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Issue Two - 2012

Al-QalamUniversity of Melbourne Islamic Society

A University of Melbourne

Islamic SocietyPublicationwww.umisonline.org.au

The Night Market 2012(pg. 4)

Welcome Back Barbeque(pg. 5)

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CCoonntteennttssIn this Issue:

3 Presidents Report

4 The Night Market 2012

5 Welcome Back Barbeque 2012

6 Stress and University

8 The Power of Dua

9 Forty Gems of the Prophet (s)Lecture Series

10 UMIS Event Reviews

11 Halal Food Guide (Melbourne CBD)

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Assalamu Alaykum,

I wish goodness upon you. In this section of Al-Qalam, I address the ongoing issues that have

been prominent in my role as current UMIS President.

Firstly, I would like to speak about the issue of the location of Jummah (Friday prayers).

As is common knowledge, In the past few years, UMIS had been conducting the Jumma and

Khutbah in the Eastern Gym of the Sports Centre. However, in April of last year, Melbourne

University Sport (MUS) notified UMIS' then President that they (MUS) had put together plans to

use the Gym for their own sporting activities, come the beginning of 2012.

Throughout the rest of 2011, beginning during the winter holiday period, members of the 2011-

2012 UMIS committee began deliberations with University representatives to locate another

suitable prayer space. Toward October of 2011, a space was located. This was the first floor of

Building G - 183 Bouverie St. This building was owned by the Melbourne Business School (MBS).

Unfortunately, after then and throughout the summer holiday period, MUS appeared in these

talks and signed a contract of tenancy with MBS, acquiring legal rights to the building. UMIS was

not notified of this contracting nor did it receieve an opportunity to express its voice.

Subsequently, MUS, as legal tenant, stopped UMIS from using the top floor as a Jumma space.

As of the 12th of March 2012, UMIS is still in negotiations with the University. There have been a

number of changes to staff who were involved in this issue with us, so we have been returned to

the starting point. We have been offered WIlson Hall as a temporary space. And it will be

suitable, once the large mural on the southern wall is covered up. I am currently trying my utmostto solve the issue at hand. I am involving relevant members of the Students' Representative

Council, Academic Board, and Wellbeing services. In a short time, God-Willing, the issue will be

resolved. On another note, this issue has strengthened the case for a larger prayer space on

campus.

Secondly, UMIS is also currently looking for potential individuals, preferably staff or higher degree

students, who can offer services as an Imam for all Muslim students on-campus, and who can be

a part of UMIS' activities. UMIS, in its aims, wants to maintain a satisfactory level of wellbeing in

the lives of Muslim students. An Imam would help us in this significantly by being a point of

contact or knowledge. Their duties will most closely resemble those of a University Chaplain.

If there are any concerns regarding either of these issues, or an application to become an Imam,

please contact me on 0431 102 005.

Other than that, I wish all of you a fruitful year of learning and worship. Stay tuned to our

Facebook pages and UMIS_NEWS mailing list for information on current events and updates to

the Jummah space issue.

Salamu Alaykum wr wb

Ahmad SiddiqiPresident 2011-2012

UMIS Committee

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I remember my first year at the Night Market the hustle and bustle

of huge crowds full of festivities and life, the aromas and tastes of

tantalising food from around the world, Chinese dragons floating

amongst the mass of visitors, the colours of traditional garments and

the sound of light cultural music. I loved the atmosphere of

celebrating multicultural diversity. And not to mention, it was anexciting break from my studies and work!

Hosted by the Melbourne University Overseas Student Services

(MUOSS), the Night Market is an annual event not to be missed!

Different clubs and societies offer an array of international cuisines,

arts and crafts stalls, and free entertainment. Over 4,000 patrons

attend yearly and this year is set to be bigger. The Night Market will

be held on Thursday the 29th

March, from 6pm until late at Union

Lawn, right outside from the main entrance of Union House.

The University of Melbourne Islamic Society will once again beparticipating in this years festivities. As per usual, we will be serving

halal and delicious alternatives, as well as a vegetarian option for

those animal lovers.

If you would like to volunteer for UMIS on the night, please email me

at amira_haru@hotmail.comor call or text 0422 288 975. Please be

aware that a small information session may be held before the date

of the event.

Hope to see you there! Dont forget to ask whether the food is halal

before buying!

Amira Salma HaruwartaVice President

NightMarket 2012

The

The Night Market 2012

Time: 6.00pm

When:Thursday 29thMarch

Where:Union Lawn

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Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim

Alhamdulilah the Welcome Back Barbeque

held on the 28th of Feburary was a

success. It provided new students the

oppertunity to meet Muslim students and

for old students to catch up with friends.

As well as strengthening links within the

Muslim community on campus, this event

was also a platform for dawah and

showing the general university population

the presence of Muslims on campus.

