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

The Lord of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and the final Prophet, Muhammad (peace be with them all)

(What is going on around the American Muslims?)

Al-AMANA Message No. 199, week No. 143, Month No. 35 (September 19, 2003)

In this week issue:

1- AYAH OF THE WEEK (Verse from the Qur’an)

2- HADITH OF THE WEEK (Said or done by the Prophet, SAW)

3- DU’A’ OF THE WEEK (Supplication)

4- THE POST-HOSPITALIZATION CARE PROGRAM (Florida Residents)

5- THE 2003 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

6- ACHIEVING YOUR FINANCIAL GOALS ISLAMIC WAY

7- THE SOUTH FLORIDA MUSLIM CEMETERY REPORT

8- AMANA IN NEED OF YOUR SUPPORT

9- NEWS FROM THE DA”WAH

10- NEWS FROM THE MUSLIM WORLD

11- THE SITE OF THE WEEK

12- THE ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

13- REGISTER TO VOTE ONLINE

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(1)*(AYAH OF THE WEEK [Verse from the Qur'an])

“O you who believe, do not prohibit the good things (all that is good as regards food, things, deeds, beliefs, persons) which Allah has made lawful to you and transgress not. Verily, Allah does not like the transgressors.” [Qur’an, Al-Ma,’idah 5:87]

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(2)*(HADITH OF THE WEEK [saying By the Prophet, SAW])

“Gabriel kept telling me to be good to the neighbors, till I thought that he was going to tell me to include them in the inheritance.” [imam Bukhari]

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(3)*(DU`A’ OF THE WEEK [supplication])

“O Allah,* forgive me, have mercy upon me, guide me and grant me sustenance.” [imam Muslim]

* Muslims believe that Allah (God) is Who created Adam, Eve, Jesus, Moses, Lot, Abraham, Ya’koub, Ishmael and many other prophets and messengers (Peace be upon them all) and Muhammad (SAW) His last Prophet.

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(4)*(THE POST-HOSPITALIZATION CARE PROGRAM)

Baptist Health South Florida (formerly Baptist Hospital) and 5-Pillar Foundation, Inc. are seeking interested parties to attend The Post-Hospitalization Spiritual Care program. This training program consists of three 6-hour workshops (Sept. 26, 27 and Oct. 4) followed by eight (8) Monday evening sessions. Those who complete the program will be certified to participate in the continuum of care referral program.

We are seeking parties who are interested in visiting the sick in their homes as part of our responsibility as Muslims and to partake in the referral program for the hospital. 5-Pillar Foundation will be covering the fees for those chosen to attend.

Applicants must contact 5-Pillar Foundation and leave a name and phone number or email address at:

Tel. 305 944-2282 (please leave message…someone will get back to you) or email: 5pillar@adelphia.net

You will be contacted, in order to complete a brief application to be forwarded to the program administrators. There is limited room. Therefore, interested applicants should return contact no later than Sun., Sept. 21 for your application to be considered.

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(5)*(THE 2003 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE)

Muslim humanitarian nominated for the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize

Dr. Syed Hasan has been nominated for the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for

his commitment to serving and uplifting humanity. He has dedicated over sixty years of his life for the betterment of others. Dr. Hasan is the founder and director of INSAN (Arabic for "Human"), an educational and humanitarian mission based in India. For almost forty years the INSAN Institute has been promoting education and educational awareness, educational accessibility to financially disadvantaged, adult literacy, preteen/teen marriages, local economy and employment to disadvantaged and humanitarian assistance.

http://www.isna.net/news/miniheadlines.asp...ticle&artid=118

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(6)*(ACHIEVING YOUR FINANCIAL GOALS ISLAMIC WAY) /SAY NO RIBA

MSO at FAU is hosting a Financial Workshop titled, “Achieving Your Financial Goals with Shari’ah based Investing”.

This event will be held in the Life Long Learning Center of the Boca Raton Campus at FAU from 11:00am – 5:00pm.

This event is free of charge and will include free breakfast and lunch.

For further information on this event please contact:

Br. Salman at: salmanthegr8@hotmail.com

Or call: Tel 561-394-5404

www.azzadfund.com

www.msofau.com

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(7)*(THE SOUTH FLORIDA MUSLIM CEMETERY REPORT)

Al-Humdo-lillah, the Shura at Bism-Rabbik Foundation Inc. is elated to announce that the construction permit was granted for Muslim Cemetery at 17551 N.W. 137th Ave. Hialeah Gardens Florida. This project which has been in the works for last eight years was the first of its kind in the USA. The time it took to get through the regulatory process set it back to second place, nevertheless Muslims of South Florida should be very happy and thank Allah for his immense mercy and make Du’a’ for the success of this project. The completion date is set at December 15th Insha-Allah. The project still needs about $40,000 to complete, which will provide us with over 6000 burial lots, roadway and parking spaces.

