Seeking Guidance from Allah in Decision Making

Assalamualaikum brothers. Apologies for the delayed posting. Inshallah, those of you on the East Coast dealing with the numerous blizzards have been safe. Things have been going very well for me recently, alhamdulillah. I was just offered a position at a lawfirm in DC that specializes in food, drug and pharmaceutical law (the area I want to focus on). I will be accepting the offer and starting in March, inshallah.

While I was applying and interviewing for the position, and trying to figure out if I was making the right decision to leave my current firm, I found it very helpful to pray salah tul istikhara, as a way to seek help from Allah in my decision making process.

The Prophet Muhammad said, "If one of you is concerned about some practical undertaking, or about making plans for a journey, he should perform two raka nafl prayer." Then he/she should say the following du'a:

Allahumma inni astakheeroka bi ilmik. Wa'astaq-diroka biqodratik. Wa'as'aloka min fadlikal-azeem. Fa'innaka taqdiru wala aqdir. Wata lamo wala-a lam. Wa'anta-allamul ghuyoob. Allahumma in kunta ta lamu anna (hathal-amra*) khayul-lee fi deenee wama ashi wa ajila amri wa'ajilah, faqdorho lee, wayassirho lee, thomma-barik lee fih. Wa'in konta ta lamo anna (*mention the matter*) sharrul-lee fi deenee. Wama ashi. Wa ajila amri. Wa'ajilaho. Fasrifho annee. Wasrifnee anh. Waqdur leyal-khayr haytho kan. Thomma ardini bih.

Translation:
Oh Allah! I seek Your guidance by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power; I have none. And You know; I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things.
Oh Allah! If in Your knowledge, (this matter*) is good for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, immediate and in the future, then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge, (this matter*) is bad for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, immediate and in the future, then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it. And ordain for me the good wherever it may be, and make me content with it.

See: http://www.islamicacademy.org/html/Dua/How_to_do_Istakhara.htm

jazakallah khair,
Azim

Working for this life

Salaams all,

Sorry for the delay in my posting to the blog, I've been way behind on
all my emails. Fourth year is going well alhamdulillah, and interview
season is coming nearly to an end. It's nice that the business of
traveling back and forth to places to interview is over, but now I get
the worry and waiting for match day. Duas and prayers would be
appreciated from everyone. Other than that, I'm just finishing up
electives and trying to have as much fun as I can this last semester
of med school since I know I won't get this kind of a chance again.

I was having a conversation the other day with some friends and the
following hadith came up, and I thought it would be nice to share some
of the thoughts that I had about it:

"If the Hour is about to take place while any one of you has a sapling
in his hand, which he can cultivate before it takes place, let him
cultivate it for he will be rewarded for it."

What I thought was most amazing about this hadith was a slightly
different aspect of Islam that perhaps is not dealt with as much as I
think it should be. We are constantly reminded that this life is only
a test and a path towards the hereafter, which is eternal. As
muslims, we do everything in this life to gain a better position in
the afterlife. However, this hadith (and much of the Prophet (SAW)'s
life) points out that it is important to continue working for this
life in a positive way. The Prophet (SAW) did not sit in a cave all
day and pray. He was a leader, a statesman, a general, an imam, a
businessman, a father and a husband, and he is our role model for EACH
of those roles. Although we cannot hope to become perfect in each
area of life, we should strive to be the best for both this life and
the hereafter.

--Zain

ICNYU Conference: Building Momentum in Mainstream Culture

Salams-

You should register for this event: www.icnyu.org/conference

ICNYU Conference 2010: Building Momentum in Mainstream Culture
Co-sponsored by Islamic Relief

**UPDATE: Tickets are still available for Friday night

**UPDATE: The Islamic Center at NYU will be working with Islamic Relief at our upcoming conference to raise funds for the recent earthquake in Haiti. Islamic Relief has launched a $1 Million Campaign and proceeds from the conference will go towards it.

A specific main session on Saturday will be dedicated to raising funds in addition to other opportunities to support the cause, including ticket sales. Program details will be up by the end of the day inshallah.

