"O People, NO PROPHET OR MESSENGER WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO
NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Reason well, therefore, O People,
and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind
me two things, the QURAN and my example, the SUNNAH and if
you follow these you will never go astray.
All those who listen to me should pass on my words to others
and those to others again; and may the last ones understand
my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my
witness, O ALLAH, that I have conveyed your message to your
people".
This is the Final Part of the Farewell Sermon of
Muhammad,pbuh.
(Reference: See Al-Bukhari, Hadith 1623, 1626, 6361)
Sahih of Imam Muslim also refers to this sermon in Hadith
number 98. Imam al-Tirmidhi has mentioned this sermon in
Hadith nos. 1628, 2046, 2085. Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal has
given us the longest and perhaps the most complete version
of this sermon in his Masnud, Hadith no. 19774.
Comment by Kaukab Siddique: Dear Muslims, Islam is a great
trust which has been given to us. It's meant for the entire
ummah. Don't keep it to yourself. Muhammad, pbuh, has given
this great treasure to share with all people who are
searching for the truth. Also, this hadith is a sign to us
that anyone who knowingly attacks the Prophet, pbuh, and
denies his hadith and ridicules his example cannot be our
friend.
Updating the National Central Committee of Jamaat al-Muslimeen &
Shoora: Building an Islamic Agenda in America after Trump &
Hillary
Inshallah, the Shoora will meet after Ramadan. We are
looking for grassroots activists from outside the
Jamaat.
Please recommend active workers for Islam who know peaceful
ways of giving the message.
What happened to the Ummah of Islam in America?
Why are Muslims silent,fearful, leaderless, and cooperating
with kuffar?
This invitation is from:
Imam Badi Ali, Host [NC]
Sis. Ashira Naim, Secretary General [MD]
Br. Robert Solano, Hispanic activist [TX]
Sis. Nadrat Siddique [Washington, DC]
Br. Abu Talib, daee [NY]
Br. Ali Randall & Sis. Ayesha, Political Prisoners Support
Group [VA]
Kaukab Siddique, Ameer.[PA]
Br. Shamim Siddiqi, Adviser [NY]
Note: Br. Shamim's book on the Global Islamic Movement is
important for peaceful Da'wah work across race and class.
Jamaat al Muslimeen activity
in Newark, Delaware.
75 Muslims reached.
On May 27, a 4 page document in color was given to 75
Muslims after juma prayers at the biggest masjid in Newark,
Delaware. It included the following items :
Big move by Muslims in Augusta, Georgia, to inculcate
wellness through walking combined with spirituality.
Research on hadith to give women their rights in Islam. (Dr.
Kaukab Siddique.)
Jamaate Islami leader Siraj ul Haq launches movement against
corruption in Pakistan.
Severe bombing of Aleppo, Syria, by Russia's and Assad's
jets kill several hundred civilians and several hundred FSA
fighters.
Syrian mujaheddin are not retreating.
Imam Badi invites US Muslims to think of discipline.
The papers were well received.
One brother, from Bangladesh, with long beard, gave us the
best du'a and told us "I have seen you doing this for 10
years. Your reward can only be In the Hereafter".
A Meeting with a Deep Thinking Muslim from India who played
a Positive Role in Baltimore.
Dr. Ashruf writes about Muslim encounters with the West.
by Kaukab Siddique
Dr. Syed Habeeb Ashruf, a former President of the Islamic
Society of Baltimore [ISB] made the effort to meet me and
discuss the issues facing Muslims in America. He insisted
that we meet before his continuing travels take him away
again from Baltimore. A couple days back we met at a halal
restaurant and he insisted that I be his guest and he paid
for the lunch. I have known him for years but this was
different. This was a relaxed, detailed meeting.
Dr. Ashruf is an independent minded person, a true
intellectual in the sense that he thinks about issues and
thinks through issues. He comes from a prominent and
distinguished family of Muslims in India and has a genuine
love for Islam. Of course, if one is from India, the love
for Islam is expressed in a way quite different from that of
Muslims in Muslim majority countries.
He is a pillar, a founder, of what is known as Masjid
Rahmah, incorporated as the ISB. He knows that I have
consistently criticized the ISB and its pro-government
attitudes and policies. So, it took a lot of moral courage
on his part to seek me out and ask me for advice and
perspective on the books he wants to publish.
We agree on a couple of points which has helped us to
communicate with each other. One is the equal right of
Muslim women in the mosque. Years back my daughter and I
agitated at Masjid Rahmah about the rights of women. We kept
at it for several years. As we were very much opposed to the
mosque's pro-government attitudes, our "agitation" was
strongly sensed as antagonistic by the people who ran the
mosque. However Dr. Ashruf was listening and he agreed about
the rights of women, and when he was president, women got
their rights in the mosque.
