It has been more than a year since I started a french summary of each Friday sermon given at my local mosque. I thought it would be useful if I can do the same in English [The sermons are given in Arabic/English anyway so it should be easier for me]. Although the sermon might be coming from any mosque in the world depending on my location at the time, most of the sermons I believe will be from my local mosque, in Chicago, USA.
Our Imam had a very deep and sad voice this Friday, Hurican Katrina just hit Louisiana and Mississipi. New Orleands is under water, many lives are feared to be lost. Our Imam said the first thing to notice is the power of God. Nothing stands against the will of Allah SWT. Even our readiness against desastres like the 9/11 tragedy did not help us against what nature has brought to our shores. Our levies have been toppled by the Hurican and nothing is left for many souls left either with death or comdemned to start all over again in a different place. As humans we can do nothing against nature and we do understand that is is the will of Allah SWT. When He decides something, it is. He just says Koun Fayakoun. Be and it is.
We ask Allah SWT to limit our losses in New Orleand and to help our fellow Americains deal with this tragedy. All mosques around the country will be open for refugees. Americains Muslims are asked and encouraged to participate actively in the efforts of dealing with this historical event to try as much as possible to give a new hope for the survivors. We have to remember that Allah SWT will say in the day of judgement to his servant, why I was hungry and you did not feed me?, the servant would reply, how can I feed you O God while you are the King of the heavens? God would reply, my servant so and so was hungry and you did not feed him, didn't you know that if you had feed him you would have feed me?. In this crisis situation, our fellow Americain citizens are in desperate need, many of them are poor even before the Hurican and now they are left with absolutly nothing. It is our religious duty as muslims to hurry to help as much as we can. Helping in such situation is not a choice but an obligation for a Muslim.
All donnations will be sent to Huston Texax where the biggest Islamic relief effort is being organized by local mosques. In addition to the open doors of mosques to welcome the refugees, there is a project of feeding 25000 refugee during the day of 9/11. All money collected around the country will be given to American Churchs coalition in a brotherly gesture to our christians brothers who are themselves very much involved in the rescue effort.
The Imam said that even if we live in a State far from the risk of Hurikans, we are not removed from the risk of having an earthquake or anything else in which we might loose our lives our start all over again. What happened in New Orlean should be a reminder and an eye opener on the reality of life and how we are supposed to live it as Muslims.
The reminder benifits only those who have faith.
The Imam recited the following for the prayers :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
2.285 . The messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord and ( so do ) the believers . Each one believeth in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers We make no distinction between any of His messengers and they say : We hear , and we obey . ( Grant us ) Thy forgiveness , our Lord . Unto Thee is the journeying .
2.286 . Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope . For it ( is only ) that which it hath earned , and against it ( only ) that which it hath deserved . Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget , or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as Thou didst lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us , absolve us and have mercy on us , Thou , our Protector , and give us victory over the disbelieving folk .
then in the second rak3a:
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and :
94.1 . Have We not caused thy bosom to dilate ,
94.2 . And eased thee of the burden
94.3 . Which weighed down thy back ;
94.4 . And exalted thy fame?
94.5 . But lo! with hardship goeth ease ,
94.6 . Lo! with hardship goeth ease ;
94.7 . So when thou art relieved , still toil
94.8 . And strive to please thy Lord .
At the end of the sermon there was one announcement that of course all donations will be given to Hurican Katrina victims.
Usually, terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things.
Russell Baker
I apolgize for not being on time as I had limited access to the internet recently. I will try first to post the missed fridays then starting from the coming Friday I will inshaAllah be on time.
Our Imam greeted us for the Cha3ban month. This month is a very special month because it means the great month of Ramadan is coming. It is a month of preparation to Ramadan. We have certainly to fast some days during this month of Cha3ban to be prepared physically and spirtitually for Ramadan. The Imam said that for all kind of tests we do need preparation and for all exams we do need to be ready, the same applies to the big exam of Ramadan. Cha3ban is a month were we have to be ready for Ramadan by trying to fast some days during this blessed month. That way when we fast the whole month of Ramadan we are already in shape... The wife of the prophet SAAWS said the prophet SAAWS used to fast some days of all months but it was in the month of Cha3ban were He would fast many more days... She also said that the prophet SAAWS never fasted a whole month except the month of Ramdan.
It is very much recommended to fast the 15th of Cha3baan, because the prophet SAAWS fasted all the time this day and He said to His wife that it was the day where the the deeds of the humain being are presented to Allah SWT so it is better to be in the best of state during this day... It is also for this reason that the fast of Mondays and Thrusdays is recommended because our deeds are presented to Allah SWT during those days...
The Imam said he is a big fan of footbal but even in footbal there is a pre season to be fully prepared for the real season. Cha3ban is the same thing, it is an opportunity to be in the best shape to welcome the sacred month of Ramadan.
We should not forget that to be alive and live the month of Ramdan is a grest previlege given to us by Allah SWT. In the month of Ramdan there is a night which is better than a thousand years, a night when the Coran descended from the skies to reach humanity. To be fully prepared to welcome this month and this amazing night we have to take the opportunity of Cha3ban to increase our Imaan and our good deeds.
The Imam said that this year as well we will be able to accommplish the Taraweeh prayer at our mosque AlhamduliAllah.
There was one annoucement that all donations will be given to Katrina's victimes.
Our Imam said that Ramadan will be soon among us. It is a month of repentence and an annuel opportunity to find the right path towards Allah SWT.
L'Imam said that it is truly amazing how Allah SWT accepts our repentance. To what limit, He is Merciful and forgets so easily all our sins on the only condition of being sincere in our repentance and to leave behind all that puts us farther from Him. The Imam invited us to meditate on the Greateness of Allah SWT and that He is so Great than not to accept the repentance of he who asks for it... Actually Allah SWT waits impatiently that His creature comes towards Him, yet He is independent from us and has no need from us but thanks to His amazing grace and love for us, He wants us to come to Him and to be on the right path. He gave us the free choice and shown us the right and the wrong paths. It is up to us to choose our destiny... We need to know however that our God is a Unique One ready all the time to welcome us. One of the the most recommended prayers by the prophet SAAWS is the following :
Allahoma Inaka 3afowon, To7ibo Al-3afwa Fa3fou 3ani. [O Allah, You are the forgiver, You love to forgive, then forgive me].
The word forgive is not the right translation of the arabic word 3afowon, because this word means to forgive but at the same time forget the sin altogether... In other words it is not only forgive but wiping out the sin altogether like if it never existed! SubhanAllah, Allah SWT is 3afowon!!! not only He loves to forgive but He will treat us like if the sin never existed!
L'Imam told us the following 9odossi Hadith :
Every day the sea says to God, O God give me the permission to drown humains, they eat from your bounties yet they worship other than You. Every day the skie says to God, O God give me the permission to fall on the humains, they eat from your bounties yet they worship other than You. Every day the earth says to God, O God, give me the permission to swallow the humains, the eat from your bounties yet they worship other than You. And Allah SWT replies :
Leave them alone, if you have created them you would forgive them.
In another Hadith 90dossi Allah SWT says :
I am and the humain [and the dginns] in a very weird situation! It is Me whoe creates yet they worship other than Me. It is Me who gives money, health and others and yet they thank other than Me. My good deeds are descendent to them and their bad deeds are ascendent to Me. I get closer to them while I am independent from them and they get farther from Me while they are dependent on Me. Those who remember Me are My friends, He who wants to be My friend, let him remembers Me. Those who obey Me I love them, and those who disobey me I give them chance after chance. If they repent I love them and if they do not repent I am their doctor, I test them with difficluties to purify them. One good action equals to ten in my eyes and I give more. One bad action eaquals one bad action and I forgive. I sweare by My greatness that anyone who asks My forgiveness I will forgive him. He who comes towards Me in repentence I welcome him from very far and he who goes far from Me I call him from very near. I tell him where do you go? do you have another God other than Me?
