Enter At Your Own Risk

Uses of Kalimah "Allāh" in phrases

2006-02-25T19:39:00.000+08:00

Enter At Your Own Risk:Educational Resources,News Alert,Notes on Understanding Islam,Sunnah,Quran,Kids Fun Web,Arabic Sites
Uses of "Allāh" in phrases
There are many phrases that contain the word Allāh:

Allāhu Akbar (الله أكبر) (God is the greatest)
A'uzu billahi minashaitanir rajim (I seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan, the Damned)
Bismi-llāh (بسم الله) (In the name of God)
Inshā'Allāh (إن شاء الله) (God-willing)
also the origin of the common Spanish interjection "Ojalá", which shares a similar meaning.
probably also the origin of the Portuguese interjection Oxalá, "let's hope for it" or "let's hope that...".
Yā Allāh (يا الله)(Oh God)
may be the origin of the Spanish and Portuguese exclamation "Olé!".
Mā shā' Allāh (ما شاء الله) ([Look at] what God has willed!)
Subhān Allāh (سبحان الله) (Glory be to God)
al-Hamdu li-llāh (الحمد لله) (All praise be to God)
Allāhu A`alam (الله أعلم) (God knows best)
Jazaka Allāhu khayran (جزاك الله خيراً) (May God reward you for your deeds)
"Allāh" appears in a stylized form on the flag of Iran, in the phrase "Allāhu Akbar" on the flag of Iraq, and as part of the shahādah on the flag of Saudi Arabia.

"Allah" is not correctly used as a man's name. See Arabic name#Mistakes made by Europeans and other non-Arabs.

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

Al Asma Al-Husna

2006-01-25T19:52:00.000+08:00

List of Names

The 99 Names of God according to the tradition of Islam are:

Allah (الله) The God

Al Rahman (الرحمن) The All Beneficent

Al Rahim (الرحيم) The Most Merciful

Al Malik (الملك) The King, The Sovereign

Al Quddus (القدوس) The Most Holy

Al Salam (السلام) Peace and Blessing

Al Mu'min (المؤمن) The Guarantor

Al Muhaymin (المهيمن) The Guardian, the Preserver

Al 'Aziz (العزيز) The Almighty, the Self Sufficient

Al Jabbar (الجبار) The Powerful, the Irresistible

Al Mutakabbir (المتكبر) The Tremendous

Al Khaliq (الخالق) The Creator

Al Bari' (البارئ) The Maker

Al Musawwir (المصور) The Fashioner of Forms

Al Ghaffar (الغفار) The Ever Forgiving

Al Qahhar (القهار) The All Compelling Subduer

Al Wahhab (الوهاب) The Bestower

Al Razzaq (الرزاق) The Ever Providing

Al Fattah (الفتاح) The Opener, the Victory Giver

Al Alim (العليم) The All Knowing, the Omniscient

Al Qabid (القابض) The Restrainer, the Straightener

Al Basit (الباسط) The Expander, the Munificent

Al Khafid (الخافض) The Abaser

Al Rafi' (الرافع) The Exalter

Al Mu'izz (المعز) The Giver of Honor

Al Mudhill (المذل) The Giver of Dishonor

Al Sami' (السميع) The All Hearing

Al Basir (البصير) The All Seeing

Al Hakam (الحكم) The Judge, the Arbitrator

Al 'Adl (العدل) The Utterly Just

Al Latif (اللطيف) The Subtly Kind

Al Khabir (الخبير) The All Aware

Al Halim (الحليم) The Forbearing, the Indulgent

Al 'Azim (العظيم) The Magnificent, the Infinite

Al Ghafur (الغفور) The All Forgiving

Al Shakur (الشكور) The Grateful

Al 'Ali (العلى) The Sublimely Exalted

Al Kabir (الكبير) The Great

Al Hafiz (الحفيظ) The Preserver

Al Muqit (المقيت) The Nourisher

Al Hasib (الحسيب) The Reckoner

Al Jalil (الجليل) The Majestic

Al Karim (الكريم) The Bountiful, the Generous

Al Raqib (الرقيب) The Watchful

Al Mujib (المجيب) The Responsive, the Answerer

Al Wasi' (الواسع) The Vast, the All Encompassing

Al Hakim (الحكيم) The Wise

Al Wadud (الودود) The Loving, the Kind One

Al Majid (المجيد) The All Glorious

Al Ba'ith (الباعث) The Raiser of the Dead

Al Shahid (الشهيد) The Witness

Al Haqq (الحق) The Truth, the Real

Al Wakil (الوكيل) The Trustee, the Dependable

Al Qawiyy (القوى) The Strong

Al Matin (المتين) The Firm, the Steadfast

Al Waliyy (الولى) The Protecting Friend, Patron, and Helper

Al Hamid (الحميد) The All Praiseworthy

Al Muhsi (المحصى) The Accounter, the Numberer of All

Al Mubdi' (المبدئ) The Producer, Originator, and Initiator of all

Al Mu'id (المعيد) The Reinstater Who Brings Back All

Al Muhyi (المحيى) The Giver of Life

Al Mumit (المميت) The Bringer of Death, the Destroyer

Al Hayy (الحي) The Ever Living

Al Qayyum (القيوم) The Self Subsisting Sustainer of All

Al Wajid (الواجد) The Perceiver, the Finder, the Unfailing

Al Majid (الماجد) The Illustrious, the Magnificent

Al Wahid (الواحد) The One, the All Inclusive, the Indivisible

Al Samad (الصمد) The Self Sufficient, the Impregnable, the Eternally Besought of All, the Everlasting

Al Qadir (القادر) The All Able

Al Muqtadir (المقتدر) The All Determiner, the Dominant

Al Muqaddim (المقدم) The Expediter, He who brings forward

Al Mu'akhkhir (المؤخر) The Delayer, He who puts far away

Al Awwal (الأول) The First

Al Akhir (الأخر) The Last

Al Zahir (الظاهر) The Manifest; the All Victorious

Al Batin (الباطن) The Hidden; the All Encompassing

Al Wali (الوالي) The Patron

Al Muta'al (المتعالي) The Self Exalted

Al Barr (البر) The Most Kind and Righteous

Al Tawwab (التواب) The Ever Returning, Ever Relenting

Al Muntaqim (المنتقم) The Avenger

Al 'Afuww (العفو) The Pardoner, the Effacer of Sins

Al Ra'uf (الرؤوف) The Compassionate, the All Pitying

Malik al Mulk (مالك الملك) The Owner of All Sovereignty

Dhu al Jalal wa al Ikram (ذو الجلال و الإكرام) The Lord of Majesty and Generosity

Al Muqsit (المقسط) The Equitable, the Requiter

Al Jami' (الجامع) The Gatherer, the Unifier

Al Ghani (الغنى) The All Rich, the Independent

Al Mughni (المغنى) The Enricher, the Emancipator

Al Mani'(المانع) The Withholder, the Shielder, the Defender

Al Darr (الضار) The Distressor, the Harmer (This attribute can only be found in hadith.

Al Nafi' (النافع) The Propitious, the Benefactor

Al Nur (النور) The Light

Al Hadi (الهادئ) The Guide

Al Badi (البديع) Incomparable, the Originator

Al Baqi (الباقي) The Ever Enduring and Immutable

Al Warith (الوارث) The Heir, the Inheritor of All

Al Rashid (الرشيد) The Guide, Infallible Teacher, and Knower

Al Sabur (الصبور) The Patient, the Timeless

Dhul Fazl al Azim (ذو الفضل العظيم) The Lord of Infinite Grace (Q 2.105, 3.74, 8.29, 57.21, 57.29, 62.4) Note: This name, although found in the Qur'an, is not and never was part of the traditional list of the 99 names of Allah.

