Editor: Sadiq Noor - aaiil.canada@gmail · The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way...

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The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is as the parable of

a grain growing seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies

(further) for whom He pleases. And Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing. Those who

spend their wealth in the way of Allah, then follow not up what they have spent with

reproach or injury, their reward is with their Lord, and they shall have no fear nor

shall they grieve. A kind word with forgiveness is better than charity followed by

injury. And Allah is Self-sufficient, Forbearing. O you who believe, make not your

charity worthless by reproach and injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen

of men and believes not in Allah and the Last Day. So his parable is as the parable of

a smooth rock with earth upon it, then heavy rain falls upon it, so it leaves it bare!

They are not able to gain anything of that which they earn. And Allah guides not the

disbelieving people. And the parable of those who spend their wealth to seek Allah’s

pleasure and for the strengthening of their souls is as the parable of a garden on

elevated ground, upon which heavy rain falls, so it brings forth its fruit twofold; but

if heavy rain falls not on it, light rain (suffices). And Allah is Seer of what you do.

Does one of you like to have a garden of palms and vines with streams flowing in it

— he has therein all kinds of fruits — and old age has overtaken him and he has

weak offspring; when (lo!) a whirlwind with fire in it smites it so it becomes blasted.

Thus Allah makes the messages clear to you that you may reflect. [Al Baqarah: 2:261-266]

sha’

at-i-I

Editor: Sadiq Noor - aaiil.canada@gmail.com

his Qur’anic constitution does not start with imposing duties, but by

encouragement and persuasion. It attempts to awaken inner feelings and reaction

within man’s whole being. It portrays an image of life, which is vivid, every-increasing,

yielding its endless gifts: that of plants, the gift of the land, or indeed the gift of Allah.

Plants give much more than they take. Their yield and fruit are a great many times more

than their seeds. This highly impressive image is given as something very similar to

those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah: The cause of those who spend their

wealth for the sake of Allah is like that of a grain which brings forth seven ears, in every

ear a hundred grains.

he simple, immediate meaning of the expression

here requires a simple arithmetic process which

makes one grain yield seven hundreds. The vivid image

provided here is, however, much more impressive and

beautiful. Its effect on man’s conscience is much more

profound. It is an image of active life, nature at full

sway, and a plant making its gift. Moreover, it is a scene

of something miraculous in the realm of plants: a single grain bringing forth seven ears,

with each ear containing one hundred grains. As the procession of ever-growing life

continues its march, the Qur’an directs man’s conscience to give more and more. By

doing so, it indeed gains.

t does not decrease: it increases. The process of giving and growing continues and it

awakens more and more of man’s feelings to appreciate the scene of plants and their

yield. Allah increases His bounty many times over to whomever He wills, without any

need for keeping accounts. He gives and gives of His limitless bounty and His infinite

mercy: Allah is Munificent, All-Knowing. He is munificent: He does not stint His gifts,

which are ever forthcoming. He also knows all, including people’s intentions which He

rewards. Nothing can escape Allah’s knowledge.

ut what sort of spending is made to grow and grow? And what sort of gift is

rewarded with a manifold increase in this life and in the life to come? It is the kind

of spending which elevates human feelings and keeps them pure. It is the one which

does not hurt the feelings of others, and which is motivated by pure kindness and

benevolence, and which seeks only Allah’s pleasure: Those who spend their wealth for

the cause of Allah and do not follow their spending by stressing their own benevolence

and with injury [to others] shall have their reward with their Lord. They have nothing to

fear, nor shall they grieve.

o boast about what one gives away is certainly

abominable. No one talks boastfully about one’s

benevolence unless conceit or a desire to humiliate

the recipient of his bounty or to draw people’s

attention to himself motivates one. Hence, his

generosity is not for the sake of Allah, but to win

favors with people. Such motives and desires are alien to a pure heart of a true believer.

