AL-RIS

ALAH

VOLUME 11 ISSUE2©Nama Khalil

October|2010 2

Along with being co-chair of S.A.F.E,

Ahmad is an enthusias-tic and active member of the MSA. He participates in the weekly Tuesday meetings, and is on the Social Justice Commit-tee. Recently, he single-handedly led a successful silent-walk out protest at the infamous IDF soldiers’ event. His passion and determination allows him to man of all trades. Did you hear about the new reflec-tion room in the UGLi? That’s all this guy. Ahmad spent a lot of time during the summer working to get the new reflection room there. Now we don’t have to pray in between the shelves because we’re thinking to ourselves “Who checks out books these days?” (Some-how someone always needs to go through that partic-ular row). Anyways, continue the great work Ahmad. Be sure to give your thanks to Ahmad, and tell him he’s the man. B)

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What are you doing for Halloween weekend?

www.umich.edu/~muslimsTo contact MSA E-board email

msa-eboard@umich.eduQuestions or comments about

the Risalah?Email oms786@gmail.com

Views expressed within theRisalah do not necessarily reflect

those held by theUniversity of Michigan Muslim

Students’ Association

Risalah is sponsored by the Michigan Student

Assembly

Editors: Omar ShaikhEman AbdelhadiShoaib Rasheed

Writers:Eman Abdelhadi

Kashif AhmedAliza HiraniZeinab KhalilMohsin QaziShoaib RasheedSaad VaidBilal Zaidi

Photography:Noor HaydarOmar Shaikh

ARidwaan Albei-

Always looking for new

members!

October|2010 3

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon

him), who said:"Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: 'The first of his actions for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers.' If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded; and if they are wanting, then he will have failed and lost. If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers, the Lord (glorified and exalted be He) will say:

'See if My servant has any supererogatory prayers with which may be completed that which was defective in his obligatory prayers.' Then the rest of his actions will be judged in like fashion."

[At-Tirmidhi (also by Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and Ah-mad).]

This hadith draws upon several things, including Allah’s infinite mercy and the importance of salah and its implications. First,

we can see how vast Allah’s mercy is by the fact that He is will-ing and eager to forgive us for deficiencies in acts that are obliga-tory upon us. Second, it highlights the importance of the nafl (su-perogatory) prayers that are associated with each salah (prayer). Sometimes we are quick to skip these prayers in our busy sched-ules, when in fact these could be the prayers that admit us into jannah (heaven) insha’Allah. The third lesson we can draw is the importance of prayer overall. This hadith tells us that the way we will be judged by Allah will be determined by the state of our salah (prayer). If we are told exactly what chapters will be covered in an exam, we make sure to study those chapters inside and out. If we were to spend time on any other chapter, we would be wasting time. In the same way, it makes no sense for us to be wasting time in other areas of our life at the expense of our salah (prayer) when we are told that our final exam grade will rest upon the state of our salah (prayer). And Allah knows best. May Allah give us the tawfiq to inculcate the teachings of Allah and His Messenger (S.) in our lives.

Helping of Hadithby Bilal Zaidi

Movie Tafseer by Mohsin QaziThe Social NetworkDirected by David Fincher

The Social Network is a film about the inception of social networking site, Facebook. The film starts off at Harvard University where we are introduced to Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), the cre-

ator of Facebook. Zuckerberg is a socially awkward student at the university, trying to gain membership into a prestigious final club. After gaining notoriety for creating a website that crashed the Harvard servers as well as invaded the privacy of students, Zuckerberg was brought to the attention of the cre-ators of a website called the Harvard Connection. By using the allure of popularity and a better image on campus the creators of the Harvard Connection convinced Zuckerberg to work on their website. While learning about the idea behind the Harvard Connection, Zuckerberg was inspired to create Face-book. This led Zuckerberg to go to his friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) for financial help in getting the website up and running. Due to the website's quick spread throughout many universities in the country there were “growing pains” within the company. Saverin and Zuckerberg were not able to agree on how to monetize or expand the website. This led to Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), a young and well-connected executive to be brought in. The disagreements lead to Zuckerberg being called into high-profile lawsuits. This film expertly uses non-linear storytelling to convey the websites origins through the lawsuits brought up against the protagonist. The film explores the themes of loyalty, power, friendship, and jealousy. The film is an impor-tant example of how not to handle business in Islam. It is important to be clear and tell the truth at all times, including business transac-tions. Islam tells us that we must follow through on promises we make and should not use deceptive ways to get out of agreements.