Please note that the English translation of names may have a slightly different meaning than the original Arabic word due to the words available in each language.

100th Name of God

Muslims teach that there are 99 names for God and that the 100th name is hidden. The idea has become a kind of mystery with little references to what it means. (Mellis J.K.)

Once again, the Hadith about the names of God says:

"Verily, there are ninety-nine names of God, one hundred minus one. He who enumerates them would get into Paradise."

(Sahih Muslim, Vol. 4, p. 1410)

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

مبارك عليكم الشهر

2005-10-03T11:25:00.000+08:00

مبارك عليكم الشهر
Originally uploaded by - PreçiouS mõi -.

Greetings and Ramadan Mubarak!
May Allah gave us the strength and energy to fullfill this month of obligation in our utmost best piety and with serenity.

Boy, 6, has committed Quran to memory

2005-09-03T10:25:00.000+08:00

Boy, 6, has committed Quran to memory

By BILL OSINSKI
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/27/05
The little boy can barely comprehend the Quran, but he knows it word for word.

It took Safiyullah Khan about 16 months of studying more than six hours a day to memorize the holy book of Islam, according to his father, the imam of the Georgia Islamic Institute in Lawrenceville.

What makes the remarkable achievement even more so is that the language of the Quran is Arabic, which is not Safiyullah's native tongue. More remarkable still is the fact that Safiyullah is still about four months shy of his seventh birthday.

Safiyullah, who was born in America, has American toys and loves to devour books from the local library. Yet, in his little boy's voice, he can rattle off any passage of the centuries-old foundation of his faith,according to his father and other religious leaders who've tested the boy.

The son's accomplishment is a source of pride to his father, Hafiz Ghaffar Khan. "It is very rare for a young boy of this age to be able to do this," said Khan, adding that he had not been able to find a record of anyone younger than Safiyullah having memorized the entire Quran.

More importantly, however, it demonstrates the central role of prayer in the life of a Muslim, he said. "Prayer is the most important duty of every Muslim," Khan said.

Other religions also place a high value on memorized prayer, sometimes in languages foreign to the student. Jewish students memorize passages from the Torah in Hebrew. Until church reforms in the 1960s, many Roman Catholics learned prayers and hymns in Latin, and studies in that language are still required of candidates for the priesthood. Memorizing Bible verses has long been a standard drill for children in Protestant vacation Bible schools.

But there is an added dimension to the memorization of Quranic prayer in Islam, Khan said. At most mosques, the five-times-daily prayers are typically led by a man who knows the prayers from memory, he said. During the holy month of Ramadan, memorized prayer is a requirement for the prayer leader at virtually all Muslim houses of worship. Also, it is typically required that an imam who knows the Quran by heart stand behind the prayer leader to offer corrections in case any mistakes are made.

That is why most Muslim boys start memorizing the Quran at an early age, Khan said. Making this more challenging is the fact that the book must be memorized in Arabic, no matter what the student's native language is.

In Safiyullah's case, Arabic is his third language. The family's first language is Urdu, the language of Khan's homeland, Pakistan. Safiyullah is also fluent in English, and his skills in that language are such that he can pick up an adult religious book and read it flawlessly.

Safiyullah does not yet fully understand the Arabic passages he has memorized, Khan said, but that will come, he said. Khan said he reviewed the boy's progress practically every day to ensure that the passages were being memorized correctly.

It is his hope that his son will follow in his footsteps and become an Islamic religious leader and scholar. He wants Safiyullah to earn the same name he earned, "Hafiz," which means "one who protects or preserves." But for at least a few more years, Safiyullah will also be a growing boy.

Inside the mosque, he usually wears a traditional costume of an embroidered silk tunic and pants, with a small knit prayer cap. Outside, he likes to ride his bicycle and play soccer or basketball with his older brothers. He plays computer games and Legos.

Safiyullah is being home schooled, but he doesn't have to be coaxed to go to the library; rather, he pesters his brothers to take him, and he typically goes more than once a week and comes back with eight to 10 new books each time. His favorite literary character is Arthur, the decidedly human-like young aardvark from the PBS television series.

Memorizing the hundreds of pages of the Quran he usually holds close to his small chest was a challenge, but not a chore, Safiyullah said. "It makes me happy," he said.

In late July, there was a brief recognition ceremony at the Lawrenceville mosque to honor Safiyullah's achievement.

Qazi Fazlullah , an imam from California and a longtime friend of Khan's, came for the event and tested Safiyullah on the sacred book. In a recent telephone interview, Fazlullah said he called out the chapter and verse designations of several passages. Not only did the boy recite them correctly, but his Arabic pronunciation was flawless, Fazlullah said.

"He is a child gifted by God," Fazlullah said, adding that in his research, he had to go back 350 years to find an account of a Muslim scholar who had memorized the Quran at the age of 7.

Shabbir Mansuri, founding director of the Los Angeles-based Council on Islamic Education, said it would be practically impossible to verify definitively the claim of a historical precedent for the boy's achievement. It is common for young boys to study to memorize the Quran, and in many Muslim communities, the age at which the complete book is memorized is usually not recorded, he said.

"What is celebrated is that the child has finished reading the Quran in Arabic," Mansuri explained.

"The age is not as important as the completion."

Others can assign historic significance to his feat, but the child prodigyis focused on the next level of the merging of the spirit and the mind.

"Very soon," Khan said, "he will be able to recite the entire Quran in one day."

Quran Cares About the Environment

2005-07-01T23:00:00.000+08:00

The Qur'an Cares About the Environment

Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi

Islamic Concept of Education & Economy as Seen in the
Sunnah

) 1418 AH El-Falah, Cairo, Egypt

It is quite striking to the fair researchers how the Quran
and Sunnah cared about the environment. For example, the Quran says:

"Do they not look at the camels how they are created" (88:17)

Here the Quran mentions camels rather than other animals. The
reason behind that is to attract the attention to this remarkable animal and
calling people to contemplate about its structure, properties and benefits, as
it is the closest of the grazing live-stock to the Bedouins who are addressed
directly by the Quran.

The Quran speaks repeatedly of grazing live-stock (camels,
sheep, cattle) rather than other animals that might exist in other areas. The
reason is that it wants to attract the attention of the addressed people to the
animals present in the surrounding environment in order to make use of them; be
grateful to the Bounties of Allah, to eat its meat and drink its milk.

"Pure milk palatable to drinkers." (16:66)

Also, to enjoy their sight when you are leading them in the
morning and bringing them back in the evening.

"And wherein is beauty for you, when you bring them from home
in the evening and as you lead them forth to pasture in the morning." (16:6)

The same is mentioned in the Quran about the bees; their
homes, various kinds, nutritive and medical values in a Surah called "The Bees".

Likewise, the Quran talks about the date-palm, grapes, crops
of diverse flavor, the olive and the pomegranate similar and different. Here the
Quran stresses on two important aspects:

Enjoying its beauty:

"Look at their fruits thereof when they bear fruit and upon
its ripening." (6:99)

Making use of its substance, but paying the due Zakah
prescribed by Allah.

"Eat of their fruit when they bring fruit, but pay the due
thereof (its Zakah according to Allahs Order) on the day of its harvest. But be
not extravagant." (6:141)

It was repeatedly mentioned in the Quran: Forbidding from
spoiling the earth after Allah (Exalted and Almighty) has created it suitable
and well prepared for the successive human generations. It announced that Allah
does not like spoiling or those who spoil in life, this includes spoiling
environment, polluting it or being aggressive with it. Also it is forbidden to
abuse it in any way that would make it deviate from the purpose of Allah created
it for. This would be like showing ingratitude to Allah, that would cause
vengeance from Allah, and becomes like a warning to those who perpetrated this,
that severe penalty will almost come upon them as what happened before to the `Aad
and the Thamud and those who came after them.

