PG 27 Muslim, Faith Leaders Push Back In New York Masjid Debate By Mariam Abu-Ali Muslim Link Staff Writer Public officials in New York City, including Mayor Bloomberg, have approved the construction of the proposed Islamic center two blocks from the former World Trade Center. A heated national debate ensued with opponents claiming that it is insensitive to the memory of those killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001. At the annual White House iftar, President Obama finally commented on the matter. “I believe Muslims have the right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan in accordance with local laws and ordinances.” A day later, however, President Obama was criticized for appearing to have back-pedaled on his support for the Islamic center when he said “I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque there.” PG 21 The Muslim Link Coupons ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Islamic Relief USA Hosts Partners Iftar | pg 4 Long-Time Al-Huda School Principal Departs | pg 6 Pg Muslims Meet County Executives Hopefuls | pg 7 Young Imam Leads Taraweeh Inmate Congregation | pg 5 DC Prepares for Ramadan at 2-Day Conference | pg 13 ICM New Building Project Geared for Youth | pg 5 ISLAM - Using Your Time In Ramadan | pg 16 >> MOSQUE Pg 11 Local Students of Farhat Hashmi Defend Movement Against Accusations By Zunara Naeem Muslim Link Staff Writer Area Muslim women responded to recent allegations that a famous female Islamic lecturer was promoting extremism, calling the media reports baseless. Dr. Farhat Hashmi’s Al- Huda International Welfare Foundation, an Islamic, educational institute that gives to the needy and also provides Islamic learning to women of all ages around the world through online lectures, was accused of promoting an “orthodoxy” that “echoes the Taliban’s vision for Pakistan” in an April 5, 2010 National Public Radio (NPR) segment. “I don’t see how those allegations could fit”, said Samiyah Mustafa from Rockville, 18, in an interview with the Muslim Link. She took an Al-Huda International Foundation course in January 2009 and finished it one month ago. The Muslim Link found similar responses from women taking Al-Huda’s summer courses in Pakistan, evening courses (for working women), and online courses. Many of the school’s ‘students’ are under-the- radar, as they listen to Dr. Hashmi’s tapes and cassettes. >> DEFEND Pg 8 August 18 th , 2010 - September 2 nd , 2010 MD, VA, and DC. Metropolitan Area Monthly Newspaper | FREE Ramadan 1431 A.H. Issue | www.MuslimLinkPaper.com wishes you ramadan mubarak
Transcript
PG 27
Muslim, Faith Leaders Push Back In New York Masjid DebateBy Mariam Abu-AliMuslim Link Staff Writer
Public offi cials in New York City, including Mayor Bloomberg, have approved the construction of the proposed Islamic center two blocks from the former World Trade Center. A heated national debate ensued with opponents claiming that it is insensitive to the memory of those killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001.
At the annual White House iftar, President Obama fi nally commented on the
matter. “I believe Muslims have the right to practice their religion as everyone
else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a
community center on private property in lower Manhattan in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”
A day later, however, President Obama was criticized for appearing to have back-pedaled on his support for the Islamic center when he said “I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque there.”
PG 21
The Muslim Link Coupons
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Islamic Relief USA Hosts Partners Iftar | pg 4
Long-Time Al-Huda School Principal Departs | pg 6
Pg Muslims Meet County Executives Hopefuls | pg 7
Young Imam Leads Taraweeh Inmate Congregation | pg 5
DC Prepares for Ramadan at 2-Day Conference | pg 13
ICM New Building Project Geared for Youth | pg 5
ISLAM - Using Your Time In Ramadan | pg 16
>> MOSQUE Pg 11
Local Students of Farhat Hashmi Defend Movement Against AccusationsBy Zunara NaeemMuslim Link Staff Writer
Area Muslim women responded to recent allegations that a famous female Islamic lecturer was promoting extremism, calling the media reports baseless.
Dr. Farhat Hashmi’s Al-Huda International Welfare Foundation, an Islamic, educational institute that
gives to the needy and also provides Islamic learning to women of all ages around the world through online
lectures, was accused of promoting an “orthodoxy” that “echoes the Taliban’s vision for Pakistan” in an April 5, 2010 National Public Radio (NPR) segment.
“I don’t see how those allegations could fi t”, said Samiyah Mustafa from Rockville, 18, in an interview with the Muslim Link. She took an Al-Huda International Foundation course in January 2009 and
fi nished it one month ago.
The Muslim Link found similar responses from women taking Al-Huda’s summer courses in Pakistan, evening courses (for working women), and online courses. Many of the school’s ‘students’ are under-the-radar, as they listen to Dr. Hashmi’s tapes and cassettes.
>> DEFEND Pg 8
August 18th, 2010 - September 2nd, 2010 MD, VA, and DC. Metropolitan Area Monthly Newspaper | FREE
Ramadan 1431 A .H. I s sue | www.Mus l imLinkPaper.com
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Ramadan 1431 A .H. I s sue | www.Mus l imLinkPaper.com
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CORRECTION
In last issue’s article on the National Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (“Despite Small Turnout, MIST Nationals Still Thrills”, August 6, 2010), we printed a photo of some MIST competitors with incorrect names in the photo caption. The photo is reprinted here along with the corrected caption. We apologize for the error.
MIST competitors celebrate their medals. From right bottom are Wais Geyre and Anwar Ahmed. Back row from right are Abdulrahman Jama, Ebadullah Ebadi, Ahmed Trabelsi, and Sahal Salad. Photo courtesy of Ahmed Trabelsi.
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On August 12, 2010, Islamic Relief USA hosted its third Annual Community Partners Iftar at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center.This year the keynote speakers were Sam Worthington, President and CEO of InterAction, the largest alliance of nearly 200 relief and development NGOs and Max Finberg, Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the US Department of Agriculture.
They both gave warm remarks about working with Islamic Relief on various projects to engage the larger Muslim community in efforts both international and domestic. Sheikh Shaker Elsayed of Dar Al-Hijrah also spoke and addressed the many non-Muslims about the meaning of Ramadan and about the need for the human race to work together regardless of faith on issues that affect us all.
A new public affairs video was shown that featured many of the partners in attendance, not only the aforementioned speakers, but others such as the Center for Interfaith Action for Global Poverty and the ONE campaign. The newly appointed Ambassador of South Africa came to learn more about Islamic Relief and the work they do in his country and some other Embassies also sent representatives.
About 100 people attended whose organizations have collaborated with Islamic Relief in project implementation or advocacy, andmany more were deterred by the torrential rain, tornado, hail and flash floods at the iftar hour. Others in attendance came from governmental agencies like the State Department and the US Institute of Peace and non-governmental agencies. Guests were delighted to partake of the breaking of the fast in fellowship with local Muslim leadership from the Greater DC area.Source: Islamic Relief USA
Islamic Relief USA Hosts Partners Iftar
Max Finberg of USDA speaking at the annual Islamic Relief Community Partners Iftar. Photo courtesy of Islamic Relief.
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5August 20th - September 2nd , 2010 COMMUNITY NEWS |
ICM New Building Project Geared Towards YouthBy Hiba AkhtarMuslim Link Contributing Writer
Dedication and commitment to the youth was a theme which underlined much of the program and spirit of the Islamic Center of Maryland’s annual Ramadan fundraiser, held Saturday, August 15, 2010 at Bohrer Park Activity Center in Gaithersburg, Md.
The event, attended by some 600 people, raised about $104,000. ICM treasurer Sayed Naved said the amount was almost exactly the goal set for the evening by the center’s Board of Trustees.
ICM’s Board of Trustees credit much of the fundraising success to keynote speaker Dr. Altaf Husain, a former two-term national president of MSA National whose nationwide reputation as an advocate of Islamic service and whose work with Muslim adolescents throughout the country reflected ICM’s renewed commitment to cultivating a stronger community for the center’s youth.“Allah has chosen you to be a witness at this fundraiser,” Husain told the crowd. “Give to seek righteousness and
gratitude. Give to seek a path to Allah.”This year’s fundraiser was held to support ICM’s Master Plan, which involves the creation of a 40,000 square foot, two-story building which will serve as the mosque’s youth center. The new building will include a gymnasium, multipurpose hall, classrooms and offices, among other facilities. Currently the Islamic Center operates in a building which includes prayer areas and bathrooms, and which is home to an outdoor basketball court and playground.
“This event is about improving the future of my children and their future children,” said Bina Malik, an active community member whose three sons
have all graduated from the mosque’s Sunday School. “[The ICM youth] need a place to worship, socialize, and engage in community service. In spite of being small, ICM has done an enormous amount for the community, but the best way to reach out to the youth is to complete the project.”
Husain, who also led in fundraising, reiterated the Islamic benefits of spending for the sake of Allah during the holy month of Ramadan. His dedication to Muslim youth inspired some of ICM’s youngest members, who have grown up attending the mosque and are ready to see it expand.
“We kids need a place to hang out other than in parks and at each others’ homes,” said Saif Shamim, 15, who lives near the mosque and often spends time there with his friends. “Our parents are happier when we’re at the masjid and its a better environment, but we need a youth center because we just don’t have enough space.”
According to Naved, the need for a youth center is stronger than ever before, not just for the newer generations of children attending ICM’s Sunday School, which expands every year, but also to bring back the participation of ICM’s teenage population, which Naved says does not have enough of a presence in the mosque.
“Children often grow up with ICM but tend to distance themselves when they reach their teen years,” said Naved, whose two children attend the Sunday School. “The enrollment is low in the senior classes, and these young adults are losing interest in the masjid at a time in their lives when they need it more
>> YOUTH Pg 9
“[The ICM youth] need a place to worship, socialize, and engage in community service. In spite of being small, ICM has done an enormous amount for the community, but the best way to reach out to the youth is to complete the project.”
Young Imam Leads Inmate CongregationBy Muslim Link Staff
Ramadhan for local college students is usually hectic.
With a full load of classes, exams, and social events like iftars competing for their time, sometimes taraweeh gets lost.
But for one Howard County, Maryland youth, taraweeh is especially important because of the congregation he attends.
Between his classes at Howard Community College and his new realty business, 21 year-old Abrar Lohani leads the taraweeh prayer at the Maryland Correctional Institute in Jessup.
