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Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 1 April 2014 - Jumadal Thanni 1435 أمريكا فى النيجيرية للمنظمات العام اإلتحاد
Welcome to the latest edition of the NCNMO
Newsletter after a long period of silence. InshaAllah, we plan to publish monthly from now on. Expect to see interesting articles from our scholars, news from member chapters, tips & tricks, health advice, and various updates on the activities of the organization. Watch out for news about weddings, births, graduations, and other good things happening in our community. The theme for this edition is Beginnings. It’s the beginning for the recently elected leaders of the organization – so we feature important messages from the President and the Board of Trustees. We also take you to the early period of the message of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the first migration to Abyssinia. We also selected a Chapter of the Month. Keep reading to see which Chapter and why it was selected. Send us your articles, comments, news bits, and of course upcoming events from your chapters. We will be happy to publish them. You can contact us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you! Meanwhile, enjoy this edition. Editor-In-Chief: Alhaja Sikirat Adigun
Editors: Dr. Musodiq Bello, Sis. Ramat Jaji
IN THIS ISSUE
Young Adult Summer Retreat 1 President’s Address 2
The First Migration in Islam 3
New NCNMO Logo 3
Board of Trustees 5
Chapter of the Month 5
The Young Adult Summer Retreat (YASR) is a four-day
getaway that promotes spiritual, social, and professional interactions amongst young Muslim professionals between the ages of 18 and 40. Different from the usual lecture-filled Islamic conferences, YASR creates a harmonious accord between formal learning and social interaction. Through a unique set of programming, the Retreat seeks to rejuvenate the participants physically, educationally, socially and spiritually. Although YASR was primarily designed for Young Nigerian Professional Muslims, we welcome people of all nationalities to enjoy the non-cultural atmosphere at the retreat. The Retreat is aimed at: • Increasing our knowledge about Islam while networking
with our peers • Exploring unique elements of our Islamic faith • Building a positive American Muslim identity • Setting the foundation for interpersonal relationships • Experiencing the best of learning while having fun! YASR program is scheduled to hold in Gatlinburg, Tennessee from August 8th to August 11th, 2014. The theme for this year’s program is “Finding Your Life’s Purpose.” Events for the Retreat will include lectures, workshops, forum discussions with peers as well as with guest speakers and social outings at attractions throughout the Gatlinburg area. Lecture topics include “Developing a Relationship with Allah,” “Following the Rules of Islam for Professionalism and Business Conduct,” “Getting it Right: From Courtship to the Altar,” and “Building a Strong Ummah, One Family at a Time.” Social interactive activities includes but not limited to; a Mini-Halaqa on getting to know you, interactive jeopardy, candy hunt, sink or float boat game, BBQ & socialization, and a ziplining outdoor event. Registration is $180 per person, which will cover lodging, local transportation, outings and meals during the program. Insha Allah, the YASR 2014 planning committee looks forward to your presence at this memorable event! Get more info at
NCNMO.ORG or email [email protected].
YASR 2014
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
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NCNMO Newsletter Vol 2 Issue 1
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatul-Lahi
Wabarakatuh. The new administration was ushered in last September 2013, and my humble self was privileged to be selected to lead this great organization to the next height. I was selected not to lead, but only to be your humble servant. Yes. I am your servant, and yes, we members of the executive committee are here by the will of Allah (SWT) to serve you, according to the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Brothers and Sisters, the guiding principle of this executive can be summarized as HART: HONESTY, ACCOUNTANBILITY, RESPONSIBILITY and TRANSPARENCY. We will consult, collaborate and cooperate with the Shura, Board of Trustees and other NCNMO members on issues that will bring honor and progress to this great organization that we all cherish inshaAllah. The joint board members all agreed that our constitution need to be reviewed and amended. We are putting a constitution review committee in place to start work on this immediately. Henceforth, the Platform brochure will be handled by the executive committee. We plan to invite businesses such as travel agencies, airlines and telecommunication companies to advertise their product during Platform as a means of generating additional income for the program. Brothers and sisters, our attitudes affect our lives and also the lives of those around us - friends, family, and coworkers. So let us believe and have trust in each other as we move forward to the new era of the organization leadership. May Allah assist us and grant us success.
