CAIR-NY Welcomes City Council Vote on Muslim Holidays in

SchoolsFrom Newswire, 06/18/09

The Answer to the Heat Wave of Fitnah: Grab

the Umbrella of TaqwaBy Suhaib Webb, suhaibwebb.com, 06/27/09

Assalamu alaykum, I hope all of you are well and pray that everyone is in a state of being close to Allah. Just 10 short years ago I was struggling as a new convert to Islam and one of the greatest hurdles was the ladies. My college days were rough in many regards. Before my conversion I was a successful DJ (I had just got my hands on a really nice four track mixer. Okay so you know I’m old school. But, in those days I could make it fly) and was about to walk the Burning Sands.

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A MUNA Youth Publication Page 1

Volume II, Issue 10 July 2009 http://munayouth.org

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

“Verily, the men of knowledge are the inheritors of the prophets.” (Hadith)

Inside

the Voice:Theme of the Month:

AkhirahPages 2-3

Agenda for JulyPage 4

MiscellaneousPages 5-7

Important NewsPages 8

NEW YORK, NY- The New York chapter of the Council onAmerican-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today joined a coalition of community organizations in welcoming the passage of a resolution by a committee of the city council that calls for adding Muslim holidays to the school calendar. -Continued on Page 8

Finding My Way

By Allen Jo

Since I was a child, I would always question everything, from how things worked to why they existed. Consequently, I questioned my religion. At the time, I was a Christian. However, I could never truly believe in Christianity. Many things deterred me: the corruption of the Catholic Church, hypocrisy and logical fallacy of the Trinity, and all the different versions of the Bible. Eventually, I no longer believed in Christianity and, for some reason, God. As time went by, I started to have doubts about my atheistic beliefs. For some reason, I still felt that there is a God.

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youth voice

Divine Context: How the Akhirah (Hereafter) Can be Felt in this Dunya (World)

By Dawud Israel, www.muslimology.wordpress.com, 06/15/09

A MUNA Youth Publication Page 2

-Continued from page 1 Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah. This is a big realization I had a day or two ago while making dhikr. Its a massive paradigm shift I feel I should share. This isn’t another motivational article, rather its something I try to live and practice, so what you read here in sha Allah you can start working towards immediately applying. It is hard to fully express and put into words, so my apologies in that shortcoming. Take a close look at these Hadith:

Aisha radiallahu anha narrates that they sacrificed a goat. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam asked, “How much is left of it?” She told him that only the shoulder remained. He remarked, “The whole of it is left except the shoulder.” (Tirmidhi)(commentary: meaning all of the hasanat from it is now in the Akhirah, except the shoulder)

Burayda radiallahu anhu narrates that Bilal radiallahu anhu went to visit the Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wasalam while he was having his afternoon meal. The Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wasalam asked, “Food, Bilal?” He replied, “I am fasting, O Messenger of Allah.” The Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wasalam said, “We are eating our food and Bilal’s food is being reserved in Paradise. Are you aware, Bilal, that the bones of a fasting person glorify Allah and the angels seek forgiveness for him as long as food is being eaten in his presence?” (Ibn Majja, Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman)

Narrated Abdullah: The Prophet said, “Paradise is nearer to any of you than the Shirak (leather strap) of his shoe, and so is the (Hell) Fire.” Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol 8 No. 495.

Everything should be understood in relation to the Akhirah

These hadith imply something important: nothing in this dunya is really is substantial enough to warrant our acknowledgment of its existence, except those things done for Allah. The first hadith is moving and illustrative of this- it implies, what we really have is what we have sent for the akhirah and what we don’t have is anything we haven’t sent yet. In this sense, we have to live for akhirah which is present now here- not just because Jannah and Jahannam are already created but because just as we are given countless blessings from Allah SWT every moment- in the next moment we could die and meet our Lord. So when Allah sends

us mercies, we send them back by doing good deeds using those means, and thus partake in an experience that crosses two worlds. If however, we use those means and squander them, as in squandering wealth, we commit a sin because we have taken the nature of Allah’s bounties (coming from Him) and we have wasted them on something unworthy of their divine origin.

