In the name of Allâh, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

A VOICE OF THE MUSLIM UMMAH

Asma ul Husna : Allâh’s beautiful names and attributescontinued on page 4

Muhammad : The Ideal ProphetA Historical, Practical, Perfect Model for Humanity

Sayyid Sulaiman Nadwi

AL-MUTA’ALIYU THE HIGH-EXALTED

similitudes and symbols, were impersonatedin the end. The Aryans regarded women asan emblem of the most tender feelings ofaffection and this led to the relationshipbetween God and man to be expressed interms of kinship between a mother and herchild. God was conceived by them as a lovingmother of the human being. To certain otherpeople in the ancient India, the affectionatelove of mother for her child was notsufficiently expressive of the strongeremotions of love felt by them for God, andthus their concept of relationship betweenGod and human beings took the shape ofhusband and wife. Even today one can findfriars dressed in women’s attires as a markof their devotion to God. The Romans aswell as the Greeks conceived the SupremeDeity in the shape of a female. The Semites,who considered it indecent to talk openlyabout their womenfolk, visualized God as afather. Archaeological remains unearthedfrom the ruins of the ancient cities ofBabylon, Assyria, and Syria show that thesepeoples had personified God as a man.Similarly, the ancient Hebrews had formedthe mental picture of God as the father of

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30 Shabaan 142530 Shabaan 142530 Shabaan 142530 Shabaan 142530 Shabaan 1425 October 15, 2004October 15, 2004October 15, 2004October 15, 2004October 15, 2004

Vol. 16Vol. 16Vol. 16Vol. 16Vol. 16 No. 10No. 10No. 10No. 10No. 10

Chapter EightFAITH AND PRACTICE

The original message of all the olderreligions was overlordship of the One andonly God, but the subsequent generationswent astray from the right path owing,chiefly, to three causes. The first of thesewas personification and portrayal of God;the second, deification of divine attributesinto separate deities; and the third, the failureof man, so often, to comprehend themultiformity of divine acts andmanifestations. Muhammad unraveled allthese mysteries and expounded the doctrineof the Unity of God so forcefully that manwould never commit these errors again. Letus first take the personification of God andHis attributes.

Allâh and His attributes as well as thebond of love between Him and His creatureswere delineated by earlier religions throughimagery and exemplification. These alwaysled to the personification of the Deity inimages and figures. The similitudesemployed to depict Allâh invariably took theshape of concrete representations in imagesand idols. The mercy and love of Allâh forHis bondmen, at first illustrated through

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EditorialEditorialEditorialEditorialEditorial

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HOLDING ONTO BURNING COALDay by day, year by year, as we hurtlecloser to the Final Day - Yawmul-Qiyamah,the conditions in the world continue todeteriorate, as per the predictions ofSayyidina Rasulullah (Messenger of Allâh)(sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Fitnahs areincreasing at a frightening rate, evil isproliferating swiftly and dark, ominousclouds are enveloping the horizons. Insuch times, holding onto one’s Imaan willbecome a tough ordeal - the equivalent ofholding onto a burning coal - as it isdescribed in the Hadith. The analogy ofthe burning coal appropriately capturesthe agony of the people of Imaan. Thecoal cannot be dropped for that wouldmean the forsaking of Imaan, yet holdingonto it is no easy task, for it requires themaximum in patience, sacrifice andperseverance, just to hold on. May Allahmake it easy for all Believers.THICK VEIL OF SUSPICIONBesides the general fitnahs of immoralityand vice that prevail, a thick veil of suspicionhas been cast around Islam as an evil,extreme and destructive ideology. Thesincere followers and servants of Islam,committed and faithful Muslims, areportrayed as the scourge of humanity. Allkinds of disparaging epithets and labelsare hurled at them. In many parts of theworld, it goes far beyond labeling andcalling names. They are considered fairgame. Every means is consideredlegitimate against them. The all-pervadingmedia is used as a dangerous tool againstthem. Every provocative headline, everydamaging media report, serves to stoke upand fuel the raging inferno of Islamophobia.And the global Muslim communityinevitably is the universal victim of thiscraze.

THE MAKKAN PERIODWhat is to be done in these trying times?The early history of Muslims at Makkah isa source of great consolation and inspirationfor persecuted Muslims. The early Muslimcommunity, living in the Makkan crucible,was relentlessly persecuted. But this onlyhardened their resolve to cling more firmlyto their newfound ideology - Islam - thatwas an unparalleled blessing after themiserable and dark days of Jahiliyyah.Nothing in the world was dearer to themthan the blessing of this new faith, noteven their own lives. The contemporaryMuslim community has valuable lessonsto learn from them in these difficult days.The guiding principle for the MakkanMuslims was Sabr at every step of thetorment, for “Verily Allah is close to thepatient ones.” These are the times that callfor patience and steadfastness. AllahTa’ala shall bring relief in due course, asHe had done for the Believers of Makkah,and other persecuted folk. As was thecharter of the Makkan believers, Muslimsmust work towards developing theirpersonalities and morals, thereby actingas true ambassadors of noble Islamicvalues. Beautiful Islamic conduct andcharacter must be displayed towards all ofmankind.THE WAY AHEADIn the difficult days that prevail, the wayahead lies in turning to Allâh Ta’ala forhelp and succor, through obedience,submission and resignation to His will.Allâh never disappoints those who havehope in Him, never refuses those who askof Him, never ignores those who quest forHim, never underpays those who workfor Him, never deprives those who thankHim, never fails those who strive for Him,never allows those whose comfort is inHis remembrance to be estranged fromHim, never surrenders to others those

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Layout/Mailing ---------Brother Nadeem Abdul Hamid

Sister Aisha Sayed Alam(Cheshire)Dr. Abdul Hamid(Hamden)Sister Bonnie Lynn Hamid (Hamden)Dr. Shujaat Ali Khan (New York)

MAILING ADDRESS:Connecticut Council of Masajid

P. O. Box 4456, Hamden, CT 06514Tel. (203)-562-2757

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

is Published Monthly by Con-necticut Council of Masajid, IslamicCenter of Hamden, Islamic Centerof Connecticut, Islamic Center ofNew Haven, Faran Club, United Mus-lim Masjid, Islamic Society of West-ern Connecticut, and Islamic Cen-ter of New London.

continued from page 2

continued on page 11

who surrender to Him, never abandonsthose who depend on Him, and neverforsakes those who trust and committhemselves to Him. This is a time forincreasing in righteous A’amaal andreturning to basic Islamic teachings,because A’amaal alone shall determineour present and future destiny. AllâhTa’ala, based on A’amaal, createsconditions. Part of the process is to shunall evil deeds, and to kick aside a corruptlifestyle. Some of the powerful A’amaalthat have always brought excellent resultsare Salaah, Dua, Sadaqah (charity),abundant Istighfaar and Salawaat(Durood). Now is the time fortransforming the home into a spiritualpowerhouse, through: Tarbiyyah,inculcation of piety and values; Ta’leem,learning and teaching; Zikrullah; IslamicAadaab, etiquette and Sunnah practices;and Ibaadah, by all members in thehousehold. May Allâh be our Helper andthe Protector of our greatest wealth - ourpriceless Imaan!(Adapted from Jamiatul Ulama, KZN)

‘Eid al-Fitr and our Obligations‘Eid al-Fitr, the festival of fastbreaking,

falls on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th

lunar month, which follows the month ofRamadhan. It celebrates the achievementof every Muslim who has successfullycompleted a month of fasting for Allah.