The other issue on which we agreed was that the US
Constitution guarantees the freedom of expression. As
citizens of this country, in a peaceful way, we should
express Islamic dissent against US policies in the Muslim
world as strongly as we wish, without calling for violence.
Unfortunately most Muslims in the immigrant communities do
not understand how this would work.
His writings are very interesting for me. The very title of
one of them intrigues me. It is called: Muslims' Three
Encounters with the West.
Dr. Ashruf is very influential in Indian Muslim communities
and travels widely and continuously [despite his growing age
and receding health], so I reminded him of one of my
complaints about CAIR, a very active pro-government
organization which has deeply infiltrated some of the
biggest communities of Muslims in America. I told him that
CAIR is doing serious harm to America's Muslims by
publicizing on a national scale the most insignificant
incidents in which Muslims are mistreated. Thus CAIR creates
an atmosphere of fear and suspicion as if the entire
American people are our enemies and the governmental
authorities are our friends,
He agreed with me that America's people are definitely not
against Muslims and a prominent mosque like Masjid Rahma has
not suffered any indignity at the hands of non-Muslims.
He in turn pointed out to me that non-Muslims in India do
not hate Muslims though one often gets the impression that
they do. India is a diverse and complex society and
experiences a great variety of interactions with Muslims.
The same is true of America, he said.
Dr. Ashruf is a real gentleman and even asked me about my
children. I told him that my eldest daughter is a PhD and a
psychotherapist helping to straighten out the twisted minds
of many Americans traumatized by the way of life in this
country, my son directs the computer system of an entire
university and my younger daughter, a marathoner, is the
most distinguished critic of Dr. Ashruf's mosque.
Dr. Ashruf is travelling again and I wish him the best in
his Islamic endeavors.
The Passing of a Community Mother—Muneera Afifa
By Nadrat Siddique
May 20, 2016
Burtonsville, MD
Today I attended the janaza of a very old and dear friend,
Muneera Afifa. Idara-e-Jaferia (mosque) very kindly hosted
the services. Immediately after juma'ah prayers, the janaza
(funeral) prayer was held. The scene at Idara resembled a
reunion of Jamaat al-Muslimeen members, former members, and
associates. I ran across Sr. Yasmine Abdul-Jalil; Sr.
Fatimah Abdullah and Sr. Hamdiyah, both from Philadelphia;
Sr. Amatullah; Sr. Safiyyah Abdullah; and Sr. Sumayah
Nahidian and her daughter. Then there was Sr. Najah; Sr.
Zainab Kareem; and Zainab's son Natheer Kareem. There were
others who looked familiar but whom I could not immediately
place. Br. Mauri Saalakhan of the Aafia Foundation had
cancelled a speaking engagement in New Jersey to be there.
Br. Saifuddin Waliullah of Masjid Al-Islam and Br. Khalid
Griggs from North Carolina were there. Jamaat al-Muslimeen
Ameer Dr. Kaukab Siddique, a long-time friend of Muneera,
was not physically present as he had a juma'ah khutbah to
deliver at Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen in Baltimore, but had
sent condolences with his daughter (this writer).
We met, wept, and commiserated with each other, and then
left in a miles long funeral procession for the cemetery.
The interment was held at the Maryland National Memorial
Park in Laurel, MD, where Idara-e-Jaferia holds a section
specifically for Muslim burials.
Muneera was a leading member of the DC chapter of Jamaat
al-Muslimeen c.1978 - 1985. I remembered her being at every
Jamaat meeting, along with her close friend Yasmine
Abdul-Jalil, whom she knew from the Islamic Party.
Yasmine—along with her then husband, Mustafa
Abdul-Jalil—hosted many of the meetings in their
Silver Spring home. She had given Muneera shahada, and the
bond between them was tight.
Muneera was lively, outspoken, and down-to-earth, attending
Jamaat al-Muslimeen meetings with her three small children,
Sulaiman, Nafeesa, and Atiya, whom she did not hesitate to
breast-feed during the meetings. The organization's platform
included racial and gender equality; permissibility of
women's leadership over men (contingent on their respective
taqwa-levels); anti-imperialism; and internationalism.
Muneera encompassed all of these tenets. A Black Washington
DC, native, she appeared regularly at Jamaat al-Muslimeen
protests at the Egyptian Embassy (against the regime of
Hosni Mubarak, known for his torture of political
opponents); at marches through poverty-ridden DC projects
(carrying the revolutionary message of Islam to local
communities); at pickets of the Saudi Embassy (calling for
an end to the monarchy there); and at Jamaat al-Muslimeen
local and national conferences, which relied heavily on her
organizing skills.
