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In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

A Voice of the MusliM uMMAh

'READ'

4 Dhu’l Qa’dah 1433 September 21, 2012

Vol. 24 No. 8-9

IslamIc concept of prophethoodmaulana sayyid abul hasan ali nadvi

Asmâ-ul-Husnâ : Allâh’s beautiful names and attributes al-maJeed the maJestIc

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In This Issue... Mercy is a Gift .....................................2 The Nafs ...............................................7 Divine Protection with Nabi g ........ 10 Furu’ ul Iman

(Branches of Faith) ...........................12

Finality oF ProPhethood

8

Termination of prophethood has saved mankind from the ordeal to which it was exposed every now

and then. For a true prophet constitutes the saving principle for the entire humanity, man had to put off all his business and as-certain the truthfulness or falsehood of ev-ery new messenger of God. Termination of this process, thus, has spared man from this effort which had, in the past, always proved to be onerous. Had the prophets been still coming, every new claimant to prophet-hood, coming forward time and again, would have demanded the obedience of his fellowmen ; each would have condemned his detractors as infidels and fought them to the end ; carved out a separate communi-ty out of the existing followers of different religions; and the world would have still

been engaged in a war of attrition. Many of those pretending to be apostles of God sent from On High, would have, surely, been ec-centrics, or tricksters, or else crafty persons seeking power or pelf, or tools of the pow-ers that be; even among the simple-hearted claimants to prophethood one would have found men misled by their own ignorance or thrown off the scent by misdirected meditations and travails or a false sense of piety. World has come across impostors of all these categories during the times past. Their fallaciousness can now be easily dis-cerned by us with our widened experience and knowledge, greater insight into human psychology and better understanding of the concealed aims of political intriguers.

confusion created by false prophets The Old Testament shows how a great number of false pretenders to revela-tion and prophecy, basing their claims on omens and dreams, had cut loose the Jew-ish society during the ancient times. The Scriptures of Bani Israel are replete with warnings against these sham forecasters.

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Editorial

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mercY Is a GIft from allÂh

Humanity is experiencing unprec-edented confusion. The floods of

materialism are drowning all concepts of spirituality and morality. All aspects of human behavior, from dress code to reproductive and sexual relationships are being redefined. The unprecedented yet morally questionable technological success of the human race is erroneously popularizing secularism. Overwhelm-ing doubts about the very necessity of spirituality, religion and divine laws are overpowering feeble human minds. In-creasing numbers of men and women are living without “God” in their indi-vidual lives. Groups and nations seem convinced that religion is unnecessary, if not altogether a hindrance, in estab-lishing and running a state or a commu-nity. Religion exists, if at all, only in the lives of individuals. As part of groups it seems to have lost its force so much so that even people who claim to be reli-gious accept the superiority of secular laws quite willingly in our daily lives. Disappearance of mercy, kindness, affection and concern for each other is a result of this callousness towards the commands of Allâh. The things that are happening to us are not unrelated to our beliefs and actions. A mother buries her newborn child alive. An alcoholic spouse physically abuses his life-mate. Visit a nursing home, the best one in the community, and see the well-cared for, yet love-starved, eyes of the elderly of our communities longing for a visit from

long-absent offspring. These are not tales from Al’f Lailah (One Thousand Nights). These are happening every day in and around our communities. Indeed, we seem not to care about our future, worry about our present or remember our past. Perhaps it is so because we fail to heed the divine decree? “And be not ye as those who forgot Allâh, therefore He caused them to forget their own souls.” (Qur’an, 59:19). While the ingredients to acquire the quality of mercy are endowed in all humans in due proportions, the actual manifestation of this quality depends on how much we exercise to develop it and from whom we learn it. Just as who among us becomes an athlete de-pends on how much and under whose coaching we exercise the muscles we have. Exercising without a coach will no doubt produce a mediocre athlete if at all. So also, without a teacher, we will develop a lackluster merciful society, at best. Leaving this training to people and in-stitutions that do not know themselves what mercy is has produced the society that we live in. Depending on television and Hollywood stars and the legislative, executive and judicial theaters of our own making for this training is noth-ing but hoping that a comatose coach will teach us to become an Olympic grade athlete. We need not settle for any teacher but the best. A man was born to a widow during the third lunar month, Rabi ul Awwal, some 1443 years ago in the city of Baca (another name for Mecca) (Psalm 84:6). He settled in “Teman (an oasis near Ma-dina) and his glory covered the heav-ens, and the earth is full of his praise.”