If you have any questions regarding the cemetery or for financial support please contact us at: 954-680-1862

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(8)*(AMANA IN NEED OF YOUR SUPPORT)

We need you to join AMANA and be part of the efforts AMANA, the American Muslim Association of North America doing to assist our community and the non Muslim community. We need you to be part of the efforts to reach the other communities and faith groups to give them a gift of the Qur’an and Islamic books and we have to reach them with a smile. Be part of the efforts that AMANA trying to work with other communities and other faith in projects in mutual interest. All of us are living in one land and in one boat. We need to be together as one hand and no one community can survive alone whether this community is a minority or this community a majority as far we all live in the same land, the US.

We need you today to send us your support and especially all our members who have been with us for the past four years. Remember AMANA today in your prayers and in your assistance.

Keep AMANA programs active and in progress:

- AL-AMANA Food to the needy program. (Al-AMANA Gift Certificate)

- Storage and distribution of donated items.

- Mail of free Qur’an & Books for da’wah all to around the world.

- Al-AMANA online Magazine.

- AL-AMANA publications.

- Other expense to manage other programs.

Please visit AMANA web site to learn more about our activities.

http://www.al-amana.org/aboutus.php

http://www.al-amana.org/services.php

http://www.al-amana.org/contactus.php

(AMANA is non-profit organization)

FOR DONATION:

Send your check or money order to: (No cash will be accepted)

AMANA

352 North East 167 Street, Suite B

Miami, FL 33162, USA

To contact us: info@al-amana.org

Tel. 305-898-9314 (Miami-Dade), Tel. 754-234-4456 (Broward)

I came across a news article condemning a Saudi Prince for making bad statements about America after 9/11. He had donated a $10million check to the Twin Towers Fund and the city returned it. However as I read this news report I found myself AGREEING in part with the Saudi Prince! Now I feel like I might be a bad American - or even accused of terrorism for my views! (I will post the article in a minute so you can read it as well.)

One of the ways that my eyes have been opened (really wide ) about US Policy and behavior was this amazing book written by Queen Noor of Jordan. Her book is called, "Queen Noor, Memoires of an Unexpected Life" It seems like it would be some romance novel about her dream life of becoming a Queen - but instead it reads like a factual text book about the realities of how the US and other key countries have been acting "behind the scenes" when dealing with the Middle East. (The US isn't the only one doing bad stuff.) After reading her book I've been basically in shock. We Americans are not taught about the truth - the reality! of what our country is doing. So I've been so worried about, "How should I think about these things??" I want to say, "America, you are doing a BAD job!" but I'm so afraid I'll disapear into some prison for "terrorist activity". Your rights vanish when you are thus accused...

Anyway, when I read this news report and read the remarks made by the Saudi Prince I about fell out of my chair because they made so much sense! Now don't get me wrong: I do NOT agree one single bit with violence and terrorist attacks against anyone. I am not excusing the terrorists - but I didn't think that the Prince was doing this either....

Please, read the article and maybe share your thoughts and feelings with me. I'm so confused. In one year flat I have done a complete 180 degree turn in regards to what is going on in Israel and how America is acting towards the Middle East. It's scaring me.

And another thing: It seems to me as if the media is VERY biased about the Saudi Prince's comments. They spin everything so that he sounds like a criminal - but when I read the article without the biased lenses in my eyes I didn't see a criminal speaking.... (that's just my opinion)

Giuliani rejects $10 million from Saudi prince

NEW YORK (CNN) --Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Thursday the city would not accept a $10 million donation for disaster relief from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal after the prince suggested U.S. policies in the Middle East contributed to the September 11 attacks.

"I entirely reject that statement," Giuliani said. "There is no moral equivalent for this [terrorist] act. There is no justification for it. The people who did it lost any right to ask for justification for it when they slaughtered 4,000 or 5,000 innocent people."

Prince Alwaleed gave the mayor a check after a Thursday morning memorial service at Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center towers destroyed in the attacks.

The prince offered his condolences to the people of New York, but after the ceremony he released a statement suggesting the United States "must address some of the issues that led to such a criminal attack."

"The check has not been deposited. The Twin Towers Fund has not accepted it," Giuliani said in a statement late Thursday.

The prince's statement said the United States "should re-examine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stand toward the Palestinian cause.

"While the U.N. passed clear resolutions numbered 242 and 338 calling for the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip decades ago, our Palestinian brethren continue to be slaughtered at the hands of Israelis while the world turns the other cheek," the statement said.

Giuliani flatly rejected the prince's position. "To suggest that there's a justification for [the terrorist attacks] only invites this happening in the future," he said. "It is highly irresponsible and very, very dangerous.

"And one of the reasons I think this happened is because people were engaged in moral equivalency in not understanding the difference between liberal democracies like the United States, like Israel, and terrorist states and those who condone terrorism.