October|2010 4

Asma’ bint Shehu Uthman (1793-1864) was a great female scholar of Islam who lived in Nigeria during the colonial period. Even today, she is a household name in West Africa, and commonly

known with reverence as “Nana Asma’u.” She is famous not only for her mastery of all the Islamic sciences, but also for her tireless efforts to spread traditional and authentic Islamic education to the masses.

Nana Asma’u was born to a family of scholarship. She memorized the Quran at an early age. She went on to study classical texts on Islamic theology, jurisprudence, hadith, and tafsir. She mastered the Arabic language, as well as the local languages of Fulfulde, Hausa, and Tama-check, and before she was twenty years old, Nana Asma’u was acknowl-edged to be a woman of extraordinary talent.

Nana Asma’u was very politically active. She took part in the founding of the Sokoto Caliphate, which was at the time one of the most influential states in West Africa. After the state was established, Nana Asma’u was given the responsibility of educating the people, particularly the women, about Islam. She wrote extensively. Most of her works are poems on Islamic creed and purification of the heart that were meant to be easily memorized, so that even unlettered Muslims could obtain an Islamic education. Nana Asma’u is a perfect example of the fact that historically, Islamic scholarship has never ex-clusively been the field of men. Nana Asma’u is one of thousands of classically-trained female scholars of Islam such as Fatimah al-Samarqandiyyah, the Hanafi jurist; Rabi’ah al-Basriyyah, the renown master of the inward sciences; and Hajar bint Muhammad, one of the teachers of Jalal ad-Din al-Suyuti. Indeed, it is no exxageration to say that if it weren’t for the female scholars of Islam, we would not have more than half of our religion today. All these incredible women studied, taught, and wrote extensively, while maintain-ing careful observance of all the Islamic laws of modesty. Professor Khaled Abou El Fadl writes: “…until the 1700s, Europe failed to produce a single female social, political, or legal jurist. Islam did exactly the opposite in every respect, so much so that Hazrat Umar bin al-Khattab used to entrust Shaffa bint Abdullah as an inspector over the market in Medina.”1

The take-home point, then, is that Islam advocates excellence in Islamic education for both men and women. How can it not, when the ‘Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (S) himself, was one of the most impor-tant sources of Islam? To learn more about Nana Asma’u, I recommend reading One Women’s Jihad: Nana Asma’u, Schol-ar and Scribe by Beverly B. Mack and Jean Boyd, which can be found through the university library cata-log.2 To learn more about female Islamic scholarship in history, check out “Women Scholars of Hadith,” an online article by Dr. Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi.3 Another great book on the subject is Al-Muhaddithat: Women Scholars in Islam by Shaykh Muhammad Akram Nadwi.4

May Allah grant Nana Asma’u the highest level in Paradise, and instill in us his best qualities.

1 El Fadl, Khaled Abou. “In Recognition of Women.” <http://www.themodernreligion.com/women/recognition.html>.2 www.lib.umich.edu3 http://www.islamfortoday.com/womenscholars.htm4 http://imuslim.wordpress.com/2007/07/10/al-muhaddithat-female-scholars-of-islam/

Spotlight on a Scholarby Shoaib Rasheed

October|2010 5

Ramadan in Cairo: Taste the Difference

This year I was fortunate enough to spend a week of Ramadan in Egypt. I’d been to Egypt many times before, but never during Ramadan. My cousins and family overseas had always told me that you haven’t really experienced Egypt until you’ve been there during Ramadan. And since Ramadan coincided with most of

my vacation this summer, I was able to welcome this blessed month in a different hemisphere and see what all the hype was about.

It isn’t Ramadan in Egypt until the fanous (and the moon) is sighted. With the advent of Ramadan comes the lighting and sporting of thousands and thousands of fawanees in all shapes and sizes adorned in homes, restaurants, mosques, markets and outside on the streets. The fanous is a traditional lantern made of tin and stained glass lit with a candle or oil; although, nowadays most of them are mass-produced in China, made of plastic, and have cheap light bulbs. I spent the evening before Ramadan in the famous Khan El Khalili bazaars, navigating my way through the bustling and narrow streets of Old Cairo, searching for the perfect fanous. We walked into one shop where the vendor tried to rip us off after I told him I wanted “two fanouses” (correct form: fawanees). Right as the call to Isha prayer began, I spotted an elegant foot-long fanous adorned with red, yellow, and green pieces of colored glass and outlined with gold embellishment. My search had come to an end.

