The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam began as something strange and will revert to being strange as it began, so give glad tidings to the strangers.”
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Friday, January 15, 2010
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Bilal Philips is offering free online Islamic courses. After the completion of these courses, diplomas and certificates will be given out.
What a great way to study Islam, educate yourself and increase your knowledge! You can then use your diploma/Certificate to teach others at masjids!
I just enrolled and would encourage everyone else to take a look. You go at your own pace which makes it perfect for those of you who have busy schedules!
“Allahumma infa’ni bima ‘allamtani, wa allimni maa yanfa’oni wa zidni ‘ilman, alhamdulillahi alaa kulli haal, wa a’odtho billahi min haali ahlil naar.”
O Allah, grant me benefit in what Thou hast taught me, teach me what will benefit me,
and increase my knowledge. Praise be to Allah in all circumstances.
I seek refuge in Allah from the state of those who go to Hell.”
(Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 2482 Narrated by)
Hadeeth: Three people’s du`aa are never rejected: the one who is fasting, until he breaks his fast; the just ruler and the one who has been wronged. Allah raises it above the clouds and the doors of the skies are opened for it, and the Lord says, ‘By My Honour and Glory! I will help you, even if it be after some time!’” [Tirmidhi]
(If you get a chance please check out sister Nida´s blog, her blog is devoted to spreading the word of islam)
All praise is due to Allah ta'aala as is deserved by His Majesty and Great Power. I send prayers and ask for blessings upon His Noble Messenger (sallallahu alayhee wasallam) who drew the path for us to the pleasure of Allah and His Jannah. This path is a straight one that is surrounded by virtue from all sides and attends to the best moral characteristics which are increased by the clothing of purity, concealment, and chastity. It is the path trod by the two halves of human society, namely the man and the woman, toward harmonious contentment and happiness in this life and the Hereafter.
This is precisely why the Protector, the blessed and above all imperfection, has made wearing hijaab an obligation upon the woman as a safeguard of her chastity and protection of her honor and sign of her faith ( Iman). It is on account of this that societies (both Muslim and non-Muslim) that have distanced themselves from the way of Allah and deviated from His straight path, are ill societies in need of treatment that will lead them to recovery and happiness.
Among the pictures that point to the distance of society from that path and that make clear the level of its deviation and separation from it is the open spread of women not just uncovering their faces but enhancing and making a display of their beauty. We find that this is manifested regretfully, in Islamic (Muslim) society despite that Islamic clothing is also widespread. So then, what are the reasons that have led to this digression?
Excuse One: I'm not yet convinced (of the necessity) of hijab
I was fourteen years old and my relationship with my parents was on the edge just like any other teenager. I started to become interested in boys. I felt as if no one understood me, not even my friends. I especially didn´t feel pretty with my braces.
It all changed when I met him . It was fascinating to know that a college student would care so much about me. He was the most wonderful person. He treated me like a queen, and soon we became the best of friends. I felt I could tell him anything. As our friendship progressed, we talked about different topics including religion. He had different beliefs than me; he was Shia while I was Sunni. We always argued upon the differences. He had a way with making things sound better than what they were. Soon I became very confused.
A few years after I had reverted to Islam, the topic of Mut´a came up. I wasnt familiar with Mut´a and found out that Mut´a is a temporary marriage in which the man has no financial responsibility to the woman or if she gets pregnant their child. This type of marriage which was once allowed for 3 days in our prophets time (p.b.u.h.) during war and was then made forbidden, is still practiced amongst shias and is usually practiced to fulfill their sexual needs all the while lying to themselves that it is allowed islamically (Basically they are giving themselves excuses to date and have sexual relationships with women.) Even though some of their top shia scholars are against Mut´a, many shias still practice this today. Its not uncommon for new reverts to be approached by shia males who will try to convince you that this is islamically allowed and something good. To understand Mut´a one must first understand why it was allowed back in our prophets time and understand the history of shiaism and how they deviated from the straight path after the death of our prophet (p.b.u.h.) Today I will focus on Mut´a and in another post I will focus on the history of shiaism.