Boasting makes charity an injury to both the giver and the recipient. It injures the giver

as it awakens within him feelings of pride and conceit, as well as a desire to see his

brother, the recipient, showing humbleness in his presence. It further injures him

because it fells his heart with hypocrisy and drives him away from Allah. It is, on the

other hand, an injury to the recipient as it makes him feel his humbleness. He then

reacts with harboring a grudge and a desire for revenge.

slam does not view spending for the cause of

Allah as merely a means to provide food for the

poor to eat. In the Islamic view, spending is a

means to purify the soul of the giver and to

elevate it. It is also a means to arouse within him

his humanitarian feelings so that he feels the bond

which unites him with his poor brother and

reminds him of Allah’s grace and His bounty, as

well as the term upon which he was given Allah’s

bounty, namely, to enjoy it without extravagance

of showiness, and to spend of it “for Allah’s

cause” without reluctance or boasting. Islam also

views such spending as a consolation for the

recipient and a cementation of his ties with his

brother, the giver. It is also a means to overcome the weakness of the community as a

whole, so that it is built on a solid foundation of mutual cooperation and security which

brings to the fore its awareness that it is a single entity which has the same direction

and the same duties. If those who are charitable will stress their benevolence and boast

of it they ruin all this and make their spending a poisonous act and a fire, which

consumes the unity of the society. Boastfulness, therefore, is an injury even when it is

not accompanied by any other form of injury, whether verbal or physical. It is an injury

because it ruins a good act, enhances grudges and tears the society apart.

number of modern psychologists are of the view that the natural reaction to

charity is future hostility. They claim that the one who takes charity is bound to

feel inferior to the giver. His feeling of inferiority will continue to work on him, and he

will then try to overcome it by harboring hostility toward the giver, especially if he

believes that the giver wants him always to remember his kindness. This, in turn,

enhances his distress at his inferiority, which then makes him hostile to the giver.

ll this may be true of ignorant societies where Islam does not rule. This religion of

ours has a different method of tackling this problem. It establishes first that

whatever is in the hands of people belongs to Allah. Only those who do not know the

direct and indirect reasons of wealth and earnings dispute this. Everything, which we

have, is given to us by the grace of Allah. We cannot possess any of it by our own means.

For a single grain to exist, it is necessary for natural forces, such as the sun, the earth,

water and air to play their respective roles. Man controls none of these forces. The same

applies to the drop of water, the string from which cloth is made and indeed to

everything. Hence, if a rich person gives something of this wealth in charity, he only

gives away something, which belongs to Allah. If he does something good, he is only

giving Allah a loan, which is repaid manifold. The needy person who stands at the other

end is only a means through which the giver gets a reward, which is many times greater

then what he gives. To stress this meaning in people’s hearts and to discourage people

from boasting and to encourage the needy to take their dues, Islam has laid down these

moral values which we are discussing. Both, the giver and the recipient, east of what has

been provided by Allah. Those who give will receive their reward from Allah if they

spend of Allah’s money for Allah’s cause, observing the moral code He has laid down for

them, and bound by the terms of their covenant with Him. They have nothing to fear, for

they will not be deprived of what has been given to them. Nor would they have to

content with other people’s grudges or with injustice. Nor shall they grieve for having to

spend in this life, or over what happens to them in the Hereafter.

harity is worthless if it is followed by injury

inflicted by the giver on the recipient. It is far better

to replace it by a kind word and a friendly feeling. A

kind word helps fill people’s heart with pleasure and

content. Forgiveness washes away grudges and replaces

them with a feeling of friendship and brotherhood.

Together they achieve the primary purpose of charity,

namely, the purification of hearts and the strengthening

of friendly feelings.

harity is not a favor done by the giver to the recipient; it is a loan given to Allah.

Hence, the statement is included with this comment: Allah is free of all wants,

clement. He is in no need of charity followed by injury. A manifest of His clemency is

given by the fact that He provides everything for His servants, but does not punish them

for their ingratitude. Yet they are indebted to Him for their very existence, even before

He gives them anything. People, then, should learn and try to treat each other with

clemency. They must not be furious with, or inflict injury on, those to whom they have

been charitable should they be ungrateful to them or should they do something wrong.

he Qur’an continues to remind people of the attributes of Allah which provide the

perfect ideal for a Muslim with regard to his manners and moral values. He should

work hard toward the ideal in order to achieve of it whatever his nature is capable of

achievement.

he last three verses have given us an example of those who spend their wealth for

the cause of Allah, without stressing their own benevolence or causing injury to

others portrayed allegorically in a scene of vitreous life yielding its fruits with

abundance, followed by a statement that Allah is in no need of charity followed by

injury. When the impressions left by these verses are at their most vivid and their

impact at its highest, the believers are instructed not to render their charitable acts

invalid by boastfulness and injury. We are given here two remarkable scenes, which fit

perfectly with the earlier one drawn from the world of agriculture. They describe the

nature of spending purely for Allah’s sake and the other type of charity followed by

injury and boastfulness. This is in keeping with the Qur’anic method of putting the

intended meaning in a scene, and showing the effect in a movement, and the whole idea

in a vivid portrait which is full of life.