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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

continued from page �(Habakkuk 3:3). About this man Jesus (peace be upon him) said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” (John 14:16). This man’s name is Muhammad (g peace be upon him). Allâh says about him in the Qurân, “Verily in the (Qurân) is a Message for people who would (truly) worship Allâh. And We have sent thee (Muhammad) not but as a mercy for all universes.” (21:107). One can be aware of mercy yet not know its real meaning until encounter-ing a true example, just as one can smell the scent of a rose in a cologne bottle yet totally miss the delight of seeing a rose bud and smelling its real fragrance until one encounters a rose. If you cannot believe the word of a Muslim that in Muhammad (g peace be upon him) there is a perfect and learnable example of a teacher of mer-cy, perhaps you will believe a polythe-ist. Listen to a Hindu, Diwan Chand Sharma, “Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him.” (“The Prophets of the East”, Calcutta 1935). If we desire to develop a merciful society, where born and unborn babies are safe from the cruelty of their moth-ers, and spouses are safe in each other’s presence and the elderly don’t have to die waiting for a sight of their loved ones, we need to know this man.“And Allâh has full knowledge and is

well acquainted (with all things).” Al-Hujurat, 49:13

three signs of righteousness (birr)Good character is the essence of virtue

Dhu’n Nun al-Masri said, “Three things are distinguishing

signs of righteousness (birr): (1) righteousness to parents, by excel-lence in obedience; humility; and spending one’s money on them; (2) righteousness to children, by instill-ing proper manners (adab) and guiding them towards good; (3) righteousness with people, by being cheerful and keeping their company in a good way.” [Bayhaqi, Shu`ab al-Iman, 6.187] This is spelling out the reality mentioned by the Beloved Messenger of Allah (g peace and blessings be upon him) that, “Righteousness is good character.” (al-birr husn al-khuluq) [Muslim, Tirmidhi, and others]

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“Behold, I am against them that proph-esy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness ; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them ; therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord.” [Jer: 23-32] “Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you; say-ing, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon : for they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.” [Jer 27:9-10] “And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me; for Tabri’ah and Sanbal’lat had hired him. Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.” [Neh. 6:12-13] “And the word of the Lord, came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of your own hearts. Hear ye the word of the Lord ; Thus saith the Lord God ; woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing.” [Ezek. 13: 1-3] “A wonderful and horrible thing is com-mitted in the land ; the prophets prophesy falsely; and the priests bear rule by their means ; and my people love to have it so ; and what will ye do in the end thereof ?” [Jer. 5:30-31] “For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; let not your prophets and your di-viners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.” [Jer. 29:8-9] History of the Jews shows that false

