In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

A Voice of the MusliM uMMAh

'READ'

14 Rajab 1429 July 18, 2008

Vol. 20 No. 7

IslamIc concept of prophethoodmaulana sayyid abul hasan ali nadvi

Asmâ-ul-Husnâ : Allâh’s beautiful names and attributes al-’aleem the KnoWer of all

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In This Issue... Muslim Cemetery Appeal ....................2 Virtues of Sha’baan ..............................6 Uthman ....................................... 10 Ramadhaan .........................................11

reliance on the Unseen

Absolute reliance on the Unseen is yet another keynote of the prophetic message and a revealed scripture.

The prophets hold it to be a prerequisite for reaping the benefits of religion and Divine guidance. Declaring it to be the distinguish-ing mark of all pious and godly souls, they demand its acceptance in glowing terms.

“Alif, Lam, Mim. “This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off (evil). “Who believe in the Unseen, and establish worship, and spend of that We have bestowed upon them; “And who believe in that which is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) and that which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter. “These depend on guidance from

their Lord, These are the successful.” [Q. ii:1-5]

The apostles of God, thus, require all those who acknowledge faith in God and His cho-sen way, which they call Islam or the religion of all the earlier prophets, to accept implicitly the limitless dominion and excellence of the Supreme Being and His superexcellent works and attributes although these may not be easily imposed upon their unripe intellect, limited knowledge and faulty experience. The prophets demand that one should repose trust in each and everything mentioned in the Divine scriptures irrespective of one having ever experienced it or the human intellect or senses having ever perceived them. Every monition given unto a prophet and all the tidings revealed to him about God are asked to be relied upon since the Divine announc-ers are truthful and God is omnipotent to do whatever He pleases. God creates whatever He likes and to Him belongs the kingdom, and the power, and the might. His excellence consists in His creating and producing; He is wise in His works; He does what He wills and whatever He wills comes to pass; He is obliged not to follow the laws of causation

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Editorial

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muslim cemetery appeal

Allâh has mercifully blessed the Mus-lims in USA and especially Muslims

in New England with an opportunity of a life time. We have been presented with an offer to acquire two adjacent lots of 115 acres of land. A 109-acre lot already in op-eration for camping use has, in addition, a two-bedroom trailer and several cabins. The second lot is 6 acres. It has a four-bed-room house and several other buildings and a pond. I wish to share with you the background and the potentials of this op-portunity and seek your duas and dynamic financial and managerial participation. Every one of us is quite mindful of a need to establish Muslim cemeteries in our communities. All of us have tried in our own ways, mostly limited by our financial resources, to make some arrangements for our dead brothers and sisters. Some have purchased land for this purpose; others have made arrangements with non-Muslim cemetery owners to reserve an area on their property to sell to Muslims. Muslims own a 14-acre piece in Enfield, CT and a some-what smaller plot in Rhode Island. These cemeteries are managed by the Muslims in Windsor and Providence Masajid. They have served the needs of Muslims not only in Connecticut but also in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. There is also a much smaller cemetery in Bristol, CT. It is owned and managed by Muslims in Darul Ehsan. This is a private cemetery. There are other arrangements in Waterbury, Danbury and perhaps elsewhere that we are not aware of. Most of them are buying plots from non-Muslims. May Allah bless all those brothers and sisters who had the vision to make these arrangements in anticipation of the needs to arise. Without them, the diffi-culties Muslim would have faced would be

heartbreaking. Tremendous reward awaits the Muslims who had the foresight to pur-chase these plots and who are managing them for the benefit of all Muslims. Several years ago the Connecticut Coun-cil of Masajid, Inc. discussed the growing Muslim population and the facilities that will be needed. One of the suggestions was to establish at least four more public cem-eteries in Connecticut. The locations sug-gested were one in each corner of the state to serve Danbury, Stamford/Norwalk and New London/Norwich communities and one in the center to serve the New Haven community. With New Haven County be-ing headquarters of CCM, our efforts were naturally to establish one in this area first. The project was started and some efforts were made to raise funds. One such fund-raising was held in Waterbury. Subsequent efforts in Hamden and elsewhere resulted in an accumulation of $10,386. Due to oth-er pressing issues and a need for a masjid, this project remained part of the Hamden project where funds were always requested for masjid, graveyard and slaughter house. At one point in time it looked like a piece of land could be acquired in Naugatuck, but that project did not proceed further be-cause of wetland and other anticipated re-strictions. The funds, $10,386, remained in the account. Last year many Muslims were upset when the State imposed restrictions on the Enfield cemetery. The State ordered that no further burials could take place at Enfied cemetery without bodies being entombed in a sealed vault. The reason for this was a statute in the State law that prohibits burial within 350 feet of any residential build-ing, if the cemetery was establish after the building. A group of Muslim women (Mus-lim Family Support Services MFSS) was instrumental in pushing to establish a Mus-lim cemetery in which, once again, there are no restrictions, a cemetery in which it would be possible to bury a relative totally

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is published monthly by con-necticut council of masajid, Islamic center of hamden, Islamic center of connecticut, Islamic center of new haven, faran club, United muslim masjid, Islamic society of Western connecticut, and Islamic center of new london.

http://ccm-inc.org/iqramaIlInG address:

connecticut council of masajidp.o. Box 4456, hamden, ct 06514

Tel: (203) 562-2757

edItorIal commItteeSister Aisha Sayed Alam (Cheshire)

