Do You Smile?

I used to visit a specific masjid and for a bit of time I did not look forward to attending that masjid.  I didn’t know anyone there and very few people there made an effort to reach out.  I would see brothers that I would see every day and they wouldn’t smile at me and so I didn’t feel as welcome as I should have.  Maybe it was because they were stingy with their smiles or maybe I wasn’t a member of their click (maybe I wasn’t tablighi enough for the Pakistanis or salafi enough for the Saudis or Arab enough for the Palestinians or convert enough for the blacks (bad generalizations on purpose) etc etc).  In reality, if I wasn’t stubborn enough, there is a good chance I would have stopped going to that masjid because of the uncomfortable environment. 

Muslims are supposed to be welcoming, cheerful people, especially around other Muslims.  We know from the hadith that smiling for your brother is a charity, yet many of us decide we don’t have enough smiles to give out or we decide we only want to smile to those we know.  For those that cannot smile for their fellow Muslim brother, this is a completely moronic and idiotic train of thought that comes from nationalism, miserliness or ignorance.

If you look at the kuffar and the environment they’ve produced around us here in the West, you will notice that these people will make an effort.  They will make eye contact with you.  They will smile in your face and ask you how your day is going.  They will make small talk.  What is wrong with us (the Muslims) when we cannot do this amongst ourselves?

For those that want the scientific benefits of smiling (though the Sunnah should be enough for us), Dr. Mark Stibich (via about.com) notes ten reasons to smile:

1. Smiling Makes Us Attractive:
We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away — but a smile draws them in.

2. Smiling Changes Our Mood:
Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There’s a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.

3. Smiling Is Contagious:
When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.

4. Smiling Relieves Stress:
Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you’ll be better able to take action.

5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System:
Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.

6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure:
When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?

7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin:
Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.

8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger:
The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don’t go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day — you’ll look younger and feel better.

9. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful:
Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.

10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive:
Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It’s hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that “Life is Good!” Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.

Therefore, O Muslim, smile, it’s the sunnah!  So I ask you, do you smile?
Related: Do You Miswak? and Do You Adhan?

Getting Involved!

Many of us encounter individuals who talk a lot.  They make takfeer on many Muslims and are often times labelled as jihadi or takfeeri Muslims.  These Muslims are quite active on the internet with their online forums and what not.  However, they keep themselves distance from the jama’ and the Muslim community.  As Muslims, we need to be active and involved in our community.  I’m not saying do not be a part of the online dawah scene.  The online scene is amazing opportunity for us to reach out (after all, where are you reading this?).  However, at the same time, we need to be a part of the Masjid scene in our respective cities.  We need to be building for the future.  Moreover, we are the future, right?

Take a look at your Masjid community right now.  What does it look like?  If you look at the Masjid Shoora council (or Board of Trustees), how many people on that council were born in the same country as the one you currently reside in? If you live in an Arab or Desi community, chances are, very few, if any of the board members grew up in the culture in which the Masjid activities should be trying to relate to.  Why are you and your friends not stepping-up?  If you’re trying and gettin shot down, why aren’t you trying harder or running other projects in the area?

As young American and British youth, it’s our turn to step-up to the plate and become a part of something wonderful.  We need to become active and always be involved in various different dawah projects.  We should always be involved in some activity in our locality where we aim to try to make a difference.  The project doesn’t have to be something monumental, but it should be something that’s real.  You can be a Sunday school teacher for the youth teaching them how to pray or you can be a member of Project Downtown feeding the hungry and homeless.  Alternatively, you could be an active member of your MSA/ISOC promoting the good and forbidding the evil.  You can help with projects aimed at conveying knowledge like the AlMaghrib Institute or the local halaca series going on at your Masjid.  Just imagine of teaching one youth at a Sunday school Surat al-Fatiha.  InshAllah you would benefit every time that child then prays and recites Surat al-Fatiha for the rest of his or her life.  Making the difference in just one person’s life as a mentor, teacher, friend could potentially be the difference between heaven and hell, couldn’t it?

Not everyone is in the position to teach, but everyone is in the position to do something whether it’s A-V work, organizing events, cleaning the Masjid area, mentoring the youth, etc.  Ask yourself, what am I actively involved in?  What is my current project(s)? Shaytan often comes to us and gives us excuses that seem reasonable.  He may tell us that we only plan on being in our locality another six months so why not wait until our next community or you’re too busy right now as a newly-wed or it’ll be better to start after Eid or after our current project at work, etc.  However, these are satanic ploys for us to keep procrastinating.  We need to step-up and be involved now.  So what if you’re going somewhere in three months, start something and begin to establish it now and it will take care of itself as a sadaqa jariya (continuous charity) on your behalf even after someone else takes it over for you.  You don’t have to start a new project; you can always help out the other visionaries in your community with theirs. 

Our communities are seriously lacking in man-power and it’s time for the new generation to step-up and take control, inshAllah. Get involved now!

7 Practical Tips for Praying Qiyam al-Layl

7 Practical tips for praying Qiyam Al-Layl

Qiyam means standing and Qiyam Al-Layl means standing at night. In the Islamic terminology, both words refer to the voluntary night prayer, whose time extends from after Isha prayer until dawn.
Other common names for Qiyam Al-Layl are Salat-ul-Layl (the night prayer), Tahajjud (from hajada, meaning remained one who awake at night), and Taraweeh (resting).
A widespread misconception is that Tahajjud is a different night prayer than Qiyam or Taraweeh. It is important to clarify this misunderstanding and to make clear that the voluntary night prayer is known by different names.

1. Ikhlas (Sincerity)
Allah’s Help is required not only for worldly affairs but also for our worship. And Allah helps those who are sincere in their hearts. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “If you are truthful with Allah, then Allah will deliver to you what you wish for.” (An-Nasa’i, Al-Hakim and Sahih Al-Jami’’)
Therefore, one should have a sincere intention to pray Qiyam Al-Layl. One should seek the pleasure of Allah alone and avoid any desire of praise or fame. Allah says:

“And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone…” (Qur’an, 98:5)

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim said: “The degree to which a person is helped and aided by Allah depends on the degree of his intention, drive, aim and hopes. Help from Allah comes to people in proportion to their drive, intention, hopes and fears. Failure comes to them in a similar manner.”

2. Know the virtue
Knowing the virtues and rewards of worship encourages us to perform them. The virtue of praying at night during Ramdan supersedes the virtue of praying any other night during the year. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) encouraged the people, without making it an absolute command, to perform Qiyam during Ramadan. He (peace be upon him) used to say: ‘Whoever stands (in Qiyam) in Ramadan out of faith and expectation (of Allah’s reward), all his previous sins will be forgiven.’ ” (Sahih Muslim)

3. Take a nap
Taking a nap before or after Zuhr Salah will reduce stress and give you sufficient energy to wake up late at night to stand in front of your Lord. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Take a nap, for the Shayateen (pl. of Shaytan) do not take naps.” (At-Tabarani, Al-Sahihah, no. 2647)

4. Sleep as per the Sunnah
• Sleep early! It’s a healthy habit and it was the practice of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). He would sleep immediately after performing the Isha prayer. Abu Barzah Al-Aslami said the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to prefer to delay Isha, and he did not like to sleep before it or talk after it.” (Al-Bukhari)

• Sleep in a state of taharah (cleanliness). Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Purify these bodies and Allah will purify you, for there is no slave who goes to sleep in a state of purity, but an Angel spends the night with him, and every time he turns over, (the Angel) says, ‘O Allah! Forgive Your slave, for he went to bed in a state of purity.’ ” (At-Tabarani, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 3831)

• Choose a suitable bed. Extreme luxury and very soft mattresses provoke laziness. We tend to sleep more and become negligent. Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the pillow of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was made of leather stuffed with palm fibers.” (Abu Dawood and Musnad Ahmad, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 4714)

• Keep the bed clean and lie on your right side. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When any one of you goes to bed, let him clear his bed by hitting it with his garment, for he does not know what may have come onto it. Then let him lie down on his right side…” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

• Recite the Adhkar (supplications) mentioned in the Sunnah before sleeping. Among the Adhkar are reciting the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah; reciting Surah Al-Falaq, Al-Nas and Ikhlas and blowing in the palms and wiping as much of the body as possible – starting from the head, face and then the front of the body – three times; and saying Subhan Allah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu Akbar 34 times. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

5. Don’t eat too much
Eating and drinking too much are the main obstacles that make one lazy and negligent of Qiyam Al-Layl. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Man fills no vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to have a few mouthfuls to give him the strength he needs. If he has to fill his stomach, then let him leave one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for air.” (At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 5674)
Abu Juhayfah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to a man who burped in his presence: “Stop your burping, for the people who eat the most in this life will be the most hungry on the Day of Resurrection.” (Al-Hakim, Sahih Al-Jami’, no. 1190)

6. Exert yourself
Exert yourself to get up and pray. Rise above your desires. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“And as for those who strive hard in Our Cause, We will surely guide them to Our Paths. And verily, Allah is with the Muhsinoon (good-doers).” (Qur’an, 29:69)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The Mujahid (one who strives in the Cuase of Allah) is the one who strives against his own self for the sake of Allah.” (Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Sahihah, no. 549)
He (peace be upon him) also said: “When a man from my Ummah gets up to pray at night, striving against his own self to get up and purify himself, there are knots on him. When he washes his hands in wudu, one knot is undone. When he washes his face, another knot is undone. When he wipes his head another knot is undone. When he washes his feet, another knot is undone. Then Allah says to those who are veiled (in the Unseen): ‘Look at this slave of Mine, he is striving against his own self and asking of Me. Whatever My slave asks of Me shall be his.” (Musnad Ahmad, Sahih Al-Targheeb, no. 627)

7. Regret if you missed it
Qiyam Al-Layl is a great blessing of Allah. He has kept numerous spiritual benefits and rewards for the believer in this prayer. Therefore, one should regret if he misses this great opportunity of achieving rewards and the Pleasure of Allah. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” (Qur’an, 59:18)

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “If the slave is responsible and accountable for everything, even his hearing, sight and innermost thoughts, as Allah says, “…Verily, hearing, sight, and the heart of each of you will be questioned by Allah.” (Qur’an, 17:36), then he should check on himself before he is brought to account.” – As-Sunnah

Ref: ‘The Night Prayers’ by Muhammad Nasir-ud-Deen Al-Albani

The Fiqh of Priorities

It is a sunnah of our beloved Prophet (SAW) to shorten the dhuhr and asr prayers to two rakat instead of four during the time of Hajj. However, Uthman (the caliph at the time) thought the sunnah was to pray the full four rakat. Ibn Masood , who had personally seen the Prophet (SAW) shorten his prayers during Hajj, approached Uthman to tell him of the correct opinion. However, Uthman held firm to what he believed was correct and led the prayer in full. Ibn Masood prayed behind Uthman the full prayer.

