Mohebban Fatemeh

Eid parties, birthday parties, movies, prizes. jeapordy, charades, and most importantly JUNK FOOD, that was our day in one line.  Check out the album here: EID PARTY

The day began with the reciation of the Holy Quran by Br. Amir O. who recited the first few ayahs of Surah Muzzammil. We then talked about our plan for upcoming weeks and began recaping the month of Ramadhan through the eyes of our members.  Alhamdo… we were very happy to hear of the many spiritual experiences, lessons learned, and good times our members had during the month of Ramadhan.  The nightly Imam Ali (AS) classes were a great success and we thank all those that participated to learn more about their great Imam.  We have lived a whole life and talked a whole month, yet still there is much to learn.  We look forward to seeing what the future holds…

After our times of reminiscing about the month of Ramadhan, we were able to feast on cookies, chips, cake, and drinks (ironic isn’t it?) that were brought for the Eid celebration and the birthdays of Br. Abdolhamid, Br. Leigh, and Ali/Amir O.  Congratulations to all of them on their birthdays, for they have come one more year closer to Allah (SWT).

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The evening then continued with an Arabic movie about Imam Ali (AS).  The movie really summed up all of our classes throughout the month of Ramadhan well.  Be sure to check out the link above to watch the movie for yourself.  It is definitely worthwile. 

We then played a quick game of charades to choose our contestants for jeapordy.  Kudos to those folk who were able to act out a mosquito so quickly and had the heart to act like a chicken in front of everyone.  Some of the topics were very hard but masha… we truly have a talented bunch.

We then headed to the masjid to make Salat and hand out the prizes/Eid gifts.  Congratulations to Brothers Mohammadamin, Ali T, Milaad M, Ali Akbar, and Reza B for receiving the special Ramadhan class prizes, as well as to Sisters Alla T, Maryam S, and Parinaz for receving the prizes of making the best use of the month!  May Allah (SWT) always keep you all as well as your team on the right path…

The night was supposed to end on a high note with a great game of jeapordy, but unfortunately, all we can say is ”FAIL!”  The guy trying to run the show (wink wink) kept forgetting to hit the “Begin” button and assigned points to the wrong folk.  Insha… next time we’ll have the real Alex Trebek there so that this dude can retire.  But Kudos to all those that played the game, thanks for not yelling at me …

EID MUBARAK TO ALL!

Congratulations on the Birthday of Imam Hassan(a.s). This week we started our class with another discussion on the topic of Usool-e-Deen( look under Islamic Debate Section) for more details. Nice job to Dori, she was able to count and say what the Usol-e-deens are. We also had a nice discussion on other various topics that day. The girls were full of energy, they asked a lot of good question and we were able to look and examine some of them. After discussion, we started Quran, the advance Quran girls read the meaning of Sura-Al-fath and as they were reading the meaning of this chapter, they recalled the story of “the peace treaty of Hudaybieh” . They were trying to match the verses in this sura with the event of Hudaybieh. Now that the girls knew the story of Hudaybieh, Alham… it seemed this time they had a better understanding about the meaning of this chapter, and the verses made more sense to them. After Quran, we joined our Mohebban brothers to continue the recitation of Duaa-Iftitah and also a nice program about Imam Hassan(a.s).

The principle of Tawheed is such an important concept is Islam, that if it’s not fully understood, gradually doubts and uncertainties can enter our hearts and eventually it will lead us towards disobeying Allah (S.W.T). So this week we decided to talk about Tawheed in more depth…

We asked this question that why some people worship idols, and where does the desire of idol worshiping comes from?

So we said that all human beings have a need to worship something and at the same time they like to touch, see and sense their surroundings in order to understand and believe in something.

So we start examining both of these needs and desires, asking the question where dose the need of worshiping something comes from. Last week we said that Allah (S.W.T) has given us an innate nature to worship Him. This nature has been given to us before we entered this world. As Allah says in the Quran “that no creation is in this world, except that its worshiping Allah”. So this desire to worship a God is part of our creation and all beings are sensing it. That’s why people in the past and even today, were always looking for something to worship;as some worship the sun, the moon, rocks and some worship the true Allah.

At the same time people want to describe what they are worshiping, because it will be easier for them to understand it. Thats where the idea of making a God out of rocks comes from; the same reason Christians need a sculpture of Jesus when they want to pray. They need to see what they are worshiping at that TIME and at that SPACE, they need to describe it in order to believe in it……

When we want to define an object, that object is limited to time and space and that’s the reason why were able to describe it. For example we can think of a cup. The reason we see this cup is because that cup is occupying a certain amount of space at a particular time; this is what it means by being limited to time and space. Whatever we see around us is because it is limited to time and space, and since its limited we are able to describe it. The moment we are describing a cup, we say for example its blue, meaning that it will not be red, yellow etc anymore, so the moment we describe something we are limiting that thing. But for Allah, He is infinite, meaning we cannot describe Him, because He is not limited to time nor space. The reason we see objects around us is because we are able to surround that object; but the case of Allah is that He is the one who is surrounds everything….

Another example is that if we are setting in a room and a continuous rhythm (like as your tapping your finger on a table) is being played…. The tapping will create the same rhythm each time… if we are in a room that this sound is being played all the time, we will not be able to notice the sound, because the sound is continuously surrounding us… and that is the case of Allah who “surrounds everything” and He is present everywhere and all the times… that’s another reason why Allah says “believers are those who believe in the unseen”.

We cannot see Allah, but we can see His signs, the signs of Allah are all the things He has created….we are His signs, so if we deny the existence of Allah, we have denied our own existence.