"So I think not only are those statements wrong, they're part of the problem," Giuliani said.

Am I wrong for believeing that US Policies in the Middle East are not good? I mean, I love my country. I even served my country in the Military! My roots go back to ancient times here. (I am a member of the Crow Indian Tribe as well as "white") There are so many wonderful things in America and I'm very thankful for everything. I am not anti-American. I just wish we could change the way we do some things.

"While the U.N. passed clear resolutions numbered 242 and 338 calling for the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip decades ago, our Palestinian brethren continue to be slaughtered at the hands of Israelis while the world turns the other cheek," the statement (by the Prince) said. <---- That's SO TRUE and why isn't America DOING something about this?? I'm so confused. I wish I could have a good long talk with that Prince. He could probably educate me on many more things that I think, as an American, I have the RIGHT to know but am being kept in the dark by my own government.

Arrrrrg! I'm not anti-American. I'm just anti-evil, you know?

~ 6.2. Rights and Responsibilities of Parenthood ~

Parents’ responsibilities for the care and upbringing of their children are mentioned in several places in the Qur’an, as well as in the Hadith:

“O you who have attained to faith! Ward off from yourselves and your families that fire (of the hereafter) whose fuel is human beings and stones.”

(Al-Qur’an: al-Tahrim 66:6)

How do we ward off that fire from our families? We need to show to them the right way and to teach them the difference between right and wrong. An excellent example of this is found in the words of Luqman to his son (Al-Qur’an Luqman 31:13-19) where he admonishes him:

*not to ascribe divine powers to anything other than Allah;

*to be good and kind to parents;

*to obey parents unless they command what is wrong;

*to understand that all our deeds however minor are recorded and will be brought to light;

*to be constant in prayer;

*to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong;

*to bear what befalls him with patience;

*to avoid pride, arrogance and boastfulness; and

*to be modest in manner and speech.

This is a model example of parental responsibility and advice. Luqman guides his own son on the path to paradise with simple but memorable words. This parental responsibility belongs not only to the father. Prophet Muhammad (sollallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) is reported to have said:

“Take care! Each of you is a shepherd and each of you shall be asked concerning his flock; a leader is a shepherd of his people, and he shall be asked concerning his flock; and a man is a shepherd of the people of his house, and he shall be asked concerning his flock; and a woman is a shepherd of the house of her husband and over their children, and she shall be asked concerning them.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

Indeed the mother’s role may be even greater: while the children are young they are very close to her and dependent upon her, and they spend more time with her than with anyone else. There is an Arab saying: “The mother is the first school”. She may be a good school, an indifferent or even a bad school. She may even be unaware that she is serving as a role model in her behaviour, and her attitudes. Every mother should be conscious of her role and do her best to make it beneficial for the development of her children as they set out on the journey of life.

Parental care and guidance are fundamental to child upbringing. Some parents nowadays become so pre-occupied with their jobs or with making money or with their social lives that children are often neglected. They may be ignored or left for hours with the television or computer or they may be sent to day care centres at a very early age to be cared for in groups by other people.

The parents’ right to respect from their children is dependent upon the children’s right to loving care and guidance of their parents.

It is related that a man once came to ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second Khalifah of Islam, complaining of his sons’ disobedience to him. ‘Umar summoned the boy and spoke of his disobedience to his father and his neglect of his rights. The boy replied:

“O Amir al-Mu’minin! Hasn’t a child rights over his father?”

“Certainly”, replied ‘Umar.

“What are they, Amir al-Mu’minin?”

“That he should choose his mother, give him a good name and teach him the Book (the Qur’an).”

“O Amir al-Mu’minin! My father did nothing of this. My mother was a Magian (fire worshipper). He gave me the name of Julalaan (meaning dung beetle or scarab) and he did not teach me a single letter of the Qur’an.”

Turning to the father, ‘Umar said:

“You have come to me to complain about the disobedience of your son. You have failed in your duty to him before he has failed in his duty to you; you have done wrong to him before he has wronged you.”

~ 6.3. Tarbiyyah in Islam ~

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“This day have I perfected your religion for you,

and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings and willed that self-surrender unto Me (Islam) shall be your religion.”

(Al-Qur’an, al-Ma’idah, 5:4)

Tarbiyyah is the process by which children are nurtured as they grow up to develop the Islamic worldview and the Islamic virtues that are a part of that voluntary self-surrender to Allah.

“Tarbiyyah means to look after, to nurture, to nourish, to help grow and flourish. Tarbiyyah (from the Arabic root word, which means to own, look after and cherish) implies certain sensitivity towards the child under your care, his emotional and physical needs and capacities. It implies the ability to inspire confidence. It implies the courage to allow and promote creativity and innovation. It implies the ability to trust and not to stifle, to be firm when needed and even to impose sanctions when necessary.”