And in another hadith 90dossi, Allah SWT says :
O son of Adam, as long as you repent I will forgive you without even looking at how big is your sin. Even if your sins reach the skies, if you ask for my forgiveness I will forgive you. O son of Adam, if you meet Me with the earth full of sins and you do not associate anything with Me, I will meet you with the earth full of forgiveness.
The prophet SAAWS said :
One man commited a sin and said: O God I commited a sin, forgive me my sin. Allah SWT said, my servant knows that he has a God that forgives sins, I forgive you. Then the man commited another sin and said again O God I commited a sin forgive me, Allah SWT says again, my servant commited a sin and he knows I forgie sins, I forgive you, then again the servant commited a sin and he said O God forgive me my sin and again Allah SWT says I forgive you, and each time my servant commits a sin and asks for my forgiveness I will forgive him, let him do what he wills!!!.
The Imam invited as to think of the following Hadith 9odossi:
Allah SWT said, I have never been angry against a person as I am angry against he who commits a sin and thinks that his sin is so big that I will not be able to forgive him...
As long as death did not come to us, we do have a unique chance of getting closer to Allah SWT and take the opportunity of His promess of forgiveness to anyone who asks for it. Once death is here, it is too late and it is the time of the day of judgement in justice:
99.7 . And whoso doeth good an atom ' s weight will see it then , 99.8 . And whoso doeth ill an atom ' s weight will see it then .
The Imam recited :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and :
93.1 . By the morning hours
93.2 . And by the night when it is stillest ,
93.3 . Thy Lord hath not forsaken thee nor doth He hate thee ,
93.4 . And verily the latter portion will be better for thee than the former
93.5 . And verily thy Lord will give unto thee so that thou wilt be content .
93.6 . Did He not find thee an orphan and protect ( thee ) ?
93.7 . Did He not find thee wandering and direct ( thee ) ?
93.8 . Did He not find thee destitute and enrich ( thee ) ?
93.9 . Therefor the orphan oppress not ,
93.10 . Therefor the beggar drive not away ,
Puis
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
then :
103.1 . By the declining day ,
103.2 . Lo! man is in a state of loss ,
103.3 . Save those who believe and do good works , and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance .
There was one announcement that all donations will be given to Mali and Niger where there is a huge famine under the rich silence.
Our Imam wanted to talk about Ramadan but since it is this time of the year where many students are coming to our community, he thought it is better to speak about Islam activism and how to strengthen our community.
He first reminded us of the following verse from the Quran:
9.105 . And say ( unto them ) : Act! Allah will behold your actions , and ( so will ) His messenger and the believers , and ye will be brought back to the Knower of the invisible and the visible , and He will tell you what ye used to do .
Each member of our community has to assumer his or her responsibility and play his or her role as it should be because at the end of times, all our actions will be seen by Allah SWT, the prophets ASWS and others.
The Imam said that we should know we are one nation under God despite the diffrences in our languages, ethnicities or colors.
23.52 . And lo! this your religion is one religion and I am your Lord , so keep your duty unto Me .
We should then love each other and know that hte prophet SAAWS said :
None is a true believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
The Imam said that loving each other does not mean agree on everything. Actually as members of the same community we should know that we will have different opinions and opposed convictions but the most important thing is to know that we are first brothers and sisters to support each other and love each other even in our differences. It is Allah SWT who united between our hearts and guided us to the same religion so let's not our differences divede us or created heatred between us.
Another thing to remember is that activisme in Islam is not devided to religious and secular work. In Islam all work is religious. Even organizing an event that has nothing to do with religion is a religious work as long as we do have the intention to please Allah SWT, to bring together and community and strengthen it.
The new members of our community are invited to expose their ideas and view to better serve our unity and remember that any action, no matter how small it is, is very important in the sight of Allah SWT. The prophet SAAWS said:
If you see that it is the end of world and you have a plant in your hand, then plant it before you go...
We should also remember the words of our brother Malcom X may Allah be pleased with him and give him Janah, who said after quite an amazing journy discovring Islam:
There is only brotherhood to unify America.
The same thing in our community, only brotherhood can unify our hearts. Allah SWT said :
49.10 . The believers are naught else than brothers . Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that haply ye may obtain mercy .
There was on annoucement this friday, all donations will be given to Mali and Niger where a huge famine is raging right now.
Our Imam started by reciting the following verse from the Quran:
2.185. (Ces jours sont) le mois de Ramadan au cours duquel le Coran a été descendu comme guide pour les gens, et preuves claires de la bonne direction et du discernement. Donc quiconque d'entre vous est présent en ce mois, qu'il jeûne ! Et quiconque est malade ou en voyage, alors qu'il jeûne un nombre égal d'autres jours. - Allah veut pour vous la facilité, Il ne veut pas la difficulté pour vous, afin que vous en complétiez le nombre et que vous proclamiez la grandeur d'Allah pour vous avoir guidés, et afin que vous soyez reconnaissants !
Ramadan is a month like no other. He who reachs this month should feel very lucky to be alive during this holy month. It is the month of the Quran, the book where Allah SWT, the Creator spoke with His creation. It is a month where the weak humanity that we are has a golden chance to get closer to Allah SWT. To thank Him for His so many bounties and gifts. In this month we should show our gratitude to Allah SWT that He guided us to Islam.
Not only it is a month like none other but it also has a night like none other... The night of power.
The night of power is a night about which Allah SWT says :
97.1 . Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Power .
97.2 . Ah , what will convey unto thee what the Night of Power is!
97.3 . The Night of Power is better than a thousand months .
97.4 . The angels and the Spirit descend therein , by the permission of their Lord , with all decrees .
97.5 . ( That night is ) Peace until the rising of the dawn .
this night is better than 1000 month! which is about 83 years... This means that in one single night a person can accompolish what another one will in a lifetime periode... It is for this reason that we should not let this opportunity goes from our hands before taking full advantage of it.
The prophet SAAWS said :
When the first night of Ramadan comes, the devils and rebellious jinns are put in chains and the door of hell are closed, none of them remains open. The door of heaven are open and none of them remains closed. And a caller calls, ‘O seeker of goodness, come forward, and O seeker of evil, desist. And Allah has many (in this month) who will be freed from Hell. This announcement is made every night.
It is in this month where our spititual state is at its best and it is in this month where we should approach the perfect state of our Muslim identity. Specially if we live in countries where we are surrounded by those who do not fast this month, to feel our differences and to fully understand who we are and what is mean to be Muslim, Submited to Allah SWT. Submited to His orders.
The prophet SAAWS said :
Whosoever fasts in Ramadan with faith and seeking Allah's reward, all his past sins are forgiven.
We should not forget that Ramadan is one of the 5 pillars of Islam. Fasting in Ramadan means belonging to the Nation of Islam, the Nation of Mohamed SAAWS, the nation of Jesus ASWS, the nation of Moise ASWS and Ibrahim ASWS and all prophets ASWS who all fasted before us in complete submition to Allah SWT.
The Imam congratulated us for this Month and wished for us a wonderful chance to successfuly complete the month of Ramadan and not to loose such a golden opportunity to increase our faith and get closer to Allah SWT because truly we do not know if we will be alive or dead the next Ramadan. He told us about his cousing who was here the last Ramadan but this Ramadan he is among the deads. A car accident.
The Imam started by congratulating us of having reached this sacred month of Ramadan. The prophet SAAWS said :
If my nation knows what Ramadan is, she will wish the whole year is Ramadan.