Hajji Teslim O. Olarinde
President
تعن ع هللاعن هقال:س ابرض رب نال خط مننيأبحف صع أمريال مؤ
مالك نيات،وا البلن ع ماال ن صىلهللاعليهوسمليقول:"ا رسولالل
لالل ه رتها كنت رئمانوى،فمن ،ام ورسول لالل رتها فهج ورسول
لي ه لماهاجرا رتها رأةين كحهافهج ام ن يايصيباأو ه رتهل كنت ومن It is narrated on the authority of Amir al-Mu'minin (Leader of the Believers), Abu Hafs 'Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), say: "Actions are according to intentions, and everyone will get what was intended. Whoever migrates with an intention for Allah and His messenger, the migration will be for the sake of Allah and his Messenger. And whoever migrates for worldly gain or to marry a woman, then his migration will be for the sake of whatever he migrated for." Related by Bukhari & Muslim
Hadith of the Month
How many times is the picture of the new NCNMO logo used in this Newsletter? Send your count to [email protected] for a chance to win an Islamic Book and NCNMO
Stationery and T-Shirt.
Page 3 NCNMO Newsletter Vol 2 Issue 1
By Sheikh AbduSemi'h Tádéṣe LLB, MS
The first migration in Islamic history is as important as the
second Migration to Abyssinia and the third and final Migration of the Muslims to Yathrib/Medinah during the lifetime of the
Messenger of Allah ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص. This first migration was embarked upon by twelve men and four women to Abyssinia which is in modern day Ethiopia. The migration was as important as the other two subsequent migrations for the following reasons: 1. The spread of Islam: Up to the time of the migration from
Makkah to Medinah, the numbers of the Muslims in the whole world was less than 200. According to the scholars of Seerah, there were only about 113 Muslims who migrated from Makkah to Medinah.
2. The Quraysh and their allies were making all effort to eradicate Islam and Muslims.
3. Those who embraced Islam as a result of the migrations (first and second migrations from Makkah to Abyssinia) were
regarded highly by the messenger of Allah ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص. For instance, when King Negus of Abyssinia (who hosted the emigrating Muslims and who later became Muslim himself) died, Allah subhaanaHu wata'ala sent Angel Jibreel to inform the
messenger of Allah ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص. In addition, Allah subhaanaHu wata'ala uncovered the barrier between Abyssinia and Madinah and the
messenger of Allah ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص was gazing at King Negus as he was laid down in his palace. Then, the Messenger of Allah along with his companions offered Salatul Ghaaeb Janaazah (funeral prayer in absentia) on him. An Aayah was revealed to this effect: "And indeed, among the People of the Scripture are those who believe in Allah and what was revealed to you and what was revealed to them, [being] humbly submissive to Allah . They do not exchange the verses of Allah for a small price. Those will have their reward with their Lord. Indeed, Allah is swift in account." [Suratu Al-Emraan 3:199]
Sixteen companions of the messenger of Allah ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص departed Shuaibah Port for the land of King Ashamah, Negus of Abyssinia. However, these emigrants stayed in Abyssinia for only about four months, from Rajab, the fifth year after the commencement of the revelation until Shawwal of the same year. They were the trailblazers who laid the foundation for our Islam today. They made lots of sacrifices for Islam. Let us each ask ourselves: What shall I do for Islam today?
Sheikh Tadese is currently the Director of Religious Affairs of the Islamic University Center (IUC), Cleveland OH, and Pittsburgh, PA, USA
The First Migration in Islam From the Qur’an
ينٱفىإكراهلا شد ٱتبينقدلد يكف رفمنلغىٱمنلر
غ وتٱب ـ ٱبوي ؤمن لط روةٱبستمسكٱفقدلل ثقىٱلع للو
عليم سميع لل ٱولهانفصامٱ ه مءامن وا لذينٱولىلل ٱ ني خرج تٱم ـ لنورٱإلىلظل م
ا لذينٱو وا ه م كفر غ وت ٱأوليااؤ ـ ونه ملط ني خرج لنورٱم
ـتٱإلى الظل م ـ ل ب كٮ أ و ـ لد ونفيہاه ملنارٱأصح ـ خ Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from Error; whoever rejects Evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things. Allah is the Protector of those who have faith: from the depths of darkness, He will lead them forth into light. Of those who reject faith the patrons are the Evil Ones: from light they will lead them forth into the depths of darkness. They will be companions of the fire, to dwell therein (forever). [Suratul Baqarah 2:256-257]
The new NCNMO Logo - incorporates American and Nigerian flags
without making it too obvious - has a globe rotated in such a way that America
and Africa are visible; notice that the flags are aligned with the respective continents
- has a crescent and star as symbols of Islam; crescent is integrated into the globe
- has predominantly green color associated with Islam and also with Nigeria
Please drop us a line at [email protected] and let us know your thoughts about the new logo.