I was very lucky to be in this part of town that night be-cause I got to pray the first night of taraweeh in the historic and majestic Masjid Al Hussein, standing tall since 1154. The mosque filled up extremely quickly, with rows of people extending far out-side the walls of the masjid. It was hard to find a place to stand, especially since I kept my fanous attached to me like a child. But as soon as the imam began to recite Al-Fatiha, the hustle and bustle died down at once, and the only thing to be heard were the soft melodic verses flowing throughout the masjid and streets, seemingly pausing the whole city. Standing amongst the masses in this masjid, standing shoulder to shoulder besides tourists and locals, the rich and the poor, the old and the young, no one could reckon the socioeconomic problems that plague Egypt and the peoples’ day to day lives. Cairo doesn’t sleep. Not even during Ramadan. Especially during Ramadan. At about 3 A.M. , the mas-saharati walks around beating his drum. The massaharti is a designated person in each neighborhood that goes around in the middle of the night waking people up (for those who are sleeping) for suhoor. After we’d have yogurt and fool (a staple of the Egyptian diet consisting of mashed beans) for suhoor, we would waited on our balcony for the Fajr adhan. For most of the day, things are pretty ordinary. It is only an hour before iftar that you realize something is different; a strange dichotomy emerges with the overly hectic traffic and hysteria transforming into completely deserted streets and hushed tones. Families gather for iftar in homes, restaurants, and at the popular “Ma’idat al-Rahman” (literally “Table of the Merciful”) dinners which are set up every day during Ramadan for traveling or needy people who have to break their fasts. A couple of hours later, people start to make their way to taraweeh, and the night begins again.

by Zeinab Khalil

October|2010 6

The Truth Behind American Immigrationby Mary Birkett

America has a precedent of suspending rights when it’s expedient for it to do so. You don’t need to go back far to think of chilling ex-

amples - Guantanamo Bay; the muffled interroga-tion and deportation of random Arab Americans after September 11th; the current conditions in some deportation centers... What do these instanc-es have in common? They deal with the most easily identifiable “Other” - the foreign, the immigrant. And now, the criminally “different.” Ever since September 11th, there has been a linkage between foreignness and criminality that I have found pro-foundly disturb-ing. Sen sums up this connection perfectly in her book, The Ac-cidental Ameri-can: “the mainstream national response sacralized the day, relying on trusty, racialized archetypes of Americans as white and native-born, and foreign-ers as a dangerous, dark threat. The sacralization process, complete with racial stereotypes, merged with the immigration debate, pitting Americans and foreigners against each other and bolstering the idea that the United States should limit the en-try of other people” (26). Reading some provisions of the recent Arizona bill chilled me - policemen can arrest people who they have “probable cause to believe” are undocumented - without a warrant? Immigrants who don’t carry their papers with them at all times are committing a crime? (SB 1070 Fact-sheet) As the daughter of a Japanese immigrant, I can’t help but think of where this kind of mentality leads - internment camps.

So what’s the problem with immigration policy? The conditions that form it and the way it perpetuates these circumstances and these men-talities. The most effective way to change these conditions is through grassroots organizing. This is what IROC, the student group I’m part of, and its community partner, Reform Immigration For America-Michigan, try to do. As part of a demo-cratic country, one of the best structures we have in place to create change is through civic engagement. Immigrants’ rights voters are historically underrep-

resented in the US - so it’s no surprise that Ari-zona is able to pass laws like SB 1070. By organiz-ing communities into powerful voting blocs, we can demonstrate our commitment to human rights, to the universal right to full citizenship

in this human community. On election day, we are organizing students to do non-partisan voter mobilization work for immigrants’ rights supporters in Detroit. This is just one important way to create a voice for those who have been criminalized by our current politics - and it’s happening just 40 minutes away. I heard a great story about the immigrants’ rights movement. A delegation of mainly un-documented students approached Joe Arpaio, the sheriff in Arizona notorious for his mistreatment of immigrants, with pieces of coal. “These are all the papers we need,” they said. Why coal? It’s made of carbon - like every human body, including yours.

If you want to get involved with or learn more about IROC, contact Mary Birkett by text/call 503 803 7280 or email her at foozle@umich.edu

...policemen can arrest people who they have “probable cause to believe” are undocumented - without a war-rant?

