ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
It really depends on the customs of the area. Everywhere I've been in Egypt and the US are just fine by it. There are quite a few mosques that are tourist destinations in Cairo. If it's in the US, contact their office and let them know you're interested in visiting. They may set up someone to meet you and show you around. We frequently have college classes attend our jummah (friday) prayers. I'm the unofficial greeter/question answer-er star_smile.gif

There's only a few things to remember:
*Dress modestly. Both men and women should wear loose-ish pants and long sleeve tops. Depending on the community, men may wear short sleeves, but I always think better safe than sorry. Women can bring along a scarf to throw over their hair, although it doesn't need to be tied on pretty.
*Take off your shoes where you see the big pile of shoes.
*If you're observing a prayer, when everyone gets up and starts to stand in a line, that's the time to pray. Scoot to the back and sit or stand against the wall, so you aren't in anyone's way.


Here are a few mosque FAQs that may be helpful before you visit.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-09 11:32:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
QUOTE (humpkinpumpkin @ Dec 9 2008, 09:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm suprised that the kids in Egypt were well behaved in the mosque since while there I noted the most misbehaving kids I have ever seen in my life while we were at a mall in Alex. I asked my husband why the parents let them run around like that and he told me there's really no where else for them to be kids. We have an abundance of parks/fields where the kids can run off their energy so that they're not as fidgety when indoor with the public and these kids don't really have that. That put things in perspective for me, but I'll have to ask him how they behave in the mosques.


Please do. I know that my FIL taught my husband how to act in a masjid, and it's my understanding that it's common, but maybe it was just the area he's from and/or his time in Saudi Arabia?

QUOTE
Quite honestly I wouldn't take my kids to a mosque if they were that young unless there was a Kid-room which was soundproof like a lot of churches have. I wouldn't get anything out of it because I'd be too busy trying to keep them quiet.


I think that's a really great idea. I know of a few mosques that have that, but not many.

QUOTE
That's just a waste of time for me and I'd much rather be in my little makeshift prayer area where it's nice and quiet and I can concentrate.


Hey, whatever works good.gif Our prayer area at home is in the living room, and now we have a cat staring at us while we pray, so it's not quite nice and quiet. inshaAllah when we get a house, I have plans for a library/art gallary/prayer room.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-09 11:23:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
QUOTE (Aymsgirl @ Dec 9 2008, 09:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I agree with you Rahma. When children are storming through the masjid that is not respectful. I have real issues with this. If a small child is with his mother and is crawling around her while she prays I feel this is different. Children that are older than a toddler should know how to sit and be respectful. Maybe this is old school in me but I know how my husband would deal with our son if he acted like a wild child in the mosque. My older two children have sat through church services 2.5 hours or more before and were expected to sit and behave. We brought things with us to entertain them while sitting but they still knew from early on...you are in a House of Worship and this is how you behave. If they are taught they will behave. Also, during Ramadan we had the same issue with some of the women being to chatty. Some of the older ones would hush them...then you would see them roll their eyes. LOL! Good to hear you have found a masjid you are comfortable with. I don't think it should be all stiff or anything but manners and etiquette should be respected. I am just a stickler on this.


Exactly yes.gif When we were old enough to leave the nursery, my parents gave us books to read or things to color if we got bored during the service. If we had acted up, oh boy.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-09 11:20:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
QUOTE (Rajaa_Reda @ Dec 9 2008, 09:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thank you i was feeling non muslim for complaining... but i see it isn't just me... thank you now i will shut up


We just need to be careful that our complaining doesn't cross the line into backbiting/gossip I try to ask myself am I just venting to get this off my chest, to make these women look bad behind their backs, or am I simply making generalizing statements to assess the problem and find a solution?

I've done more then my fair share of venting about poor behavior at the mosque. It's kind of a right of passage for converts, lol.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-09 11:18:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
There's a difference between letting kids be kids and letting them run wild. My husband is flabugasted at how the kids are allowed to behave here. That kind of stuff would never fly at a mosque in egypt. My sheikh told us about sitting with his sheikh in Syria, and how kids as young as 4 would be sitting there, attentive, for a whole 3 hour lecture, while he was getting fidgety. If the children are taught the expectations, then they should be capable of behaving in public inshaAllah.