Sadaqa-tul-fitr. Muslims express theirgratitude to Allah by distributing almsamong the poor. This is called Sadaqa-tul-fitr, the Charity of Breaking the Fast.This is an obligatory act. Every individualMuslim who on the day of Eid has goodsmore than his needs, whether the propertyis for trade or not and whether a year haspassed on it or not must give Sadaqa-tul-fitr. He must give it for himself and for

each of his dependents. It is preferable todistribute the Sadaqa-tul-Fitr after Fajrprayer and before the Eid prayers, but ifnot given before it must be paid soonafterwards. It is permissible to paySadaqa-tul-fitr during Ramadhan. Eventhose Muslims who, due to an acceptableexcuse, could not fast should still giveSadaqa-tul-fitr. Dates, raisins, wheat orits flour, barley or its flour and cottagecheese may be given as Sadaqa-tul-fitr.It is also permissible to give the equivalentamount of money instead of the food-stuff. The amount due is equivalent to oneSa’ or 2 kilograms (4.4 lb.) of the food-stuff selected. This year it may be any-where between about $5.00 and $15.00per person. Those people who are eligibleto take Zakat are also eligible to takeSadaqa-tul-fitr.

Eid-ul-Fitr. Before going to the prayer,it is Sunnah to eat something, HazratMuhammed used to eat an odd numberof dates before proceeding. On the way tothe Eid prayer and while waiting for it and

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continued on page 5

human beings and angels. The Scripturesof the Jews even contemplate therelationship between God and Bani Israel asanalogous to a husband and his wife.Accordingly, we find Jewish sacred writingsdescribing Bani Israel and Jerusalem as thewives of God. Christians gave a literalinterpretation to the description of God as afather. The Arabs also had, before the adventof Islam, concepts of a similar nature. Theyimagined God as the father of angels whowere supposed to be females. Islam,however, discarded all these similitudes andresemblances and forbade even the use ofsimiles and parallels to describe the natureand attributes of Allâh. For the similitudesinvariably tended to theanthropomorphization of Allâh’s attributesinto a multiplicity of independent deities,Islam curtly pronounced its judgment:“Naught is as His likeness.” [Qur’ân, 42:11]This shook polytheism to its veryfoundations. In a small but pithy sûrah, theQur’ân has cleared all the misconceptionsabout the Supreme Being:“Say, He is Allâh, the One! Allâh, theeternally Besought of all! He begotteth notnor was begotten. And there is nonecomparable unto Him.” [Qur’ân, 112:1-4]

In this small but pithy chapter of theQur’ân, called The Unity, the very essenceof the Oneness of Allâh has been enunciatedin the clearest terms possible. It is like abeacon light pointing out the mistake ofpolytheistic concepts of Allâh. The messagebrought by Muhammad did not rendasunder the bond of love between man andhis Master. It strengthened the feeling ofattachment to Allâh but, at the same time,tried to cast off all anthropomorphicrepresentations picked up due to fervor oflove to Allâh with which man has ever beensmitten. Islam regards the human passionsof heart as passing affections. The lovebetween wife and husband or father and sonis, after all, transitory and thus ill suited toexpress the sublime and ever-abidingadoration of Allâh by His devoted bondman.

Another reason for discarding similitudes isthat they very often lead to paganish patternsof thought. Islam, therefore, strictly avoidsparallelization as, for example, whilecommending recollection of Allâh, the Qur’ânsays, “Remember Allâh as ye remember yourfathers or with a more lively remembrance.”[Qur’ân, 2:200] This verse, it would be seen,does not compare Allâh to one’s father, butapproximates the love for one’s father to thatfor Allâh. Thus, the Qur’ân avoids the humanaspect of relationship between the father andthe son but retains the emotion ofattachment between the two. It goes onfurther to add “or with a more livelyremembrance” in order to emphasize thateven the love for one’s father spoken of earlieris of a lower order, inferior and plebeian, incomparison to the sublimated yearning fornearness to Allâh. Take another example.Asking the believers to evolve themselvesspiritually, the Qur’ân says, “Those whobelieve are stauncher in their love forAllâh.” [Qur’ân, 2:165] It never employs theanalogy of father and son by calling Allâhthe ‘Father of the worlds’; on the contrary, itidentifies Him as the ‘Lord’ or ‘Sustainer ofthe worlds’. It views Allâh as a Being higherand more sublime than what can beexpressed by the ephemeral relationship ofthe father and the son. The excellent namesof Allâh are many including Ar-Rabb, theSustainer, who nourishes everything fromits cradle to grave; Al-Wadûd, the Loving;Ar-Ra‘ûf, the Kind; Al-Hannân, theAffectionate; yet He is neither father normother nor bears any resemblance to thecreated beings.

The second major cause ofmisunderstanding in regard to Allâh hasbeen the mistake so often committed by theearlier religions in comprehending the divineattributes. People have made a god of everydivine attribute in the past. Hinduismimpersonated every divine attribute and itsconceivable similitude until the immensecrowd of its deities reached the figure of threehundred and thirty millions. [Popular

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This article is part of a compilation of lecturesgiven by the author in 1925 at Madras, India.English translation by Mohiuddin Ahmad. Re-printed with permission of Academy of IslamicResearch and Publications, Lucknow, India.

To be continued

Hinduism, pp. 6-7] Even a cursory glance atthis pantheon will be enough to convinceanybody that the several hands of a godsignify his great power while the multiplicityof heads express his super-human wisdom.

If one were to reflect over the differentsects of the Hindus, one would find thatpersonification of the different attributes ofGod has been the chief cause of differencesbetween them. The three great qualities ofGod viz., creativeness, power to givesustenance, and the power of destructionwere portrayed as separate deities in the formof Brahma, the Creator, Vishnû, the Sustainerand Shiva, the Destroyer, but gradually theworshippers joined their faith exclusively toone of them. Similarly the Lingâyats took tothe phallic emblem as a token of thecreativeness of the Supreme Deity.