“The Day that every soul shall find what it has done of good brought forward, and what it has done of evil, it will wish if there were only a far space between it and that (Day).” (Quran, Chapter 3 verse 30)

I think the above two hadith demonstrate something further, and that is, we should try our utmost to take everything in this dunya and send it to the akhirah, which also means to perform those good deeds as quickly as possible (fastabaqat al-khayrat- hasten to good!) simply because we would be sending all our seconds, minutes, hours and days to the akhirah. Sacrificing our efforts, time, wealth, food, our anger, our ego, our frustrations, our laziness, emotions, intellect and everything else- we should try and send to the akhirah. I like this notion as well, for one other reason- everything we experience now, we will experience in Jannah as well (in sha Allah) but in a more heightened intensity. So that food Bilal will eat in Jannah will be even more delicious, but he knows now the food he avoids on this day of fasting- is ready and waiting for him in Jannah in sha Allah…so in that sense, Jannah will re-live everything (on this day, you fasted so here is the food, and you also gave sadaqa so heres that money, etc. but multiplied to be much more). We should think to ourselves, when we’re lazy to pray, “I should send this laziness to the akhirah and go and pray right now,” and always keep asking

ourselves, “What else in this dunya can I send to the akhirah?” I think this line of thinking combines imagination and creativity with worship- you hear of how the Salaf and Awliya find new ways of doing good, being kind and merciful to others or giving nasiha in new ways. I believe the motivation for this is sincerity (ikhlas) because if a person truly desires to do good, they will find a way to do so and use their minds. The wise create more opportunities to perform good deeds, than they find.

The Akhirah is more real and present than the Dunya

Even more than that, if we are pious and have taqwa, the akhirah is felt more acutely in the present, than the dunya is felt, but the reverse is also true: feeling the akhirah more acutely leads to piety and taqwa. Just as the past with its conflict (think Israel-Palestine conflict) and joys (think of a happy elderly couple) is felt today in the present, through memories- so do we have something which is the opposite of “memories”- through our good deeds, we have a way of looking into the future and recalling that future while simultaneously creating and working for that future. Abu Dhar al-Ghifari got 4 pieces of advice from our Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam that he deemed to be the most precious things he had:1-be straight and do not swerve in your journey towards the akhirah because if you do it is far (or deep) and you will end up keep going (Arabic: like a boat crossing the ocean, if you swerve or mistake a little you will drown and akhira is a deep ocean)2-take plenty of previsions for this journey because its long and you are going to be there a long time3-travel light on this journey and do not burden your shoulders with too much to carry for it is a great length to go4-and be sincere in all your deeds for Allah, because Allah only accepts those deeds which are sincere only for Him We are in a different type of reality- because, now the desire to do a certain good deed (like fasting) is more real to you, than a human worldly need, (to have your breakfast). This is how the Akhirah becomes part of this dunya and takes it over, and the distinction between the this world and the hereafter is blurred. But based on our degree of taqwa, the weight we give the Akhirah (the glory of Jannah, the torment of Jahannam) in our lives and what we know about the deen, we will either feel the Akhirah as more present or less present.

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A MUNA Youth Publication Page 3

-Continued from previous page

How it’s Done

Its a three-way, triangle inter-relationship between: our taqwa, how conscious or aware we are of the Akhirah now, and our understanding of the deen now, which will result in us acting on khayr successfully, and unhesitatingly. Taqwa has the Arabic meaning of the word, “to put something in between,” so taqwa means to put something between you and the sin. People sometimes say, “do not sin” but rather we should say, “leave sin” or “left sin” because this latter phrase implies, in a much more explicit way, we have left the sin and will/can not go back to it; whereas “do not” implies possible capability, “leave” implies inability. When you have taqwa, you have room in your mind and life for being cognizant and conscious of Allah (SWT).Being conscious of the Akhirah is related to being conscious of Allah and being conscious of Allah is related to being conscious of the fact that Allah is also conscious of you. This means, when you think of Allah, you also consider the fact Allah created that thought in your mind, the thought of Allah. And thus, you will also be conscious of what else Allah gave you or hasn’t given you (good or bad things) and what He has commanded of you, which connects with your depth in understanding the deen and the good you can do. Our very thought process and thinking should be active for spiritual good. Its all about constant sacrifice. I think this hadith subtly illustrates the above. Abu Dharr al-Ghifari radiallahu anhu said that the Prophet of Allah salallahu alayhi wasalam said:“Indifference towards this world does not mean forbidding what is permitted, or squandering wealth, rather indifference towards this world means not thinking that what you have in your hand is more reliable than what is in Allah’s Hand, and it means feeling that the reward for a calamity that befalls you is greater than that which the calamity made you miss out on.” (daif )Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 5, Chapters on Zuhd (37), Ch. 1, 4100.Hisham said: Abu Idris al-Khawlani said: “The likeness of this Hadith compared to other Ahadith is like that of pure gold compared to ordinary gold.”