Please keep the people of Haiti and all people who have been afflicted with tragedy and conflict in you du'aa at this time. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive us and forgive all people for their shortcomings and mistakes of this world, may He grant patience, strength and perseverance

For more information on the Islamic Relief Campaign or to donate please visit www.islamicreliefusa.org/emergencies/haiti-earthquake
__________________________

The Islamic Center at New York University invites you to hear leading American Muslims engage the pressing challenges of our present and the great potentials of our future. Over a course of two days, thinkers, scholars, leaders and artists will debate, discuss and explore our embrace of the mainstream. Hosted in New York, this first of an annual series will become a critical moment on our calendars, a conference of introspection, dynamic exchange, fresh ideas and spiritual reconstruction.

For more information or to register please visit www.icnyu.org/conference
__________________________

Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Doors Open at 6pm
Sessions 6:30pm - 11:00pm

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
Doors Open at 8:30am
Sessions 9:00am - 10:00pm

New York University Kimmel Center
60 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012

Early Registration Cost by January 19th, 2010: $60.50
Late Registration Cost after January 19th, 2010: $70.50

*please note that this cost includes an unavoidable $5.50 convenience fee charged by ticket central for every ticket sold
**Lunch on Saturday will be provided through NYU's Halal Catering
__________________________

Confirmed Speakers
Siraj Wahhaj
Zaid Shakir
Mokhtar Maghraoui
Ingrid Mattson
Yaser Birjas
Haroon Moghul
Khalid Latif
Musa Syeed
Madeeha Mir
Ali Reza Malik
Maryum Khawaja
Raymond Brock-Murray
Ali Shehata
G. Willow Wilson
Omar Mullick
Aman Ali
Bassam Tariq
Shahed Amanullah
__________________________

REGISTER TODAY by visiting www.icnyu.org/conference
Due to seating capacity, only the first 500 people to register will be given admission to Friday Evening's sessions

__________________________

The Islamic Center at NYU is dedicated to fostering a sense of awareness, activism and scholarship amongst the Muslim community both on and off campus.

For more information about our clubs, events, staff and podcasts, please visit: http://www.icnyu.org/
__________________________

The Islamic Center at NYU
What Community Should Feel Like

Salaam From Gerald

I dont have a lot of time to say what I really want to say so I'll try to do as well as I can. First of all, many things have occured as of late to make me think about the many blessings of this world that I can should be thankful for and as of late many things have reminded me of the things that I have taken for granted over time, time being one of the most glaring. The finite nature of time is the one guarentee that we do have in this life and I have realized several times over I have not used my time as beneficially as I could have. I recently returned from an extended trip to visit a sick relative so much of this message has been delayed but I think it still has a place.

You are all my brothers and I love you for the sake of Allah. I was married this year and had a son, through those events my brothers have been there for me and i really appreciate that. whether you were there in person or just wanted to be there, you were there for me. If you made dua for me and my family or had the intention to make duas for my family you were there for me. When I was dealing with situations that brought distress on me you all were with me.

I just want to say thank you for your love and generosity and my family does as well. I know at times I can be aloof or absentminded but please understand that does not reflect my apreciation and admiration of the brotherhood we have created.

thank you again and insha' ill be seeing you all soon. Included are some pics of Musa Nasir Rasheed

to say insha' Allah

Asalaamu Alaikum

Isha' Allah this email reaches you all in good health. The following is a hadith that has weighed quite heavily on my mind.

Narrated Abu Huraira: (The Prophet) Solomon son of (the Prophet) David said, "Tonight I will go round (i.e. have sexual relations with) one hundred women (my wives) everyone of whom will deliver a male child who will fight in Allah's Cause." On that an Angel said to him, "Say: 'If Allah will.' " But Solomon did not say it and forgot to say it. Then he had sexual relations with them but none of them delivered any child except one who delivered a half person. The Prophet said, "If Solomon had said: 'If Allah will,' Allah would have fulfilled his (above) desire and that saying would have made him more hopeful.