Afterwards, a group of Muslims came to Ibn Masood and asked him why he prayed the full four rakat behind Uthman when he could have waited for the prayer to be over and then prayed the shortened prayer by himself. After all, Ibn Masood had personally seen the Prophet (SAW) shorten the prayer himself and knew it to be the correct opinion. Ibn Masood responded that to shorten the prayers during Hajj is a sunnah, however, to follow the imam is an obligation.

Here we are given a glimpse into the Fiqh of Priorities. We are to give precedence to that which is more important. So next time you want to become a fitnah in your community and raise a ruckus about whether the Taraweeh prayers should be eight or twenty rakat, ask yourself, “Is this what the companions of the Prophet (SAW) would do?” After all, the true sunnah here is to pray what the imam has prayed as Abu Dharr said the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Whoever prays qiyaam – i.e., Taraweeh – with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the whole night in prayer” (Tirmidhi).

For a lecture on the Fiqh of Priorities, check out Yasir Fazaqa’s lecture available on AudioIslam here (it’s the 22nd lecture listed).

Do You Adhan?

The call to prayer (adhan) is one of the most beautiful sounds known to man.  When the call comes out, we hear about tawheed and the shahada.  Then we hear the secret to success when one hears, “Come to prayer, come to success.”  When the adhan is pronounced, we should stop what we are doing and listen to call and repeat its words as Rasoolullah (SAW) said, “Whenever you hear the Adhan, say what the Mu’adhin is saying” (Bukhari).

There is a great merit and reward in pronouncing the adhan.  After all, Allah (SWT) tells us in the Quran, “Who speaks better than one who calls to God and acts righteously?” (Translation of the Meaning of the Quran, 41:33).

The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said, “If the people knew the reward for pronouncing the adhan and for standing in the first row (in the congregational prayer) and found no other way to get it except by drawing lots they would do so” (Bukhari).

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “the Mu’adhdhins will have the longest necks on the Day of Resurrection” (Muslim).

Furthermore, Satan despises the adhaan as Allah’s Apostle (SAW) said, “When Satan hears the call to prayer, he runs away to a distance like that of Rauha.”  Someone asked him about Rauha. He replied “It is at a distance of thirty-six miles from Medina.” (Muslim).

Even if you are praying alone, it is the sunnah for a man to make the adhan and iqama by himself as anything that hears your call to prayer will testify for you on the Day that lasts 50,000 years.  Abu Sa’id al-Khudri told a man, “I see you liking sheep and the wilderness. So whenever you are with your sheep or in the wilderness and you want to pronounce Adhan for the prayer raise your voice in doing so, for whoever hears the Adhan, whether a human being, a jinn or any other creature, will be a witness for you on the Day of Resurrection.”   Abu Said added, “I heard it (this narration) from Allah’s Apostle” (Bukhari).

Furthermore, the Messenger (SAW) said, “Your Lord likes it when a shepherd at the top of a mountain pass calls the Adhaan for prayer and then prays. Then Allah says, ‘Look at this slave of mine, saying the Adhaan and the Iqaamah for prayer and fearing Me.  I ask you to bear witness that I have forgiven My slave and will admit him to Paradise’” (an-Nisai).

Moreover, Imam Shafi held the opinion it is disliked to pray without the adhan and iqamah as he said, “If a man neglects to say the Adhaan and Iqaamah when he is praying alone or in congregation, I regard that as makrooh, but he does not have to repeat the prayers he did without the Adhaan or Iqaamah.”

So I ask you, do you adhan?

The Purpose For Which We Were Created

How is it possible that some people can call themselves Muslim yet they don’t pray?  Prayer is the second pillar in Islam after the declaration of faith.

If a Muslim is an alcoholic or a fornicator, scholars agree that these sins do not take that person outside the fold of Islam.  However, in regards to the prayer, the scholars disagree on this issue as the difference between a Muslim and kufr is the prayer.

Furthermore, often times, people think they are fulfilling their duty of prayer by praying five times a day.  However, we are not told to just pray, rather we are told to pray properly.  The Quran states, “So woe to the praying ones, who are unmindful of their prayers” (Translation of the Meaning of the Quran, 107:4-5).  Subhan’Allah, the one who prays yet is heedless in his prayer is condemned, then what about the one that doesn’t pray?!  Many of the scholars of the past held the opinion that if you miss one prayer during its time slot on purpose ONCE, then this is kufr (this is apparently the opinion of the Hanbali madhab).  Missing just one prayer outside of its time slot, if it is not kufr, is a major sin (other major sins include the likes of murder, adultery, etc).

The first matter that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer.  If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound.  And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be bad.” [at Tabarani]

Next time you want to delay the prayer out of its time slot because of an exam or a meeting, take a step-back and think what’s more worthy of your time, the purpose for which you were created or anything else?  There is no excuse for praying “kaza,” period.

Allah (SWT) states in the Quran, “I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me” (Translation of the Meaning of the Quran, 51:56).

My Experience in Egypt

Alhamdulillah, by the Grace of Allah (SWT), I have been privileged to spend the last four months living in Cairo, Egypt as I study Arabic at the Fajr Institute (www.fajr.com – what a prime-time website, huh?).  As my time is starting to near its end (unfortunately, I’m scheduled to depart Cairo at the end of July), I thought it may be a good idea to reflect on my time here and to possibly, insh’Allah, offer advice to those will travel abroad for their studies whether it is to Egypt or anywhere else it may be.

SO WHY EGYPT?

It seems to be a thriving place for the aspiring student of knowledge with many people flocking here to study.  The Visa to stay here is a gimme if you are an American and the cost of living is extremely cheap.  I think it is the best option for someone wanting to study Arabic in the Middle East.  Jordan is also fantastic, but extremely expensive.  Yemen was a lil too-third world for me, but if you can hack it, it is also a place of extreme benefit.  I would not recommend studying in Syria, especially if you are an American.  One of my friends got deported from Syria because they thought he was an American spy.

No doubt that there is a lot of hustle in Egypt, especially if you pick Cairo.  However, if you choose to be patient, insha’Allah, you will be rewarded greatly.  Or, you can try to keep up with the bustle (as I did sometimes) and enjoy the ride.

ARRIVING IN EGYPT

Alhamdulillah, I was fortunate to come to Egypt with a good friend of mine and we planned to experience everything together.  We left Florida together, have studied together at Fajr, have lived together (with another brother) and will depart together, insh’Allah.  Regardless of where you go, always try to live with someone at your destination.  It helps keep companionship and it can be good motivation in your studies as well (plus it helps to have a backup alarm for Fajr!).  If you are going to Egypt (or possibly anywhere else in the Middle East) and do not know anyone, let me know, and maybe, insh’Allah, I will be able to hook you up with someone there.

As far as arriving in Egypt goes, be prepared to stopped, held, and questioned at customs by the Egyptian-version of the FBI.  I’m pretty sure some Egyptian government officials are intimidated by a person who grows hair on their mandible (jaw) and that is why we got pulled to the side.  My advice would be to just answer their questions and brush it off.  Never give them your real address on where you are staying.  They are known to come see you if you do.  They had my phone number and called me a couple times during my stay asking me to come in to see that.  I completely blew them off and would recommend you do the same thing.  Everything here is done by paper (20^th century stuff!) and eventually they will forget about you.

As far as being in actual Egypt is concerned, just carry a copy of your passport around and everyone will treat you like royalty (yeah).  Bust out the English whenever talking with a police officer and know the USA Embassy phone, just in case (I would also recommend registering with the Dept of State while traveling abroad).

WHERE TO STUDY?

If you are coming for Arabic studies, Nasr City is the place to be.  There are numerous Arabic centers located in Nasr City including Fajr, Diwan, Sibawayh, and Al-Ibaanah.  I personally chose Fajr and absolutely loved it there while at the same time other brothers have had mediocre experiences at Fajr.  Fajr is the oldest and most established.  It has 13 total levels (each level = 75 hours) and if you finish the 13^th level, you receive a certified diploma from the Egyptian Ministry of Education that certifies you to teach Arabic (I think).  The books used at Fajr are from a series called “Arabia Bayna Yadaak” (Arabic Between Your Hands).  Diwan, from what I’ve heard, is extremely nice; however, it is more expensive.  I believe they use the Asassy books at Diwan.  Al-Ibaanah has its own books that it uses.  However, I would like to point out that Ibaanah heavily concentrates on grammar at the beginning and thus, many of its students are not very good at speaking.  Many students also branch off and do their own thing with a private tutor, which can for some people, be an excellent idea.  If you want to go to Alexandria, the place to study is definitely Qortaba.  Insha’Allah, keep reaffirming you intention to study solely for the sake of Allah (SWT).