The starting point for Tarbiyyah is the example of parents. Small children take their parents as models. If parents are lazy and careless, the children will also take laziness and carelessness as normal. If they tell lies, children will regard lying as normal and acceptable. The same applies to smoking, drinking, rude manners, swearing and all other bad habits. There is no way parents can motivate their children to practise the Islamic virtues if they themselves do not respect the values and try to practise them also. As children grow up, they will only perceive the inconsistency or even hypocrisy in their parents’ approach.

It is important not to crush a child’s spirit and joy about life by terrorising him/her, whether physically or psychologically. Children must play. It is the way they learn, and is not in itself something bad. Parents should give the child opportunities to play and to experience the excitement of exploration, of learning and of growing up. There is an English proverb: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It does not mean “don’t work” - on the contrary, work hard, but allow also for play for the development of a joyous and balanced personality.

At the same time, parents should teach children Islamic manners and etiquette (adab) in accordance with the beautiful example of the Prophet (sollallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) who said:

“Be generous, kind and noble to your children and make their habits beautiful.”

Such habits include truthfulness and honesty, gentleness, politeness, consideration for others, helpfulness, cleanliness and tidiness.

They also include:

*time management and doing things at the right time,

*physical exercise for fitness,

*mental exercise and developing an appetite for knowledge, understanding and skills,

*learning to read and recite the Qur’an from an early age when the child’s brain finds it easy,

*development of regular performance of salaah between the ages of 7 and 10,

*taking on responsibilities in the family, and

*taking on responsibilities in the wider community as children grow up.

Above all, correct Tarbiyyah should ensure that children develop a love for Islam, a love of God and His Prophet, and that they develop a feeling of pride in being Muslim and willingness to strive for the good of others. They need to realise the benefits of Islam, the foundations on which it is based and their need for Islam. They need to value Islam and live by Islamic values.

It is the responsibility of the parents to experiment with various ways of achieving those goals.

~ 6.4 Islamic Education and Muslim Schools ~

If parents are to get the best results for their children in Muslim schools, they must know what the Muslim school is trying to do. This has been outlined in chapter two (Islamic Education and Muslim Schools) of this book. Parents need to understand that while the school basically may be following a National Curriculum (which in some countries may be compulsory), the teaching approach is expected to be holistic. Therefore it is not just a matter of teaching Islamic Studies, Qur’an and Arabic under the same roof as Arts and Sciences, but of developing an integrated Islamic perspective on all forms of knowledge right across the curriculum. At the same time, the school is trying to cultivate good attitudes, behaviour and manners in accordance with the teachings of Islam.

Aisha is reported to have said of the Prophet (sollallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) that: “His behaviour was the Qur’an (in practice)”. To take the Prophet as a “beautiful example” (Al-Qur’an: al-Ahzab 33:21) means not just to imitate his outward actions or practices but also to base our own motivation and actions on the Qur’an as he did, in a way that is appropriate to the place and time in which we happen to live.

The approach of a modern Muslim School, which may be located in a modern “secular” or western type of environment, cannot be like that of Islamic education of the recent past, when teaching relied much on repetition and memorization and uncritical acceptance of the teachers’ word. The Islamic teaching must relate with the society in which the pupils live, with the state of modern knowledge and with the beliefs of other people (probably the majority) in the country where the school is located. If Muslim children are to grow up as witnesses to the truth in a non-Muslim society, they need to understand that society and to develop an objective and critical approach, so that they can appreciate whatever is good in it, avoid its evils and reach out to the non-Muslims, presenting the truths of Islam in a way they can understand Islam and relate to it.

http://www.iberr.co.za/parents1.htm

Title of Fatwa The Sin of Forgetting the Qur’an

Date of Fatwa 24/ June/ 2002

Date of Reply 24/ June/ 2002

Topic Of Fatwa Qur'an

Question of Fatwa I memorized 20 Paraah’s or Juz’ of the Qur’an. However, I left memorizing it. Some one told me that I have to memorize all what I have forgotten or I will go to Hell. Please help me. I am so busy and don’t have time to memorize. Is what the man told me concerning going to Hell true or false?

Name of Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Saleh Al-Munajjid

Content of Reply In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear sister in Islam, thank you very much for having confidence in us, and we hope our efforts, which are purely for Allah’s Sake, meet your expectations.

First of all, we would like to stress the fact that forgetting the Qur’an after memorizing it and showing negligence in re-memorizing is a sin. If one strives hard to review the Qur’an regularly, there will be no sin on him even if he forgets some of it. The blame is on those who neglect it and fail to review and read it regularly.

In his response to the question, the prominent Saudi Islamic lecturer and author, Sheikh Muhammad Saleh Al-Munajjid, states the following in his response to a similar question:

“Undoubtedly forgetfulness is something that is natural in man, and man is only called Insan because of his forgetfulness.

