Thoughts of a Hijaabi

You know how you always here “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone” [or something along those lines] I guess it never occurred to me how much I had until today. I began college yesterday and today I had to stay here for a whole day and lets juss say that I am more than happy that I have the weekend off and this Monday off So as I finished my morning class I went off to the book store and felt robbed as I handed my visa card to the cashier and juss nodded as I stared at the receipt. I definitely miss not having to pay for textbooks. Then I took a stroll to the Bursars Office to get my parking sticker and to my luck they still didn’t have any. Then I had to walk all the way back to the Academic Village and then I found my hijaabi friend and we ate something that was supposed to be lunch-bagel with cream cheese and chips? Being Afghan and loving everything related to food and eating, eating a bagel for lunch was very depressing. [You should see what we sometimes have for breakfast at my house.] So after eating our wanna be lunch I said good bye to my friend who had to go back to her class and I went to go pray my Dhuhr. I went to the little tiny MSA room and honestly when I was in there I felt right at home, old school Salah rugs laid out on the floor, a couple of Qur’ans on the shelf and all the time for me to communicate with my Rabb. I prayed my Dhuhr and decided that I should try to be a productive student and go do some homework, so I began my English homework. The English homework was done and I decided that I really hated sitting at the location that I was at so I decided to go back to the MSA room and read some Qur’an. Let’s juss say that I was very happy that the MSA room was nice and quiet so that I could get a nice hour of juss me and the Qur’an [ hamdulillah ]

After that I went up these stairs that are quite deadly for those who do not exercise and began typing about my day like those obsessed bloggers that many people make fun of. The point of this post full of my ramblings is that I never realized how blessed I was until today. I never realized how much I owe it to my mother who everyday cooks an amazing meal for me. [If you ever had food made by my mother then you are pretty lucky and you definitely will agree with me on this one.] My mother cooks meals everyday and yet sometimes I don’t even eat what she makes and say that I don’t want it. Right now I would even eat the vegetables that she cooks. [And I really hate vegetables.] I also never realized the comfort of being able to call my mom whenever I wanted to go home and having her pick me up and drop me off whatever time it may be. Now that I have a car, I now realize how depressing it can be to fill up your tank, and most of all how ridiculous it is to find a parking spot in this place, so I can’t even leave this place because I wont be able to get back in here without being late to class!

Well this is only the second day, inshaAllah it may get better. AllahuAllam, Allah always knows what he is giving to us and he is the one who will help us through it all. I am juss happy that I am in a place where there are Muslims, and where I have the time and place to practice my Deen openly hamdulillah.

I think it is very sad that I have not fully realized how hard my father works everyday until this morning when I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed quickly, ate quickly and then began driving. And last night when I was driving home I was so tired all I wanted to do was sleep but I had to keep on driving [I actually think at one point when the traffic was bad that I began to use both feet] AllahuAlam how my father does this for a living 6-7 days a week for me and my family and at times we do not give him the respect that he deserves.[May Allah forgive me] May Allah bless both of my parents for working so hard to keep myself and my brothers happy and for providing us with everything and so much more. InshaAllah my younger brothers will come to this realization faster than I have.

Ok now I have to take a trip back down those deadly stairs, pray my Asr and go to class. Keep me in your du’aas, send Salaams to our beloved Nabi, thank your parents and as I mentioned in my last post, Eat Your Veggies! [No pun intended this time.]

Well maybe not that young, but this picture made me smile so much

257. Allah’s Messenger(SAW) said: For me to say:

سبحا ن الله و الحمد لله و لا ا له الله و الله اكبر

Subhaanallahi, walhamdu lillaahi, wa laa ‘ilaaha ‘illallaahu, wallaahu ‘Akbar.

Glory is to Allah, and praise is to Allah, and there is none worthy of worship but Allah, and Allah is the Most Great

is dearer to me than all that the sun rises upon (i.e. the whole world). [Muslim 4/2072]

261. Allah’s Messenger(SAW) said: The most beloved word to Allah are four:

سبحا ن الله

Subhaanallaah

Glorified is Allah, and

والحمد لله

Walhamdu lillaah

The Praise is for Allah, and

و لا اله الا الله

Wa laa ‘ilaaha ‘illallaah.