Even if Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, it is not something new to humanity that the prophet Mohamed SAAWS brought to humanity. Actually Allah SWT has already proscribed fasting to the nations before the prophet Mohamed SAAWS. And many prophets ASWS before Him asked their people to fast in recognition of the bounties of Allah SWT:
2.183 . O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you , even as it was prescribed for those before you , that ye may ward off evil ) ;
By fasting this holy month as Muslims we are only following the footsteps of the nations before us. Islam is indeed the religion revealed to Adam ASWS, to Noe ASWS, to Ibrahim ASWS, to Jesus ASWS, to Moise ASWS. And all those prophets and great leaders fasted as a way of purifying themselves to reach the path of Allah SWT.
Fasting during this month is of course an obligation to every Muslim. However for those who are traveling, sick or for a woman on her period, it is not obligatory to fast but they have to fast some other day when they can. Those who can not fast can can not replace the days missed should give charity to a poor person for everyday missed.
Ramadan is the month where the whole planet earth in it linguistic diversity, its different ethnicities and cultures comes towards Allah SWT, united by the universal message of Islam. Under God to thank Him for life, for the planet earth, for its mountains, for its forests, for its fruits, for its oceans. To thank Him for our health, our money and to accomplish the goal of our creation:
51.56 . I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me .
49.13 . O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female , and have made nations and tribes that ye may know one another . Lo! the noblest of you , in the sight of Allah , is the best in conduct . Lo! Allah is Knower , Aware .
This month, beyond being a month of unity, it is a month where the physical change in our eating habits creates a change in our souls because we become aware of the presence of Allah SWT in our lives, we learn how to be self controled and self aware of our physical and spiritual needs and also to learn the best ways to be in accordance with our religion... Indeed if we are not able to change our ways in this great month of Ramadan we have little chances to be able to do it in other months... Because in this month we are psychologically prepared to make choices, for example to quit smoking, to learn how to lower our gazes, to live in chastity and complete sincere obediance to Allah SWT.
The Imam prayed that this month will not go before each one of us becomes a perfect Muslim. A Muslim aware of the goal of his existence en earth, his aim in life and conscient of his responsibility towards his family, his brothers and sisters in Islam, his nation and humanity at large. To never forget there is so much suffrance and mesiry in this world. He prayed this month becomes an opportunity for us and for all Muslims to come to those in need, the victimes of Rita and Katrina, the victimes of Mali and Niger famine. This month of Ramdan is the month of charity, there are Muslims around the world with nothing to eat, nothing to break the fast with. The Muslims in Mali and Niger are waitig for this month because it is a month of charity and they are indeed in need of any help.
It is a must we reach out to them and help them in a world where money is in the hands of only a few while the masses are in hunger.
Indeed the budget of one footbal game in America is bigger than the budget of a whole nation in Africa!. SubhanAllah.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2005 02:31 by mdlazreg.
SubhanAllah. Already 10 days of Ramadan are gone. The Imam was sad. He said that the third of this month is gone and God knows if we will be able to see them next year or not.
The prophet SAAWS said :
The first 10 days are mercy The second 10 days are forgiveness The last 10 days are freeing from the hell fire.
Now the 10 days are gone. So the 10 days of mercy are gone. We are now in the forgiveness phase. For those who missed to take advantage of the first 10 days, they have a unique chance not to miss the forgiveness phase...
Actually we do not realize sometimes how great those days are... One day the prophet SAAWs was going to deliver a sermon and while he was getting on the steps of His Minbar, he said Ameen, Ameen, Ameen...
When he was finished with His sermon, His compangons asked Him why He said Ameen three times before the sermon. He replied that Gabriel ASWS came to him and cursed the following persons :
1)He who lives during Ramdan without taking advantage of this month. 2)He who does not take care of his parent. 3)He who hears the name of the prophet SAAWS and does not says Sala Allaho 3alayhi Wa Salaam.
So the prophet SAAWS said Ameen to each curse of those three kind of people...
This means the prophet SAAWS agreed with Gabriel ASWS that he who does not take advantage of this great month is in great loss and deserve to be cursed...
The Imam invited us to remember the following verse :
2.24 . And if ye do it not and ye can never do it - enguard yourselves against the fire prepared for disbelievers , whose fuel is of men and stones .
and to never forget Allah SWT, especially in this month, because if we forget Allah SWT we will be forgotten in the day of judgement :
7.51 . Who took their religion for a sport and pastime , and whom the life of the world beguiled . So this day We have forgotten them even as they forgot the meeting
The Imam cried while reciting this verse. To be forgotten by Allah SWT is a huge disastre. Un eternel disaster may Allah SWT save us from His wrath.
Ramadan is a very serious month. Truly very serious. The Imam cried reciting the following verses :
39.71 . And those who disbelieve are driven unto hell in troops till , when they reach it and the gates thereof are opened , and the warders thereof say unto them : Came there not unto you messenger ' s of your own , reciting unto you the revelations of your Lord and warning you of the meeting of this your Day? they say Yea , verily . But the word of doom for disbelievers is fulfilled .
7.50 . And the dwellers of the Fire cry out unto the dwellers of the Garden ; Pour on us some water or some of that where with Allah hath provided you . They say : Lo! Allah hath forbidden both to disbelievers ( in His guidance ) ,
O Allah, make of us good Muslims, in complete submission to You till the end of our lives. O Allah do not make us among the loosers who waste the days of Ramadan. O Allah do not make us regret this month. We are indeed weak and You are strong. We are the creature and You are the Creator. O Allah guide us towards You and forgive us. You are the forgiver.
The Imam recited :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
85.1 . By the heaven , holding mansions of the stars ,
85.2 . And by the Promised Day .
85.3 . And by the witness and that whereunto he beareth testimony ,
85.4 . ( Self ) destroyed were the owners of the ditch
85.5 . Of the fuel fed fire ,
85.6 . When they sat by it ,
85.7 . And were themselves the witnesses of what they did to the believers .
85.8 . They had naught against them save that they believed in Allah , the Mighty , the Owner of Praise ,
85.9 . Him unto Whom belongeth the Sovereignty off the heavens and the earth ; and Allah is of all things the Witness .
85.10 . Lo! they who persecute believing men and believing women and repent not , theirs verily will be the doom of hell , and theirs the doom of burning .
then
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
16.90 . Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness , and giving to kinsfolk , and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness . He exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed .
This verse is a powerful verse. Because it defines by itself the state and the behaviour of the Muslim.
The most important thing to build a good society is justice. If there is no justice there is no order in the society and the basic building block will be missing...
If there is anything that Allah SWT hates it is indeed injustice. Allah SWT said :
Ini 7aramto Al-dolma 3ala nafssi wa ja3altoho mo7araman baynakom. [I have forbiden injustice for myself and made it forbiden for you]
In the Quran Allah SWT talks many times about justice and how important it is :
4.58 . Lo! Allah commandeth you that ye restore deposits to their owners , and , if ye judge between mankind , that ye judge justly . Lo! comely is this which Allah admonisheth you . Lo! Allah is ever Hearer , Seer .
Allah SWT gives us a direct order to be just even towards our ennemies because our first goal is to please Allah SWT and to get closer to Him. Being just is a great way to achieve this and to get closer to the Just:
5.8 . O ye who believe! Be steadfast witnesses for Allah in equity , and let not hatred of any people seduce you that ye deal not justly . Deal justly , that is nearer to your duty . Observe your duty to Allah . Lo! Allah is Informed of what ye do .
Not to forget that Allah SWT commands us to be just towards the weak in our society, towards to poor, the orphins and the eldest:
6.152 . And approach not the wealth of the orphan save with that which is better ; till he reach maturity . Give full measure and full weight , in justice . We task not any soul beyond its scope . And if ye give your word , do justice thereunto , even though it be ( against ) a kinsman ; and fulfil the covenant of Allah . This He commandeth you that haply ye may remember .