Dr. Abdul Hamid (Hamden)Sister Bonnie Lynn Hamid (Hamden)

Dr. Shujaat Ali Khan (New York)

Layout/Website ............ Brother Nadeem Abdul Hamid

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according to the sunnah of our Nabi . The Connecticut Council of Masajid began actively looking for a property. Again the emphasis was to establish it in New Haven County first. Allah had different plans. One of the inquiries provided us the in-formation that a Muslim brother in Sterling who has a big piece of land is in the pro-cess of selling due to legal and financial difficulties. The asking price for his 109-acre lot was more than a million dollars. He also had an adjacent lot of 6 acres with his four-bedroom house, three-car garage and several other buildings. When we in-formed him of our interest in establishing a Muslim cemetery he reduced the price substantially. We also informed him that we would like to purchase the house as well so that there would be no one to object to our use of the land or the way we wish to operate the cemetery. He agreed. After several drafts and discussions, we reached a mutually acceptable draft of the sales agreement. His attorney and our attorney both were involved in the negotiations. We contacted all the masajid in Connecticut and our dear brother Dr. Saleem Bajwa was very helpful to send an invitation to more than thirty masajid in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The invitation was to all amirs of the masajid to come to an inspec-tion and discussion meeting on June 22 at the site itself. Many masajid came but sev-eral could not make it. After a walk through the properties and a fruitful discussion all who came agreed that we should go ahead and sign the sale and purchase agreement. A copy of the agreement is at our website for anyone to inspect. Copies of the sales agreement were emailed to amirs of all ma-sajid in our CCM data base.aGreement & prIce The salient points of the sales agreement are: 1. CCM will purchase 109 acres of land for $600,000 provided that town and state

will permit the establishment of a cemetery at this site. 2. CCM shall pay $30,000 upon the ex-ecution of this Agreement, with the bal-ance of said purchase price to be paid as follows: A sum of $300,000 within 30 days from the execution of this agreement. A sum of $100,000 shall be paid six months after the closing. The balance of $170,000 shall be paid in equal monthly installments of $5,000 beginning twelve months fol-lowing the payment of $100,000. 3. Seller shall convey title to 130 Old Cranston Road upon payment of the $300,000. The Seller shall deliver and the Buyer shall accept a full covenant Con-necticut Form Warranty Deed duly execut-ed and acknowledged in the form proper to convey to the Buyer good and marketable. 4. CCM shall have an option to purchase 110 Old Cranston Road, Sterling, CT, six acres, more or less, with all the buildings thereon for the sum of $200,000.00 for six months following the execution of this Agreement, or within a mutually agreeable

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reasonable time thereafter. In essence if we can fund-raise $800,000 within a month, 115 acres of land with the house and all other buildings will belong to Muslims for multiple uses by all future generations. Masha Allah. Several real estate agents, some of them Muslims, have been scouting for us to lo-cate land to establish cemeteries. After the present opportunity materialized we were helped by one of them who provided us a three page list of potential lands for com-parison purposes. On that list there are ten properties that are more than 100 acres. The price ranges from $11,764 per acre to $53,719 per acre. Only one lot in Kent is $7,361 per acre. The cost in Sterling is $5,504 per acre for the 109-acre lot. The 6-acre lot with a four-bedroom house, a three car garage and three other buildings is costing us only $200,000. A 62-acre lot, according to the same list, in Stamford is being sold at $18,000,000 ($290,322 per acre). There is no doubt that we have a good deal.

potentIal Uses Obviously the most important, immedi-ate and motivating use of the property is as a Muslim Cemetery. This can become functional as soon as all the State require-ments are met. The Muslim Family Sup-port Service (MFSS) is already working on this aspect. By the closing date we shall have a detailed report. The town of Sterling had been contacted by the seller to know if a cemetery can be established. The minutes of that meeting indicate that the town has no regulations that would stand in the way of establishing the cemetery. A cemetery is our main focus but it will occupy a very small area of the land at least initially. The potential uses of these properties will challenge the imagination of Muslims, especially future generations. Presently 109 acres have 5 acres of picnic area, 35

acres of fenced camping area and the rest wooded land with trails and cabins to be used for hiking, camping and other uses. There is a 2-bedroom trailer and several cabins ready to be used. The house on the 6-acre piece is being used by the seller right now and would be available for the staff who would mange the property and for renting purposes to generate funds. The Muslim brother used this land for raising 250 turkeys last year and had facilities to slaughter and de-feath-er and process them for personal and fam-ily/friends use. Goats have been raised for Eid-ul-Adha purposes. Hunting has been arranged on the site. We may not use the land and facilities for purposes described above but it gives an idea of the potentials of this property. manaGement The management of the property was also discussed at the meeting briefly. It is our hope that a cemetery committee would be established that will act as the trustees for the land. All masajid willing to partici-pate would name a representative (the amir of the masjid or someone as committed) on this committee. Muslims from the local ar-eas (New London, Providence and Worces-ter etc) would be selected to manage the properties.

YoUr partIcIpatIon The most immediate help we need right now from each Muslim is financial partici-pation. Knowing the number of Muslims that live in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Mas-sachusetts, this project is easily doable. We are requesting each Muslim family to do-nate the equivalent of the cost of one fu-neral arrangement. This cost presently is anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000. Any donation you send with ikhlas is a blessing. Let not this opportunity slip by and you have not taken the advantage of

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Effort should be made to sight the moon of

Sha’bân after sunset onAugust 2nd, and the moon of

Ramadân after sunset on 31st, 2008.

