Fwd: A Letter for My Brother in Islam

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bushra <no0r.a1a.qalbii@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Jun 22, 2008 at 1:04 PM
Subject: Fwd: A Letter for My Brother in Islam
To: Atif Ali <atif611@gmail.com>, "Mr. Asif M Siddiqui" <asif.siddiqui99@stjohns.edu>, LI - Muslims Against Hunger <muslimsagainsthunger.li@gmail.com>, Nabil Rab <nabilrab@gmail.com>, abulmasakeen@yahoo.com, MarieRose Bhuiyan <mrab9@msn.com>, shariqfarooqi@hotmail.com, shariqhinnah@hotmail.com, "aymun@msn.com" <aymun@msn.com>, baseer <baseer518@gmail.com>

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Memoona Syed <m_syed813@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, Jun 19, 2008 at 9:23 PM
Subject: [InstituteAtIcna_2008] A Letter for My Brother in Islam
To: InstituteAtIcna_2008@yahoogroups.com

Assalaamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh, I hope you are all in the best of Iman and Health. Here is a message that was emailed to me. I thought it was extremely beneficial and profound. So Read, Enjoy and most importantly Benefit. For all the sisters, pass it on to your brothers :) wassalaamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Letter for My Brother in Islam: Be a Man!       My dear Muslim brother,   Be a Man! Be courageous and faithful. Be strict but kind and wise. Follow the way of our beloved prophet - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him - and the way of his companions.   Be a Muslim. Care for your family, brothers and sisters in Islam. Help the elders of the community and show everyone the true spirit of Islam. Be like the prophet (peace be upon him) – "His manners were the Quran." Make dawa and talk to people about Islam. Be a messenger of the messenger of Allah. The prophet (Salallaahu' alahiwasalam) said:  "balligho anny wa law aya" – "tell people something about me, even if 't were one verse".  Help people see and follow the right path. Be a sign that speaks about Islam without even saying a word. Let your actions speak. The Quran says:  "Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah and works righteousness and says I am one of those who bow down in Islam" (Quran: 41, 33)   Be a son. Be a son who is kind and merciful to his parents. Be a son who is patient, understanding and grateful for his parents' endless care and love. Be a son who deserves a parent's du'a for guidance, forgiveness and blessings.   Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala said: Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. (Quran: 17, 23)   Furthermore, Abu Huraira reported that a person came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Who among the people is most deserving of a fine treatment from my hand? He said: Your mother. He again said: Then who (is the next one)? He said: Again it is your mother (who deserves the best treatment from you). He said: Then who (is the next one)? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Again, it is your mother. He (again) said: Then who? Thereupon he said: Then it is your father.   Our beloved prophet (peace be upon him) said in another Hadith: the most actions beloved to Allah are:   1. Salah on time 2. Being good and dutiful to one's parents and 3. Jihad fee sabeel Allah   Be a brother. Be a loving brother; care for your sisters. Drive them instead of letting them walk or use the subway... accompany them instead of letting them go alone. Be a "mixture" of kindness, love, and understanding. Be the one a sister looks up to for advice or help. Be the one she confides in. Teach her and help her be the best Muslimah she can be, but be careful not to scold her or be angry at her, for this way you push her away. The Prophet (Salallaahu' alahiwasalam) said: "La tagdab wa laka al Jannah" - "Do not be angry and you will have the Jannah." So don't be angry when she mistakes, she is a human being.   Be a husband. Love your wife. Teach her and help her. Educate her and appreciate her efforts and work.  Be her teacher and advisor, for Allah will hold you accountable for her. Treat her with respect and love as an equal for the prophet (Salallaahu' alahiwasalam) ) continuously urged you: "Be kind (nice) to women."   And lastly...Be a father. Be a role model for your sons and daughters. Be the hero they look up to. Be the one who "shows" instead of "tells" them what is right or wrong. Be the model that your daughter will look up to when seeking a husband. Be the man your son will want to be.   Be a Muslim and be all that. Be the one to take your loved ones with you onto the path of Allah. Be the guardian and soldier who will protect your loved ones, your home and the Ummah from the tricks of the evil Satan.   Be a Man.  Be a man with all the qualities and meanings that are encompensated within the word 'Man'.   In one of his khutbas, my beloved syaikh said that "the criteria for determining manliness are not only in terms of material well-being, like good looks, physical agility, material success, but also in terms of excellent virtues and good conduct expressed in good deeds."   So Be a Man. I asked for Wisdom......... And Allah gave me Problems to solve.

