace Be Upon You

End of the Year Events

April 19th: Jeopardy GBMBringing your Islamic ilm to the

test!

April 23-30th: Finals Weeks

May 1st: Annual MSA BBQ

May 3rd: Striving For Unity,

MSA Annual Banquet

NewsletterAssalamu Alaikum my beautiful brothers and sisters,

I want to remind everyone of the importance of saying

alhamdulilah. Its simple, easy and the truth is, we neverrealize much weve got until we start counting thoseblessings. Saying alhamdulilah throughout the dayreminds you of the blessings and unique opportunitiesyouve got open to you. As finals creep closer and closer,hopelessness may set in and we may succumb to feelingsof despair. Even in these moments, however, exclaimAlhamdulilah. Our college education is a baraka, onethat only 7% of the World population has the chance totake advantage of.

The year is not completely over however, and there area few more key MSA events to keep tabs of, inshAllah.

The


2/12

IQRA Newsletter Issue 7: Peace Be Upon You

1. Stay Away from Stressful People:Stress iscontagious. Resist the urge to have a study session with your

super-tense friend. Definitely avoid them if they are constantly

complaining about all the work to do and breaking pencils all

over the place. Your workload is bad enough; you don't need to

add others' stress to it also.

2. Avoid All-Nighters: Some students swear by this method; however, most serious students avoid it like theplague. A study published in the January issue ofBehavioral Sleep Medicine found that students who typically

pulled all-nighters tended to have lower GPAs than those who didn't. Ideally we should all begin preparing for our

exams long before finals week. Make sure you have all of the notes that you need, and then create a study schedule

that you can handle during finals week.

3. Schedule in Sleep: Go ahead; call it a night and sleep. Some people are able to function pretty well on justthree hours of sleep a night. Most of us, however, cannot. You'll do much better during exams if your mental state is

good. Not sleeping enough can weaken your immune system, subsequently increasing the chance of you getting sick

during finals.

4. Prioritize: One massive marathon of studying for five different classes will only make you red-alert anxious.Instead, aim for two weeks of studying for, say, 30 minutes to an hour a day. That way, you gradually build the

knowledge into your brain. However, if you've only got 12 hours until the exam, do not try to cram in four months of

information in 12 hours. Your mental well being will thank you. Instead, look over notes from class and try to go over

the main concepts.

5. Put Down the Caffeine: Caffeine may give your energy level a jolt, but that is usually accompanied by a latercrash that leaves you feeling utterly drained. Studies have also shown that students who consumed energy drinks

may also experience headaches or even heart palpitations.

6. Form Effective Study Groups: There are only two kinds of study groups possible: very, very good ones, orvery, very bad ones. The biggest flaw in these study groups is the lack of studying that occurs. If you do magically

manage to study, avoid at all costs the "group think" syndrome. Take for example:

Mashhood: Why did the US colonies want freedom? From who?

Harry: No idea.

Shamiyan: No clue.

Mushtaq: Well, like, wasn't the war with North Korea in like, 1775?

So that's why the US and North Korea don't get along anymore?

Harry: I think she's right.

Shamiyan: I do too.

Basically, when no one knows the answer, it allows for a very wrong answer to present itself. Pick a group with some

credentials and get studying!

Finals are coming up?

Stressed?

Dont be.Follow these steps!


3/12

IIQRA Newsletter Issue 7: Peace Be Upon You

Is Islam truly compatible with Democracy?

With strong and violent images of Islam

gracing television and computer screens across

the nation, many Americans question and

marvel at the seemingly backward and

barbaric society produced by the Muslim

world. The differences betweenIslam and culture are left

muddled and unclear and the

media instigates fear andwonderment into the eyes of the

viewer. It is through the

democratization efforts in the

prominently Muslim countries

that have brought these

widespread expectations of

democracy and it is with a strong

belief that once dictators are

removed, democracy and its

ideals would flourish within the

nation.

Yet, this vision ofdemocracy continues to fail in

the Muslim world and the only

explanation many seem to believe

is that there is an incongruity between Islam and

democracy. This paper will look at the arguments for

and against the compatibility of the Islamic faith with

the democratic form of government. It seeks to address

misconceptions of Islam by taking the core principles

of the religion and applying them to the axioms of

democracy, while also noting the influence Islam has

had on political factors.