The Christians, too, have made three outof One God by accepting the three attributesof God, viz. Life, Knowledge, and Will asseparate entities. Life was recognized as theFather, Knowledge as the Holy Ghost, andWill as the only begotten Son of the Father.We find similar concepts of Trinity prevalentamong the Roman and Greek philosophersand the Egyptian neo-Platonists. TheProphet Muhammad , however, pricked thebubble of these false beliefs for he showedthat only the stupid and ignorant aredeceived by the multiformity of divineattributes. The Qur’ân says:“Praise be to Allâh, Lord of the Worlds; toHim belongeth every quality, and Allâh isthe Light of the Heavens and the Earth.”

The Christians of Arabia emphasized onlythe compassion of Allâh by calling HimRahmân, or the Most Compassionate, whilethe pagans knew Him by the name of Allâh.The Qur’ân corrected both when it said:“Say: Cry unto Allâh, or cry unto theRahmân, unto whichever ye cry (it is thesame). His are the most beautiful names.”[Qur’ân, 17:110]

It told them further:“But, Allâh, He (alone) is the ProtectingFriend. He quickeneth the dead, and He is

Able to do all things.” [Qur’ân 42:9]“Lo! Allâh is Forgiving, Merciful.” [Qur’ân2:173]“And it is He who is God in the heaven, andGod on earth. He is full of Wisdom andKnowledge.” [Qur’ân, 43:84]

Whether one believes it or not, there isno God save Him. He gives life and takes itaway, He is the Lord of all those who arealive as also of their forefathers: He is theBrahma, the Shiva and the Vishnû, all in One,whose attributes are countless.“Praise be to Allâh, Lord of the heavens,Lord of the earth, the Lord of the Worlds.And unto Him (alone) belongeth majestyin the heavens and the earth, and He is theMighty, the Wise.” [Qur’ân 45:36-37]“He is Allâh, than whom there is no otherGod, the Knower of the invisible and thevisible. He is the Beneficent, the Merciful.”“He is Allâh, than whom there is no otherGod, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One,Peace, the Keeper of faith, the Guardian,the Majestic, the Compeller, the Superb.Glorified be Allâh from all that they ascribeas partner (unto Him).”“He is Allâh, the Creator, the Shaper out ofnaught, the Fashioner. His are the mostbeautiful names. All that is in the heavensand the earth glorifieth Him, and He is theMighty, the Wise.” [Qur’ân, 59: 22-24]

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6

Saum (Fasting): A Pillar of IslâmSyed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi

Virtues (Continued from last issue)Allâh has also blessed the Muslim Millat

with the prudence and anxiety to preservethe tradition of Tarâweeh. The celebration ofthe prayer-service of Tarâweeh dates backfrom the time of the Holy Prophet but hehad abandoned it (in congregation) afteroffering it up for three days lest it was madecompulsory for Muslims and became a burdento them. It is related by Ibn-i-Shahab that hehad heard it from ‘Urwah who, in his turn, hadheard it from Hazrat Ayesha , that“once the Prophet went out in the night(after the ‘Ishâ prayers) and offered salâh inthe mosque and some other persons alsojoined him in it. When the morning camepeople began to talk about it and a crowdcollected. On the next day when he offeredthe prayer they all offered it up with him andit was again talked about on the followingmorning. On the third night the number of thedevotees was even greater. The Prophet came out and offered up the prayer withthem. When the fourth night came the rushwas so great that the whole of the mosquewas filled until the Prophet came for theFajr prayers. After he had completed it heturned towards the people and said, ‘I wasnot unaware of your presence (in the mosquelast night) but I feared that the service(Tarâweeh) might be made obligatory andthen you got tired of it.’ Then the deathoccurred of the Prophet and the positionremained the same.” [Bukhâri]

After the passing away of the Prophet the holy Companions conducted themselvessimilarly and so enthusiastically did theMuslims everywhere keep up the tradition ofTarâweeh that it came to be regarded as asign and symbol of Ahl-i-Sunnah [followersof the traditional as well as the written law ofIslâm] and a mark of devoutness. In addition,the institution of Tarâweeh has provedextremely helpful in the learning of the wholeof the Qur’ân by heart. More and more peoplewere drawn to it, and the Qur’ân came to be

preserved in many a breast. [In this respectthere is a special favor of the Lord on somecountries though they are far removed fromthe cradle of Islâm. In India and Pakistan, forinstance, there is witnessed a uniqueenthusiasm for Tarâweeh and the completionof one recitation of the Qur’ân, from thebeginning to the end, in Ramadhân. Here thearrangement for Tarâweeh is made even insmaller mosques of various localities whereat least one recitation of the whole of theQur’ân is completed, while in the bigger onestwo or three (or even more) recitations aredone. The preservation of this tradition hasdefinitely led to a marked increase in thenumber of Huffâz (plural of Hâfiz, meaningone who has the whole of the Qur’ân byheart) – with many people it has become aregular practice to keep up the recitation ofthe Qur’ân from memory throughout the yearso that they can lead the Tarâweeh prayer-service correctly in Ramadhân and huffâz ofsuch a high standard have been producedthat they are the marvel of the world.]

Another priceless advantage is that a largesection of the community is thus enabled todevote itself to nightly worship in the blessedmonth of Ramadhân. Ramadhân is a festivalof worship, a season of Tilâwat [recitation ofthe Qur’ân] and a springtime for the devout.The religious fervor of the Muslim Millat, itsgenuine, solid, and unshakeable attachmentto faith and enthusiasm for worship acquiresa new warmth and sublimity in it. During thishallowed month the urge for excelling othersin prayerfulness, piety, warm-heartedness,charity, good doing, and repentance is at thepeak among the Muslims.

Shortcomings of MuslimsWith all this, the Muslims have often failed

to do justice to the true aims and objects offasting. Hence, its assured or expectedbenefits have not fully come their way.Overindulgence in food and drink at Iftâr[breaking the fast], for example, was carriedto such a length that the very purpose offasting and its purificatory influence wereimpaired. Imam Ghazali, while lamenting over

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it, writes: [Ihyâ-ul-Uloom, p. 211]“At the time of Iftâr even lawful food

should be partaken of with moderation andover-eating strictly avoided because amongthe things that are to be filled nothing is morerepugnant to Allâh than an over-filledstomach. If a fasting person were to try tomake amends for the day-long starvation atIftâr and to eat at one meal time what hewould have eaten throughout the day howcan the fast be efficacious in overcoming theenemy of Allâh and subduing the desiresthat lead to evil? If the stomach is denied allfood and drink from sunrise to sunset, and,after putting hunger and other cravings ofthe flesh to the severest of trials, a sumptuousmeal is taken in the evening, the sensualappetites will become sharper instead oflosing their intensity. What is more, the evilpropensities that were hitherto dormant mightbecome active. The fundamental purpose offasting is to subdue the desires and passionsthat are played upon by the Devil and usedby him as his tools, and this can be achievedonly by cutting down on food, i.e. by eatingonly as much in the evening as is done onnormal days. If a person ate at one mealtimewhat he used to eat throughout the day hewill gain nothing from fasting.

