By Ingrid Ascencio d’ Farrukh The 9th Annual Gathering of Latina Sisters in Chicago was held on May 24, 2009 in the Youth Center of the ICCI Masjid. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) made it possible once again, for this group of women to get together and share an afternoon of topics of interest, delicious food and a warm environment full of hugs and kids. The entire program was held in Spanish, and after the formal welcome and introduction of the event, little Sarita Hashlaman (7 years old) gave a beautiful recitation of Surah Ash-Shams and Ayat Al Kursi to invite
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By Hany Salah IslamOnline.netJune 11, 2009 http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout&cid=1243825288434&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss CAIRO — Though Muslims enjoy a unique atmosphere of tolerance in Brazil, many of their mosques are closed because of the rarity of imams, something that threatens the Islamic identity of many Muslims, particularly the younger generations. “One third of the mosques are closed due to the absence of imams,” Al-Sadiq Al-Othmani, head of the Islamic Affairs Department at the Sao Paulo-based Center of Islamic Da`wah in Latin America, told IslamOnline.net over the phone. There are mosques in all the major capitals of the Brazilian states and some cities in the interior. In
Read MoreThe Beginning Point of an Islamic Methodology. By Dr. Ihsan Bagby http://www.mana-net.org In its mission statement, MANA says that its organization will be based on Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa`ah (the People of Sunnah and the Community). What does this mean? The term Ahl al-Sunnah wa al- Jamaa`ah is actually an old term that was first used in the second century of the Islamic era. Firstly the term means that the foundation of all Islamic thought is Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) as found in authentic hadith. The ultimate arbiter
Read MorePor Marta Khadija Contestando a la llamada de Alá en una viaje de Reflexión, Inspiración, Renacimiento, y Devoción, el pasado 25 de Mayo de 2009 seis hermanas, un hermano y yo salimos para el Medio Oriente con el propósito de hacer el ritual de Umra, el cual se lleva a cabo en Meca, Arabia Saudita. La mayoría de nosotros visitábamos Meca por primera vez. Desde la planeación de este viaje empezamos a experimentar una emoción muy grande, La cual fue creciendo a medida que el día de salida se aproximaba. Viajamos por la aerolínea Emiratos Unidos (Emirates), vuelo directo de
Read MoreHomeless Coalition Begins Bi-Annual Census By Khadijah Rivera http://www.muslimahwritersalliance.com/MWA_Writer_Spotlight_April_Khadijah_Rivera.html Despite the fact that it’s 1:00 o’clock in the morning, I am exhausted, and my bones ache, my mind remains in a whirl-wind of activity from the events of the day, so here I sit, pen in hand. I spent the day as a volunteer assisting with the Homeless Coalitions’ bi-annual census. The volunteers were organized into teams that would work in shifts. The first shift was slated to begin at 4:00 AM on a day that began with temperatures that had plummeted overnight, and a steady rainfall. I remember feeling
Read MoreBy Imam Yusef Maisonet and Sr Khadijah Rivera Piedad-Latinodawah.Blogspot.comJune 4, 2009 http://piedad-latinodawah.blogspot.com/2009/06/historical-trip-to-puerto-rico-unites.html A man may plan but ALLAH is still the best of planners. Everything comes at the time that it was meant to be. For over 25 years I had dreamed of returning to Puerto Rico. But my work as a Merchant seaman took me to ports in Central and South America with work turned into Dawah. All that time Puerto Rico was in the back of my mind. Last year I prepared to take that ground breaking trip to Puerto Rico which was brought about by a New
Read MoreBy Shinoa Matos Unwrap meand find nothing extraordinaryexcept the ordinary, yet extraordinary me No “freedom” to exposeMy hair will tell you nothingEvident are my truthsIn speech, action, and thinking My body’s crevices, belonging to my makerWill give you not a drop of informationIt is my attitude, my spirit, and faithIn which you can make your assessment, your evaluation For you see, not a sliver of sound can be heardNot a piece of personality can be seenFrom all your walking modelsBinging, prostituting, and exposing It is you who needs unwrappingFrom your material and immoralityFind comfort in your blessingsRather than your ego,
Read More“Establish regular prayer: for prayer restrains from shameful and evil deeds; and remembrance of God is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt.” – Qur’an 29:45. “Many of the followers of the Book wish that they could turn you back into unbelievers after your faith, out of envy from themselves, (even) after the truth has become manifest to them; but pardon and forgive, so that Allah should bring about His command; surely Allah has power over all things.” – Qur’an 2:109. “I heard the Apostle of Allah (PBUH) say, “If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah
Read MorePor Ariffin Gutierrez He vivido en Malasia por más de 11 años. Llegue a este país para dar clases de español en el Instituto de Diplomacia y Relaciones Exteriores de Kuala Lumpur. Después fui a dar clases de español en una universidad que se llama Universiti Putra Malaysia o UPM. Ahora tengo mi propia oficina, al lado de las Torres Gemelas Petronas. Me case en 1997 pero ante del matrimonio, me converti al Islam como requisito para poder casarme. Yo me converti porque me convencí y estuve (y estoy) de acuerdo que no hay otro dios excepto Aláh. Logicamente, Dios
Read MoreBy Dr. Khalifa Abdul Hakim http://muslim-canada.org/ch9hakim.html What follows is an excerpt from Chapter 9 of “The Prophet and His Message” by Dr. Khalifa Abdul Hakim. We gratefully acknowledge and thank The Institute of Islamic Culture for permission to reproduce this. ISLAM is essentially a religion of love – God’s love for man and man’s love for God and man’s love for man and the entire creation. Love is the ground as well as the goal of all genuinely spiritual religions. The Qur’an begins by calling God Rahman and Rahim (generally translated in English as Beneficent and Merciful), but the word