Helpful Reminders and Strategies:

“Verily those who are al-Muttaqoon [the pious], when an evil thought comes to them from Shaytan, they remember [Allah], and [indeed] they then see [aright].” (Qur’an 7: 201)

1) To remember you are only here for a very short time, when you do this, you contrast your temporary desires with the temporariness of this world and you quickly realize both are little more than balloons which are slowly deflating…while the Akhirah is a balloon that is constantly growing to infinity. 2) To realize your life and everything

you experience, really doesn’t belong to you- in reality, you have no claim over it since you aren’t the creator nor ultimate controller over your body, but remember Who is and whatever He sent to you (your sleepiness, your breathing, your silence, your dreams, your sight, even your passing thoughts of slacking a little). He sent all that to you, but your goal is to prefer Allah to everything, and you can do this by averting from everything and turning to Allah constantly. 3) And to remember to be eternal with your good (works and piety and your piety) and it will bring you to eternal good (ease in doing good works and eventually, Jannah). 4) That their is no guarantee as to your good deeds being accepted, so you should perform as many good deeds as possible in the hopes some of them are accepted. 5) Dhikr on your tongue to help you use everything in your day to remind you of your Lord.

Conclusion:

This discussion I have just touched on above, is an overarching theme of the Quran and Sunnah. In essence, we take every nook and cranny of our life, and send it to the akhirah, so that we live not now for this dunya, but we live for the akhirah (and in a sense, right now, we live in the akhirah because we understand everything in this world only in relation with the Akhirah). This is what I refer to as the Divine Context. The following clearly illustrate and clarify this theme of those small occurrences, struggles and aspects of our life and show how this theme of maximizing khayr by maximizing the areas of our life where we can apply our ikhlas (sincerity). There are MANY hadith I could use to support this with, but these few will suffice for now.

“Whoever controls his anger at the time when he has the means to act upon it, Allaah will call him before all of mankind on the Day of Resurrection, and will let him choose of the Hur al-’Iyn whoever he wants.”(Reported by Abu Dawud, 4777, and others. It is classified as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami, 6518). “. . . when they are angry, they forgive.” [Shuraa 42:47] Abu Hurayrah radiallahu anhu narrates the

Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wasalam said:“Should I not point to you to that which Allah wipes away sin through and by which He raises one numerous ranks?” They said: “Do tell us Messenger of Allah.” He said: “Making wudhu completely when its disliked (commentary: such as when its cold), and much walking (taking many steps) to mosques, and waiting from one prayer to the next. And that is fortitude, that indeed is fortitude.” (Muslim)

The one who initiates the salam is free of pride (Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman)(commentary: meaning the first person to say salam is free of pride simply because proud people expect others to give them salams and not the reverse)

Love of this world is the origin of all sin (Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman) The first to be called to Paradise on the Day of Judgment will be those who praised Allah during times of prosperity and adversity. (Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman)

Imam Malik narrates: Eesa alayhi salam walked by a stall full of pigs and said, “As salam alaykum” to the pigs. And his disciples said to him, “How can you say salam to a bunch of pigs?” He said: “So I can train my tongue to always say good.”