“Furthermore, not to sleep in excess duringthe day is also a part of the discipline offasting so that one may experience the pangsof hunger and thirst and feel the effects ofphysical debility and enervation and thepurification of the heart, thus, took place.

“It is, in the same way, desirable to eatlightly at night so that one can get up easilyfor Tahajjud and other supererogatoryprayers and the Devil is kept at an arm’slength, and through purification of the heartone is enabled to obtain a glimpse of theCelestial World.”

Protection Against ExtremismThe institution of fasting could easily be

carried to the extreme. A popularmisconception about it was that its realpurpose was to annihilate the desires of theflesh altogether and provide an opportunity

for self-mortification in the last degree. It wassupposed that the more one practicedabstinence, abjured the comforts of the worldand did hunger and thirst, and gave the proofof fortitude and endurance, the more wouldone become the favorite of the Lord and jointhe ranks of the pious and the persevering.

This fallacious belief had given rise tosuch an exaggerated notion of worship,especially fasting, among the religiously andascetically inclined sections of the ancientfaiths that they prolonged the period ofabstention from food and drink by delayinginordinately the time of Iftâr and eating theSehri [the light meal which Muslims make alittle before dawn] very early, or not at all.They regarded things like Iftâri [the mealtaken for fast breaking at sunset] and Sehrias weaknesses to succumb to which wasdisgraceful for those who aspired for greaterheights in religion and spirituality. Sometimesthese people fasted continuously for daysand did not eat or drink anything in the nightas well. Many over-enthusiastic Muslimsand those among them that were given tomaking innovations in faith also tookguidance from their example. But suchextremism is patently un-Islâmic. It amountsto distortion of religion, to making alterationsin it out of one’s own impulse or choice, andpursuing the path of penance and flagellation.It paves the way for mischief and constitutesan open challenge to the Divine proclamationwhich says:

Allâh desireth ease for you; He desirethnot hardship for you. [2: 185]

And He hath not laid upon you anyhardship. [12: 78]

The Holy Prophet has said: “This faithis easy and whosoever shows arrogance init (i.e. takes it to extremes to show off hisstrength and power of endurance) will,ultimately, have to accept defeat. So, followthe path of rectitude and moderation.”[Bukhâri]

The Islâmic Sharî’ah comes down heavilyon extremism in fasting. It advocatespositively the practice of Sehri before the

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DAY FAJR SHURUQ ZUHR ASR———— MAGRIB ISHADWN SUNRISE Shafi’i Hanafi SNSET NGHT

OCT-NOV PRAYER TIMES, NEW HAVEN

Your (real)friend can

be onlyAllâh; and

His messen-ger and

those whobelieve--

who estab-lish prayerand pay the

poor dueand bowdown (inworship).

And whosoturns (for

friendship)to Allâh andHis messen-

ger andthose whobelieve: lo!the party ofAllâh, they

are thevictorious.(5:55-56)

October15 5:31 7:03 12:37 3:42 4:27 6:11 7:4316 5:32 7:04 12:37 3:41 4:26 6:09 7:4117 5:33 7:06 12:37 3:39 4:25 6:08 7:4018 5:35 7:07 12:37 3:38 4:23 6:06 7:3819 5:36 7:08 12:37 3:37 4:22 6:05 7:3720 5:37 7:09 12:36 3:36 4:20 6:03 7:3521 5:38 7:10 12:36 3:35 4:19 6:02 7:3422 5:39 7:11 12:36 3:34 4:18 6:00 7:3323 5:40 7:12 12:36 3:32 4:16 5:59 7:3124 5:41 7:14 12:36 3:31 4:15 5:58 7:3025 5:42 7:15 12:36 3:30 4:14 5:56 7:2926 5:43 7:16 12:36 3:29 4:13 5:55 7:2827 5:44 7:17 12:36 3:28 4:11 5:53 7:2628 5:45 7:18 12:35 3:27 4:10 5:52 7:2529 5:46 7:19 12:35 3:26 4:09 5:51 7:2430 5:47 7:21 12:35 3:25 4:08 5:50 7:2331 4:48 6:22 11:35 2:24 3:06 4:48 6:22

November1 4:49 6:23 11:35 2:23 3:05 4:47 6:202 4:50 6:24 11:35 2:22 3:04 4:46 6:193 4:51 6:25 11:35 2:21 3:03 4:45 6:184 4:53 6:27 11:35 2:20 3:02 4:43 6:175 4:54 6:28 11:35 2:19 3:01 4:42 6:166 4:55 6:29 11:35 2:18 3:00 4:41 6:157 4:56 6:30 11:35 2:17 2:58 4:40 6:148 4:57 6:31 11:35 2:17 2:57 4:39 6:139 4:58 6:33 11:35 2:16 2:56 4:38 6:1310 4:59 6:34 11:36 2:15 2:55 4:37 6:1211 5:00 6:35 11:36 2:14 2:55 4:36 6:1112 5:01 6:36 11:36 2:13 2:54 4:35 6:1013 5:02 6:37 11:36 2:13 2:53 4:34 6:0914 5:03 6:39 11:36 2:12 2:52 4:33 6:0915 5:04 6:40 11:36 2:11 2:51 4:32 6:0816 5:05 6:41 11:36 2:11 2:50 4:31 6:0717 5:06 6:42 11:37 2:10 2:49 4:31 6:0718 5:07 6:43 11:37 2:09 2:49 4:30 6:0619 5:08 6:45 11:37 2:09 2:48 4:29 6:0620 5:09 6:46 11:37 2:08 2:47 4:28 6:0521 5:10 6:47 11:38 2:08 2:47 4:28 6:0522 5:11 6:48 11:38 2:07 2:46 4:27 6:0423 5:12 6:49 11:38 2:07 2:45 4:27 6:0424 5:13 6:50 11:38 2:06 2:45 4:26 6:0325 5:14 6:51 11:39 2:06 2:44 4:25 6:0326 5:15 6:53 11:39 2:06 2:44 4:25 6:0327 5:16 6:54 11:39 2:05 2:44 4:25 6:0228 5:17 6:55 11:40 2:05 2:43 4:24 6:0229 5:18 6:56 11:40 2:05 2:43 4:24 6:0230 5:19 6:57 11:40 2:05 2:42 4:23 6:02

L U N A RDAT E S

30 SHABAN01RAMADAN020304050607080910111213141516

1718192021222324252627282901SHAWWAL02030405060708091011121314151617

If you need prayer t imings for your town, pleasesend us a sel f -addressed s tamped #10 envelope.

Prayer timesare for theNew Haven

area and arebased on 18°for Fajr andIsha. Check

localnewspapers

for your localtime differ-

ence.