"Who did transgress beyond bounds in the land (in the
disobedience of Allah) and made therein much mischief. So your Lord poured on
them different kinds of severe torment. Surely your Lord is Ever-Watchful."
(89:11-14)

This is like the punishment that came upon the Saba who did
not appreciate the bounties that Allah gave them; the fertile land, the fresh
pure water, the sweet-smelling gardens, and they showed reluctance, neglected
the land and wasted their source of bounty. Allah (Exalted and Almighty) said:

"Indeed there was for (the) Sabaa sign in their dwelling
place. Two gardens on the right hand and on the left (and it was said to them):
Eat of the Provision of your Lord and be grateful to Him, a fair land and an
Oft-forgiving Lord. But they turned away from the obedience of Allah, so We sent
against them Sail al-`Arim (flood released from the dam) and we converted the
two gardens into gardens producing better bad fruit and tamarisks and some few
lote-trees. Like this We required them because they were ungrateful disbelievers
and never do We require in such a way except those who are ungrateful
disbelievers." (34:15-17)

http://islaam.com//Article.aspx?id=436

Study the Noble Quran Word-for-Word (Part 1)

2005-06-21T11:17:00.000+08:00

This has been my intention to study the Noble Quran and understand the meaning so that I will always be aware of what I am saying during prayers. The steps taken to ensure that this does not remain only a dream is by doing daily reading of the tafsir(translated meaning) of the Holy Quran.

There are also several tools that can be used so I will update my blog with more options, Insya' Allah.

Here is one option, simple and cheap.
"For the first time word-for-word English translation to increase the awareness of the Arabic verses (Arabic - English)

Translation by: Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali - Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Compiled by Dr. Muhammad Amin, Ph. D. [USA]

To understand the Qur'an it is necessary that one should know the translation of every word of the verse. Therefore, to convey to the people, the more accurate meaning of the Qur'anic verses, the word-for-word translation of the meanings of the Noble Qur'an is produced. Since mere word-for-word translation itself does not lead to the complete understanding, the idiomatic translation is also produced on the same page to facilitate for the complete awareness.

View the book.

Baba Salam

2005-06-17T11:49:00.000+08:00

A Revolutionary step in Darussalam History!
Baba Salam 2

A new fun way to help yourself and your kids in memorizing Surahs of the
quran and Dua's (supplications). Each button on the laptop plays a
different Surah or Dua'.

Notes:

Special Features:

60 touch buttons (each button plays a different Surah or Dua’)
Includes
all daily Dua’s, last 14 Surahs, last verses of Surah Al- Baqarah,
Salat, Dua’ Istekhara, Sayyadul Istighfar & many more (listed below
on the screen shot).
Portable laptop size and shape
A specious gift for children and helpful for parents and teachers.
Very useful for incarcerated persons and those who have no access to correct pronunciation of the Arabic.
External adapter support
Requires 3 AA batteries (not included)
Makes and excellent gift

All Baba Salams are tested before shipping to check for defects.

International orders for this item will not be entertained due to excessive expense for returning the defective one.

This Complete Quran for Baba Salam 6 - The Teacher includes 10 booklets with 10 dongles (cartridges) each consisting of 3 Parts (Juz) of The Noble Quran. Recitation is done by Imam-e-Kaba Abdur Rahman As-Sudais and Imam Saud Ash-Shuraim.

You can listen to individual ayahs (some maybe combined according to the recitation) or the whole page. You may also listen to selected individual words which are colored in blue in the booklet.

Sunni Shia Unity

2005-05-30T14:24:00.000+08:00

IN THE NAME OF GOD THE BENIFICIENT THE MERCIFUL.

Sunni-Shia Unity

A lecture by

Shaykh .Ahmad Deedat

The Following speech By Shaykh Ahmad Deedat, who is a world renowned Sunni scholar from South Africa was made following his trip to the Islamic Republic of Iran on 3 March , 1982.

INTRODUCTION

In the Holy Quran, Allah (SWT) says "It is he who has sent his apostle with guidance and the religion of truth so that he may make it prevail over all religions even though those who worship false Gods may detest it" (Quran 9:33). Even though the United States, Russia and all the superpowers may detest it. Allah's promise is not conditional on the strength of the superpowers. In its widest sense the Islamic movement spans the entire ummah, in its narrowest it represents that part of the ummah which is most advanced in its struggle towards establishing Islam as a total way of life.

A few years ago one could not recognize a single leading edge in the Islamic movement. This was the bleak outlook which faced the ummah as history moved into the final decade of the 14th century Hijra. But the world was unaware of the Islamic movement in Iran. Iran under the ex-shah was beyond the pale of Islam. Iran was a blind spot. We were Sunni and our age old ignorance was deep and total, and thus when the Islamic revolution in Iran began to make headlines in early 1978. The bulk of Muslims, who called themselves Sunni, were caught unaware. The Shah's propaganda had then blamed the Islamic masters. The western media, and the Muslim media manipulated by the west, and the alienated regimes of Muslim countries had then dismissed the events in Iran as insignificant. All of us were slow in recognizing the new reality in Iran. There has been a systematic attempt at smearing Islamic Iran. And the western media deliberately promoted false accounts of the events of the Islamic revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini who was indeed the founder of the revolution, and the leader of the Islamic republic of Iran.

This campaign against Iran is nothing new. Right from the beginning vested interests have carried on an unending campaign against the Islamic revolution in Iran. this evening our guest speaker, Mr. Ahmad Deedat who is a distinguished scholar of Islam, who hardly needs any introduction to the public and who has just returned from his trip to Iran, will present to us his first hand account on Iran. I now call upon Mr. Ahmad Deedat to speak to you.(applause).

Shaykh Ahmad Deedat

I seek refuge in the accursed Satan, In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful.

The Holy Quran says:

"And if you turn away (from Islam and the obedience of Allah), He will substitute you for some other people, and they will not be like you." Quran 47:38

Mr. chairman and brothers: While we are looking skeptically of the miracle of a nation reborn. Allah's inexorable decree is finding its fulfillment in the rise and fall of nations which is mentioned in the verse I have just read to you from Surah Muhammad. In the last section of the last verse Allah(swt) reminds us, and warns us that if ye turn back from your duties and responsibilities if you do not fulfill your obligations then he will replace you with another nation.

Our urdu speaking brethren use these words so beautifully when they describe some mishap that occurs in the community in talking about that other nation that can replace them. It is actually Quranic. And this really has been happening throughout history again and again. Allah (swt) first chose the Jews, the Bani Israel as he tells it in the holy Quran: "O children of Israel! call to mind My favor which I bestowed on you and that I preferred you to all other nations."(Quran 2:47). That favor was that they should become the torchbearers of the knowledge of God to the world. This was the honor, this was the privilege that was at first given to the Jews But because they did not fulfil their end of the obligation, a Jew amongst the Jews Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) as recorded in the Christian gospels told them "That the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."(The Bible, Matthew 21:43). And that nation, we will happily own up is the Islamic ummah. It was taken away from the Jews and given to the Muslims. The Muslims then, among them who were the Arabs at first, were given by Allah (SWT)the privilege that they became the torchbearers of light and learning to the world , but when they relaxed and failed to bring forth the fruits, Allah(swt) replaced them with another nation. In history, we remember the Turks and Mongols destroyed the Muslim empire and when they accepted Islam they became the torchbearers of light and learning to the world.