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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... Because of Shirk, innovations and leaving the Sunnah
All Praise is for Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) Lord of all the creation and May His peace and Blessings be upon is last Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) and upon the Prophet's (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) family and upon the companions and on all those who follow the path of guidance until the last day.
Without doubt the Muslim Ummah is in a divided and fragmented state and that this division is prohibited in Islam. Rather Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has enjoined upon us to hold onto the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala), which we established is the Qur'an and the Sunnah as understood by the Companions. But how did we reach this state in the first place, what causes disunity?
Peace of mind, contentment, happiness and freedom from worries and anxiety. These things are what everyone wants, and these are the ways in which people can have a good life and find complete happiness and joy. There are religious means of achieving that, and natural and practical means, but no one can combine all of them except the believers; although other people may achieve some of them, they will miss out on others.
Here follows a summary of the means of achieving this aim for which everyone is striving. In some cases, those who achieve many of them will live a joyful life and a good life; in other cases, those who fail to achieve all of them will live a life of misery and hardship. And there are others which are in between, according to what the means he is able to attain. These means include the following:
In ancient pagan times, the last day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere was celebrated as the night that the Great Mother Goddess gives birth to the baby Sun God. It is also called Yule, the day a huge log is added to a bonfire, around which everyone would dance and sing to awaken the sun from its long winter sleep.
In Roman times, it became the celebrations honouring Saturnus (the harvest god) and Mithras (the ancient god of light), a form of sun worship that had come to Rome from Syria a century before with the cult of Sol Invictus. It announced that winter is not forever, that life continues, and an invitation to stay in good spirit.
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Tuesday, December 22, 2009
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AL-QUR`AN, The Miracle of Miracles
Ahmed Deedat
chap1
Say: If the whole of mankind and jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur`an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.
What is a miracle?
I think it is necessary that we have a clear picture of what we mean by a miracle.
The Prohibition of Things is Due to Their Impurity and Harmfulness:
It is the right of Allah, the One Who created the universe and bestowed innumerable favours upon mankind, to legalise or prohibit as He deems proper.
In Islam things are prohibited only because they are impure or harmful. If something is entirely harmful it is 'haram', and if it is entirely beneficial it is 'halal'; if the harm of it outweighs its benefit it is haram, while if its benefit outweighs its harm it is halal. This principle is explained in the Qur'an in relation to wine and gambling:
"They ask you concerning wine and gambling. Say (O Prophet); in them is great sin and some benefit for human beings, but the sin is Greater than the benefit..."(Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:219)
"You're American? Oh, your husband must be from the Middle East." "But you weren't raised that way" "You better watch out for those men, I saw that movie." "But it's not you, I know you better" "Why are you trying to look like an Arab?" "You don't have to dress that way, modernize." "Aren't you hot with allthose clothes on."
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Friday, December 4, 2009
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As a new Muslim changing your name to a muslim name might have crossed your mind or perhaps you have been pressured by other muslims to change your now that you are muslim. You are feeling confused and overwhelmed.
A convert to Islam is not obliged to change their name to a muslim name. However, if the non-muslim name has a meaning that is against Islamthen selecting a new name would be advisable.
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Wednesday, December 2, 2009
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For new muslims, praying in Arabic can be overwhelming as well as intimidating. One of the first surahs from the quran that I memorized when I reverted to islam, was Surah 112, Al-Ikhlas (Purity).
Al-Quran is divided into thirty equal divisions, which are called juz in Arabic. There are 114 chapters, of varying length. The longest chapter is Al-Baqarah consisting of 286 verses and the shortest
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Saturday, November 28, 2009
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American convert Saraji Umm Zaid offers practical advice for the new Muslim on this sensitive issue.