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9

REGULAR MASJID ACTIVITIESAND JUM’A PRAYER TIMES

BERLIN MASJID1781 Berlin Hwy., Berlin, CT 06037, (860) 829-6411Juma’ prayer time 1:15 PMContact: Dr. Ali Antar 860-582-1002

MASJID AN-NOOR1300 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, CT. 579-2211

Juma’ prayer time 1:30 PMContact: Br. Syed Ahmed Pasha 203-371-1979

UNIVERSITY OF BRIDGEPORTChristan Hall, Park Ave. Bridgeport, CT.

Juma’ prayer time 1:00 PM

MASJID DAAR-UL-EHSAAN739 Terryville Av., Bristol, CT 06010. (860) 585-9742Juma’ prayer time 1:30 PMContact: Br. Muhammed Akhtar Ali (860)589-

4512.

ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF WESTERNCONNECTICUT, DANBURY

388 Main St, Danbury, CT 06810. 203-744-1328Juma’ prayer time 1:00 PMContact: Br. Asif Akhtar (203)746-7530

QADARIYA COMMUNITY SERVICECENTER, EAST HARTFORD

20 Church St, East Hartford, CT 06108 860-282-0786Juma’ prayer time 12:30 PMContact: Br. Sajid Bhura (860)830-4453

ISLAMIC CENTER OF HAMDEN60 Connolly Parkway, Wilbur Cross Commons, Unit 17-

212, Hamden, CT 06514 (203-562-2757)Juma’ prayer time 1:00 PMThursday Halaqa 8:00 - 9:00 PMFriday Dars 8:00 - 11:00 PMMadrasah:Every Sunday 9:55AM - 1:30 PM Daily Afternoons, 5:00 - 7:00 PMCommunity Dinner 1st Sunday of each month.Contact: Dr. Abdul Hamid 203-562-2757

During Ramadan all regular activitiessuspended

ICFC MASJID (JAMIA KARAM)57 Pepper St, Monroe. CT06468 (203-261-6222)Juma’ prayer time 1:15 PMContact: Br. Ahmed Reza 203-746-0683

MASJID AL-ISLAM624 George St. New Haven, CT 06511Juma’ prayer time 1:15 PMContact: Br. Dawood Yaseen 203-777-4008ISLAMIC CENTER OF NEW LONDON16 Fort St, Groton, CT 06340, (860) 405-8006Juma’ prayer time 1:00 PMContact: Br. Imran Ahmed 860-691-8015

AL-MADANY ISLAMIC CENTER OFNORWALK

4 Elton Court, Norwalk, CT 06851 (203-852-0847Juma’ prayer time 1:00 PMContact: Syed Mahmoud Hussain Qadri. 203-852-

0847).STAMFORD AREA INFORMATION

CENTER77 Judy Ln. Stamford, CT 06906 , (203) 327-5878)Contact: Br. Akhtar Usman 203-327-5878

STAMFORD ISLAMIC CENTER10 Outlook St. Stamford, CT 06902 (203-975-2642)Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmContact: Br. Akhtar Usman 203-327-5878

ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF STAMFORD82 Harbor Dr, Stamford, CT 06902

Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmContact: Hafiz AbdulSalam Sumra 203-255-4327

UNITED MUSLIM MASJID(MASJID RAHMAN)

132 Prospect Ct. Waterbury, CT. 06704 (756-6365).Juma’ prayer time 1:00 PMContact Br. Majeed Sharif. 203-879-7230.

WEST HAVEN MASJID2 Pruden St., West Haven, CT 06516, (203) 933-

5 7 9 9Juma’ prayer time 1:00 PMContact: Br. Mohammad Taroua 203-287-7561.

MADINA MASJID1 Madina Drive, Windsor, CT 06095, (860) 249-0112Juma’ prayer time 1:30 PMContact: Br. Anis S. Shaikh 860-533-1808Madina Academy:Full time School (860)524-9700ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF WESTERN

MASSACHUSETTS337 Amostown Rd. W. Springfield, MA01105

(413)788-7546Juma’ prayer time 1:15 PMContact: Dr. Mohammad Ali Hazratji(860-749-8859).

Visit Connecticut Council of Masajid website:ccminc.faithweb.com

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Say: O People of the Scripture. Come to an agreementbetween us and you: that we shall worship none but Allâh,and that we shall ascribe no partners unto Him, and thatnone of us shall take others for lords beside Allâh. Andif they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they

who have surrendered (unto Him). Al-i’Imran, 3:64

10

THE CHILDREN’S CORNERTHE CHILDREN’S CORNERTHE CHILDREN’S CORNERTHE CHILDREN’S CORNERTHE CHILDREN’S CORNER

continued on page 11

ISRA AND MIRAJOne night, when the prophet Muhammedwas sleeping, he was awakened by the

angel Jibril . He followed Jibril outside andthere waiting for them was Buraq , an animalwhich was larger than a donkey and smallerthan a mule. In one step it could move as faras an eye could see. Muhammed mountedBuraq and with Jibril at his side sped off toJerusalem. He prayed two rakah at the templein Jerusalem. When he had finished, Jibril offered him a serving of wine and a serving ofmilk. Muhammed chose the milk and Jibril said he had chosen the natural thing.

From a large rock in the temple at Jerusalemhe was taken on Buraq up to the sevenHeavens. At the gate of each heaven, Jibril would be asked by the gatekeeper who hewas and who was with him. Then the keeperwould ask if Muhammed had been sent forand Jibril would reply that he had. Then thegate of each heaven would be opened. Dur-ing his ascent through the heavens, he passedmany of the prophets. He greeted each of theprophets and they prayed for him. In the firstheaven he saw Adam , in the second Isa and Yahya . Yusuf was in the third heavenand Idris was in the fourth. Harun greetedhim in the fifth heaven, Musa in the sixthand Ibrahim in the seventh.

His final destination was the Lote Tree ofthe Uttermost End (Sidrat-ul-Muntaha). Ithad leaves like elephant ears and fruits thesize of large clay pots. When it was coveredby the command of Allah it was indescribablybeautiful. At the Lote Tree the Prophetreceived for his people a revelation outliningwhat was expected of them (al-Quran 2:285)and the command to perform fifty prayers aday. He and Jibril then started their descentthrough the heavens. But when they passedMusa , Musa asked how many prayershad been decreed for them. When the

Prophet told him, Musa advised him toreturn and ask that the burden be lightened,for his people were weak. Muhammed re-turned and asked Allah to reduce the numberof prayers. His request was granted. But as hedescended past Musa once again, Musa

sent him back to ask for a further reduction.This was repeated until the number of prayersrequired for each day had been reduced tofive. Again Musa urged him to return toAllah for a lesser number of prayers, butMuhammed was embarrassed to ask foranything less. Thus the number of prayersrequired of Muslims is five per day, but if theyare performed sincerely and in good faith,they carry with them the reward for fiftyprayers.

