Difficult Patience, Women in Mosque, Creativity & Fun, Canada Votes
Issue 362 » January 20, 2006 - Zul-Hijja 19, 1426
General
| Living the Quran |
Al-Baqarah
(The Cow)
Sabr is an Arabic word which comes from a root meaning
to detain, refrain and stop. Hence, the ruler who abstains from injustice, the young man who stays away from indecency, and the rich who gives up worldly pleasures, will have the highest status before Allah. On the other hand, the adulterous old man, the untruthful ruler, and the arrogant poor are severely punished by Allah because it is more convenient for them to overcome such unlawful desires. Consequently, giving up patience in such situations sheds light on their disrespect and rebellion against Allah. Source: |
| Understanding the Prophet's Life |
| Women Praying in Mosque Women used to attend the jama`ah or congregational Prayers and the Friday Prayers in the Prophet's Mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to urge them to stand in the last rows behind men. At the beginning, men and women used to enter through the same door. When this caused overcrowding on entrances and exits, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), said: "(It would be better) if this door is left for women." Upon hearing so, the men made that door for women, and it became known up until today as "The Women's Door". Moreover, women, at the time of the Prophet, used to attend the Friday Prayers; they used to perform the Prayer regularly and listen to the khutbah to the extent that one of them could recite Surat Qaf as she heard the Prophet recite it several times in the Friday khutbah. Women also used to attend the Eid Prayers and participate in that big Islamic festival that included the old and the young, men as well as women, out in the open, all worshipping Allah. Umm Attiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated, "We used to be ordered to come out on the Day of the Eid and even bring out the virgin girls from their houses and menstruating women so that they might stand behind the men and say takbir along with them and invoke Allah along with them and hope for the blessings of that day and for purification from sins." (Reported by Al-Bukhari) Moreover, women used to attend religious sermons with men at the Prophet's house and they used to inquire about religious matters that many women nowadays would find embarrassing to ask about. For instance, A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) praised the women of Al-Ansar for trying to understand their religion without being held back by bashfulness for they used to ask about such matters as major ritual impurity, wet dream, purificatory bath, menstruation, chronic vaginal discharge, etc. And when women found that men's questions were taking most of the Prophet's time, they plainly requested the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to make a special day for women. So the Prophet dedicated a day for them when he used to give them lessons and sermons. (Narrated by Al-Bukhari) Source: |
| Unlearn! |
In the attempt to extinguish a burning desire for ‘learning Islam or Deen’, many practicing Muslims, often take extreme approaches to the study of Islam that are devoid of practicality and spirituality. In order to overcome this problem we need to unlearn, before we learn. This section concludes some misconceptions that we need to unlearn before we move on to learning Islam. Next week we will start a new series on 10 tips to enhance our Islamic knowledge. Can’t Integrate Creativity and Fun with Islamic Education There are several new and creative modes of Islamic learning that make Islam much easier and fun to learn. Just because Allah has made Islamic education easy through technology, such as audio/video/CD/DVD programs and lectures, email newsletters, phone conference calls, e-magazines, articles, PalTalk, video conferencing, and iPOD, doesn’t mean they are not effective or beneficial. In many ways these avenues of auditory and visual learning supplement traditional method of learning through books and scholars. Selective Islam Some so-called ‘progressive Muslims’ have a hard time digesting certain aspects of Islam or Islamic sources that do not seem ‘rational’ or ‘compliant’ with our modern age. They pick and choose whatever they like. Due to this cut and paste method of learning they fail to see the bigger picture and deny Islamic law any role in our society. This leads to privatization of Islam to the domain of personal worship only. Source: |
| Canada Votes! |
Enjoin Good and Forbid Evil: CANADIAN STYLE Enjoin good and forbid evil; the duty of every Muslim. Sometimes though, it’s hard to figure out what is good and what is evil. A lot of the time, it’s even harder to figure out how to enjoin good and forbid evil. Let’s take an example, our example: Canadians, either by birth or immigration, wanting to better society, wanting to improve our neighbourhoods and communities, our cities and provinces, our country and our world. How do we do it? There are many ways to make change, but in a democratic system voting is one of the few ways to directly affect social changes. Canada is a parliamentary democracy. That means that people speak through their representatives. Staying away from the system is losing our voice; it is giving up a chance to fulfill the will of God. Here are few reasons why you should vote in the next election (Federal, Provincial, Municipal or any where your opinion is counted): 1. FOR PUBLIC INTEREST When we vote, we choose the representatives who will make the laws and policies that govern how we live together.
2. TO MAKE OUR VOICE STRONG While democracy involves much more than holding elections every four years, voting is a powerful way to send a message to governments and politicians. The more votes, the more powerful the message is. In other words, every vote counts. 3. EASIEST POLITICAL PARTICIPATION Compared to other forms of political participation, voting does not require a lot of time or effort – in other words, it is one of the easiest ways to have a say in how our society is governed. As Muslims it is our civic and religious duty to strive to move the society forward as closely as possible to the ideals of justice, fairness, equity and compassion for all; we cannot do this effectively unless we ensure that those who are committed to such ideals are voted to positions of power. More Resource: |