continued from page � prophets continued to appear after the Old Testament had been compiled. A large number of these diviners turned up after the Jews became victims of overwhelming circumstances, when, in the face of disas-ters and repeated devastations, the Jews saw the glimmerings of a Messiah who would some day redeem his people, defeat their enemies and restore their lost power and prestige. This messianic hope of the people, which had helped to keep alive the hope and confidence of the Jewish people during the age of terrible adversity, was turned to their advantage by selfish divina-tors and soothsayers. Many of them laid a claim to prophethood to improve the occa-sion by creating new factions; they mislead the people to ever increasing waywardness and corruption, and, above all, corrupted the true faith by their immorality and wor-ship of old pagan divinities. This, naturally, caused a great concern to the well-meaning scribes and priests among the Jews. Albert M. Hyamson, a member of the American and English Jewish Historical Societies, gives an account of these pseudo-Messi-ahs: “From the final loss of independence of the Jewish State until within a few genera-tions ago, Jewish history has known the frequent advent and passing of self-styled Messiahs, prophets of hope in the darkest periods of the Diaspora, self-appointed leaders of the Jewish race in the return to the land from which their ancestors were exiled. The appearance of a Messiah was often, especially in the case of the earlier ones, accompanied by revolts and upris-ings, and these almost invariably occurred at times when, and in localities where, anti-Jewish persecution was prevalent- More-over, these Messianic movements were fre-quently, especially in the later cases, of a political nature. The religious aspect of this rising was, however, seldom absent, and in many instances the new teacher, anxious to signalise his activity and to secure his

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Effort should be made to sight the moon of Dhu’l-Qa’dah after sunset on September 17th and 18th, 2012.

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influence by religious innovations, endeav-oured to subvert the basic teachings of Ju-daism, to which, in consequence, consider-able harm sometimes occurred. New sects were created on some occasions ; on others wholesale adoption of Mohammadanism or Christianity took place.” [Encyclopedia of Religions and Ethics, vol. 8, p. 581] Opening of the Christian era saw, owing to personal, political, economic or factional interests of these pretenders, frequent ap-pearance of such pseudo-prophets. Several passages of the New Testament advert to these false prophets and their evil courses. “And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Anti-och. And there stood up one of them named Ag’abus, and signi-fied by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world ; which came to pass in the days of Claudius Cae-sar.” [Acts 11:27-28] “And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Ag’abus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.” [Acts 21: 10-11] “Beware of the false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but in-wardly they are ravening wolves.” [Mt. 7:15] “But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion: that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.” [2 Cor. 11:12-13] “Behold, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God ; be-cause many false prophets are gone out into the world.” [1 Jn. 4:1] “But there was a certain man, called Si-mon, which beforetime in the same city

used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest, saying: This man is the great power of God.” [Acts 8:9] “And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sor-cerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus.” [Acts 13:6] “And Jesus answered and said unto them. Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” [Mt 24:4-5] Jesus also warned his disciples on an-other occasion that— “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of this-tles.” [Mt. 7:16] “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no marvel ; for Sa-tan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” [2 Cor. 11:13-14] During the first two centuries after Christ the number of imposters who claimed to work miracles and deluded the ignorant by their visions and alleged prophecies was so great that the Christian church found it hard to maintain its unity and creed. The threat posed to the existence of the Church in the initial period of its history by the large number of false prophets has been de-scribed by Edwin Knox Mitchell, Professor of Graeco-Roman and Eastern Church his-tory in the Hartford Theological Seminary in an article on prophecy in Christianity. “The appearance of these false proph-ets, pretending superior wisdom, ere long

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created distrust and aroused the churches and their leaders to the dangers that threat-ened their welfare. But as yet there was no recognised ‘form of discipline’ adequate for the suppression of those would-be spokes-men and pretentious revealers of the secret counsels of God. There were no specific standards by which to test and try those ‘spirits’. Standards, however, were sure to be found, and, if not found, then created, by the churches for their protection from va-garies in doctrines and aberrations of life. The apostles, whether in common councils or as individuals, were the first court of ap-peal. They based their judgements on the words of the Lord and the mind of Christ… The rise and development of the monarchi-cal episcopate was here and there favoured and fostered in the interest of sound doc-trine and as a restraint against new-fangled notions, foreign to the faith. Hermas Pastor (Mand xi and xii) and Ignatius (Eph. vii, ix and xvi, Mag. viii, Tral vi. Phil ii, iii, Symr, iv, vii and Pol. iii) are full of warn-ings and admonitions against false proph-ets and teachers; and Ignatius especially exhorts to obedience of the bishop. This was his hope for maintenance of sound doctrine. Clement likewise relies upon the bishops (i.e. presbyters) for the preserva-tion of the unity and purity of the Church (1 and Cor. xlii-xliv). Prophecy, however, was not yet suppressed, but only repressed and somewhat regulated by the rising offi-cials in the Churches. The Didache informs us that prophecy was still free and in good repute in Syria (or Egypt) although often counterfeited and condemned (xi-7-12). Its days, however, were numbered, for it was soon to share the general distrust and op-position towards all extravagant claims to divine wisdom. The Gnostics and Marcion had prophets as well as the churches, and they were sometimes indistinguishable from each other. Then the rise of Montan-ism was in some respects but a resurgence