Wild children are an oft-blogged subject, and a common complaint, along with women not shutting up during the khutbah. I can't count the number of times I haven't been able to hear. Alhamdulilah now I have 2 good masjids where the adults knows the proper adab (manners, etiquette), which makes the whole experience that much better. The kids at one are still eh, but at least they didn't set anything on fire this year headbonk.gif
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-09 10:00:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
My husband is a bit of a stick in the mud as well when it comes to Eid. The first eid we spent together was horrid, although that wasn't really our fault. In egypt, he put in glasses on the floor in front of him when he prayer. Can't do that here wacko.gif Packs of wild children run up and down the salat lines and they trampled them. We were new in that community and didn't know who it was, so we spent Eid looking for a place to get new glasses for cheap and spent all our money on that. It was just a harbinger for the future. I'm working on starting traditions and dragging him along. I made chocolate chip banana bread for breakfast today, and I think I'll make that my traditional eid food. I'm also attempting to make a fancy lamb liver (bleck) dish for a special eid dish to suprise him when he comes home from work today. We'll probably go to mall of america in the next couple of days, although we may just stay home and play withour new kitty biggrin.gif
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-08 13:43:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
When we do an act from which Allah (swt) grants us expiation of our sins, it has to be accompanied by sincere repentance as well.

http://www.geocities...ua1/repent.html

The Conditions for Repentance

The conditions for repentance are well known:

1. Leaving the sin;
2. Remorse over having committed the sin;
3. Resolve never to return to the sin;
(If it relates to the rights of another person, then to) Return the rights or property one wrongly took. [al-Bariqa fi Sharh al-Tariqa; Riyad al-Salihin]

If these conditions are truly met, then one can expect one's sins to be forgiven. However, one has to be very careful about how sincere one is in fulfilling one's conditions. It is recommended to seek forgiveness a lot, and to repent every time the sin comes to one's mind.


If one keeps repeating the sin, then one should find the root cause(s) of the sin and eliminate them. For example, if one falls into a certain sin because of the company one keeps, then it would be necessary to either stop keeping their company, or to change the nature of one's relationship with them.




The Prophet (saws) never sinned, yet he sought forgiveness more than 70 times per day. How much should we then seek?

Abu Hurairah (ra) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) saying, "I swear by Allah that I seek Allah's Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.''
[Al-Bukhari].
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-05 10:59:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
If you haven't been fasting these first few days of Dhull Hijja, these next 2 days are good ones to do. inshaAllah Sunday is the day of standing on Arafat for the hajjis. For the rest of us, there is much benefit in it:

Virtues of the Day of Arafat

Especially:



4.Fasting on this day is an expiation for two years. It was reported from Abu Qutaadah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saws) was asked about fasting on the Day of Arafaah. He said, 'It expiates for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year.' Narrated by Muslim.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-05 09:51:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Despite what some may say elsewhere, jihad is *not* one of the 5 pillars of Islam. Just as a refresher, the 5 pillars are:

*Shahada - declaring there is nothing worthy of worship except God and that Muhammad (saws) is His messenger
*Salat - 5 times daily prayer
*Sawm - fasting
*Zakat - almsgiving
*Hajj - pilgrimage

For anyone looking for an indepth look at the inner aspects of these pillars, I'd recommend Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship. It's one of my favorite books of all time, something that can be read over and over again as you progress further on your journey.


As I stated recently, jihad is a part of our faith, and we shouldn't be ashamed of it. What we should struggle rigorously against (in fact make jihad) is those who claim to fight in the way of Allah (swt) but ignore the clear rulese He has set, namely, do not target innocent civilians.

Jihad and Sharia in the life of everyday muslims
Jihad Explained
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-04 09:11:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Via SeekersDigest:

Hajj, Eid and the impending holiday season by Abdul Hakim Murad

QUOTE
As millions of Muslims from all over the world make their way toward Mecca for the great pilgrimage (hajj), we have the opportunity to reflect of the meanings and power of this ancient and beautiful ritual. In this sermon, the sheikh reminds us of some of these, in particular its fundamental link to the renewal and reaffirmation of Divine Unity (tawhid). By physically striving to reach God’s House, we engage in a deep purification, reorienting ourselves and our societies toward Him and stripping them of the spiritual and physical encrustations of materialism and idolatry in all its forms. Many well-attested sayings of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) attest to the immense mercy and forgiveness granted through this process. The means by which they are effected through the outward and inward journey and practices of the pilgrim are mysterious but profoundly powerful. Thanks to the coincidence of calendars this year, we are also approaching another, sadly diminished festival, Christmas - a strange, materialistic way to celebrate a messenger who was among the very highest in his asceticism. The sheikh closes by asking God to preserve the spirit of tawhid and charity, and not to allow it to become similarly diluted by indulgence and materialism. May God also accept the pilgrimage of all our brothers and sisters who have gone on hajj this year, and make it a means to true rebirth and renewal.

UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-02 14:34:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Don't forget to get your eid sacrifice arranged early! If there isn't a service available locally and you don't feel like doing it yourself, I've used Islamic Relief for years and never had any issues.

For those interested in the fiqh of sacrifice, this is from the shafi'i madhab, but it mentions the positions of other schools as well. This is just an excerpt:

Q. What is the ruling of the sacrifice?

A. The slaughter of 'Eid al-Adha (in Arabic: udhiya; in Urdu: qurbani) is a confirmed sunna (sunna mu'akkada) and only becomes obligatory if one vows to perform it by saying, for example, ?I hereby owe Allah to perform a sacrifice, or I hereby owe Allah to sacrifice this animal, or if one says something like, This animal is my sacrifice. Not performing the sacrifice is disliked (makruh), because some scholars (such as the Hanafis) say that it is obligatory. (al-Yaqut al-Nafis fi Madhhab Ibn Idris, 204; Tuhfat al-Muhtaj, 9.346)

Q. Can I commission a trustworthy Muslim to slaughter on my behalf in another country?



A. It is valid to give someone money and commission him to buy an animal and slaughter it in a country other than where one is living (I'anatul-Talibin, 2.335). This is discussed in more detail in a separate answer posted on this list.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-01 16:45:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
QUOTE (Rajaa_Reda @ Nov 29 2008, 07:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
A suggestion is to try your morning prayers every day for a week after you wake, then the following week try your morning then evening prayers before bed for the second week. then add your afternnon prayer the third week then before you know it in a month's time you're at all 5.


Very good suggestion good.gif

One thing I constantly advise new converts of is that the Prophet (saws) and his companions (ra) were the best of all muslims, but they didn't get that way overnight. Allah (swt) gave us the religion over a 23 year period. We can't be expected to get everything overnight. Take it step by step and eventually it will all come.

I will say though that out of everything, focus on salat first. It's the whole foundation of the religion. If you don't have that, anything else you build is built on sand.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-12-01 16:19:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Here again, as with Ramadan, we have the question of when does the month start? Based on a local moon sighting or on the global moon sighting? Because the Prophet (saws) emphasized fasting on the day with the pilgrims are on Arafah (ie the 9th), most people fast on the day the Saudis say is the 9th.

Based on the moon, we would start fasting either the 29th or 30th of November, if we're fasting the first 9 days based on the local sighting. If we're following what Saudia says for the hajj, we just sit back and wait til they make up their mind.

http://moonsighting.com/1429zhj.html
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-11-20 11:10:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
The only obligatory days to fast are during Ramadan, and those from Ramadan that need to be made up. The Prophet (saws) fasted a whole heck of a lot more then that, and many of the days he fasted are recommended also for us to fast. Among these days are the 13th through 15th of the lunar month, Mondays and Thursdays, and the first 9 days of Dul-Hijja (the coming islamic month during which is hajj). The 9th day, when the pilgrims are standing on arafah, is an especially powerful day to fast

Benefits from the First 10 days

QUOTE
Fasting is especially mentioned as a most meritorious act of devotion to be performed in the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah; this is true of those who are not performing Hajj. According to some traditions, by fasting these days, one is accorded a tremendous opportunity to gain repentance and forgiveness. If, however, a person cannot afford to fast all nine days, he may at least fast the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah, which is known as the Day of `Arafah. However, it is also worth mentioning that while fasting the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah is recommended, it is forbidden to fast during the days of the `Eid. This prohibition is not limited to the tenth of Dhul-Hijjah; rather it extends also to the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth, for all of these are days of festivities and celebrations.