There is none worthy of worship but Allah, and

والله اكبر

Wallaahu ‘Akbar.

Allah is the Most Great.

It does not matter which one you start by. [Muslim 3/1685]

262. A desert Arab came to Allah’s Messenger(SAW) and said, “Teach me a word that I can say.” The Prophet (SAW) told him to say:

لا اله اللع وحده لا شريك له الله اكبر كبيرا والحمد لله كثيرا سبحان الله رب العالمين لا حوم و لا قوة الا با لله العزيز الحكيم

Laa ‘illaaha wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, Allaahu ‘Akbar, walhamdu lillaahi katheeran, Subhaanallaahi Rabbil’aalameen, laa hawla wa laa quwwata ‘illaa billaahil-’Azeezil-Hakeem.

There is none worthy of worship but Allah, Who has no partner, Allah is the Great, the Most Great, and praise is to Allah in abundance, glory is to Allah, Lord of the worlds. There is no power no might but by Allah the Mighty, the Wise.

He said, “That is for my Lord, but what about me?” The Prophet(SAW) told him to say:

اللهم اغفر لي وارحمني واهدني وارزقني

Allaahummaghfir lee, warhamnee, wahdinee.

Oh Allah forgive me, and have mercy on me, and guide me, provide for me. [ Muslim 4/2072, Abu Dawud reports the same Hadith with the addition: and when the Arab left, the Prophet(SAW) said: "He has filled his hands with goodness." 1/220 ]

Parts taken from chapter 130.The Excellence of Remembering Allah from, Fortress of the Muslim: Invocations from the Qur’an and Sunnah, Compiled by Darussalam Research Division.

This looks interesting:

Synopsis:

Over a thousand years ago, the sun-washed lands of Southern Spain were home to Muslims, Christians and Jews living together and flourishing. Their culture and beliefs intertwined, and the knowledge of the ancients was gathered and reborn. Here were the very seeds of the Renaissance. But this world too quickly vanished. Greed, fear and intolerance swept it away. Puritanical judgments and absolutism snuffed out the light of learning. Within a few centuries the fragile union of these people dissipated like smoke and the time of tolerance was lost forever. Brought to life by powerful feature-film style re-creations Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain explores the causes that destroyed the one civilization of pluralism and interfaith cooperation that for a few centuries lit the Dark Ages in Medieval Europe.

Source: Islamica

Wednesday, August 22, 2007 @ 9 p.m. on PBS.
Click here to watch a clip

For more information click here.

After Killings, Sense of Unity Surprises Newark

By ANDREW JACOBS

Published: August 14, 2007

NEWARK, Aug. 13 — An unexpected thing has happened to this crime-weary city since three young friends were shot to death in a school playground nine days ago.

Political rivals have promised to work together, young men in gang attire have signed pledges to put down their weapons, and a mayor who was facing criticism from even his most devoted allies has been buoyed by a wave of sympathy and support.

Last week, as investigators desperately scoured the city for the six men and teenagers believed responsible for the Mount Vernon School killings, mayoral aides met with local corporate leaders in search of $100,000 to buy gunshot-detection technology — 50 cameras that would swivel toward gunfire — for Newark’s most violent neighborhoods.

They walked away from the meeting — scheduled weeks beforehand — with $3.2 million pledged for a surveillance system that would be the most advanced in the nation, an effort scheduled to be announced here on Tuesday.

“I’ve done a lot of fund-raising in my day, but I was astounded by the outpouring of generosity,” said Bari Mattes, a mayoral adviser who was at the meeting, which included executives from Prudential Financial and Raymond Chambers, a Newark philanthropist. “Everyone around the table recognized that this is a unique moment and they responded.”

Iofemi Hightower, 20; Dashon Harvey, 20; and Terrance Aeriel, 18; were killed with shots to the back of the head. Mr. Aeriel’s 19-year-old sister, Natasha, was shot but survived.