We also need to know that Allah SWT did order us to be just but this is not enough so He ordered us to be also kind. Being just is simply giving the right to he who it belongs to but kindness is another step higher because it means being just with kindness... In other words it is not sufficient for us Muslims to be just but we also need to show kindness while being just. And it is not a matter of choice but a direct order from Allah SWT to combien justice and kindness in our behaviour with others.
16.90 . Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness , and giving to kinsfolk
L'Imam said that kindness, a higher step than justice should manifest itself first of all with our kinsfolk, those who we have family ties with. Because the heart of the society is the family. We have to deal with justice and kindness in our family first of all before thinking of society.
The Imam explained how important it is to take care of his brothers and sisters and memebers of the family especially if they are poor or in need. Actually Allah SWT commands us many times in the Quran to take care of our family before even taking care of the poor of the orphins :
17.26 . Give the kinsman his due , and the needy , and the wayfarer , and squander not ( thy wealth ) in wantonness .
4.36 . And serve Allah . Ascribe no thing as partner unto Him . ( Show ) kindness unto parents , and unto near kindred , and orphans , and the needy , and into the neighbor who is of kin ( unto you ) and the neighbor who is not of kin and the fellow traveller and the wayfarer and ( the slaves ) whom your right hands possess . Lo! Allah loveth not such as are proud and boastful ,
This shows to what degree it is very important to take care of our families...
The Imam talked about symetric relationships and asymetric relationships and our obligation to be just in both cases. An asymetric relationship for example is the one between a man, his mother and his wife. Even if his wife and mother have different status, one should still be just in this relationship and to give each one of them her rights without stumbling on the right of the other. A symetric relationship is for example the one between a woman and her two daughters, her two daughters have the same status and they should be dealt with justly and kindly...
The imam then talked about the interdiction that Allah SWT makes :
16.90 and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness .
Lewdness, abomination and wickedness are acts that destory our spiritual state and get us very far from Allah SWT, that is why they are forviden. Human nature is inclined to commit some of those acts, thats why fasting is recommended to get rid of those inclinations. Also praying is a very effective way of enhancing our spiritual life. Allah SWT says :
29.45 . Recite that which hath been inspired in thee of the Scripture , and establish worship . Lo! worship preserveth from lewdness and iniquity , but verily remembrance of Allah is more important . And Allah knoweth what ye do .
there was one announcement this friday is that all charity is going to go to the earthquake victimes in Kashmir.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2005 03:48 by mdlazreg.
"Tu me reponds pour faire semblant que tu as compris l'Anglais?" A wili, le masque est tombé!
"Traduit le moi alors en Francais pour le prouver" Merci de mettre ma parole en doute, ça fait plaisir! Je l'aurais fait avec grand plaisir si seulement tu ne l'avais pas toi même déjà fait dans ton post similaire en français! Et oui, désolée de te décevoir, mais je suis les 2 versions.. D'un point de vue linguistique c'est très interessant pour moi, j'apprends du vocabulaire que je n'ai jamais eu la chance de rencontrer!
Sur ce Mabrouk l'aïd khouya! Et à quand tu veux pour une traduction incha'allah..
Our Imam, a young beautiful pakistanai with a nice, beautiful beard talked to us about TaqWa.
TaqWa is a word repeated once and again thoughout all the Quran. This word however does not have a direct translation in French nor in English.
The Imam's aim was to explain to us what TaqWa means in Islam and what should we do to attain the level of TaqWa.
The Imam first mentioned the following verse :
2.183 . O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you , even as it was prescribed for those before you , that ye may ward off evil ) ;
The verse in Arabic uses the verbe TaTaqoun, the root word of TaqWa. In this verse Allah SWT is telling us He prescribed fasting on us for a specific reason. What is this reason then? The reason is to reach Al-TaqWa.
The Imam wondered then if we truly understand that all this month of Ramadan, all this fasting is for only one reason, to become Motaqi, to have TaqWa?... The Imam said that usually whenver we make some action it is for a specific reason and any action without a goal without a reason behind it, is a null action. Fasting is extremely important but this is not the whole story, fasting is important because of its goal, if we fast without reaching the goal of fasting, there is no need of us to fast. We truly have to understand what is the goal of fasting before we ever think of fasting. The goal is TaqWa as Allah SWT says in the verse.
The Imam said even the compagnons of the prophet SAAWS had difficulties understanding the concept of TaqWa. Omar RAA asked the Obay-Ibn-Ka3b the meaning of TaqWa. Obay-Ibn-Ka3b replied what would you do if you engage in a way full of traps and obstacles? Omar RAA said I will be very carful and make sure I know where I put my feet. Obay-Ibn-Ka3b replied that is exactly what TaqWa is...
Indeed the word Al-TaqWa, emphasized our young Imam, comes from the verbe ItaQa. This verb means a certain mix of fear and awareness of being carful not to fall into the cause of the fear... In Islam this means being aware of the presence of Allah SWT, aware of His orders, His limits and to conform to those rules and guidelines He has setup for us in every single moment in our lives. If we do have this awarness of Allah SWT's presence we have succeeded in reaching the TaqWa. And it is exactly that the goal of fasting. To be in self-control of our actions. This self-control comes from the realising that Allah SWT is with us, hears us, sees us and each action will be judged justly and certainly :
99.7 . And whoso doeth good an atom ' s weight will see it then , 99.8 . And whoso doeth ill an atom ' s weight will see it then .
18.49 . And the Book is placed , and thou seest the guilty fearful of that which is therein , and they say : What Kind of a book is this that leaveth not a small thing nor a great thing but hath counted it! And they find all that they did confronting them , and thy Lord wrongeth no one .
It is exactly this what Obay-Ibn-Ka3b wanted to tell Omar RAA by giving him the example of a route full of traps... Our life is a trip, a highly risked trip:
67.1 . Blessed is He in Whose hand is the Sovereignty , and He is Able to do all things . 67.2 . Who hath created life and death that He may try you , which of you is best in conduct ; and He is the Mighty , Forgiving ,
In other words, our life is a test, an exam. If we do not have TaqWa or the awarness of the presence of Allah SWT we risk of behaving in ways contrary to the orders of Allah SWT and thus finding us with the loosers, the day where the loss is a complete and an absolute one with no return:
32.12 . Couldst thou but see when the guilty hang their heads before their Lord , ( and say ) : Our Lord! We have now seen and heard , so send us back ; we will do right , now we are sure . 35.37 . And they cry for help there , ( saying ) : Our Lord! Release us ; we will do right , not ( the wrong ) that we used to do . Did not We grant you a life long enough for who reflected to reflect therein? And the warner came unto you . Now taste ( the flavor of your deeds ) , for evil doers have no helper .
The prophet SAAWS one day draw a straight line, then next to it He draw little lines here and there. He said to His compagnons, the Al-Sirat Al-Mostaqim is this straight line, the rest are the little traps of Chaytan to misguide us from the right path and to lead us astray.
Who will be able then to stay in the right path? only he who has Al-TaqWa. He who has attained the third level of Islam : Al-Ihssan. To worship Allah SWT like if you see Him and if you do not see him He sees you. Not only He sees you but He is recording every single action of yours so that you are your own judge in the day of judgement :
17.13 . And every man ' s augury have We fastened to his own neck , and We shall bring forth for him on the Day of Resurrection a book which he will find wide open .