TELL ME ABOUT NASR CITY

Nasr City (Madinat Nasr) is a mash’Allah, baller-awesome place.  It is considered middle-to-upper class in Cairo but is still relatively inexpensive.  Everything you need is pretty much located in Nasr City.  Al-Azhar University is located here as well so you can manage to run into quite a bit of its students.  Whenever you go out to eat or walk around, you will run into some foreigners who are aspiring students of knowledge.  They tend to stand out for some reason.  Talk with them, network, enjoy!  Subhana’Allah, I’ve met people from the north of Egypt (i.e. Russia, Kazakiztan), east of Egypt (i.e. Malaysia, China), south of Egypt (i.e. Nigeria, South Africa), and, of course, west of Egypt (i.e. Holland, Denmark just for extra emphasis!).  Unfortunately, Americans are seriously lacking in numbers as compared to Frenchmen and Brits.  The only desis you’ll probably find are those from Britain and the USA.

There are also some malls in Nasr City including the famous City Stars Mall, which is a reminder of shopping malls in America.  City Stars is nice, but it is also a place of fitna and thus it would be recommended to go there during the weekdays during the daytime instead of the evenings during the weekends.  Genaina Mall has an ice-skating ring in it if you are into that.

HOW WE LIVE?  WHAT ABOUT COSTS, DUDE?

If you do live in Nasr City, the streets to know are Mustafa an-Nahas, Makram-Obaid, Abbas-al-Ekaad, and Sharia Tayhran.  Nasr City is broken into Zones 6,7,8,9, and 10.  Zone 7 (Hai Saba) is probably the nicest and most expensive while Zone 10 (Hai Ashar) is the cheapest and most developing.

We lived in Hai Thamin (Zone 8 ) right next to Siraj Mall.  Alhamdulillah, we were in a prime-time location and close to everything.  I lived with two other brothers in a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom flat.  Our rent was L.E. 1800 which translates to about $330 split three ways.  We lived on the 5^th floor (note: the first floor here is not the first floor it is the ground floor as what is the real 2^nd floor is called the 1^st floor here) and there was no elevator (alhamdulillah, I lost some weight!).  If you are willing to live in Hai Ashar, you can cut your rent in half easy.

I would like to note that crossing the street in Egypt is crazy.  You will face death everyday while doing it.  Just suck it up and walk like you own the place and cars will try to avoid you, insh’Allah.

You can check out: http://www.geocities.com/learnarabicincairo for a map of Nasr City and other goodies about Cairo.

I LOVE FOOD

If food is your thing, Egypt is also a good place for that.  Koshari is huge here (tho I’m not a big fan, I prefer meat!) as are the other standard Arab dishes.  In Hai Saba (Zone 7), there are good Thai and Malay restaurants.  Assil on Mustafa an-Nahas in Hai Thamin (Zone 8 ) has some off-the-chain shawerma shami sandwiches, a must-try.

Almost all the food places deliever (even MickeyD’s and KFC!), but I would recommend going out to these places so as to at least get some exercise.  I would eat out everyday (but only one meal a day) and I would try to walk everywhere.

I, personally, watched what I would take into my stomach while in Egypt.  I didn’t drink the man –made sugar-cane juice because people are known to get sick off them.  Don’t drink the local water, your body won’t like it.  Drink bottled water and plenty of it.  Please be hygienic and smart.  Oh yeah, if you wear contacts, I would recommend bringing your entire duration’s supply (lens and solution), but glasses you can get pretty cheap here.

I tend to eat anything if it is hot (including corn cooked on a fire!) and try to stay away from stuff that is cold, including cold meat.  Fruits and veggies in Egypt are great as they are smaller but more flavorful (ballerlicious mangos).

MASAJID

Some of the big masajid in Cairo have graves in them and so I would be cautious of them.  Alhamdulillah, Nasr City is relatively new and thus does not posses any masajid with a grave (to my knowledge).  Masjid Bilal (cool name for a Masjid, IMO), located in Hai Thamin (Section 8 in Nasr City) is a popular masjid for Western students of knowledge (including Imam Suhaib Webb).  However, Masjid Bilal has heavy surveillance.

There are lots of local basement masajid everywhere in Nasr City (there are a double-digit number of masajid within a quarter-mile of our apartment building!)  I prefer the basement masjid-scene because it gives one the community feeling that is present in the masajid back in the United States.  Subhana’Allah, there are numerous knowledgeable people at these basement masajid as well.  If you live in Nasr City and are looking for an amazing and patient Quran teacher, I would recommend Shaykh Adel of Masjid Ridwan in Hai Thamin.  Email me for his contact.  Subhana’Allah, I thought he was awesome.  I remember one day he was sitting with his fellow shayook boys (they’re all like 30 years old) and they start testing each other in recitation of different ayaats of the Quran in different qiraat (this is a game for enjoyment for these scholars!).

As far as the different types of Muslims that are present in Cairo, you are going to get the whole shabang.  You have your twirling sufis (with shows every week!) and, at the same time, you have your neo-salafis.  If you ever go to Masjid Hussain, you can see some ‘unique’ characters there too (but try not to pray there!).

Oh yeah, get this, there is an Arab Tablighi Jamaat as well!  They do the whole 3 day stay in the masjid with bayaans all day and everything.  However, the weird thing is, there are Salafi Tablighis and they use Riyadh-us-Saaliheen.  I guess Fadail-Amaal hasn’t been translated into Arabic yet 😛

TAXIS, PLEASE

Everyone apparently complains about taxis in Egypt.  I personally would recommend walking everywhere and when going somewhere further away, using the bus or micro-bus system.  However, in my use of taxis, alhamdulillah, it has been a pleasant experience (I got ripped-off one time, but gave the dude the money cuz he swore to Allah it was legit).  The places to work on your Arabic are at your school, at your masjid, and with taxi cab drivers!  One way to ensure a cab driver will not rip you off is to talk with him the whole time you are in the cab and have fun with the driver.  He is obviously going to know you are not local, but that doesn’t mean you cannot befriend him (I would often just say that I’m from America).  Cab drivers would offer me advice, cassettes, their phone numbers if I ever needed anything.  I would negotiate a rate when going somewhere far, but would just pay them what I thought was fair if going somewhere close.  I remember when I was coming back from the airport once; one cab driver only wanted L.E. 20 from me even though we had agreed on L.E. 25.  Subhan’Allah, there are some really good people out there.  I would recommend that you pay your cab driver after you have gotten out of the taxi at your final destination.  Have fun with the cabbies.  Smile, it goes a long way and people tend to like you more, plus you’re following the Sunnah as this is a sadaqa for your fellow Muslim brothers.

If you sit on the big bus, they have shot-gun seats in the front next to the driver.  Sit there and you can have a say in what they play on the radio as well as well as get an amazing view of the road 🙂

As far as talking with the locals goes, some really good advice I received by several brothers was never to talk about politics or soccer (futbol as they call it).  Talking any politics will get you thrown in jail.  Don’t even say the word ihkwaan anywhere.  Futbol is also a diehard thing here.  You will know when a soccer match is going on b/c no one cares about anything else at that time.  Don’t pick a side to cheer for either b/c if you pick the wrong side, Allahu Alim what will happen to you.

DOING THE TOURIST THING

Yes, I did the tourist thing.  Pyramids were great, but a one-time thing.  Nile is a great river to walk next to.  There are these L.E. 2 party boats that are quite amusing to see.  Al-Azhar Park is fantastic and gives you an amazing view of Cairo.  It was definitely worth the L.E. 5 entrance free.

We went to Alexandria twice.  Alex is a beautiful place.  We went by micro-bus both times (about L.E. 20 each way) though train is also an option.  The micro-bus ride is death-defying, but I recommend just sleeping through it to avoid the anxiety.  Alex can be accomplished in a day-trip.  Definitely check out the beautiful library while you are there, it is breath-taking.  Seafood in Alex is fantastic.  Recommendation:  try the herb-stuffed sea bass at Abu Ashraf Restaurant (prolly the most famous restaurant in Alex and its open 24/7!).

Pollution

This, unfortunately, is a major down-side of living in Egypt.  The air pollution is ridiculous.  Almost everyone smokes including some little kids and women (biggest turn-off ever).  Supposedly, breathing the air in Nasr City is equivalent to smoking twenty cigarettes a day.  I managed to have some allergies when I first arrived though I have never had allergies before in my life!  Furthermore, there were even a couple instances where I would get random nose bleeds in the beginning.  At the same time, the pollution can be avoided by living outside Nasr City in an area like Rehab.  I would recommend this if you travel to Egypt with a family.  You do not want to risk your child getting asthma by living in Nasr City.

Noise pollution is something else too.  Apparently, the New York Times (www.nytimes.com, yeah, like you needed their website) reported Cairo is possibly the loudest city in the world.  Everyone honks their car horn like there’s no tomorrow.  I’ve heard of people having to replace their car-horn every three months (I didn’t know this was possible!).  My advice would be to just bear it and put up with it, insh’Allah.  Sometimes a horn does save your life.