"Patience and perseverance," qualities of a Muslim mentioned
throughout the Qur'an, were regularly mentioned at DC Jamaat
meetings. And Muneera exemplified these traits, despite
going through many trials and tribulations at various points
in her life.
To me, she was a tower of strength, unflinching in faith. It
was the era before political correctness, and I was then
attending Annandale High School, a mostly White school in
affluent Fairfax County (just outside Washington, DC). There
were no other evidently practicing Muslims at Annandale High
at the time, and I met major harassment for my adaption of
the hijab. At the time, hijab was not the norm in my
family—my mother wore it nominally; my sister, my
aunt, and my grandmother wore it not at all—and
support for my decision to publicly identify as a Muslim was
nowhere to be found. As daily persecution against me at
Annandale High, including physical attacks by ignorant,
corporate-media informed youth, increased, I looked to
Muneera. She gave me unconditional support for the path I
had chosen, and an affirmation far beyond that of a mother.
Somehow, she found the time and energy to be there for me,
even while being the young mother of three small children.
And- as I heard repeatedly at the janaza, I was not the only
one for whom she did this. As a fellow janaza attendee told
me, Muneera was the mother to an entire community.
As I stood in the cemetery thinking of the pivotal role
Muneera had played during my teen years, and the
selflessness with which she'd given of herself, tears rolled
down my cheeks. The Iranian clergyman conducting the
graveside ceremony went on at considerable length in
Arabic—which most of the attendees clearly could not
understand. He offered durood as-salaam to the Prophet
Muhammad's (SAW) family, including the twelve imams. Oddly,
he could not remember or pronounce the name of Muneera's
father (Glover Collins), in his opening statement.
By this time, Muneera's daughter Nafeesa and son Sulaiman
were completely inside the (open) grave with their mother's
body. They adjusted and re-adjusted their mother's body,
until Muneera lay on her right, with head towards the
ka'aba. (In an Islamic burial, the body is buried directly
in the ground enshrouded in a white sheet, and no coffin is
needed, other than perhaps for transport. Family members are
encouraged to perform last rites themselves, rather than
relying on an undertaker.)
Upon completing the task, Nafeesa emerged from the grave
with shovel in hand, and asked the women to move forward, as
they were to approach the grave first, to offer prayers, or
to symbolically throw dirt on the body. A pile of dirt had
been placed on a nearby cart by cemetery workers. After
heaping several shovel-fulls of dirt over her mother's body,
she offered the shovel to the women watching. Several of the
women, including the stylishly-dressed Fatimah Abdullah from
Philadelphia, were grabbing up handfuls of dirt from the
pile, and placing them in the grave. However, none stepped
forward immediately to take the shovel from Nafeesa, perhaps
because it was rather large and unwieldy. I stepped forward,
and took it, placing several shovel-fulls of dirt over my
beloved friend's body, memories of the years in Jamaat
al-Muslimeen with Muneera flooding my consciousness. I would
have continued in my reverie, but Nafeesa reclaimed the
shovel from me, and offered it to the other women, before
turning it over to the men. The men then completed the job
of covering the body with dirt.
Nafeesa was the heroine of the day. The burial ritual over,
she stood before the crowd, speaking with grace, clarity,
and without breaking down. She thanked the attendees for the
outpouring of love shown her mother, and for their support
of her and her family. I remembered Nafeesa as a small
child, dressed by her mother in dark-colored hijab similar
to the one she wore now. She had flowered into a poised,
self-confident, and beautiful young woman. I knew that her
mother would be proud of the manner in which she presided
over this, most difficult of ceremonies.
Imam Khalid Griggs, of the Community Mosque of
Winston-Salem, poignantly detailed his life-long friendship
with Muneera. He mentioned how she would energize any
Islamic project with which she was involved, and how it was
hard for her to refrain from becoming involved any time she
heard of positive Islamic work being done.
The last time I saw Muneera was at a gathering for Palestine
(Quds Day) in Washington, DC. It was Ramadan and well into
the fast, and everyone was feeling its effects. Traversing
the crowd to get to me, Muneera greeted me with her
characteristic loving embrace. From the time frame described
by family members, she may have already seen the onset of
the disease which ultimately took her life. But there she
was, undaunted, by heat, fatigue, and hunger, a Black woman
standing up for Palestine. May Allah forgive her sins and
grant her Paradise.
Muneer Khalili's Column: "Let History Decide."
Critical Report on Kaukab Siddique by Eminent Pakistani
Islamic Scholar.
Where he Went Wrong.
The era of al-Banna and Maudoodi is over.
Rebuttal by Kaukab Siddique
Muneer Khalili has written what he thinks is devastating
criticism of my views. He titled it "Let History Decide."