What is the purpose of Ramadan then? The purpose is Al-TaqWa. We should ask ourselves the question if we have succeeded in getting Al-TaqWa. If no then our fasting in this sacred month did not serve us but to increase our hunger, thirst and getting tired for nothing. In our daily lives, are we aware of the presence of Allah SWT? if no then this is a serious matter, if yes does this lead us to follow His orders, for example to lower our gazes and being chast:
24.30 . Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest . That is purer for them . Lo! Allah is Aware of what they do .
Do we follow this:
49.11 . O ye who believe! Let not a folk deride a folk who may be better than they ( are ) , nor let women ( deride ) women who may be better than they are ; neither defame one another , nor insult one another by nicknames . Bad is the name of lewdness after faith . And whoso turneth not in repentance , such are evil doers . 49.12 . O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion ; for lo! some suspicion is a crime . And spy not , neither backbite one another . Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that ( so abhor the other ) ! And keep your duty ( to Allah ) . Lo! Allah is Relenting , Merciful .
The TaqWa is a guide that controls the Muslim behaviour. The Imam invited us to reflect on :
2.1 . Alif . Lam . Mim . 2.2 . This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt , a guidance unto Al-MOTAQQIN. 2.3 . Who believe in the unseen , and establish worship , and spend of that We have bestowed upon them ; 2.4 . And who believe in that which is revealed unto thee ( Muhammad ) and that which was revealed before thee , and are certain of the Hereafter .
The Imam said that it is amazing that those verses come straight after Al-Fatiha in the Quran! and Allah SWT says clearly that this Book, The Quran, is a guide. But a guide to who? to Al-MotaQQIN, those who have Al-TaqWa!!!. In other words it does not help reading the Quran if we do not have TaqWa... It is only with TaqWa that the Quran becomes a guide because it is at this moment that the Quran penetrates our hearts and then have a significant effect on our visible behaviour afterwards...
The Imam prayed that we are among Al-MotaQQIN, those who Allah SWT describe by :
2.177 . It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West ; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the Prophets ; and giveth his wealth , for love of Him , to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask , and to set slaves free ; and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor due . And those who keep their treaty when they make one , and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress . Such are they who are sincere . Such are the God fearing .
At the end, the Imam announced that the Zakat Charity this year is 5 dollars and it is obligatory on every member of the family before the paryer of Eid.
Our Imam, yes the one with the beautiful beard, talked to us about something very important in this end of Ramadan...
First he again wished us a happy Eid, while hoping we have taken advantage of this sacred month to the fullest, this month that the prophet SAAWS said about it :
Law 3alimat Omati Ma Ramadan La Tamanat An Takouna Assanato Koloha Ramadan If my nation knows what Ramadan is, she would want the whole year to be Ramadan.
The Imam said it is certainly very difficult to stay on the same level of worship of Allah SWT as we did in Ramadan but at the same time he reminded us of a very important hadith of the prophet SAAWS :
A7abo Al-A3mali Ila Allahi Adwamoha Wa In 9al. The best actions in the eyes of Allah SWT are steadfast actions even if they are little.
the Imam explained this by saying the most important thing is not to do much but to do it regularly even if it is little.
For example, it is of no use to pray 50 times a day and stop for several days. What should be done is praying 5 times a day as prescribed.
Same thing for The Quran. Reading it entirely in 3 days and not opening it for 3 months is a nonsense. The essential is reading it regularly, 1 or 2 verses a day are sufficiant if they are read on a regular basis.
Why??
Because doing an action that lasts is a proof of our deep faith which keeps strong whatever our mood, life conditions... That is the Real faith.
This also shows patience, and patience is so mentioned and recomended in the Quran !
In fact when Allah SWT asks us to pray, He doesn't say :
Sali. Pray.
But He says:
A9imi Assalat. Establish prayer
This to show that the most important aspect is not the action itself but its continuity :
17.78 Establish regular prayers - at the sun's decline till the darkness of the night, and the morning prayer and reading: for the prayer and reading in the morning carry their testimony.
Luqman ASWS said to his son :
31.17. "O my son! establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong: and bear with patient constancy whatever betide thee; for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs.
The Imam said the Month of Ramadan is the month of Quran because in every mosquee of the World, The Quran is read from begining to end during this month and also because it has been revealed during Ramadan...
But what is exactly the Quran ? the Quran is Allah SWT word... And who is Allah SWT?
He is the Creator of the universe... Do we really understand this statement?
In fact the Creator of the whole Universe is talking to us !!!!!
SubhanAllah ! It is such an honor, this God who doesn't need us, deign to talk to us, insignificant creatures ! Shouldn't we then take some time to read the Quran?, the words of Allah SWT...
Do we have to read it as much as we did during Ramadan? if it is possible, why not! but if we can't we must define a rythm ( time and quantity) we will keep. Because what matters is not how much but who often...
For example, 5 verses a day. The most important thing is doing it every day.
If 5 verses is too much, then just one. We can read a 7izb ( Chapter) or 2 a week but it must be EACH week.
The Imam said the Quran has rights upon us :
1) Reading It. 2) Understanding It. 3) Teach It to others.
Everyone, depending on her/his capacity and time can do these 3 points but don't forget that frequency and continuity are more important than quantity.
The imam said it is sometimes difficult to keep assiduous in doing actions. That is why we should try to do it with other people like family, friends, neigbors...
The presence of other people is very important to help us respect a time schedule. For example a person if she is alone can say I will get up for Fajr but if she has also the responsibility to wake someone else for Fajr it is much stronger motivation... L'Imam talked about the hadith of the prophet SAAWS where He says that a Muslim should all the time be with good people because good people will defintly influence us to be good... The prophet SAAWS gave the example of a perfum shop, even if the person does not buy anything the nice perfum will still stay with him...
It is strongly adivsed to find friends, husband or wife, family and others and to have sessions of Quranic reading. Even if it is 10 minutes, what matters is how regular you meet to read it.
Allah SWT says in The Quran :
19.65. "Lord of the heavens and of the earth, and of all that is between them; so worship Him, and be constant and patient in His worship: knowest thou of any who is worthy of the same Name as He?"
20.132. Enjoin prayer on thy people, and be constant therein. We ask thee not to provide sustenance: We provide it for thee. But the (fruit of) the Hereafter is for righteousness.
The arabic verbe used here is ISTABIR which comes from SABR or patience... Not only we have to pray and make good deeds but we have to be patient in our practice, regular and do them continuisly... Because it is the only way to show our deep belief.
L'Imam also said something very important :
Let's be worshipers of Allah SWT, not the worshipers of Ramadan.
Those who worship Allah SWT only in Ramdan and forget about Him the rest of the year are worshipers of Ramadan in reality...
I found those words to be truly heavy of consquences... The Imam asked us to ask for forgiveness from Allah SWT becasue we are truly in a big loss and sometimes we do not even know... :
By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.
The imam recited the following for the prayer :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
And :
2.200. So when ye have accomplished your holy rites, celebrate the praises of Allah, as ye used to celebrate the praises of your fathers,- yea, with far more Heart and soul. There are men who say: "Our Lord! Give us (Thy bounties) in this world!" but they will have no portion in the Hereafter.
Then :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
And :
112.1 . Say : He is Allah , the One!
112.2 . Allah , the eternally Besought of all!
112.3 . He begetteth not nor was begotten .
112.4 . And there is none comparable unto Him .
There was one annoucement that all donations will go to a local charity.
Our Imam reminded us of the great job our muslim community did in the month of Ramadan, on one hand our regular prayer and nightly prayers and from the other hand our generosity in this sacred month. He said that our donations were so big that the planes bound to Pakistan for the earthquake releif effort were unable to take all what was collected!...
The Imam said that after the end of Ramdan, we should succeed in keeping the same spirit of Ramadan in the rest of the year. One way to do this is by following the truth where ever it is...