Meet the new NCNMO logo
Page 4
NCNMO Newsletter Vol 2 Issue 1
Are you getting ready for Platform in December 2014?
Los Angeles, here we come! To volunteer for any of the planning committees, please send a
mail to [email protected]
Page 5 NCNMO Newsletter Vol 2 Issue 1
From the Board of Trustees
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, ever Merciful.
Surely there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, the first without a beginning, the last without an end. Our special thanks go to the Almighty Allah, the entire members of our Miami Florida Chapter, the National Planning Committee, the Joint bodies, and each and every one who worked tirelessly towards a successful Platform 2013. Through your support during the dollar-a-day program and purchase of Islamic artifacts, coordinated by the BOT, about $3800 was raised to cover Platform expenditure. We ask Allah to reward all of us for our contributions. One of the very important lessons from Miami is that our Platform program is rapidly growing. We therefore cannot afford to fold our arms and pretend it is business as usual. Aggressive efforts, brilliant initiatives and ideas must be explored by all of us. To this end, the BOT has been looking at the following areas of fund generation:
Tapping from the Government’s Faith-based initiatives: Without an iota of doubt, the NCNMO had implemented programs and lectures aimed at developing our youth to become responsible members of the society. We have, and continue to guide our youngsters to shun drugs, gangs, smoking, and terrorism; and there have been career seminars, Financial Planning workshops. These are signature programs that can get us some funding assistance. The BOT is exploring the idea of Grant writing to develop a funding request package.
Local Sourcing: Efforts are going on to contact the Nigerian Consulates in the USA, as well as well-meaning Nigerians, for sponsorship. It is important to know that some of them are not aware of our existence, but are very impressed by our programs, when notified.
Companies like retail outlets, and Organizations in the United States should also be contacted for sponsorship
Collaborative efforts are ongoing to explore the possibility of Aircraft Chatter for Platform 2014.
There is a lot more avenues to explore, and we must be relentless. We need the support and cooperation of all the stake holders to achieve these objectives. May the peace and blessings of Allah be with us all.
Muyideen Ibiyemi Yomi Sarumi Muftau Akiniyi
Abd Fatai Koletowo Abd Rasheed Adediran (MEMBERS, BOARD OF TRUSTEES)
Chapter of the Month
Official Name – Nigerian Muslims Association of Greater Houston (NMA) Also known as – Masjid-ul Mu’mineen Address – 8875 Benning Drive Houston TX 77031 Website – www.masjidulmumineen.org Email – [email protected] Year Established – 1985 Estimated Membership – Around 10,000 Daily Programs 1. Teach Them Hifz (TTH) – Quran memorization
2. Teach Them Quran (TTQ) – Quran Recitation
Weekly Programs 3. Men’s Halaqah (Tafsir Quran) – Sundays 7am
4. Women’s Halaqah - Sundays 10.30am
5. Youth Halaqah – Fridays Maghrib – Isha’
6. Asalatu-Dhikr – Sundays 2pm
7. Aqeeda Class – Fridays: Magrib – Isha’
8. Teach Them Young – Saturday Islamic Class
9. Jumuah Prayer – 1.45pm
Monthly Programs 1. Family Halaqa – Last Sunday of the month
2. Fiqh Session – Second Sunday of the month
3. Community Iftar – Last Thursday each month
Annual Programs 1. Men’s Convention (May 30 – June 1, 2014)
2. Women’s Convention (June 13 – 15, 2014)
3. Grandmas’ Convention
4. Young Muslims Deen Convention: Age 14-20
5. Tafsir & Community Iftar (daily in Ramadan)
6. Eid’l Fitr prayer & community get-together
7. Eid’l Adha prayer & get together
8. Health Fair – free health screening
9. NCNMO Platform
10. Spring Break Umrah for School kids
11. Walimah Khatmul Quran (May 24, 2014)
Upcoming Projects - Infrastructure and building
construction on newly acquired 11 Acres land
(planned to feature School, Islamic Center &
Multipurpose Hall) & Data Warehousing & IT
infrastructure upgrade.