I say all of this because alhamdulilah my wife has given birth to a healthy boy, Musa Nasir Rasheed. This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. My family and I have been praying heavily for some time about him alhamdulilah so far it seems that everything has turned out well. I hope I have not offended my brothers with my virtual silence in this matter if I have please accept my apologies. One of the greatest challenges of the last few months has been to not think too far into the future and stay grounded because all things are possible only through Allah's will. Seeing Musa has shot my ieqaman through the roof and I advice my brothers to pray for the experience if they have not had any children. As I'm sure you all can tell I feel great and my family is doing well insha Allah you all will get to meet my son one day. I also apologize for slowing up the chain but I'm sure you all understand my time has been quite limited. Please keep us in your prayers as I keep you all in mine. May Allah make him righteous and wise. Insha' Allah I hope to speak to you all soon,

Asalaamu Alaikum

Eid Mubarak! & more fasting

Assalamu alaikum Brother, Eid Mubarak!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Ramadan.

Alhamdulillah for me this was one of the better Ramadans in recent memory. Much thanks to the advice I got for getting an easy schedule during Ramadan. I hope you guys benefited as well.

I brief reminder about maintaining the the practice of fasting after Ramadan.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whosoever observes fast in Ramadan and then follows up with six fasts in Shawwal, will be regarded as though he had been fasting every day." (Reported by Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi)

May Allah accept our fasting and prayers and duas!

Salam,
-Safi

Stand out firmly for justice

Assalamu Alaikum brothers,

I hope you have all been able to enjoy and gain many rewards during this blessed month. Things for me have been very busy for me, but also very rewarding, alhamdulillah. As some of you already know, I won my first pro bono trial a couple of months ago. My client, Santos, is a 13 year old boy who fled El Salvador because he was being threatened by the MS-13 gang. The gang had killed Santos’ older brother and had attacked my client many times before he finally was able to get away and come to the United States. Santos had no other choice but to come here illegally, of course, and was caught at the U.S-Mexico border. Although he pleaded with the immigration officials not to send him back because he would be killed by the gang, Santos was immediately placed in deportation proceedings. Subhanallah, Santos had relatives in the Maryland area, so was moved here to be with them while the government prepared to deport him. The case came to me last September when another lawyer at my firm received an email from the National Center for Immigrant Refugee Children seeking a pro bono lawyer to take on Santos’ asylum case before the immigration court. Santos and his family could not afford to pay for a lawyer to take on his case, so we decided to help. After a very long year, I took the case to immigration court and proved, with the help and guidance of Allah SWT, that Santos’ claim for asylum was valid. Santos now never has to fear being returned to the people who promised to kill him, and will one day become a U.S. citizen, inshAllah. I am now working on the asylum cases for Santos’ mother and brother, and inshaAllah, will have a similar result. I also just found out that the Baltimore Sun may publish a feature article about Santos’ case. If they do, I’ll be sure to post a link here, inshaAllah.

Working on this case reminded me of this simple, yet powerful ayat:

"O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both...Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do..." [Quran 4:35]

Please keep Santos and his family in your duas.

Jazak Allahu Khair,

Azim

Brotherhood in Islam

Salaams all,

I keep looking at the various web albums that people have put up after
various weddings and events, and I can't wait until the next get
together with all of you. As for me, I'm in the middle of residency
applications, and as you might imagine, it's not fun haha. For all of
you that aren't going through it, it's very much like any other
application cycle, only a bit more streamlined and actually easier
from a work standpoint. But I think the stress comes from the fact
that you are (finally) picking out the one thing that you want to do
for the rest of your life, and it's very difficult to do that without
atleast some minor hesitation. It's amazing how helpful it is at
times like these to put everything aside and pray. The reminder that
Allah (SWT) is in control of everything and that He will do what is
best for everyone is a soothing thought. Also, dua would be greatly
appreciated, as I will need all the help I can get to match in
dermatology.

So after reminiscing about our time in LA not that long ago, I found a
nice hadith on brotherhood, narrated by Anas ibn Malik, and
transmitted by Muwatta:

Allah's Messenger (SAW) said "Do not be angry with each other and do
not envy each other and do not turn away from each other, and be
slaves of Allah, brothers. It is not halal for a Muslim to shun his
brother for more than three nights."

This reminded me of the small talk we had in the lobby of the LA hotel
right before we left for Bakersfield. One of the reasons why our
little blog/group is so great is that we lack a lot of the problems of
many social groups. I've never seen any backbiting, slander or envy
amongst our group members, and there is never any "drama" of someone
being angry with someone else. And that is why, even though we do not
physically see each other that often, we can still get together as the
best of friends. Inshallah we will continue to do this as we grow in
numbers.