to Be continued

English translation by Mohiuddin Ahmad, published by the Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, Nadwatul-Ulema, Lucknow,

India, 1979. Reprinted with permission.

of prophetism. It was an effort to revive primitive Christian conditions where each believer was free to exercise his God given gift. “The churches were now put on the de-fensive and they soon sought to cooper-ate in the maintenance of their apostolic heritage. Joint action in councils was the most effective means at hand. This brought the bishops together and greatly increased their prestige and power. The appeal to the words of Christ was enlarged to include an appeal to the teachings and writings of the apostles and the use of the Old Testa-ment as a book of discipline and standard of doctrine grew in favour. The Law and the Prophets had sufficed for Israel, and the Old Covenant needed only to be sup-plemented by the New with its apostolic guarantees. Prophecy was thus placed un-der the restraint of written records, and it was considered more important to interpret the old prophecies than to utter new ones. All the unstable, intermittent spiritual gifts shared the fate of the prophetic. Tongues, miracles, healings waned; and by the end of the 2nd century they were all, including prophecy, under restraint of the regular of-ficials of the respective churches and sub-ordinates to them.” [Encyclopedia of Reli-gions and Ethics, vol 10, p. 383]

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the Nafs: Between passion and determination

All praise is due to Allah and may His choicest salutations continue to descend upon our Master and Leader Muhammad who personified perfection of character and resolve. “And so We have bestowed the Book as a heritage unto servants that We choose and among them are some who sin against them-selves; and some who follow a middle course (between right and wrong) and some who by the permission of Allah are foremost in deeds of goodness. That indeed is the highest grace” (35:32) Allah has blessed man with the potential to do good as well as the ability to do wrong. Human beings are not inherently sinful... they are equally capable of both good and evil. They have been blessed with passion and emotion together with resolve and deter-mination. These attributes are located within the nafs. Those that yield to the impulses of the nafs become slaves of their desires while those who are able to overcome the dictates of the nafs become the vicegerents of Allah. The strength to overcome the dictates of the nafs does not come from physical abil-ity or capacity, but from strong willpower. “Great souls have strong willpower; feeble ones have only great wishes.” Wish-making is a passive activity which generally flows from belief in luck, whilst a strong will is dynamic action based on belief in a higher purpose of our existence – on the love of Al-lah and fear of giving account for our deeds in His court.

three stages of development of the nafs 1. The first stage is called: An-nafs-ul-am-marah ‘the self that tempts (to evil)’ 2. The second stage is called: An-nafs-ul-lawwamah ‘the self that blames’ or ‘the self-reproaching conscience’. 3. The third stage is called: An- nafs-ul - mutmainnah – ‘the Soul at Peace”

The first stage: Nafs: An-nafs-ul-ammarah ‘the self that tempts (to evil)’ “The soul is certainly prone to evil”

(12:53) The raw state of the soul is that it coerces us into fulfilling all our wants, im-pulses, desires, appetites, habits, fears, and angers. This is the nafs that by its very nature directs us towards evil and vice. Shaitaan is considered to be the ally of this soul. One of the reasons of fasting during the month of Ramadan is to tame the nafs by exercising moderation and restraint with regards to hu-man bestial and carnal desires.