Not only follow the truth but defend it and stand by its side. The biggest truth in our life is the Quran and its so very important revelations so much necessary to lead a healthy life here and in the hearafter.
Allah SWT says in the Quran :
39.55 . And follow the better ( guidance ) of that which is revealed unto you from your Lord , before the doom cometh on you suddenly when ye know not ,
To stand by the truth means also stay on the right side even when it goes against our desires and will. The truth is a whole, to take or to leave, specialy when it comes to the orders from Allah SWT or His prophet SAAWS:
33.36 . And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman , when Allah and His messenger have decided and affair ( for them ) , that they should ( after that ) claim any say in their affair ; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His messenger , be verily goeth astray in error manifest .
Indeed going against the truth and not applying the orders of Allah SWT is one othe signs of the non believers who not only do not apply the truth in their lives but thtey work actively to shut it down...
18.56 . We send not the messengers save as bearers of good news and warners . Those who disbelieve contend with falsehood in order to refute the Truth thereby . And they take Our revelations and that wherewith they are threatened as a jest
The truth is not only when it comes to beliefs but also in our daily lives where many people forget about the truth and choose to follow their passions. One of the cases is to follow some leaders or people regardless if they say the truth or not... This is very common in the political life of non muslims. While in Islam the goal is to follow the truth and nothing but the truth, the non muslim politiciens follow their parties even if the party is not on the right side far from the truth. Oftern the word of the leader is taken for granted for political gains even if it is wrong... This is kind of fanatisme for the party of for the the leader while the only thing we should be fanatical about is the Truth.
The arabic proverbe says :
Al-7a9o La Yo3rafo Bi-Alrijal, I3rifi Al-7a9a Ta3rif Ahlaho. We do not know the truth from the man. We know the man from the truth.
Another way of getting far from the truth if by following the family, the founding fathers or by simple society immitation. Even if it is not wrong per say to follow, it is wrong to follow anything that is not right. The first question to ask is if what I am following is right or not. And only from there I can take the decision to continue on that track or not. Actually in the Quran Allah SWT talks about many nations and people who refused the message of their prophets simply because it goes against what they have inherited from their fathers....
That is pure fanatisme for our fathers and ancestors that gets us farther from the truth :
43.23. Just in the same way, whenever We sent a Warner before thee to any people, the wealthy ones among them said: "We found our fathers following a certain religion, and we will certainly follow in their footsteps."
43.24. He said: "What! Even if I brought you better guidance than that which ye found your fathers following?" They said: "For us, we deny that ye (prophets) are sent (on a mission at all)."
2.170. 2.170 . And when it is said unto them : Follow that which Allah hath revealed , they say : We follow that wherein we found our fathers . What! Even though their fathers were wholly unintelligent and had no guidance?
The same thing for Ibrahim ASWS father, he was fanatical for his people and did not want to give up worshiping stones and status only because his tribe was doing the same thing. He refused to follow the truth! :
21.52. Behold! he said to his father and his people, "What are these images, to which ye are (so assiduously) devoted?" 21.53. They said, "We found our fathers worshipping them."
One of the most unbelievable stories at the begining of Islam was that some ennemies of Islam who did not want to follow the truth did so for the only reason that the prophet SAAWS did not belong to their tribe!!! and it was a dishonor for them to follow Him while He belongs to another tribe!!. They perfered to forget about what is the most important thing, to follow the truth where it is or to follow tribes and races even though they are on the wrong side... It is exactly like today when some refuse the follow the truth brought by Mohamed SAAWS for the only reason of Him being Arab!.
Should an unsignificant human being contest the decision of The Creator of the Universe for choosing Mohamed SAAWS as His last messenger to Humanity? only a foul would do so.
Abu Jahl said once :
Mohamed was a young man among us, we called him the truthful, he never lied to us but My tribe and His tribe disputed the honnor and the greateness, so they give food to the poor and we did, they give water to the thirsty and so we did, they protected the weak and so we did until His tribe said among us is a prophet, how can my tribe reach this honor and be equal to his tribe?.
Only for this reason Abu Jahl refused to be a Muslim and was one of the biggest ennemies of Islam...
Sometimes also we deviate from the truth because of being jealous. This is worst because we truly know which side is the side of truth but we still decide to leave it because we hate the other side or we are too proud to follow the other side... One example is the following:
2.109 . Many of the People of the Scripture long to make you disbelievers after your belief , through envy on their own account , after the truth hath become manifest unto them . Forgive and be indulgent ( toward them ) until Allah give command . Lo! Allah is Able to do all things .
At the same time, the Quran warns us against following blindly the others... because Allah SWT will judge our choices not the choices of those we followed. We have to be very careful who we follow and for each choice we should assume the full responsibility. Many people are not believers because they are blind followers of non believers:
12.103. Yet no faith will the greater part of mankind have, however ardently thou dost desire it. 12.104. And no reward dost thou ask of them for this: it is no less than a message for all creatures.
Also in a hadith :
Do not be followers, if the people do right you do right and if they do wrong you do wrong. Stay firm and if people do good, do good and if they do wrong abstain from doing wrong.
The Imam summarized by saying that Allah SWT is the truth and there is only one truth but they are way too many ways of deviating from the truth. We should then question ourselves each time in your life about our choices, a life which is too short and is a very quick trip to the other side, the side of eternity where every single small deed of our life will be judged:
99.1 . When Earth is shaken with her ( final ) earthquake
99.2 . And Earth yieldeth up her burdens ,
99.3 . And man saith : What aileth her?
99.4 . That day she will relate her chronicles ,
99.5 . Because thy Lord inspireth her .
99.6 . That day mankind will issue forth in scattered groups to be shown their deeds .
99.7 . And whoso doeth good an atom ' s weight will see it then ,
99.8 . And whoso doeth ill an atom ' s weight will see it then .
The Imam recited for the prayer :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
And :
43.23. Et c'est ainsi que Nous n'avons pas envoyé avant toi d'avertisseur en une cité sans que ses gens aisés n'aient dit : “Nous avons trouvé nos ancêtres sur une religion et nous suivons leurs traces”.
43.24 . ( And the warner ) said : What! Even though I bring you better guidance than that ye found your fathers following? They answered : Lo! in what ye bring we are disbelievers .
and :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
then:
112.1 . Say : He is Allah , the One!
112.2 . Allah , the eternally Besought of all!
112.3 . He begetteth not nor was begotten .
112.4 . And there is none comparable unto Him .
There was one announcement that all donations of this friday will go for a construction project for a hospital in Palestine.
Our Imam talked about 9adar. 9adar or destiny is one of the things every Muslim should believe in.
Actually faith as defined by the prophet SAAWS is to to believe in Allah SWT, in all His prophets, in His angels, in His books and to believe in destiny be it good or bad.
This means whatever happens to us is already something known to Allah SWT before we are even born!. Once we understand this reality about life we will truly understand how worthless it is to be sad about things or to be overjoyed about other things... Allah SWT says :
57.22 No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence: That is truly easy for Allah: 57.23 In order that ye may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult over favours bestowed upon you. For Allah loveth not any vainglorious boaster,-
We should stay all the time balanced to lead a healthy life, reflecting on the purpose of our existance and aware of our destiny and where we are going.
The fact that Allah SWT already knows everything that happened and that will ever happen does not exclude our free will and we are still asked to make decisions and to assume our own choices. It is our responsibility to make the right chocies:
90.8 . Did We not assign unto him two eyes
90.9 . And a tongue and two lips ,
90.10 . And guide him to the parting of the mountain ways?
Allah SWT out of His amazing grace has given to us the intelectual capacity to distinguish between right and wrong and it is on the basis of this capacity that we will be judged.