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Editorial, continued from page �

nor is He dependent on the forces of nature created by Him; He is the eternal Master, Creator and Restorer of all things, and noth-ing escapes His grasp nor can the vicissitudes of things elude His power. The effects of His power are immeasurable and the objects of His knowledge infinite.

“But His command, when He intendeth a thing, is only that He saith unto it: Be and it is.” [Q. xxxvi:82]

The Qur’an and all the earlier scriptures speak of things, astounding and stagger-ing, about God and the marvellous events wrought through His supernatural powers which can be given credence only on the strength of faith in the Unseen, the immeasur-able and eternally exalted power and com-petence of God and the truthfulness of His scriptures and messengers. But, anyone who places reliance solely on human experience and perceptions, known facts and logical conclusions will either not admit them or entertain doubts, or yet he will garble their import in a way that accords with his own apprehensions and cognitions. This is why God says about such persons:

“Nay, but doth their knowledge reach the Hereafter? Nay, for they are in doubt concerning it. Nay, for they cannot see it.” [Q. xxvii: 66]

The Qur’an clarifies the position of both; one, who is bestowed faith and whose heart is made a repository of Islam; and the other, whose mind and heart are sealed for every-thing revealed by God. Portraying the differ-ence between the two, the Qur’an says:

“And whomsoever it is Allah’s Will to guide, He expandeth his bosom unto the Surrender, and whomsoever it is His Will to send astray, He maketh his bosom close and narrow as if he were engaged in sheer ascent. Thus Allah layeth ignominy upon those who believe not.” [Q. vi:125]

The Qur’an mentions acts and attributes of God which can never be accepted without

continued from page �being a pioneer with the foresight to build and establish institutions for all future gen-erations of Muslims, including your very own children. Please make checks payable to CCM (Connecticut Council of Masajid, Inc.) and mail to the following address. The dona-tion is tax-deductible and you will receive a receipt in the IQRA (CCM news letter).

connecticut council of masajidp. o. Box 4456,

hamden, ct 06514

May Allah grant us courage and fore-sight. Even after the cemetery is established in Sterling, efforts to establish more places, closer to various Muslim communities will continue. We need to plan to stay ahead of our needs. Further information may be viewed at the CCM website: http://ccm-inc.org/graveyard

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Virtues of sha’baan

Sha’baan ( ), the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, is associated

with various blessings and virtues. During this month, Muslims should be preparing for the great month of Ramadaan. It is said that when the month of Rajab began, the Prophet ( ) would make the following prayer:

Oh Allâh! Bless us in Rajab and Sha’baan and cause us to reach Ramadaan. [Bay-haqi] It is also reported that the Prophet ( ) used to fast more during Sha’baan than any other month besides Ramadaan [Abu Da-wood; Hadith 2425]. He also advised the Muslims to be diligent in sighting the moon of Sha’baan, in order to be sure about the beginning of Ramadaan. [Tirmidhi; Hadith 665] The fifteenth night of Sha’baan is a blessed occasion. Hadrat ‘Ali ( -Allâh be pleased with him) reported that Allâh’s Messenger ( ) said: “When it is the fif-teenth night of Sha’baan, observe prayer during the night and observe fast during the day; for Allâh, the Exalted and Glori-ous, descends to the heaven of the world as the sun sets and says: Is there anyone to seek forgiveness so that I should forgive him? Is there anyone to seek sustenance so that I should provide him? Is there anyone in trouble so that I may relieve him? And so on and so forth, until the dawn breaks.” [Ibn Mâjah] Hadrat ‘Â’ishah (Allâh be pleased with her) reported: I missed Allâh’s Messenger ( ) during the night and found him in the graveyard of al-Baqî. He said: “Did you fear that Allâh and His Messenger would deal unjustly with you?” I said: Allâh’s Messenger, I thought that you had gone to some other wives of yours. He said: “Verily Allâh, the Exalted and Glorious, comes down to the heaven of the world in

the middle night of Sha’baan and forgives sins even more abundant than the hair of the goats of Kalb. [Tirmidhi, who said that Bukhâri considered it weak] She also reported Allâh’s Messenger as saying: “Do you know (how rewarding) is this night?” – meaning the fifteenth night of Sha’baan. She said: Allâh’s Messenger, what lies therein? Thereupon he said: “It is in this very night that the record is pre-pared of every human being who has to be born during the year and the record is prepared of every human being who has to die during the current year, and (it is dur-ing this night) that deeds (of the people) are lifted (to the heaven) and their provisions descend.” She further said: Allâh’s Mes-senger, there would be none who would be able to get into Paradise except because of the mercy of Allâh, the Exalted? There-upon he said: “None would be able to get into Paradise except by the mercy of Allâh, the Exalted.” He said it three times. I said: Allâh’s Messenger, not even yourself? He placed his hand on the crown of his head and said: “Not even I, but for the fact that Allâh should wrap me in His Mercy.” He said this to her thrice. [Bayhaqi] Hadrat Abû Mûsa Ash’ari ( -Allâh be pleased with him) reported Allâh’s Mes-senger ( ) as saying: “Allâh, the Exalted and Glorious, looks down on the middle night of Sha’baan and forgives all His cre-ation except a polytheist or one who is hos-tile.” [Ibn Mâjah] These ahâdîth may be found in Mish-kaat-ul-Masâbîh, Chapter on Qiyâm-e-Ra-madân. Notes: The descending of Allâh does not mean that He climbs down from the upper heaven to the lower heavens somehow, as He is Omnipresent. What this implies is that His Mercy comes comparatively nearer to the hu-man-beings during that night and they can very easily avail themselves of it if they care to do so by begging pardon of their sins from Him. [Commentary on Mishkaat by Abdul Hameed Siddiqi]

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Needs Your Support

, in the last 20 years has grown 100-times over (from 100 to 10,000 copies). By Allah’s mercy, expenses (printing and mailing) have not increased at the same rate. However, depends on your support -- du’a and donations -- for its continuity.

support the effort of da’wah and ta’leem!Donate to !