Lan tanalu al-birru hat-ta tunfiqu mim-ma tuhibunBy no means shall you attain to righteousness until you spend (benevolently) out of what you love; and whatever thing you spend, Allah surely knows it. (Qur’an 3:92) In-na salati wa nusooki, wa mahya wa mammati, lillahIbrahim alayhi salam: My prayer, my ritual, my life and my death are solely for Allah(Qur’an 6:162) It is important to understand much of what has been said must be internalized. Writing this down was difficult because it is hard to convey this attitude. This is because in a sense, it represents underlying goal (you could use the word, “maqasid”) and thinking of tazkya- its very broad and I have only touched on a small bit of it; To get an understanding that most of these Hadith and Ayahs, represent the same line of thinking and approach to constantly take notice of ignored aspects of our lives where we can perform khayr, to sacrifice in ways we haven’t before, and to do so sincerely for Allah. It is absolutely tantamount to understand this does not represent fancy rhetoric or a motivational speech, but a very mentality, spirit and frame of mind- it requires one to constantly be thinking about the above. The Helpful Reminders and Strategies mentioned above will help with this greatly, but its important to keep learning about Hadith and Ayahs which follow a similar pattern as mentioned above. Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

A MUNA Youth Publication Page 4

1st Week• Introduction• Dars al-Quran: Al-Mu’minoon (23:1-11)• Personal Portfolio Presentation & Analysis• Organizational Portfolio Presentation & Analysis• Ehthesab • Miscellaneous (Remember to have Primary Members meeting)• Du’a

2nd Week• Introduction • Dars al-Qur’an: Al-A’raf (7:26-27) • Academic Action Plan & Review • Presentation of hadith (Modesty: See below) • Miscellaneous (Can use this week as a large da’wah program) • Du’a

3rd Week• Introduction • Recitation of the Qur’an with meaning: Al-Ma’idah (5:90-94) • Presentation of Islamic Lit: (www.missionislam.com/knowledge/Haya.htm• Miscellaneous & Du’a

4th Week• Introduction • Recitation of the Qur’an with meaning: An-Nur (24:26-34) • Presentation of topic: Modesty and SHyness in Islam (presentation or

workshop)• Miscellaneous & Du’a

-> If you can, try to seat in a tazweed class at least weekly. All subchapters should focus on developing all participants’ ability to read Qur’an, properly. -> A number of narrated prophetic traditions (ahadith) illustrate the significance of modesty. The following suggests that modesty is so important that the absence of it could lead one to sinful behavior and disbelief: “The Prophet (SAW) said: ‘If you have no shame, do as you wish.’” (al-Bukhari) Another hadith links modesty to faith: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Faith consists of more than seventy branches. And haya (modesty) is a part of faith.’” (al-Bukhari) A more comprehensive example of haya can be found in the following hadith: “Abdullah ibn Mas’ud relates that one day the Prophet said, ‘Be shy of Allah (God) Most High as much as is His due.’ The companions present said, ‘All praise to Allah, we are shy of Him.’ The Prophet said, ‘That is not the point. Whoever is shy of Allah as much as is His due, he should protect his head and that which it comprises (i.e. mind, mouth, ears), his stomach and that which is adjoining it (i.e. preserve it from unlawful wealth and protect the private parts from the unlawful), and he should remember death and that which is to come after it; and whoever desires the Hereafter should abandon the adornments of this world. Whoever fulfills these duties has been shy of Allah as much as is His due.’” (Musnad Ahmad)

Dr. Sayeed Chowdhury Abu Ahmed Nuruzzaman Abul Faizullah National President, MUNA National Vice President, MUNA National Executive Director, MUNA Arman Chowdhury Abdullah al Ma’mun Rakibul Mazumder National Director, MUNA Youth Editor, Youth Voice Designer & Assistant Editor, Youth Voice

Zakir Ahmed Ashraf Ali Al-Shams Neyamatullah Akbar Contributor, Youth Voice Contributor, Youth Voice Contributor, Youth Voice

If you have any comments or suggestions or would like more information, email us at info@munayouth.org