(Addressed primarily to females, but mostly relevant to both sexes.)
This is probably the hardest thing you will have to do as a new Muslim. For many people, it poses the prospect of opening up old wounds, risking hurt feelings on both sides, and threatens to rip apart familial relationships. For others, they know that they will be accepted by their parents, siblings, and other family members unconditionally.
American convert and writer, Yahiya Emerick, suggests ten easy things that every Muslim family can do to contribute to the betterment of Muslims and the establishment of Islam in the West.
I've often been confronted with people who are really motivated to do something for Islam, but who were aimless. You know what I'm talking about. Sometimes we are so filled with feelings of wanting to help but we don't really know where to begin.
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Friday, November 27, 2009
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It is highly recommended for women and children to accompany their spouses and fathers to the masjid for the Eid Prayer. The prophet (peace be upon him) used to encourage his companions to bring their whole family for this prayer. Nevertheless, back in our prophets era women used to dress much more modestly and adhered to the sunnah sometimes even more strictly than the male companions themselves.
The Festival of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha) is one of two major Islamic celebrations and takes place on the tenth day of the Islamic month Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar in which millions of Muslims from around the world make an annual pilgrimage to Makkah in order to worshipAllaah and to commemorate the willingness of the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) to sacrifice his son Ishmael in response to a command from Allaah.
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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"[True] believers are those whose hearts tremble when [the Name of] Allah is mentioned, and when His verses are recited to them it increases their faith, and who put their trust in their Lord." [Surah Al-Anfal (8), Ayah 2.]
Alhamdulillah Allah has opened your hearts and guided you to the beauty and truth of Islam. You are most likely feeling happy, relieved, yet scared *to tell your family and friends that you are now Muslim* overwhelmed *praying 5 times a day in Arabic, wearing hijab, fasting and more. These are normal feelings and
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
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The importance of the prayer in Islam cannot be understated. It is the first pillar of Islam that the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned after mentioning the testimony of faith, by which one becomes a Muslim. It was made obligatory upon all the prophets and for all peoples. Allah has declared its obligatory status under majestic circumstances. For example, when Allah spoke directly to Moses, He said,
"And I have chosen you, so listen to that which is inspired to you. Verily, I am Allah! There is none worthy of worship but I, so worship Me and offer prayer perfectly for My remembrance." [Taha 13-14]
This is an interesting article which addresses a major problem in most Muslim communities. Although it has been written specifically for Malay Muslims, just replace the word Malay in this article, with say, Bengali or Indian or Pakistani and you will get an article fit for any culture The author is a Malay who wrote this letter to members in his immediate community. - ITMR Webmaster
As a new muslim it can be overwhelming trying to find information about islam on the internet or at your local bookstore. Which books should you read, which ones are biased, etc. Therefore I am listing some websites I have found to be very beneficial to not only new muslims but anyone seeking to gain more knowledge about Islam.
One site that i came across which i would suggest staying away from is http://www.convertstoislam.com/ this site looks innocent enough, however it was created by shias and will confuse a new muslim as well as teach him or her incorrect teachings of Islam. For now, all you need to know is that Shia means sect,and was formed after the death of our beloved Prophet (p.b.u.h.) A lot of the teachings of Shiaism go against the Quran and the Sunnah of our beloved prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.).
If knowledge is power then those who control the modern western media (visual and print) are most powerful because at a personal level they determine what we like or dislike; what we wear and how we wear it; and more importantly they decide what we should know and what we must not know abut ourselves.
At an international level, they decide what others should wear and what they must not wear; how they should conduct themselves and how they must not conduct themselves; and what they
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Sunday, July 19, 2009
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1. Allah Loves to Be Asked
He encourages that in all things. He is angry with the one who does not ask of Him and He encourages His slaves to ask of Him. Allah says:
"And your Lord said: "Invoke Me [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation)" [Noble Quran 40:60]