In addition, the Prophet (saws) said this about these 10 days:

"There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days." The people asked, "Not even jihad for the sake of Allah?" He said, "Not even jihad for the sake of Allah except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing."
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

If one has fasts to make up from Ramadan, there's no time like the present. It's actually better to do make up acts of worship sooner rather than later. We don't know how much time Allah (swt) has given us in this life, and we don't want to meet Him on the day of Judgment owing these good deeds.

More here.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-11-20 10:17:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
I'm reallying hoping (and making dua) that we can save up for hajj in the next few years. Any longer, and it will be getting towards summer. I'd like to do it all walking, and I don't think I could manage that in a Saudi summer.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-11-18 19:33:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
For those of us not fortunate enough to be making hajj this year, there's still stuff to do! The first days of Dhul-hijjah (the month hajj is in) are good days to fast. And, there's Eid al Adha and the Qurbani, the sacrifice we all should make.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-11-18 17:13:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
A lot of people view it as something to do when they get old. Partly, that's a function of the monetary situation - it often takes their entire lives to save up for it. But also, if hajj is done properly, you are forgiven all your previous sins, so going late in life is good to get a clean slate. It's also a blessing to die while making hajj and to be buried in Mecca, so you'll often get the very old or ill making hajj.

The problem with that second idea though, is that you never know how long your life is decreed for. If you have the money and you keep putting it off and you die before you go, then it's on you for not performing the right when you had the chance.

In general, hajj is obligatory, but only in certain conditions. In the shafi'i school, it only becomes obligatory if the person is morally responsible (ie they've reached puberty and are sane) and they can afford the provisions and transporation without depriving their family of support. I'm not sure about how the other schools view it, as I've only studied it from the shafi'i perspective.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-11-18 17:11:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Hajj is almost here, and the hajjis are beginning to arive in Medina. One of my favorite bloggers has pictures

http://almiskeenah.com/?p=809


Of hajj related interest:

To watch
Channel 4's Hajj Program
National Geographic's Inside Mecca Documentary
Discovery Channel's Revealed: the Hajj
CNN's 2006 coverage
Al Jazeera English Youtube videos - search "hajj"

To read
One Thousand Roads to Mecca: Ten Centuries of Traveler's Writings on the Muslim Pilgrimage
Mecca, the Blessed - Medina, the Radiant
IslamOnline's Hajj Page

To Listen:
NPR - Learning to Endure Hajj - stories of american pilgrims




May Allah (swt) grant us the life and the means to make this journey soon, amin.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-11-18 17:01:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Lots of piece recently about american muslims and the elections

http://www.npr.org/t...toryId=96223701
http://www.npr.org/t...toryId=95821085
http://www.npr.org/t...toryId=95959342
http://www.guardian....08-pennsylvania
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-11-03 17:29:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Only Allah (swt) knows what the future holds, and everything is allowed only by His will. That's why we say "inshaAllah" ad nauseum. If God wills it, then tomorrow, we'll get together. If God wills it, inshaAllah we'll be together. If God wills it, I'll get you those numbers this afternoon. If God wills it, we'll have pizza for lunch, etc etc etc.

If our marriage survives, it's not by our wills, it is the will of Allah (swt). For some reason, the husband and I arbitrarily chose 80 years as the length of time we'd be together. He'd be 105, I'd be 100 if we actually make it to that point star_smile.gif So throughout the time we were apart, we would look at it and say, the time apart is so short compared to what we'll have together, 78 more years inshaAllah, etc etc etc.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-10-25 09:13:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Al Jazeera English documentary Islam in America, part 1

Would probably be nice to show the Sos who aren't in the US yet. Granted, I think they paint a picture that is a bit too rosey, but it does show that all in all, the US isn't such a bad place to be a muslim.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-10-25 09:02:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Here's my new answer for everything: Because Allah (swt) and His Prophet (saws) told us so yes.gif

More specifically:

Proof and Wisdom behind the prohibition of Gold - while there are many ahadith on the issue, it can be summed up with one:

The Prophet (saws) said: Wearing silk and gold has been made unlawful for the males of my Ummah and lawful for their females. Saheeh hadith recorded in Tirmidhi, Ahmad and Nasa'i.