he first scene is made up of two contrasting images, with each containing details

which fit perfectly with one another as far as the art of drawing is concerned. They

are also perfectly fitting to the message the whole scene has been drawn to give the

feelings and impressions it is intended to impart.

n the first image, we see the very hard heart: As

does he who spends his wealth only to show off

and be praised by others, while he believes neither

in Allah nor in the Last Day. The gentle, pleasant

and happy feelings faith imparts to man are

unknown to that person who tries to cover his

hard nature with a thin cover of hypocrisy. His

masked heart is like a smooth rock covered with

earth. It is a piece of stone which can never be

fertile, covered with a thin layer of dust so that its

hard nature is not immediately recognizable in the

same way as hypocrisy covers the hard nature of a

heart devoid of faith. Then heavy rain falls on it and leaves it hard and bare. When the

dust is washed away by the rain, everyone recognizes the reality of the stone: bare,

unfruitful, hard, barren. The same qualities apply to the person who spends his wealth

only to show off and to gain praise. Nothing good results from his action and he can

expect no reward.

he contrasting image of this scene is that of a heart full of faith, gentle and happy. It

is the heart of a man who spends his wealth out of a genuine desire to please Allah.

He is also motivated by his certainty, imparted to him by his faith, that good actions

yield the best fruit. The heart of the believer is represented here by a fertile garden with

deep soil, in contrast with the thin layer of dust on the smooth rock, which was the

image given earlier for the hard heart of the non-believer. Two similes provide perfect

harmony. When heavy rain falls it does not wash away the fertile soil as it did with the

dust on the stone, it enhances its fertility and doubles its produce: Heavy rain falss on

it, and yields up twice its normal produce.

he heavy rain gives life to the soil in the same way as charity gives life to the heart

of the believer to enable him to grow and strengthen his relationship with Allah. His

wealth also increases and Allah gives him in abundance. Moreover, the life of the Muslim

community is purified with such kind spending and it grows: If no rain falls on it, a

slight drizzle [is sufficient]. Indeed, fertile soil needs only little water to give in

abundance.

t is a complete scene with perfect contrast, and great harmony of details. It is shown

with inimitable skill. It portrays every feeling and every thought with tangible

indicators, and imparts its message to man effortlessly.

ince a scene is something which we see with our eyes, and since the whole matter in

discussion depends on how Allah sees the real motives behind actions, it is

concluded with this statement: Allah sees all you do.

he second scene shows the end brought about by boastfulness and injury. They

totally destroy the good effects of charity at the time when the person concerned is

powerless and helpless, unable to avert that destruction. This depressing result is

depicted in a vivid image, which leaves strong impressions. Everything here is stormy,

after a period of security and fertility. In essence and effect, an act of charity is likened

in the physical world to a garden of palms and vines, through which rivers flow,

bringing forth all kinds of fruits. It is a beautiful garden with fine trees and abundant

fruits. So should a charity be in the life of the giver, the recipient and the community; it

should be pleasant, beautiful and blessed. It should help truth and it should promote

ho would wish to have such a garden, or

such a good act, and then inflict on it

uncalled for boastfulness and injury

to destroy a garden? Who would do that at

the moment when he is totally helpless to save

it, and when his need for its fruits is at its

most pressing? Then to be of an advanced age,

while children are weak and then a fiery

whirlwind smites it and leaves it all burnt down.

Who would wish to have that? Who would

not try to avert such an end, having

contemplated it? In this way, Allah makes

plain to your His revelations, so that you

may reflect.

he scene portrays first a case of happiness and enjoyment, beauty and splendor,

before the fiery whirlwind utterly destroys it. The awesome impressions left by this

remarkable scene leaves no room for any hesitation before the choice is made while it

can be made, before the beautiful, fruitful garden is destroyed by the fire of the

whirlwind.

he perfect harmony, which we inevitably notice in the drawing of very individual

scene and the way it is presented, is not limited to individual scenes. It applies to all

the scenes drawn in this passage which are all

derived from the field of agriculture: a grain out

of which grow seven ears; a smooth rock covered

with earth before it is washed away by heavy

rain; a garden on a hillside producing double its

normal harvest; a garden of palms and vines, etc. It

is a complete artistic exhibition, which also

includes heavy rain, drizzle and a whirlwind.