Muneer Khalili has impressive credentials as a brilliant
critic of the deterioration of politics and society in
Pakistan. He also has Islamic background in the classical
Islamic theories of Maulana Maudoodi and Jamaate Islami. In
recent years, his criticism of Pakistan has branched out
into growing criticism of current and recent Jamaate Islami
leadership: including Syed Munawar Hasan who has now been
replaced by Sirajul ul Haq, both of whom I admire.
In some ways he is like me in his cynicism towards
established views.. He has given a fairly reasonable
introduction to me, especially my stance against Israel and
my skepticism of the Jewish holocaust story.
However, my analysis of the jihad groups does not mean that
I have been recruited. Khalili goes wrong in connecting me
to al-Qaida, Taliban, Boko Haram and the Islamic State [for
which he uses the pejorative term "Daesh."]
He attributes horrific atrocities to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
almost in passing as if these are facts. His understanding
of Osama bin Laden is the weakest part of his writing.
Some CONTEXT would help Khalili sahib to understand the
world today.
His ;praise of Maulana Maudoodi and Hassan al-Banna and the
founders of the Muslim Brotherhood is fulsome and here I
agree with him. Jamaate Islami and the Muslim Brotherhood
did the best that has been done in our times to make Muslim
intelligentsia aware that Islam is second to none.
It is a complete way of life. Islam is better, far superior,
to the western way of life, in every field, be it social
transformation or spiritual rejuvenation. It's a major
achievement. Rooted in the poetry of Iqbal and the emergence
of Pakistan, Muslim scholars have scored a huge victory over
the hearts and minds of Muslims which can never be reversed,
inshaAllah.
The problem with the teachings of Maudoodi and the Muslim
Brotherhood is that they have no way of stopping the brutal
assault on the Muslim world by western powers armed with the
latest jets and tanks. The intelligence services of the
dictators installed by the West in Muslim countries did not
see any brutality, immorality and treachery as shameful.
When Syed Qutb, the top Islamic scholar of Egypt was
humiliated and executed, there was nothing the Muslim ummah
could do. When Maulana Maudoodi was sentenced to death for
opposing the Qadiani attempt to undermine Pakistan, the
people could only demonstrate in the streets. Fortunately
the government was dissolved by the exigencies of politics
and he survived. Whenever the Pakistani government felt
threatened by the spread of Maudoodi's teachings, the regime
simply imprisoned him along with the entire Shoora of
Jamaate Islami.
The Muslim governments were extremely weak. The Soviet Union
captured Kabul and its environs in three weeks. The Saddam
regime collapsed within a month after the US invasion and
after Iraq had been starved almost to death by UN-US
sanctions.
The democratically elected Islamic movement in Algeria was
physically crushed. Today we see the elected President of
Egypt Mohammed Morsi imprisoned by a morally bankrupt
military regime.
It looked like Islam could never face the brutal military
power of the West.
However, unthinkable Islamic power was being generated by
the suffering of the Muslim Ummah. Out of Egypt came the
lilting recitation of the Qur'an by Shaykh Omar Abdel
Rahman.in which one can hear the taqwa of Allah which was
once seen in the sword of Khalid Ibn al-Walled, r.a. Dr.
Omar's PhD
from Al-Azhar was in the study of Jihad. He pointed out what
Muslims had forgotten, that Jihad is farde 'Ayn, not farde
kifaya.
From the depths of Egyptian prisons came Dr. Ayman
al-Zawahiri, and from Saudi Arabia, Osama. the man who gave
up the world to go and live in Tora Bora, and then his
successful hook up with Mullah Omar. Osama took the awe of
the west's military might out of the minds of Muslims. What
does torture do to Muslims? It is a terrible error committed
by the West. Remember that the leader of the 9.11 hijackers,
Mohammed Atta, was also an Egyptian.
Khalili sahib, the world has changed. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
announced the caliphate and demolished the barrier between
Syria and Iraq erected by Sykes Picot. Don't you understand
that anyone who sets up the Caliphate will be targeted by
the united power of the West. They accuse him of the
weirdest crimes while concealing the horrors perpetrated by
their puppet regimes.
Notice what Bangladesh is doing to the gentlest, peace
loving scholars of Jamaate Islami. In Egypt, General Sissi
shot down more than a thousand unarmed demonstrators in
Cairo in broad daylight. Any problem with that? No, it is
business as usual in the West.
Three invasions of Gaza by Israel. Did any "Muslim" ruler do
anything? Did the West stop the carnage? ZERO. More than a
thousand Palestinian children were killed. Masjid al-Aqsa is
under Israeli occupation. Can Jamaate Islami or Muslim
Brotherhood do anything ?: Zero.
What Bashar al-Assad and the Nigerian military have done
make General Sissi and Netanyahoo look like choir boys.
SIXTY THOUSAND people have been tortured to death by the
Assad regime.