If disaster can be seen to have even a hint of silver lining, the homicides, which have drawn news coverage across the nation, have provoked a level of outrage, and commitment to change, not seen here since the riots of 40 years ago.

A group of ministers have come together to form a youth mentoring program, residents and organizations have donated more than $150,000 to assist the victims’ families and local antiviolence organizations have been flooded with offers of assistance.

The killings have also become a defining moment for Mayor Cory A. Booker, who has been struggling to turn around this city since his election last year and who lately has found himself besieged by critics. The week before the killings, Mr. Booker had been grappling with the aftermath of a speech, captured on YouTube, that was intended as affectionate ribbing of a community leader who recently died, but instead provoked offense and fueled the sentiment that he is detached from his constituents.

In rousing eulogies at funerals for the victims last weekend, Mr. Booker repented the remarks, and throughout the past week he has become the spiritual voice of a city in mourning.

He has repeatedly visited the scene of the crime, cried with grieving relatives, and in a bizarre moment that only helped to elevate his central role, found himself presiding over the surrender of a prime suspect, who had requested such personal attention through his lawyer.

Through his anger and grief, captured on countless radio and television programs, Mayor Booker has lived and breathed this experience along with his stunned community, allowing him to temper the widespread sentiment that has long painted him as an outsider because he grew up in a mostly white upper-middle-class suburb and attended elite schools.

“I feel like this is a unique moment and it’s upon all of us to harness it,” he said in an interview on Monday. “This is a chance for Newark to not let a vicious moment define us, but a chance for us to turn it into a defining moment for our city.”

Amid the calls for healing and unity, Mr. Booker has denounced the critics who have blamed him for the city’s homicide rate, which, unlike most other categories of crime, has stayed high. (In the last week, there were none.) “This is not a time for pointing fingers,” he said. “Each of us has to take responsibility for what is happening in our community.”

Three people, including two teenagers, have been arrested in the shootings, while the police continue to seek three more, two of them teenagers as well. The police say the primary suspects are Jose Lachira Carranza, 28, who was out on $150,000 bail despite pending indictments on a charge of raping a 5-year-old, and one of aggravated assault in a bar fight; and Rodolfo Godinez, 24, convicted of theft in 2003. (Mr. Carranza pleaded not guilty on Friday; Mr. Godinez is at large.)

On Aug. 6, some 36 hours after the shooting, protesters invoked the killings as evidence of Mr. Booker’s shortcomings, calling for his resignation in a rally on the steps of City Hall. But as the week unfolded, his most vehement critics — including Donna Jackson, who organized the rally, and Rahaman Muhammad, a local union leader who has feuded with the mayor — temporarily set aside their invective.

“I think our children need to see that even in the face of disagreement we still have a common agenda,” Mr. Muhammad said. “This is an excellent opportunity for the mayor to use the bully pulpit and bring people together as a community.”

Mr. Muhammad said the killings prompted him to revive a moribund group he had founded, Fathers in the Hood, that pushes men to become better parents, and that Mr. Booker had agreed to help promote it. “We have to show people that this tragedy is bigger than just me and the mayor,” he said.

For Mr. Booker, who regularly receives word of fatal shootings on his BlackBerry and often races to crime scenes, the Mount Vernon killings nonetheless stand apart. They have consumed both his schedule and his psyche: he has canceled many meetings on economic development and the budget to raise money for funeral expenses and to keep tabs on the police investigation.

He has been on ABCs “Good Morning America” and “Nightline,” CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” and numerous public-radio talk shows, always evangelizing about the national plague of gun violence and attributing the crimes to “pure evil.”

“It’s important to understand that this is not a Newark problem, but I still believe our city has the potential to show it can end here,” the mayor said in the interview on Monday. “I’ve never felt more strong as a mayor and more determined that we are going to win this fight, that we are going to demonstrate to the nation the true nature of this city.”