Beyond all this lies an essential fact of an

important relationship between man and the

soil of the earth. It is the fact of the common origin, the common nature and the

life common to both man and the soil. This life of both man and soil can also be

utterly destroyed. All this we learn from the Qur’an, the perfect word of truth,

revealed by the One who is Wise and who knows all.

Fiji Islands

79TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE “AAIIL – FIJI”

October 1934 was the date of registration of the Ahmadiyah Anjuman

Isha’at-i-Islam (Lahore) in Fiji, done at the office of the Registrar General.

Mirza Muzaffar Baig Sateh, a Muslim Missionary from Lyallpur (now

Faisalabad) was sent to Fiji by Maulana Muhammad Ali from Lahore – then in

British India in 1931 and upon written instructions from Maulana

Muhammad Ali, had the Jama’at registered in Fiji as the first Muslim body

officially registered in Fiji.

Muslims in Fiji in the 1930s were under most saddening persecutions by

Hindus of the Arya Samaj sects.

The formation of the AAIIL Fiji also helped Muslims of the other sects in

1930s, mainly Sunni and some Shia, to survive in Fiji; and to this date

Muslims have maintained and retained Islam, as a recognized but essential

minority religion in Fiji.

The AAIIL in Fiji, though small, is 79 years in existence.

{Editor’s note: I had the pleasure of meeting, spending time, listening, attending to Lectures of Hazrat Mirza

Muzaffar Baig Sateh Sahib in Lyallpur, and I found him a wonderful man and a great scholar of his age. May

Allah shower his blessings on him and grant him a high place closer to Him}

A Reminder from JALAL UD DEAN

The Editorial

Team: Noor-i-Islam:

Assalaamu’Alaikum:

Thank you very much

for the well-edited

Magazine. The

general layout and

flow of logical

support to situations with direct supportive references is

certainly appreciated and that aspect cannot go unnoticed

and not commented. Thanks again and congratulations.

Shukran and was salaam, JALAL UD DEAN.

I have always read your magazine with interest,

but THIS EDITION has made me want to (1) Advertise it

to as many readers as possible and to (2) Make some

other comments; Apart from the high quality of articles,

the typesetting was perfect. I had to get pen and paper out

to remark on – “Not make Islamic Legislation

subservient to social [& cultural] Traditions.”... “Change

this tradition not institutionalises it” ... This does not

apply to Zakah alone but to a lot of the Ills affecting

‘Muslim’ actions today.

Prayer, Zakat, Jihad, Seeking Forgiveness, Qualities of

Good Believers, EVERY one of these articles made me

re-read them. I have never seen better – so succinctly

written.

{Name withheld, upon request}

Assalamo O Alaikum Br Sadiq:

I enjoy reading your message and was impressed with the

News Letter you forwarded to us. May the Blessings of

Allah be with your family, your Jama’at, and yourself.

Please continue the good work your Jama’at is doing.

AHAMED HOSEIN, OAAIIL, Toronto, Canada.

Assalam Alaikum Brother Sadiq:

Jazak Allah for another excellent issue. I like it that you

cover a wide variety of topics and always increase my

knowledge and faith. May Allah give you the strength,

and to Siddiqa too.

Blessings, ZAINIB AHMAD

Dear All:

I appreciate your struggle regarding expand of Islam in

the world. May Allah success you more to achieve goal

and grant ability on the correct path of Hazrat

Muhammad, PBUH.

Regards; MUHAMMED QASIM, Lahore

My dear Sadiq Noor, Assalamo Alaikum

Thanks for the issue. Details about the children of the

Holy Prophet Muhammad PBUH are quite informative.

Similarly, the questions about getting married and to

settle matters. You spend lot of time in formatting and

designing the issue. Excellent!

NASIR AHMAD

Assalamo Alaikum, Dear Brother:

Thank you for sending your publication. I look forward

to it, share it and save it in a special folder. Wish you and

your Jama’at well.

EBRAHIM MUHAMED, South Africa

Assalamo Alaikum to All:

Another Good issue. Well researched articles. Siddiqa

was outstanding because what she experienced is the

downfall of Middle East. Her conclusion is memorable –

“May Allah give us the awareness to spot ignorance and

then provide us with the wisdom to steer away from it.”

Much Love.