As Iqbal beautifully describes this situation: "O' you Muslims, you will not perish if Iran or the Arabs perish, that the spirit of the wine is not dependent on the nature of it's container." The container is our nations, our boundaries and the spirit of Islam is not dependent on our geographical boundaries or national limitations. So this is what Allah (swt) does again and again, he chose the Jews then he chose the Arabs then when they became lax he chose the Turks and when they became lax another people and so on and this is a continuous process. If you don't do the job, Allah(swt) will chose another people who will. In the world today there are a thousand million Muslim, that is ,one billion we boast! And 90 percent of this one billion happens to be the Sunni branch. We have stopped delivering the goods so Allah(swt) chooses a nation that we have all been looking down upon. The Iranians! The Shias! History has been very unkind to our brethren in Iran that the shah happened to be the ruler, and his name happened to be Muhammad. Imagine, that this mans name happened to be Muhammad and he really wasn't a believer. It's hard for us to imagine today, but once you go to that country and you go into the details and find out what was going on. That this Iranian the shah it seems to be,that he was a foreigner. If Hitler conquered this land and oppressed them, then we could understand. If the Russians conquered the people, we can understand. But here is a man who is an Iranian, speaking Persian, whose name was Muhammad, and look at what he was stooping to. For sixteen years he had forbidden Jummah prayers. Sixteen years. We had been equating Iran with the shah and the shah with Iran. To us they were synonymous terms. But when you go into details we learn that the shah and the Iranian people were both apart. They were in reality foreigners to one another.

Now about this visit of mine to Iran and my impression. Let me begin with the place where I had the first fragrance of this Iranian brotherhood of ours and it happened to be in Rome. First I smelled it, and then some of my companions had smelled it in the Rome airport. We were waiting to get on the plane, and we had some problems with visas and one of our men was given the responsibility of overcoming these problems. So he goes to the Iran air office and he tells our problem to a young lady wearing full Islamic attire with her body well covered. It was Beautiful, Just beautiful to look at. And I mean that when you look at these people in this attire you see that they are beautiful people. So there was a lady in Rome and you brothers should have seen the way she handled these problems. And someone came to me and told me, man if you want to see a real Iranian Muslim girl you should come over and I went and some others went and we saw. And that was the first whiff we had of the Iranian ummah in Rome.

When we landed in Iran, we were taken to a five star hotel which was there before the revolution known as the Hilton hotel but is now known as Hotel Istiqlal. And we were taken around. to places of interest and I will relate to you some of the things we saw and I will try to describe the feelings one has. If I remember correctly, the first thing we visited was the Behesht Zahra cemetery. Behesht means paradise in Persian and Zahra is the title of Fatima Al-Zahra (AS) who was the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (saw). And Zahra means the radiant one. So it was called Radiant paradise. And before arriving in Iran, I had read about the Behesht Zahra cemetery. And I remember when Imam Khomeini had arrived in Tehran he made a trip to the cemetery. And I'm thinking why does one go to the cemetery? To make du'a? Yes. For the departed souls? Yes. And when you think of cemeteries here in South Africa you think of Brookstreet and Riverside. You cant imagine that this cemetery is square kilometers by square kilometers. You Just cant imagine. It is a big open ground where about a million or two million people can be accommodated. And people gathered here because it is the easiest place where people can release their emotional and spiritual baggage because there you have the martyrs. Their were 70,000 or so people who were martyred in this revolution and 100,000 maimed. Unarmed people with only the slogan "Allahu Akbar" as their weapons had toppled the mightiest military force in the middle east. So we went to this cemetery There were about a million people there. There were men and women and children and we were greatly inspired by the enthusiasm and the feeling of our brothers and sisters there. It was mid winter there, and the men and women and children were sitting on the cold ground for hours on end. In mid-winter on the ground with no carpets or chairs! A nation that could endure that discipline for hours on end , you can only imagine what destiny Allah(swt) has planned for them. A day or 2 later on my program I read Behesht Zahra cemetery, again. The first time we went for a lecture, but we had seen the graves people reciting poems of sorrow and reciting dua' and I thought this second visit would be redundant. Why should one go a second time? I've seen what a cemetery is. But all my companions were going and I thought if everyone else was going, it wouldn't be good for me to stay in the hotel relaxing when all my companions are going in these buses to a cemetery. But I went and I became very happy. And the second time I went it was a Thursday afternoon and Thursdays in Iran is like Saturdays for us. And tens of thousands of people were in the cemetery. This was a custom. It was like Eid. Tens of thousands are there, for what else, but to charge their spiritual batteries. It was a constant reminder to not forget. "My son gave his life for Islam" or "my father gave is life for Islam " that they gave their life for Islam. With that kind of system, Every Thursday is a spiritual injection and reminder that they are willing to give their life for Islam.

There was a town hall that accommodated 16,000 people, compared to the biggest town hall in South Africa which is the Good Hope Center in Capetown for 8,000. This was built by the shah to boast his own "Aryan myth". He was boasting not only that he was the shahanshah or king of kings, but also that he was the aryamehr, light of the Aryans. What is this Aryan sickness? Remember Hitler bragging about being Aryan because the Germans are Aryans. And the Hindus boasting we are Aryans. If my people, the Gujarati people, weren't Muslims we'd be boasting about being Aryans as well. The ex shah claimed to be the light of Aryans and he built this monument as a tribute. He built another monument spending millions to commemorate his ancestor Cyrus the great, a pagan, a mushrik and squandering the wealth of this nation for this project. In 1984 he was supposed to have the world Olympics in Tehran to boost his ego even further. In this town hall we saw athletics, gymnastics, acrobatics. Unfortunately we Muslims here in South Africa are like jellyfish, that is we have made ourselves into jellyfish. Our young men do not participate in that kind of activity. Who here does athletics, gymnastics, acrobatics we do not do that here. It's not for us. Who does jogging, You know the young people here, when I meet them I shake hands with them and they are like jellyfish. Almost every young man you meet in Iran appears to be an athlete. They are doing sports on a world standard and it makes one feel so happy because there they are not projecting Iran. They are not talking about Iran "we are Iranians, we are Aryans" instead they are talking about Islam, about Islam, about Islam. There was not one semi-naked girl, not a single girl who was half naked there. If the shah had his way, if he was alive and organized it, there would have been semi-naked girls for everyone to stare at and feast upon.

In Iran everything is Islamic to strengthen the morality of the people, boosting the men and women by the thousands. We were thrilled , we were thrilled to see our children, we felt as if theses were our children, our own brothers and sisters, we were really thrilled. We saw these as things that our children can do. Then we went through a military parade with different groups of Iranian men and there was no shortage of man power. You know, some people want to go and help our Iranian brethren. Alhamdulilah there is no shortage of man power they only want the tools, and the weapons. If the Iranians had the military weapons that the Israelis had, the whole of the middle-east would be free from every kind foreign intervention in no time. This is a nation that can do it. The spirit is there, the spirit of Jihad is there in each and every man and woman in the nation. It seems that the whole nation is involved in promoting Islam. We are talking about 20 million people that they can put into the field. If they had the weapons and the materials, every man woman and child would can go and do jihad.