“We can’t sell buttons and T-shirts fast enough,” said Yusef Ismail, 30, the executive director of Stop Shootin’, a two-year-old group that is asking residents to pledge to resolve their differences through peaceful means. “For the first time, everyone just seems to get it.”

Alfred C. Koeppe, a board member of the Newark Community Foundation, which was formed two months ago to raise money for local projects, said he was stunned when Prudential executives pledged $3.2 million to the gunshot detection system (Continental Airlines later added $100,000 to the project).

“The reaction in the room, and in this city and across the state, has been a very personal reaction,” he said. “The feeling is that we need to draw the line.”

The group is scheduled to announce on Tuesday the plan to place more than 100 wireless cameras in a seven-square-mile swath of the city that has experienced 80 percent of all shootings since 2005.

“This will be a force multiplier for the Police Department,” said Matt Klapper, a mayoral aide.

But even the most ardent optimists said the galvanizing effect of the shootings would most likely be fleeting.

“This is a fragile moment for Newark,” said the Rev. William Howard, pastor of Bethany Baptist Church. “It has a pregnant opportunity to break free of its past but it can’t squander this moment because it may not come again for a long, long time.”

Source: The New York Times

I found this video on Memoirs of an American Muslim. Although I do not understand Arabic, the message in this video is quite clear, watch it and decide for yourself:

Malak Ghair Allah- ‘You Only Have God to Count On’

First of all I can’t believe that I have kept this blog running for over a year now hamdulillah. I hope it has helped or impacted at least one person out there. July 23rd, 2006 was when I created this blog and throughout the year I have learned much from this very interesting blog world and hamdulillah have benefited from it as well. This day last year [August 13th, 2006] I posted a video, a video that I’m sure many of you have seen. I came across this video through one of those e-mail forwards and when I watched it tears came rolling down my face. I am not sure what it was, perhaps it was the faces of the people in the pictures, maybe it was the words of the song in the background, maybe it was the shocking truth to the words in the background, or perhaps it was juss all of them combined; Allahu Alam. But whatever it was it still happens each time I watch the video and I think this video is just a reminder of how thankful that we all should be. If we take a look at ourselves, the life styles that we have, the places we live in and realize how truly blessed we are and that there are not enough Thanks that we can give to Allah and yet there are some that do not even give a single thanks throughout their whole life time we should feel some sort of shame taking over us. Growing up my mother always told me, “Look at those below you.“ This is definitely one of those, “Easier said than done,” situations but I know first hand that it is very beneficial if we keep this in mind throughout our everyday tasks. I mean when I’m shopping, or having dinner, or having a family dinner party, or even when I’m driving by myself I wonder and begin to think to myself of how spoiled I am. Hamdulillah I have so much but I don’t give my Rubb the time that I am supposed, I don’t give the thanks that I am supposed to, and yet at times I have the nerve to say that I need more.

رب اغفر لي و ثب علي اءنك اءنت التواب الر حيم

Rabbighfirlee was tubt ‘alayya innaka antat tawwaabur raheem

Forgive me and pardon me. Indeed you are the Oft-Forgiving with compassion ad Ever Merciful.

Well here is the video, the song in the background is called Look Into My Eyes by Outlandish:

Click here for original post.

Allah the exalted said:

“And say: “My Rubb! Increase me in knowledge.” (20:114)

“Are those who know equal to those who know not?” (39:9)

“Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge.” (58:11)

“It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah.” (35:2

1377. Ibn Masud(RA) reported: The Prophet(SAW) said, “Envy is permitted only in two cases: A man whom Allah gives wealth, and he disposes of it rightfully, and a man to whom Allah gives knowledge which he applies and teaches it.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

1387. Abu Umama(RA) reported: the Messenger of Allah(SAW) said, “The superiority of the learned over the devout worshiper is like my superiority over the most inferior amongst you (in good deeds).” He went on to say, “Allah, His Angels, the dwellers of the heaven and the earth, and even the ant in its hole and the fish (in water) supplicate in favour of those who teach people knowledge. [At-Tirmidhi]