The Youth Voice is published by Muslim Ummah of North America

The July Agenda Theme: Akhirah

A MUNA Youth Publication Page 5

The Answer to the Heat Wave of Fitnah: Grab the Umbrella of Taqwa

By Suhaib Webb, suhaibwebb.com, 06/27/09

-Continued form page 1All praise be to God that instead I became Muslim and slowly started to pull out of those things. It was rough but the most difficult part was dealing with the other gender. Young brothers and sister I feel your pain man. It is difficult and as the summer months roll up it gets more and more difficult to manage as the clothes roll up as well. We all know the routine: “Lower the gaze! Lower the gaze! Lower the gaze!” But, if the heart is not lowered in awe of Allah’s magnificence and His tremendous bounties, then how can we expect the eyes to lower? Tonight I attended a reading of the Shamil Muhamadiyah with Sh. Ibrahim al-Khalifa from Saudi Arabia. He is visiting Egypt for a few weeks and I had just finished my exam and decided to go and listen to his dars. The streets in Cairo are a mix of cars, buses, donkeys, cows and pollution that, seriously, when you make wudu slides off your face. I can only liken the air to a full vacuum bag that spews its contents creating a small cloud of dust. However, in the heat I remembered the homies in the West: My Boyz in Chicago, the brothers in L.A and most importantly the brothers in the Bay. I miss them all. The love for brothers is something that we should cherish and hold on to like we hold on to our checkbooks. Anyways, after reading from the Shamail, the Sheikh moved on to al-Muhasibi’s Risalat Mustarshidin with the tahqiq by Sh. Abdul Fatah Abu Ghuda. The Sheikh was talking about worshiping Allah as though you see the Hereafter close and understand that your time is up. “Be ready! Don’t let this life delude you! Be good people. Treat others with respect and worship your Lord as though you are going to leave this life soon.” It was a real masterpiece to watch the Sheikh tie vice with the rope of responsibility and knowing that one is going to die one day and answer for his time. Imam al-Muhasibi’s texts are intense and I felt a buzz in my chest as the Sheikh started to get into the flow. This is for the all the young brothers and sisters struggling:The Sheikh, after talking about this responsibility linked it to a very interesting story. That, for me, is the sign of a good Imam ,teacher or Sheikh that they can tie things into our daily lives. Thus, such a style gives the din fresh legs, opens up one’s heart and soothes the coals of sin. He said that during the time of ‘Umar there was a young man whose desires got the best of him. It all started with the look and the next thing the young man was alone with a woman. Suddenly, as the clock

was starting to turn, the young man heard a verse of Qur’an being recited that reminded him of Allah’s greatness. He left the young woman, stood up shaking from the fear of Allah and fell dead from this fear. ‘Umar (may Allah have mercy on him) buried this youth and after hearing how he died walked over to the fresh grave and recited the following verse from Surah al-Rahman, “And for the one who fears the meeting with Allah there are two gardens.” Suddenly a response came from the grave reciting the verse, “We have found the promise of our Lord to be true.” Dear brothers and sisters,The summer is upon you and it is no joke. Statistics show that as the barometer rises that evil rise as well. One of the most important things you can take with you is Allah’s awesome nature and bounties. Reflect! Turn off the PS3! Put down the I-Pod and think for a minute! Put handcuffs on your Internet use and know that you will be asked about your youth. Where are you headed? What are you doing and how are you going to use this summer? Take some time away from the gadgets and turn on your heart. Make some goals for yourself to do some good things in your community. Remember that when you see something that causes your temperature to fly that Allah is watching you. He knows what is in your heart and understands that it ain’t easy. Ask Him for His help and try to withstand the attacks of Iblis. I have a lot of faith that our young brothers and sisters can do loads of wonderful things in their communities! Cool the heat of summer with the following: 1. Good friends who take you to good places. The Prophet (sa) said, “A person is on the faith of his friend.” One nice note about the hadith of the three people stuck in the cave. If they had not been together then they would have not been able to help each other get out. However, since they were all decent guys they were able to work together and use their good to remove the rock from the cave. 2. Have some goals for this summer:1) Community (volunteer with any number

of Muslim/Non-Muslim organizations and do something good for your neighborhoods)

2) Spiritual (get those five prayers rocking and if you are real with it you will throw in some

night prayers and extra fasts)3) Educational (try and attend some lessons or educational programs that will boost your

faith)4) Family (spend some time with the wife/husband (find one) kids and close relatives

3. Have some nice activities:

1) Qiyam2) B-Ball tourneys (all nighters) followed by Qiyam, Fajir and some Aunties phat spicy

eggs3) Sleep overs4) Camping

5. Weekly ‘Itikaf (inshallah, when I’m back in the States I’m down)

I ask Allah to help us, bless us and let us use our time well. I would appreciate it if whoever

reads this could help us generate a list of things to do this summer.