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a firm belief in the Unseen. Similar is the case with those bewildering events, rewards and punishments of the Hereafter, remark-able achievements and miracles worked by the prophets and divine portents appearing to succour the apostles of God, for none of these can be admitted save on the basis of one’s faith in the Unseen realities. No terminological inexitude, no twisting of the meanings or misconstruction of the rules of Arabic syntax and grammar, nor any length of cavilling and quibbling about the power and potency of God is capable of furnish-ing cogent arguments in regard to these for making them acceptable to an intellect guided by materialistic patterns of thought or proving their compliance with the causative laws of nature. Of a fact, only the steadfast faith in the Unseen can make one admit the

events like cleaving of the sea for Moses and his followers, gushing forth of twelve streams by a stroke of the Moses’ staff, lifting up of the mountain over Bani Israel, resurrection of a party among them after death, transformation of Jewish transgressors into apes, coming to life of a slain person by touching the flesh of a sacrificed cow, cooling down of the fire for Abraham , birds tamed by Solomon talking to him and his coming to know the chatter of the ants, Solomon covering the distance of a month in a night and a day and procuring the throne of Saba in the twinkling of an eye, Jonah being swallowed by a fish and being delivered safely, miraculous birth of Jesus

, destruction of the army of Abraha by the swarms of flying creatures which pelted them with stones of baked clay and the journey of

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

Your (real) friend can be only Allâh;

and His mes-senger and those who

believe-- who establish

prayer and pay the poor due and bow

down (in worship).

And whoso turns (for

friendship) to Allâh and His messen-

ger and those who believe: lo! the party of Allâh, they are the victo-

rious.(5:55-56)

LUNAR DATES

I f you need prayer t im-ings for your town, p lease send us a self-addressed stamped #10 envelope.

Prayer times are for the New Haven area and are based on �8° for Fajr and Isha. Check local newspapers for your local time difference.

July18 3:33 5:34 12:58 4:57 6:08 8:21 10:2219 3:34 5:35 12:58 4:57 6:07 8:21 10:2020 3:36 5:35 12:58 4:57 6:07 8:20 10:1921 3:37 5:36 12:58 4:56 6:06 8:19 10:1822 3:39 5:37 12:58 4:56 6:06 8:18 10:1623 3:40 5:38 12:58 4:56 6:06 8:18 10:1524 3:42 5:39 12:58 4:56 6:05 8:17 10:1325 3:43 5:40 12:58 4:56 6:05 8:16 10:1226 3:45 5:41 12:58 4:55 6:04 8:15 10:1027 3:46 5:42 12:58 4:55 6:04 8:14 10:0928 3:48 5:43 12:58 4:55 6:03 8:13 10:0729 3:49 5:44 12:58 4:54 6:02 8:12 10:0630 3:51 5:45 12:58 4:54 6:02 8:11 10:0431 3:52 5:46 12:58 4:54 6:01 8:10 10:02

august1 3:54 5:47 12:58 4:53 6:00 8:09 10:012 3:56 5:48 12:58 4:53 6:00 8:08 9:593 3:57 5:49 12:58 4:53 5:59 8:06 9:574 3:59 5:50 12:58 4:52 5:58 8:05 9:565 4:00 5:51 12:58 4:52 5:58 8:04 9:546 4:02 5:52 12:57 4:51 5:57 8:03 9:527 4:03 5:53 12:57 4:51 5:56 8:02 9:508 4:05 5:54 12:57 4:50 5:55 8:00 9:489 4:06 5:55 12:57 4:50 5:54 7:59 9:4710 4:08 5:56 12:57 4:49 5:53 7:58 9:4511 4:09 5:57 12:57 4:49 5:53 7:56 9:4312 4:11 5:58 12:57 4:48 5:52 7:55 9:4113 4:13 5:59 12:56 4:47 5:51 7:54 9:3914 4:14 6:00 12:56 4:47 5:50 7:52 9:3715 4:16 6:01 12:56 4:46 5:49 7:51 9:3516 4:17 6:02 12:56 4:45 5:48 7:49 9:3317 4:19 6:03 12:56 4:45 5:47 7:48 9:3218 4:20 6:04 12:55 4:44 5:46 7:47 9:3019 4:22 6:05 12:55 4:43 5:45 7:45 9:2820 4:23 6:06 12:55 4:43 5:44 7:44 9:2621 4:24 6:07 12:55 4:42 5:43 7:42 9:2422 4:26 6:08 12:54 4:41 5:42 7:41 9:2223 4:27 6:09 12:54 4:40 5:41 7:39 9:2024 4:29 6:10 12:54 4:39 5:39 7:37 9:1825 4:30 6:11 12:54 4:39 5:38 7:36 9:1626 4:32 6:12 12:53 4:38 5:37 7:34 9:1427 4:33 6:13 12:53 4:37 5:36 7:33 9:1228 4:34 6:14 12:53 4:36 5:35 7:31 9:1029 4:36 6:15 12:53 4:35 5:34 7:30 9:0830 4:37 6:16 12:52 4:34 5:32 7:28 9:0631 4:38 6:17 12:52 4:33 5:31 7:26 9:04