Usually, this varies from one person to another, according to the differences in the strength of the memory that Allah has created in His slaves.

It is also known that the Qur’an “escapes” from the heart if the Muslim does not constantly and regularly review what he has memorized.

The reason for this may be that it is a test for people’s hearts to show the difference between the one whose heart is attached to the Qur’an and thus regularly recites it, and the one whose heart is attached to it only whilst memorizing it, then he loses interest and forgets it.

The reason may also be to give the Muslim a strong motive to recite the Qur’an more frequently so as to attain the immense reward for every letter that he recites. If it were the case that he could learn it and never forget it, he would not need to read it frequently and then he would miss the reward for reciting and reviewing it regularly. Fear of forgetting it will make a person keen to recite it so as to gain more reward from Allah. For every letter you recite you will have one good deed or Hasanah, and the reward for one good deed is ten like it.

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, urged us to read the Qur’an regularly lest we forget it. He warned us against being negligent in this regard, as was stated in numerous Hadiths, including the following:

Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, quoted the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as saying: “The likeness of the one who memorizes the Qur’an is that of the owner of a hobbled camel. If he tends to it regularly, he will keep it, but if he lets it go, he will lose it.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

It is well known that if a camel escapes and runs away, it takes much efforts to recapture it. Similarly, if the person who memorizes Qur’an does not regularly review what he has memorized, he will lose it and will require a great deal of effort to get it back.

So whoever strives to memorize the Qur’an and recites it regularly, it will be made easy for him, and whoever turns away from it, will lose it.

This is what encourages us to constantly review what we have memorized and to keep on reciting it, lest we forget it.

The Hadith reported by Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, quotes the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, as saying: “The sins of my Ummah were shown to me and there is no sin greater than that of a man who was given or was helped to memorize a Surah or an Ayah of the Qur’an and then he forgot it.” This is a weak or Da’eef Hadith, according to Al-Bukhari and At-Tirmidhi.

In his book Al-Itqan, Imam Al-Suyuti states:

Forgetting the Qur’an is a major sin, as was stated by An-Nawawi in Al-Rawdah and others, because of the Hadith “I was shown the sins of my Ummah…”

One of the best ways to help oneself remember what one has memorized and to make it firmly entrenched is to recite it in one’s prayer, especially during night prayer or Qiyam Al-Layl.

Thus, if you strive hard to review the Qur’an regularly, there will be no sin on you even if you do forget some of it. The blame is on those who neglect it and fail to review it and read it regularly.”

In light of the above Fatwa, we can conclude that you should strive hard to review what you have forgotten, keeping in mind that the Hadith from which your friend drawn his evidence is a weak Hadith. However, this does not rule out that forgetting the Qur’an is a sin that incurs punishment in the Hereafter.

Finally, we advise you to make use of the following Fatwa in reviewing what you have forgotten, keeping in mind that you will be generously rewarded by Allah Almighty.

Methods of Memorizing the Qur'an

If you have any further comments, please don't hesitate to write back!

May Allah guide you to the straight path, and guide you to that which pleases Him, Amen.

Allah Almighty knows best.

Details of Fatwa

Title of Fatwa Methods of Memorizing the Qur'an

Date of Fatwa 4/ June/ 2003

Date of Reply 4/ June/ 2003

Topic Of Fatwa Qur'an

Question of Fatwa Dear scholars, As-Salaam `Alaykum. My question is: What is the best way to memorize the Qur’an? Can you also outline a schedule as to how to do it? After memorizing one Juz' does one need to revise the one memorized before moving forward? Jazakum Allah khayran.

Name of Mufti A Group of Islamic Researchers

Content of Reply Wa`alykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakaatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear brother in Islam, thank you very much for your question which shows your great concern for the Book of Allah, the Glorious Qur'an. We implore Almighty Allah to help you accomplish the task of memorizing it and earning the great reward that lies in store for whoever memorizes and adheres to its teachings, Amen.

First of all, we’d like to state that there is a great merit in memorizing the Qur’an and teaching it. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says in this regard: "The best amongst you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it." (Reported by Al-Bukhari).

Also Abdullah bin `Amr ibn al-`As quotes Allah's Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, as saying: "It will be said to the one who had memorized the Qur'an [and acted upon it]: 'Recite the Qur'an (ascending the levels of Paradise thereby) and do so slowly and melodiously just as you used to recite slowly and melodiously in the world since your abode will be at the place where you finish reciting your last verse." You see now that one earns tremendous reward in committing the Qur'an to heart, acting upon it and conveying its message to others.