InshAllah we hope that the next barbeque

will be just as successful as this one. UMIS

would like to thank all the volunteers who

helped out on the day for making this

barbeque a success.

Hakim ElmiActivities officer

Welcome Back Barbeque 2012

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One of the most common symptoms of the study-

fatigued student is stress, low motivation and

procrastination. Does this sound familiar? After

summer break students come back to Uni energised

and motivated and at least hopeful that theyll get

good lecturers and get grades as good as or better

than last Semester. It doesnt typically last long

before you are missing lecturers, leaving research

and report writing until the last minute or cramming

for exams.

So let me get straight to the point and tell you how

you can manage stress more effectively and not just

survive another semester but also thrive through it.

Stress and trauma are a normal part of life. We

should expect to experience it in our lives. Allah

SWT says in the Quranan Surah 8 (24-29):

And know that your worldly goods

and children are in fact a test for

you

We know this but we spend little time investing in

building personal resilience (the ability to bounce

back after being hurt). We also sometimes adopt

unhelpful coping strategies and negative thinking

patterns that make our difficulties much worse.

So Ive compiled below a list of really effective wellbeing

strategies.

1. To shift unhelpful emotions you need to reinterpret thesituation you find yourself in, in more helpful ways. A

good question to ask yourself is Is what I am telling

myself right now, helpful or harmful. If it is harmful

because the thought is contributing towards your

sadness or anxiety then change what you are telling

yourself.

2. Change your focus. If you are focusing on the fact youhavent typed anything on the blank word doc for the

last 10 minutes, try and remember a time when you

were last in this position and try to remember what

worked for you then and do more of the same.

3.

Change your physiology. Motion = Emotion. What youare doing with your body right now will be influencing

you to produce specific emotions. The brain and body

are inexplicably connected. When you slouch back in

your chair because you are tired or cant be bothered

listening in class, you compress your diaphragm which

slows your breathing, which produces more tiredness.

When we experience the emotion shame, the muscle in

the back of our neck relaxes, dropping the head

forward. When we cry, we look down and we cry more,

when we look up, we cry less. So stand tall, sit up

straight, move when you need to move to put your

mind in the right frame to absorb information.

4. Self Pity. Dont do it. Self pity is a waste of your energy.Self pity is the woe to me syndrome. You dont need

anyone to rescue you from this situation, you need to

take action, be brave, move forward and develop a firm

belief that you are capable of doing all of the above.

5. Try New Ways. Study in new environments, galleries,cafs or the great outdoors. Study for shorter periodsof time and at times when your energy levels are high.

In this way, youll work quicker and more effectively.

Stress and UniversityBy Monique Toohey

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6. Increase time with positive people. It is a common occurance for everyone to have toxic people inour life. And when I mean toxic, I refer to your mates or even family members who winge or criticise

you all the time, or those that want you to help them all the time (even if you are visibly busy), callon you day and night to have their needs met. Toxic people are those that transgress your

boundaries. This can refer to your personal space, but it can refer to your time and your intellectual,

emotional and financial resources. Saying no to meeting other peoples needs in a skill we all need

to learn. By contrast spend time with people who expect more from you than you do for yourself.

Associate with down to earth, honest people who are future focussed and supportive.

7. Develop Impulse control to get better academic results. Lack of impulse control is directlyresponsible for getting half way through a paragraph and then you get up and go to the fridge for

something to eat or drink, or send someone a text message or jump on facebook. This is responsible

for going out with friends when you know that assignment is due tomorrow and you have notstarted it. Sometimes we have to say NO to ourselves. Fasting is good practice to get those nafs

(desires) under control. You can increase self control by saying no to yourself in small ways. Remind

yourself to stay focussed and keep going for another 10 minutes. Delay gratiications like food and

phone, by 5 or 10 minutes and then by saying no or not right now to friends and family

members for bigger things.

Last but not least, take care of your wellbeing by developing a self-care plan that balances with your study

timetable. When you invest time in your hobbies, sleeping, eating highly nutritious foods and exercise, you

will be giving your intellect the best opportunity to do its job and that is to get those academic results you

are hoping for and to do this as stress-free as possible.

Best wishes for Semester 1.