Page 6
NCNMO Newsletter Vol 2 Issue 1
The American Immigration Lawyers
Association (AILA) is having its Citizenship Day - a nationwide push to complete and submit as many naturalization (citizenship) applications to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as there are eligible applicants. What this means is that attendees show up to a designated location, sit with an attorney who determines one's eligibility to apply for citizenship, and if given the green light, we assist attendees on location in preparing the citizenship application to submit directly to USCIS. The bonus is that this is a completely FREE service. This year the official date for Citizenship Day is Saturday, April 26, and will be hosted at different locations throughout the U.S. The African immigrant population has traditionally been under-serviced as it relates to immigration issues, so AILA has teamed up with similar organizations to make sure that this goes round. For more information, visit www.aila.org/content/default.aspx?docid=24543 Meanwhile, between now and April 26, if you would like to arrange for someone to come and make a brief announcement at your place of worship informing your members of Citizenship day please email Loide Jorge <[email protected]> or (202) 3701360 ext. 2
Graduation Edition Next edition of the Newsletter
will inshaAllah be the Graduation edition. Chapter
leaders, please send the names of all your graduating members (high school, college, Qur’an
and Islamic studies programs) to [email protected] by April 25,
2014
The Imam and the Bus Driver
Several years ago an Imam moved to London, United Kingdom. He
often took the bus from his home to the downtown area. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the same bus. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him twenty pence too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, you better give the twenty pence back. It would be wrong to keep it. Then he thought, "Oh, forget it, it's only a twenty pence. Who would worry about this little amount? The bus company already gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from Almighty Allah (swt) and keep quiet." When his stop came, the Imam paused momentarily at the door; he handed the twenty pence back to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change". The driver with a smile, replied, "Aren't you the new Imam in this area? I have been thinking lately about going to worship at your Mosque. I just wanted to see what you would do, if I gave you too much change." When the Imam stepped off the bus, his knees became weak and soft, he had to grab the nearest light pole and held on for support, and looked up to the heavens and cried: "Oh Allah, I almost sold Islam for twenty pence!" [sunniforum.com]
Citizenship Day- 4/26
Page 7 NCNMO Newsletter Vol 2 Issue 1
Each month, we hope to recommend a website that we
have evaluated and found to be beneficial to Islam and Muslims. Visit the site, add it to your bookmarks, and share it with others. This month our favorite site is:
www.islamicity.com This is one of the earliest Muslim websites and has continued to serve the Ummah. You can see the Qur’an verse by verse synchronized with audio and English translation. You will also find sections on Hadith, contemporary Muslim issues, matrimonial, and bazaar. The site also features live TV and radio stations.
Website in Focus
Vote for Platform 2014 Theme
Assalaamu alaikum! The lecture committee would like your input in selecting a theme for Platform 2014. Please help us by taking this quick, less than one minute, survey to help us choose between three themes for Platform:
1. Taking Our Deen to the Next Level, 2. Becoming a Productive Muslim, and 3. Akhira: What are we Doing to Secure it?
Every vote counts!! Just click or visit the following link to cast your ballot: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R73L6YP
Voting closes very soon. Vote today!
Volunteers needed!!! Do you have graphics design skills? Or can you write or edit articles? Can you commit some of your precious time to serve other Muslims? Then we need you on the Newsletter team. Please send a mail to [email protected] to indicate your interest. We need volunteers for the website
design and maintenance too. Write us if you can help. May Allah reward you as you volunteer.
Advertise here!!! We can help your business
grow! Send a mail to
more information
NCNMO Exco Alhaji Olatunji Olarinde - President
Alhaji Ola Disu - Vice President Ishaq Kolawole Akinade -Secretary General Sis. Kafilat Jinadu - Asst. Secretary General Bro. Ahmed Akande - Financial Secretary
Alhaji Obafemi Akanbi - Treasurer Alhaji Ahmed Opetubo - Auditor
Bro. Sulaiman Ajakaiye - Youth Coordinator Alhaja Sikirat Adigun - Public Relations
Officer
Shura Board Imam Yahya Nafiu - Ameer
Imam Monsur Ogun- Secretary Imam Abdurrahman - Adesokan
Member
Board of Trustees Alh. Muhydeen Ibiyemi - Chairman Alh. Rasheed Adediran - Member
Alh. Koletowo - Member Alh. Ganiyu Sarumi - Member
Alh. Mufutau Akinniyi - Member
The NCNMO Newsletter is published monthly by the National Council of Nigerian Muslim Organizations, USA. Contacts: Http://NCNMO.ORG * [email protected] * P. O. Box 91736, Washington, DC 20090