October|2010 7

The Good Fight and Meby Yonah Lieberman

America is a place full of potential oppor-tunity. I say “potential” because there are way too many social groups currently be-

ing marginalized by the institutional systems or the American culture. Within the laws of our gov-ernment, all people were created equal and should thus be given equal opportunity to become success-ful and, more importantly, feel comfortable in our country. While at the moment there are many, many mar-ginalized groups, the focus of my energy working with JStreetUmich this semester has been to assist the Muslim-American community. JStreetUmich is the UofM chapter of the national organization, JStreetU – the cam-pus arm of the lib-eral lobbyist orga-nization, focused on getting America to forge a just and last-ing peace between Israelis and Palestinians. I became involved in this incredible organiza-tion after I became marginalized by the right wing Jewish community and the liberal pro-Palestinian community. Much of the Jewish community I grew up with justified injustice after injustice committed by the Israeli government while the pro-Palestinian community I encountered in Ann Arbor sought to delegitimize Israel in radical ways and called for an end to the Jewish state. JStreet offered me an orga-nization that recognized both sides had wronged in the past, and both sides continue to do wrong. It serves to keep both of the extremes in check, and I think that is a significant contribution to the quest for peace. This semester JStreetU National has launched a campaign to Stand Strong Against Islamophobia. We want to give voice to the students in the United

States that will not stand for this pervasive hatred against our Muslim brothers and sisters. By sign-ing our petition, your voice is being heard by the national media, by the government, and by the ig-norant society we all belong to and seek to educate. The campaign has begun on more than twen-ty campuses already, with many more following suit soon. I took it upon myself to initiate the cam-paign in Ann Arbor because the cause is just and the difference can be huge. As a Jew, I have heard countless stories about my people’s troubled past in America – facing many of the same struggles as the Muslim community today. We were treated differ-ently by neighbors and coworkers, experienced un-

fair treatment by the law and government, and we were shunned from joining the rich melting pot of American society. Knowing that my grand-

parents and great-grandparents faced back then what my Muslim peers experience now is simply intolerable. As a country, it seems as if we forget our past too easily. Muslims are no more terrorists than Jews are greedy money launderers. Muslims are no more full of hate than any other person of faith just as Jewish culture is no more backwards than any other culture. Stereotypes are what tear our society apart – that is, was, and always will be true. The idea that those stereotypes exist in my era serves to moti-vate me when I would rather be studying, sleeping, or (best yet) eating. As a Jew, as an American, as a human being, I will not stop until Muslims in the United States are not persecuted merely because they worship Allah. I want to work with the Muslim community to progress that cause, and I hope that you will join me.

If you want to learn more about JstreetU, email Yonah Lieberman at yonahl@umich.edu

Muslims are no more terrorists than Jews are greedy money launderers.

Even though you are far away, I can still see you in my memory.

Even though you are busy teaching on the other side of the world, your post-Fajr teachings are still fresh in my mind.

Even though you speak almost no English and I speak almost no Arabic, I cherish our conversations that went late into the night.

Even though I only spent a few weeks with you, I feel like I have known you for a whole lifetime. Your wisdom, humor, and sincerity remain fresh in my mind.

How? Why?

Why are you such a true friend even though we are separated by time, dis-tance, and language?

Allah made you dear to me because of your love for Him, His Messenger, and His Book. And when Ar-Rahman intends to bring people to-gether, no barriers can keep them apart.

-Kashif

Connection

For Shaykh Ahmed Yusuf and the other scholars from Al Azhar who visited Ann Arbor this summer.

October|2010 8

October|2010 9

1. Name: Qurratulain "Annie" Sajid2. Major/Concentration: Women's Studies and Eng-lish. I intend to be happy just by "showing fidel-ity to a worthy purpose" (Helen Keller)3. Where you're from: Karachi, Pakistan/Escanaba, Michigan (the Upper Peninsula, yeah that's right)4. Year in school: Junior Year5. Favorite place to eat in Ann Arbor: Eastern Flame. kathi rolls, duh6. If there was any person dead/alive you could meet, who is it and what would be one question you would ask them?: I would ask Rabi'ah al-Adawiyya everything about her.7. You met a genie, what are your three wishes? 1) to own more hats 2) to travel 3) to have a conver-sation with five-year old me8. Best thing about MSA: the sisters9. Favorite childhood t.v. show: "Hey Arnold"10. What did you want to be when you were a kid?: A judge and an astronaut 11. Something that makes you genuniely laugh/smile: my own jokes12.Best thing about UMich: the maize and the blue

The newest addition to our Eboard; she joined last but she’s definitely not a least. Annie will be taking over for Baneen as Political Chair, (don’t worry, Baneen left voluntarily; she didn’t do anything risqué. She just got herself busted up in an accident. Alhamdulillah she’s made a full recovery now.) and she’s already started a revamp of the entire committee. She’s even changing the name! Here’s a little intro...

SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. What do you plan on doing with your life? I was plan-ning on going into the medical track, but I’ll see what Allah has in store for me.2. Why did you decide to come to UMich? I came to UM mostly for the academic opportunities, to keep my fami-ly’s legacy alive, the MSA here had me really convinced, the city of Ann Arbor, and finances.3. Any hobbies/sports? I enjoy playing basketball and football, reading any literature, especially history, politics, and religion. I also enjoy movies, hanging out with friends, chilling with family, and learning from peers.4. Have any freshman moments yet? Going to class on time, 10 minutes before it actually starts.5. Favorite thing about Umich? The academic challenges and opportunties, and Nolta.6. Favorite thing about MSA? Ultimately, brother-hood, the ability to build relationships that last for this life and hopefully the next, and to build my Iman through the activities and bonding.

Name That Freshie!

Brothe

rs’ Ed

ition

Gibrael Barlaskar

October|2010 10

Qur’an Cornerby Saad Vaid

“They seek to hide from men and seek not to hide from Allah. He is with them when by night they hold discourse displeasing unto Him. Allah ever surroundeth what they do.” [4:108] (Pickthall)

The verse quoted above from Surat al-Nisa. It refers to a specific episode about one of the hypo-crites from the Bani Ubayriq clan of Madinah. The hypocrite stole some flour (which was a

rare commodity at that time) from Rifa'ah, one of the Companions of the Prophet (S). When some of the people started suspecting the hypocrite of the theft, he cleverly devised a plan to frame one of the Jews of Madinah. The hypocrite’s plan worked so well that according to some narrations, the Holy Prophet (S) was about to punish the Jew. After some time, a whole section of the Quran was revealed in which the hypocrite was exposed and the Jew acquitted. Mufti Shafi Uthmani says in his famous Tafsir of the Quran, Ma’ariful Quran, that even though some verses of the Qur’an refer to a select event in history, their instructions can be used to benefit Muslims of any time period. This is part of the beauty of the Quran. The verse says that the men try to hide from people but they cannot hide from Allah, be-cause Allah encompasses whatever they do. This does not imply that we should publicize sins that we commit in solitude. Rather, this should lead us to realize that no matter who is around us when we sin, Allah is always watching, and this should lead us to be conscious of what we do; this con-cept is called Taqwa. It is amazing how we sometimes feel shame sinning in front of others, yet we feel no shame sinning in front of Allah. Allah is aware of each and every one of our actions, and they will all be recorded and brought into account on the Day of Judgment. So the next time we swear under our breath, or do not lower our gaze or cheat on an exam, and we think that no one else is watching, we should all remember, that Allah is the All-Seeing. But on the same note, remember that whenever we do a good deed with no one around to notice, Allah notices. The Holy Prophet (S) states in a Hadith Qudsi narrated by Abu Umamah (R) and related by Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal and others that Truly of those devoted to Me the one I most favour is a believer who is of meager means and much given to prayer, who has been par-ticular in the worship of his Lord and has obeyed Him inwardly , who was obscure among people and not pointed out, and whose sustenance was just sufficient to provide for him yet he bore this patiently. Then the Prophet (pbuh) rapped his hand (so as to express his amazement) and said: Death will have come early to him, his mourners will have been few, his estate scant. We should also all remember what Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi, “My mercy overtakes my wrath.” May Allah give us all the true and correct understanding of Taqwa. Ameen.