Then we visited the Iraqi prisoners of war. As you know when this war started Iraq attacked Iran. The whole country was in turmoil. Iraq felt that the Jews did it to the Arabs in 6 days, then they will do it to the Iranians in 3 days and the whole world thought that in one weeks time, Iran would crumble to pieces. And do you know how long it has been now? It's been a year and a half, and even more. And in the beginning there were twenty to one odds against them in men and materials and the Iranians turned the tables and brought the odds to 3 to one still against them. And they were able to push them back. They recaptured all their land and a hill that was named Allahu Akbar. Before I went to Iran Dr . Kalim Siddiqui from the UK jokingly remarked that "you guys have half a chance of becoming martyrs (shahid).." It was a joke and it nearly became true. While we were coming out of a city on the war front there was a field of tanks. And our young men came out of the buses and started to climb onto the tanks taking pictures to show people back home. Then one of the tanks in the courtyard came out for a training demonstration on how it works and suddenly we hear gunfire and in the distance we saw smoke coming from a few places and some of our young men got scared and started hiding behind bushes., and it turns out that we were under attack from the Iraqis. And there were bombs exploding all around us and Allah (swt) saved us. And remember Khaled had said that was half a chance that we would become martyrs, well it almost became a full chance. (laughter).

We visited those wounded in the war and no one was complaining about what had happened to them. One man had his leg amputated, and there were no tears, I never saw a single tear from anyone, and they were asking if it was possible to go back to the front. Their regrets were not about their injuries but why they can't go back to the front to fight and become shahid, this is the ambition of each and every Muslim there. When we visited the prisoners of war the Iranians had captured 7000 prisoners of war and they looked healthy, well clothed, well fed. One of my friends was interested in finding out what the Iraqi prisoners felt about their condition first hand. And anyone he asked said that they were being looked after very well. Then I had an idea. Some were here for over a year and others for a few months and I was wondering how many people had committed suicide. And I asked each group of the prisoners of war and asked each group how many people committed suicide. They said not one. I then asked the next group and so on. Not one single person committed suicide amongst the 7800 prisoners of war. And if we look at our so called civilized western country of South Africa, 46 people committed suicide in our prisons this year alone and they are well fed well clothed have their own cells and 46 committed suicide so far. And if people are not well treated some are going to want to find an easy way out but there was not one single person who committed suicide amongst the 7800 prisoners of war.

We went to visit the Imam, Ayatollah Ruhollah Musawi Khomeini. There were about forty of us who waited for the Imam and the Imam came in and was about ten meters away from where I was, and I saw the Imam. He delivered the Lecture to us for about half an hour, and it was nothing but the Quran, the man is like a computerized Quran. And the electric effect he had on everybody, his charisma, was amazing . You just look at the man and tears come down your cheek. You just look at him and you get tears. I never saw a more handsome old man in my life, no picture, no video, no TV could do justice to this man, the handsomest old man I ever saw in my life was this man. There is something unique to his name, too. First he is called Imam Khomeini. The word Imam is to us a every cheap word. Wherever we go somewhere we ask who is the Imam of the Masjid here. To the Shia there is only one Imam in the world and he is the Twelfth Imam , they believe in the concept of Imamate and that the Imam is the spiritual leader of the ummah. And the first Imam according to the school of Imamate is Hazrat Ali(RA). Then comes Imam Hassan who is the second Imam, Imam Hussein the third Imam all the way until the twelve Imam, Imam Mohammad who disappeared at the age of 5 and they are expecting his return. They use the term "occultation" something like a spiritual hibernation like the Ashab Al-cahf. And that he is expected to come back and he is the only one in the world who can be called Imam. Most of their scholars are called mullah, and Ayatollah means Allamah And Ayatollah Khomeini is called Imam out of respect but they are waiting for the real Imam to come. Ruhollah is the name his father gave him and do you know what it means? Ruhollah means the 'word of God' and this is the title of Hazrat Isa(as) in the Quran. Then he is Ayatollah which is another title of Hazrat Isa(as) in the Quran. Al-Musawi is from the family Musa and from the city of Khomein which is where his last name Khomeini comes from. ...(break in audio at 41: 05 seconds). But they are waiting for the Mahdi, and not Khomeini. They want to clean the stables and make preparations for the Mahdi to come. In the Sunni world we are also waiting for the Mahdi to come but we want him to clean the stables for us, make us masters of the world and to make us sit on the thrones. The Sunni world is just passively waiting. Until then we can carry on with all our petty little squabbles, whatever we are carrying on now. And it is only the Imam Mahdi which can clean the world for us. This is the Sunni line of thinking. Khomeini on the other hand tells his followers that we must help prepare the way so that when he does come everything is already set up for him to act on. While we, the Sunni world are waiting for Imam Mahdi to pull the chestnut out of the fire for us, the Shias are preparing the world for his arrival.

You know there were many people with us from all over the world. And I found types and types and types of sick people, a mental sickness that is. I came across an alim from Pakistan Mauna Sahib and he thought that there was something wrong with our Shia brothers. You see in Iran when someone is lecturing and the name Khomeini is mentioned people stop and everyone says durood on the Prophet(S) three times. But when the name Mohammad is mentioned they send durood once. And this alim from Pakistan says " look at these people just look at them. What kind of Muslims are these people. When the name Mohammad is mentioned they send durood on the Prophet(s) once but when the name Khomeini is mentioned they send Durood on KHOMEINI three times."

I said " What do they say , what do they say in this so called 'durood on Khomeini'. "

He said: Peace be upon Mohammad and the family of Mohammad.

I said " Who is Mohammad? Khomeini? Who named Khomeini as Mohammad. Their durood is on Prophet Mohammad(s) and you say it is on Khomeini."

You know it's a sickness. There are many learned men but their minds are so prejudiced. They are just looking for faults. [1]

Another example is that the Shia brothers when they make salat, they have a piece of clay (turbah) that they do sajjdah on. And he says "see what they are doing here. This is shirk. They are worshipping a piece of clay. " I said why don't you ask them why they place their foreheads on a piece of clay and learn the logic behind this. You see, the first time I experienced this was in Washington D.C., the Iranian students there had invited me to give a lecture there at the university where they were studying in America. At that time, it was time for Isha and we made salat. And everyone was given a piece of clay. I at the time thought it was so funny, so I put it aside and I made my salat with the Iranian students. And after salat I wanted to know about this and I asked them. Why do you carry this clay tablet everywhere you go in your pocket. They said " we are supposed to do sujood on Allah's earth with our foreheads touching the earth. We say "subhanna rabia Allah" three times with our foreheads touching the earth." So the Shia want to actually touch the earth with their foreheads and not a manmade carpet. They want to be true to the expression of praying with the forehead actually touching Allah's earth. You see they don't worship the clay tablet as many wrongly think. And this is always something that we Sunnis are always making fun of and mock the Shia, but on my way out from Tehran across the plane in the aisle were two Shias and when prayer time came one of them took his clay tablet out of his pocket and, Allahu Akbar, performed salat right there on the plane in his seat, and when he finished he gave this to his neighbor and he performed salat. And this may seem like a joke to us. Isn't it? And there were dozens of Sunnis on the plane and out of those dozens of Sunnis only one young man did the salat, and I tell you that young man wasn't me. But we are laughing at the other Guy. He is sitting there and doing something better than we are and we make fun of them and sit in judgement. He may not as polished and refined as we are in South Africa. You know we Muslims in South Africa are very polished and refined in our salat. The Arabs are no match for us, the Iranians are no match for us, the Americans bilalans, the Negroes they are no match to us. With the Arabs you are bowing down in ruku and the guy next to you pushes you aside to make space.(laughter) Who knows brothers, maybe it is valid, we don't know. You know, between the four Sunni mazhabs the Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki and Shafei there are over two hundred differences in salat alone. Did you know that? Two hundred. But we take it for granted. The Shafei says amin loudly and we say it silently, they say bismillah loudly we say it silently and there is there is no problem. A s a child my father would repeat the famous formula that he in turn learned from his father. : "all the mazhabs are equally valid and the truth for them is in the hadith and the Quran." And so we accept it. When it comes to the Shafei, Hanbali, Hanafi and Maliki we are tolerant but when it comes to the Shia you see he is not in the formula that we are taught as a child, so what ever little idiosyncrasies there exists between us and them we cant tolerate and reject we say that he is out because we are programmed to believe in only the four. But we accept the idiosyncrasies between the four.