{Name withheld, upon request}

Assalamo Alaikum:

I enjoy reading your magazine. Keep up the good work.

ABRAR AHMAD SAYAL

Yes, I have noticed and read the magazine. May

Allah bless you for your efforts.

KHALID JABBAR, Kashmir

Please convey my message to Sadiq that I am in the

process of reading all of your magazines and will print

copies and distribute them to local Jama’at, Insha’Allah

May Allah bless you;

TAHIR SADIQ

My humble and sincere thanks to all our readers who take time-out from their busy schedules to comment on

our efforts. May Allah bless you all for your kindness ....... Sadiq Noor - Canada

NO ONE WILL DESCEND FROM HEAVEN

Remember, that no one will descend from heaven.

All our opponents who are alive today will die

and no one will see Jesus, son of Mary descending

from heaven. Then, their next generation will pass away and

not one of them will see this spectacle. Then the generation

next after that will pass away without seeing the son of Mary

descending from Heaven. Then God will make them anxious

that though the time of the superiority of the cross had

passed away, and the world had undergone great changes,

yet the son of Mary had not descended from heaven.

Then the wise people will suddenly discard this belief. The

third century after today will not yet have come to a close

when those who hold this belief, whether Muslim or

Christian, will lose all hope and will give up this idea in

disgust. There will then be only one religion that will prevail

in the world and only one leader.

I have come only to sow the seed, which has been sown by my

hand. NOW, it will sprout and grow and flourish and no one

can arrest its growth.

Abu Tariq Hijazi Shamsuddin Mohammed, “Ibn Battuta”, the great Muslim adventurer of Morocco, was born on

17th of Rajab 703AH (corresponding to February 24, 1304) to an educated family in Tangier.

Ibn Battuta was the only medieval traveler who is known to have visited the lands of every Muslim ruler

of his time. He also traveled to Ceylon, China, Byzantium and South Russia. His travels are estimated to

have spanned no less than 75,000 miles, a distance unheard of before the age of engines.

His very first adventures took place to Egypt, Syria and Hejaz. Ibn Battuta traveled to Makkah by land,

following the North African coast through Tlemcen, Bejaia and Tunis, where he stayed for two months.

In the early spring of 1326, following a journey of over 3,500km, Ibn Battuta arrived at the port of

Alexandria, spending several weeks visiting sites in the area, then heading inland to Cairo. After

spending about a month in Cairo, he traveled through Syria and Palestine, and visited Al Khalil (Hebron),

the place of burial of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), Prophet Ishaque (Isaac) and Prophet Yaqub (Jacob),

then went on to visit the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Al Quds (Jerusalem), in addition

to Bethlehem, the birth place of Prophet Jesus.

After spending the month of Ramadan in Damascus, he joined a caravan, traveling 1,500 km to Madinah,

where he stayed for four days. He then went to Makkah to perform Hajj. This was his first pilgrimage,

which he performed in 726 AH after traveling 3,500 km in 16 months.

His second adventure spanned Baghdad, Tabriz, Mosul and Mardin. On November 17 1326, he

embarked on another tour and joined a large caravan of pilgrims returning to Iraq. In Najaf, he visited

the mausoleum of Ali ibn Abi Talib. He then visited Isfahan and Shiraz and returned to Baghdad in June

1327. Shortly after, Ibn Battuta briefly joined the royal caravan, then returned northward onto the Silk

Road to Tabriz. Once back in Mosul, he joined a caravan of pilgrims and returned to Makkah for his

second pilgrimage. This time, he stayed for more than two years, attending sermons by learned Ulema.

This made him an authority on jurisprudence and earned him the title of chief judge (Qadhi), a role he

would periodically undertake in other Islamic states.

Yemen, Somalia, Tanzania and Oman were next on his list. Ibn Battuta embarked once again on a new

journey to Jeddah, Zabid, Tta’izz and Aden. He then boarded a ship to Zeila, visiting Mogadishu in

Somalia. From Somalia, he continued his journey southward to modern Tanzania. As monsoon winds

shifted northward, he returned to Makkah for his third pilgrimage via Oman, passing through the Straits

of Hormuz, Bahrain and Yamamah.