His second year leading the prayers, Lohani is a familiar face to the approximately 200 Muslim inmates at the
medium security prison. Last year chaplain Dawud M u s a l i h u l l a h approached the Dar-us-Salaam Hifz School in College Park, MD asking for a hafiz to lead the
inmates in taraweeh prayer, and Lohani readily volunteered.
About 60 inmates attend the Ramadhan program each night starting from 6pm when inmates break fast together and attend a halaqa (class). The program usually lasts till 10pm, barring any lock-downs or other circumstances which might disrupt the schedule. Lohani generally arrives around isha time.
Taraweeh at the Jessup facility started
Wednesday night, August 11 instead of Tuesday night due to an issue with permissions. So far, Lohani lead prayer each night except for one night when he arrived to find the facility on lock-down – a security measure where all inmates are locked in their cells and no group activities are permitted. Lohani turned around and went home.
Many Muslims inmates in American prisons spend their time pursuing knowledge of Islam. Lohani told the Muslim Link there are prisoners in the Jessup facility who are well read, some who possess knowledge of Arabic grammar and who speak fluently, and still others who memorized large portions of the Qur’an.
Eid is a special time for the inmates. Last year inmates held an athan competition as part of their celebration. They
respect their young taraweeh imam and sometimes ask him questions about Islam.
“I try to answer them, and anything I can’t answer I try to consult [knowledgeable people] outside [on their behalf],” said Lohani.
When the salah ends and the guards escort the inmates back to their cells, Lohani heads back home to his family home in Columbia.
“It’s a really humbling experience. I know I’m going to leave in a couple of hours [each night], but they will stay here,” reflected the young hafiz. “[The inmates] always send their salam to the Muslim community, and they convey ‘ramadhan mubarak’ to everyone, and they always welcome anyone to come and visit them.”
August 20th - September 2nd , 2010 6 | COMMUNITY NEWS
VA Girl Scout Attends White House Women’s Day DinnerBy Noor TagouriMuslim Link Contributing Writer
Hope is a feeling widespread amongst many people. For fourteen-year-old aspiring president, Abrar Omeish, a local Muslim Girl Scout from the Northern Virginia area, hope was an emotion that jittered through her veins on March 8, 2010 as she enjoyed dinner at the White House in honor of International Women’s History Day.
After receiving a spontaneous phone call from the Girl Scout public relations specialist, Omeish was personally invited to the White House to have dinner with numerous women who have made a positive impact on humanity, as well as, thirty other girls who were specifically chosen to attend this event. Some of the guests included Desiree Rogers, the White House Social Secretary; Madeleine Albright, the Secretary of State during Clinton’s presidency; actress Kerry Washington; Dorothy Heights, Civil Rights icon- who passed away a few weeks after the event on April
20th at the age of 98; Sarah Reinertsen, the first person with a prosthetic leg to finish the Ironman Hawaii Triathlon; Afghan singer Mozhdah Jamalzadah ; and American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee.
Many of the new friends Omeish met were eager to meet President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama; however, Omeish’s mind was thinking, “hope, more than anything else.”
“I was really thinking about my future plans, how I was going to take the most advantage of my chance, and how I will meet them again- this isn’t goodbye.” The fourteen-year old aspiring President said about meeting the Obamas.
After working passionately on the Obama campaign, seeing the President himself sit two seats in front of her, Omeish felt all the memories of her hard work come back. For her the event was not just an honor, it was a pathway in the making. As she stood in the halls of the historical home, she felt at place and
could not help feeling that one day; she would be working in this very building. Omeish made it one of her main goals to change the low statistics of Muslim representation in politics into a higher statistic. Nonetheless, she hopes to make every person’s voice heard in society, all minorities included.
After admiring the spectacular décor of the White House, with the presidential seal on every napkin and fresh, vibrant flowers in every single room, enjoying the delectable international foods like the Spanish Empanadas and scrumptious desserts such as the Swiss Luxemburgerli, Abrar reflected on how hard it took African Americans to get to this far in society. This gave her hope for what was yet to come for her as a Muslim; after all, the people who invited her into the White House’s exclusive event were not Muslim. As encouragement, her father, Dr. Esam Omeish, joked with her, saying, “This experience should have helped you have an idea of how to plan out your furniture when you move in.”
Mrs. Obama gave a speech to ensure the girls knew why they were chosen to commemorate International Women’s History Month at the White House. “We honor women who refused to listen to those who would say that you couldn’t or shouldn’t pursue your dreams.” Obama stated. As the First Lady was spreading her heartening words to the women audience, Omeish recalls the most cherished memory of her night, President Obama winking at her while she listened to his wife. “Being the only Muslim wearing hijab in the room, it made me feel great.” She reminisced.
President Obama left the girls with some words of encouragement and hope as well, “These young ladies are here today because they’re the ones who are going to help bend that curve towards justice and equality.” With these words of optimism, Abrar Omeish is assuming her father’s role of wanting to help humanity by becoming involved in the politics behind running society.
Long-Time Al-Huda School Principal DepartsBy Muslim Link Staff
Al-Huda School in College Park, Maryland announced earlier this month that long-time principal Imad Tibi will be leaving his position to move to Michigan in order to be closer to family.
Tibi, who came to Al-Huda School as a
mathematics teacher in 1999, accepted a principal position at another Islamic school in Michigan.
Haroon Baqai, also a long-time staff member of Al-Huda School and the director of the full-time hifz school at parent organization Dar-us-Salaam, succeeds Tibi as principal of Al-Huda,
now a full pre-K through High School institution with about 600 students. Two vice-principals and a college counselor and AP coordinator will assist Baqai with his new role.
Dar-us-Salaam hosted an iftar on August 12 in honor of the outgoing principal and about 500 community members attended
and wished him well. Tibi spoke for a few minutes, saying Dar-us-Salaam was “one of the best communities” he has seen. This academic year Al-Huda School will graduate its first twelfth grade class, InshaAllah.
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PG Muslims Meet County Executive Hopefuls At ForumBy Muslim Link Staff
With elections only weeks ago, Prince George’s County county executive hopefuls are looking for block votes and endorsements. This election cycle, the Muslim community is on their list.
On Friday evening, August 6, 2010, about 170 Muslim residents of the county gathered at the Prince George’s Muslim Association in Lanham to interact with four men and one woman vying to lead PG County as the County Executive.
The forum came just one week after
another candidate forum for PG County Council District 1 and State’s Attorney candidates, jointly organized by Al-Huda School in College Park, the Islamic Community Center of Laurel, and the Prince George’s County Muslim Council (PGCMC). The county executive candidate forum was organized by PGCMC. About 25 non-Muslim county residents also attended.
In attendance were State Delegate Ms. Gerron Levi, Sheriff Michael A. Jackson, Councilman Samuel Dean, Rushern Baker, and Henry Turner. Only absent was PG County Councilman for District
8 Tony Knotts.
After opening with some verses from the Qur’an, each candidate gave a four minute opening statement. The main portion of the 2-hour event was devoted to moderator questions to the candidates on issues like crime, minority rights, and public schooling. Audience members passed up index cards with their questions and candidates were allowed three minutes to answer. On the issue of slots, all the county executive candidates said they were opposed to raising revenue through gambling except Henry Turner who said he would
do what people wanted. PGCMC president Jameel Aalim-Johnson moderated the forum. Although PGCMC strongly advocates Muslim participation in the upcoming local and state elections, the non-profi t group is barred from endorsing particular candidates due to their 501(c)3 tax classifi cation. So, Muslim voters are left to examine the candidates on their own,
Readers’ Ramadan ResolutionsWhat do local Muslims aim to accomplish during the quickly passing blessed month of Ramadan? TML asked you and here are some of your responses.
“To donate more- My mom and I are going through the house together to fi nd those extra items which can be of use to someone so that we can donate them to those people who need them more than us.” - Sehrish Ameen, Dayton, Md.
“To read the Quran daily and refl ect on it, even if it means reading a translation. I want to concentrate more in Salah and complete the extra prayers. And I want to be the best family member and friend I can be.“ - Adam Stephenson, Potomac, Md.
“To learn more about Ramadan and really understand what about the month makes it such an exciting and anticipated time for
Muslims, especially when some aspects of Ramadan may seem tough. I also want to put my duty to my parents fi rst, memorize at least six surahs with tafseer, and to regularly pray fajr and isha in the masjid.” - Adam Kareem, College Park, Md.
“To fi nish reading the Qur’an at least once this month, pray maghrib and isha in the masjid daily, attend at least 10 rak’ah of Taraweeh prayers nightly, and be able to maintain my Ramadan mode during the rest of year (keep away from fi tna and other sins).” - Bilal Tariq, Laurel, Md.
“There is so much barakah in the month of Ramadan that I would truly be a loser if I missed out. I resolve to focus on perfecting the basics, like salah and dhikr. I want purify my intentions for good deeds and remember constantly that the good and bad in this life is from Allah.” - Sanjana Quasem, Silver Spring, Md.
“I want to remember to think of others before myself, and turn my ‘eman rushes’ and rushes of compassion for others into a strong part of my life, so that I am constantly putting my thoughts into action to better serve humanity.” - Tooba Mohammad, Salisbury, Md.
“My Ramadan resolution is mainly fasting from the TV in order to be able to complete fi rst complete reading of the Qur’an from cover to cover.” - W.B.Abdullah, Oxon Hill, MD.
“To spend less time on emails and on the internet and more time thinking, being quiet and contemplative, especially while reading Qur’an. To spend less time looking for things to eat and more time appreciating what I have to eat and who provides for me.” – A. Abdurrahman Hasan, Baltimore, MD
“[My Ramadhan Resolution is to] quit some of my worst bad habits, start covering more, and introduce God to my actions and not just my thoughts/ feelings.” N.Baten-Tschan Potomac, MD
“To come out of this month as a more humble, pious, and dedicated Muslim. If all I get out of this month is that it was tough and that I was hungry all the time than I truly did not gain anything. But if I get forgiven for my past sins and future and change my life change for the better, than what more can I ask for. InshAllah, I am hoping and pray that I can read more Quran, ahadith, and any other Ilm I can. I can pray more Qiyam, Tahajood, sunnan, etc.” - Diaa Eleshkar, Overland Park, KS
>> FORUM Pg 9
August 20th - September 2nd , 2010 8 | COMMUNITY NEWS
“Dr. Hashmi? My mother listens to her lectures like a drug!” says one teenage Muslimah in Montgomery. The sister is a second-generation Indian-Muslim, and her mother has been living in the United States since her high school years. Al-Huda’s students have grown into a vast network of millions of women worldwide, often organized into local groups that meet at houses. The classes—taught both in Urdu and English-- started in Dr. Farhat Hashmi’s own house, when the sister with a PhD in Hadith Sciences from the University in Glasgow begun to teach Islam full-time in 1994. She relocated to Canada after demand for her classes grew in the country. The “sorority of Al-Huda”, as one sister in Saudi Arabia puts it, were dismayed
to hear the institute being accused of breeding terrorism.
