From the Quran

A couple of days ago I got an SMS from a friend about verses in the Quran which reflect exactly what the Palestinian resistance is facing today in Gaza. Verses are below, from Surah Al-Imran (Chapter 3, verses 166-175).

And what struck you on the day the two armies met was by permission of Allah that He might make evident the [true] believers.

And that He might make evident those who are hypocrites. For it was said to them, "Come, fight in the way of Allah or [at least] defend." They said, "If we had known [there would be] fighting, we would have followed you." They were nearer to disbelief that day than to faith, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allah is most Knowing of what they conceal

Those who said about their brothers while sitting [at home], "If they had obeyed us, they would not have been killed." Say, "Then prevent death from yourselves, if you should be truthful."

And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision,

Rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those [to be martyred] after them who have not yet joined them - that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.

They receive good tidings of favor from Allah and bounty and [of the fact] that Allah does not allow the reward of believers to be lost

Those [believers] who responded to Allah and the Messenger after injury had struck them. For those who did good among them and feared Allah is a great reward -

Those to whom hypocrites said, "Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them." But it [merely] increased them in faith, and they said, "Sufficient for us is Allah , and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs."

So they returned with favor from Allah and bounty, no harm having touched them. And they pursued the pleasure of Allah , and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.

That is only Satan who frightens [you] of his supporters. So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers.

True today as it was 1430 years ago and forever to come. May Allah (swt) strengthen all those who fight in His way and make us of them, ameen.

The Ramadan Compact

I'm doing something different this Ramdan. Don't worry, Alhamdulillah I'm still fasting and praying and all of the usual great stuff. However, I wanted to add to my Ramadan goals. It's a time for growth and simply repeating what I've been doing for many years now isn't challenging enough. It's difficult, no doubt. However, I needed something new. AND I found it:

The Ramadan Compact

WHAT:
In the spirit of reducing consumption during Ramadan and using it as a time for reflection and awareness, I challenge you to a "Buy Nothing Ramadan."

WHY:
You've heard all the news stories on the environment: global warming, air and water pollution, species extinction, loss of forest, etc. Whether you believe that our planet is heading for an immediate catastrophe or not, you have to realize that, as Americans, we just consume A LOT. If you look at our Ecological Footprint - a measure of consumption and waste production that is translated into the amount of land needed to maintain these services (see here) - an average American needs 24 "acres" of land to support his current lifestyle. I took the quiz and, even if the whole world were semi-green like me, we would still need 3.7 earths to survive (17 acres per person). Take the quiz and see what you get.

As a Muslim with "environmentalist" tendencies, I believe that this sort of consumption is not just inequitable but largely unsustainable. I also believe that we can make a difference through our individual decisions.

I invite you to take the barakah of Ramadan to be thankful for the blessings in our lives, be more mindful of our actions and their environmental impact, and reduce material consumption.

HOW:
The idea of the Buy-Nothing Ramadan comes from the Compact movement, first started in the San Francisco area where members agreed to go a year without buying anything.

The Compact aims to:
"1) to go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of U.S. consumer culture, to resist global corporatism, and to support local businesses, farms, etc. -- a step, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact
2) to reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er)
3) to simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)"

Here are the rules (modified from here):
1. Don't buy any new products. Exceptions: Food and drink, medicine, personal items (ex. socks and underwear), services, charitable contributions, and gifts (in moderation).
2. For other items, borrow or buy used.
3. Take the time you would spend shopping in other productive ways (read Quran, spend time with your family, volunteer for a local community organization, etc).

Feel free to add other "rules" for your personal Compact - unplug from TV and internet media, try carpooling to reduce vehicle trips - be creative and challenge yourself! Use Ramadan as a time to be more mindful of not only your eating habits, but of your overall consumption. Food for thought: how to host a eco-friendly iftar.

I am accountable only to myself. I may stumble along the way, but I pray that my willingness to live a better, more sustainable, life (Fi'sabilillah) will be what keep me in check.

If you're interested, sign up here: the Ramadan Compact!