__._,_.___

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'Umar bin 'Abd Al- 'Aziz said: "None can reach the state of taqwa until he possesses neither actions nor words that can be exposed to his embarrassment, either in this world or the Hereafter," and he was once asked: "When does the worshipper reach the peak of taqwa?" So he replied,: "If he puts all the thoughts and desires in his heart on a plate and then wandered around in the market, he should not feel ashamed of anything there." [Min Akhlaq As-Salaf; p 56]

updated rotation

Jhu brothers are trying to share knowledge with each other and also stay connected to each other through this blog, inshallah. Nabil-->Gerald-->Omair-->Sam-->Sameer-->Abad-->Shamim-->Ibraheem-->Moktar-->Bilal-->Zain-->Javed-->Azim-->Safi--> Imad-->Usman-->Nurain-->Arif-->Yusuf-->Nabil-->REPEAT

Salam from Nabil

Assalamu Alaikom brothers,

 

Hope all is well. Sorry for the delay. I'm missing you brothers. Chicago was a lot of fun, alhamdulliah. From rowing to IV ping pong, Chicago was too much fun. Imad, thanks for hosting us, bro. May Allah reward you and your family for your hospitality and  generosity. Ameen!  I'm looking forward to our next trip, iA.

 

I wanted to welcome our new JHUMA alumuni to our group, Moktar, Omair, Javed, Arif, and Abad. It will be nice to hear from you in the upcoming weeks. Please see the end of the email for the rotation schedule.

 

School-wise, I'm not taking any classes this month and will resume in July, iA.  In terms of work, I've been coming up to Boston for the last couple of weeks and will be working here till the end of this month, iA. It has been a lot of grunt work, but alhamdullilah, the work has given me different perspectives. Family-wise, a lot of my extended family (from New Zealand, Kuwait, Cali, etc) have been visiting our home and is been nice spending time with them.  Besides that, its been same ol. 

 

Please keep me in your prayers and iA, I will do the same. May Allah protect us from Shaitan's whispers and always give us peace of heart in this life and the next. Ameen!

 

The following hadith gives me a lot of hope and comfort. May Allah help us become closer servants. Ameen!

Abu Hurairah, radiyallahu 'anhu, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:

"Allah the Almighty has said: 'Whosoever acts with enmity towards a closer servant of Mine (wali), I will indeed declare war against him. Nothing endears My servant to Me than doing of what I have made obligatory upon him to do. And My servant continues to draw nearer to Me with supererogatory (nawafil) prayers so that I shall love him. When I love him, I shall be his hearing with which he shall hear, his sight with which he shall see, his hands with which he shall hold, and his feet with which he shall walk. And if he asks (something) of Me, I shall surely give it to him, and if he takes refuge in Me, I shall certainly grant him it.'"

[Al-Bukhari]

 

 Be safe and take care of yourselves. Gerald, you are up on the blog.

Peace,

Nabil

 

P.S. For more info on the hadith: http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith38.htm

 

Muslim is a Brother of a Muslim

Asalamu'alaikum,

Alhumdulilah, I finally got a little more challenging tasks to do at work to keep me occupied. It has been extremely hot, in the 90's this weekend, even up here in Vermont...Just toe let you know that it does get hot up here...

The following hadith narrated in both Bukhari and Muslim explain some ways of dealing with fellow Muslims that have a huge reward both in this life and the next:

"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim - he does not wrong him nor does he forsake him when he is in need; whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs; whosoever removes distress from a believer, Allah removes from him a distress from a distressful aspect of the Day of Resurrection; and whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection."

How should Muslims Eat?

Assalamu alaikum,

I'm taking my final exams for 1st year med school this week, alhamdulillah!

So for all you guys, I'll share with you a video I recently made on "The Muslim Smile Diet",
which goes over How Muslims should eat.

Based primarily on 1 Ayah, and 1 Hadith:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBfL25WKMy8

It should take about 10 minutes to watch the video, so Enjoy!