On the return journey from Jerusalem to theKaaba, the Prophet and Jibril passedmany caravans headed towards Mecca.Muhammed was eager to tell people of hisjourney to Jerusalem, so he hurried to theKaba with his story as soon as it was light.This provided plenty of ammunition for hisenemies, since everyone knew that the roundtrip to Jerusalem took at least two months.They scoffed at him and jeered him. Theywent to Abu Bakr and told him what hisfriend was saying. At first Abu Bakr thought that they were making up stories, butwhen it was confirmed that Muhammedhad actually said that he went to Jerusalem inone night, Abu Bakr replied to Muhammed’s

detractors that if Muhammed says it is so,then it is the truth. For this reason, Abu Bakr

was given the name al-Siddiq, the greatconfirmer of the truth. Later, when the cara-vans which Muhammed claimed to haveovertaken on his way home began to arrive inMecca, they fit his description and arrivedwhen he had predicted they would arrive.This gave other people cause to think thatwhat the Prophet said had been the truth.

11

The Prophet’s Night Journey to Jerusa-lem is called Isra and his ascent to heaven iscalled Miraj. They took place on the night of27th Rajab. You can read about Isra and Mirajin Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol. 5:227 and in SahihMuslim Vol.1:309.

Bonnie L. Hamid

continued from page 10

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������continued from page 3on the way back one should recite theTakbir: Allah hu Akbar, Allah hu Akbar,La ilaha illullah, wal lah hu akbar, Allahhu Akbar, wa lil lah hil hamd.

(Allah is the greatest, Allah is the great-est, there is no god but Allah, Allah is thegreatest, Allah is the greatest and allpraise belongs to Him.)

It is the Prophet's tradition to go tothe prayer by one way and return byanother. The following acts are sunnah onthe day of Eid-ul-fitr: to clean teeth withmiswak; to take a bath; to adorn oneselfand dress in the best clothes that areavailable that are permitted by Shariah; touse perfume; to rise early and go to theprayer grounds early; to walk to the prayergrounds if possible and recite the takbir.

Procedure of the Eid Prayer.Eid-ul-Fitr prayer consists of two rak'ahin congregation. After the niyah( )(Navaito-an osalliya rakaatil wajibe salatalEid il Fitri maa takbiratil-wajibah)the Imam and the followers say AllahuAkbar and fold hands just like in any otherprayer and recite quietly

Then the congregation says Allah huAkbar three times every time raising handto the ears and dropping them except thelast time hands are folded and then theImam recites sura-e-Fatihah and anothersura. Then the congregation performs

ruku and sajuud as in other prayers. Thiscompletes the first rak'ah. During thesecond rak'ah the Imam recites sura-e-Fatihah and another sura and then saysAllahu-Akbar four times. The first threetimes hands are raised to the ears anddropped. The fourth time the congrega-tion goes to ruku without raising the handsto the ears.

According to Imam Shafi there are 12extra takbirat; seven in the first and five inthe second. This is also based on soundhadith. The muqtadee should follow what-ever the imam does. The imam shouldinform the congregation which method heis going to adopt.

After the Eid prayer is completed, thereis a khutba, or sermon, during which theImam speaks of the sadaqa-tul-fitr, thanksAllah on the completion of the Ramadhanfasting, and preaches about other essen-tial matters. The khutba is given in twoparts as during Juma. The rules of Jumakhutba also apply to the Eid khutba. Thekhutba is sunnah and should be listened toquietly before leaving the prayer ground.

Whoever missed the Eid prayer shouldpray two rak'at; and similarly the womenand those who are at home and in thevillages should do so, as is confirmed bythe statement of the Prophet : "O Mus-lims this is our Eid." (Sahih Al-Bukhari,Vol. 2, Book XV, Ch. 25).

Eid Celebrations. It is customary toprepare special dishes and to visit friendsand relatives. Family members, relativesand friends often receive a new set ofclothes. Children often receive gifts ormoney from family and friends. All per-missible festivities are encourage, espe-cially for children.

He is Allah, than whom thereis no other God

12

The Salâh of a Believer in theQur’ân and Sunnah

Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul HaqReprinted with permission of Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq.To obtain the complete book, contact: IslâmicSharîah Institute, PO Box 6008, Birmingham B100UW, UK. [sales@shariah-institute.org].

Continued from previous issuePart Three: Miscellaneous Issues

of Salâh2. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah reports that

when the Prophet would complete therecitation of the mother of the Qur’ân,he would raise his voice and say Ameen.41

Imam Nimawi says:‘Daruqutni has declared this hadeeth hasan,and Hakim has said it is saheeh accordingto the conditions of Bukhari and Muslim.Ibn al Qayyim has also been mistaken bythe tasheeh of Hakim for he says in I’laa alMuwaqqieen, “Hakim has narrated it with asaheeh isnad.”’Imam Nimawi adds:‘The sanad of this hadeeth contains Ishaqbin Ibrahim bin al Alaa al Zubaidi al Zibreeq.None of the six famous authors of hadeethhave recorded any of his narrations in theirbooks. In fact Nasai and Abu Dawood havedeclared him to be dhaeef, and Muhammadbin Auf al Tai has branded him a liar. Dhahabiwrites in al Mizaan: “Abu Hatim said, ‘Thereis no harm in him. I have heard Ibn Maeenpraise him.’” Nasai said, “He is not thiqah.”Abu Dawood said, “He is nothing” and theMuhaddith of Hims Muhammad bin Auf alTai has branded him a liar. Hafidh writes inTahdheeb al Tahdheeb, “Ajuri has reportedfrom Abu Dawood that Muhammad bin Aufal Tai said, ‘I do not doubt that Ishaq binZibreeq lies.’” Hafidh also says in Taqreeb,“He is sadooq, who errs excessively.Muhammad bin Auf has openly declaredthat he lies.”’Imam Nimawi continues,‘Thus, it is proven that the hadeeth is notwithout weakness. Furthermore, its wordingis not preserved and Daruqutni has admittedthis in his al Ilal where he says, “There aredifferences from Zubaidi in both the text andchain. Abdullah bin Salim relates from

Zubaidi from Zuhri from Saeed and AbuSalamah from Abu Hurairah that whenthe Prophet would complete the recitationof the opening chapter of the book, he wouldraise his voice with Ameen, whereas all therest have narrated from Zubaidi from Zuhrifrom Abu Salamah alone from Abu Hurairah

that the Prophet said, ‘When the Imamsays Ameen, then you say Ameen.’”Daruqutni then adds, “The correctlypreserved narration from Zubaidi is ‘Whenthe Imam says Ameen, you say Ameen.’”Imam Nimawi then concludes,‘Therefore, Hakim’s claim that this hadeethis saheeh according to the conditions ofBukhari and Muslim is null and void.’42

3. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah said, ‘Peoplehave left saying Ameen. When theProphet would say “…” he would sayAmeen until the people of the first rowwould hear it and the masjid would shakebecause of it.’43

Imam Nimawi says:‘Its isnad is dhaeef because of Bishr bin Rafi.As mentioned in al Mizaan Bukhari says,“He is not followed up in his narrations.”Ahmad says “dhaeef”; Ibn Maeen says, “Hehas related munkar ahadeeth.” Nasai saysthat he is not strong. Ibn Hibban says thathe relates fabricated things in which he isthe central narrator. Hafidh says inTahdheeb al Tahdheeb that Ibn Abd al Barrhas written in al Kuna, “He is dhaeef andmunkar of hadeeth according to them (theMuhaddithun). He also writes in his Kitabal Insaf that they are unanimous in declaringhis hadeeth to be munkar, in their discardinghis narrations, and in their not accepting himas an authority. The ulama of hadeeth donot differ about this.” Hafidh also writes inhis Taqreeb, “Bishr bin Rafi’ is dhaeef inhadeeth.”’Imam Nimawi adds that this hadeeth has alsobeen reported by Abu Dawood from Bishrbin Rafi’, (also by Abu Ya’laa, Daruqutni,and Ibn Hibban, but all) without the words“thus, the masjid would shake with it.” Thewording of that particular hadeeth (reportedby Abu Dawood) is as follows: ‘When the

continued on page 13

13

Prophet would recite “GhairilMaghdhoobi…” he would say Ameen untilthose who were close to him in the first rowcould hear him.’ Abu Ya’laa has also narratedthe same hadeeth from Bishr bin Rafi’ withthe following wording: ‘People have leftsaying Ameen. When the Prophet wouldrecite ‘Ghairil Maghdhoobi…’ he would sayAmeen until the first row would hear.’ It isthus apparent that the additional wording of“thus, the masjid would shake with it”reported by Ibn Majah has not been followedup by others. Moreover, this additioncontradicts the former part of the hadeethwhere the narrator says “until the people ofthe first row would hear him.”44

4. Sayyidatuna Umm al Husayn relates that she prayed behind the Prophet

. When he recited ‘Wa ladhaalleen’ hesaid Ameen. She heard him, and she wasin the row of the women.45

Imam Nimawi has declared this hadeeth tobe dhaeef, most probably because of Ismaeelbin Muslim al Makki. Ahmad calls himmunkar al hadeeth; Nasai and others say ofhim, matrook (abandoned); Ibn al Madinisays, ‘I heard Yahya say when he was askedabout Ismaeel bin Muslim al Makki, “He wasalways confused. He would narrate onehadeeth to us in three different ways.”’ Ibnal Madini says, ‘His hadeeth should not berecorded.’ Ibn Maeen says, ‘He is nothing.’5. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah narrates that

the Prophet said, ‘When the Imam saysAmeen, say Ameen. For one whose Ameencoincides with that of the angels, he willhave all his past sins forgiven.’46

Some take the meaning of the above hadeethto be that the Imam will say Ameen loudlyand this should be followed by the Ameenof the congregation. However, the majorityof the scholars have not interpreted theabove hadeeth literally, but have taken it tomean ‘when the Imam intends to say Ameen.’This is necessary to reconcile this hadeethwith the other narrations on the subject. Thisfigurative reading of the text is similar to theway we should approach the words of Allâh,‘O believers! When you stand for prayer thenwash you faces…’ (i.e. when you intend to

stand for prayer). This has been confirmedby Hafidh Ibn Hajar Asqalani in his Fath alBari and also by Suyuti in his Tanweer alHawalik.

Imam Nimawi concludes,‘The saying aloud of Ameen has not been

established from the Prophet or the fourcaliphs, and whatever has been related inthis regard, it is not without fault.’Saying Ameen silently was the practice ofSayyiduna Umar, Sayyiduna Ali, SayyidunaAbdullah bin Mas’ud , Ibrahim alNakhai, Sha’bi, Ibrahim al Taimi, Imam AbuHanifah, Imam Abu Yusuf, Imam Muhammad,their followers and the people of Kufah.Imam Shafiee in his later view also says thatthe muqtadi should say Ameen silently.Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri says that hehas not come across any Maliki scholar whosays that Ameen should be said loudly. ImamMalik says, ‘Those who are behind the Imamshould say Ameen silently.’47 Ibn Jareer alTabari claims as quoted by Ibn al Turkumaniin al Jawhar al Naqiyy that this was thepractice of most of the companions andTabi’un. 48

continued from page 12

(Footnotes)41 Daruqutni 1259 and Hakim 812.42 al Ta’leeq al Hasan 378.43 Ibn Majah 853. Imam Nimawi says that itsisnad is weak (379). Booseeree says in Misbahal Zujajah, Chapter 151, hadeeth no. 314,‘This is a weak isnad. Abu Abdullah’s detailsare unknown, and Bishr has been weakenedby Ahmad and Ibn Hibban says of him thathe relates fabricated narrations.’44 al Ta’leeq al Hasan 379.45 Ishaq bin Rahooyah in his Musnad asquoted by Hafidh Zailaee. Also reported byTabarani in al Mu’jam al Kabeer 25/158, no.383. Imam Nimawi says that its isnad containsIsmaeel bin Muslim al Makki who is weak(380).46 Malik 195, Bukhari 747, and Muslim 410.47 al Mudawwanah al Kubra 1/167.48 al Jawhar al Naqiyy 1/32.

*He who kneels before Allâh*He who kneels before Allâh*He who kneels before Allâh*He who kneels before Allâh*He who kneels before Allâh

can stand before anyone* can stand before anyone* can stand before anyone* can stand before anyone* can stand before anyone*

14

DISUNITY AND DECLINE:A DIRECT PROPORTIONALITY

Today, the Muslim ummah (nation) ispassing through a critical stage in history.The decline of the Muslim nation hasreached its lowest ebb. There are variousreasons for it. Sheikh ul-Hind, MaulanaMahmood ul Hasan (died in 1922 C.E.), whowas imprisoned in the Island of Malta bythe British government in India, said thatduring his 4 years in prison, he contemplatedover the cause of the decline of MuslimUmmah and he reached the followingconclusion:“There appear to be two reasons for thedecline of the Muslim Ummah today: i)Muslims have forsaken the Qur’an, and ii)Muslims are disunited.”

Allah has sent down the Qur’an for theMuslims so that they would absorb andintegrate the teachings of the Qur’an intotheir character just as the companions(sahaabah) of Prophet Muhammad (peacebe upon him) did it. Maryam Jameelah, anIslamic scholar, once mentioned that one ofthe things she observed among the Muslimsis that they can sacrifice their life for theQur’an but they cannot live their lifeaccording to the Qur’an. This is a veryprofound observation. Today, Muslimshave made the Qur’an as a ceremonial book,i.e. they use the Qur’an on special occasionsfor attaining blessings, but they do not useit as the code for their life. The sahaabahused to apply every verse of the Qur’an ontheir character.