“I think it’s a baseless allegation as are most of the allegations we keep hearing and reading about,” opined Um-e-Abdullah, a Pakistani sister who did her Diploma Course in Islamic Education from Al-Huda. “As a student of Al-Huda I don’t know which of the teachings could be interpreted without considerable use of one’s imagination.” Even so, Al-Huda’s teachings are repeatedly being used in the media in connection to extremism, in recent controversial coverage by major news sources such as NPR, Globe, Newsline, and Dawn. They cite growth in the selling and wearing of ‘abayahs in Pakistan after the school’s establishment as an example of Al-Huda’s “talibinisation” of women. Most alarming to Al-Huda’s critics is the growing influence of the education movement on an international scale. Nadeem Paracha, a columnist for Dawn
newspaper, says, “if the Taliban are playing a destructive role in a political matter, then these preachers are playing a very destructive role in a culturally and social manner.” Mr. Paracha did not elaborate on the means of which the institute or Dr. Hashmi are playing out their “very destructive role.” In contrast to Mr. Paracha’s statements, however, are the values Al-Huda’s students have come away with: “Humility, peace, and submission to Allah,” says Sadaf Farooqi, a visiting faculty member of the institute in Pakistan and graduate of the school’s basic and advanced Taleem Al-Wuran courses. “When each one of us strengthened our own hearts through Allah’s message,” said Mahvash Choudhury of Rockville, who took the Ta’leemul Qur’an course 10 years ago at Al-Huda in Islamabad, “we would become better people and we
would be living what our deen advocates: a life of peace and comfort and a life of sacrifice and happiness and all of that together into a life of harmony.
“In every story and every ayat she’d [Dr. Hashmi] ask us a question to ask ourselves: What is Allah saying to me? What is in here for me?” continued Sr. Mahvash. “…The Qur’an is a compilation of lessons for us to gain from, and in every lesson we have to ask ‘Where do I fall, what changes do I have to make within myself?’ ” For Sr. Sadaf, she was inspired to not only cover up after graduating from the course, but to drop her previous, mostly secular lifestyle to “completely reverting to Islam, embracing the mustahabat (highly recommended actions) as well.” She faced opposition from her extended family about separating from the norm by studying the Qur’an instead of taking up a job after college. She is now a writer for Muslimmatters.org, SISTERS magazine, Hiba magazine, and the Saudi gazette.
Sr. Samiyah realized the importance of salah “in times of Struggle.” Before the course she took online, she described herself as “the type of person to think ‘that’s not going to make a difference. Pray two rak’ahs? Come on’. But now if I’m having an off day, I’ll pray salah, because I know Allah is the only one who can change it for me.”
Some women on antidepressants “found a cure for their illness through this course,” said Um-e-Abdullah. The students appreciate this focus on a person’s ‘inner being’ because it allows both purification and accessibility for anyone looking into Al-Huda. “An… aspect that attracts women ….are the teachers,” says Sr. Sadaf, “who [are] polite, non-judgmental, speak English well, relate to modern-day issues, and look past a student wearing e.g. sleeveless or skinny jeans, to see the person within -- the person who wants to connect to Allah and achieve success in the Hereafter.” “My vision is that the Quran reaches everyone, because it is Allah’s message to humanity,” says Dr. Hashmi in a recent interview. She began teaching Arabic and Islamic Studies to women at the International Islamic University Islamabad after getting a Masters in Arabic from Punjab University in Lahore, Pakistan, and her PhD. Yet her degrees don’t qualify her as an authority on Islam to some of Pakistan’s ulema who have passed fatwas against the daughter of the late scholar, Abdur Rehman Hashmi. They
criticize her “feminist” approach and say she has “liberalized” Islam, despite Dr. Hashmi having been guided in her study abroad by the late contemporary muhaddith (scholar specializing in ahadith), Sheikh al-Albani, rahimullah. In return, Dr. Hashmi refuses to “take dictation from the ulema and teach their version of Islam,” criticizing
their “rigid” stances on Qur’anic interpretations as being based on “whatever a scholar said a thousand years ago being the final word…[that interpretation] was made in a different historical era and environment. Today [it] cannot apply,” she says, as she believes, “there is a capacity within Islam to grow with changing times.” She is for “interpretation on all issues,” including today’s human rights’ issues concerning women, though reinterpretation must be “within the parameters of the Quran.” Dr. Hashmi does not believe a proper authority yet exists, however, for this type of mass ijtihad (an individual, interpretive form of deriving Islamic laws). Dr. Hashmi has not offered any different stances on any traditionally obligatory norms of a Muslim woman’s role in society, but she pushes for women to get an education: “As far as the Taliban are concerned, I have heard that they are against the education of women. When I myself have done my Ph.D and gone to a foreign land to study, how can I tell others not to do the same?” While teaching at the university in Islamabad, Dr. Farhat gave halaqahs (religious study circles) to women, from--according to one essayist--of “all walks of life.” She received notable attention, however, from her sessions with Pakistan’s upper elite, one session including Mrs. Farooq Leghari, Pakistan’s First Lady in 1999. Many criticize her focus on teaching the rich, however. In an article by Canadian-run Maclean’s, the conservative and
widely-read magazine highlighted Dr. Hashmi’s amassed earnings from her “rich man’s preacher” job. Dr. Hashmi, mother of four, said in an interview with Newsline’s Samina Ibrahim, felt it “would make more sense” for her to begin teaching with the “urban and academic”
DEFEND >> continued from pg 1
The “sorority of Al-Huda”, as one sister in Saudi Arabia puts it, was dismayed to hear the institute being accused of breeding terrorism.
Most alarming to Al-Huda’s critics is the growing influence of the education movement on an international scale.
>> DEFEND II Pg 9
9August 20th - September 2nd , 2010 COMMUNITY NEWS |
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like herself, believing that starting with the “under-privileged” would have kept her message “restricted only to them; they would not have been able to influence other sections of society.” Macleans also published mention of Dr. Hashmi’s uttering that the 2008 October 8 earthquake in Pakistan—with 80,000 dead-- was a punishment from God, due to the mostly poor region’s immorality. This comment was allegedly caught on tape during one of Dr. Hashmi’s lectures by the Globe’s Sharmeen Obaid-Chenoy,
on an ‘undercover documentary’ that the Muslim Link could not find on the Web, and, despite repeated calls and emails, has yet to receive a response on from Ms. Obaid-Chenoy, or Al-Huda International. The school does “donate and provide funds to those who need it,” says Umm Maryam. Indeed, the “dues of others”—words an online student from Northern VA— is something the school (a Welfare Foundation) emphasizes, since services like “natural calamities relief and disaster management, digging wells in drought-stricken areas of Pakistan, [and] stipends and food provision to widows and orphans,” are a part of the school’s social welfare program stated on its website, alhudapk.com.
Al-Huda provides financial aid for those who can’t afford it, while some of Al-Huda’s students bear their classmates tuition in the spirit of “sadaqa jariyah”, says Sr. Samiyah.
According to Faiza Mushtaq--she is writing her thesis on the Al-Huda movement-- the school receives most of its revenue through donations and its sale of merchandise.
Sr. Mahvash Choudhury believes the school’s funding “come[s] from Allah. They teach within their means, so most of her [Dr. Hashmi] efforts are towards the Qur’an and not fundraising. So that for me is a strong indication of truth.”
“Al-Huda is just a place that’s finally offering the people what they need,” says Sr. Samiyah. “The Qur’an is there for everyone but not everyone understands it. They took the first place to understand it themselves and now they’re teaching it, and… I think they’re so sincere in their efforts, [so] alhamdullilah, alhamdullilah, I think that’s why Allah is letting them survive still, despite so much opposition for Dr. Farhat.” To Dr. Hashmi, a labeled feminist, Al-Huda is “a kind of women’s empowerment program. And…knowledge is the best way to empower women, especially spiritual knowledge.”
DEFEND II>> continued from pg 8
than ever.”
Naved said that it is also not just a need of funds which are needed by ICM to begin the project. Two crucial county permits have yet to be issued. Naved says he believes these permits will not be an obstacle for much longer.
“We really are at a point where we need two things from the community,” said Naved. “First we need prayers and duaas for the successful completion of the Master Plan. Secondly, we need members of the community to make themselves aware and informed about the progress of this project. We need the community to know what’s going on.”
Similar sentiments of community and masjid awareness were expressed by Mumtaz Siddiqui, whose four children grew up at ICM. “I think this project reflects a new turn for ICM because I see the efforts to build this project to be more organized than ever before. This is the time to have hope and show dedication to the project.”
The spirit of the evening itself, however, can best be communicated through the bright eyes and solemn reflections of youth Sumaira Hameed, who shyly expressed her hopes for the masjid where she spends many weekends. “I go to the masjid a lot with my family,” she said. “But I want it to be bigger because I sometimes don’t have a place to sit when I’m with my friends.”
YOUTH>> continued from pg 5
or follow unofficial endorsements being discussed within the community.
Asked if he feels the forum achieved its goals, Aalim-Johnson said just the presence of all the major county executive candidates was an achievement in itself.
“Success in this case refers to candidates thinking enough of the Muslim community to make certain they attended. All the candidates were present. It also means the community being present to show
the candidates they care about who runs their government, and the positions that candidates hold on a variety of issues, particularly those directly related to the quality and way of life of the Muslim community,” explained Aalim-Johnson, who worked on Capitol Hill as the Chief of Staff for a New York congressman over the last decade.