Gold and Pure Silk Forbidden for Men: Why?
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-10-24 10:29:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
I guess I was lucky that I had lost my faith in Jesus (as) as the only way to heaven long before I became a muslim, if you could call that lucky to have a crisis of faith, lol. I did traverse a similar path - I went through a universalist faze before I finally settled on Islam.

For me, honestly I just woke up one morning and realized that I believe la ilaha il Allah, Muhammadur rasul Allah. A big part of that was after studying the life of the Prophet (saws) and realizing that this was a man that I wanted as a teacher and a role model. But in the end, after more than a year of considering it, I felt that I needed to know God, and that this was the best way to do so.

Ask yourself what you want from a religion. What do you want from a guide? What do you want to do to be close to God?

I'm working on a list of resources that I recommend to newbies. It's by no means complete, but it will give you some more things to read, listen to, and study - http://rahma.hadithuna.com/converts/

My pm/email is always open too.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-10-14 15:14:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
American Muslims and politics has been interesting to watch. After a period of indifference on the part of the immigrant/second generation community, in the 2000 elections they decided to try to block vote to exercise some power. They chose to support Bush, mainly because he mentioned secret evidence in a debate.

This community effort completely ignored the african american segment of our population, who was not happy to vote for Bush.

After 9/11, the invasion of Afghanistan and the Iraq war, the general sentiment has been to run as far away from Bush as possible. That's the strategy. If he's not Bush, he's all good.

Of course, now we run up into the issues with Obama. Do we really want to support someone who ducks and covers whenever the word muslim is used? He's really in a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation - if he acknowledges muslims, we're all good, but then a large segment of the population screams in horror. If he ducks the issue, we're pissed, but everyone else is ok.

In the end, muslims tend to vote either for Obama or not at all. I haven't heard anyone say they'd support McCain.

Obama does talk with muslims, just not in a very noticable way. I know Keith Ellison is a supporter of his. inshaAllah next time I see Keith, I'll ask if Obama visited the muslim caucus at the Dem Convention.

http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/20486
http://www.minnpost....r_muslim_caucus
http://www.thenation.../jstreet/348561
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-10-08 11:02:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Just a reminder, the Sunnipath fall semester starts soon! New-ish muslims (who've converted in the last 3 years) get a 75% discount on several courses:

Understanding Islam - Discount also applies to non muslims
Introduction to Islamic Beliefs
Essentials of Islam (Hanafi)
Essentials of Islam (Shafi'i)
Essentials of Islam (Maliki) - not offered this semester

I'm taking Introduction to Islamic Belief (always good to brush up on aqeedah with a teacher!), so if anyone signs up for that, let me know and we can be study buddies star_smile.gif

Edited by rahma, 08 October 2008 - 10:53 AM.

UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-10-08 10:51:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Sh. Hamza's Eid Khutbah:



Imam Zaid's Eid khutbah
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-10-06 18:25:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
QUOTE (Rajaa_Reda @ Sep 27 2008, 01:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
got a couple of strange questions.....

1. showing affection/touching your spouse in public (islamically)


It's a matter of haya, modesty/shyness that is dependant on culture, urf.

http://qa.sunnipath....=...80&CATE=121

Showing overt affection in public isn't considered modest.

QUOTE
2. magic (evil eye etc....)

i've noticed alot of regional beliefs but not Islamically based....


A lot of this is related to culture, although when we look back to the life of the Prohpet (saws), we do find instances of magic

http://qa.sunnipath....=...18&CATE=115
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-09-29 10:38:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Tasha, please post any updates you may have on that! I've been digging through the news all morning, and there's almost no information out there.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-09-29 10:32:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Abu al-Darda' (ra) narrates: The Prophet (saws) once asked his companions: "Shall I tell you about the best of all deeds, the best act of piety in the eyes of your Lord, which will elevate your status in the Hereafter, and carries more virtue than the spending of gold and silver in the service of Allah or taking part in jihad and slaying or being slain in the path of Allah? The dhikr of Allah."
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-09-18 11:05:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
What is dhikr?

The blessed Prohet (saws) said: "hatta yaqulu majnun -Remember Allah Ta'ala as much as you want, until people say that you are crazy and foolish"

(Narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad, Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, and al-Hakim who declared it sahih);



Don't be ashamed of remembering Allah (swt) at all times and in all places.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-09-18 10:53:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Muslim America's Rebellious Son

QUOTE
"He was a pioneer in the Muslim-American community and was one of the first leaders to get Muslims to think about their faith in context of the larger society," said Rami Nashashibi, executive director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, which worked closely with Mohammed. "He was also a pioneer in getting Muslims to embrace their religious identity at a time when that wasn't very popular."