the second stage: An-nafs-ul-lawwamah ‘the self that blames’ or ‘the self-reproach-ing conscience’. “And I do call to witness the soul that re-bukes” (75:2). This nafs cannot rest in any one state. It often changes, it remembers and forgets, it submits and opposes , it loves and hates, it rejoices and becomes sad, it accepts and rejects, it obeys and rebels. When it suc-cumbs to desire, it is consumed by guilt. This nafs is engaged in an inner struggle referred to as the ‘greater jihad’ - The inner battle be-tween passion and determination.

the third stage: An- nafs-ul - mutmainnah – ‘the soul at peace” “O Soul in complete rest and satisfaction!” (89:27) This nafs is tranquil as it finds great solace and peace in the certitude of reward and Divine pleasure. It waits for its time of departure from this physical world into the everlasting reality of life after death. It sub-mits itself to the will of Allah never dissatis-fied or complaining, and never wavering in its faith. Ibn al-Qayyim states that: “The nafs is a single entity, although its state may change…” It may regress to a lower state or may progress to a higher level depending on the level of struggle against it. Nabi g once asked his companions: “What do you think about a companion who, if you treat him nicely, feed him, clothe him, still he would throw you in all sorts of troubles - and if you insult him, and keep him hungry and naked, he would do what is good for you? The Sahabah j said: O’ Prophet of Allah! There cannot be a companion worse than him in this whole world!” He replied: “By Him in

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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 messenger 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 messenger and those who believe: lo! the party of Allâh,

they are the victorious.(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. Salah sched-ules are per-petual; i.e. they are good for every year.

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.

august17 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

september1 4:40 6:18 12:52 4:32 5:30 7:25 9:022 4:41 6:19 12:51 4:31 5:29 7:23 9:003 4:42 6:20 12:51 4:30 5:27 7:21 8:584 4:44 6:21 12:51 4:29 5:26 7:20 8:565 4:45 6:22 12:50 4:28 5:25 7:18 8:546 4:46 6:23 12:50 4:27 5:23 7:16 8:527 4:48 6:24 12:50 4:26 5:22 7:15 8:508 4:49 6:25 12:49 4:25 5:21 7:13 8:489 4:50 6:26 12:49 4:24 5:19 7:11 8:4710 4:51 6:27 12:49 4:23 5:18 7:10 8:4511 4:53 6:28 12:48 4:22 5:17 7:08 8:4312 4:54 6:29 12:48 4:21 5:15 7:06 8:4113 4:55 6:30 12:48 4:20 5:14 7:05 8:3914 4:56 6:31 12:47 4:19 5:12 7:03 8:3715 4:58 6:32 12:47 4:18 5:11 7:01 8:3516 4:59 6:33 12:46 4:17 5:10 6:59 8:3317 5:00 6:34 12:46 4:15 5:08 6:58 8:3118 5:01 6:35 12:46 4:14 5:07 6:56 8:2919 5:02 6:36 12:45 4:13 5:05 6:54 8:2720 5:04 6:37 12:45 4:12 5:04 6:52 8:2521 5:05 6:38 12:45 4:11 5:02 6:51 8:2422 5:06 6:39 12:44 4:10 5:01 6:49 8:2223 5:07 6:40 12:44 4:08 5:00 6:47 8:2024 5:08 6:41 12:44 4:07 4:58 6:46 8:1825 5:09 6:42 12:43 4:06 4:57 6:44 8:1626 5:11 6:43 12:43 4:05 4:55 6:42 8:1427 5:12 6:44 12:43 4:04 4:54 6:40 8:1328 5:13 6:45 12:42 4:02 4:52 6:39 8:1129 5:14 6:46 12:42 4:01 4:51 6:37 8:0930 5:15 6:47 12:42 4:00 4:49 6:35 8:07

october1 5:16 6:48 12:41 3:59 4:48 6:34 8:062 5:17 6:49 12:41 3:58 4:46 6:32 8:043 5:18 6:50 12:41 3:56 4:45 6:30 8:024 5:19 6:51 12:40 3:55 4:43 6:29 8:00

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aUG-sep praYer tImes, neW haVen

ramadaan

shaWWaal

dhIl-Qa’dah

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O ye who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer of the day of congregation, haste unto remembrance of Allah

and leave off trading. That is better for you if ye did but know.Surah al-Jumu’ah (62):9

reGUlar masJId actIVItIes and JUm’a praYer tImes

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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) 691-8015al-madanY IslamIc center of

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Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmcontact: Syed Hussain Qadri. (203) 852-0847.