“Recently, the swine flu scare had been going on. People ran to the doctors at the smallest signs of flu, stayed away from big gatherings where the risk was higher, and took a lot of precaution to not catch this flu.There is a similar flu in Islam, called the spiritual flu.This is when we don’t feel like praying, don’t feel like reading Qur’an, feel like resorting to sins, and so on. Similar to the physical flu, at the slightest symptom we should go to seek help from a religious figure before it gets too late.Similar to the physical flu, we should stay away from environments where we run the risk of doing sins (mixed weddings, theaters, bad friends, and the like).Similar to the physical flu, we should take precaution and once we do catch the flu, try to cure it by tawbah before it gets too late and too embedded in our system like cancer and then we won’t want to do tawbah, we won’t care anymore, we won’t be able to differentiate between right and wrong and so on... So always remember to do tawbah, tawbah, tawbah. As quick as possible. Even if just in your head. Don’t let the disease sit and ruin you.If we can run to the doctor for symptoms of diseases, then we can certainly run to Allah (SWT), the Greatest Curer for our biggest disease. And Allah (SW) Knows Best”

A Spiritual Flu

-Continued from page 1As soon as I realized this, I was more open-minded to new ideas. This continued until I went to summer school after eighth grade. When I was sitting in the classroom, a friend from school walked in. Naturally, we sat next each other and talked a lot to pass the long hours. One day, I asked my friend, Muaz, about Islam. I asked because I was curious about Islam, probably because of my belief in a God and the fact that I was not religiously affiliated. Plus, all the media’s talking about radical Islam, jihad, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan further fueled my curiosity. Muaz happily answered my questions, but most importantly, he told me the signs in Islam. First, I was skeptical and I would try to come up with answers to explain those signs. But how could I explain the miracles of the Qu’ran? How could they have known of the seven levels of the atmosphere or the introduction of iron? How could they have known the water cycle, stages of child birth, and how plants had both female and male sex organs? No one knew this at the time of revelation and no one could; therefore, the Qu’ran must be and is from Allah. I praise Allah for giving me such an open mind on that day and guiding me toward the straight path. On the last day of summer school, Muaz gave me the Qu’ran. The first thing I did when I came home was read it. For some reason, after I read it, I was fully convinced that Islam

was right and that I would convert. When I realized Islam was right, I started to beg for forgiveness while feeling the greatest amount of regret and guilt in my life. However, I did not declare my faith immediately, but decided to wait until after high school to do so in order to avoid conflict with my parents, who are strong opposed to Islam. Four years is a long time. So in my sophomore year, with the help of Muaz, his family, and my friends, I was able to sneak out of the house and go to the mosque. When I arrived, I took my shahadah. What surprised me were the Islamic beliefs. When I was ignorant, I thought of Islam as some exotic religion like Hinduism. So I was quite surprised when names like Isa, Jesus, and Moses appeared, names with which I was quite familiar with due to my early Christian influence. However, Islam preaches that Jesus was just a prophet, not the son of God, not a God, or part of God. For some reason, that hit a profound chord in me. Other beliefs struck a chord in me as well, such as Allah’s bestowal free will to humans and the fact that He still knows what we will do. Plus, Islam is full of details about what happens to us after we die, and tells us why humans exist, which some religions can’t explain. Beliefs like this further increased my newfound faith. At first, I was intimidated by all the new material I had to learn. I had to learn how to pray, when to pray, and what was permissible.

Through the help of friends and their advice, I slowly learned the basics of Islam. I gradually learned how to pray, the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him), various stories, and hadiths. The only main obstacle I face is my parents. I have to hide all books, islamic cd’s and other resources to keep them from being taken from my parents. Plus, I have to pray in secret and constantly lie to my parents in order to follow Islam and to learn about Islam. As you can see, it gets difficult especially when I try to convince them that Islam is right. It seems every time I bring it up, my parents and I fight. Currently, I am taking the advice to not bring it up and to not say anything when they do. Also, every now and then, I visit the mosque on Fridays, if I can lie to my parents. Every time I go, I always find hospitality. I always get a ride, usually from Muaz’s father and others who are willing, for which I am very thankful. I wish my parents could see the hospitality I receive at the masjid and that Islam is truly a religion of righteousness, good deeds and peace, not a religion of what the media portrays and has engraved in their heads. Nevertheless, I am so grateful that Allah has guided me onto the straight path. People sometimes ask me where I would be if Muaz never came to Virginia or if I never went to summer school. The answer: I would be lost, confused, and never be able to truly succeed. Allahu Akbar and Alhumdulillah.