Before the main issue of this discussion isrealized it is important to understand the basics of

Islam and its teachings and the basis of democracy.

When it comes to the Abrahamic faith of Islam, one

must comprehend that the religion is based on the

Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.

The Quran is known as the literal word of God and the

teachings of the Prophet are called the Hadiths. One of

the integral pieces of being a Muslim (a follower of

Islam) is the declaration of faith, without this key

belief one cannot truly be a Muslim. Muslims believe

that Islam is a complete and universal message that

Mushtaq Dualeh

Public Health and Development Studies 15

has been passed down since the dawn of man and

that the final message was delivered by the seal ofthe Prophets, Muhammad.

A democracy is a political system that

determines by whom and how decisions are made.

A democratic government can go one of two ways.

It can take the ambiance of American politics and

exemplify a presidential democracy or it can go the

way of many European nations and stand as

parliamentary democracy. Although ruled in

different styles and

mechanisms, both forms

of democratic

government require thevoice of the populace.

In the most general of

terms a democracy is a

set of principles and

practices that protect

human freedom; it is

the institutionalization

of freedom. Democracy

rests upon the

principles of majority

rule, coupled with

individual and minority

rights (Handleman.)

This means that all

democracies, while

simultaneously esteeming

the wants of the many, will protect the fundamental

human rights of the individual and the few

(Prothro.) A democracy is a guard against

personalistic autocratic governments like those in

North Korea. It ensures that there is a

decentralization of government at both the regional

and local levels.

Now herein lie the questions of many: does

Islam hinder, facilitate, or have no affect

whatsoever on development? One may even

inquire that Islam is a religion with a submission

not to the wants of the people but only to the word

of God and exclaim that democracy would simply

not work. These questions and statements can be

answered with verses found in the Quran and the

teachings of the prophet Muhammad.

Continued on page 3

Courtesy of Google images


4/12


When, it comes down to Islamic jurisprudence,

Sharia law, the rules, rights and regulations for societies

and even people to follow are all acquired from the

teachings of The Quran. Muslims can decide and rule thepolitical needs and goals of their nation through the

consensus among the people.

However, when it comes to terms of exercising

this authority, they are not to legislate on matters on

which God and the Prophet Muhammad have already

pronounced decisive judgments. People are mandated to

achieve means through democratic process of consensus

and consultation by God in the Quran, " And consult

them in their affairs; then when you decide (matters

based on consultation) put your trust in Allah (in

implementing the same) for verily Allah loves those who

place their trust in Him" (Aal `Imran 3: 159, the HolyQuran). Meaning that all aspects not clearly stated in the

Quran are subject to democratic practice so long as they

are governed by the Quranic obligations to establish

truth, justice and honesty.

Muslim society was not left with one style of

government, rather the Prophet Mohammed taught

lessons of equality and fairness (Prothro.) He taught

modules of abolishing corruption and bringing rulers to

justice. The Quran commands Muslims to decide on

matters with serious and thoughtful discussion. Islam

has a full spectrum of potential symbols and concepts for

support of absolutism and hierarchy, as well asfoundations for liberty and equality. It is important not to

view the Islamic tradition in isolation. The experience of

Muslims has many important similarities to the

development of political institutions. The relationship

between Islam and democracy is best understood in aperspective that views both the global context of

democratization and the distinctive concepts and

experiences of Muslims,(Esposito.)

Islam is highly compatible with democracy and

encourages all people to act upon rulings and fairness. It

must be clear that democracy can only be applied in

matters that are not clear cut in the Quran and were theapplication of ijtihad, or logic are necessary. Democracy

should be perceived and applied positively and should

always contradict the tyranny and despotism if it is to be

established in an Islamic fashion.

Opponents may believe that democracy is in

contradiction with Islam's concept of the sovereignty of

Gods law. They argue that Islam and democracy cannot

go together, and produce examples like the Muslim

Brotherhood and Hamas. Yet, throughout the Quran

verses supporting and illustrating the importance of

democracy are present. Secular democracies are

aplenty in the Muslim world rather than religious

democracies.