I say why cant you accept the Shia brothers as a fifth madhab. And the astonishing thing is that he is telling you that he wants to be one with you. He is not talking about being Shia. He is shouting "there is no Sunni nor Shia there is one thing, Islam." But we say to them "no you are different you are Shia." This attitude is a sickness of the devil. He wants to divide us. Can you imagine we Sunnis are 90% of the Muslim world and the ten percent who are Shias want to be partners and brothers with you in faith and the 90% are terrified. I cant understand why should you the 90% be so terrified. They should be the ones terrified. And if you just knew the feelings that they have for you. During Jummah prayers in Iran, there are a million people. And you should see the way they look at you when you pass by, they recognize that you are a foreigner and not one of them and tears start rolling down their cheeks. This is the feeling that they have for you, but you say no, you want to keep they out, afraid that they will absolve you. You can only be absolved if there is something better than what you have. I don't know, maybe some of you think I am a Shia, but I'm still with you all here. What is all this Shia-Sunni tensions? It is all politics. These antagonisms we have are all politics now. If a Sunni brother somewhere does something wrong you say oh the individual is not being very Islamic, he is a kaffir, But if a Shia does something wrong you want to condemn the whole Shia community, the whole nation of millions, and say they are all rubbish just because one Shias actions are not very Islamic. At the same time where we look the other way if one of your relatives does something serious because he is your father or your uncle. One group of Sunnis says to another "you are not a Muslim" another group of Sunnis says "you are not a Muslim you are a kaffir" look that's among us, and we fight among ourselves. And some of us do funny things.

I met one brother who told me when you go to Newcastle go visit Mr. So and so and inshallah everything will be taken care of for you. So I went to the man and exactly as I was told he took me home for lunch and when I'm sitting at the table I see on the wall 'burat' you know what burat is? A donkey like animal with the face of a woman its supposed to provide electrical force. I told him this is not right. Allah(swt) created electrical force, you can not create it with a statue of a donkey with a woman's face. Oh and he was so upset. But he's a Sunni, he was a brother and is still my brother. This Sunni-Shia tensions is the work of the devil to divide us.

Let me say something about Iran. What I found was that everything is islamically oriented. The whole nation is geared towards Islam. And they are talking about nothing but the Quran. I have never had a single experience with an Iranian when the man contradicted me when I'm talking about the Quran. Whereas our Arab brethren again and again you quote them the Quran and they try to contradict you with the Quran. They are Arabs, they are supposed to know the Quran better than us, but the Iranians seem to be on the wavelength of the Quran. Everything he is doing everything he is thinking about is the Quran. You remember Tabas[2] when the American people wanted to free the hostages. The mightiest most technologically advanced nation on earth, a nation that can land a man on the moon and bring him back, a nation which tells you which part of the moon they will land and bring them back, they send mars and Jupiter probes. A nation that warned Pakistan about the tidal wave tragedy and they didn't heed the warning. They warned the Israelis in 1973 that the Arabs were on the move, they didn't heed the warning. That nation couldn't land in Iran. Imagine they went there with their helicopters and crashed them selves and got themselves killed. Imagine. A nation that lands on the moon and comes back cant land in Iran. And the Iranian people were not in any position to do anything to them. The Americans could have gone and done what they wanted to do. I went and saw the American embassy and you think that its just a big building, but man its acres and acres right in the center of Tehran. They could have easily gone in and gotten these people out, even if they lost a few men. They could have achieved their goals. It was very well planned. But you know what happened? Fiasco, retreat failure, the Imam Khomeini is told what has happened. He doesn't say Subhananla, he doesn't say Alhamdulilah, you know what he said. He quotes the Quran : "Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?" 105:1 These are the words that came out of him. I tell you he is a Quranic computer.

You know what they call those huge helicopters? Jumbo helicopters, and those big planes are called jumbo planes. You know what jumbo means in Swahili, Elephant. It's a Swahili word. That's where they got the name. So these elephant sized helicopters go and the Imam says: "Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the possessors of the elephant? Did He not cause their war to end in confusion," Quran 105:1-2

But we are so skeptical, the Muslim world has become so skeptical we don't believe in the Quran anymore. You don't really believe in the Quran, for most people it is all for entertainment, for the good spiritual feelings that you get when reciting the Holy Quran. But the directives that Allah(swt) gives, nobody seems to care. May Allah (swt) make these brothers of ours, the torchbearers and light of learning today to the Muslim world . And here is a nation geared to do the Job. When you look at them the earnestness that is in them, a nation that is not afraid, when you look at them with the enthusiasm they have. They are not afraid to say "marg bar amrika" death to America.. Then say "marg bar shuravi " death to USSR. Imagine that! (laughter from the audience). And death to Israel." Can you imagine a nation doing that and not in the least afraid. This is not the Islamic spirit that is in us here, but the Iranians are all heart and mind. They don't say "this is an Iranian revolution "or "we are Iranians". They are talking about Islam, an Islamic Revolution. This is not an Iranian revolution but that this is an Islamic revolution. It's a revolution for Islam and little wonder why the nations of the world cant stomach it because it is Islam that they cant stomach. So my dear brothers and sisters I have taken so much of your valuable time already. And with these words I take leave of you to sit down and to take your Questions.

[1] " O ye who believe! if any from among you turn back from his Faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him,- lowly with the believers, mighty against the rejecters, fighting in the way of Allah, and never afraid of the reproaches of such as FIND FAULT. That is the grace of Allah, which He will bestow on whom He pleaseth. And Allah encompasseth all, and He knoweth all things." Quran 5:54

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Free Muslim sub-domain web hosting. Must have a site ready for webmaster to verify first.

Islamic Cross Stitch Patterns In A Box

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Click Here

Really unique patterns for your new cross stitch projects, something different.

15 Islamic Cross Stitch Patterns

Featuring Beautiful Arabic Calligraphy Designs

Format: PDF File

PC & Mac Compatible

Instant Download

These cross stitch patterns are in PDF format. You can use Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software) to view these patterns. We choose PDF format so that all cross stitch lovers, whether they use PC with Windows or Apple Macintosh, can enjoy these beautiful patterns.

You can choose to view these patterns on your computer, or you can print them out for easy viewing.

Examples available:-

Alhamdu Lillahi Rabb al-Alameen
"Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds"

Muhammad Rasulullah
"Muhammad, is the messenger of Allah"

La Ilaaha Illa Allah, Muhammadun Rasulullah
"There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"

Allah
The word "Allah" - repeated 8 times

Bismillaah Al-Rahmaan Al-Raheem
"In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful"

Allahu La Ilaaha Illa Huwa Al-Hayyu Al-Qayyum...
Ayat Al-Kursiy

Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad...
Surah Al-Ikhlas

Assalaamu Alaikum
"Peace Be Upon You"

What is Real Happiness and Peace?

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Real happiness and peace can be found in submitting to the commands of the Creator and the Sustainer of this world. God has said in the Quran:
Truly, in remembering God do hearts find rest. (Quran, 13:28)

On the other hand, the one who turns away from the Quran will have a life of hardship in this world. God has said:
But whoever turns away from the Quran,1 he will have a hard life, and We will raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment. (Quran, 20:124)

This may explain why some people commit suicide while they enjoy the material comfort money can buy. For example, look at Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam), formerly a famous pop singer who used to earn sometimes more than $150,000 a night. After he converted to Islam, he found true happiness and peace, which he had not found in material success.2

Reccomended Reading: Forgiveness for All Previous Sins

This introductory book on Islam serves as a good da'wah tool, explaining some of the fundamentals of Islam, as well signifying verses of the Qur'an and how they relate to science and the world around us.