1384. Abu Hurairah(RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah(SAW) said, “The world, with all that it contains, is accursed except for the remembrance of Allah that which pleases Allah; and the religious scholars and seekers of knowledge.” [At-Tirmidhi]

1391. Abu Hurairah(RA) reported: the Messenger of Allah(SAW) said, “He who does not acquire knowledge with the sole intention of seeking the Pleasure of Allah but for worldly gain, will not smell the fragrance of Jannah on the Day of Resurrection. [Abu Dawud]

1392. ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin ‘Al-’As(RA) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah(SAW) saying: “Verily, Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people, but He takes it away by taking away (the lives of) the religious scholars till none of the scholars stays alive. Then the people will take ignorant ones as their leaders, who, when asked to deliver religious verdicts, will issue them without knowledge, the result being that they will go astray and will lead others astray.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Source: Take from ‘The Book of Knowledge,’ Chapter 241-Virtues of Knowledge Which is Learnt and Taught for the Sake of Allah, from Riyad-us-Saliheen

His Character

He did not only resemble his grandfather, Muhammed bin ‘Abdullah(SAW) in appearance, he also resembled him in many of his characteristics; for he was generous, gentle, courageous, God-Fearing, pious, awe-inspiring, a scholar, knowledgeable in Islamic Jurisprudence, and an orator who could seize people’s hearts.

His Generosity and Kindness

He was extremely generous and one does not find the virtue of generosity in a person without finding it to be accompanied by the noblest virtues, nor does one find miserliness in a person without finding it to be accompanied by the most wretched and lowly traits. He was famous for his generosity and kindness; he would give a single man a hundred dirhams.

Abu Ishap Harithah bin Mudarrib(RA) reported on the authority of ‘Ali(RA) that he delivered a sermon to the people, then he said: “Your brother’s son, Hasan bin ‘Ali(RA) has collected some money and he wishes to distribute it among you.” So the people came and Hasan(RA) stood up and said “I have only collected it for the poor,” so half of the people stood up and the first of those who took from him was Al-Ash’ath bin Quais.” [From Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah]

He used to say: “Fulfilling the need of my brother is dearer to me than spending a month in seclusion in the mosque (I’tikaf).

Sa’eed bin ‘Abdul-’Aziz(RA) said: “Hasan(RA) heard a man at his side supplicating Allah to give him ten thousand dirhams, he went to his house and sent the money to him.”

It was reported that Hasan(RA) saw a black slave eating a morsel of flat bread and he was feeding a dog with it and he said to him: “What made you do this?” He said: “I am embarrassed to eat without feeding him.” Hasan(RA) said to him: “Don’t leave your place until I come to you.” Then he went to the boy’s owner and bought him and he bought the garden in which he was and he freed him and gave him the garden. [From Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah]

His Piety

He was extremely God-fearing and pious, most careful to try to please his Lord. He used to read Surat Al-Kahf every night before sleeping; he would read it form a tablet which accompanied him wherever he went, after lying down on his bed and prior to sleeping. [From Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah]

He performed Hajj twenty-five times on foot. Ibn ‘Abbas(RA) said: “I have not regretted anything which I missed during my youth, except that I did not perform Hajj on foot; Hassan(RA) performed Hajj on foot twenty-five times.” [From Tarikh Ib 'Asakir]

His Gentleness

He was extremely gentle towards anyone who wronged him or behaved ignorantly towards him. Juwairiyyah bin Asma’(RA) said that when Hasan(RA) died, Marwan cried over him at his funeral and Hussain(RA) said to him: “Would you cry for him after all the problems you caused him?” He said: “I behaved so towards one who was more enduring than that,” and he pointed to the mountain.” [From Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah]

Marwan used to treat Hasan(RA) badly but Hasan(RA) behaved with gentleness towards him, bearing his ignorance like a mountain; and he responded thus towards anyone who behaved ignorantly towards him. Some claimed that he had handed over the Caliphate to Mu’awiyah(RA) out of cowardice, but he did not respond except with that which is a good deed. What gentleness is greater than this that he gave up the Caliphate, which was his by right, due to fear of spilling the blood of the Muslims? He used to say: “I did not wish to have power over the nation of Muhammed at the cost of spilling the Muslim’s blood.