His fourth adventure included Constantinople, Central Asia and India. After spending another year in

Makkah, Ibn Battuta planned the longest journey of his life. Knowing that only the Indian and Egyptian

regions were spared the harm and destruction caused by the Mongols, he decided to witness the

The Man Who Traveled for 30 Years

HISTORY

grandeur of the Muslim empire in India. In 1332, Ibn Battuta embarked on his largest tour of the eastern

world. He traveled toward the north and took a ship from the Latakia port in Syria and moved to Konya

and Sinope by crossing the Black Sea. From Sinope, he took a sea route to Crimea of the Golden Horde

realm and reached up to Azov and Majar, finally reaching Bolghar, which was the northernmost point he

had reached.

He then returned to Astrakhan and came to the Christian territory of Constantinople with a procession.

He met the Byzantine emperor Andronicus III Palaiologos, visited the famous church of Hagia Sophia

and returned to Astrakhan. Passing through the Caspian Sea, he visited the famous cities of Samarkand,

Bukhara, Khiva, Balkh, Herat, Tus, Mashhad, and Neshapur and crossed over the Hindukush Mountains,

entering India via Ghazni and Kabul in Afghanistan. He later visited Lahri (near Karachi), Sukhur, Multan,

Sirsa and Hansi, finally reaching Delhi.

At that time, India was ruled by Sultan Mohammed Tughlaq, who was renowned as the wealthiest man in

the Muslim world. The Sultan of Delhi appointed him as chief judge in his court. Though a foreigner, Ibn

Battuta served the state for six years. Sultan later designated him as his ambassador to the ruling Yuan

dynasty in China.

His fifth trip was to the Maldives, Ceylon and China. From Delhi, he marched to Khambat in Gujarat and

then to Kozhikode (Calicut in Kerala) by ship, where he visited a mosque built by early Muslims. Ibn

Battuta then traveled to the Maldives, which was ruled by a Muslim king and was appointed once again

as judge of the Muslim state. He stayed there for nine months, studying the life pattern of the natives.

From the Maldives, he sailed to Ceylon and visited Adam’s Peak, returning to the Maldives via

Kozhikode.

Finally, he caught a ship to China

and sailed out from the

Maldives. He reached

Chittagong and Sonargaon in

modern Bangladesh

but took a short detour to

Sylhet to meet a saint named

Shah Jalal, then went up

north to Assam. Sailing along

the Arakan coast, he came to

Sumatra, Indonesia,

Malacca, Vietnam, the

Philippines and finally, Quangzhou in the Fujian province of China. From there, he went to Hangzhou,

near present-day Shanghai, and then traveled through the canal of Beijing.

The return journey from China to Morocco was yet another adventure. From Quangzhou, Ibn Battuta

came to Calicut, India, then to Basra in Iraq, passing through Strait of Hormuz and reaching Damascus in

1348. He then returned to Makkah to perform his seventh and final pilgrimage. From Makkah, he turned

WHERE TO LOOK DURING

PRAYER

toward Morocco via Sardinia. He returned home to Tangier in 1349 only to find

his parents had died awaiting his return.

Ibn Battuta’s sixth trip spanned the Andalusia region and North Africa. After a

short stay at Tangier, Ibn Battuta heard that King Alfonso XI of Castile and Leon

had threatened to attack the Muslim territory of the Gibraltar port and enrolled

himself with the “Mujahedeen” (fighters) to defend the port. Ibn Battuta visited

the Muslim territories of Valencia and Gharnata and returned home after seeing Marrakech.

During his seventh expedition to Mali and Timbuktu, Ibn Battuta passed through Fez and arrived at

Sijilmasa, a town on the northern edge of Sahara Desert. He set out in February 1352 on camel and after

25 days, reached the dry salt mines of Taghaza. Ibn Battuta’s sea voyages and references reveal that

Muslims dominated the maritime activity of the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Ibn

Battuta visited China sixty years after Marco Polo (1254-1324) and traveled 75,000 miles, superseding

Marco Polo and Vasco de Gama (1469-1524).

Worship should always be performed in the

way and the manner that God likes and the

Prophet, peace on him, has shown and explained.

Prayer, or Salat, is the most important form of

Islamic worship. It includes readings from the

Qur’an, movements from one position to

another, glorification of God and supplication.

It must always follow the pattern shown to us

by the Prophet. He says: “Pray as you have

seen me pray.”

While it is his companions that saw him

offering his prayers, and joined him in

congregational prayers, we have learned the

way to pray through a long succession of

generations of Muslims, maintaining the same

way and following the Prophet’s example.

Anyone who prays in a different way does not

fulfill the Islamic duty.