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JUl-aUG praYer tImes, neW haVen

raJaB

sha’Baan

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reGUlar masJId actIVItIes and 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 (203)579-2211

Juma’ prayer time 1:30 pmcontact: Br. M. Faisal Shamshad (203) 372-2928

UnIVersItY of BrIdGeportChristan Hall, Park Ave. Bridgeport, CT.

Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmmasJId daar-Ul-ehsaan

739 Terryville Av., Bristol, CT 06010. (860) 585-9742Juma’ prayer time 1:30 pmcontact: Br. Muhammed Akhtar Ali (860)589-4512.IslamIc socIetY of Western

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

QadarIYa commUnItY ser. ctr.(JamIa masJId mUstafa ) e.

htfd.20 Church St, East Hartford, CT 06108 (860)282-0786Juma’ prayer time 1:30 pmcontact: Br. Sajid Bhura (860)830-4453

IslamIc center of hamden60 Connolly Parkway, Wilbur Cross Commons, Unit

17-212, Hamden, CT 06514 (203) 562-2757Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmfriday dars 8:00 - 11:00 pmmadrasah: every sunday 9:55am - 1:30 pm mon-thurs afternoons, 5:00 - 7:00 pmcommunity dinner 1st sunday of each month. contact: Dr. Abdul Hamid (203) 562-2757

Icfc masJId (JamIa Karam)57 Pepper St, Monroe. CT06468 (203)261-6222Juma’ prayer time 1:15 pmcontact: Br. Ahmed Reza (203) 746-0683

masJId al-Islam624 George St. New Haven, CT (203)777-8004Juma’ prayer time 1:15 pmcontact: Br. Jimmy Jones (203) 865-5805

IslamIc 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 of norWalK

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

stamford IslamIc center10 Outlook St. stamford, CT 06902 (203)975-2642

Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmcontact: Hafiz Haqqani Mian Qadri (203) 975-2642

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 (203)756-6365 Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmContact Br. Majeed Sharif. (203) 879-7230.

IslamIc center of Vernon27 Naek Road, Vernon, CT 06066.Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmcontact: Dr. Mahmood Yekta, (860) 648-2844.

West haVen masJId2 Pruden St., West haven, CT 06516, (203) 933-5799Juma’ 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: Muhamed M. Haidara 860-655-9042Madina Academy:Full time School (860)524-9700IslamIc socIetY of Western

massachUsetts337 Amostown Rd. W. Springfield, MA01105

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

Visit the Connecticut Council of Masajid website:

http://ccm-inc.org

Surah Maryam 19:73

When Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them, the Unbelievers say to those who believe, “Which of the two sides is best in point of posi-

tion? Which makes the best show in council?”

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THE CHILDREN’S CORNER

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Uthman

Uthman was about six years younger than the Prophet Muham-

mad . Although he belonged to the Umayyah branch of the Quraish and the Prophet belonged to the rival Banu Hashim branch, Uthman’s grandmother was a daughter of Abdul Muttalib and therefore an aunt of Muhammad . It was through his friendship with Abu Bakr that Uthman was introduced to Islam. He was one of the first Muslims to accept the Prophet’s

message. Uthman became the Prophet’s son-in-law when he married Ruqaiyah , the Prophet’s

daughter. Uthman was a very successful cloth merchant and continued to be a successful merchant throughout his life. However, his interest in amassing wealth was only to be able to have it to give away in the cause of Allah, while he himself maintained a very modest lifestyle. Uthman’s position among his clansmen changed drastically when he accepted Islam. His relatives persecuted him ceaselessly to persuade him to give up Islam. When that failed, they refused to have anything to do with him and would offer him no protection. For this reason Uthman asked the Prophet’s

permission to emigrate to Abyssinia. He and his wife were among the first to emigrate. Before he left, the Prophet said, “May Allah be the guardian of the couple! After Lut , Uthman is the first man who, with his wife, has given up the comfort of his home for the cause of Allah.”

Uthman and Ruqaiyah later returned to Macca, but were among the first of the Muslims to migrate to Madina. Uthman fought in every battle by the side of the Prophet except the battle of Badr. At that time his wife was very ill and he was given permission to stay at home and care for her. Ruqaiya died of this illness and Uthman was deeply saddened by her death. The Prophet then gave him his second daughter, Umm Kulthum , in marriage. For this rea-son, Uthman is sometimes given the title of Zun-Noorain, “The possessor of two lights.” Uthman was a scribe for the Prophet

and wrote down many portions of the Qur’an as they were revealed. After the death of the Prophet he served as an adviser to Abu Bakr and Umar dur-ing their caliphates. He was also one of the ten companions for whom the Prophet

gave the good news of Paradise. For this reason, Uthman was among the six men selected by Umar

to succeed him as caliph. These six men had to meet together and choose among themselves within three days of Umar’s death. The other five were Ali