Salam,
-Safi

Surat An-Nur

Salaams all,

InshaAllah, you are all doing well. I've been very busy the last few months with work. I've just completed my 7th month at my current job (at a law firm), and things are finally starting to make sense (you'd think that after 3 years of law school, I would have learned some of this stuff, but really, I didn't). It's been tough, but inshaAllah, it will continue to get better. Unfortunately, I won't be able to meet up with those of you going to chicago (I have to attend a wedding that same weekend that I can't miss). But for those of you who are going - have a great time. I'd like to share a verse with you all from Surat An-Nur, which I thought was very beautiful:

الله نور السماوات والأرض مثل نوره كمشكاة فيها مصباح المصباح في زجاجة الزجاجة كأنها كوكب دري يوقد من شجرة مباركة زيتونة لا شرقية و لا غربية يكاد زيتها يضيء و لو لم تمسسه نار نور على نور يهدي الله لنوره من يشاء و يضرب الله الأمثال للناس و الله بكل شيء عليم

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as (if there were) a niche and within it a lamp, the lamp is in glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east (i.e. neither it gets sun-rays only in the morning) nor of the west (i.e. nor it gets sun-rays only in the afternoon, but it is exposed to the sun all day long), whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself), though no fire touched it. Light upon Light! Allah guides to His Light whom He wills. And Allah sets forth parables for mankind, and Allah is All-Knower of everything.

The tafsir on this verse is pretty detailed and you can find it here if you want a better understanding: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ABewley/nur.html
theres also additional commentary here:
http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=659

Azim

Verifying information

Salaams,

Sorry for the late posting, I'm in the middle of a pretty busy family
medicine rotation. And yes, I know family medicine is supposed to be
relaxed...but this guy never stops. But as busy as it's been, I'm
really learning alot and realizing why I actually went to medical
school hahaha. For all those in earlier years...trust me, all that
studying actually does pay off. Unfortunately, I won't be able to
make the latest Chicago trip since I have an exam that Friday, and I
will need to travel on Sunday. I hope all those that go have an
awesome time. I found a verse of the Quran that I liked and would
like to share with the group:

"And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not, etc.)
that of which you have no knowledge. Verily! The hearing, and the
sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by
Allah)." 17:36

Take care,
Zain

Akhlaq (etiquettes)

Assalamu Alaikum brothers. I hope you are all doing well and hope to see as many of you as possible in Chicago. My hadith this cycle focuses on akhlaq or ettiquettes.

· Islam & Migration: A true Muslim is the one from whom other Muslims are safe from his tongue & hand & the true immigrant is the one who migrated from what Allah prevented him to do. (Bukhari)

May Allah give us the taufeeq to follow this advise. Ameen.

-Shamim

Fear Allah wherever you may be ...

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh, brothers,

InshaAllah all is well with everyone. I'm sorry I couldn't see more of you guys when I visited NJ/NY/Baltimore a few weeks back, but inshaAllah, we will have an opportunity to meet up in the near future.

As for me, alhamdulillah, I have no complaints. Maryam is progressing, alhamdulillah... she now stands when holding on to something, and, mashaAllah, she said her first word a little over a week ago... it was "baba" =) (alhamdulillah, I was training her to say baba for the last few months, and by the grace of Allah, it worked, mashaAllah). We've been trying to get her to say "Allah" as well, but mashaAllah, I think the "l" sound is a bit more advanced than the b's and m's :). Anyways, below is the hadeeth I would like to share. Please forgive me for being a little late on the post. As always, please keep me and my family in your duas, and please don't hesitate to give any naseehah.

Jazaakumullahu khayran.
-Ahmad

http://fortyhadith.iiu.edu.my/hadith18.htm

Hadith #18 from Imam An-Nawawi's 40 Hadith:

Abu Dhar Jundub bin Junadah and Abu Abdul Rahman Mu’adh bin Jabal, radiyallahu anhuma, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:

“Fear Allah wherever you may be; follow up an evil deed with a good one which will wipe (the former) out, and behave good-naturedly towards people.”

[Al-Tirmidhi relates it, saying: It is a good (hasan) Tradition. In some copies he says: It is a good and genuine (hasan and sahih) Hadith.]

Assalamu Alaikom

Assalamu Alaiokm brothers,

 

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

O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other)). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).

~ Qur'an 49:13

 

Hope all is well with everyone. Things are cool, alhamdullilah. I need to take better care of my classes (please make Dua). I'm still working from home on the Maine project.

 

Family is fine, alhamdullilah. It looks my brother is probably going to Stony Brook. He didn't get into most of the IVs, and got waitlisted at a couple of schools . However, he has a full ride at Stony, alhamdulillah, and this is mashAllah, a nice option. Please keep him and my family in your prayers. May Allah always protect our family members from shaytan's whispers and give them peace of heart in this life and the next. Ameen!.

 

It was nice meeting up with Sam and Shamim last wknd and iA, I'm planning on going to Hopkins for the undergradate graduation (May 22nd). Let me know if anyone is interested in coming as well (hopefully, I'll roll down with Imad).