The forum ended with a short prayer and some remarks about Islam and the Muslim community. Aalim-Johnson said the environment was one of mutual respect and neighborliness; non-Muslim women including candidate Levi were respectful of masjid protocols and willingly donned a head covering.
FORUM>> continued from pg 7
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11August 20th - September 2nd , 2010 COMMUNITY NEWS |
On Tuesday August 17, MAS Freedom joined by major leaders of other faith groups and organizations, held a press conference in response to President Obama’s comments regarding the Islamic center. Faith leaders congratulated the President for affirming the right of Muslims to build houses of worship as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Moderated by Mahdi Bray, he extended his concern, stating that the debate is not confined to the proposed project of the Cordoba Imitative in lower Manhattan, but that Muslims have been facing opposition and even threats of violence when trying to build mosques throughout the United States. There have even been cases where Muslim worshipers leaving Friday prayers have been confronted by hostile crowds.
“The continued attention to the September 11th, 2001 attacks must not be used as a pretext for the demonization of the entire American Muslim community,” MAS Freedom’s press statement said.
Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center spoke passionately in defense of the Cordoba Initiative, the organization behind the plans, and said that not only do its leaders have a constitutional right to build a mosque but they are ethically right and profoundly wise as this initiative is a means of outreach to the American people.
Some of the families of the September 11th victims agree, as Ron Cruz of Pax Christi USA, the largest Catholic peace and social justice organization in the country, pointed out. The September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows announced support for the Islamic Center and released a statement applauding President Obama’s statement in support of the building of the mosque. “We lost our family members on 9/11/2001, but will not lose our nation, too. America, the concept and the people and the land thrive when we chose to trust in our principles rather than cave to our basest fears. What better place for healing, reconciliation and understanding than Ground Zero?”
It is the location that is at issue some
claim. It is insensitive of American Muslims to build a mosque so close to where Muslim extremists carried out the 9/11 attacks.
“Sensitivity is a real issue but so is its manipulation for political purposes. AlQaeda attacked the US and the American people. American Muslims did not attack the US and the American people” said Bray.
Corey Saylor of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) pointed out that, as President Obama had said previously, more Muslims have been killed by AlQaeda than people of any other faith. Saylor named a few of those who lost their lives on 9/11. Of the victims is Mohammed Hamdani who went into the World Trade Center to
rescue people.
For the Republican Party and their Tea Party confederates “the alleged sensitivities are turning into a wedge issue” for the upcoming midterm elections, said Rabbi Waskow. “‘To bigotry, no sanction; to persecution, no assistance.’ Our president should echo those sentiments.”
“To follow that kind of logic takes me and my children out of the picture of America,” Bray said in regards to the issue of sensitivity.
“For American Muslims, second class citizenship is not an option” Bray concluded.
“The continued attention to the September 11th, 2001 attacks must not be used as a pretext for the demonization of the entire American Muslim community,”
MOSQUE>> continued from pg 1
By Muslim Link Staff
Muslims in the Washington DC metropolitan region had a grand opportunity to get geared up for the month of the Qur’an at a first of its kind conference the weekend of August 7, 2010.
DC Hidayah, a new annual conference organized by a group of Muslim youth in Maryland and Northern Virginia, launched its inaugural gathering under the theme of “Qur’an: Guidance for Humanity” at the prestigious Washington DC Convention Center.
With a speaker list including most of the well-known local Imams and Islamic lecturers, the two day event was packed with over twenty 30 minute sessions – Qur’an-related topics like “A Qur’anic Guide to Financial Success”, “Examining Our Relationship with the Qur’an”, and “Literary Miracles in the Qur’an” among many others.
At peak attendance, about 700 people came to the conference. The first 1,000 online registrants were free while other attendees had to pay a modest fee of $15 for adults. A bazaar featuring Islamic clothing, gifts, and other products attracted vendors from as far as New York; however, some vendors told the Muslim Link the packed lecture schedule didn’t allow conference attendees to visit the bazaar, making sales lower than they
DC Prepares for Ramadan At 2-Day Conference on Qur’an
>> HIDAYAH Pg 20
_____________________________
(Top) From right, DC Hidayah shura member Arif Kabir, Dar Al-Hijrah Imam Shaker Elsayed, and Mustafa Center Imam Makhdoom Zia at one of the panel discussion sessions at the 2-day DC Hidayah Conference. (Bottom) From right, DC Hidayah shura members Ammar Nada, Farooq Yousuf, and Tariq Lateef confers during the conference. Photos courtesy of DC Hidayah.
August 20th - September 2nd , 2010 12 |
National News
ScienceDaily, Aug. 10, 2010 — A new international study investigating the correlation between the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and stock markets has discovered that the average stock market returns in predominantly Muslim countries were historically almost nine times higher during Ramadan compared to other months of the lunar calendar.
Jedrzej Bialkowski (University of Christchurch, New Zealand), Ahmad Etebari (University of New Hampshire, United States) and Tomasz Piotr Wisniewski (University of Leicester, UK) also discovered that, at the same time, the volatility of these markets
declined. These conclusions are based on a sample of 14 stock markets located in countries where Muslims constitute at least 50% of the population.
Dr Wisniewski, of the School of Management at the University of Leicester, said: “For many Muslims around the world, Ramadan represents a very important period of self-improvement -- it represents a spiritual and moral training that shapes their lives for the months ahead, from one Ramadan to the next. Followers of Islam are expected to help the underprivileged members of society, work towards improving their interactions with others,
show forgiveness and compassion.”
“It is also a time in which the social and family ties are strengthened. Fasting from dawn to dusk is an integral part of the holy month. Several academic studies confirmed health benefits arising from Ramadan-type fasting, such as lower LDL cholesterol, loss of excessive fatty tissue or reduced anxiety in the fasting subjects.”
“According to the new research findings, the heightened sense of social integration and possible salubrious effects of the changed dietary regimen may influence the sentiment of the investing public.”
“Our research reveals that that it is not only the fundamentals, but also psychology of investors that drives the valuations in stock markets. “
Although the trading implications for market participants are clear enough, researchers advise caution. Typically, when an anomaly is discovered, smart money will try to arbitrage it out.
Story Source:The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Leicester, via AlphaGalileo.
Fasting ‘Feelgood’ Factor: Holy Month of Ramadan Reduces Volatility in Markets, Research Finds
Michigan School Practices 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.ESPN.com News ServicesMonday, August 16, 2010
DEARBORN, Mich. -- A Michigan high school football team is holding preseason practices in the middle of the night to help its Muslim players practice both faith and football.
The predominantly Muslim squad from Dearborn says the nocturnal regimen is a way for players to eat and drink while observing the holy month of daytime fasting known as Ramadan that started last week.The August heat also played a factor in Fordson High coach Fouad Zaban’s proposal to reverse the clock for a week of two-a-day practices.
It was nearly 1 a.m. when Kamel Farajthrows of the Fordson High School junior varsity team delivered a pass during practice last week.
Cutting practice wasn’t an option at football-crazy Fordson, which is coming
off a one-loss season and has won four state titles and three runner-up seasons since it was established in 1928.
But nobody wanted to lessen the significance of Ramadan in the Detroit suburb widely known as the capital of Arab-America.
The moonlight practice is tailored for Adnan Restum and fellow Muslim teammates.
Illuminated by the night lights on the football field, Restum recently joined a scrum of teammates at the end-zone water fountain, taking a break from a grueling preseason football workout to guzzle a drink.
In just a few hours, he wouldn’t be able to take a sip. But the 17-year-old defensive tackle could rehydrate guilt-free during the 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. practice, and succumb to tempting boxes full of granola bars and chocolate milk, too.
“It feels really great,” said Restum, who has been fasting since he was about 10. “If we’re doing it during the day, we wouldn’t have water and it would be really hot and everything.”
Zaban proposed the late practices after realizing the rotating Ramadan would fall squarely during the start of a two-a-day practice schedule that launches football season.
Zaban, 40, a Muslim and former Fordson player, knows the high stakes. When Ramadan falls during football season, the players practice during daylight hours. But with August’s heat and doubled practice schedule, concerns grew about players’ health, particularly the high risk of heat stroke.
“We know how hot it’s been this summer -- it’s not safe,” Zaban said.
Working it out meant getting the approval of school and district administrators and the blessings of players, parents and
police. Then, there were the residents in the surrounding neighborhood, who would hear more noise and see the illuminated field. So he sent letters explaining the decision.
Zaban is unaware of such schedule switches elsewhere, though other teams at the school and in the district have moved practices earlier or later in the day. It’s been more than three decades since Ramadan last fell during football preseason and Fordson’s Muslim population was far smaller then -- and, he notes, there were no field lights.
Zaban said the goal has been to let players break the fast at sundown and go to the mosque, and get players out in time for a meal and morning prayer before sunrise. The field is near bustling bakeries, cafes and restaurants catering to late-night customers.
>> MICHIGAN Pg 20
NATIONAL NEWSv
13August 20th - September 2nd , 2010
OpinionOur Invisible MasajidBy Rasheed Al Rabbi
It was a late afternoon in the beginning of August, the first day of Ramadan. The slowly drowning sun, which had pulled one of its longest shifts of the summer, cast a golden haze above the horizon. While lazily sinking lower, the sun whispered its departure, teasingly unaware of its fulfillment of the day reserved for spiritual sustenance for millions of Muslims. As the glare of the sun was fading on his GPS monitor, Tarek felt the urge to speed up his search for a mosque. He abstained from food, drinks and many other things for the whole day. It was the time to break his fasting, but there was no sign of a mosque.
Amidst the busy traffic of Arlington, GPS was the only hope for a new driver like Tarek, who recently migrated to the States and accepted the job of driver in a food delivery service in Arlington. He was able to deliver food to remote nooks and corners of Arlington in heavy rain or in dark evenings solely counting on GPS. Yet this very moment GPS failed to locate a mosque. No mosque was listed under the option of “Point of Interest.” He didn’t have any Muslim friends either to call up and find out the direction. He was already tired of a lazy, lengthy, heated day. As the golden haze was soaked up by the darkness, Tarek had no other choice but to give up his mosque search. He bought some food with the money kept aside to donate in the mosque and had ifter in his apartment, alone.