, Abdur Rahman bin Auf , Saad bin Abi Waqqas , Zubair bin Awwam , and Talha bin Obaidullah . They met for many long hours but could not agree upon a successor for Umar . Finally Abdur Rahman bin Auf suggested that if one of them were willing to withdraw his own name, he would have the right to nominate the next caliph. Everyone agreed that this was a good idea, but no

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Paradise lies beneath

the mothers’ feet.continued on page ��

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one wanted to withdraw his name. Abdur Rahman then withdrew himself from the candidacy, and the other men agreed to abide by his decision. Abdur Rahman did not depend on his own opinion to reach a decision. He spoke to people all over Madina to find out whom they preferred. He was able to narrow the field to two candidates. The Banu Hashim favored their clansman, Ali

, but everybody else seemed to prefer Uthman . Abdur Rahman next spoke to the two most likely candidates, and asked each man who, besides himself, he thought was most fit to be caliph. Ali named Uthman and Uthman named Ali . The third night Abdur Rahman

stayed up all night in consultation, weighing carefully the merits of the two men. The following morning, after the fajr prayer, Abdur Rahman announced his choice. He called Uthman forward and asked him to promise to act according to the commandments of the Qur’an and the example of the Prophet and his two caliphs . Uthman promised to do so, and Abdur Rahman pledged his loyalty to Uthman . Everyone who was present, including Ali , then also pledged their loyalty to Uthman . Thus Uthman was chosen to be the third caliph of Islam.

Bonnie l. hamid

Ramadhân - Oh you who believe! Fasting is

prescribed for you, just as it was pre-scribed for those before you, that you may guard against evil… [al-Qur’ân 2:183]

The month of Ramadân is that in which the Qur’ân was sent down: a guidance for mankind and clear proofs of guidance and the criterion (of right and wrong)…[al-Qur’ân 2:185]

The virtues of fasting and other activi-ties during the month of Ramadân are

enough to fill an entire volume. In this ar-ticle we will try, by the mercy of Allâh, to summarize some important points. A good book to study during Ramadân is Virtues of Ramadhân by Shaikhul-Hadîth Maulana Mohammad Zakariyya Kandhalvi (rahima-hu-allâh). The month of Ramadân is a most blessed month, in which the reward for performing a nafl will be as the reward of a fard in any other time of the year; and the reward for performing a fard will be as the reward of seventy fard in any other time of the year. It is a month of patience, whose reward is Jannah. It is the month of sympathy for one’s fellowmen. Whoever provides food to someone to break their fast, he will have forgiveness for his sins and freedom from the fire of Jahannam (Hell). The first of this month brings Allâh’s Mercy; the middle brings His Forgiveness and the end brings emancipation from the Hellfire. In this month the devils are chained and confined, as a result of which evil is diminished. In this month, the Qur’ân was sent down from al-Lawh-ul-Mahfûz (the Protected Tab-let) to the Samâ-ud-Dunyâ (heaven of the earth), from where it was revealed bit by bit over a span of twenty-three years. During this month every Muslim should endeavor to read the Qur’ân at least once

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from cover to cover. Our great and pious predecessors and scholars such as Imâm Shâfi’ and Imâm Abu Hanîfah (rahima-hum-allâh) used to complete the reading of the entire Qur’ân 60 times over in this month. Hazrat Jibra’îl (alayhis-salâm) used to recite or listen to the recitation of the entire Qur’ân by our Nabi Muham-mad ( - sallallâhu-alayhi-wa-sallam) in the month of Ramadân. Also during this month, Rasûlullâh advised us to make much dhikr and istighfâr. [Virtues of Ra-madhân]

sighting the moon It is wâjib kifâyah to look for the moon on the night of the 29th of Sha’bân. If some people from the locality do this, the obliga-tion is removed from the entire community. If no one goes to sight the moon, it will be a sin upon the entire community. If the sky is not clear, then the witness of a single up-right, mature, intelligent Muslim is suffi-cient. If the sky is clear, then it is necessary that a large group of people should bear witness to the sighting such that there can be no doubt in the report. If the moon is not sighted, then 30 days of Sha’bân are to be completed. [Rahnama-e-Mudarrisîn Ml. Muhammad Tâhir Rahîmi, Multan, Paki-stan; Noorul-Eidâh Imâm Shurunbulâli; Bahishti Zewar]

Du’â (supplication) Upon sighting the moon of ramadân

Allâhumma ahillahû ‘alaynâ bil-yumni wal-îmâni; was-salâmati wal-islâmi; wat-tawfeeqi li mâ tuhibbu wa tardâ; rabbî wa rabbukal-lâh. Oh Allâh! Let the moon appear over us with blessing and Imân; with peace and Is-lâm; with the ability for us to practice that which You love and which pleases You. (O

moon): Your Lord and my Lord is Allâh.Intention for the fast It is necessary to make intention for the validity of the fast. The intention may be expressed in the heart, but it is much more preferable to recite the following statement of intention verbally before the beginning of the dawn:

Wa bi sawmi ghadin-nawaytu min shahri ramadân. -- I have the intention of observing a fast of the month of Ramadân tomorrow.

prayer at time of Breaking the fast (If-târ) It is sunnat to make iftâr immediately af-ter sunset and not to delay. The iftâr should not be so long that the Maghrib prayer is delayed or missed. There are several rec-ommended du’â at the time of iftâr. Among them,

Allâhumma innî laka sumtu; wa bika âmantu; wa ‘alayka tawakkaltu; wa ‘alâ rizqika aftartu. -- Oh Allâh! Truly for You did I fast, and in You do I believe and upon You do I place my trust, and with Your pro-vision have I broken the fast.