The first chapter, Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam, answers some important questions which some people ask:

Is the Quran truly the literal word of God, revealed by Him?
Is Muhammad1 truly a prophet sent by God?
Is Islam truly a religion from God?

The Quranic Journal

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The Quranic Journal: why to keep it, how to do it

"If the Quran is eternally valid, and if it is addressing you today, then you must take every message as something which is totally and urgently relevant to your life and concerns, whether it be a value or norm, a statement or piece of knowledge, a character or dialogue, a promise or a warning, a command or a prohibition."

-from Way to the Quran by Khurram Murad, pages 43-44

Writing a journal is an exercise many of us who have gone through the North American school system may have encountered in English classes. They are a way for students to develop their writing skills.

But many self-help gurus also extol the virtues of keeping a journal as a tool for self-development. It's a way to get in touch with your feelings, a way to track your development as a person, and a way to develop a better understanding of who you are.

Amidst these uses for a journal, there is one that has been rarely talked about: the Quranic journal.

What is the Quranic journal?

The MYNA (Muslim Youth of North America) Workers Manual, published in 1992, explains what the Quranic journal is in this way:

"There are moments in life when you read some Ayahs (verses) in the Quran, and they seem to have been revealed precisely for your needs at those moments. You have read them a hundred times before, but only now have your life experiences prepared you to understand them....Keep a Quran journal of these moments when certain verses click and become real in your life."

Why keep a Quranic journal?

1. Creates reverence for the Quran

For many Muslims today, especially those who have not grown up in a Muslim country, the value of the Quran as the Word of Allah may not be as strongly entrenched.

They may not feel the very special connection to the Book of Allah other Muslims who have grown up learning and reciting it from childhood in a mostly Muslim environment have.

The Quranic journal is a way to develop a stronger connection to the Quran by noting our reactions to it.

2. It can help the words of Allah sink in

One problem many, many Muslims in our day and age, and in our culture have is a lack of concentration. In our fast-paced culture, squeezing in time to read the Quran is sometimes hard. Those times that we do read, the words don't seem to sink in. The Quran journal can help do that.

3. The Quranic journal is about you

The Quran is not simply a Book to be read and memorized. It is a Book to be lived. That means the deeper our understanding, and the more we connect what we learn from the Quran to our daily lives and experiences, the better we can see it as THE tool of guidance in our affairs.

We will see the Quran as part of our daily life in this time. The lessons in it will not be lessons for people from centuries ago, irrelevant to us. Rather, they will be our lessons, regardless of whether we live in Karachi or Kansas.

Some tips on keeping a Quranic journal

1. Ask yourself: why am I doing this?

Some reasons could be:

a. for the sake of Allah
b. to make the Quran a living reality for me
c. to learn how to use the Quran as a tool for guidance in my everyday life.

If your intention is sincerely all three, Insha Allah (if Allah wills), you will benefit and learn from the experience and grow as a Muslim.

2. Remember, this is not a Tafseer

It is very, very important to point out that your Quranic journal is NOT an official exegesis (Tafseer) of the Quran. It is simply a record of your thoughts at various moments while you read the Quran.

It is strongly recommended that you do not read simply a translation of the Quran. Rather, find a good, reliable Tafseer. The Tafseer helps because it gives you much needed background and context to properly understand what the verses of the Quran mean.

3. Pray for guidance

While we have our role to play in developing our understanding and practice of the Quran and of Islam in general, ultimately, it is Allah Who guides. Regularly ask for His Guidance, Mercy and Forgiveness.

4. Get a specific notebook for this

A notebook is just simpler and neater. You won't have the possibility of your papers flying off in different directions as you would if you kept a journal in a folder or binder.

If you're the type who loves stationery, invest in a notebook with a nice design and a smooth writing pen.

5. Set aside a specific time to read the Quran

Learning needs to happen on a regular basis. Establishing a schedule is probably the best way for you to really connect with the Quran. Just set aside a few minutes at a time when you know you won't be easily distracted. It could be in the early morning hours before everyone is up. It could be late at night when everyone is asleep. Or it could be in the late afternoon at a spot away from noise and other distractions.

6. Make sure you understand the right meaning of the verse

This is where your Tafseer will help. You will get a proper understanding of why this verse was revealed and under what circumstances, as well as what it means for Muslims.

7. Ask the big question

How does this connect to me and my experiences? That is one of the main reasons you are keeping this journal, to discover this.

For instance, verses of the Quran which talk about motherhood may give you lots to think about and ponder if you are pregnant or are about to be a father. Verses about parents may help remind you about your special bond and responsibilities to your own if you have been estranged from or are having a difficult time with your mother or father.

8. Note down what you're feeling, thoughts,etc.

You don't have to write like Shakespeare. All you have to do is honestly look within and ask the relevant questions and record your feelings. You can simply start off the process with, "this verse reminds me of when..." or "this verse makes me think of....".

9. Avoid using names

Try to avoid using the specific names of people in your journal. The point of the journal is to help you understand the Quran and to help you grow as a Muslim. If you use names, you will risk hurting feelings if your journal is found and read, by accident or not.

10. Check with scholars and build your knowledge

Let your Quranic journal writing experience be a starting point to a deeper understanding of the Quran. In other words, don't just think that if you've written a journal entry about a set of verses or on a topic, after having read the Tafseer, you've done your job.

Attend lectures of reliable scholars who often tie the meanings of the Quran to everyday life for Muslims, especially in your specific context (i.e. the US or North America).

11. Look back regularly

Once in a while, it would be a good idea to read your old entries. This will not only be a nice trip down memory lane, but it will also indicate your progress as a Muslim in implementing Islam.

For instance: do you notice that many of your entries are angry in tone, but seem to become calmer later? Or do you notice a theme of sadness in your journal entries which you were not aware of? Is there some are of Islam which you still need to get answers about?

Be conscious of these observations. This is where the Quranic journal can help you not only think about Islam, but also develop your character as a Muslim.

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Exclusivists versus Inclusivists

2005-04-18T08:20:00.000+08:00

Opinion World

Published: 15/4/2005, 07:24 (UAE)

Exclusivists versus Inclusivists

By Khaled Al Maeena

During the nearly four years since September 11, 2001, I have been looking closely at the situation of Muslims all over the world.

The new threat of terrorism that has sprung up in many parts of the Muslim world is a constant source of worry and anxiety, not only to me but to millions of other Muslims the world over.

The last two years in fact have seen terrorist acts in my own country, Saudi Arabia. Such acts are alien to Islam and its ideology; they cannot be justified in any way since there is no justification for the murder of innocents.

At the same time, there are those in the Muslim world who believe that "terrorist actions" are a direct reaction to and a result of attacks on Muslims in other places.

There is no excuse for those "terrorist actions"; they lack any validity and violate every principle of Islamic behaviour.

Yes, indeed, I am well aware and do not deny that Muslims have been and are under siege in Palestine and Chechnya and even in certain parts of the Western world where they have been alarmed and frightened by a "rising tide of Islamophobia" emanating from some government officials, sections of the media and a few right-wing Christian leaders.

John Ashcroft, the former American attorney general, has made some very insulting remarks about Islam. The Reverend Franklin Graham, a man with many followers, branded Islam a "very evil and wicked religion".