The simple ideal of democratic participation

and liberalism are at the very fabric of Islamic law and

has been present in Islamic culture since medievaltimes. The Rashidun Caliphate is an early example of

a democratic state and even in stories of MuAwiyah,

the fifth Caliph where soon after development of

democracy in the Islamic world came to a halt after

the split between the Sunnis and the Shia, you find

democracy (Esposito.) Islam is a set of customs and

epitomes that stresses the attributes of people, the

responsibility of leaders to community and values the

respect of diversity and other faiths; these qualities are

fully compatible with democracy (Esposito.)

The democratization in the Muslim world

takes place within the framework of the existing statesystem and the constant attempts to democratize the

Muslim world continue to fail in the eyes of the West

due to the expectation that the region would fully and

undeniably accept this Western style of democracy,

(Esposito.) This democracy we see in America today,

took a long period to occur, to surmise that the same

type of democracy would bloom from the Muslim

world is both illogical and notwithstanding.

Democracy in one nation will be the same in another;

different ideals and cultural standing dissuade that

(Handleman.) To believe that a religion takes away

the possibility of a government structure is assumingthat both the religion and the government structure are

static. No people are static and a government run by

people will never be such.

Works Cited

Esposito, John L., and John Obert Voll. Islam and

Democracy. New York:

Oxford UP, 1996. Print.

Handelman, Howard. The Challenge of Third WorldDevelopment. Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. Print.

Prothro, James W., and Charles M. Grigg.

"Fundamental Principles of

Democracy: Bases of Agreement and

Disagreement." JSTOR,

5 Feb. 2001. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.

.

Continued from Page 2


5/12

IIQRA Newsletter Issue 7: Peace Be Upon You

O Allaah, there is no ease except inthat which You have made easy, and

You make difficulty, if You wish,easy.

Dua for finals

Surat Al-Baqarah Verses 155-157

The Best Times to Make Dua

There are certain times dua (supplication) is more likely tobe accepted by Allah (SWT) as mentioned by Prophet

(SAW). These are four times that are ideal, to find moretimes check outislamawareness.net/Dua/best!

1. The Last Third Of The NightAbu Hurairah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW)said: 'In the last third of every night our Rabb (Cherisherand Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermostheaven and says; "Who is calling Me, so that I may answerhim? Who is asking Me so that may I grant him? Who isseeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him?."'[Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith Qudsi]

Amr ibn Absah narrated that the Prophet said: 'The closestany worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part ofthe night, so if you can be amongst those who rememberAllah at that time, then do so.'[at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i, al-Hakim - Sahih]

2. Late at nightWhen people are sleeping and busy with worldly pleasuresAllah (SWT) gives the believers an opportunity, or ananswer hour if they can fight sleep and invoke Allah (SWT)for whatever they need. The Prophet (SAW) said: 'There isat night an hour, no Muslim happens to be asking Allah anymatter of this world or the Hereafter, except that he will begiven it, and this (occurs) every night.'

[Muslim #757]

3. Between Adhan and IqamahAnas (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said: 'Asupplication made between the Adhan and Iqama is notrejected.'[Ahmad, abu Dawud #521, at-Tirmidhi #212, Sahih al-Jami #3408, an-Nasai and Ibn Hibban graded it sahih(sound)]

4.An Hour On FridayNarrated Abu Hurairah (RA): Allahs Messenger (SAW)

talked about Friday and said: 'There is an hour on Fridayand if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and askssomething from Allah (SWT), then Allah (SWT) willdefinitely meet his demand.' And he (the Prophet (SAW)pointed out the shortness of that particular time with hishands. [Sahih al-Bukhari]

Some have said that this hour is from the time the Imam(prayers leader) enters the mosque on Fridays prayer untilthe prayer is over (ie between the two khutbahs), whereasothers have said that it is the last hour of the day (ie after theAsr prayer until the Maghrib prayer).

And surely We shall try you with something of

fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives

and crops; but give glad tidings to the patient,

Who says, when afflicted with calamity: To

Allah We belong, and to Him is our return:

They are those on whom (descend) Blessings

from Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones

that receive guidance.

(Al-Baqarah 2:155-157)


6/12

Issue 7: Peace Be Upon YouIQRA Newsletter

Be kind to one another; love one another.--Prophet Muhammad, pbuh

Abdulrahman Al- Ruwaishan | Journalism 15

I can get you into heaven. Its all through the grace of God, of course, but you read that right.