As regard your question, first of all, it's important to tell you that certain rules and methods should be applied in memorizing the Qur’an so as to get the expected fruits. Thus, we would like to present some of these rules which will assist you in memorizing the Qur'an, may Allah benefit all of us by them. In doing so, we will first shed some light on two perquisites for the act of memorizing the Qur’an and then elaborate on some practical steps to be followed.

A- Two Perquisites for the Act of Memorizing the Qur’an:

1- Having Pure Intention:

Whether in memorizing the Qur'an or doing anything for Allah, a most important obligation is to purify the intention and correct the goal. Thus, one's concern to memorize Qur'an and preserve it must be secured for Allah, the Sublime and Exalted, for gaining His Paradise and attaining His Pleasure, and for acquiring the great rewards that are reserved for those who recite the Qur'an and memorize it. Therefore, there is no reward for one who recites the Qur'an or memorizes it for people's sake: to show off and to be heard of.

2- Having a Truthful and Firm Resolution to Memorize it:

A person should have such an intent when commencing the task of memorizing the Qur'an, in the midst of it and even after it when one needs to return to what one has memorized in order to preserve it in his memory. Without this firm resolution a person will treat the whole matter lightly, will become tired easily and will not even be able to achieve his goal.

One of the ways a person develops a firm intent is to know the excellence of the Qur'an and to aspire after the reward mentioned above, and yearn drawing close to Allah through that act of worship.

B- Practical Steps for Memorizing the Qur'an:

1- Correcting Pronunciation and Recitation:

The first step in memorizing the Qur'an is to correct the pronunciation. This cannot be fulfilled unless one listens to a good and precise reciter or memorizer of the Qur'an.

The Qur'an cannot be learned without a teacher. Allah's Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, was the most eloquent of all the Arabs. Yet, he learnt the Qur'an from Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) orally. Also the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, used to recite the Qur'an to Jibreel once in every year - in Ramadan. And in the year that he died, he recited it to him twice.

Likewise, Allah's Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, taught the Qur'an to his Companions orally; and he heard it from them, after they had learned it from him, time and again.

Therefore, one is required to learn the Qur'an from a good reciter, to correct one's recitation on a first basis. Also, one should not rely solely on oneself in learning the recitation of the Qur'an, even if one is knowledgeable of the Arabic language and its principles. This is so because in the Qur'an there are many verses that occur in a way uncommon in the rules of the Arabic language.

2- Adhering to a daily Limit for Memorizing the Qur'an:

One must set a daily limit for some verses of Surahs (Chapters) of the Qur'an that one wishes to memorize. This limit should be reasonable and possible to fulfill. It varies in its amount from one person to another.

One should resist the temptation to move to a new portion of the Qur'an before perfecting the memorization of the current portion that agrees with the set limit. This is a disciplinary measure that helps one concentrate on one thing at a time, reducing interruption, and enabling one to firmly establish one's current portion in one's mind.

3- Continual Recitation and Revision:

Once one has corrected one's recitation and set one's daily limit, one should begin his memorization process by continual recitation and repetition of one's daily portion.

The memorizer must occupy himself with this through the hours of the day and night. He should recite it:

-in the Fard (obligatory) as well the Nafl (optional) prayers,

-while sitting in the Masjid (mosque) awaiting the Jama'ah (congregational) prayer,

-for a few minutes after the Jama'ah prayer,

-before going to sleep,

-while waiting for anything (bus, dentist, etc.),

-while riding a bus, car, etc.

In this way, it is possible for a person to practice his memorization even when occupied with other matters, because one is not restricted to just one specific time for memorizing the Qur'an. And with approach of night one will find that one's set limit is memorized and firmly established in one's mind. And if something unusual happens to occupy the memorizer during the day, preventing him from completing the set limit, one should not move onto the next portion of the Qur'an on the following day. Rather, one should continue with what one had started the day before, until the memorization is perfected.

4- Reciting in a Melodic Tone:

During memorization, one should recite the Qur'an in a melodic tone, beautifying the reading as much as possible. It is important the one reads melodically because of the following reasons:

a) Melodic recitation conforms with the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who used to recite the Qur'an in a melodious and tranquil manner.

It conforms with the Prophet's command when he said, "Whoever does not chant the Qur'an (recite it melodiously) is not of us."

c) It is pleasing to one's ears, providing incentive to continue with the memorization.

d) It helps make one's memorization firm and strong. The tongue will always return to a specific tone of voice, and would thus detect a mistake whenever the balance or harmony in one's recitation becomes disordered. The reciter's tongue will not comply with him in making a mistake when he is unmindful.

5- Using the Same Copy of the Qur'an (Mushaf):

A memorizer of Qur'an should have a specific Mushaf (copy of the Qur'an) from which he reads all the time. A person memorizes using vision as he does using hearing. The script and form of the verses, and their places in the Mushaf leave an imprint in the mind when they are recited and looked at frequently.