--Zain

"Indeed, he loves Allah and His Messenger..."

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh, brothers,

I pray this finds all of you in good health and at a peak of iman. Firstly, to our newly married brethren Gerald and Sameer, mabrook once again! InshaAllah, along with myself and Usman that makes 4 JHUMA couples, walhamdulillah. Brothers, we need more than 4, I expect this number to double before 2009 comes to a close, inshaAllah! =)

Alhamdulillah brothers, we've got to make sure that our families get to know each other as well inshaAllah (should a seperate JHUMA Wives mailing list be set up? just kidding, just kidding =D ). And it was really awesome to see all of you brothers at Sameer's wedding, alhamdulillah.

Besides the recent festivities, things here are going the same as usual, walhamdulillah. I still have my job, alhamdulillah, which is a huge blessing in this time (my company just 2 weeks ago let go around 60 employees from my location). Baby Maryam is doing well, alhamdulillah. Actually, my wife and the baby are out-of-town for the next 3 weeks visiting my wife's mother, so I'm living the bachelor's life for a few weeks, but alhamdulillah everything is going well. Baby Maryam says "I love you" and throws kisses at the phone when I call and talk to her, so, alhamdulillah, that tends to normally make my day =).

For the reminder, I wanted to share a beautiful story from the Prophetic Sunnah which came to my mind. It is about a companion of the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) whose name was simply recorded as 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him). He was a companion who, like all men, committed sins, even major sins, namely consuming alcohol. It is narrated in Sahih Bukhari:

Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab:

During the lifetime of the Prophet there was a man called 'Abdullah whose nickname was Donkey, and he used to make Allah's Apostle laugh. The Prophet lashed him because of drinking (alcohol). And (another) day he was brought to the Prophet on the same charge and was lashed. On that, a man among the people said, "O Allah, curse him ! How frequently he has been brought (to the Prophet on such a charge)!" The Prophet said, "Do not curse him, for by Allah, I know for he loves Allah and His Apostle."

When I reflect upon this hadeeth, subhanAllah, I am reminded that the doors to repentance and forgiveness are always open. I am reminded that Allah is arRa'uf (the One Most Full of Pity (towards his slaves)) and arRahim (the Continuously and Especially Merciful One), and if we strive to keep our hearts, tounges, and limbs pure with tawheed and love for Allah and His messenger, inshaAllah there is always a chance for us to be forgiven and be shown the vast mercy of Allah. Imagine, this companion was committing the major sin of consuming alcohol, yet, his iman was still so great that RasulAllah (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) HIMSELF testified for this man's love for Allah and His Messenger! Imagine what amazing glad tidings it would be if RasulAllah (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) had testified on behalf of our love for Allah and His Messenger. When I think about my own sinful personal state, especially in the midst of the various fitnahs of this dunya, and I reflect upon this hadeeth, subhanAllah, I am given hope and I am reminded to purify myself and focus on strengthening my iman in order to, inshaAllah, not be tempted by the trials of this world. Of course, we are not to misunderstand the hadeeth to think that we (or even the companions themselves) are excused for comitting any sin... after all, the hadeeth is quite clear that the companion himself was punished with lashing for his consumption of alcohol (which is the prescribed punishment in an Islamic state for drinking).

To illustrate just how much this man loved the Prophet, there is another story from the Sunnah mentioning that this same companion 'Abdullah used to delight in presenting the Prophet with any delicacy that came to Medina, so when any merchant caravan arrived with something like butter or honey, he would take it for him as a gift. Later, when the seller demanded payment, `Abd Allah would bring the seller to the Prophet and say: "Give this man its price." The Prophet (peace be upon him) would then say: "Didn't you give it to me as a gift?" 'Abdullah would say: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah; however I cannot afford to pay." The two of them would laugh together and then the Prophet (peace be upon him) would have the merchant paid.

A more detailed explanation of the wisdoms found in this story from the Sunnah can be found here:
http://www.islamtoday.com/showme2.cfm?cat_id=31&sub_cat_id=2007

InshaAllah I hope to see all you brothers again very soon.