The Imam Cares

QUOTE
While WD Mohammad was determined to re-orient his organization towards orthodox Islam, he did so without rejecting the positive teachings that the Nation brought to that community, such as self-reliance and personal discipline. "[He] was able to do two remarkable things," says Sulayman Nyang, a professor of African Studies at Howard University. "One [was] the re-Islamization of the movement; the second, the re-Americanization of the movement." Under his leadership, Imam Mohammad's community reached out to other faith groups, stressed civic engagement as a means of self-empowerment, and worked for economic self-sufficiency. By some accounts, the community under his influence grew to nearly one million people.

Imam Mohammad's influence, however, was felt outside the African-American Muslim community as well. While some immigrant muslims were (and still are) unaware of what WD Muhammad gave to their community, his influence was most profoundly felt within Muslim leadership. As he reached out to predominantly immigrant Muslim organizations, he brought the lessons of nearly a half-century of organization and vision-making to the table. After his invocation to the US Senate in 1993, he led two more for President Bill Clinton. He shared a stage with Pope John Paul II and The Dalai Lama in 1999, addressing 100,000 people at the Vatican. In 2000, he had a public reconciliation with Louis Farrakhan, though that was seen as a sign of the Nation's increasing subordination to the global, mainstream Islam Mohammed steered his community towards.

UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-09-10 08:01:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Perhaps he was not well known to those outside the American Muslim community. Heck, even among american muslims, I'm not sure the immigrant generation and their children knew this man well either.

In any case, our community is poorer today, having lost one of the pioneers of American Islam. Imam WD Mohammad passed away earlier today. Inaa lillahi wa inna ilayhi rai’oon, to God we belong and to Him is our return.

Imam Mohammed is arguably one of the greatest figures in american islam. Following the death of his father, Elijah Mohammed, Imam Mohammed brought the Nation of Islam into the folds of mainstream sunni Islam. The network of mosques affiliated with the Imam are known for their commitment to the community.

I attend one such masjid. It began it's life as a Nation of Islam Temple. Many of the older members were originally in the Nation. Because of the leadership of Imam Mohammed, these masjids are now a place where all are welcome, regardless of the color of their skin. I pray alongside gang bangers, and cops, firefighters and politicians, native born americans and immigrants from all around the world. I'm a white girl from rural wisconsin, and I've never felt so at home anywhere as I do among the people of Imam Mohammed.

Please make dua for him, his family and his community tonight when you break your fast.

For more on Imam WD Mohammed, here are some good readings:

New Africa Radio
Anointed Son
This Far by Faith
The Most Important Muslim You’ve Never Heard of
Profile at Religion & Ethics

Edited by rahma, 09 September 2008 - 04:22 PM.

UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-09-09 16:21:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
I'm registered. The course starts this Saturday. If anyone else registers, let me know and we can gather on yahoo messenger after the class. My YM is rahhmaa.



Asalaamu Alaikum

We pray that this reaches you in best of eman and well-being.
SunniPath is excited to announce the opening of a free 3-week course on Surat al-Fatiha by Shaykh Sohail Hanif. Classes start this week and spaces are limited so please do register today.

Thank you,
SunniPath Academy

About the Course:
In You and the Fatiha: The Opening to a New Experience, Shaykh Sohail Hanif will not only explain the verses of the Fatiha, but demonstrate how through this chapter, we can learn the proper manners of supplicating. The first half of the Fatiha demonstrates the importance of having hope and fear of, neediness towards, and reliance on Allah Most High. The second half of the Fatiha relates to our slavehood to Him and the need for asking for the greatest gift, namely guidance. The Fatiha also shows us how to manage interactions with Allah, with the universe, and with our fellow men.

This course will consist of both recorded and live online sessions. Live sessions will be focused on expanding the recorded lessons through drawing inferences, as well as having a chance for you to ask any questions. Material is based on notes compiled by Shaykh Ali Hani, a book on selected Qur'anic chapters by Dr Fadil al-Samurai, and Imam Ghazali's Ihya Uloom al-Deen.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-09-09 09:22:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
Ok, seriously people, this is an absolutely fabulous opportunity that you CANNOT miss if you have the resources.