A MUNA Youth Publication Page 6

Finding My WayBy Allen Jo

Islam Considers Modesty Part of FaithBy Adil Salahi, Arab News, 07/23/04

slam encourages Muslims to adopt certain qualities and characteristics so that they are able to cope with the problems of life and conduct their social relations in the best way. This helps to cement relations within the Muslim community and maintain strong ties between its members. We discussed modesty last week, and highlighted the fact that Islam adopts a totally different attitude from that of other communities, including modern Western civilization, which consider modesty a weakness and encourage overcoming it through assertiveness. That modesty encourages a person to sacrifice some of what belongs to him in order to earn reward from God or win other people’s love and respect fits perfectly with the Islamic approach to social relations, material values and the concept of action and reward. At the same time, Islam insists that everyone should have their rights and no one can limit or disregard the rights of another.Islam makes modesty part of faith, a fact which is stressed in several Hadiths. One of them is reported by Abdullah ibn Umar, the companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Modesty and faith are interlinked: if

either of them is lacking, the other is lacking too.” We see this clearly apparent. Good believers are, generally speaking, modest, easy to get on with, and would not stress their own roles. By contrast, people who lack faith often lack modesty. This is due to the fact that when faith is lacking, the life of this world becomes people’s primary preoccupation. Therefore they try to get as much as possible out of what they hold to be important for them. This leads them to be presumptuous, overbearing, assertive and may often lead some people to trample over the rights of others. A believer who is convinced of meeting God and having to account for what he does in this life will hesitate before stressing his own importance, let alone usurping someone else’s rights.Another important quality Islam stresses is the need to tame one’s feelings of love and hate. It is reported that Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet’s cousin who was a great scholar, said to Ibn Al-Kawwa: “Do you know the old statement: Love moderately, for the person you love today may be the one you hate in future; and hate moderately, for the person you hate today may be your loved one in

future.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, Al-Tirmidhi and Al-Tabarani).This is a very sound advice because when feelings of love and hate are too strong, they blur a person’s vision and he or she is unable to put things in the proper perspective. It is universal wisdom that tells us that when we love we tend to overlook the faults of the person we love. Should that person make mistakes, we try to find justification for them. If others criticize him for his mistakes, we are ready to defend him. Sometimes we go to great lengths in order to show that what is a clear mistake or flaw of character is not what it appears like. Such an attitude will always lead to problems, because it expects perfection where it is not possible. Hence, when a mistake is repeated one time too many, or a flaw consistently appears to be visible, facts stare us in the face and we have to admit that what we valued too high is far from meeting our expectations. If this happens over something of importance, then it could lead to love giving way to hate. The stronger our love used to be, the greater our disappointment and the more likely that it

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-Continued from previous pagewould be replaced by hate that could again be too strong. Therefore, the first part of the advice contained in this Hadith is absolutely correct: “Love moderately, for the person you love today may be the one you hate in future.”The same thing can be said in reverse. Should we hate someone for misdeeds, unacceptable conduct or some other cause, our hate should be tampered with reason. If it is exaggerated, it will blind us to that person’s positive points. It should be remembered that no one is without some goodness that reflects in his or her actions or character. To ignore such good points and think only of the hate we feel toward such a person is wrong, because it could lead to further complications. On the other hand, some people whom we may

not like may prove us wrong and allow their good side to prevail in their dealings with us. This puts us in bad light, because we will be ignoring what is universally approved as good.On the other hand, our hate might be due to a mistake or some failing on our part, and the person concerned may take some positive action to clear a misunderstanding or remedy a bad situation. When we allow this to take place and give a positive response to a good initiative we may set in a complete transformation in our relationship. In time, the old hate may change into love. If our initial hate is too strong, it could hamper such a process and deprive us of a chance to win over a good friend. Hence, the second part of the advice in the quoted Hadith: “Hate moderately, for the person you hate today may be your loved one in future.”