Sameer, I know you must be extremely busy as a newly-wed and just starting your residency, but... you're up on the blog. =)

wassalaam,
Ahmad

Fajr Crew

Asalamu'alaikum,

Hope all of you brothers are doing well. Inshallah, I will be heading down to the ICNA convention Memorial Day weekend, so let me know if you will be there...

Alhumdulilah, I would like to share with you a sunnah that we have revived in the Masjid here in Vermont and hopefully some of you brothers can revive it in your local Masajid. Every Saturday and Sunday, we have what I call the Fajr club, where a group of ten brothers consistently come to the Masjid for fajr and talk with each other until sunrise. This brings up two related hadith that I would like to share:

1)
Al-Tirmidhi narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays Fajr in congregation then sits remembering Allaah until the sun rises, then prays two rak’ahs, will have a reward like that of Hajj and ‘Umrah.” He said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “In full, in full, in full.”

2)
Muslim also narrated (670) that Sammaak ibn Harb said: I said to Jaabir ibn Samurah: Did you sit with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? He said: Yes, frequently. He would not get up from the place in which he had prayed Fajr until the sun had risen, and when the sun had risen he would get up. They used to chat and talk about matters of the Jaahiliyah, and they would laugh but he smiled.

-Usman

Family!

Assalamu alaikum my brothers!,

Alhamdulillah I am in the midst of my final exams for the year,
 and soon I'll be starting some serious studying for the Board Exam, insha Allah!

I want to take this time congratulate the brothers who are planning on getting married this summer.

If Allah blesses us with the wonderful opportunity of attending your wedding, then as a reminder:

It was narrated that the Prophet(SAS) said the following to the newlywed

"بارك الله لك وبارك عليك وجمع بينكما في خير"

 

"May Allah's grant his blessings for you and blessing upon you. May you be joined together in goodness."

[ This dua is mentioned in a Hadith of the prophet (SAS) recorded in "Sunan ibn Majah" ]

The Muslim marriage is the first step in establishing a Muslim Family, and in that there is both great blessing and responsibility:

and Allah commands us in the Qur'an in Surah 66(Tahrim):

6:

Sahih International: O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, ...

On the topic of Muslim families, I'd like to share a  video that shares some interesting world population statistics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU
[Warning this video seems like it was made by Christian evangelists, but I think you'll enjoy it]

May Allah increase his blessings upon us , forgive us our sins, and grant us patience!

-Safi Shareef

Importance of Marriage

Salams all,

Since all of us on this blog are either already married, engaged or still “working on it” (I fall under the latter category, for now inshAllah), I thought now would be a good time to discuss the benefits of marriage, and how marriage is an act of Iman. There are many verses in the Quran and several hadith discussing these virtues of marriage, among them:

“Among His signs is that He created for you spouses of your own kind in order that you may repose to them in tranquility and He instilled in your hearts love and affection for one another; verily, in these are signs for those who reflect (on the nature of the reality).” (Ar-Rum 30: 21)

“And Allah hath given you wives of your own kind, and hath given you, from your wives, sons and grandsons, and hath made provision of good things for you. Is it then in vanity that they believe and in the grace of Allah that they disbelieve?)” (An-Nahl 16: 72)

The Prophet (pbuh) spoke of marriage saying, “It spares one looking at what one should not, or lapsing in adultery.” The Prophet (pbuh) also said, “If Allah grants a Muslim a righteous wife, this helps him preserve half of his religion (faith). He should, therefore, fear Allah as regards the other half.” (Reported by At-Tabarani and Al-Hakim and Al-Mundhri).

Imam Muslim reports that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “The whole world is pleasure, and the best pleasure of the world is the righteous woman.” ‏The Prophet (pbuh) is also reported to have said: “Four things bring one joy: a righteous wife, a spacious house, a pious neighbor and a comfortable riding animal.” (Reported by Al-Hakim, Abu-Nu`aym and Al-Bayhaqi).

InshAllah, those of us who are already married are enjoying their marriage and have increased their Iman because of it and, inshAllah, those of us still looking will be blessed with righteous wives.

Azim