Meanwhile, only a few blocks away, Ahmed, an IT consultant, who never misses any opportunity to brag about his smart phone with fast-speed internet in addition to GPS, was also experiencing the same dilemma of finding a mosque online. What exacerbates this irony was that his search result returned a mosque with no physical address, but a P.O. Box address instead.
Ahmed called up his friends to find
out the direction. Lost in a maze of crisscrossed streets in Arlington, he didn’t expect a big dome for the mosque in such a busy place, but at least a sign on the street would have helped him locate the hiding mosque in a residential neighborhood. In the following week he went to Alexandria to meet his clients and had a similar experience too.
There is no scientific count, but there is no disagreement that the Muslim population is growing. About 7 million Muslims have established more than six hundred
mosques and centers across the United States. All these mosques are not just the centers for worship anymore. They are working diligently to model the Muslim society in the North America. Sunday school for kids, adult education in the evening, and computer education for the youth are only a few to name among hundreds of community engagements to foster Islamic dynamics. Yet, even with all this attention being paid to religious phenomena, mosque committees and attendees seldom turn their attention in any depth toward establishing the public presence of the mosque itself.
Usually in metro areas, large numbers of people travel, work, or for some other reason are unable to pray at home or in the local mosque. In such commuters’ areas, mosques need to be available to welcome those wanderers, without whom a multitude of viewpoints, ideas, and
energy will be opt out; the opportunity to enrich a culture of brotherhood will be deprived. Nonetheless this cannot be the face of our da’wah, exclusively for local neighboring communities only. The impulse to enlarge a congregation is inevitable, which can also be found in a number of hadiths and Quranic references. Therefore the left out potentials need to be approached, whether out of scholarly courtesy or out of concern for religious thriving to cultivate the true culture of Islamic da’wah.
Situations like Tarek’s or Ahmed’s are not scattered or occasional. These are everyday stories of thousands of Muslims around the country, for which very easy and simple solutions exist. A street sign could have been a savior for both of Tarek and Ahmed, and at minimal cost. Sometimes developing a website and having it up and running could be expensive for the mosques, many of which survive mostly from the members’ donations. However a number of online sources offer free website development, hosting etc. If these stuffs seems a jargon to anyone, then consider those organizations who volunteer to develop and host mosque website. Such websites might not be robust with databases, and might have additional limitations in changing colors and fonts, but at least these will serve the purpose of our da’wah as well as inviting potential members.
If having a website seems still overwhelming, listing a mosque on a search engine like Google could be a useful compromise with no cost at all. From Google home page, go to “Business Solution”, and then “Google Places”, which requires you to log in to bring up the page to enlist in Google. (Google home � Business Solution � Google Places � add new business � fill up the form with organization’s info � validation process).
Another important note to consider while listing any mosque on the web is to list it as “mosque” instead of ”masjid” or other foreign spelling or even as a Islamic community center to sting out the struggle of the search process.
While bewildering with posting street sign, listing online or developing website, hardly any of us have the leisure to envision a resolution for Tarek to let him find a mosque in GPS. But few considerate Muslim brothers are working towards Tarek’s dream with a full head of steam. In POIfriend (www.poifriend.com), two fascinating efforts for USA and Canada, not only to find a nearby mosque, but also to display an icon are being developed, which require our cooperation to accumulate information. Yet the lack of our earnest response is quite a mystery, yet to penetrate.
We know that our message of da’wah must never change, but the method to deliver the message must be amended for the new millennium. We have to overcome the hurdle to adopt the technical advents to amplify the reach and effectiveness of the message of Islamic Da’wah.
Rasheed Al Rabbi is an Information Technology specialist and PhD student in Software Engineering at George Mason University. He can be reached at [email protected] .
Lost in a maze of crisscrossed streets in Arlington, he didn’t expect a big dome for the mosque in such a busy place, but at least a sign on the street would have helped him locate the hiding mosque in a residential neighborhood.
OPINION |
14 | ISLAM August 20th - September 2nd , 2010
IslamRamadan Is Here: Where Are You?Source: Jamiatul Ulama All praise is due to Allah and may His choicest salutations descend upon our Prophet and Leader Muhammad Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam.
“To him who desires a harvest in the life to come, We shall grant an increase in his harvest; whereas to him who desires a harvest in this world, We (may) give something thereof but he will have no share in the life to come. (Qur’ân 42:20).
“This world is the planting field of the Hereafter.” (Hadith)
This world is no more than the planting field of the Hereafter. Ramadan is a time for tilling the land. Those who toil, plant seeds of virtue, irrigate their lands with tears of repentance and draw out the weeds of transgression and passion by fasting... those who draw the clouds of
mercy through tilawah and dhikr will eventually yield the harvest of Jannah and save themselves from the scorching and parched terrain of Jahannam. You will reap as you sow! It is time to toil in earnest, it is time to cultivate taqwa and make our hearts fertile and receptive to the commands of Allah.
Ramadan offers us an opportunity to draw from the unlimited treasures of Allah. It is a month of receiving for those who are prepared to take.
Fasting cultivates taqwa; Tarawîh irrigates the heart; Tilawah and dhikr sow the seeds of virtue; Frequenting the Masjid draws the rains of Allah’s mercy; Du’â ensures the protection of our harvest.
“Allah prepares and decorates a special garden in Jannah everyday (of Ramadan) and says to it: ‘The time is near when my faithful servants cast aside the great trials
(of the world) and come to you...’”
Ramadan is here: where are you?
Our fast must go beyond abstention of food and drink. The eyes, ears, tongue and heart must also consciously be made to fast. The minimum requirement of Ramadan is to stay away from all that is forbidden and to fulfill all that is fardh. The spirit of Ramadan however requires that we fulfil every nafl [optional] act with the conviction that it will open the door to the love and recognition of Allah. Allah runs to those who walk towards Him and He embraces those who stretch their hands to Him. If we continue to be heedless and continue committing sin even while the devil is chained, it displays the extent to which we have become the disciples of shaytan. Ramadan is a time for introspection. A time to look within and re-evaluate our faith and commitment. “During every day and night of Ramadan, Allah
sets free a great number of souls from Jahannam. Certainly every Muslim’s du’âs are accepted during the nights and days of Ramadan.”
Ramadan is here: where are you?
Ramadan is also a time for generosity, compassion and charity— not only in terms of wealth but also in terms of our character. Lend a helping hand, use your skills to benefit the needy, and forgive those who may have hurt you, if you hope to enjoy Allah’s help and forgiveness. Allah’s mercy rains upon those who are merciful to others. Allah’s forgiveness pours upon those who forgive others. “Whoever feeds the hungry, clothes the naked and grants shelter to the traveller, Allâh shall save him from the terrors of Qiyâmah.”
>> RAMADAN Pg 19
Thoughts for Ramadan: Your Position With YourselfBy Dr. Badr ‘Abd al-Hamid Humisa
Ramadan is a great opportunity for standing with one’s nafs (soul/inner self), disciplining it, and bringing it to account, for leaving the accountability of one’s nafs is a sure path to negligence and a gateway for Shaytan to overcome a human being.
Such a person is rendered without a heart or intellect, his only aim in life being food, drink, and sleep. Allah, Most High, states, “Indeed, Allah will admit those who have believed and done righteous deeds to gardens beneath which rivers flow, but those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as grazing livestock eat, and the Fire will be a residence for them.” (Muhammad 12)
Allah, Most High, states, “O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every
soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow – and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is acquainted with what you do. And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. Those are the defiantly disobedient. Not equal are the companions of the Fire and the companions of Paradise. The companions of Paradise – they are the attainers [of success].” (Hashr 18-20)
Ibn al-Qayyim stated, “Leaving self-accountability and being lax and accommodating in one’s affairs leads to one’s destruction. This is the state of vain and deluded people. [Such a person] turns a blind eye towards the consequences of his actions, is complacent with his current state, and relies on forgiveness, so he neglects taking his self to account and looking at consequences. If he did that, falling into sins would become easy for him, and he will grow accustomed to
them. Weaning himself off sins would become difficult for him. If guidance had come to him, he would have known that guarding [himself from sins initially] would have been easier than weaning himself off of sins and leaving that to which he has become accustomed and habituated.” (Igathah al-Luhfan)
Some of the salaf stated, “From amongst the signs of abhorrence is for a servant to mention the faults of others and overlook his own faults, assuming bad of others and admiring his own self with certainty, and leaving self-accountability and self-scrutiny out of negligence of Allah, Most Esteemed and Glorious. Those who are negligent in this world are the losers in the Hereafter, because the best outcome is for the muttaqun (God-conscious/righteous).”
Al-Hasan al-Basri said regarding the
explanation of Allah’s statement: “And I swear by the reproaching soul [to the certainty of resurrection]” (al-Qiyamah 2), “A mu`min (true believer) is not encountered except that he disciplines himself: What did I intend by my statement? What did I intend by my partaking in food? What did I intend by my partaking in drink? On the other hand, a corrupt person goes forward without disciplining himself.” (Imam Ahmad’s al-Zuhd 396)
A man came complaining to ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, while he was occupied, so he said, “Do you leave the khalifah while he is free and come to him while he is busy with the affairs of the Muslims?” and hit him with his whip, so the man left upset. ‘Umar recalled that
>> THOUGHTS Pg 15
ISLAM | 15August 20th - September 2nd , 2010
How does the Heart fast?By Shaykh Aa’id ‘Abdullâh al-Qarnî
‘And if anyone believes in Allah, (Allah) guides his heart (aright)’ (64:11). The guidance of the heart is the basis of all guidance, the law of all success, the origin of every deed and head of every action. The Prophet Salallahu ‘alyhi wa sallam said: ‘Truly there is a piece of flesh in the body which, if it be wholesome, the whole body will be healthy and which, and if it be diseased the whole body will be diseased. Truly it is the heart.’ Thus the goodness of your heart is the guarantee of your happiness in this world and in the hereafter. Likewise, its corruption is the surest way to destruction, the extent of which only Allah knows.
‘In this, behold, there is indeed a reminder for everyone whose heart is wide-awake - that is [everyone who] lends ear with a conscious mind’ (50:37)
Every creature has a heart. In reality though they are two hearts, a heart that is alive and pulsating with the light of faith. It is filled with intense conviction and God-consciousness. The other is a dead heart, covered and diseased with every wreckage and rubbish.