LIVING IN A MUSLIM COUNTRY

This is my first time living in a Muslim country for such an extended period of time (I have visited family in Pakistan for a couple of months several times in the past).  Subhana’Allah, I absolutely loved it.  Granted you will always see Muslims doing un-Islamic things and you need to come here expecting it or you will be sorely disappointed.  However, at the same time, many of the people I have met are amazing and fantastic people.  In Cairo, there are parts where you can go and 95% of the sisters are wearing hijab and there is a masjid on every street (literally!) while at the same time there are parts of Cairo you can go to where you would not be able to differentiate it from a European society.

I loved the Egyptian people as I would chill with the Egyptians at the masjid, in our building, and just other random places (I think some Egyptians look very desi).  Fellow bearded people have an automatic connection in Egypt.  If you walking and there is another bearded brother on the other side of the street walking in the opposite direction, expect a big-wave and try to read “Assalamu Alaikum” off of his lips (yeah, pretty cool, huh?).  I remember once a random bearded brother even picked up in his car to give me a ride where I was going.

There have been some funny experiences here in Egypt as well.  I remember one time a brother asked me if I knew “Assalamu Alaikum” when he learned I was American (I think he was kidding, maybe).  Another time, I went to play basketball with some friends at a sports club.  They wouldn’t let me in cuz I was wearing a thobe (the fobs wanted to be more American like me), so I just took it off in the middle of the street as I always had my bball clothes on underneath ready to play, alhamdulillah.  One time our landlord’s wife sent over some soup for us.  It smelled delicious and I went straight for it, but the taste was waaay off from the smell.  We later realized it was fresh home-made jam (a lot of it) and it was good too, just not be drank in the same way as soup, lol.

I have made a general observation in terms of Islam in Egypt (can be extended to the Arab world) versus Islam in Pakistan (can be extended to the non-Arab world).  The Muslims in Pakistan, mash’Allah, have a lot of zeal and they want to be practicing Muslims, following the Sunnah and everything.  However, it seems, that knowledge seems to be lacking significantly in Pakistan.  At the same time, in Egypt, the knowledge is present and people know the Quran and are well-grounded in the Sunnah.  However, the zeal and desire to follow through with that knowledge is not present.  As Muslims, we need to bring these two extremes together where we can combine knowledge and desire.  Obviously, this reflection does not include all Pakis and Egyptians and it is a simple observation and it is just a thought.

I HEART EGYPT

I’ve loved my experience here thus far, alhamdulillah.  I have significantly increased my respect for Azhari students.  Subhana’Allah, they work out ridiculously hard and are a very impressive group of students.

I have had an amazing time in Egypt thus-far, alhamdulillah.  If you actually go to Egypt, email me and I may be able to give you some more personal tips.  I can be emailed at coolguymuslim @ gmail.com.  I pray that this summary may actually be of some benefit to someone who goes to study abroad.  Insha’Allah I may do a follow-up to this piece after I return back to Florida in a month.  Please keep me and my family in your dua’s, insh’Allah.  Go Islam!

Need Some Motivation to go to the Masjid?

Here is a small compilation of hadith that are an encouragement, insh’Allah, for one to attend the congregational prayer in the masjid.  The ahadith are broken into two categories (the ones that invoke hope and the ones that invoke fear) followed by a few statements of the sahabah. 

Firstly, the ahadith that invoke hope:

1. “Whoever goes to the mosque not desiring except to learn or teach what is good has the reward of a pilgrim who completed his Hajj.” [at-Tabarani, classed as Saheeh by Al-Albani]
2. “Whoever leaves his home in a state of purity to perform obligatory prayer, his reward is like that of a pilgrim (while) in the state of ihram [i.e. he receives reward similar to that of spending time in ihram during Hajj].” [Abu Dawud, classed as Saheeh by Al-Albani]
3. “He who prays Isha’ in Jama’ah [congregation] is as if he has prayed for half the night. As to him who (also) prays Fajr in congregation, it is as if he has prayed all night.” [narrated by Malik and the wording is that of Muslim who also reported it]
4. “Prayer in congregation is superior to praying individually twenty-seven times.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
5. “Whoever goes to the mosque not desiring except to learn or teach what is good has the reward of a pilgrim who completed his Hajj.” [at-Tabarani, classed as Saheeh by Al-Albani]

And now the ahadith that invoke fear:

1. “The heaviest salat for the hypocrite is that of Isha’a and Fajr and if they knew what was in them they would have attended them even if it meant crawling, and I have a strong desire to order the salat to be established, then order a man to lead the people in salat then I would go with some men carrying bundles of wood to a people not attending the salat and burn their houses on them.” [al-Bukhari and Muslim, this is the version of Muslim]
2. “Whosover hears the call to salat, and does not respond, then there is no salat for him unless he has a valid excuse.” [Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah, classified as legit by al-Albaani]
3. “There are not three in a town where no Athan is called, and congregational prayers are not established amongst them except that the Sheitan will overcome them, so you must stick to jama’ah because the wolf gets the stray one.” [Abu Dawud and Ahmed, authentic]

Want a few sahabah statements?

1. Abu Asha’a’thaa’a Al-Muharibi said: We were sitting in the masjid (mosque) then the Mu’athin (the one that makes the call to prayer) made the call to prayer. Then a man got up from the masjid walking. Abu Huraira followed him with his sight until he left the Masjid. Then Abu Huraira said “as for this person he has disobeyed Abal Qasim (the Messenger) .” [Muslim]
2. Ibn Mas’ood, Abu Musa Al-Ash’ary, Ali, Abu Huraira, Ayesha, and Ibn Abbas have stated, “Whoever hears the call to salat and does not answer, there is no salat for him unless he has a valid excuse.”
3. Abdullah ibn Masud said, “And there is not a man amongst you that purifies himself (yatatahhar), and does so properly, then directs himself to one of these mosques except that Allah will write for him with each step he takes a hasanah (merit), and raises him a grade, and drops from him a sayyi’ah (demerit). And I have seen us, where not one of us would stay behind from prayer in congregation except for a hypocrite whose hypocrisy is known. And one that could not come on his own would be carried between two men until he is stood in the row.

These are not my words, only the words of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and his beloved companions!
Sources: www.islamqa.com and www.islaam.com

Want a Daily Hajj AND Umrah Reward?

From Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:  “The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said:  ‘Whoever prays the morning prayer in congregation then sits remembering Allah until the sun rises, then prays two units of prayer has the reward like that of Hajj and `Umrah.'”  He said, “Allah’s Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Complete, complete, complete (i.e. reward)'” (narrated by Tirmidhi).

Basically, the concept is that if you pray Fajr in the masjid congregation (for sisters, they can do this at their residence as it is better for them to pray in their homes) and then after the fajr salat, you don’t get up and instead you remember Allah (do dhikr, read Quran, etc) until the time for Duha prayer (a.k.a. Ishraq prayer, which has a start time about twenty minutes after fajr ends) and then you pray the Duha prayer, you will insh’Allah, receive the reward of a full Hajj AND Umrah (however, this does not lift the obligation upon one to perform Hajj).  Subhan’Allah, how great is the bounty of Allah (SWT) to give His servant sooo much reward for so little time and action.  Surely, Allah (SWT) is the Owner of great bounty.

Here are more narrations that support the hadith listed above:

• From Abi Umaamah who said:  “Allah’s Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Whoever prays the morning prayer in congregation then sits remembering Allah until he sun rises, then stands up ad prays two units of prayer returns with the reward of Hajj and `Umrah’” (narrated by Tabarani).
• From `Abdullah bin `Aamir that Abu Umaamah and `Utbah Bin `Abd related that Allah’s Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said:   “Whoever prays as-S.ubh. (i.e. fajr prayer)  in congregation then sits until he prays for Allah the prayer of Dhuha has the reward like that of a haajj (pilgrim performing Hajj) and a mu`tamir (pilgrim peforming `Umrah), complete reward of his Hajj and his `Umrah”  (narrated by Tabarani).
• From `Usrah who said, “I heard the Mother of believers, meaning `Aa’isha, say:  ‘I heard  Allah’s Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, say: ‘Whoever prays fajr (or he said al-ghadaah, [transl. both referring to the morning prayer]), then sits in his place and does not speak idly with something from matters of this world and remembers Allah until he prays four units of Dhuha, he will leave his sins like the day his mother bore him, without any sin’‘” (narrated by Ibn Hajr).
• From Sammaak  That he asked Jaabir bin Samurah:  “What did the Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam do when he prayed as-Subh (the morning prayer).”  He said:  “He used to sit in the Musallaa after he prayed as-Subh until the Sun rises” (narrated by Muslim).
• From Sahl bin Mu`aadh bin Anas al-Juhani from his father, that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said:  “Whoever sits in his prayer area (musallaa) after he completes as-Subh prayer until he prays two units of Dhuha prayer, [and] doesn’t say except what is good, his sins will be forgiven even if they are more than the foam of the sea” (narrated by Abu Dawud).

All the hadith mentioned have been classified as either sahih (authentic) or hasan (good).  These narrations were complied by Shaykh Abdullah ibn Abdur Rahman Al-Jibreen.