6- Understanding Is the Way to Memorizing the Qur'an:

An important thing that greatly aids the process of memorizing the Qur'an is to understand the meaning of the verses one is memorizing, and know how they are linked to each other. Thus the memorizer should read the Tafsir (explanation) of the verses that he desires to memorize, and should bring their meanings to mind while he is reciting them. This makes it easy easier for him to remember them.

Knowing the meaning of the verses is extremely important for memorizing the Qur'an, and to increase the rewards of reciting the Qur'an. However, one should not merely rely on this for memorization. Rather, as explained earlier, the repetition of these verses should be the foundation. He should repeat them many times, until the tongue can recite them easily - even if the mind drifts away from the meaning. As for the one who relies upon the meaning alone, he will forget often, and his recitation will be disrupted as soon as his mind wanders, which is a common occurrence with lengthy readings.

7- Linking the Verses:

As one completes memorizing a full Surah, one should perfect it by connecting its verses together, both in meaning and in the flow of his tongue easily through them.

One should be able to recite the verses without having to think or go through trouble remembering them. Reciting these verses should become as easy for him as the flow of water. He should be able to recite them without hesitation, even if his mind wanders away from their meaning.

When the verses are well linked and perfected, one should be able recite them almost as easily as one recites Surat al-Fatihah. This only occurs through repeating these verses frequently and reciting them often.

Thus, a memorizer should firmly establish a Surah that he is memorizing in his mind, with its verses well linked together. He should not move to another Surah until he has fulfilled this in a very good way.

8- Reciting to Others:

A memorizer should not rely on memorizing individually. Rather, he should test his memorization by reciting the verses to a companion who knows them by heart, or who can follow from the Mushaf. It would be most recommended that this companion be a precise memorizer himself - he would then be able to alert him to possible subtle errors, as well as prompting him when he forgets or makes mistakes.

It is very common for one to make mistakes in memorizing a Surah, without realizing it - even when one looks at the Mushaf. Reading often races the eyesight; and one may overlook one's mistakes while reading from the Mushaf. Reciting the Qur'an to a knowing companion is a means of avoiding these errors and keeping one's mind constantly alert.

9- Constant Review of What Has Been Memorized:

Qur'an is different from any other material that one memorizes, whether poetry or prose. It quickly evaporates from one's mind. Allah's Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "By Him in whose Hand is my soul, it (the Qur'an) is more likely to escape than tied camels." No sooner would a memorizer leave what he finished memorizing, even for a short while, than it starts slipping away from him - he quickly forgets it! Thus, it is necessary for one to follow up to what one has memorized in a constant and careful manner. In this regard, the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"Verily, the example of a possessor (in memory) of the Qur'an is like a possessor of tied camels. If he watches over them carefully, he would keep them; if he lets them break loose, they would run away from him."

This means that a Hafiz (memoriser) of the Qur'an should have an allocated portion that he constantly reads every day. This portion should not be less than one thirtieth, and should not exceed ten parts (of thirty) of the whole Qur'an, because Allah's Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "It would be difficult for anyone who recites the (full) Qur'an in less then three nights to comprehend it."

Only with this constant revision, and consistent watch, one would retain what one has memorized of the Qur'an and protect it from slipping away.

10- Watching for Analogous Sections of the Qur'an:

Various parts of the Qur'an resemble each other in meaning, wording, or repetition of verses. The Qur'an consists of more than six thousand verses. Of those approximately two thousand carry some sort of resemblance to others. The resemblance varies from total coincidence, to a difference in one letter, a word or two, or more.

Thus a good reciter of the Qur'an should direct special attention to the verses that resemble each other in wording. The excellence of one's memorization depends on this watchfulness in this regard.

Excerpted, with modifications, from www2.essex.ac.uk/users/rafiam

Dear brother, we hope all the above-mentioned facts and methods will help you accomplish the task of memorizing the Glorious Qur'an. May Allah Almighty help all of us stick to its teachings, Amen

Allah Almighty knows best.

as salam alykom

This may sound depressing, this morning coming to work, I saw students going back to school on their first day. I just thought to myslef how time passed by so quickly. It feels just like yesterday when summer holiday started and everybody was waiting for their results.

Usually fall whether also has a certain impact on me, that I can not describe. But the most important thing is that I felt Oh Ramadan also is coming very soon, which feels as well just as if it ended yesterday. Our life is running before our eyes, and all what we care for is Oh I really want to marry this man/woman, wow I lost this promotion, I was supposed to take a senior management position this year this is unfair, Ah I really need to plan to buy this summer house, my bathroom tiles are not appealing for me no more I want new ones. At the end I remembered the Ayah:

<b>اقترب للناس حسابهم وهم فى غفلة معرضون"</b>

الأنبياء 1

"Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness." (Quran 21:1)

Oh ya Allah one of the signs of the hour is time passing so quickly just as what is happening now. and what are we doing?

what are we occupied with? totally worldly affairs.