Another thing to be aware of, is that whatever happens to us is not as bad as it could have happened. Actually if we compare our misfortune to the rest of the world we will find out that we are really so lucky and so many others are not. So let's be patient in the face of hardship and let's not forget the following :
2.155 Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, 2.156 Who say, when afflicted with calamity: "To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return":-
One amazing story is the story of Ayoub ASWS, we should reflect on this story as it gives us insights on how Ayoub ASWS dealed with harships and how he remained calm with full faith in Allah's great grace.
We should also know that whenever there is a difficutly certainly there is an ease after that, and after a harship we are stronger with experience, Allah SWT says :
94.5 . But lo! with hardship goeth ease ,
94.6 . Lo! with hardship goeth ease ;
And even more importantly is not to give up hope in Allah SWT. Actually giving up hopes in Allah SWT is one of the biggest sins! :
15.56 He said: "And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord, but such as go astray?"
By nature we are :
41.49 Man does not weary of asking for good (things), but if ill touches him, he gives up all hope (and) is lost in despair.
but if we keep in mind the advices here we will inshaAllah enjoy our life even when it gets difficult. We will have Muslim outlook on life which makes it so easy to live, so good to enjoy and a better chance to prepare our meeting with Allah SWT in the hearafter.
The Imam recited for the prayer :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
And
2.155 Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, 2.156 Who say, when afflicted with calamity: "To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return":- 2.157 They are those on whom (Descend) blessings from Allah, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance.
then
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
94.1 . Have We not caused thy bosom to dilate ,
94.2 . And eased thee of the burden
94.3 . Which weighed down thy back ;
94.4 . And exalted thy fame?
94.5 . But lo! with hardship goeth ease ,
94.6 . Lo! with hardship goeth ease ;
94.7 . So when thou art relieved , still toil
94.8 . And strive to please thy Lord .
There was one announcement that all donations will go to an organisation who helps poor chicago families.
Barak'Allahou fik. Et pour te montrer que j'ai compris le thème c'est prédistination et responsabilité de nos actes. Qu'il faut relativiser aussi ce qui nous arrive et garder l'espoir et la foi.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/2005 01:34 by zouitina.
This Friday our Imam [the guy with the beautiful beard] talked about true belief. What it means truly to be a believer...
We as Muslims we are in a very interesting situation. Our life is not in this world, our real life is in the next world. The world to come. The eternal one.
Allah SWT says in the Quran :
18:7. That which is on earth we have made but as a glittering show for the earth, in order that We may test them - as to which of them are best in conduct.
SubhanAllah! Allah SWT tells us black on white that this life on earth is only a glittering show! it is a temporary place! It is a trip, a very short trip.
Yet many people do not even think about what would happen to them once their soul is taken out of this world. They behave like if they are going to stay here forever. They play! They take life for granted. Even if Allah SWT says :
7:51. "Such as took their religion to be mere amusement and play, and were deceived by the life of the world." That day shall We forget them as they forgot the meeting of this day of theirs, and as they were wont to reject Our signs.
How many people do not take their religion seriously? really many and that is a huge disaster waiting to happen and they continue not to be aware of this simple fact: There is a life after this life.
The Imam said that the true believer who truly have understood the reality of life will do his/her outmost to reach the other side safely. The prophet SAAWS one of the rare peoples on the planet earth who truly understood this fact said :
Be in life like a stranger or a traveller.
If we meditate on those words we will see how powerful those words from the prophet SAAWS are...
How many people that were born between 1800 and 1850 are with us now? 0.
How many people of all humans living right now will be still alive in 2150? 0.
Allah SWT has created the earth for a reason and He created us for a reason :
44:38. We created not the heavens, the earth, and all between them, merely in (idle) sport.
We should really understand this fact about life and to stop living like animals not aware of the purpose of our existence nor aware of our destination. We should not be included in the ones refered to as :
7:179. Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell: They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle,- nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning).
25:44. Or thinkest thou that most of them listen or understand? They are only like cattle;- nay, they are worse astray in Path.
The moment we understand this we will realize that our trip on life is a short one yet it is a long one. A long one because we need to work hard and to prove that we deserve the best in the eternal life. Allah SWT says :
2:214. Or do ye think that ye shall enter the Garden (of bliss) without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? they encountered suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith who were with him cried: "When (will come) the help of Allah?" Ah! Verily, the help of Allah is (always) near!
On the same spirit, Allah SWT says that we are being tested :
3:142. Did ye think that ye would enter Heaven without Allah testing those of you who fought hard (In His Cause) and remained steadfast?
Tested in every single detail of our life :
19:63. Such is the Garden which We give as an inheritance to those of Our servants who guard against Evil.
Sometimes, the test will be hard and we might be put harmful ways :
3.186. Ye shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your personal selves; and ye shall certainly Hear much that will grieve you, from those who received the Book before you and from those who worship many gods. But if ye persevere patiently, and guard against evil,-then that will be a determining factor in all affairs.
The result of our test will be known to us in the day of Judgment:
3:185. Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.
For those who are still not convinced of the reality of life on earth, they should ponder on Allah's SWT words :
29:64. What is the life of this world but amusement and play? but verily the Home in the Hereafter,- that is life indeed, if they but knew.
57:20. Know ye (all), that the life of this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and children. Here is a similitude: How rain and the growth which it brings forth, delight (the hearts of) the tillers; soon it withers; thou wilt see it grow yellow; then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But in the Hereafter is a Penalty severe (for the devotees of wrong). And Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the devotees of Allah). And what is the life of this world, but goods and chattels of deception?
The Imam said that being tested does not mean we have to live a mesirable life waiting only for our death. Actually it is an obligation on us as Muslims to enjoy what Allah SWT has created for us:
7:32. Say: Who hath forbidden the beautiful (gifts) of Allah, which He hath produced for His servants, and the things, clean and pure, (which He hath provided) for sustenance? Say: They are, in the life of this world, for those who believe, (and) purely for them on the Day of Judgment. Thus do We explain the signs in detail for those who understand.
What really matters is our awarness of the gifts of Allah SWT. We should never think of any acheivement we do, be it wealth, science, power or else, as something we have done ourselves through our intelligence or our own means. It is all the time a gift from Allah SWT and we should use those gifts to seek being close to Him.
The Imam gave two examples, the example of QARUN and the example of SOLAIMAN ASWS.
Both of them were extremely rich and powerful:
28:76. Qarun was doubtless, of the people of Moses; but he acted insolently towards them: such were the treasures We had bestowed on him that their very keys would have been a burden to a body of strong men, behold, his people said to him: "Exult not, for Allah loveth not those who exult (in riches).
27:16. And Solomon was David's heir. He said: "O ye people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah.)"
The difference is that SOLAIMAN ASWS was aware that what he has was from Allah SWT and he thanked Allah SWT for it :
38:30. To David We gave Solomon (for a son),- How excellent in Our service! Ever did he turn (to Us)!
To the opposite of that QARUN thought it was all because he was smart :
28:78. He said: "This has been given to me because of a certain knowledge which I have." Did he not know that Allah had destroyed, before him, (whole) generations,- which were superior to him in strength and greater in the amount (of riches) they had collected? but the wicked are not called (immediately) to account for their sins.
And his punishement was :
28:81. Then We caused the earth to swallow up him and his house; and he had not (the least little) party to help him against Allah, nor could he defend himself.
The Imam reminded us of the hadith of the prophet SAAWS where He says :
Live your life like you will live forever and prepare your afterlife like if you will die tomorrow.
And the words of Allah SWT :
28:77. "But seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on thee, the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget thy portion in this world: but do thou good, as Allah has been good to thee, and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land: for Allah loves not those who do mischief."