Allah Almighty says concerning the hearts of the foolish folk: ‘In their hearts is disease, and so God lets their disease increase’ (2:10).
‘But they say, “Our hearts are already full of knowledge.” Nay, but God has rejected them because of their refusal to acknowledge the truth: for, few are the things in which they believe’ (2:88).
Allah also says: ‘Will they not, then, ponder over this Quran? — or are there locks upon their hearts?’ (47:24).
‘And so they say, [as it were:] “Our hearts are veiled from whatever thou
callest us to, [O Muhammad,] and in our ears is deafness”’ (41:5).
From all these verses we learn that the hearts can become ill, they can be covered, locked and they die. The enemies of Allah have hearts in their bosoms but they do not perceive with these hearts. Hence the Prophet Salallahu ‘alyhi wa sallam used to say: ‘O dispenser of hearts make my heart firm in Your religion.’ The heart of the believer fasts during Ramadan and outside of Ramadan. The fasting of the heart is done by emptying it of all corrupt material such as destructive forms of polytheism, false beliefs, evil suggestions, filthy intentions
and degenerate thoughts. The heart of the believer is adorned with the love of Allah. It knows its Lord by His names and His qualities as He has described Himself. This heart explores with a discerning eye the lines of His names and qualities and the pages of Allah’s making in the universe and the books of His creations.
The believer’s heart is filled with a brilliant light which does not allow any darkness to remain with it. It is the light of the eternal message, the divine teachings, and the omnipotent laws. To it
>> HEART Pg 18
The heart of the believer fasts during Ramadan and outside of Ramadan. The fasting of the heart is done by emptying it of all corrupt material such as destructive forms of polytheism, false beliefs, evil suggestions, filthy intentions and degenerate thoughts.
he had wronged the man, so he had him summoned and gave him the whip, saying, “Hit me as I hit you.” The man refused and stated, “I forgo my right for the sake of Allah and for you.” ‘Umar said, “Either you forgo it for the sake of Allah alone, or you take your right.” The main then stated, “I forgo it for the sake of Allah.” ‘Umar then left to his home and prayed two rak’ahs, subsequently sitting and saying to himself, “Oh son of Khattab, you were a lowly individual, and Allah raised your status. You were misguided, and Allah guided you. You were lowly, and Allah honored you, making you a khalifah. Then, a man comes seeking your assistance to remove oppression and you oppress him! What will you say to your Lord tomorrow when you meet him? He continued to take himself to account until the people began to grown concerned over him. (ibn al-Jawzi’s Manaqib Amir al-Mu`minin ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab 171)
al-Ahnaf ibn Qays used to approach a lantern and place his finger in it. He would then say, “Oh Hunayf, what lead you to do
what you did on such and such day? What lead you to do what you did on such and such day?”
al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Indeed, the servant remains in a good state as long as he admonishes himself and is determined to take himself to account.”
Tawbah ibn al-Simmah was from amongst those individuals who took their selves to account. One day, he calculated that he was sixty years old and 21,500 days old. He then cried out, saying, “Woe unto me, I will meet my Lord with 21,000 sins? How can that be, whereas thousands of sins are committed each day?” He then fell unconscious and died. The people heard someone saying, “Oh how you race towards al-Firdaws al-A’laa (highest level of Paradise)!” (Ihya` ‘Ulum al-Din 4/406)
There are a number of benefits for taking account of one’s self, from amongst which are:
- Getting acquainted with one’s own faults, because the one who is not acquainted with his own faults cannot cure and remove them.
- Repentance, regret, and setting right what one did in the past.
- Realizing the rights of Allah, Most High, because the basis of taking account of one’s self is giving preference to the rights of Allah over it.
- Absolute humility and servitude of the slave in front of his Lord, Most Blessed and Exalted.
- Realizing the favors of Allah, Most Exalted, and the extent of his forgiveness and mercy on his servants in that he did not hasten their punishment in spite of their disobedience and sins.
- Abstaining from worldly pleasures, suppressing the nafs, and freeing oneself of pride and vanity.
- You will find that the one who takes account of himself strives in obedience and leaves disobedience until it subsequently becomes easy for him.
It is now incumbent on you, oh Brother or Sister, to ask yourself, and before and during Ramadan: How many prayers did
you miss? How much charity were you too stingy to give? How many good deeds were you too lazy to do? How many misdeeds did you remain silent about? How many times did you view that which is unlawful? How many vulgar words did you utter? How many of those who were afflicted with tribulations did you not attempt to help? How many and how many? Will Ramadan leave me this year with my sins and shortcomings constant?
Indeed we celebrate the amount of days we lived, and each day our demise draws near.
So strive towards deeds for yourself before death, for gain and loss are only obtained through deeds.
Likewise, Ramadan is an opportunity to review and reform one’s self. It is related from Abu Hurayrah, that he said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless and greet him, stated, ‘Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1903)
[Source: This is an edited version of a post that originally appeared on Andalus.Org]
THOUGHTS>> continued from pg 14
16 | ISLAM August 20th - September 2nd , 2010August 20th - September 2nd , 2010August 20 September 2August 20 September 2 , 2010August 20
By Muhammad Al-Shareef
Imagine that you are on the beach. You are four years old. The camp leader has told you that you have fi ve minutes to build a great castle.
“Quickly,” your three year old Ameer tells you, “the sand here is too soft. Run closer to the water and get better sand!”
Off you run and grab, with your tiny hands, as much sand as you can hold. But, as you run back, plop, plop, plop, you feel the sand slipping through your fi ngers. You can do nothing about it. In your haste, all the sand has slipped away. Bang. The competition is over. This is the analogy of our lives. This is the analogy of our time in Ramadan.
For many living in Western countries, Ramadan is passed daily with 9 to 5 jobs or school - nights where we may or may not go for Taraweeh. A peak at the TV (may Allah protect us) and the night is over. Back to work where all around us people are eating and drinking from crystal water fountains. Blink. Ramadan is over.
The question of the hour is: how do we take full advantage of this gift of Allah? This is our topic, before the sands of Ramadan slip away.
How many years have we been fasting Ramadan? 10 or 15 or 40 years? Are we 10 or 15 or 40 times better? Or, does it seem like we have arrived back at the drawing board every time Ramadan comes around? All acts of worship are for our own benefi t! Don’t do it and harm befalls you, which is the way life was programmed.
Ramadan is no small matter. It is one of the pillars of this Deen of Islam – without it one’s Islam would not be complete. In this month, Rasul Allah – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – would intensify his worship of Allah ta’ala. In doing so, he laid the foundation for his Ummah after him to emulate.
Ibn AlQayyim – rahimahullaah – wrote: “From his blessed guidance – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – in Ramadan is that he used to intensify and diversify his actions
of worship. So, for example, Jibreel used to rehearse the Qur’an with him during the nights of Ramadan. When Jibreel would visit him, he would intensify the amount of Sadaqah that he would give. He was the most generous out of all people – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – and Ramadan was the time when he was most generous. In Ramadan, he would fi ll his time with Sadaqah, treating people kindly, reciting Qur’an, performing Salah, remembering Allah, and performing I’tikaaf.” – from the book ‘Zaad AlMa’aad’
Observers described the way Allah’s Messenger– sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – gave like Ar-Reeh AlMursalah, like the blessed wind. Why? The blessed wind, as they knew it, was a wind that brought coolness to everyone – no one was denied its blessing. The blessed wind, additionally, was not lazy in bringing its goodness to the people. It would come swiftly to all. This is how Rasul Allah – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – was described, and this is how our service to humanity should be: swift and encompassing. Bi idhnillah.
Below are ten ideas to and help make the most of Ramadan – before it slips through our hands.
Idea one:Compound Your Siyaam! If you told your fi nancial broker that you just want to keep money in the bank and save it, he would say, “You are wrong.” “Invest it in the stock market. That way your money will be compounded – you will earn multiple times what you put in.” So now I ask the question: Wouldn’t you love to get two times the reward of fasting Ramadan? How?
Zayd ibn Khaalid AlJuhanee narrates that the Prophet – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – said, “Whoever gives a fasting person (food) to break his or her fast,
he (the one feeding) will get the reward equivalent to the (fasting persons) reward – without diminishing anything from the reward of the (fasting person).”
How do we do this? Ask any Muslim relief agency if they have a feed a fasting person program. Subhan Allah, you may fi nd that it only costs $1 to feed a person! So, for $30 you could come out of Ramadan having doubled your reward.
And, we should not forget the needy in our city. We think that in a ‘modern’ western country or city there are no needy people. That is not true. There are many needy families that are waiting to be discovered. Ask around and you will fi nd a gold mine of people to help, in your own backyard.
I speak about Washington, DC. If one was to have a food drive, all the food could go to needy Muslim families in DC and still not be enough! I’ve seen this with my own eyes. How blessed it would be to get the youth that just hang out in the back of the Masjid during Taraweeh to take on this task. Organize the collection of the food and distribute it. It can happen! It just takes a leader with vision to set this up for the youth and all the good people who want to make a difference.
Idea two: Operation Guide the Youth Often in Ramadan, there are khaatirahs, words of wisdom, halaqahs and reminders, all geared to the adults praying Taraweeh. The youth, it seems, are being disrespectful by talking in the back of the masjid.
“Shhhhhsh!” someone shouts at them. “Listen or go outside (and we prefer if you just go outside)!” So, quietly they sneak out of the Masjid and chat and chill all Ramadan. How Eman boosting is
that? Remember, Allah commands that you protect your wife and children also.
Try this: Just like there are things for the adults, we could have Ramadan activities and reminders geared specifi cally for the youth. And, it need not be ‘in’ the Masjid. Let’s say the youth like to chat and chill outside in the parking lot. Why not organize the activity there? Yes, on the basketball court or in the parking lot. Have a 5-minute Khatirah, play games with them, and give them some noble projects to complete in Ramadan.
Again, making a difference like this needs a leader with vision, one who recognizes that the youth are his or her responsibility. I pray that person is you!
Idea Three: Turnoff TV Month Every parent knows that when they want their child to do well in their studies they tell them, “no TV.” If this is for Dunya, then how about someone who wants to excel in Ramadan?