Sometimes we do something in a particular

fashion because we think it is better that way.

This applies to anything other than religion,

which must follow the guidance provided by

the Prophet, peace on him. Providing such guidance

was his role and he accomplished it in the best

possible way. Following his example is the

practical manifestation of the second part of the

declaration: La Ilaha Illa Allah,

Muhammad Rasool Allah, which means,

“there is no deity other than God,

Muhammad is God’s messenger.”

In fulfilling his role, Prophet Muhammad, peace on

him, was keen to correct any mistake he might

have noticed one or more of his companions

doing. One of these mistakes was to look up to

the sky during prayer, particularly during

supplication. Some of his companions thought

that this was better, imagining that this is

indicated by the Qur’anic verse that says: “And

in the sky is your sustenance and all that you

are promised.” This, however, gives no hint that

looking up to the sky makes one’s supplication

quicker to answer. It is God who answers

prayer, and God is not bound by time, space or

any other dimension. The Prophet, peace on him,

YOU CANNOT CALL YOUR MOTHER

“MOM” OR “AMMEE”

YOU CANNOT SLAUGHTER AN ANIMAL ON

EID AL ADHA

Madness in Muslim World

advised his companions that looking up to the

sky during prayer is wrong.

Some of them, however, might have forgotten

or thought little of the matter. Therefore, he

said the following Hadith, issuing a strong

warning, quoted by Anas ibn Malik: “What is

the matter with certain people: they

lift their eyes to the sky during

prayer?” He continued speaking strongly

against this practice until he said: “They

shall desist or their sights might be

taken away.” {Al Bukhari}

At face value, the Hadith speaks against

looking up to the sky throughout prayer, but

another version related by Muslim specifies the

time of supplication. Hence, scholars differ in

their ruling concerning these two aspects. They

agree, however, that lifting one’s eyes to the

sky at anytime during prayer is reprehensible,

to say the least, but it is more strongly so, even

forbidden, when supplicating. The reason is that

it makes the worshiper turn away from the

Qibla, or the direction he should face in prayer.

It also departs from the form of prayer.

The question arises: Where should we look

during prayer? Imam Malik says we should

look in the direction of the Kabah, which is the

Qibla, while Imam Al Shafie and Imam Abu

Haneefah prefer that we look to the point where

we prostrate ourselves in prayer.

MALAYSIA: A Malaysian Idiotic Judge tells Christians cannot use the world “Allah”. In

simplistic terms, you cannot call your mother Mom, because I call my mother

The Malaysian and the Indonesian Christians, like the Arab Christians, Baha’is, Sikhs and

Mizrahi Jews use the term Allah to refer to God. Cognates of the name ‘Allah’ exist in

other Semitic Languages, including Hebrew and Aramaic. Biblical Hebrew mostly uses the

plural form (but functional singular) Elohim. The corresponding Aramaic form is Elaha in

Biblical Aramaic and Alaha in Syriac as used by the Assyrian Church, both meaning

simply ‘God’. In the Sikh scriptures, Guru Granth Sahib, the term Allah is used 37 times.

The name was previously used by Pagan Maccans as reference to a Creator Deity. [Wikipedia]

SYRIA: On 15 October 2013, they hung two Christians – convert or die.

PAKISTAN: Lahore police stopped various members of the Ahmadi community in

Lahore from slaughtering animals as part of “Qurbani” ritual on Eid Al Azha, proclaiming

Racing the Imam in Prayer

that the ritual of animal sacrifice was an Islamic injunction whereas Ahmadies were

not Muslims.

It has been learnt that police from the Islampura Police Station directed ‘Tahir’ in Sanat

Nagar not to sacrifice his bull, which he had bought and tied in front of his house a day

before Eid. At the direction of police, Tahir had to remove the animal from his house.

On the same night, Hanjarwal Police raided the house of Ahmad at Sabzazar and took

him to the police station, where he was detained for two hours. When his family

members reached the police station, officials agreed to release him, but not before he

provided a written assurance that he will not perform the sacrifice meant to

remember the Prophet Ibrahim’s [AlaihisSalaam] tradition of presenting Ismail [AlaihisSalaam]

for sacrifice, said one of Ahmad’s family members.

{Daily ‘The Express TRIBUNE’, 17 October 2013}

Readers:

If someone tells you that you cannot call your mother Mom, because he calls his mother Mom.