Monique TooheyManaging Director

Senior Consultant Psychologist

Nasihah Consulting Group

www.nasihahconsulting.com

Dua for anxiety:

Allahumma inni a'udhubika minal hammi wal hazan, wal 'ajzi wal kasal,

wal bukhli wal jubn, wa dhala'id-dayni wa ghalabatir rijaal

O Allah! I seek refuge in You from grief and sadness, from weakness and from laziness, from miserlinessand from cowardice, from being overcome by debt and from being overpowered by men (other people)

[Sahih al-Bukhari 7:158]

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It is the nature of mankind to call onto Allah,

especially in times of distress. While in distress, we

find that there is none other than Allah alone who can

help us. We know that Allah never burdens a person

more than he can bear. We live in a time of instant

gratification, and at times the value of keeping

patient has unfortunately become lost. The difficulties

we encounter in life should be a way of coming closer

to Allah. Look at the state of the believer as stated by

the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):

How amazing is the affair of the believer. There

is good for him in everything and that is for noone but the believer. If good times come his way,he expresses gratitude to Allhand that is goodfor him, and if hardship comes his way, heendures it patiently and that is better for him.(Muslim)

Making dua is a sign of imaan, it shows that we need

Allah and shows His infinite Mercy and Love. It shows

our weakness and Allahs power and perfection. Call

out to Allah not only in times of hardship, but also in

times of ease. Ask Him for His Guidance, Mercy,

Forgiveness, Sustenance, and thank Him for the

countless blessings He has bestowed upon you. Be

firm when you make dua and do not be impatient. If

your dua is not answered yet, do not ever lose hope in

Allah - It will come if it is meant for you, and only Allah

knows what is best for everyone.

So make dua not only for the best of this world but

also for the best of the Hereafter:

Among them is he who says: O Lord, give us in

this world that which is good and in the Hereafter

that which is good and protect us from the

punishment of the Fire(Al- Baqarah, 2:201).

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The invocation of my brother Dha-n-Nun (Yunus),

"None has the right to be worshipped save You; glory

be to You, far removed are You from any

imperfection; I have been amongst the wrong-doers,"

none who is experiencing difficulty employs it except

that Allah would relieve him of his difficulty.

(At-Tirmidhi)[This dua can be found in SurahAl-Anbiya,

21:87]

Increase your dua at all times in hope and fear. One who

makes dua constantly is following the sunnahof all theProphets. We are in need of this continual connection with

AllahAllah loves those who ask to Him, so keep making

dua sincerely for every matter in life. Remember to make

dua for one another, for those around you and for the

Ummah.

ByMarissa Setyabudhi

Books: Dua: The weapon of the Believer by Abu Ammar Yasir Qadhi Fortress of the Muslim: Invocations from the Quran and Sunnah

(Both books can be found on

http://www.kalamullah.com/worship.html)

The Power of DuaByMarissa Setyabudhi

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Mentoring Romp 2012:

Salam,

This March, an event similar to the Amazing race that was run in the previous years, was held for the

mentors and mentees who signed up with us this year. And Alhamdulillah, there was a great turnout (may

have been because of the pizza) and it was overall pretty successful. The participants provided us with

valuable feedback which inshAllah should help make the next one even better, as of course there is always

plenty of room for improvement.

The event was primarily held to get the mentoring groups working together and encourage breaking the

ice as many of the people in the groups had met at the event for the first time, and hopefully this was also

successful. This event was the fruit of the hard work a couple of UMIS Committee members put in (namely

Shazmin and Fahim), so a huge shout out to them.

This should be one of the first of many similar events to be held in the future, so stay tuned!

Wassalam,

Enes Bendak

UMIS Mentoring officer

UMIS Event Reviews

Sisters Lunch:

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,

On the 6th

of March, UMIS held its semesterly Welcome back Sisters Lunch on University Square. The

weather was looking quite bleak during the morning, and a sense of apprehension overcame me, but Allah is

most merciful and as the clock struck 12pm the sun came out and we were blessed with a beautiful

afternoon.

Alhamdulilah, it was so good to see so many sisters come to the lunch, some new faces and others, familiar

returns for the year. As pizza, mud cake and other delicious goodies were shared around with introductions

and stories, newly acquired acquaintances slowly evolved into bonds of friendship.

I would like to thank all the sisters for attending the lunch, it was lovely meeting you all, and a special shout

out to the sisters to brought food to share around. May Allah keep these bonds of sisterhood strong for His

sake only! Good food, good company, what more could you ask for Alhamdulilah!

JazakAllahu Khairan,

Zakia Haque

Sisters Coordinator

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UMIS Committee 1/2012

Want to be in the next issue of

Al-Qalam?If you have an article, story, poem or anything

interesting you would like share, please send

it to:

alqalam@umisonline.org.au

Halal Food GuideMelbourne CBD

Check out the brand new

UMIS WebsiteThe official UMIS website is up and running.

For the latest UMIS events, photo galleries,

prayer times, and more, make sure to visit:

www.umisonline.org.au

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e

www.facebook.com/contactUMIS

'The University of Melbourne Islamic Society is always looking for voluntary donations

and will be approaching businesses for sponsorships. If you wish or know anyone whowishes to donate or sponsor please get in touch with us inshAllah through

contactumis@gmail.com

For all the latest UMIS news and events:

The University of Melbourne Islamic Society (2012)

www.umisonline.org.au

contactumis@gmail.com

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