We see that the sun rays approach us during the day, not us approaching the sun rays. and thats how we know sun exists… same with Allah(S.W.T), Allah is the one who will approach us; He will show Himself to us through His signs ; He will give us the nature to know Him, but once we know Him, then it will be our turn…and our turn is nothing but to submit to Him.

Thanks to Haj Mahdi Shahkolahi for sending us this piece from Qom.

Throughout history, especially in today’s science and technology based society, experience has come to prove that power hungry individuals, who live to gain absolute power at any costs, used and abused a very important asset of society to advance their own agendas; Women. These individuals work to create an image of the ideal women in society, an individual filled with superficial and shallow characteristics. Movie stars, Singers, and other celebrities are marketed as role models for the young generation, creating a fabricated ideology in the minds of these innocent children, while these individual usually posses nothing more than a set of artificial physical traits. It’s sad to see that merely the physical beauty of an individual can make them so famous and beloved in today’s society.

What’s even more concerning is the influence this type of ideology is having on today’s young Muslim generation. Today’s youth, without proper Islamic guidance and preparation, will fall victim to this way of thinking just like everyone else, whether they like it or not. When the value of an individual is defined in their physical beauty, obviously to gain personal and social satisfaction, one will spend their time and energy, not to mention the money, to shape themselves in such a manner. Certain Islamic principles lose value in their eyes, as they are seen as a barrier towards the progression and, ultimately, the happiness of that young individual in life. Hence we see the decrease of properly “Hijabed” sisters and the growing percentage of unislamic behavior between opposing genders.

Islam, which is a religion that builds individuals from a moral standpoint, has given much attention to this deeply sensitive issue. We see examples, throughout the Holy Quran and other sources, of both good role models and bad role models. Allah (swt) in Surah Tahrim (Chapter 66) states:

“ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا اِمْرَأَةَ نُوحٍ وَامْرَأَةَ لُوطٍ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا صَالِحَيْنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا”

“Allah (SWT), for those who have become of the disbelievers, has expressed them with the example of the wife of Noah(AS) and the wife of Lot(AS). Those two (the wives) were under the guardianship of two of our noble servants, but they (the wives) did harm to the two of them (with their actions and disbelief).” (Verse 9)

Allah (swt) then states:

“وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا اِمْرَأَةَ فِرْعَوْن – وَمَرْيَمَ ابْنَتَ عِمْرَانَ”

“And Allah (swt), for the believers, has expressed them with the example of the wife of Pharaoh… and likewise Mary the daughter of Imran, which kept their womanhood (for the lack of a better term) pure” (Verse 10-11)

Individuals who posses characteristics such as modesty, piety, strong willpower, and social independence should be the people are younger generation looks up to. Individuals such as Aasiyah (AS) the wife of the Pharaoh, who despite being surrounded by a glamorous lifestyle, broke all the barriers and norms for what she believed in. She saw injustice being done and she took action. She was an individual who created her own personality with her own defined standards, not one who blindly followed the norm in society.

Another bright example is that of Lady Khadija (AS), Ummul-Mumineen. She is the example of a complete human being; a loving, caring and coordinated wife; an open-minded and free thinking individual; a triumphant and patience fighter; a pure-intentioned giving individual; a respected and honorable figure; the mother of Lady Fatima (AS). The amount of sacrifice this individual made in her honorable life, while rendering one speechless, humbles an individual. She marries the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in a time in his life when he literally had nothing; no prophet hood, no wealth, and no key role in society. Despite having the most powerful and wealthiest suitors, Lady Khadija (AS) married the Prophet (PBUH). She saw qualities in him which were far more important than materialistic assets; qualities such as trust, purity, and spirituality. She was the first female to accept Islam.

We have a handful of sayings from the Holy Prophet which speak of the respected level of this individual. For example, The Holy Prophet (PBUH) stated: “The best women of the heavens and earth are Mary, Aasiyah, Khadija, and Fatima (AS)”.

Lady Khadija sacrificed everything she had for Islam. Surely we have all heard stories about the wealth she possessed. She wasn’t just well off, she was extremely wealthy. Like Bill Gates rich! Some historians say she was the wealthiest person in the Arabian Peninsula. And just like that she sacrificed it all for the good of Islam. Within the first three years of the Holy Prophets message, all of her wealth had disappeared to the extent which only two pieces of animal skin remained; one of which she would lay under her and the other over when she slept. It comes as no surprise that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) stated: “The rise of Islam is due to the sword of Ali (AS) and the wealth of Khadija (AS)”.

Individuals such as Lady Khadija (AS) will never be forgotten; their legacy carries on from generation to generation. We should honor individuals such as this, and strive towards living our lives as they lived. The events of their lives teach us patience, sacrifice, commitment, and love while reminding us of our responsibilities in life.

We have been blessed with so much. What have we done for the good of Islam? What are we doing for the good of Islam?!

We began the day by continuing our discussion of different Akham rules in Islam.  Last week we had discussed some of the important rulings that governed fasting, and this week we shifted to something a bit more general, namely IJTIHAAD.

We defined the word and listed some qualities for a person to be a Marja’ Taqleed.  The list of Maraje’ can be found here:

LIST OF MARAJE’

Just as we go to doctors when we get sick, or go to teachers to learn, or go to a sports coach for exercise, we need to turn to these people who have dedicated their lives to studying Islam for our spiritual questions.

We continued our day by reciting the 8th Juz of the Quran.

To end our day, we welcomed back our dear Brother Abdolhamid from his trip to Najaf, Karbala, Samerra’, Kazemeyn, and Mashad.  He enlightened us with his experiences and some of the sites he was privileged to visit.  All we can say is…

اللهم ارزقنا

We ended our night by throwing him a great welcome back party.  Truly, we welcome you back, Ey Za-ere Imam Hussein… Check out the album here.