In Nigeria, 7,000 civilians supporting Boko Haram have died
in "extra judicial detention" [Amnesty International Report.
Nigerian children and babies have also been killed.]
These are the realities hidden from Khalili sahib.The era of
al-Banna and Maudoodi is over though we must always honor
them. This is te era of Shaykh Osama and al-Baghdadi.
Allah has given Khalili sahib and me the ability to analyze
and report honestly. That is the trust given to us by Allah.
I am not connected in any way to any of these groups. I
could live my life comfortably instead of facing ejection
from my university job by Zionist groups. Our duty is to
obey Allah and follow the Messenger as best as we can.
Spotlights & Guidance from Br. Badi
The Process of Making the Right Decisions
Making right choices and wise decisions is not a matter of
"luck." It is a matter of knowing and applying the keys to
successful decision-making.
Learn to make right decisions by filling your mind and heart
with Islam and applying the Quran and Sunnah.
It is important to avoid jumping to conclusions. We should
always analyze the situation from every angle and consider
the end result of the various alternatives.
Beware letting others rush you or pressure you into a
decision you may regret. They may not always have your best
interests in minds.
Always seek advice, input and counsel from qualified,
experienced and knowledgeable experts when in need.
Don't plunge in headfirst before testing the waters.
Do not allow your emotions or personal desires drive your
actions, for it will lead to a bad or wrong decision.
- Br.Badi Ali leads a large Muslim Community in Greensboro,
NC
War News
Syria
Intense bombing by US Air Force. Devastating Attacks by IS.
Fighting around Damascus between Muslims! Prison drama in
Hama.
May 27:
The most intense bombing till now was carried out by
the US air force on Islamic State targets in northern Raqqa
province. Following 150 bombing strikes, SDF, consisting of
YPG Communist Kurds and secularist Syrians advanced 5 km
against IS. [Raqqa, the Caliphate's capital is 50 miles
away.]
Assad's troops attacked Islamic fighters of FSA in Jobar
[Damascus suburb] but were repulsed
May 27-29:
Yarmouk brigade [Palestinians supporting IS] is
fighting al-Nusra for control of the refugee camp which is
the best entrance into Damascus. Owing to inter-Muslim
fighting, the resistance could not enter Damascus.
North of Aleppo, IS advanced after fighting FSA factions.
Here the issue is access to the Turkish border.
May 28-29:
In Hama, the prisoners who had taken over the
prison, captured the chief of the prison and his associates
after reports that Assad had reneged on his province to
pardon them from death sentences.
Assad's troops have been evicted from the countryside east
of Hama after FSA fighters killed 47 of the regime's troops.
Grim fighting is going on between IS and Assad's elite
troops around Deir ez-Zor.
May 24:
A strategic Russian air base in the desert west of
Palmyra [Syrian name Tadmur] was wiped out by Islamic State
fighters using Grad missiles from captured weapon stocks.
Four Russian helicopters were destroyed along with 20
lorries filled with missiles for use by the helicopters.
Also destroyed was a supply depot on the base> Syrian regime
jets parked nearby were damaged. [Satellite imagery
published by Stratfor indicates that this was a devastating
attack.]
May 23:
After the news came out that the Assad regime has
tortured to death more than 60,000 civilians in its prisons
over 5 years, Islamic State fighters attacked the Alawite
cities of Tartus and Jableh in Latakkia province on the
coast. The attacks were carried out by 6 martyrdom operators
and hit key infrastructure in the two cities which are the
bastions of Assad's supporters. [These are the first attacks
on Assad's heartland.]
AFP's latest report is that 120 people were killed and more
than 300 injured in the attacks. Assad's regime admitted
101.
The regime's propaganda machine seems to have lost balance
and claimed that Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia had carried
out the attacks.
Breaking News: A massive attack by Peshmarga Kurds 13 miles
from Mosul was repelled. Reuters reports US/Canadian troops
were with the Kurds on the frontline. Wounded Kurds were
seen being shuttled out. [May 29]
Afghanistan
New Trend's Comment on the Drone Killing of Taliban Leader:
It's a Strategic Blunder.
New Trend has been reporting on the Afghan conflict ever
since it began with the Soviet invasion all the way through
the NATO occupation.
The assassination of Mullah Mansour is meant to defeat the
Taliban, not make peace with them. The demand of the Taliban
has been that the Americans must leave before there can be
peace. That demand has not changed.
The Taliban movement is not based on one leader who can be
killed to subdue the movement. Any betrayal will bring about
drastic reprisals and aggressive changes. Notice that the
Islamic State has taken over Nangarhar province and many
more will go that way if there is betrayal which the
Americans call peace.