October|2010 11

It’s 9:02 and it seems freshman Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad forgot to factor in TP elevator time again. He shifts his weight from his right foot to his left and back again. 9:04 He had sworn he’d never do this again. He sighs, afraid to take his gaze off that little black downwards pointing arrow, still agonizingly yellow. 9:07 He begins to picture the slow, shame-ful descent to the front of Chem 1800, already feeling the condescending stares of all those other pre-med kids watching him

search the crowd for that one open seat. 9:09 the glorious ding of an approaching elevator. Salvation is here. The door opens to reveal 20 uncomfortable bodies and the absence of a single personal bubble. The first row of occupants sway backwards to make room, a row consisting entirely of MSA sis-ters. Of course. Muhammad Ahmad Squared knew he should have showered the previous night after an intense game of Brothers’ Basketball but had decided that a couple [dozen] games of Super Smash Brothers were a more worthwhile pursuit. But he woke up in the morning to find the water shut off until evening, and the possibility of a day lived with dignity gone with it. Who reads those stupid word-art signs anyway? Realizing that his Axe spray shower this morning is not gonna cut it, he enters the elevator and joins the sisters in holding his breath to keep from fainting. A few more excruciating seconds of minimal breathing and extensive studying of his shoes and Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad is finally free to step out of the double doors and into the crisp Ann Arbor air. It’s 9:12 and it’s already a bad morning. He scrambles into his sweat shirt pocket for his iPod. He needs to lift his mood and he knows just the song. Travie McCoy: “I want to be a billionaire so--” wait...Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad doesn’t really want to be a billion-aire. He just wants to be a doctor. Not even a great doctor, just a good, ol’ will-have-happy-parents-and-is-likely-to-eventually-find-a-mashallah-wife doctor. He contemplates writing the Muslim Guy version of the song, filing the idea away right behind his latest way to use the banana in Banquet skits. Thoughts of medical school and his mashallah (and he means MASHALLAH) wife-to-be carry Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad into class and through the pain of finding a seat despite being almost ten minutes late. Now comes the hard part. Staying awake. Okay so maybe, it wasn’t a ‘couple’ dozen games, maybe ‘few’ dozen is a more accurate description. Making himself comfort-able in his chair, he starts to wonder if his future wife knows how to cook Murgh Makni;he really likes the kind from Shalimar... 9:28. Muhammad Ahmad squared is on an island. He’s lying on a silky bed of white sand and waves of the cool beach water crawl up to tickle his toes every few seconds. This must be a private island or a paradise resort. He turns his head away from the blue skies and palm leaves and catches a glimpse of terror. An image so contradictory to the bliss he had just been in moments before. An anatomy book. Thick and full of menace, is staring back at him. Then it hits him, this is not an island resort; it is the Carib-bean. No, not a Caribbean resort - he is here for medical school. It’s not a sweet dream at all, it’s a nightmare! 9:55 Muhammad Ahmad Squared wakes up with a start. He reaches up and wipes the drool off his face. Muhammad Ahmad squared makes another mental note: add another couple hours to orgo study time. And now off to Intro to Islam...he wonders what dreams await him there...

The True Life of (Muhammad Ahmad) 2

Episode 1: Elevator

<< I think they’re all related.

What Islam Has Taught Me

Islam has taught me education is the way to go,Do not linger around and stay pak from head to toe.

Ashraf-Al-Muqluqat is what Allah has made us to be,Following Prophet Muhammad’s Hadiths, the reasoning we shall all see.

The practices of our tareeqa have no meaning if we do it for the sake of doing,We must look at its essence which will help us in terms of pursuing.

The people of the Islamic faith should live on an esoteric basis,Life is like a puzzle, think hard and long and fill in the missing spaces.

A balance of din and duniya, there should be no dichotomy between the two,We should not forsake one for the other, or else in our life we will feel blue.

If diversity is strength, pluralism is power,Thinking about life, time flies by the hour.

Homework, MSA, and Sports; what a busy day,Yet I know I can’t forget to thank Allah to whom I pray.

Quran, Hadith, Nasheeds, and Namaz five times a day,Then there is always my Tasbhi, all of these help me focus so I do not go astray.

From the time of Adam, till YomedeenAllah is always by our sides; this I have seen.

It might be my gut feeling, in my heart it feels right,Seeing may be believing, but truth doesn’t always lie in sight.

We have in front of us a world of opportunity,We all just have to come together too see it and become a community.

Helping others and changing lives through volunteer actions,We can’t let materialistic things get in the way as they are distractions.

Our Ummah is one no matter what sect of Islam we may beWe believe in the Prophet’s Message; God is Ar-Rahman and Ar-RaheemAnd this is what Islam has taught me.

-Aliza