(Source: www.islaam.com)

The Historic Khutbah

As it has came to be known, the Historic Khutbah was delievered by Shaykh Ali Abdur-Rahman al-Hudaifi, imam of Masjid-e-Nabawi in Madinah-al-Munawwarah , during the Jumah Prayer on March 13th, 1998 (15th Dhul-Qadah 1418).  Following the Khutbah, the Saudi government banned the publication of the khutbah and the sale of its audio recordings within the Kingdom.  The Sheikh was immediately arrested following the khutbah.  However, due to fear of public revolt, he was eventually released.  Today, he continues to be the imam of Masjid-e-Nabawi and is currently one of my personal favorite reciters of the Holy Quran.  The Historic Khutbah:

All praise is for Allah, the Sustainer of the entire universe, Lord of all worlds. He enlightened the hearts of His Aulia with divine guidance and strength of belief, and provided strength to their perception with the luminance of Wahi. Whomsoever He desired He guided to the right path, whoever He wanted, in His wisdom, He led astray. Thus did the hearts of the Kuffar and Munafiqeen become blind to accepting the light of Truth, and Allah Ta’ala’s entire argument was established over all His creatures.

I offer praise to my Rabb, and such gratitude which is worthy of His Being and magnificent sovereignty. I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, He is One and Only and has no partner; that He is Master of the Day of Qiyamah.

And I bear witness that our Prophet and leader Hadhrat Muhammad SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam is His bondsman and Messenger, leader of all the ancients and the moderns. He was sent forth with the Holy Qur’an as a blessing for the Muslim, a bearer of glad tidings to them.

O Allah! Send Durood and Salaam, shower blessings upon your Bondsman and Messenger, Muhammad SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam, upon his descendants, Ashaab and Tabi`een.

Amma-Ba`ad. O Muslims, fear Allah. Fear Allah as is His due. Hold fast to the strong bond of Islam.

O people of Allah! Without doubt Allah Ta`ala’s greatest blessing upon man is his true faith. Through it Allah Ta`ala brings to life the dead hearts of the Kuffar, bestows the light of Imaan to the blind led
astray. Allah Ta`ala says:

“Can he who was dead, to whom We gave life, and a Light whereby he can walk amongst men, be like him who is in the depths of darkness, from which he can never come out?” (6:122).

And He further says:

“Is then one who doth know that that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the Truth, like one who is blind? It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition.” (13:19)

Allah Ta`ala’s Deen in the Heavens and the Earth, for the ancients and the moderns is only the Deen-e-Islam. The orders of Sharee`ah were different for every prophet. Every prophet was given those orders which were appropriate for their particular Ummah. In His divine knowledge and wisdom, whichever order He thought proper, He cancelled, which ever one He wanted He retained.

But when He sent down the Prince among men, SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam He made null and void all previous Sharee`ahs, and bound all men and Jinn (spirits) to render obedience to him. Allah Ta`ala says:

Say: “O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He that giveth both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believeth in Allah and His words: follow him that so ye may be guided.” (7:158)

And it is a saying of the Holy Prophet SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam:

“By Him in whose hands is the soul of Muhammad, every Jew or Christian of this age who hears my call and yet dies without believing me, shall be one of the people of Jahannam.”

Thus anyone who does not believe in RasoolulLah SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam, will burn in Jahannam forever. Allah Ta`ala does not accept any other Deen than Islam. In the Holy desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost all spiritual good (3:85). As Allah Ta`ala sent His Prophet SallalLahu`Alayhi Wasallam with such a Sharee`at which is the choicest, the most excellent, with a Deen which is complete in every respect, He has included in it all the basic principles which had been sent down upon all the earlier prophets. Thus He says:

“The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah-that which We have sent by inspiration to thee-and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus; namely that ye should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein: To those who worship other things than Allah, hard is the way to which thou callest them. Allah chooses to Himself those whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who return to Him.” (42:13)

The followers of the Jews and the Christians know for sure that the Deen of Hadhrat Muhammad SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam is the true Deen, but jealousy with the Muslims, arrogance, lone of wealth, selfish desires are a barrier between them and Islam. Moreover even before the descent of Hudhoor SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam, the Christians and Jews had altered their heavenly books, and completely changed their religion. Thus they remain, firm upon their Kufr, led astray from the right path.

After a brief introduction of Haq and Batil, for us Muslims, this movement which has been started to bring closer together different religious, is a very painful thing. It is not to our liking too the invitation being extended by those ‘intellectuals’ who are not even acquainted with the basic and essential doctrines of Islam.
Especially now when wars are being fought on the basis of religion and all advantages are connected with it, such movements and invitations are
even more dangerous for Islam and the Muslims.

Without doubt Islam invites the Jews and Christians to save themselves from Jahannam (Hell) and enter Jannah (Paradise); renounce Batil and accept Islam.

Allah Ta`ala says:

‘Say : O People of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, lords and patrons other than Allah.” If then they turn back, say ye: “Bear witness that we at least are Muslims, bowing to Allah’s Will”. (3:64).

Islam gives permission to the Christians and Jews to continue upon their religion but only if they remain subordinated to Islam; pay Jizyah to the Muslims and keep the peace. Islam does not force the Christians and Jews to become Muslims, as in the Holy Qur’an it is said:

“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error.” (2:256).

Islam is pure toleration and a well-wisher of all humanity. It does state that the Deen of the Jews and Christians is Batil so that whoever wishes to embrace Islam can do so, and whoever so desires can remain a Kafir. If the Jews, Christians and Mushrikeen are willing to accept Islam, then it will embrace them.

They will as brothers to the Muslims, for Islam does not admit of any prejudice on the basis of race or colour. History itself is a witness to this fact and furthermore Allah Ta`ala announces:

“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous of you.”

As to the question of a joining between Islam, Christianity and Judaism that is simply impossible.

Allah Ta`ala Himself says:

“The blind and the seeing are not like; nor are the depths of Darkness and the Light; nor are the chilly shade and the genial heat of the Sun:
nor are alike those that are living and those that are dead. Allah can make any that He wills to hear; but thou canst not make those to hear
who are buried in the graves.” (35:19-22).

In the same way is this notion wrong that the Muslims should relinquish some of the Islamic tenets, ignore or show apathy towards them, in order to incline the Jews and Christians towards them; or that the Muslims should befriend them in order to bring them closer to Islam. A true Muslim can never do so.

Allah Ta`ala says:

Thou will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Day of Qiyamah, loving those who resist Allah and His Apostle, even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred. (58:22)

In short, there is no connection, no relationship between the Muslims and the Kuffar. In spite of this, Islam does not allow any Muslim to be cruel to the Kuffar. Islam has bound the Muslims to be just and fair to them too. On the other hand a Muslim has been ordered to defend his faith, to hear enmity towards Batil, and not only that, but make efforts the break its strength.

This distinction between Islam and Kufr can only be achieved by holding fast to the fundamentals and beliefs of Islam. By persevering upon faith and strictly adhering to the orders of Islam, can the Muslims prosper in the world and thereby by protect, safeguard their honour and their rights. Right or Haq can be established, Batil can be identified as Batil only through perseverance upon Deen. The campaign which has been started to unite different religious, is not only against the spirit of Islam but will land the Muslims into terrible trouble and misfortune.
The disastrous results of such a movement will be isastrous—weakening of Imaan, interpolation of beliefs, friendship with the enemies of Allah Ta`ala. Allah Ta`ala hasordered those of the Islamic faith to be friends of one another only. He says, “The Believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another (9:71).

While, the Kuffar, they may belong to any group have been designated as friends of each other by Him—–: “The unbelievers are protectors, one of another: unless ye do this, (protect each other), there would be
tumult and oppression on earth, and great mischief.” The famous Mufassir Imaam Ibne-Kathir RahimahulLahu Ta`ala has interpreted it in this way: If you do not adopt separation from the Kuffar, and befriend the Muslims a great mischief will be caused among the people. ‘Mischief’, here means the intermingling of the Muslims with the Kuffar, and of the truth becoming doubtful. Thus a mixing of the Muslims and Kuffar will lead to a mischief of great magnitude.

Allah Ta`ala says:

O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends
and protectors; they are but friends and protectors to each other.
(6:54)

How can there be any similarity, any bond between Islam and Yahudiyyat, (the Jewish faith) when Islam is exceptional, with its purity, light, brilliance, nobility, justice, toleration, magnanimity, high morality,
equally for man or Jinn, and Yahudiyyat is, a collection of materialism
and narrow-mindedness, bears malice towards humanity, is steeped in
moral degradation, greed and covetousness.

So how can there be any link between Islam and Yahudiyyat?

Can any Muslim tolerate the aspersion cast upon the pious, pure
character of Hadhrat Maryam `Alayhissalam by the Jews?

Can the Muslims bear the presence of the Jews who call Hadhrat `Esa
‘Alayhissalam (Christ) the son of a whore?

Na`oozubilLah. Allah forbid! And on this account how can there be any
link between the Holy Qur’an and Talmud, the holy book of the Satanish
Jews?

Similarly there is no similarity between Christianity and Islam. Islam
is a pure and clean religion believing in the oveness of Allah, in
Tauheed. It is pure justice and a blessing. It is complete Sharee`ah,
the revealed law.

Whereas Christianity is a deviation from the right path. The misled
Christians hold the belief of Trinity—Father, Son, Holy Ghost.
Christianity claims that Christ is God and the sons of God.

Allah Ta`ala says:

“Never will the Jews and Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou
follow their form of religion.”

And He says:

“And they will go on fighting you until they turn you away from your
faith if they could.”

Thus the only reason for the creation of a Jewish, Zionist state in
Palestine was to start an armed conflict with the Muslims and thus
create tension and terror in the region. After they had succeeded in
creating Israel, the Jewish colonial powers then set in motion such
basic and collective plans which are a cause of deep pain for the
Muslims even till to-day. Among these the major plan was to bring abut a dissolution of all Shara`ee courts from the Islamic countries and
establish non-Islamic, man-made laws in their place. To a large extent
the Kuffar succeed in their aim. But praise be to Allah Ta`ala, that the
Saudi government did not fall a prey to this conspiracy and there still
exist many Shara`ee courts in the country. To-day, amongst all the
Muslim governments of the world, the government of Saudi Arabia is the
only representative, model Islamic government.