Jerry Falwell, founder of the infamous, intolerant and narrow-minded so-called Moral Majority, even went so far as to accuse the Prophet (peace be upon him) of being a terrorist.

In Bosnia, Muslims were expelled from their homes and butchered. In the Indian state of Gujarat, Hindu mobs massacred more than 2,000 Muslims in 2002.

In the interest of fairness, however, we must admit that Muslim extremists have also victimised non-Muslims. Inexcusable events have taken place in the US, Indonesia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Only last Friday, a Christian priest and his driver were gunned down in cold blood in Peshawar, Pakistan.

In his new book, Dr Akbar S. Ahmad faults both Muslims and non-Muslims for what he calls "hyper-asabiyah", excessive tribal, religious or nationalist loyalty.

According to Ahmad, who holds the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at the American University in Washington, D.C., too much asabiyah can be dangerous.

It must be tempered and diluted by the Islamic values regulating human relations justice (adl), knowledge (ilm) and balance and compassion (ihsan).

Real battle

In spite of Muslim differences and conflicts with Christians, Jews and Hindus, Ahmad says the "real battle of the 21st century" will not be between religions but between exclusivists on one side and inclusivists on the other.

Exclusivists such as the terrorists who carried out the Madrid bombing concentrate on the differences between their religion and everyone else's, especially that of the despised enemy. They draw clear lines between themselves and "others".

Inclusivists, on the other hand, concentrate on the similarity between themselves and others despite religious and national distinction.

They draw on the famous Quranic "diversity verse" which says that God made humankind "into diverse nations and tribes" so that the various nations and tribes could "come to know each other, not despise each other" (49:13).

Another Quranic verse that they emphasise is 2:256 which states clearly that there is "no compulsion in religion".

The inclusivists are unfortunately now being silenced by an aggressive exclusivist minority which is betraying Islam's concept of justice and mercy and its guarantee of equal rights to women and minorities.

According to Ahmad, the exclusivists' ideas have also resulted in increased violence as well as the persecution and silencing of scholars who do not agree with their interpretation of Islam.

By taking this path, the exclusivists have negated all the principles of tolerance and compassion for which Islam has historically been noted and then added fuel to the flame by resorting to violence.

It is pointless, in the face of such well-publicised exclusivist actions, for us to say that Islam is a religion of peace.

We including our religious scholars must speak out and make the point strongly that exclusivism has nothing to do with us or with Islam.

We can begin to do this by saying No to terror. We should make people aware not only of the dangers of listening to the preachers of hate and intolerance but also of following them.

Meaningful dialogue within our Muslim societies is probably the best way of countering this danger but in order to have a meaningful dialogue, we must be well prepared, able to quote the Quran in its proper context and possess an intellectual understanding of what we are opposing.

Ahmad calls for a new global positioning in which Muslims put themselves in place of non-Muslims who fear them.

Non-Muslims need to listen to what Muslims are saying instead of ceaselessly telling them how and what to think. Along these lines, the need for consistent international morality must not be overlooked.

If we can solve the problems in Palestine and Iraq, the terrorists will have much of the ground cut from beneath them. If we can stop the menace of Islamophobia, we could then engage in meaningful and inclusive discussions with other groups and religions.

No solution to any of these problems lies in the expert use of words at conferences. Important as that may be, it must be followed by a determined, cooperative effort by all concerned.

Muslims must get rid of grievances against their fellow Muslims. And Muslims, instead of wallowing in self-pity and a lack of self-confidence, must face their own reality, remove ignorance from their midst and ensure good governance along with the dignity of Islam.

This would put into practice the same inclusivist Islamic values that all Muslims must incorporate into their daily lives in order to defeat the exclusivists.

Achieving this or even just beginning it would create a new mindset and a new way of thinking among us. At that time, I can assure you, we will assuredly not be under siege.

Khaled Al Maeena is the Editor-in-Chief of the Jeddah-based Arab News

مواقع العلماء و الدعاة

2005-04-18T08:10:00.000+08:00

News Alert: Teenager kills herself after hijab rebuke from mother

2005-04-13T08:04:00.000+08:00

Teenager kills herself after hijab rebuke from mother
Gulf News Sun, 10 Apr 2005 10:11 PM PDT
Sharjah: A 15-year-old girl committed suicide after she was reprimanded by her mother for leaving the house without wearing her hijab. The girl did not leave a suicide note, her brother said, because she did not know how to write.

Published: 11/4/2005, 07:58 (UAE)

Teenager kills herself after hijab rebuke from mother

By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter

Sharjah: A 15-year-old girl committed suicide after she was reprimanded by her mother for leaving the house without wearing her hijab.

The girl did not leave a suicide note, her brother said, because she did not know how to write.

The incident took place in Sharjah last week. Thamina Babi Razem Shah, a Pakistani teenage girl, was found hanging from a hook in her house that was used for slaughtering animals during the Eid sacrifice. The family lives in Al Sharq in Sharjah.

Abdul Aziz, the girl's elder brother, told Gulf News Thamina committed suicide because her mother shouted at her because she went outside without wearing her hijab, or headscarf.

"My sister had a nervous temperament and used to get angry very fast for simple reasons. Even if any one of us [her family] talked to her about some silly issue, her temper would flare up," said Abdul Aziz.

Thamina is one of three sisters and four brothers. Her elder sister found her body at 8.30am last Tuesday.

A day before Thamina killed herself, Abdul Aziz said, she was questioned by his mother about why she left the house without wearing her hijab.

"My mother also questioned her as to why she had cut her eyelashes in front of me and another brother. Afterwards, my sister would have felt really bad. In fact, she must have felt ashamed. It drove her to take her own life.

"One of my sisters who saw her body called my mother and other family members.

"They got the body down by cutting the rope. I was at work at the time and was called home. It is Allah's will. Destiny cannot be prevented," Abdul Aziz said.

Family members said Thamina did not go to school but was taught the Quran by her mother at home.

"She did not leave a note because she does not know how to write," Abdul Aziz said, "but she knows how to read the Quran."

Confirming the suicide, an official from Sharjah police said Thamina's body has been sent for post-mortem examination and the department is waiting for the report.

*******

Understanding Islamic Customs and Etiquette

2005-03-09T10:00:00.000+08:00

Simple Summary of page 1-3 of Module 1

Practices which existed even before the Quran, given sanction or tacit approval by the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa salaam) and then transferred to the Muslim Ummah through the consensus and practical adherence of the Companions of the Prophet.

Customs
Pronouncing Allah's name before eating and drinking and using the right hand for the purpose.
1 Express gratitude towards Allah
2 Invoke His Blessings
3 Constant reminder to be Ashabul-Yamin (companions of the right hand)

The ceremonial salutation when people meet one another.
Initiator says "Assalaamualaikum" (Peace be to You)
Replier says "Wa'alaikumussalaam" (and to you be peace also)

The young shall say salam to the old, the one who is walking shall say it to the sitting and the small group shall say it to the large one. [Bukhari, No:6234]

The ceremonial utterances after sneezing.
Sneezer says "Alhamdulillah" (All gratitude is for Allah only)
Hearer says "Yarhamukallah" (May Allah bless you)
Sneezer replies "Yahdikumullah wa yuslih balakum (May Allah guide you and keep you well). [Bukhari, No:6224]

Saying the Adhan in the right ear of a new born and the Iqamah in his left.
A true believer is forever an addressee of this message.
Symbolic expressions of the basic message of Islam.

Refer to module and memorize the Hadiths in Arabic .
Course Material

2005-03-08T14:07:00.000+08:00

Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

2005-03-08T13:01:00.000+08:00

A Book, whereof the verses are explained in detail;-
A Qur'an in Arabic, for people who understand; [41:3]