“Fasting and the Qur’an will come and testify on behalf of the ‘Abd on the Day of Resurrection. The Fasting will say: O my lord, I denied him food and desires, so allow me to be a means for him to enter paradise. And the Qu’ran will say: O my Lord, I denied him sleep at night so allow me to be a means for him to enter Paradise. And (he will be entered into paradise) because of those two.” – Musnad Ahmad
Before the Sand Slips AwayFor many living in Western countries, Ramadan is passed daily with 9 to 5 jobs or school - nights where we may or may not go for Taraweeh. A peak at the TV (may Allah protect us) and the night is over.
ISLAM | 17August 20th - September 2nd , 2010
Try this: Announce in your household that Ramadan is the offi cial turnoff TV month. Be an example for others and do fun and rewarding things instead. Visit people, take on a Ramadan feeding project, increase yourself in knowledge, etc. Turn off the TV and turn on life.
Idea Four: Dua’ Time Ramadan is the month of making dua’ to Allah, an essential compliment to fasting. Rasul Allah – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – said, “There are three persons dua’ that will be accepted (by Allah). The fasting person, the oppressed one, and the traveler.”
Try this: Make a list of all your goals in life. Make a section for your a) personal goals; b) spiritual goals; c) economic goals; and d) contribution goals. Every day during Ramadan, take out your list and make dua’ to Allah to grant you the tawfeeq to accomplish your goals. Insha Allah, you will attain your goals with hard work, both during and after Ramadan.
Idea Five: Parent Appreciation Month We all know that the one who wakes us up for Suhoor is our mom. I know it was for me. If not for her alarm clock, her early morning cooking, her motherly love to go and wake everyone up … well, let’s just say our iftars would have become our suhoors. If you are living away from your parents, you know what I’m talking about.
Remember the hadith of the person who doesn’t reach Ramadan with
forgiveness? The end part of the Hadith says they found their parents in old age and they were not a means for him to enter Jannah!
So, why not announce it loud and clear this month, “Thank you Mom! Thank you Dad!” Let’s take care of them this month with extra calls, extra hugs, and extra love.
Idea Six: Masjid Power Hour During Ramadan, why not spend a few more moments in the Masjid before taking off. This could be done after Fajr or after Asr. Sit back, grab a Qur’an and remember Allah. As your time in the Masjid increases, bi idhnillaah, your love and heart attachment will increase. Make this your personal Masjid power hour.
Idea Seven: Bad Habit Buster Many people already do this. They may have a smoking problem or a TV addiction. When Ramadan comes around they say, “I’m going to train myself to stop smoking or to stop watching excessive TV by abandoning it throughout Ramadan.”
So, you don’t have a smoking problem huh? Everyone has a bad habit and everyone has a recurring sin they pray they could desist from. Make Ramadan the training month by telling yourself to go without this sin for the entire month. Then, if Allah grants one Tawfeeq to complete the month, one should continue to pray to Allah to keep them away from the sin after Ramadan.
Idea Eight: The Gift Groove Have you ever noticed how beloved a bottle of perfume is when it is handed out by a little four year old Muslim? Everyone loves a gift.
Why not take this a step forward? Go to your local Islamic bookstore and request a bulk purchase of some benefi cial Islamic materials, something in the $1 range. Then, hand it out to everyone that comes to your masjid. Bi idhnillaah, you will fi nd for the little effort one may put, people all throughout Ramadan will be learning from the gift.
Idea Nine: Ramadan Muslims, Convert! It is true that on the fi rst day of Ramadan, the number of Muslims in the local Masjid multiplies considerably. And, it is a sad moment on the fi rst day after Ramadan that the Masjid attendance drops signifi cantly. This idea is Operation No More Ramadan Muslims. We want people all year long!
Ibn Abbas I’tikaaf: A man came to Ibn Abbas while he was doing I’tikaaf in the masjid and asked him for his assistance. So, Ibn Abbas stood to leave and people around him warned him, ‘but you are in I’tikaaf’. He replied, “To assist my brother in fulfi lling his need is more beloved to me than to perform I’tikaaf for 2 months in the Masjid of Rasul Allah – sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”
Try this: Make a ‘compassion crew’ that reaches out specifi cally to Ramadan Muslims. Extra special attention is showered on them and roles of responsibility are delegated to them so that they can participate more in the
Masjid. Invite them to special Iftars where they are the center of attention.
With this extra attention and responsibility, bi idhnillaah, every month will be Ramadan for them and the masjids will be full all year.
Idea Ten: Home Halaqah Muslim families often keep their worship for the Masjid, but why not make Muslim family time at home. It could work like this: After Taraweeh or Asr, the family gathers together for 15 minutes. There are many things you could do in your Halaqah, the main thing is that you set time aside for it.
For example, each family member may recite a few verses of Qur’an. Or, one of the kids can read a story of the Sahaabah so that all family members can be reminded. Or, each family member can speak about the blessings of Allah upon them and what they have in their lives for which they are thankful.
Just 15 minutes for the home Halaqah. For the entire family, bi idhnillah, it will be a spring of Eman.
The past saw Muslims that spent their nights of Ramadan awake praying to Allah. It saw days where people, for the sake of Allah, went thirsty.
They knew that this season may never return on them and they heard Allah’s words “Ayyaman Ma’doodaat”– a limited number of days. Don’t let the sand of Ramadan slip away.
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Salaah times for August 20th - September 2nd, 2010Day Date Hijri Fajr Sunrise Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fri 20 10/9 5:08 6:26 1:12 4:57 7:57 9:16
Prayer times generated from www.islamicfi nder.com for the WASHINGTON, DC area.
If a person had a stream outside his door and he bathed in it fi ve times a day, do you think he would have any fi lth left on him?” The people said, “No filth would remain on him whatsoever.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, “That is like the fi ve daily prayers: Allah wipes away the sins by them.”
---Hadith in Sahih al Bukhari and Muslim
is added the natural light upon which the servants of Allah were created. Thus two great lights come together
‘Light upon light! God guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided]; and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all things’ (24:36).
The believer’s heart glows like a lamp, shines like the sun and sparkles like the morning light. It increases in faith whenever the believer listens to the verses of the Quran, it grows in conviction when it contemplates, and increases in guidance when it refl ects. The believer’s heart abstains from pride because it breaks its fast. Pride does not reside in the heart of a believer because it is unlawful. The abode and dwelling place of pride is the heart. Hence, if it
enters any heart, that person will become affl icted, foolish, arrogant and frivolous.
Allah Almighty says in a hadith Qudsi: ‘Pride is my upper garment and grandeur is my lower one, whoever contests with me for them I will punish him.’
The Prophet Salallahu ‘alyhi wa sallam himself said: ‘Whoever shows arrogance to Allah, He will humble him, and whoever is humble to Allah, He will raise him in station.’
The heart of the believer fasts and abstains from egotism. Egotism is when the individual sees himself as perfect, better than others and in possession of good qualities that are not found in anyone else. This is destruction in its most naked form.
The Prophet Salallahu ‘alyhi wa sallam said: ‘Three things which are totally destructive: a person’s self-centredness and conceit, his reluctance to obey and
his following of his desires.’
The cure for this self-importance is to look at one’s own faults, one’s many shortcomings, thousands of sins and misdeeds that one has committed, wrongs that one has done and forgotten but the knowledge of which are with Allah in a book. For Allah is not led astray nor does He forget.
The heart of the believer fasts and abstains from envy because it lowers righteous deeds, puts out the light of the heart and stops its progress toward Allah the Most High. Allah says in the Glorious Quran:
‘Do they, perchance, envy other people for what God has granted them out of his bounty?’ (4:54).
And the Prophet Salallahu ‘alyhi wa sallam said: ‘Do not envy one another; do not infl ate prices one to another; do not hate one another; do not turn away
from one another; and do not undercut one another.’
The Prophet Salallahu ‘alyhi wa sallam informed one of his companions three times that he would be among the people of Paradise. When he was asked about what was it that earned him a place in Paradise, the man said: ‘I do not sleep with envy, grudge or deceit in my heart for any Muslim.’
Are there any hearts that would, therefore, fast like the learned. The fast of the learned has a yearning for the Most Merciful Lord of the worlds. Their hearts fast at all times and in the early hours of morning they seek forgiveness.