After succeeding in bringing about an end to all Islamic, Shara`ee
courts in most of the Muslim countries, the Jews and Christians launched
a new plan in order to find an excuse for military intervention in the
area.

An insidious movements was started and such anti-Islamic, atheistic
ideas and beliefs as those of insurrection, Communism, nationalism were
instilled in the minds of the people. These consequently gave birth to
such military tyrants as Saddam Husain.

An open armed conflict with holy Sharee`ah thus began. All the means at
their disposal were brought upon to bear and the voices of Haq crushed
mercilessly. The conspiracies of the Kuffar bore fruit and thousands of
families migrated to the western countries.

The countries which had become victims of military rule, became weaker
and weaker in faith, in Deen, due to Western influences. In these
countries, every succeeding government blamed the previous government for the havoc and destruction in the country. (May Allah Ta`ala protect us). And to-day conditions in some countries have declined to such an extent that offering Salat Ba-Jama`at is now considered to be a crime there. Lahaula Wala Quwwata.

When such are the conditions how can one even think of Allah Ta`ala
divine assistance of religious honour and dignity?

With the establishment of a Jewish state, destruction of all Shara`ee
courts in the Islamic countries and their replacement by non-Islamic,
man-made system of law, circulation and formulation of groups and
beliefs inimical and contrary to Islam, and as a result the emergence of
such people as Saddam, the stage was no set for the super powers to act upon their basic conspiracies. To pave the way for a military
intervention they purposely created a fake crisis. They were already in
control of the economies of the region.

It is now no longer a secret that the great powers are planning upon
dividing the land of Arabia into smaller states constantly at war with
each other. For this will consolidate the forces of Kufr, provide
protection for their anti-Islamic beliefs and deeds.

Remember, that the world powers are the sworn enemies of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as it is the greatest centre of Islam, a fort of the Muslims. All the governments of the Kuffar are bent upon destroying it. In fact the forces of Kufr have now all united against Islam and the
Muslims. None of these countries can any longer be trusted. Specially
so, as American and Britain are now openly threatening the kingdom’s
survival and safety. Thus their blatant enemity, evil intentions,
destructive aims for Saudi Arabia have now become clear, are now common knowledge.

America! it would do well for you to remember that Saudi Arabia is no
alone. All the Muslims of the world, form east to west, are united in
the defence of the holy land, the last centre of the Muslims.

The evil intentions and aims of the world powers are:

* To strengthen and fortify the Zionist, Jewish state of Israel.

* To tear down Al-Aqsa Mosque and build a synagogue in its place, thus
satisfying the ancient desire of the Jews.

* To maintain the military supremacy of the Jews over the Muslim Arab
countries.

* To appropriate a major part of the oil-wealth of the Gulf States for
themselves, leaving the Saudis with the residue only.

* To deal a death-blow to Islam at the slightest provocation.

* To promote everything which is against Islam, which destroys the least
morals and virtues bestowed by Islam, and which would cause the Islamic states to be constantly at war with each other.

O Muslim! you should learn a lesson from Turkey where the accursed Kamal Ataturk established a secular form of government and forcefully
subjected the Turks to an irreligious, heathenish system. Not only was
the Islamic system discarded but the Islamic principles were fiercely
opposed on every front. So much so that even to-day the government there is inimical to the Muslims. It has made military pacts with the Jews. In spite of all efforts by the Turkish government to curry their favour,
the Kuffar are willing to tolerate the Turkish government only as long
as it remains subservient and in service of the Jews. Turkey sacrificed
everything-its religion, its principles for the Christian and Jews but
none of the European countries are even now willing to let it join the
European Union.

Why? What is Turkey’s crime? Only that it once was an Islamic centre.

O Muslims! Let Turkey be a moral to you. Be sure that you may renounce as many Islamic principles as you like but the Kuffar will never be pleased with you. So instead of trying to gain their favour you should
ahere to your own religion. Remember, that this enemity of the Kuffar is
based upon nothing else but Islam. If this was not so, tell me why are
the people of Iraq suffering under sanctions for the last six years?

What is the crime of the poor Iraqi people except that they are Muslims?
As far as Saddam and the ruling party are concerned, the sanctions have
not effected them the least bit. The world powers justify these cruel
sanctions against Iraq by saying that it violated a UN resolution. Iraq
violated only one, but the Jewish enemies have violated sixty UN
resolutions. It has not even signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty,
although this area is a veritable volcano and cannot bear the
accumulation of weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Husain cannot be absolved of all responsibility too. He is equally to blame for the atrocities committed against the people of Iraq, for he only complies with the wishes of the enemies of Islam. He does whatever they wish him to.

I am warning America to stop interfering in the affairs of our region.
As far as the security of the religion is concerned it is the responsibility of the Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia, itself and not of America. America, be not proud of your power. It is a Sunnah of Allah Ta`ala that whenever the weak were oppressed, the powerful oppressors were destroyed. Allah Ta`ala Himself causes their destruction. America must not therefore be deceived by the apparent helplessness of the Muslims.

The Americans should learn a lesson from the Muslims of Afghanistan who had started Jihaad against Russia armed with sticks only. They had thus brought about the total destruction of the super power of the day.
Remember that technological superiority is not everything. The real
power is that of faith, of Imaan.

The maintenance of peace and security in the Arabian peninsula lies with
the governments of Arabia themselves. In fact it is a Fardh upon them to
guard their borders. There is no need of foreign intervention.

In fact these foreign powers which stepped-in to save Gulf States are
themselves the cause of the dangerous problems, terrible anxieties
afflicting the people there. The modus operandi of these powers of Kufr
is that wherever there is a crisis, even if it has been created by
themselves, they jump in on the pretext of solving it. They propose to
be helping the country out of its difficulties but in reality they
become a grave danger to it. For, can a wolf ever guard a flock of
sheep?

O people! there is religious enemity between the Muslims and the Kuffar. So how can they be the well-wishes of the Muslims?

Although America is Christian country yet its reins are in the hands of
the Jews. America is powerless. The Jews manipulate it, exploit it for
their own purposes. Still, the Muslims cannot tolerate the presence of
the American military force in the holy land. They cannot, will not
suffer the presence of any power of Kufr in the Arabian peninsula-RasoolulLah SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam has said,

“No two religions can remain in Arabia.”

The Holy Prophet’s last advice was:

“Expel the Jews and Christians from the Arab lands.”

Thus now when the Jews and Christians have set up military bases in and all around Arabia, it has become a Fardh upon the Muslims to act upon the last order of RasoolulLah SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam and expel them from the Arab lands.

O Muslims! Impending doom is threatening you. Offer sincere repentance for your salvation. To save yourself from destruction and ruin repent, offer Taubah, to Allah Ta`ala for all your sins. Because of the sins committed by the people, does ruin and destruction attend upon them. And in repentance lies their deliverance

O ye, who drank wine and thus disobeyed Allah Ta`ala, repent for your
sin, for thus you will, through this Taubah, assist in the reformation
of the society.

O ye, who committed adultery or sodomy, turn to Allah Ta`ala, offer
sincere repentance for your disobedience.

O ye, who disobeyed Allah Ta`ala by using drugs, offer Taubah before
Allah, for verily to Him will you return shortly.

O ye, who committed the disobedience of giving up offering Salat, repent before the Mighty Allah.

O ye, who caused a loss to someone’s honour or property, offer Taubah
for having been cruel to a Muslim. Seek refuge with Allah Ta`ala.

Purify your wealth from interest, for because of this evil destruction
and wars descend upon a people. In matters of business, sale and
purchase keep away from that which is contrary to the orders of the Holy Qur’an, to Sharee`ah. For in this way will all the transactions of a
bank correspond to the orders of Islam.

Call the people towards Allah. Establish firmly D`awah-IlalLah,
D`awah-Ilal Islam. Teach Islam to the people. Pay special attention to
the Madaris-e-Islamiyyah established in the Muslim countries to provide
religious knowledge to the people.

It is a Fardh upon every Muslim to call others towards Allah, specially
so upon the Ulama whose beliefs, knowledge and perseverance can be
relied upon; the Ulama who are well-versed in Islamic jurisprudence, to
whom people turn for solution of their religious problem.

O Muslim! avoid those groups which cause division and dissension; avoid the desires and temptations which lead you astray and cause disunity among you.O Muslim! save yourself from the wrath and punishment of Allah Ta`ala. Allah Ta`ala says:

“O ye who believe! take not into your intimacy those outside your ranks:
they will not fail to corrupt you. They only desire your ruin; rank
hatred has already appeared from their mouths; what their hearts conceal is for worse. We have made plain to you the signs, if ye have wisdom. Ah! ye are those who love them, but they love you not, though ye believe in the whole of the Book. When they meet you, they say, ‘We believe,’ but when they are alone, they bite off the very tips of their fingers at you in their rage.Say: ‘Perish in your rage; Allah knoweth well all the secrets of the heart. If aught that is good befalls you, it grieves them; but if some misfortune overtakes you, they rejoice at it. But if ye constant and do right, not the least harm will their cunning do to you: for Allah compasseth round about all that they do. (3:188-120)

May Allah Ta`ala grant abundance in the Holy Qur’an for you and for me. May He make recitation of the Holy Qur’an and Zikr beneficial for you and for me. May He make following the instructions, copying the
characteristics of Rasool-ulLah SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam profitable for us. I invoke Allah Ta`ala^?s forgiveness for myself, for you, for all the Muslims, for all the sins committed by us. All praise is for Allah who is friend to the virtuous.