Warning With regard to fasting, the Prophet has left an important warning which we must endeavor to heed: “Many are those who fast but whose fast brings them only hunger and thirst; and many are those who pray at night, but whose prayer only results in sleeplessness.” Abstaining from carnal pleasures is not the only condition of the fast. The fast is also meant to strengthen the spiritual and moral character of the Muslim. Thus, all actions of the hands, feet, eyes, ears, and especially the tongue,

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continued from page ��must be kept in strict accordance with the Sharî’ah. The Prophet repeatedly em-phasized the avoidance of lying, backbit-ing, gossip, cheating, swearing, obscene, and useless talk while fasting. All these ac-tions can ruin the fast. May Allâh guide us and help us.

Tarâweeh Rasûlullâh said: “The one who ob-serves the Tarâweeh prayer at night during Ramadân with complete faith and devo-tion, only for the sake of the reward of the Hereafter, will have all his previous sins forgiven by Allâh.” [Agreed upon] The Tarâweeh prayer starts from the evening that the moon of Ramadân is sighted up till (but not including) the night of ‘Eid. Imâm Nawawi (rahimahu-allâh) has writ-ten about this prayer:

Know that the Tarâweeh prayer is a sunnah by the consensus of the schol-ars and it is 20 rak’ât with tasleem between every two. And the prayer is performed just like all other prayers, with rukû’, sujûd, etc. As for the recitation, the correct way which has been expressed by most of the scholars and acted upon by the people is that the entire Qur’ân should be completed in the Tarâweeh of this month. Every night, about one juz (1/30th of the Qur’ân) should be recit-ed. It is preferable that the recitation be

at a steady pace and not be longer than a juz every night, so that the people are not put to hardship. And especially avoid the baseless innovation of recit-ing the entire Sûrah al-An’âm in one rak’ah of the 7th of Ramadân, think-ing that it was revealed all at once… [Kitâbul-Adhkâr, Imâm Nawawi]

As mentioned above, the Tarâweeh is performed in units of two rak’ât. After every four units, a short pause is observed during which one may rest quietly or recite supplications such as the following tas-beeh:

Subhâna dhil-mulki wal-malakût. Sub-hâna dhil ‘izzati wal-‘azmati wal-haybati wal-qudrati wal-kibriyâ’i wal-jabarût. Subhânal-malikil-hayyil-ladhî lâ yanâmu wa lâ yamût. Subbûhun quddûsun rabbunâ wa rabbul-malâ’ikati war-rûh. Allâhumma ajirnâ minan-nâri; Yâ mujîru; Yâ mujîru; Yâ mujîr. Glorified is the Owner of the Kingdom of earth and heaven; Glorified is the Possess-or of Honour, Magnificence, Awe, Power, Greatness and Omnipotence; Glorified is the Sovereign, the Living, Who neither sleeps nor dies; Exceedingly glorified and sanctified is our Lord and the Lord of the angels and the Spirit (Jibreel); Oh Allâh! Save us from the Fire: Oh Mighty Savior, Oh Mighty Savior, Oh Mighty Savior! (During Ramadân only, the 3 rak’ât of

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edItor’s maIl

In this section we acknowledge the mail that we have received. If you sent

us a self addressed stamped envelope then you already have or will as soon as possible receive a response. However, if your request was be-yond our present capabilities, we seek your in-dulgence and prayers that may Allâh give us the taufeeq in future to address your request or need adequately. Kufi caps are not always available, requests are filled when possible. If you are re-questing a Kufi cap please send $2.00 to cover the mailing cost. You may send this money in the form of postage stamps. We thank the fol-lowing Muslims for writing to us and support-ing .

continued on page ��

continued from page ��Witr prayer is also performed in congrega-tion after the Tarâweeh.)Laylatul-Qadr Among the nights of Ramadân, the “Night of Power,” Laylatul-Qadr, is a night of extremely great blessing. The virtues and reward of good actions on this night are multiplied by 1000 months, as men-tioned in the Qur’ân itself. Laylatul-Qadr most probably occurs on one of the odd nights of the last ten nights of the month. It is recommended to search for it and in-volve oneself in extra worship and recita-tion of the Qur’ân. The best du’â to make on that night is:

Allâhumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul-‘afwa fa’fu ‘anni. --- Oh Allâh! You are the One who grants pardon for sins; You love to pardon; So pardon me. (This supplication is related in a famous hadîth by Hadrat Â’ishah radhiyallâhu-anha)

I’tikâf The practice of remaining in the masjid for a certain period of time, with intention of doing so, is called I’tikâf. It is sunnat mu’akkadah ‘alal-kifâyah (upon a com-munity) to perform I’tikâf in the last ten days of Ramadân. If even one person from a particular locality remains in the masjid then the sunnah is fulfilled on behalf of the community. But if no one performs this duty, then the entire community is sinful for having neglected to fulfill a sunnah. The purpose of this seclusion is that the heart should get attached to Allâh and that one should remain in a constant state of His re-membrance, with no distraction of worldly affairs. The detailed rulings of I’tikâf may be found in various Islamic books, such as Bahishti Zewar (Ml. Ashraf Ali Thanvi) or Kitâbus-Sawm (Mufti A.H.Elias). Note, I’tikâf can only be performed in an estab-