The second cause, which is related to thefirst cause, is the disunity among theMuslims. The cliché that “Unity is Strength”is nonetheless true. The life history ofnations shows that whenever there isdisunity in a nation, it is a crystal-clearindication of its decline. The Muslim nationis not an exception to this rule. Allah’s“Sunnah” (way of dealing) is same for everynation. In Qur’an, Allah says:“So no change will you find in Allah’sSunnah (way of dealing).” (Surah Faatir [TheOriginator of Creation] (35:43).

Qur’an teaches us to learn from history andnot to repeat the mistakes of previousgenerations. The following examples fromhistory will elucidate the point:

When Muslims conqueredConstantinople (Istanbul) under theleadership of Sultan Muhammad Fatih in1453 C.E., the Christian popes and priestswere disunited and, instead of becomingunited and making military plans againstMuslims, they were arguing about thefollowing trivial issues in the royal court ofConstantine:i) Did Mary remain virgin after giving birthto Jesus?ii) How many angels can fit on the tip of aneedle?iii) What kind of bread did Jesus eat in hislast supper? Was it baked or not?The consequences of this disunity amongChristians were horrible. Muslims were easilyable to conquer Constantinople, which wasthe heart of Christian empire.

When the British were attacking andconquering the different Muslim states ofIndia around 1800 C.E., Muslims of theIndian sub-continent were disunited andthey were busy in having debates amongeach other about such issues as:i) Issue of “Imkaan-e-Kizb” which means“Can Allah tell a lie or not?ii) Issue of “Imtinaa-e-Nazeer” which means“Can Allah create another person likeMuhammad (peace be upon him)?”

The consequence of this disunity amongMuslims was not different than it is for anyother nation. The British were able toconquer all the Muslim states in India bythe year 1857 C.E. Similarly, it was becauseof this disunity that the Western imperialpowers were able to convert the unitedstates of Middle East into the disunitedstates of Middle East.

To be continued Dr. Gohar Mushtaq

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15

continued from page 7commencement of the fast. The Prophet himself has declared it to be a Sunnah forMuslims. It is related by Anas bin Mâlik that he once said, ‘Eat Sehri for there ispropitiousness in it.” [Tirmidhi]

Again, it is related by ‘Amr bin-al-‘Aas that the Prophet once said, “Whatdistinguishes our fasting from the fasting ofthe other people of the Book is Sehri.”[Muslim]

The Prophet has also forbidden thedelaying of Iftâr and condemned it as the wayof extremists among the people of the Bookand a sign of mischief and perversion. It isrelated by Suhail bin Sa’d that he said,“So long as people are prompt in Iftâr they willremain on the side of virtue.” [Tirmidhi] Asimilar tradition related by Hazrat Abu Huraira

says, “As long as people observepromptitude in Iftâr the faith will be in theascendance because the Jews and theChristians make delay in it.” [Abû Dâwûd]

Likewise, it is preferable to make a late Sehriand such also was the conduct of the holyCompanions. It is related by Zaid bin Thâbit

that, “We took the Sehri with the Prophet

To be continued

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Taken from “The Four Pillars of Islâm” by SyedAbul Hasan Ali Nadwi, translated into English byMuhammad Asif Kidwai [Da’wah Academy,International Islâmic University, Islamabad,Pakistan].

Madina Academy, a private elementary and middle school located in Windsor, CT The students of Madina Academy need your financial assistance to make their building projecta reality. This is an opportunity to create a sadaqah jariyah for yourself.Madina Academy offers financial aid to deserving students. Please donate generously for thebuilding fund. Target: 600,000

10/04

Please make checks payable to: Madina Academy, One Madina Drive,P.O Box 564,

Windsor, CT 06095-0564Phone: (860) 524-9700

www.MadinaAcademy.org*Donations are tax deductible:Federal Tax ID # 06-1589428.

and then stood up for salâh.” On beingenquired about the time intervening betweenthe two acts he replied that it was equal towhat was needed for the recitation of fiftyverses of the Qur’ân. [Ibid] We further learnfrom Ibn-i-‘Umar that there were twomuezzins [public criers to salâh] of the sacredProphet : Bilâl and Ibn-i-Ummi-Muktoom

. The Prophet once said: “The Azân ofBilâl is the sign of night. Eat in it till Ibn-i-Muktoom gives the Azân.” The gap betweenthe two Azâns, according to him, was onlythis much that as the former came down fromthe platform the latter climbed to it.”[Shaikhain]

16 is issued on the 3rd Friday of each month. ISSN # 1062-2756

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IF YOU MOVE PLEASE SEND US YOUR NEW ADDRESSPlease pass onto others afteryou have finished reading it.

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Important Islamic daysASHURAH (Fast on 9th and 10th, or 10th and 11th of Muharram.)MAULUD-UN-NABI Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (Rabiul Awwal) - Death of the Prophet (12 Rabiul Awwal).ISRA and MIRAJ (The anniversary of the Night Journeyof the Prophet Muhammad to Jerusalem & his Ascensionthen to Heaven)(27 Rajab).NESFU SHABAAN (Shub-e-Barat)(middle of the monthof Shabaan)(night between 14 &15).BEGINNING OF THE MONTH OF Ramadan.LAILA TUL QADER (NIGHT OF VALUE) A night duringthe last 10 days of Ramadan.EID UL-FITR (1st. Shawwal)WAQFATU-ARAFAT (Pilgrims assemble on Arafat Plain,Makkah)(9 Zul-Hijj).EID UL-ADHA (Feast of sacrifice)(10 Zul-Hijj).

ABC’s OF ISLAMsent by Ismail Satia

ismailsatia@yahoo.co.uk

W is for Wudu’ We must keep our minds and bodiesclean, Because by Allâh we are alwaysseen Whenever you hear the call of athan, Prepare and come pray as soon asyou can X is for ...... X is not easy for us to rhyme, So we’ll not waste much of yourtime In higher math X is hard to find, But Allâh’s path is clear even to theblind

My Lord!Increaseme in knowledge. (20:114)

WHY THE SUNNAH AND HADITHMUST BE FOLLOWED

All the Prophet ( ) did and said,Were done for a reason.They should be followed to stay out of a hellof a prison.

Rasulullah ( ) drank sitting down,Some other man he stands,Then it is likely he will start to chokeNow look what’s on his hands.

Rasulullah ( ) once said, “Leave one thirdof your stomach for food, one third forwater, and one third for air.Some man, he does not follow this,Stuffs himself and finds himself obese.Obesity is something bad,Something no one wants in the least.

So follow the sunnah and hadith,You’ll find it very useful.The things Rasullullah ( ) did and said,Were meant to be resourceful.

Juhi Farooqui Age 10

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