Americans have long believed that if the leaders are killed,
the movement will end. They spent millions of dollars to
find and kill Shaykh Osama but today his message and
movement, often with other names, has become global. In
Iraq, Zarqawi was killed and today we have Baghdadi.
Ahmed Rashid and Yusufzai have often been wrong and I think
this time will be a repeat for them. [Within three days
after the top leader was killed, the Taliban, through Shoora
across the country, had chosen a new leader and launched an
attack in Kabul.]
New Taliban Leader Takes Oaths On Video.
Oaths are pledged to Haibatullah Akhundzada after the
group's previous leader Akhtar Mansour was killed in a drone
strike.
Video has emerged apparently showing the Afghanistan
Taliban's new leader, mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada,
accepting an oath of allegiance from tribal scholars and
elders.
The two-minute clip circulating on the internet, which Sky
News has been unable to verify, shows a man purporting to be
Akhundzada embraced before a group of 20 men join hands and
appear to swear loyalty to their leader. It comes days
after the Islamist group's previous leader mullah Akhtar
Mansour was killed in a drone strike authorised by Barack
Obama, elevating Akhundzada in a swift power transition.
News.Sky.com/story/1701705/taliban-name-new-leader-after-mansours-death
Multiple US drones targeted Mansour as he rode in a vehicle
in a remote area in Pakistan along its border with
Afghanistan, south-west of the town of Ahmad Wal, according
to a US official.
Pakistan government spokesman Sartaj Aziz condemned the
strike, declaring it was a "violation of Pakistan's
sovereignty" and that Pakistan had "conveyed our serious
concern to the United States".
The strike "undermined the Afghan peace process," Aziz
said.
Blessings of Ramadhan
Alhamduli'Allahi Rabbil-'Aalameen
wa-Salaatu wa-Salaamu 'alaa
Ashrafil-Anbiyaa-e-wal-Mursaleen~
Amma 'Baa'd.
by Sis. Yasmin
'Assalaamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu'
33 Blessings Of Ramadhan...{!}
The Blessings and Benefits of Ramadhan Fasting are too many
to be counted. If one does recognize them and realizes their
importance, he would wish to have the month of Ramadhan
throughout the whole year...! These blessings are given by
ALLAH to the fasting Muslims, [who should fast with full
faith and expectation.]
These blessings and benefits of the month of fasting during
Ramadhan have been grouped and summarized into different
categories. They are summarized here without commentary. It
should be remembered that all of these blessings were taken
directly from Holy Quran and Hadith.
The following is a partial list of the blessings and
benefits of Ramadhan Fasting:
Taqwa: "O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fast)
is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before
you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious)" [Quran
2/183] -
What is Taqwa?
Fearing Allah (SWT)
Practicing the Revelations of Allah (SWT)
Accepting the little things that one has achieved
Preparing for departure from this world to the Hereafter
Self-discipline
Self-control
Self-restraint
Self-education
Self-evaluation
By accepting these criteria and by practicing them, the
Muslim will achieve the concept of Taqwa in his private and
public life.
Protection:
Avoiding Immorality
Avoiding anger/outcry/uproar
Avoiding stupidity
Avoiding all makrooh/mashbooh/haram
By achieving these good manners, a Muslim will come out of
fasting a better human being in society.
Revelation of Holy Quran:
The Holy Quran was revealed during the month of
Ramadhan."The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the
Qur'an,a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the
guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)" [Quran
2/185] .
The Holy Quran is meant to be:
A Guidance to mankind
A Manifestation of right from wrong
A Summation and culmination of all previous revelations
A Glad-tiding to the believers
A Healer
A Mercy.
Doors of heaven are open (Hadith Ahmed, Nasai, Baihaqi)
Doors of hell are closed (Hadith Ahmed, Nasai, Baihaqi)
Devils are chained down (Hadith Ahmed, Nasai, Baihaqi)
Fasting with Iman (faith) and expectation:
Such an intention leads to forgiveness by Allah (SWT) for
the individual's sins.(Hadith Ahmed, Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah)
Door of Rayyan:
There is in Paradise a door called Al-Rayyan. It is for the
fasting Muslims. Only those who fasted the month of Ramadhan
are the ones to enjoy the bliss of Paradise inside that
area.
Rejoicing:
There are two types of rejoicing for the Muslims who fast.
These are...
When breaking the fast
When meeting Allah (SWT) on the day of Judgment .(Muslim
6/2568, Ahmed)
Mouth Smell:
The smell of the mouth of the fasting Muslim will be better
than the smell of musk during the day of Judgement.
Glad-Tidings:
Glad-tidings are given to the well-wishers while the
ill-wishers are
to be stopped during fasting.
Yearly Training of abstaining from sins, lying,
smoking...