Read MoreFrom MuslimBridges.org http://www.muslimbridges.org/content/view/453/ Muslim Congressman Took Oath of Office on Thomas Jefferson’s Quran.Keith Ellison finds book symbolic of U.S. founding fathers’ religious tolerance Incoming Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison became the first Muslim member of the U.S. Congress January 4, 2007. swearing his oath of office on a copy of the Quran that belonged to the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. “Look at that. That’s something else,” Ellison, D-Minn., said as officials from the Library of Congress showed him the two-volume Quran, which was published in London in 1764. Ellison
Read MoreFrom UIAL.org http://www.uial.org/index.php?lang=spanish Misión de la UIAL La comunicación entre las diferentes sociedades, entidades educativas y culturales, es una de las principales características que distinguen esta época, conocida como la era de las telecomunicaciones; gracias a los grandes avances técnicos y científicos a este nivel. Es evidente que dentro de lo positivo que tiene la era de las telecomunicaciones, es que, nos permite saber y conocer más sobre los demás, comprender sus particularidades y sus aspiraciones intelectuales y culturales. Con toda la tecnología, se espera disminuir los conflictos y problemas por los que está pasando nuestro mundo hoy día, los
Read MoreFrom UIAL.org http://www.uial.org/index.php?lang=english UIAL Mission One of the main characteristics of the era in which we live in today is that ordinary people in addition to world wide scholarly and cultural institutions have become interconnected due to what is known as the era of communication and globalization. These connections have been made possible by the tremendous capabilities of modern technology, in ways that no human being could have ever dreamt of a few decades ago. It is evident that one of the benefits of these connections is that they give us the opportunity to become better acquainted with each other’s
Read MoreBy Hany Salah IslamOnline.netFebruary 4, 2009 http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout&cid=1233567606891 SAO PAULO – The first-ever institute for training imams and preachers in the entire Latin American continent will soon see the light in Brazil to meet a dire need for homegrown scholars. “The institute will open its doors by March,” Abdelbagi Sidahmed Osman, executive director of the Latin American Institute for Islamic Studies, told IslamOnline.net. “It will be the first of its kind, not only in Brazil but in Latin America.” Headquartered in Maringa city in the northern Parana state, the ground-breaking institute will focus on teaching Islamic studies and training imams. It
Read MoreBy Juan Alvarado Although some Spanish words come from Greek, the Spanish language is considered a Romance language because most Spanish words are descended from Latin. Surprisingly, many of these Spanish words carry an Arabic meaning or concept. The following few examples will give an idea of how these words are used. An example is the Spanish word aceros, meaning both energy and strength. Aceros is a translation of the Arabic word hiddah (meaning sharpness and force). Another example is the Spanish word poridad, which means both purity and friendship, from the Arabic word khalasa (meaning to be pure). Lastly, the Spanish word and
Read MoreBy Velma Cook Five times a day I retreat from life, pause and renew my intention for living. It’s not just kids and work, fun and problems. There’s more, much more lying just beneath the surface of our everyday thoughts. If we dare to peer within, we’ll find it, the home of peace, of truth: an acute awareness of what is wrong and right, of what is worthwhile and what is wasted. I stand still and concentrate on the spot on the carpet where my forehead will soon rest, casting aside all worries, fears and hopes, and focusing on the
Read MorePor Mansoor Marican La fundación del Islam es elchaháda o la declaración de la fe. La traducción del significado del chaháda es“yo atestiguo que no hay otro dios paraadorar excepto Aláh y Mujammad esel ultimo mensajero de Aláh.” Se debe creer en el corazón y ser declaradoverbalmente con sinceridad, certeza y sinduda, entendiendo su significado, yaceptando todas sus condiciones. La primera parte del chaháda comienzaen la negativa (“ningún otro dios”) ytermina con afirmación (“excepto Aláh”). La creencia en Islam comienzacon el rechazo de todo que no es Dios.Incluye los profetas, santos ydioses falsos hechos por sereshumanos tales como ídolos y
Read More“And know that this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord. So take Me as your Protector.” – Quran 23:53. “Our Lord! Place us not among the people who have been guilty of evildoing.” – Quran 7:47. Allah’s Apostle (pbuh) said: “A strong believer is better and is more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone; cherish that which gives you benefit and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don’t say: ‘If I had not done
Read MoreBy Yusuf Mendez Date: Monday, September 15, 2008, 9:12 AM Muslim American Society: South Florida and NSUs School of Humanities and Social Sciencesinvite you to an event in line with Hispanic Heritage Month. Goal:The event serves as a brief introduction demonstrating the shared Islamic heritage of Spanish and Latin cultures. Attendees should leave the program with a sense of unity with cultures that are seemingly distant as well as a greater appreciation for the diverse nature of the Hispanic/Latin community. Organizers:Yusuf Mendez (MAS@Nova) and Adriana (SHSS) Event:Diversity Within Minority Communities: Islamic Influences on Spanish and Latin Culture Date:Monday, September 15,
Read MoreBy John Cordero I felt the gentle breeze blowing as I cautiously made my way to the unassuming white structure guarded by a wooden fence, which had been erected around it. Walking past it, the last vestiges of doubt were removed and all that remained was an entrance that welcomed any race, color, or creed. Officially, I had spent the past year seeking knowledge about what might be contained inside these walls. The more I read and studied, the more answers were given by the dried ink on white pages; yet the last piece was heavily guarded by the custodians
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