Ineighbor, friend, stranger, enemy, I can be your salvation; I can be your grace. God gaveme that power when he made me, when he pulled my soul from whatever formless etherpreceded heaven and earth.

He gave it to you, too. After all, you were made when I was made.

He made me available to you, and you available to me.

I am not an annoyance to be brushed aside. I am not a hindrance to be run over. I am not asorrowful shade half a world away, to be pitied in one moment of spoiled fun and then passedby and forgotten in the light of fatuous, forgetful day. I am that gentle soul you think a coward. Iam that brash, brusque tedious bother who preaches to everyone. I am that too-kind person youhold in contempt; also the loudmouth you avoid--I am the one you never talk too because

youre too busy with your friends or your classes or your passing, worldly distractions. But I amyour brother I am your sister. I deserve better; you deserve better. I am with you, by you, andwe are both tested and tasked by God. Why fall apart when we can stand together?

So smile at me. Pray for me. Open your doors to me. Give me aid when I am oppressed andhelp restrain me when I am the oppressor. Never forget me and always remember that you andI were made of one pure breath of God--that you and I are one, though we might have ourdiffering fates.

I am a connection to God and his mercy. Never forget: I can get you into heaven.

How I can get you to heaven (inshaAllah)


7/12


The 2013-2014 MSA Board

Mushtaq Dualeh

Secretary

Shamiyan Hawramani

Outreach (Female)

Ilham Abdi

Sisterhood ChairIlhan Dahir

Marketing Chair

Eyad Hamza

Education Chair

Mashhood Salahuddin

Brotherhood Chair

Talha Saif

Treasurer

Ahmed Daboul

Outreach (Male)

Wali Shariff

IT Chair

Abdulrahman Alwattar

PresidentZakaria Farah

Ex-Oficio


8/12


Ive watched the undulations of the oceans waves in horror

the torrid waters only paying tribute to her infinite power,

folding in on herself, the beat of her waves sustaining us all.

She pulsates with the knowledge of civilizations that have

risen

only to fall.

Is it possible that shell survive even our final hour?

Perhaps shell allow the expanse of the sky to warm her and

rejoice in the silence

It is imaginable.Day makes way for night and our memory of sun fades like

watercolor-

And it is not with violent thrusts that Autumns winds leave

Summer naked

the gentleness of the transition makes us forget

and yet,

our death is met with weeklong pomp,

month long circumstance, and yearlong grief.

We make our separation felt.

We sigh and sigh and sigh,

until wind makes room for the size of our pain.

We cry and fall and break and cry and bleed and cry and

Stubborn as immovable tree trunks and fragile as paper

cranes

we plant our roots on hostile land,

only to wonder why she so violently rejects us.

Paper CranesIlhan Dahir | Political Science and English


9/12


Controlling our Nafs is a major part of our religion. Ones Iman highly depends upon the extentof his control over Nafs. Among the major dangers, one of the dangers of submission of Nafs is

losing every last bit of Iman and totally losing faith in Allah SWT. Hence controlling it becomesof utmost importance. While Nafs in itself is a very broad term and even though being very

complicated thing to master but it can be trained really well by doing little things.

Nafs in plain language and one of the simplest definitions can be defined as following your heart

desires ignoring our conscience and intellect. Like, for example, when you want somethingbadly and the feeling of getting it by hook or by crook can be called as an attack of Nafs.

Though, following ones desires is human nature and if we totally let go of our desires it wouldmake us Angels but yet we need to pick and choose what desires to follow and what not to.

There are many things one can do to gain control of Nafs. The first and foremost being obviousis Itakullah i.e. Fear Allah. Once we have this fear of Allah SWT that he is always watching usand we would be responsible for what we are doing. We would automatically refrain from doingbad. But since Allah SWT is so merciful and we often tend to take it for granted by doing what

our heart desires and having this Ill make tauba later at the back of mind.

Of course, there is no doubt that how badly one may commit sins, a sincere forgiveness wouldwipe it all. But lets not throw ourselves on hot coal because you never know you die while

committing a certain sin.