I am sorry if I sound depressing today, my co workers took the same dose first thing this morning, and they commented as usual oh this is enough for us this week. See our working week starts on Sat. But they agreed with me.

May Allah allow us to invest our time and effort properly, allocate our effort and knowledge in its proper direction, and really grant us a good ending to leave this life (which I usually see as a transit stop) as safe as possible. ameen

Islam brings justice to male-female relations and puts an end to harmful practices resulting from customs and traditions of pre-Islamic societies. One example is the situation of women in pre-Islamic Arab society. The pagan Arabs regarded women as inferior, and having a daughter was something to be ashamed of. Fathers of daughters sometimes preferred to bury them alive rather than announce their birth. By means of the Qur'an, Allah prohibited this evil tradition and warned that on the Judgment Day such people will definitely have to account for their actions.

In fact, Islam brought with it a great emancipation for women, who were severely persecuted in the pagan era. Prof. Bernard Lewis, known as one of the greatest Western experts on the history of Islam and the Middle East, makes the following comment:

In general, the advent of Islam brought an enormous improvement in the position of women in ancient Arabia, endowing them with property and some other rights, and giving them a measure of protection against ill treatment by their husbands or owners. The killing of female infants, sanctioned by custom in Pagan Arabia, was outlawed by Islam. But the position of women remained poor, and worsened when, in this as in so many other respects, the original message of Islam lost its impetus and was modified under the influence of pre-existing attitudes and customs.

Karen Armstrong, another Western expert on Islam, makes the following comment:

We must remember what life had been like for women in the pre-Islamic period when female infanticide was the norm and when women had no rights at all. Like slaves, women were treated as an inferior species, who had no legal existence. In such a primitive world, what Muhammad achieved for women was extraordinary. The very idea that a woman could be witness or could inherit anything at all in her own right was astonishing.

In fact, during the many centuries that followed Prophet Muhammad, women of the Islamic societies had a much higher social position than the women of Christendom. Karen Armstrong emphasizes that, during the Middle Ages;

... the Muslims were horrified to see the way Western Christians treated their women in the Crusader states, and Christian scholars denounced Islam for giving too much power to menials like slaves and women.

Anna King, a modern Muslim woman and a convert - or, better to say, a revert - to Islam, explains the Islamic emancipation of women as follows:

Islam first gave women their rights in a time when women were nothing but the property of men. Islam gave women the right to buy and sell on their own, own businesses and express her views politically. These were all basic rights which the American woman was not granted until relatively recently! It also encouraged women to study and learn Islamic knowledge, breaking a ban which several religions had stipulated, which forbid women to acquire any religious knowledge or touch religious texts... It also abolished the practice of marrying a woman without her consent. Thus, one would have to be very stubborn indeed to refuse such obvious facts and proofs that Islam was women's first liberator.

The tendencies to see women as "an inferior species" who has no right for education and that must be totally secluded from the society arose much later in the Islamic world, as a result of deviations from the right Qur'anic path.

a.s.w.k

i wanted to ask u all a question ..... i didnt wanna ask muslimah bcoz i ask her to many stupid questions...

a mate of mine wants to be an astranaut

can a muslim go on the moon .....?

can he travel in space

are there certain limits ??

plzzz tell me ....... dont get the wrong idea guys its not for me ...

قرات هذا الموضوع في منتدى السرداب و أحببت أن تشاركوني به وهدى الله إخواننا الشيعه حتى يجعلوا نصرانيه تقول أن الرسول محمد عليه الصلاة والسلام فشل في تبليغ الرساله اللهم اجمع شتات المسلمين ووحد كلمتهم وقوي عزيمتهم إنك أنت العزيز الحكيم سبحانك

و هذا هو الرابط

http://www.alserdaab.net/alserdaab/showthr...&threadid=15555

لا إله إلا أنت سبحانك إني كنت من الظالمين

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

ايتها الفتاة المسلمة

اعتزي بالحجاب ، واجعليه تحديا للفساد ، ومع الحجاب تحولي إلى كتلة من النشاط ،

فليس الحجاب سجنا للمرأة،

ومقبرة لكفاءتها ،بل هم وسيلة للتحرر والأنطلاق والعمل ، ، فلا تقبلي أن تكوني

شيئا ثمينا ، ولا شخصا ثمينا ،بل كوني

صاحبة الدور الثمين ،تفهمي طريقة العدو في سحق المرأة فإن طريقته خبيثة وماكرة

،فهو يستخدم الأساليب المحببة

إليك ،فهو يتوسل بالمكر والخداع فيقوم بدغدغة الشهوات لكي يسحق الكرامات

،ويستخدم الترف لقتل الشرف ،

والرقص والموسيقى لسرقة الأيمان

وتقبلوا خاص تحياتي

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