Multiplication of Rewards:
Doing good = 10 X~ 70 X~700 X or more during the month of
Ramadhan!
Feeding Others:
Whoever invites others to break the fast, and whoever takes
care of the hungry, needy, during Ramadhan will receive
equal rewards to the fasting person(s).
Blessing of Iftar:
Dua is accepted by ALLAH (SWT) at Iftar time.[Alhamdullilah]
Blessings of Sahoor:
(The late night meal) " The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
said, "Take 'Suhoor' as there is a Blessing (Barakah) in
it."(Bukhari 31/146) :
This meal time gives the opportunity for:
Night Prayers
Zikr, Remembrance, Contemplation
Recitation of Holy Quran
Fajr Salat in Jamaat
Dua of Fajr.
Night Prayers:
Whoever performs the Night prayers with sincerity and good
intention will receive forgiveness of his past sins. He who
observed prayer at night during Ramadan,because of faith and
seeking his reward from Allah, his previous sins would be
forgiven.(Bukhari , Muslim 4/1662)
Shafa'at :
(Pleading One's Case for Forgiveness (Hadith Ahmed):
Whoever fasts Ramadhan will receive on the day of Judgement
the Shafa'at of:
Ramadhan (Hadith Ahmed)
Holy Quran (Hadith Ahmed)
Ihya (Passing Nights Awake):
Last ten days of Ramadhan. When a Muslim makes this type of
effort, he will get rewards, forgiveness, and multiple
blessings.
I'tikaf :
A Muslim who performs I'tikaf ('Sunnah') during the last ten
(10) days of Ramadhan will get:[Hadith below]
Blessings and rewards
Peace of mind
Contemplation and evaluation.
Narrated Aishah (r.a) Prophet (Peace be upon him) used to
practice I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan till he
died and then his wives used to practice I'tikaf after
him.[Al-Bukhaari (2026) and Muslim (1172)]
Lailatul Qadr (The Night of Power):
Whoever observes it with sincerity and good intention will
get the following benefits:
Forgiveness of mistakes .(Bukhari 1/34)
Better than 1,000 months
"The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand
months" ['Quran' 3/97]
Dua
Zikr
Prayers
Reading Holy Quran
Rewards
Blessings
Better human being.
Generosity :
Kindness, hospitality, visitation, etc. All of these and
many more are among the benefits of Ramadhan.
Zakat & Zakat al-Fitrah (Charity on Eid Day):
The benefits of paying this charity to the needy are
tremendous, among which are the following:
Purity
Feeding the needy
Sharing happiness
Improving human relations
Improving society.
Sadaqah (Charity):
The benefits of paying 'Sadaqah' are many.These are
summarized as follows:
Purity
Flourishing of wealth
Improving economy
Circulation of wealth
Elimination of inflation
Elimination of poverty
Fasting and Health:
By fasting, one gets the following benefits:
Purification of body from toxins
Reducing of weight
Purity of brain
Rejuvenation of body
Living of life with happiness
Looking younger.
Change of Lifestyle:
By living a different lifestyle, one gets rid of the
monotony of life
and hence enjoys his life span.
Sharing:
Of hunger, thirst, food, 'Salat'...and rituals with others
makes you feel one with society.
Eid-ul-Fitr (Feast) :
Sharing of happiness and visitation of one another as
members of society.
Graveyards Visitation:
One will get the following benefits by visiting graveyards.
Dua for the deceased
Preparing oneself for departure from this world
A Feeling of respect for the deceased
Making the individual become humble in his life.
Every breath is Tasbiih.
Every breath and even sleep is Ibadah and awarded.
'Umrah in Ramadhan:
Performing 'Umrah during the fasting month of Ramadhan
is:Equal to one Hajj (pilgrimage) 'Perform 'Umrah' when
Ramadan comes, for 'Umra in Ramadan is equal to Hajj (in
reward)[Bukhari 3/10, Muslim 7/2884]
Historical Successes and Victories .
In Ramadhan: Muslims throughout their history have
received many benefits during Ramadhan [the month of
fasting.]
Learning lessons from historical incidents that
happened during the month of Holy Ramadhan.[the month of
fasting]
My 'Salaams' to All
~ Y a s m i n
Say, 'Indeed, my Prayer, my Rites of Sacrifice,my Living and
my Dying are for ALLAH, Lord of the Worlds'
{'Quran'~Surat Al-'An'am -# 6-162.}
The Real U.S.
New York
Vietnamese Muslim: Given 40 years instead of 50 because he
Confessed! Victimless crime: He Could Have!