His Courage

Hasan(RA) did not avoid war due to cowardice Allah forbade that he should be accused of cowardice; as we have said, it was due to his fear that he might bear the burden of the killings of any Muslim. But when there was no alternative to war, he was a valiant warrior and a stout-hearted fighter. He was one of those who hastened to support ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan(RA) during the says of rebellion and he fought with his father against the Khawarij and he participated in man battles. But his refusal to fight against Mu’awiyah required greater courage than any war would have required. Many leaders embark upon war not because they are courageous, but because of their greed for material gain and their desire for personal glory even if the blood of their people flows in rivers.

His Fear of Allah

He was extremely pious, ever mindful of the fact Allah was observing him and extremely fearful of His Anger and how could he not be, when he was a graduate from the Prophetic School, for he had been instructed in piety by the Messenger of Allah(SAW) from childhood.

It is reported on the authority of Abul-Hawra’(RA) that he said to Hasan bin ‘Ali(RA): “What do you remember from the Messenger of Allah(SAW)?” He said: “I remember that I took a date from the dates which he intended for Sadaqah and I keep it in my mouth and he removed it along with the saliva accompanying it and placed it with the dates for Sadaqah and it was said: “Oh Messenger of Allah(SAW)! What was your objection to this date?” He replied: “We are the family of Muhammed and it is not permissible for us to take Sadaqah.” And he used to say: “Leave what makes you doubt in favor of what does not make you doubt, for truthfulness brings peace of mind, while lies cause doubt and uncertainty.” [Reported by At-Timidhi]

This is why when a man heard Hasan(RA) confiding in his Lords and he was crying, he said to him: “Do you fear Allah’s punishment, when you have the means of salvation? You are the son of the Messenger of Allah(SAW) and you are deserving of intercession and Allah’s Mercy, which encompasses everything.” Hasan(RA) replied: “As for me being the son of the Messenger of Allah(SAW), Allah says: “Then, when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no kinship among them on that Day, nor will they ask of one another.” [Surat Al-Mu'minum 23:101]

As for the intercession, Allah, the Most Glorified, the Most High says: “Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshiped but He), Al-Hayyal-Qayyum (the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists). Neither slumber not sleep overtakes Him, To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.” [Surat Al-Baqarah 2:255 (Ayatul-Kursi) ]

And as for the Mercy which encompasses all things, Allah says: “Ans ordain for us good in this world, and in the Hereafter. Certainly we have turned unto You.” He said: (As to) My punishment I afflict therewith whom I will and My Mercy embraces all things. That (Mercy) I shall ordain for those who are the Mutaqqun (the pious) and give Zakat; and those who believe in Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs and revelations, etc.).” [Surat Al-A'raf 7:156]

Conclusion

The personality of Hasan bin ‘Ali(RA) presents for us a combination of good character and fine temperament that Islam wants every Muslim to acquire. Through this book, we become familiar with some of his qualities that are not very difficult to adopt.

Hasan bin ‘Ali(RA) was the greatest of people well known for his praiseworthy character, his adherence to the truth, his courage, bravery and determination. He was famous for his generosity and kindness, he was extremely gentle towards anyone who wronged him or behaved ignorantly towards him; he did not respond except with a good deed. What gentleness is greater than this that due to fear of spilling the blood of the Muslims, he gave up the caliphate which was his by right.

One of the greatest things about him was the lack of importance which he attached to material things. He was very pious, ever mindful of the fact Allah was observing him and extremely fearful of His Anger. He neither became angry nor annoyed. He was a scholar, knowledgeable in Islamic Jurisprudence, and an orator who could seize people’s hearts. Most of the time, he was silent and when he spoke, he was the best.

Source: These were some sections taken from the chapter Hasan bin ‘Ali from the book Child Companions around the Prophet(SAW) compiled by the Darussalam Research Division, translated by Sameh Strauch.