O Allah guide our hearts to the straight path and make it fi rm on faith, O Lord of the worlds. Ameen
[Source: nur-ar-ramadan.tripod.com]
HEART>> continued from pg 15
SALAH TIMES
19August 20th - September 2nd , 2010
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Upcoming Events In Your AreaIslamic Relief USA: Pakistan Emergency FundraisingFriday, August 20 2010, 7:00pm - 10:00pmIslamic Relief USA: Pakistan Emergency Fundraising Banquet. Situation facts: fl oods worsening as Ramadan begins, over 14 million affected, more than 1,600 dead, estimated 2 million left homeless, thousands of acres of farmland destroyed. Islamic Relief is aiding thousands of victims by: helping evacuate families from fl ooded villages; providing food packs; distributing water, tents, hygiene kits, and other supplies; setting up emergency bathrooms. Guest Speaker: Imam Siraj Wahaj. Tickets: $40 Adult, $75 Couples. Children’s program provided. Dinner provided. CONTACT: Asra 571-214-2518 [email protected] ; Belkacem Nahi 202-758-6380 [email protected] LOCATION: Mark Center Hilton; 5000 Seminary Rd; Alexandria, VA 22311-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PGMA Fundraising DinnerSaturday, August 21 2010Inshaa’Allah, Prince George’s Muslim Association (PGMA) will have its annual fundraising dinner. We look forward to the honor of your attendance. Location: PGMA (Prince George’s Muslim Association) 9150 Lanham Severn Rd. Lanham, MD 20706. Contact: For ticket information, please visit the front offi ce or contact us by telephone at (301) 459-4942, ext. 115-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Randallstown Islamic Center Fundraisingand Iftar Saturday, August 21 2010, 4:00pm - 7:00pmJoin us for the sake of Allah in raising $500,000 to pay for the above 6.75 acres of land/Masjid, expand the praying hall, construct an ablution center and parking lot. Vendors are welcomed (contact 443-629-7146) Allah, the exalted says: “If you lend a goodly loan (i.e. spend in Allah’s course), He will double it for you andwill forgive you. And Allah is most ready to appreciate and to reward. He is most forbearing” [Q 64:17] Fund Raiser: Sheikh Sulaiman Anwar, AlKauthar Institute, Canada. Guest Speakers: Sheikh Nurudeen Ali, Rutgers University, NJ; Sheikh Mustapha Adam, Randallstown, MD. Email: [email protected] Location: Randallstown Islamic Center, 9019 Marcella Avenue, Randallstown, MD 21133 Contact: For Inquiries, Please Call 410-971-4018, 410-206-2386, 443-803-7680 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------McLean Islamic Center First Annual Fundraising IftarSaturday, August 21 2010, 7:30pm - 11:30pmMcLean Islamic Center Cordially invites you to Iftar Dinner & Fundraising Events: Iftar Dinner, Guest speakers, Taraweeh Prayer & more. $75 Per person, $140 per couple. Featuring special guest: Imam Johari. To donate, please contact: Syed Shahid Ahmed 571-241-0073; Zafar B Farooqi 202-494-2446; Dr. Maqsood A Chaudhry 703-599-8278. To mail donation: McLean Islamic Center, 1340 Old Chainbridge Road, Mclean VA, 22101. Location: Sheraton Premiere in Tyson’s Corner; 8661 Leesburg Pike; Vienna, VA 22182 Contact: www.mcleanmuslims.org; email: [email protected], VA 22312---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Washington Islamic Academy Fundraising DinnerSunday, August 22 2010, 5:00pm - 11:00pmCome Join Us for Iftar & Taraweeh prayer. Ummah Films: Baba Ali; Imam Zia Mokhdom, Imam Mahdi Bray, Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, Imam Siraj Wahhaj. Tickets: 1 person, $35; couple, $65; family of 4: $100, per additional $20. Location: NOVA Annandale- CE Building; 8333 Little River Turnpike; Annandale, VA 22003 Contact: wiaoffi [email protected] ; 703.941.6977; 6408 Edsall Rd, Alexandria, VA 22312---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Montgomery County Muslim Foundation Iftar Dinner Friday, September 03 2010, 6:30pm - 9:30pmMontgomery County Muslim Foundation invites you to an Iftar Dinner. The cost: individuals $25, families $100. Please invite your friends and family. We can only have 120 people at Potomac Community Center. So it would be fi rst come fi rst served. Do reserve your table early so as not to miss out in this unique event of connecting Seniors/Young ones. Location: Potomac Community Center Contact: 301-760-7447; 301-610-002
8-9-10 Mehdi Al-Timimi, the father of Ali Al-Timimi, passed away into the Mercy of Allah at the age of 85 in early August 2010. Inna lillahi a inna ilaihi’ raji’oon. Truly, we are from Allah, and to Him we shall return. (Source: Z. Eppard)
OBITS & UPCOMING EVENTS |
Ramadan is here: where are you?
Ramadan is an exercise in sabr. Sabr at the time of temptation; sabr in fulfi lling the commands of Allah; and sabr in trying and testing circumstances. Sabr breeds yaqîn [conviction in Allah]. It entrenches our belief in taqdîr and infuses humility into our character. If we become heedless, lethargic and intolerant it will be a sign that we have lost sabr. “This is indeed the month of patience, and the reward for true patience is Jannah.”
Ramadan is here: where are you?
“This is the month the fi rst part of which brings Allah’s mercy, the middle of which brings His forgiveness and last of which brings freedom from the fi re of Jahannam.” The doors of Jannah are open while the doors of Jahannam are shut. Allah’s mercy abounds. He calls out every day and night. “Is there anyone begging of Me so that I may grant him his heart’s desire?”
Ramadan is here: where are you? Make haste before the refrain changes to: Ramadan was here: where were you?
RAMADAN>> continued from pg 14
August 20th - September 2nd , 2010 20 |
But first, there are drills.
“Keep running! Heads up!” Zaban yelled while leading a passing drill. And, when a receiver flubbed a one-handed catch, the coach barked, “Hey, two hands!” The result was 20 push-ups.
Zaban said whether players fast is a personal choice and never an issue raised by him or his staff. Still, he says, it shouldn’t be an excuse for poor performance for the roughly 95 percent
who do.
He ended the session before 4 a.m. with a message to the huddled, padded masses to “drink lots of water,” “get a good meal in,” and “man up.”
Defensive tackle William Powell, one of the team’s few non-Muslims, initially thought the coach was “out of his mind,” but he’s come around. In fact, he’s even fasted.
“I’m around ‘em, so I’ve tried a couple times but it’s hard,” the 17-year-old said.
For Rami Fakih, a wide receiver and
defensive back, the nocturnal regimen has taken some adjustment but for different reasons. The brother of recently crowned Miss USA Rima Fakih said he had to think twice before hitting the fountain.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “Then I remembered, you know. I looked up. There’s no sun. I can drink. I can eat.”With that, he walked off the field and into the darkness with plans to grab a quick bite with friends at a local bakery.
Sharia Advisors:Sheikh Salah as-SawiImam Safi Khan
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MICHINGAN>> continued from pg 12
expected.
With a core group of about six organizers – two who just completed high school – many local Muslims expressed optimism and excitement that a large scale conference took place in their area, and that it was put together by active youth.
DC Hidayah head Farooq Yousuf, 26, agreed that the undertaking was a success.
“The attendance was a little lower than expected but alhumdulillah for the first year it was organized well. The speakers all gave excellent and beneficial speeches on the Qur’an. The setup and organization of the event was very professional and
the event had the special “conference” feel to it … it really felt like you were at an extraordinary event,” said Yousuf who lives in Northern Virginia.
Security, catered cuisine, and two large projection screens and professional lighting at the upscale conference venue cost significantly more than DC Hidayah raised in vendor and registration fees, forcing the youth to solicit donations before and during the conference. Organizers said they were able to meet their expenses.
Marketing for the event was almost exclusively through email and online networks, a strategy organizers said they will change next year as many Muslim were unaware of the event. Another area organizers said they will improve on is adding a track for children, said DC Hidayah board member Arif Kabir, age 17.
Farooq Yousuf, the amir of the DC Hidayah shura (board), wants the conference to include a strong element of Islamic activism.
“With the knowledge that we gain from the conference we strive to practically apply it through various projects that spread the message of Islam and benefit the community at large,” he said. Yousuf announced a “mega-dawa project” involving passing out Islamic literature at metro stations across the region.
DC Hidayah organizers told the Muslim Link planning is already underway for a much larger conference in 2011, one with a “theme that is relevant to all humanity”. They invite volunteers and supporters to get involved by emailing [email protected].
HIDAYAH >> continued from pg 11
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will include care of 2 children ,and general household duties. Please contact: 407-625-7819
EMPLOYMENTILLUSTRATOR WANTEDChildren Book Author seeking creative Artist for Children Books. Please contact Zubair at 202-419-9356 or [email protected]
FOR SALESALWAR SUITS 3 piece Salwar Suit Special Eid prices 301-598-0055------------------------------------------------MOVING AWAY SALEAll household items for sale, including heavy and light furniture: great condition 1 king size bed set with dresser and 2 side tables, queen size bed set, bunk bed, kitchen table, book shelves, futon, writing desk, computer desk, plasma tv - 52” (with 1 yr warranty remaining), satellite dish, deck table and chairs, all kitchen appliances, table ware, serve ware, rotisserie, crock pot, adult bicycle, lamps, wall decor including calligraphy, books, plants etc. If interested, please call 443-562-9430 or email at miyian@aol.com------------------------------------------------COMMUNITY THRIFT STOREStore hours Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, 5115 Park Heights, Baltimore, MD 21215. Donation accepted or pickup. Slighted
worn items only. Call 410-542-6925 or 443-531-9353 (cell)
MATRIMONIALMOROCCAN SISTER FOR MARRIAGE49 yr old Moroccan Sister looking for Good Muslim man living in USA, she’s a school teacher, educated, never married, family to assist right person with airfare if necessary, contact her Wali at [email protected] or 410-988-0705------------------------------------------------BROTHER SEEKING WIFEGentleman, 57, from Iran, no children. Non-smoker, taxi driver. Seeking Muslim lady for marriage. For more information call Ali from 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week. 202-669-5699.
RENTALROOMS FOR RENT 2 separate rooms for rent in College Park close to Al Huda, University of MD, close to Greenbelt Metro. Call 240-271-9552, or [email protected]
SERVICESHANDYMAN AVAILABLE Assalamu’alaykum! My name is Varga Syahroni. I am an experienced technician in D.C. and Maryland. I offer service and
repair for cooling, heating, plumbing, refrigerator, dish washers, dryer machines and much more. Call me for reliable service! Free estimates (301) 792-1004 or email varga_syahroni@yahoo.com------------------------------------------------WE ARE HERE TO HELP FAMILIES IN NEEDFamily Home Health Agency provides professional personal care and companionship services for senior citizens. We also provide customized care and help with daily living tasks for disabled and injured individuals of any age. Our experienced caregivers provide up to 24 hour service in the comfort of your own home. We accept Medicaid and private pay. Call Family Home Care Services Inc. at 703-933-2223.------------------------------------------------HOME SERVICESLicensed contractor. Home Improvement work, interior/exterior painting, drywall install/repair, brick/concrete repair. License #30385946 Estimates done. Contact Br. Allen Scott at 410-467-1259 or 443-531-9353 (cell)-----------------------------------------------ADVERTISEPlace a classified ad in the Muslim Link newspaper for only $1 for every 3 words. All classifieds run for 3 issues in the Marketplace section. Get started by emailing your exact text to [email protected] and then call in your credit card payment to 301-982-1020 or send a check or money order payable to: The Muslim Link, 5301 Edgewood Rd, College Park MD 20740.
Place a personal classified ad. Call us at 301-982-1020We invite you to place a classified on the web FREE of charge at www.muslimlinkpaper.com. Classifieds in the print edition of the Muslim Link newspaper are only $1 for every 3 words. All classifieds run for 3 issues in the Marketplace section. Get started by emailing your exact text to [email protected] and then call in your credit card payment to 301-982-1020 or send a check or money order payable to: The Muslim Link, 5301 Edgewood Rd, College Park MD 20740.