SPACE , the LOWEST JANNAT [paradise]
& TASTE OF IMAN [faith]
by M. Ali Reza [Bangladesh]
Imam Gazzali wrote in the middle ages: A person who has no
knowledge of space/universe, his taste of Iman is comparable
to an impotent man who has no feelings of making love's
extraordinary extreme enjoyment. After completion of the
punishment of Jahannam, hell, the least person would get
space of Jannat [paradise] that is 10 times the size of the
world. Then could we imagine the size of space for the best
rank of heavenly people.
LATEST SCIENCE ABOUT THE UNIVERSE:
Three fourth part of Earth is water; half of the earth's
people live on one hundredth part of the land of Earth
(recent report of NASA).Our Sun is an average ordinary star.
The Sun is the closest star to Earth and the center of our
solar system. The sun has been producing light energy for
about 4.6 billion years and will do so for another 5 billion
or so. The Sun measures 1.4 million km in diameter which
means that 109 Earths could fit across its surface and 1.3
million Earths would fit inside it. The Sun is nothing but a
star. On the other hand, a galaxy is a vast group of stars
built together. It is estimated that there are 100-125
billion in the Universe . They are not scattered randomly
but exist in clusters, vast distances apart. All the
galaxies together take up just two millionths of space.
Size & shape of galaxies:
The largest are more than a million light years across (One
light year =9.4 trillion km).The smallest, called dwarf
galaxies, are a few thousand light-years wide.
Andromeda measures 250,000 light-years from side to side.
Trillions of stars are arranged in one of four basic shapes:
spiral, barred spiral, elliptical, or irregular. Each star
follows its own orbit around the center of the galaxy. Stars
in a spiral galaxy typically take a few hundred million
years to make an orbit. A single galaxy is made of billions
or trillions of stars. The most distant object that can be
seen by the naked eye from the Earth is Andromeda galaxy
which is 2.9 million light years from us.
Expanding Universe:
In astronomical observations of stars, galaxies and other
sources of light, we can determine how fast the sources are
moving, either directly away from us or directly towards us,
by measuring the Doppler shift of the light that reaches us.
If a certain star were at rest relative to us, we would
detect light from it with a certain proper frequency.
However, if the star is moving either directly away from us
or directly toward us, the light we detect has a frequency
that is shifted from the proper frequency. This is due only
to its motion directly toward us or away from us. If the
source is moving away from us, the Doppler shift is called a
red shift that is the wavelength increased. Thus it is
possible to measure the relative speeds at which galaxies
are approaching us or receding from us by measuring the
shifts in the wavelength of the light they emit. If we look
only at distant galaxies, beyond our immediate galactic
neighbors, we find a astonishing fact. They are all moving
away (receding) from us. In 1992 Hubble established a
connection between the apparent speed of recession of a
galaxy and its distance from us - namely, that they are
directly proportional. It shows, the Universe has been
expanding at the rate of 70 km per second. The discovery of
the expanding of the Universe is one of the greatest
revolutionary discoveries of the twentieth century.
More importantly, Al Quran narrates, "With power did We
construct the Universe. Verily, We are able to extend the
vastness of space thereof." : Surah 51-Adh-Dhariyat; Ayat
47.
Again we see, all the galaxies together take up just two
millionth of space. Even in the present context of the
universe, 10 times of the Earth for the lowest one is
nothing but a simple matter.
New Trend's Attitude Towards Shias. We Keep the door open
but we don't accept any abuse.
I advise you to please recant your statement that the
shiites are our brothers. How can you make such an
unintelligent statement while proclaiming your stance behind
the truth?
The Qur'an and the Sunnah are our only sources for
legislation. How can you call a group upon shirk and
misguidance our brothers? People who curse the Sahabas, who
believe that the Qur'an you got in your home is not the real
Qur'an and so many other heresies they perpetuate.
I call you to refute these cancers in the body of this Ummah
and to make sincere repentance to Allah for this
mistake.
Mujahid ibn Abdellah [New York]
New Trend's position
Dear brother-in-Islam:
If they believe In tawheed, risalat and Akhirat, and don't
abuse the sahaba or the Quran, and don't Support Kuffar
against Muslims, we are okay with them.
We are aware of the fitna of this sect specially owing to
their alliance with Bashar Assad and their collusion with US
imperialism.
However, our da'wa is very strong, inshAllah, and we want to
keep the door open for those who want to give up sectarian
attitudes. We should be aware that many of them are ignorant
of the authentic teachings of Islam. Iran has serious
internal problems and among them are many sincere people who
are looking for authentic Islam.
For those who want to do good, we should not turn away from
them. The Qur'an gives us guidance on how to deal with those
who do not attack Islam and want to live in peace and
justice with us. Remember the ordinary Shia is as much
depoliticized as is the ordinary Sunni.
So be assured, we will never consider those as our
brothers/sisters who attack the sahaba or insult the
authenticity of the Qur'an or support the kuffar and the
tyrants.