One of the practical tip I have discovered is by controlling our desires in Halal things we cancontrol our Nafs from refraining the Haram things. Like for example when you have this strongcraving of eating that chocolate cake and you just want to eat it. Stop right there. Take controlof yourself and let go off the craving. You see it would be really hard at first because what is theharm in eating that is permissible? But its like if we start from small things we can build upon it

later.

Self-control is an art and like any art it takes some great practice to master it.

With that thought I just want to make clear that refraining from Halal things always would be aburden, because Islam is not a burden but its a way of life. So dont go hard on yourself but

control yourself every once in a while so next time when you have this strong craving of eatingthat chocolate cake or have a strong craving to rant off your mind on your blog.

Stop. Wait. Let it go and once you do you can reward yourself later.

I hope that made sense. May Allah help us control our whims and desires. May Allah protect usfrom all the evils we fall into knowingly and unknowingly, inshAllah.

But never does God grant a delay to a human being when his term has come; and God is fullyaware of all that you do.

(63:11)

Allahu Alim: Training Our Nafs


10/12


MSA 2012-2013: A look back at our yearFrom Fast-A-Thon, Friday Night Lights, MSA Girls Soccer, Buck-I-Slam, the annual

conference, Pink Hijabs, Project Downtown, Jeopardy!, Half Our Ummah and of course the

weekly GBMs; this year has been jam-packed with opportunities of acquiring ilm and an all-

around halal college experience and halal burgers.


11/12


Enamored of Death: The Selfish JihadAbdulrahman Al- Ruwaishan | Journalism 15

As I was reading a transcript of a recent NPR interview with Jeremy Scahill, a national security correspondent, I

came across this exchange:

First of all, Id like to point out Terry Grosss amusing little backtrack (as if her listeners needed to be assured of the

fact that she does not approve of terrorism).

Then, and more importantly, Id like to address the issue of loving death.

Saying that one loves death is a storied piece of Islamic rhetoric, used since the earliest battles fought by Muslimsagainst the decaying Persian and Byzantine empires. And it is just that: a piece of rhetoric, meant to showthatMuslims do not fear death.

Islam does not command us to love death. Love of death is as silly as fear of death, and it unmans one just assurely. Muslims love their Creator. They love serving him. They love helping their fellow human beings, Muslim or

not.

Terroristswith their braggadocio, their false or deluded veneer of piety and asceticismare an ignorant and sorrybunch who has missed the entire point of their faith. Extremists often do, being short-sighted.

It seems to me that those who brag of loving death, actually love death for their fellow Muslimswho are being

slaughtered wholesale by them every daymore than they love death for themselves. They commit acts of terror, andthen scurry into their caves like the filthy vermin they are, to wait for an inglorious extermination. There is no honor,

much less service of God, in what they do.

And yet too many young Muslim men in the Islamic world have convinced themselves that jihad involves mostlyblowing markets up and occasionally killing an American soldier here and there.Jihadis a struggle for whateverbenefits the Muslim ummah (nation, in a sense); and I fail to see how killing Muslims will solve the problems of

rampant poverty, corruption, intolerance, and American Imperialism which plague the Muslim world as a whole(with few exceptions). Why dont we try something constructive for a change?

A word of advice, to these terrorists mired in their folly: try loving your fellow man, instead of loving some

grotesquely romanticized notion of death. That would work better for you, and for everyone else.

GROSS: I guess they do that because its such a good thing to be a martyr.

SCAHILL: Well, I do think that, you know, theres this saying

GROSS: In their eyes. Im not endorsing this.

SCAHILL: No, I understand what youre saying. It is interesting, from Afghanistan to Somalia to Yemen, Ive heardsimilar things from various insurgent groups and or Islamist militant movements, and they often will say we love deathlike you love life, meaning you the Western world. Were not afraid to die, and you, you cling to your life as your mostprized possession.

And its an interesting window into that mentality.

10/12/12


12/12


Good luck onFinals and havea great summer,

inshAllah!

Do you have suggestions for Iqra next year?What can Iqra do next year to serve you better?

Let your voice be heard!Contact the current Iqra Director,Mushtaq, at [email protected]!

Iqra Newsletter 2013

The Ohio State Universitys

Date post:	03-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	msa-osu
View:	217 times
Download:	0 times

Iqra Newsletter - April Edition

Documents