To be a Muslim is to live in a balanced manner and to never go to the extremes, to stay on the right path, to guard ourselves from evil and to have a constant awareness of the presence of Allah SWT in our life. This is the only way to guide the rest of humans to the path of Allah SWT :
2:143. Thus, have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves;
For the prayers, the Imam recited :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
then :
93.1 . By the morning hours
93.2 . And by the night when it is stillest ,
93.3 . Thy Lord hath not forsaken thee nor doth He hate thee ,
93.4 . And verily the latter portion will be better for thee than the former
93.5 . And verily thy Lord will give unto thee so that thou wilt be content .
93.6 . Did He not find thee an orphan and protect ( thee ) ?
93.7 . Did He not find thee wandering and direct ( thee ) ?
93.8 . Did He not find thee destitute and enrich ( thee ) ?
93.9 . Therefor the orphan oppress not ,
93.10 . Therefor the beggar drive not away ,
and
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
then
114.1 . Say : I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind ,
114.2 . The King of mankind ,
114.3 . The God of mankind ,
114.4 . From the evil of the sneaking whisperer ,
114.5 . Who whispereth in the hearts of mankind ,
114.6 . Of the jinn and of mankind .
There was one annoucement that all donations this friday will go to a fund that takes care of women victimes of domestic violence.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2005 07:58 by mdlazreg.
Our Imam this Friday talked about our responsability as Muslims living among non Muslims. We are in a time where AlhamduliAllah almost everyone has heard about Islam in a positive or a negative way. It is our duty to make sure any misconceptions about Islam are cleared. We have to tell others about Islam by example. In other words we do not need necessarly to do anything. What we need is to be good Muslims and offer the best example in conduct by having a high moral standards able to shine the beautiful teachings of Islam.
This is definetly a very difficult task. Actually so much difficult that even the prophet Mohamed SAAWS, the best of creation, found it to be a highly challenging one.
In one sourate, Allah SWT talks directly with Mohamed SAAWS about the difficulty of this task :
94.1 . Have We not caused thy bosom to dilate , 94.2 . And eased thee of the burden 94.3 . Which weighed down thy back ; 94.4 . And exalted thy fame? 94.5 . But lo! with hardship goeth ease , 94.6 . Lo! with hardship goeth ease ; 94.7 . So when thou art relieved , still toil 94.8 . And strive to please thy Lord .
Because the prophet SAAWS was conscient that the responsibility of delivering the message of God to humanity was not an easy one. He was sad sometimes and sometimes He was very worried that He might fail... He was scared that maybe He will not be able to offer a good example for others to follow.
Actually this did not happen to Mohamed SAAWS only but also to prophets before Him. For example when Moise ASWS was asked to deliver the message of Allah SWT to the pharaon, He was worried and said :
20.24. "Go thou to Pharaoh, for he has indeed transgressed all bounds." 20.25. (Moses) said: "O my Lord! expand me my breast; 20.26. "Ease my task for me; 20.27. "And remove the impediment from my speech, 20.28. "So they may understand what I say: 20.29. "And give me a Minister from my family, 20.30. "Aaron, my brother;
The exact same thing happened to Jesus ASWS. He was scared that He might not deliver the message correctly to His people. And actually judging from what the christians did with His message making a God out of Him or a Son of God, Jesus ASWS had every good reason to be worried... Specially knowing that Allah SWT will ask Him about what He did with the message :
5.116. And behold! Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah'?" He will say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden.
Now if even the prophets ASWS found it to be very difficult to deliver the message of Allah SWT to humanity and non muslims, can we imagine how difficult it is for us? specially when we know that there are people out there who do want to harm us as muslims and who are actively spreading lies against us to mislead those who are ignorant about Islam or those who have little information.
So what is the best way to succeed in dealing with non muslims and at the same time delivering the message of Allah SWT?
The first thing is to understand that whatever happen or will happen is something already decided by Allah SWT:
10.107. If Allah do touch thee with hurt, there is none can remove it but He: if He do design some benefit for thee, there is none can keep back His favour: He causeth it to reach whomsoever of His servants He pleaseth. And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
The prophet Mohamed SAAWS understood this and He said :
"if the whole nation were to gather together to benefit you they would only benefit you with that which Allah had already written [for] you, and if the whole nation were to gather to harm you they could only harm you with that which Allah had already written to harm you. The pen has been lifted and the ink has dried".
So even in case there is a huge army gathering against the Muslims, we have to behave in the following way :
3.173. Men said to them: "A great army is gathering against you": And frightened them: But it (only) increased their Faith: They said: "For us Allah sufficeth, and He is the best disposer of affairs."
This is from a belief point of view. From a practical point of view, Allah SWT describes to us exactly what we should do with non muslims:
16.125. Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.
And also to never let the beliefs of others affect our belief as Allah SWT asked Moise ASWS to do :
20.15. "Verily the Hour is coming - My design is to keep it hidden - for every soul to receive its reward by the measure of its Endeavour. 20.16. "Therefore let not such as believe not therein but follow their own lusts, divert thee therefrom, lest thou perish!"..
And most importantly to do four things :
1)Believe 2)Do good works 3)Stick all the time to the side of truth no mater what. 4)Be patient.
103.1 . By the declining day , 103.2 . Lo! man is in a state of loss , 103.3 . Save those who believe and do good works , and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance .
If we fellow those guidelines we will be inshaAllah successful in our life and we would have carried our responsibility as it should be.
The prophet Mohamed SAAWS in His last sermon, He asked the people around Him if He had delivered the message as it should be. The people replied yes. He asked this three times and each time the people replied yes. Then He raised His hands to the sky and said :
Allahoma Fachhad. O Allah, bear witness.
Like the prophet SAAWS, we will also be asked about our responsibilities in the day of judgement. Our responsibility towards Allah SWT, towards our wives and husbands, towards our children, towards our families, toward our brothers and sisters in Islam, towards our religion, towards Humanity and what we have done to make earth a happy place.
The Imam said that those things have been and are very important but at a time when many non Muslims are looking at Muslims with great interest to learn what Islam is about we have to increase our efforts to convey the message of Allah SWT through the best examples we can offer. The fact that we live among a majority of non muslims makes this a must, not a choice.
We pray to Allah SWT to make us successful in this task. The prophet SAAWS has done His part and He was successful, it is up to us to do our part.
[I forgot what verses were recited for the prayer and my wife could not remember neither(la nulle)].
There was one annoucement that all donations will go to local poor chicagoans.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2005 09:30 by mdlazreg.
Just wanted to make a little correction ( hopping it wont hurt your feelings )
You wrote :
>>>[I forgot what verses were recited for the prayer and my wife could not remember neither(la nulle)].
But it is : And my wife could not remember EITHER
Besides doing gramatical mistakes, you wrote lies. I know your lovely wife and she told me the verse recited in the first Rak3a :
So the correct sentence would have been :
I dont remember any of the verse, but my lovely and awesome wife does
The imam with a lovely voice ( those are your wife s words ) recited :
Al Fatiha
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
And then :
94.1 . Have We not caused thy bosom to dilate , 94.2 . And eased thee of the burden 94.3 . Which weighed down thy back ; 94.4 . And exalted thy fame? 94.5 . But lo! with hardship goeth ease , 94.6 . Lo! with hardship goeth ease ; 94.7 . So when thou art relieved , still toil 94.8 . And strive to please thy Lord .
So mdlazreg, forgot or didn´t want to admit that his wife knows the verses that he can´t remember Come on mdlazreg, don´t be shy. Just tell us
Usually, terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things.
Russell Baker
you made me laugh Do you remember once we were talking in the french forum about women and relationship
Usually, terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things.
Russell Baker
, 
. 
and my wife could not remember neither(la nulle)]. 
chargement...