 

Also, we need to figure out our summer getaway. Any ideas for place/time?

 

Talk to you all soon, iA. Hope your brothers benefit from the ayah and advice below. May Alllah bless us all with righteous, beautiful spouses. Ameen!

 

A man goes to a Sheikh after the birth of his first child, seeking advice on how to raise him properly, and as a good Muslim. The Sheikh's response took him with surprise. He told him, "You are too late." "What do you mean?" the man asked. "My son is just a day old..." The Sheikh replied, "You are too late. Your child has already come into this world. The time to worry about your children is before you get married...when you are out to choose your wife.

 

Peace,

Nabil

 

Nurain's Post

Salam Brothers

Hope you are all doing great In sha Allah! I know its been along time
since I've spoken to many of you and I hope that you'll forgive me for
that and that we shall talk in the near future, In Sha Allah. Things
are going well for me Alhamdulillah, started a new block in med
school - immunology and microbiology and have started my peds
outpatient clerkship and preparing for the summer, In Sha Allah, i'll
be in Thailand researching child diarrheal illnesses among Burmese
refugees by surveying mothers as to their treatments and preventions
of these diseases as well as assessing their water sanitation
practices. Please pray for me that I may accomplish some good things
safety and help these people In sha Allah - also please keep this
information of my travels amongst ourselves :)

So instead of giving a hadith, I wanted to share a story that was told
to me by someone very dear. It was basically what he had learned in a
hukbah and relates to Surah Noah - and the gist of it is that if we
are to ask Allah for help - who else can help us - we should make sure
we are asking for his forgiveness before we ask for help

I tried looking up the specifics of this matter and am probably doing
it no justice what so ever (please forgive me, I ask Allah for
forgiveness and ask that you all correct me in this matter) What I did
come across from talking to this person was that the Prophet (PBUH)
would ask for Allah's forgiveness 700 times in a day (or it might have
been in a sitting after prayer)! before asking him of what he wanted.

The other part of this piece is that by asking forgiveness for
something, we should work hard not to repeat our offense. In Sha
Allah, by doing this Allah will grant us our wishes which I hope will
lead us to become closer to him and aid others.

Below are a few lines from Surah Noah that I think are pertinent to
this and the entire surah.

71:10 "Saying, 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; for He is Oft-Forgiving;
Faqultu istaghfiroo rabbakum innahu kanaghaffaran

71:11 "'He will send rain to you in abundance;
Yursili alssamaa AAalaykummidraran

71:12 "'Give you increase in wealth and sons; and bestow on you
gardens and bestow on you rivers (of flowing water).
Wayumdidkum bi-amwalin wabaneenawayajAAal lakum jannatin wayajAAal
lakum anharan

Surah 71. Noah

71:1 We sent Noah to his People (with the Command): "Do thou warn thy
People before there comes to them a grievous Penalty."
Inna arsalna noohan ilaqawmihi an anthir qawmaka min qabli an
ya/tiyahum AAathabunaleemun

71:2 He said: "O my People! I am to you a Warner, clear and open:
Qala ya qawmi innee lakum natheerunmubeenun

71:3 "That ye should worship Allah, fear Him and obey me:
Ani oAAbudoo Allaha waittaqoohuwaateeAAooni

71:4 "So He may forgive you your sins and give you respite for a
stated Term: for when the Term given by Allah is accomplished, it
cannot be put forward: if ye only knew."
Yaghfir lakum min thunoobikumwayu-akhkhirkum ila ajalin musamman
inna ajala Allahiitha jaa la yu-akhkharu law kuntumtaAAlamoona

71:5 He said: "O my Lord! I have called to my People night and day:
Qala rabbi innee daAAawtu qawmeelaylan wanaharan

71:6 "But my call only increases (their) flight (from the Right).
Falam yazidhum duAAa-ee illafiraran

71:7 "And every time I have called to them, that Thou mightest forgive
them, they have (only) thrust their fingers into their ears, covered
themselves up with their garments, grown obstinate, and given
themselves up to arrogance.
Wa-innee kullama daAAawtuhumlitaghfira lahum jaAAaloo asabiAAahum
fee athanihimwaistaghshaw thiyabahum waasarroo waistakbarooistikbaran

71:8 "So I have called to them aloud;
Thumma innee daAAawtuhum jiharan

71:9 "Further I have spoken to them in public and secretly in private,
Thumma innee aAAlantu lahum waasrartu lahumisraran

71:10 "Saying, 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; for He is Oft-Forgiving;
Faqultu istaghfiroo rabbakum innahu kanaghaffaran