Indeed, strong love or hate should never be the feelings entertained by adults. This is stressed by Islamic values. Aslam reports that Umar ibn Al-Khattab once said to him: “Do not allow your love to be too passionate, or your dislike to be ruinous.” When Aslam asked him to explain, he said: “When you love, do not do like a child who is too passionate about the things he loves, and when you hate you feel like you would like to ruin the one who is the object of your hate.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, and Abd Al-Razzaq).”This Hadith sums up the point about allowing passions to be too strong and the need to tamper them with moderation and reason. Unless we do this, then we would be like children when we love and we would wish ruin on the ones we do not. This is not a proper attitude for a Muslim.

n atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty. He asks one of his new students to stand and...

Prof: So you believe in God? Student: Absolutely, sir. Prof: Is God good? Student: Sure. Prof: Is God all-powerful? Student: Yes.

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn’t. How is this God good then? Hmm? (Student is silent.) You can’t answer, can you? Let’s start again, young fellow. Is God good?

Student: Yes. Prof: Is Satan good? Student: No. Prof: Where does Satan come from? Student: From...God... Prof: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world? Student: Yes. Prof: Evil is

everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything. Correct? Student: Yes. Prof: So who created evil? (Student does not answer)

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they? Student: Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them? (Student has no answer) Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?

Student: No, sir. Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God? Student: No, sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?

Student: No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t. Prof: Yet you still believe in Him? Student: Yes.

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son? Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has. Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat? Prof: Yes. Student: And is there such a thing as cold? Prof: Yes. Student: No sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is

energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness? Student: You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man? Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed. Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how? Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is

life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do. Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir? (The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot

even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar.)

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain? (The class breaks out into laughter.) Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son. Student: That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH. That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

A Battle of WitsA

-Continued from page 1 Resolution 1281, passed overwhelmingly by the New York City Council Education Committee, calls on the “New York City Department of Education to incorporate the Muslim holidays of Eid Ul-Fitr and Eid Ul-Adha as observed school holidays in the school calendar for the city school district of the city of New York” and also asks that the state legislature “pass, and the Governor to sign into law, A.8108/S.5837, an Act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring that Eid Ul-Fitr and Eid Ul-Adha be school holidays in the city school district of the city of New York.”

SEE: Proposed Res. No. 1281-Ahttp://www.facebook.com/l/;http://tinyurl.com/

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The Coalition for Muslim School Holidays - a broad interfaith, inter-ethnic coalition of labor, community, civil rights, and religious organizations – also urged the entire city council to support including Muslim holidays in the school calendar. “Today marks a positive step forward in the effort to provide a more inclusive educational environment for all students,” said CAIR-NY Community Affairs Director Faiza N. Ali, who sits on the steering committee of the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays. “This resolution advances religious liberty, recognizes the growing Muslim population in New York and promotes our great city’s values of diversity and inclusion.” She noted that the New York City area is home to some 1 million Muslims, one of the fastest growing and most diverse religious

populations in the city. More than 90 percent of Muslim students attend public schools and one in eight public school students is Muslim. CAIR offers a booklet, called “An Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,” designed to promote diversity and accommodate Muslims students in educational institutions.

SEE: An Educator’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practicesht tp: / /www.facebook.com/l / ;ht tp: / /www.cair.com/Portals/0/pdf/education_guide.pdf

Ali also urged Speaker Christine Quinn and the entire city council to pass Resolution 1281: “Our community

continues to face issues of harassment and discrimination in schools. The city now has an opportunity to help foster a better understanding of Islam and re-affirm that Muslims are a valued part of this city.” In a similar effort to promote religious inclusion in New York, CAIR-NY yesterday joined the Sikh Coalition in its request to end a Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) uniform policy that requires Sikh and Muslim transit workers to brand their religious head covering with MTA logos.

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CAIR-NY Welcomes City Council Vote on Muslim Holidays in Schools

From Newswire, 06/18/09