Zaytuna's Distance Learning Program is presenting Imam Zaid's Islam Marriage and Family class this semester.

QUOTE
A course for those wishing to deepen their understanding and implementation of a fulfilling Islamic family life. Topics covered include aspects of Islamic family law as they relate to the domestic affairs, relevant aspects of the Prophetic biography, and practical advice for newlyweds that are based on a “family-oriented” reading of The Aphorisms (Hikam) of Ibn ‘Ata-Allah as-Sakandari.


I took this class with Imam Zaid in person last May, and it was out and out fabulous. It's a must listen for any muslim couple. I'm just waiting for it to come out on CD/DVD, so that I can give it to people as wedding/anniversary present. Actually, I'm seriously considering taking this class again, just so I can download the video files and keep them on the computer for future reference.

Seriously people, don't miss this!
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-09-09 08:13:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
During the Q&A section, a sister asked him how he defined "moderate muslim." I don't remember much beyond that he named Salman Rushdie as an example. After that I was in shock blink.gif

If you believe "Islam is the solution," you were an islamist radical terrorist blah blah blah.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-08-29 13:43:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
QUOTE (Nawal @ Aug 29 2008, 01:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (rahma @ Aug 29 2008, 10:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
We had a great coalition of the Muslim Students Association and assorted leftists/socialists/communists/etc who put up a pretty good ruckus. We organized a speaker for afterwards who did a great job of countering Pipe's speech.

I just just a bundle of nerves throughout the entire thing. I had to keep getting up and walking out, I was getting so p*ssed.


Rahma...You know everyone. It's amazing! good.gif


LOL, not everyone. He was a pretty popular speaker on college campuses after 9/11. We were just *privileged* to be one of the institutions he graced with his prescence. bleck!
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-08-29 13:26:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
We had a great coalition of the Muslim Students Association and assorted leftists/socialists/communists/etc who put up a pretty good ruckus. We organized a speaker for afterwards who did a great job of countering Pipe's speech.

I just just a bundle of nerves throughout the entire thing. I had to keep getting up and walking out, I was getting so p*ssed.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-08-29 12:57:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
QUOTE (ta me go hiontach @ Aug 29 2008, 12:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Nawal @ Aug 29 2008, 01:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Did you know that there are an estimate 2-7 million Muslims living in the United States? It is difficult to pinpoint the exact number since, as New York Post reporter Daniel Pipes explains, the U.S. Census cannot, by law, ask questions about religion. For more on how many Muslims live in the United States, see Pipes' blog.

no0pb.gif no0pb.gif no0pb.gif no0pb.gif no0pb.gif no0pb.gif


Ooo, I didn't see that. I had a run in with Pipes in college. It did not go well.

http://badgerherald...._in_the_spo.php
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-08-29 12:35:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
jazakAllah khair Jackie!
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-08-27 16:05:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims
QUOTE (Henia @ Aug 27 2008, 01:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I hope you don't take offense! But I think you havn't been Muslim long enough to have enough info to pick a madhab ... and no one says you even have to! I have been Muslim for 10plus yrs without picking one!


I wouldn't say no one. There definately are people who say it is required to follow a madhab. Yet another difference of opinion.

QUOTE
It's better to follow example of our Prophet (saw) then these scholars. But that is me!



It's a common misconception that the imams and scholars of the madhabs aren't doing their best to follow the Qur'an and the sunnah. Rather, the madhab system was created to codify a method of approaching the Qur'an and the Sunnah. It wasn't just that the imams took what they had at the time, created a set of rulings and bam, that was it. Instead, their students, and their students, down through the present day, work within the framework of the madhab to create rulings from the Qur'an, the Sunnah, analogy and the consensus of the scholars.

Those who follow a madhab are simply placing their trust in the scholars of the madhab to best interpret the Qur'an and the Sunnah when the followers do not have the time nor the training to do it for themselves.

Even those who today say they follow only the quran and the sunnah are in reality chosing to place their trust in a different set of scholars who have examined the Qur'an and the Sunnah within a different framework.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-08-27 13:11:00