71:11 "'He will send rain to you in abundance;
Yursili alssamaa AAalaykummidraran

71:12 "'Give you increase in wealth and sons; and bestow on you
gardens and bestow on you rivers (of flowing water).
Wayumdidkum bi-amwalin wabaneenawayajAAal lakum jannatin wayajAAal
lakum anharan

71:13 "'What is the matter with you, that ye place not your hope for
kindness and long-suffering in Allah,-
Ma lakum la tarjoona lillahiwaqaran

71:14 "'Seeing that it is He that has created you in diverse stages?
Waqad khalaqakum atwaran

71:15 "'See ye not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another,
Alam taraw kayfa khalaqa AllahusabAAa samawatin tibaqan

71:16 "'And made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun as
a (Glorious) Lamp?
WajaAAala alqamara feehinna nooran wajaAAalaalshshamsa sirajan

71:17 "'And Allah has produced you from the earth growing (gradually),
WaAllahu anbatakum mina al-ardinabatan

71:18 "'And in the End He will return you into the (earth), and raise
you forth (again at the Resurrection)?
Thumma yuAAeedukum feehawayukhrijukum ikhrajan

71:19 "'And Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet (spread out),
WaAllahu jaAAala lakumu al-ardabisatan

71:20 "'That ye may go about therein, in spacious roads.'"
Litaslukoo minha subulan fijajan

71:21 Noah said: "O my Lord! They have disobeyed me, but they follow
(men) whose wealth and children give them no increase but only Loss.
Qala noohun rabbi innahum AAasawneewaittabaAAoo man lam yazidhu
maluhu wawaladuhu illakhasaran

71:22 "And they have devised a tremendous Plot.
Wamakaroo makran kubbaran

71:23 "And they have said (to each other), 'Abandon not your gods:
Abandon neither Wadd nor Suwa', neither Yaguth nor Ya'uq, nor Nasr';-
Waqaloo la tatharunna alihatakumwala tatharunna waddan wala
suwaAAanwala yaghootha wayaAAooqa wanasran

71:24 "They have already misled many; and grant Thou no increase to
the wrong-doers but in straying (from their mark)."
Waqad adalloo katheeran walatazidi alththalimeena illa dalalan

71:25 Because of their sins they were drowned (in the flood), and were
made to enter the Fire (of Punishment): and they found- in lieu of
Allah- none to help them.
Mimma khatee-atihimoghriqoo faodkhiloo naran falam yajidoo lahum min
dooniAllahi ansaran

71:26 And Noah, said: "O my Lord! Leave not of the Unbelievers, a
single one on earth!
Waqala noohun rabbi latathar AAala al-ardi mina alkafireenadayyaran

71:27 "For, if Thou dost leave (any of) them, they will but mislead
Thy devotees, and they will breed none but wicked ungrateful ones.
Innaka in tatharhum yudillooAAibadaka wala yalidoo illa fajirankaffaran

71:28 "O my Lord! Forgive me, my parents, all who enter my house in
Faith, and (all) believing men and believing women: and to the
wrong-doers grant Thou no increase but in perdition!"
Rabbi ighfir lee waliwalidayyawaliman dakhala baytiya mu/minan
walilmu/mineena waalmu/minatiwala tazidi alththalimeena illatabaran

--
Nurain Fuseini, MHS
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
MS1

Reaction of a Believer to Situations

Asalamu'alaikum,

Alhumdulilah, every situation is from Allah and good can be derived from it even if on the outside it seems all bad. This of course applies to situations brought upon us not bad situations that we choose to get involved in.

"How amazing is the affair of the believer! Everything which happens is good for him. And that is for no one except the believer. When he encounters good times and ease, he gives thanks and that is good for him and if he encounters hardship he is steadfast and that is good for him."
Muslim


"There is no hardship which afflicts a Muslim but that Allah expiates with it some sin of his - even a thorn which pricks him."
Muslim and Bukhari

{Every soul will taste death. And we test you with bad and with good as a trial. And unto us you will return.}
Al-Anbiyaa: 35

Ibn Abbas said about this verse: "We will test you with hardship and with ease, with good health and with sickness, with wealth and with poverty, with the halaal and with the haraam, with obedience and with disobedience and with right guidance and with misguidance - in order that we may establish how you have shown gratitude (for the "good" tests) and how you have remained steadfast (in the face of the "bad" tests)." And unto us you will return - so that Allah will reward each and every soul according to their actions.

-Usman