I hear witness that thee is none other than Allah worthy of being
worshipped; that He is one and has no partner. It is He who gave honour to the Muslims and dishonoured the Kuffar. And I bear witness that our Prophet and leader Hadhrat Muhammad SallalLahu Alayhi Wasallam is His bondsman and Messenger; a keeper of promises and trusts. O Allah; bestow upon your Prophet and bondsman, Rasool-ulLah SallalLahu Alayhi Wasallam upon his descendants, upon the Sahabah-e-Kiram, your choicest blessings and favours.

Amma B’aad! O Muslims! fear Allah Ta`ala. For, He says:

O ye who believe! give your response to Allah and His Apostle, when He calleth you to that which will give you life; and know that Allah cometh in between a man and his heart, and that it is He to whom ye shall all be gathered.And fear tumult or oppression, which affecteth not in particular only those of you who do wrong: and know that Allah is strict in punishment. (8 : 24-25)

O Muslims! assemble together on the Book of Allah and Sunnah of
Rasool-ulLah SallalLahu Alayhi Wasallam. Act upon the orders of the Book of Allah, upon the Sunnah of Rasool-ulLah SallalLahu Alayhi Wasallam. Every Muslim must turn to Allah, the Most Glorious.

All Islamic countries must have love for each other, must be each others
helpers and supporters. Especially so in the face of the terrible danger
which now confronts the Muslim counties. It is the Kuffar’s plan to
interfere in the affairs of the Muslims in such a way so as to divide
them, alienate them from each other and thus destroy them completely. It
is therefore imperative for all the Islamic countries, especially the
Gulf States to adopt a policy of mutual support and co-operation. It is
essential for the Gulf States not to accept any individual opinion or
controversial decision in matters of collective interest. None of the
Gulf States should pass any resolution without consulting the Saudi
government first; because upon this kingdom depends the existence and continuation of these states.

These Gulf countries, after deriving strength from Allah Ta`ala,
depend upon Saudi Arabia for their solidarity too.

The kingdom is a pillar of strength for these states. It is also
incumbent upon all these countries not to provide any military bases to
the enemies of Allah for strikes upon Iraq. For Allah Ta`ala has created
all the Muslims as one single body, and providing bases to the
anti-Islamic forces will only cause sufferings to the Muslims of Iraq.
Although a solution to the Iraqi problem seems to be imminent, yet the
world powers cannot be depended upon not to create a new crisis for the achievement of their own selfish ends. So they must not be allowed to find an ally in the Arabian countries.

Furthermore the Arabian countries must not allow aircraft carriers of
America or any other Kufriah country to use their harbours for launching
attacks upon any Muslim country. Nor should they allow the establishment of military bases on their land.

O Muslim! fear Allah only. It is necessary upon all Islamic and Arab
countries to fully co-operate with and assist Saudia Arabia in expelling
the anchored war ships and the stationed Christian and Jewish troops from the Arab lands. For, Rasool-ulLah SallalLahu Alayhi Wasallam has said:

‘Two religions cannot co-exist in Arabia.’ The governments of this
region are fully aware of their responsibility and of the necessity to
maintain peace. If only it is rendered safe and secure from the
interference of the big powers there would remain no danger to its
existence.

O Muslim! Become each other^?s helpers and supporters. Be well aware of the fact that these Kuffar are jealous of you. They envy yours your pleasant atmosphere even, for the skies of their cities are polluted with smoke from the factories etc., their places of worship redolent with the evil of their sins, with the depravity of the deeds disliked by Allah.
They this grudge you, your every possession. And the greatest thing they
are jealous of is your faith, your morals. O people of Allah, fear Him as
is His due, and listen to the saying of Rasool-ulLah SallalLahu Alayhi
Wasallam:

“Very soon, other nations will invite others and fall upon you to attack
and destroy you just like people while inviting others, fall upon a dish
of food.”

The Sahaba-e-Kiraam asked Rasool-ulLah SallalLahu Alayhi Wasallam ‘Ya RasoolulLah! will this happen because we will be lesser in number at
that time?’

“No.” RasoolulLah SallalLahu Alayhi Wasallam answered, “You will be great in number, but you will be like froth upon the main, and weak as sticks and straws. Allah Ta`ala will remove, from the hearts of your enemies, your awe and terror, and He shall fill your hearts with cowardice.”

Sahaba-e-Kiraam RadhialLahu Ta`ala `Anhum asked “What is cowardice?”

“Love of the world, hatred for death,” RasoolulLah SallalLahu Alayhi Wasallam answered.

O people of Allah! Verily Allah Ta`ala and His angels send down
blessings upon Prophet Rasool-UlLah SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam. O
people of Faith, you too send Durood and Salaam upon the Holy Prophet. Rasool-UlLah SallalLahu has said, “The person who sends Durood upon me once is blessed by Allah Ta`ala ten times. So send Durood upon the first and last Prophet SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam. Allahumma-Sallay `ala Muhammad.

Ya Allah, bestow your choicest blessings (Rahmah) upon RasoolulLah
SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam as you bestowed blessings (Rahmah) upon
Hadhrat Ibraheem `Alayhissalam Verily, you are worthy of all praise,
most eminent and exalted. And bestow ‘barakah’ upon Rasool-UlLah
SallalLahu `Alayhi Wasallam as you did upon Rasool-UlLah SallalLahu
`Alayhi Wasallam as you did upon Hadhrat Ibraheem `Alayhissalam.

Verily are ye worthy of all praise, most glorious and eminent.

Ya Allah bestow your approval upon the Khulafa-e-Rashideen-Abu Bakar, `Umar, `Usman and Ali and all the Sahaba-e-Kiraam RadhialLahu `Anhum.

O Lord of the universe, be pleased with those who follow all of them in
the best possible way. Ya Allah! O Most Merciful of the merciful, grant
us you divine approval too.

Ya Allah! confer upon the Muslims and Islam, honour and victory, upon
Kufr and the Kuffar dishonour and defeat.

Ya Allah! consign the leaders of the Kuffar to the most grievous
penalty. Impress upon their faces, in their conversation conflict and
dissension. Ya Allah! whoever bears enemity towards Islam and the
Muslims, destroy him completely.

Ya Allah! Lord of the universe, cause the powers of Kufr to go war with
each other. Turn them away form the Muslims, and engage them in fighting each other.

Ya Allah! Make the conspiracies and stratagems of the enemies of Islam, ineffectual and useless.

Ya Allah! whoever bears malice and ill-will towards us and our cities,
make their maliciousness rebound upon themselves. Intervene between us and the evil he intends.

Ya Allah, Lord of the universe verily you have power over everything. We present you before every Kafir and his opposition. We seek your help against them. We defend ourselves against the Mushrikeen through you.

Ya Allah! seize the Jews and Christians in the grip of your punishment.
Seize the Hindus and the Mushrikeen too.

Ya Allah! send down upon them a torment most grievous which is not
turned away from a guilty nation. Ya Allah! they have filled the entire
world with tyranny, oppression and sins. Ya Allah, we seek thy help
against them. We seek thy protection against their evil.

Ya Allah, we seek only they shelter against the mischief of the Rawafiz,
the heretics. You are omnipotent indeed.

Ya Allah! Create affection in the hearts of the Muslims for each other.
Reform them, guide them to the paths of safety and peace. Draw them out from the Darkness into the Light, Assist them against your own and their enemies.

Our Lord, grant us beneficence in this world and in the Aakhirah too.
Save us from the torment of Jahannam.

Ya Allah! Provide safety to our Imaam and grant him the opportunity to
perform those deeds which are to your linking, which are acceptable to
you.

Ya Allah! include him among those who guide others to the right path,
who are the guided ones themselves. Ya Allah, assist him in religious
and worldly matters. Ya Allah, when matters are of a delicious nature,
when it is difficult to recognize Haq (Right), to act upon it, guide
them towards what is Haq. Ya Allah, set straight their ‘batin’.

Ya Allah! Lord of the universe, grant the Muslims the ability to perform
deeds which are worthy of your approval, which can gain your divine
favour.

O people of Allah! Allah commands you to do justice. He commands you the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all
shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that you
may receive admonition.

“Fulfill the Covenant of Allah when you have entered into it, and break
not your oaths after you have confirmed them; indeed you have made Allah you surety; for Allah knows all that you do.” (16:91-9).

Remember Allah, who is Great and Glorious one He will remember you. And give thanks unto Him for the many favours He has bestowed upon you, Allah will grant you more. Remembrance (zikr) of Allah is a great thing indeed. And Allah knows well whatever it is that you do.

Note: To protect myself, I must state that I do not necessarily agree 100% with everything in this post or any other post on my blog.  Barak’Allah feekum!
(Source: http://www.islamworld.net)

Summer of Fun

Assalamu Alaykum,

I’ve finally decided to start updating my blog once again and insha’Allah, I will continue to update it regularly. Since I’ve been on hiatus for the last several weeks, I thought I’d update my blog with what’s been going on in my life.  Alhamdulillah, my last summer before medical school has been full of excitement and joy.  In the past three weeks, I’ve traveled to sooo many states, it’s been awesome. 