Kimberly Muhammad, COMattheu Archambault, FLMichael Barnes, NCF. Dewity, CTArmando J. Doctor, FLRonaiogene Ingram, FLKenneth Hawkins, IOCharles Westbrook, SCJames Faleader, FLJulio C. Collazo, FLNathanel W. Bure, NCThomas J. Ali-Moore, CATaher Taher, OHTravis L Barton, TND Merriweather, NYRalph A Muhammed, NCHamim Talio A Rashid, CTAli Ramada, WIAbdul Khabir, CTAlphonso Martin, GACharles Harris, TXBarry Madden, CARichard Morales, CTTerrence Mott, NY

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lished masjid by men, and is performed by women in the room of the house where they say their prayers.‘Eid Rasûlullâh said: “The heart of the per-son who remains awake (in worship) dur-ing the night of ‘Eid-ul-Fitr and ‘Eid-ul-Adhâ will not be dead on the Day when the hearts will be dead.” [Tabrâni] The night preceding the day of ‘Eid is an auspicious occasion which should be observed with reverence and worship. The greatest re-ward of doing so, mentioned above, is that the hearts will not be smitten with terror and fear on the Day of Judgment when the upheavals of that Day will be so fearsome that men will appear to be intoxicated.

the holy Prophet from Ka’aba to Aqsa and thence to heaven. These are some of the events mentioned in the Qur’an as well as earlier Scriptures which cannot be accepted unless one holds the belief that the will and power of God encompasses everything known and unknown.Belief or Unbelief For the faith based on perceptions and experiences marches with the things, known and familiar, it throws itself into the arms of Beldame Nature and its laws and becomes limited and contingent. It then becomes a faith which can neither be relied upon nor can it stand by any religion. It cannot vouch for the prophets and their mission, nor bring one to obey and fight and sacrifice one’s life for the noble cause of the prophets of God. No, it is not a faith at all. It should rather be called cognizance and experience; it is acquiescence in the doctrines of inference or thraldom to senses and perceptions. No glory or distinction can be attached to a faith like that. It is also of no use to any religion for

every sane person, whether subscribing to any faith or not, reckons on his own senses and perceptions, experiences and intellect, while faith demands spiritual apprehension of divine truth apart from the proofs furnished by reflective acts of mind.And a man having confidence in such a naturalistic or rationalistical faith will have to face hurdles at every step in a Divine or revealed religion. He will ever be doubting and disbelieving the inmost spirit of faith and its realities as a gnostic poet [Jalalu-ddin Rumi] has aptly poetized the truth in this verse: The leg of syllogisers is of wood: And a wooden leg is too infirm.That the wooden legs cannot allow a man to walk freely and to go fast, a discursive mind cannot bridge the gap between the scriptural realities revealed by the prophets and his own knowledge culled from facts known to his senses or perceptions or inferred by his limited intellect, and, thus, he is forced to misconstrue, stretch or strain the sense of recondite realities or he refuses to believe in them altogether.

“Nay, but they denied that, the knowl-edge whereof they could not compass, and whereof the interpretation (in events) hath not yet come unto them.” [Q. X:39]

But a man who has faith in the Unseen realities, is convinced of the majestic glory and unlimited power of God; he reposes confidence in the gospel preached by the prophets, and does not have to float in the sea of doubt and uncertainty. He is assured and confident, for his innermost self lends itself to the spirit of religion. He ransacks his brains but once about the faith in God, soundness of the Divine commands and the truthfulness and impeccability of the mes-sengers of God.

“Nor doth he speak of (his own) desire. It is naught save an inspiration that is inspired.” [Q. liii:3-4]

Then he gives faith to whatever the

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Important Islamic daysashUra’ (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 Journey of the Prophet Muhammad to Jerusalem & his Ascension then to Heaven)(27 Rajab).nesfU shaBaan (Shub-e-Barat)(middle of the month of Shabaan)(night between 14 &15).BeGInnInG of the month of ramadân.laIla tUl Qader (NIGHT OF VALUE) A night during the last 10 days of Ramadân. 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).

is issued on the 3rd friday of each month. Issn # 1062-2756

continued from page ��prophets preach and rests in confi-dence about everything that reaches him untempered from the preachers of Divine message. No misgiving assails his mind for he accepts their teachings as the promptings of his own conscience. God has described in the Qur’an, the divergent mental attitudes of the two- one who submits his intellect to everything committed by a prophet and the other who endeavours to harmonize the prophetic teachings with his own imperfect knowledge and limited intellect, even if he has to blow hot and cold at the same time. Says the Qur’an:

“He it is Who hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture wherein are clear rev-elations- they are the substance of the Book-and others (which are) allegorical. But those in whose hearts is doubt pursue, forsooth, that which is allegorical seeking (to cause) dissension by seeking to explain it. None knoweth its explanation save Allah. And those who are of sound instruc-tion say: We believe therein; the whole is from our Lord; but only men of understanding really heed. “Our Lord! cause not our hearts to stray after Thou hast guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Thy Presence. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Bestower.” [Q. iii:7-8]

to Be continued English translation by Mohiuddin Ahmad, published by the Academy of Islamic Re-

search and Publications, Nadwatul-Ulema, Lucknow, India, 1979. Reprinted with

permission.