What will you tell him? If the same guy tells you that you cannot perform Qurbani because I do

the Qurbani? Is that acceptable?

Evil persist because good people do nothing about it.

The least we can do is to speak up.

Congregational prayer is one of the most important aspects of Islamic

worship. It helps to bring people in the same locality together, so that

they would know each other and establish friendly and close relations.

Moreover, their frequent meetings at prayer times give them a chance to

learn more of one another’s work and what they can provide. Thus, they

will seek to get what they need from within their own neighbourhood.

Furthermore, congregational prayer instils discipline within the

community. When people takes instructions from the Imam during

worship, which is a bond between each individual and God, they learn the

value of discipline in their lives.

Stressing the importance of discipline in prayer, the Prophet, peace on him,

says, as quoted by Abu Huraira: “When a person lifts his head before the

imam, does he not fear that Allah will make his head like that of a

donkey, or that He will make him look like a donkey?” [Al Bukhari]

This is the strongest form used by the Prophet, peace on him, to emphasise the

importance of following the imam in all actions, and not to go ahead of

him. The Prophet, peace on him, said: “I am your imam, therefore, do not go

r ‘S

before me in bowing, prostration or standing up.” He also said: “An imam is

appointed so that he is followed.” However, people are often impatient. When

the Prophet, peace on him, noticed that his admonition in this respect has not given its

desired results, he stated the hadith we are discussing, warning of a stern

punishment on the Day of Judgement. Thus, a person who races the imam in

prayer runs the risk of having a changed shape marking him out among all

people. We should emphasise here that this is merely a warning, and it does not

follow that everyone who does not abide by the order to follow the imam will be

changed in form. Such a person, however, exposes himself to this risk.

A question arises here about the validity of the prayer when a person moves

ahead of the imam in a congregational prayer. Scholars have expressed different

views, going into considerable details. They agree that it is forbidden to precede

the imam in any action. Everyone in the congregation is required to follow the

imam, not to precede him. It is indeed reprehensible to do any movement or say

any words of the prayer at the same time as the imam, except for the first Takbir,

which signals the beginning of the prayer, and the salaam, which signals its end.

A person who says these phrases at the same time as the imam makes his whole

prayer invalid.

What worshippers in the congregation are required to do is to follow the imam.

When he signals a move, they make it shortly after he has signaled it, and before

he has gone to next move. If a person delays moving until the imam has

completed the next action and went into the following one, then that person’s

prayer is invalid. To explain: We stand to read the Qur’an, then bow, then stand

up again, then go into prostration. If the imam bows and stands up while

someone in the congregation remains standing because he wants to finish his

recitation, then that person’s prayer is invalid. If he bows when the imam is still

bowing, his prayer remains valid but his action is not correct. He should follow

the imam.

A violation of this instruction that is often done by worshipper occurs in the last

prostration. The imam signals moving to the last sitting for Tashahhud, yet we

see people remaining in prostration for a whole minute or longer. This is

absolutely wrong and they run the risk of making their prayer invalid.

New York City – New York

A Page From My Diary Siddiqa Sadiq-Montreal-Canada I learned years ago, that Jihad

carried by the might of the pen, is

mightier than that by the sword. In the recent days, I have witnessed another kind of

Jihad which I wanted to share.

Unlike the popular image of male dominance in terms of protecting the religion,

what I witnessed was carried out by women. Not too long ago, Pauline Marois, Premier

of the Province of Quebec in Canada, announced the new “Charter of Values”.

Quebec, originally known as “New France”, is just that. It not only distinguish

itself entirely from the rest of Canada, by imposing it’s so called French Language

Police, but also takes pride in wanting to be completely separate. According to the new

Charter, no government employee can wear / have visible any religious symbol. This

obviously caused a lot of chaotic protests among Montealers. Pretty much all

communities, primarily the Jews, Muslims and Sikhs came out on the streets shouting

protests.

This didn’t come across to amaze me, but I’ll tell you what really did amaze me.

Watching Muslim girls proudly wearing their Hijabs, I felt ashamed to see some of even

my old students walking with pure pride and comfort with their Hijabs.

This is no rant about the importance of wearing the hijab (that can take its own

page in newsletter another time) but this me sharing what has amazed and impressed me

greatly!

Many might tend to disagree with me, since this may not be considered worthy

enough a title of a Jihad, but for me, these are the Jihadies Allah will truly be pleased

Montreal - Canada

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