This Ummah...


The other night at the ICOI qiyam, these verses kept running through my head:

“O’Mankind! We created you from a single pair of male and female, and made you into nations and tribes that you might get to know one another. Surely, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah, is he who is the most righteous. Allah is All-Knowledgeable, All-Aware.” (49: 13)

“There has come to you from Allah a new Light and a clear book, with which Allah will guide to the ways of peace all those who seek His good pleasure and bring them out of the depth of darkness into the light of His grace and guide them to the right way.” (5:14-16)

All I could say to myself as I sat there and I looked around at the diversity of our community was SubhanAllah. If you know me you most likely have heard me talk about this before…and I can’t help it. As I sat there outside in the tent, I heard around me so many different languages, Spanish, Arabic, Urdu, Chinese and English. And as I sat and quietly observing, I was in awe of all the different ethnicities within our community. I wondered their stories and how they were brought to Islam. SubhanAllah…it makes me happy. It is easy to forget in our very busy lives the context of what we are living in and living through. But as Suhaib Webb said, “we are the ummah of the prophet” and we really are blessed to be such a close, diverse and knit tight community. Alhamdullilah.

Quran in Numbers

I could not find the number of times Jihad is mentioned, or things that are violent. But this is a good point of reference for Muslims, being the Month of Ramadan, that PRAYER is a critical feature in our religion. We- reminding myself first- take advantage of prayer and delay it or altogether accept that God is merciful and will forgive us. But this negligence is at a high price. Without prayer there is no faith. It is a manifestation of us being Muslim, it sets our lifestyle. It is the core of what makes a Muslim Muslim and it is the way we stay connected to the Most High.

The Qur’an is divided into 30 parts or Juz and into 114 chapters or Surahs.

Each surah contains a number of verses or ayat ranging from 2 to 286.

92 surahs were revealed at Mecca – 22 at Madinah.

It has 6, 616 verses; 77, 934 words; and 323, 760 alphabets.

750 ayats deal with scientific matters.

160 verses contain the word ‘ilm’ or knowledge.

25 of the prophets are mentioned by name.

At 70 times or more people are asked to pray.

At least 90 times or more people are ordered to pray.

At 150 times people are called upon to give charity.

Prophet Moses is mentioned most frequently.

Prophet Muhammad is mentioned by name 4 times. At 11 times he is addressed as ‘O Messenger” and 23 times as “messenger”.

The phrase “Muhammad is the Messenger of God” is mentioned twice.

About time Muslamics has a post on Ramadan!

Rapidly, months pass before our eyes until Ramadan is upon us. The first days may seem stretched, but thereafter they dash by Having realization of the movement of time is part of the Ramadan project.

Harboring suspicion, rancor, or negative opinions about other people is especially noxious in Ramadan. The same goes for all forms of cheating, vanity, and irrational anger. Ramadan is a month of remembrance, for we stand long in prayer listening to the Quran.

Boasting and arrogance are starved in Ramadan. How can they survive, while we admit our abject need of God and His generous provision?

All of these blessings of Ramadan come with the obvious caveat: nothing is automatic. This is not the system that God set in place in our lives and the world in which we live. Without effort and sincere trust, Ramadan can easily be just another 30 days in a year, no special moment.

Even for those who fast, who mechanically deprive themselves without striving to reach deep into their soul for spiritual lessons, replenishment, and climbing, the month comes and goes with only the sense of inconvenience and then a celebration at the end. Then life goes on as it did the months of the year before. One cannot help but notice a tragedy in this: God so generously opens portals in time, truly special opportunities for us to grow, learn, and build for our Hereafter, yet people turn away from it with casual notice and perfunctory interest.

Excerpts from Purification of the Heart

May Allah (swt) make us of those who take advantage of this magnificent gift, and not of those who are heedless towards it, ameen.

For more on preparing for Ramadan check out this, this, and this (for lecture-junkies, the last one has a whole bunch of them).

If you have any cool tips for making the best of Ramadan please share!