I started my journey (it wasn’t a real journey by any means) by going to Chicago for a friend’s wedding.  Devon Street is a pretty happening street.  I was fortunate enough to eat at the famous Usmanias restaurant.  My new recommended favorite dish has definitely got to be Chicken Makkni (a.k.a. Butter Chicken).  From Chicago, I continued to Michigan to visit a friend.  Michigan was awesome.  Subhana’Allah, I really loved Dearborn, there are sooooooo many Muslims there it feels like another country.  There are masajid everywhere to be found.  One masjid we went to had several hundred people attending for a regular salaat!  Additionally, most of the local eateries serve halal food (I ate at a halal Big Boys!). 

My journey continued as I flew to California.  There were about eight brothers from Hopkins who met up as a reunion (Classes 2004-2007) and subhana’Allah, it was soo fun.  We arrived in Los Angles and continued our trip north up to San Jose (via Pebble Beach and Monterray) and south down to Long Beach.  California was an amazing experience as the trip defined true brotherhood.  One thing I got to do is give a shout-out to the UCLA MSA.  Masha’Allah, they’ve really got it going on.  The undergraduate and graduate students really get along.  We prayed jummah there on a non-school day and there were still about fifty people there for jummah!  Their MSA produces the Al-Talib newspaper which has been in production for seventeen years.  Furthermore, they run a free clinic for the medically uninsured.  Masha’Allah, I’ve never seen an MSA so together and on top of things.  After California, I fly back home to Tampa, but I stopped in Dallas for several hours.  A friend of mine picked me up and showed me around.  Dallas is a really impressive city and one that I think I may have to return to in the future to get the Texas experience.

After returning to Tampa and spending some time at home, I headed to Richmond, Virginia to find a roommate and apartment.  It appears as though it is final that I am attending Virginia Commonwealth University for medical school.  The medical school application cycle has been long and tedious at times for me.  Nonetheless, I’m excited about the final outcome.  I did have a great experience in all the cities I was able to travel to during my interviews.  Subhana’Allah, I met some superb brothers and the hospitality some of them gave me is unbelievable.  I put the results from my medical school process up at http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=6247.  Insha’Allah, make dua for me that whatever is best for me and my family in the duniya and ahkira to happen for us.  We’ll see how Richmond treats me next year, insha’Allah, it goes well! 

I was also able to travel to NYC where I ate the famous Platters from 53rd and 6th.  Subhana’Allah, the gyros there were definitely on point.  That’s really been about it for me over the last few weeks.  Now that I’ve gotten through boring you about my journey, insha’Allah, future posts will be back on point in dealing with things that are more important.  Take care, insha’Allah.

Wa assalamu alaykum

My Farewell to Baltimore

I’ve left Baltimore.  Alhamdulillah, I graduated from Hopkins and it’s time for the next chapter in my life to begin.  Nevertheless, I’m sad to say good-bye to Baltimore.  It will always be very dear to my heart.  Living in Baltimore was a blast.  The two best parts of it were, of course, Masjid ul-Haqq and O’s Place.  Last week, I was fortunate enough to say by farewell to both of them.  In my last week as a member of the Baltimore community, I made several trips to the D.C. and Northern Virginia area to say farewell to my family and friends in those communities.

Last Thursday, I graduated from Hopkins.  Alhamdulillah, I was able to finish my classes and the university granted me adegree.  Football coach Brian Billick was the keynote speaker.  He was a decent speaker.  I thought we would have had a more notable speaker since people like Al Gore and Bill Cosby had been the graduation speakers in years past, but alhamdulillah, Billick’s speech was enjoyable though it definitely had a lot of football analogies in it.  He’s definitely a bright guy.  In a weird sense, I will miss Hopkins.  It definitely had a very competitive, cut-throat atmosphere, which I could not stand.  Nevertheless, I was surrounded with people that are unbelievable in what they do.  They are amongst the smartest people I have ever met when it comes to academia.

Then, last Saturday, Masjid ul-Haqq held a fundraiser on-site to raise money to build a school.  Speakers included Imam Safi Khan from Dar-us-Salaam, Sheikh Mutahhir Sabree from Columbia, South Carolina, and Imam Sahmuddeen Harun from Austin, Texas.  Subhana’Allah, Sheikh Yusuf Estes even came to the event as he made a guest-star appearance.  I believe he is good friends with Sheikh Sabree, who also works with Sheikh Adly in South Carolina.  At maghrib time, the masjid had raised about $60,000.  Subhana’Allah, after maghrib, one brother anonymously donated $100,000!  Imam Sahmuddeen was a phenomenal fundraiser-er (I’m going to say he’s better than ever Imam Johari!) and the total at the end of the night came to $220,000!  Subhana’Allah, that is an unbelievable amount for the community.  Indeed, the Masjid ul-Haqq community is one that is attached to the ahkira over the duniya!  I will definitely miss Masjid ul-Haqq.  May Allah (SWT) bless this community and allow other communities to take a lesson from the brotherhood that is present there.

Then, on Sunday, I went to O’s Place one last time.  We were able to meet up with some of the brothers from UMBC and Morgan State as we all enjoyed a nice lunch buffet together.  Obviously, you cannot go wrong with solid halal chinese food.  Afterwards, I said my salams to everyone as I was planning to leave the following morning after fajr.  Alhamdulillah, I made lots of good friends during my stay in Baltimore and there is no doubt in my mind that I will definitely miss each and every one of them.  They were all special to me and it is my hope that they will keep in touch with me.  Insha’Allah, I pray that Allah (SWT) blesses them and that if we do not meet again in this duniya, then, insha’Allah, we will meet again in paradise.

Dar-us-Salaam

So, today, insha’Allah, I’m going to write a couple thoughts of what I consider to be my second famous masjid in this country (after Masjid ul-Haqq, of course).  Masha’Allah, Dar-us-Salaam (www.darussalaam.org) is an awesome masjid.  Located in College Park, Maryland, the community at DUS is absolutely amazing.  The masjid is extremely active.  It is home to The Muslim Link newspaper (www.muslimlinkpaper.com), which is the best Muslim newspaper I’ve came across thus far. 

Furthermore, DUS is also the birthplace of the Al-Maghrib Institute, how cool is that?  I did not live in the community when Shaykh Muhammad Al-Shareef used to live here, but that would have, no doubt, been awesome.  Whenever I come to College Park, I try to visit Dar-us-Salaam, it’s jam-packed with everything.  Alongside the musalla is a full-time store (I believe it’s called Salsbeel) with books, audios, clothes, oils, etc.  Furthermore, the masjid has a halal meat grocery located in the back. 

DUS is also home to the famous Al Huda school, which houses an elementary and middle school.  The Al Huda school is great and one that I would not mind sending my children to (if I had children, of course.  Insha’Allah one day). 

The masjid’s community is what really makes this masjid extremely special.  Everyone is enthusiastic and encouraging and masha’Allah, it seems the average person seems to be a student of knowledge.  The people really make this masjid special.  Imam Safi Khan is amazing.  Even though I’ve only heard him speak a couple of times, he is one of the best speakers I’ve encountered.  I remember the first time I heard his jumah khutbah, I didn’t want it to stop.  He left me wanting more.  Imam Safi, masha’Allah, is really awesome.  He also has an amazing voice.  The brother who leads up the hifz school, Haroon Baqai also has one awesome recitation.  Masha’Allah, this masjid is filled with special people.  Even though Masjid ul-Haqq is my favorite masjid, Dar-us-Salaam is the type of masjid and community in which I wish to, insha’Allah, raise my family in.

Masjid ul-Haqq

So, today, insha’Allah, I decided I could reflect on what I consider to be my favorite masjid in America.  Before I talk about my personal experiences there, let me give you some background information about the masjid.  It’s the largest masjid in Baltimore, Maryland and it’s located on the street: Islamic Way (how cool is that!).  It was established in the 1970s and before that, it was used as a place to store Circus animals, hence its ginormous size.  Originally, Temple No. 6 of the Nation of Islam, the masjid now, alhamdulillah, is fully upon the Quran and Sunnah.  The masjid attracts almost 1000 people for jumah every week! 

Furthermore, it is supposedly the first inner-city masjid to have hired an immigrant imam.  Alhamdulillah, Imam Abdel-Razzaq is amazing, he’s one of the coolest brothers I’ve had the opportunity to get to know.  Originially from Jordan, he studied at the MAHAD in Northern Virginia.  Hmm, what other history facts can I give?  Oh yeah, they also house a resident hafiz.  This brother, Muhammad (a fellow Chemistry fanatic!), came over from Al-Azhar (Egypt) in Ramadan this year and alhamdulillah, they’ve managed to keep him here after that.  Muhammad is a cool character.  His father is an imam in Uruguay!

 So, anyways, as I was saying, this masjid is sooooo cool.  Every brother that’s been to this masjid says hands down, it is ridiculous awesome.  The masjid is very active in west Baltimore and Muslims, alhamdulillah, receive respect in the community as a result of it.  Most of the regular attendees are converts to Islam and they are some of the most enthusiastic people you will ever meet when it comes to the deen.  Most of the people here will give you a hug whenever you see them.  Regardless of whether or not you know someone, you’ll receive an “assalamu alaykum” from them.  Unfortunately, at many masajid now, that’s not the case (and it points towards one of the signs of the Last Day when people only give salams to people they know…).  This masjid, alhamdulillah, is thriving.  I’ve seen handfuls of people convert weekly at the masjid.  Everyone is always striving to learn arabic.  The adhan is given out loud so everyone in the community can hear it!  There was a point last year when the masjid was having halacas five nights a week (w/ five different knowledgable people leading them!).  Oh yes, the best part of the masjid is the sign that they have out front.  It reads:  “STOP!  Yield the way to your lord (Allah).”