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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.

al-noor IslamIc center Inc.4 West Road, ellington, CT 06029.Juma’ prayer time 1:00 pmdaily Qur’an class; saturday halaqahcontact: Br. Ghulam Sarwar, (860) 810-6987.

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

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Visit the Connecticut Council of Masajid website:

http://ccm-inc.org

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THE CHILDREN’S CORNER

continued on page ��

divine protection with nabi g

Sultan Nuruddeen V (rahimahul-laah - Allah have mercy on him) was

a very pious and just ruler who spent much of his time in special meditation and zikr. He was a saintly man whose nights were spent in worship. One night after perform-ing Tahajjud Salaah he went to sleep and in his dream he saw Rasulullah H (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who pointed to two squint-eyed persons and said: “Protect me from these two people.” The sultan awoke in distress. He per-formed wudhu and read nafl salaah and went back to bed. He had hardly fallen asleep when he saw exactly the same dream. Once again he woke up, did the same as before and again fell asleep. He had hardly closed his eyes when he saw the same dream for the third time. Now he rose from his bed and realised that there was no time for sleep. Hastily he summoned his advisor by the name of Jamaluddeen, who was also a very saintly person. After having told him the story thus far, the advisor said: “Now there is no time to lose, let us hasten to Madinah Munawwarah and let no one be informed of this dream.” Preparations were made in great haste. With twenty specially selected men and fast camels loaded with goods they set forth. They travelled speedily by day and night. On the 16th day they reached Madi-nah Munawwarah from Egypt. Outside Madinah Munawwarah they performed ghusl and with due respect and humility they entered the masjid and per-formed salaah in the Raudhah. There the Sultan remained seated deep in thought about what to do. In the meanwhile, the Wazir was announcing that the king had come for ziyarat and to distribute gifts to

the people of Madinah. He also arranged a huge feast to which all the people of Madi-nah Munawwarah were invited. Everyone came to collect the gifts. While these were being distributed the king stood by eagerly scanning the faces of all those who came forward. But he did not see the two faces that were shown to him in the dream. The king asked: “Is there anyone who has not come to take a gift?” The people replied: “No! Everyone has come.” He said: “Think carefully.” They then said: “Yes! Yes! There are two men who have come from the west. They are two saintly and ascetic personalities who do not accept any gifts or charities from anyone yet they spend liberally on others.” The king became curious and summoned them to his presence. Immediately on see-ing them he realised that these two men precisely fit the description shown to him by Rasulullah g in the dream. He asked them: “Who are you and where do you come from?” They replied: “We are from the west and we have come to perform Hajj and we wish to reside here in Madinah as neighbours of Rasulullah g.” The king retorted: “I instruct you to tell me the truth!” At this they were surprised and could not even utter a word. He then asked: “Where have they taken up residence?” He was told that they are re-siding in a house opposite the masjid very close to the Blessed Grave of Rasulullah g. Thereupon the king ordered that they be kept in custody whilst he himself went to investigate. On inspecting the house all he found was plenty of wealth, numer-ous goods and some religious books. But

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continued from page �0this investigation brought about nothing startling which could be connected to the dream. This also left the king baffled. From all sides, the people of Madinah Munawwarah came to intercede on their be-half, begging their release, saying: “These are two saintly and ascetic men. They fast by day and they always engage in salaat in the Raudhah. Daily they visit the grave of Rasulullah g as well as the Baqee. Ev-ery Saturday they visit the masjid in Quba. They never refuse a beggar and they very efficiently saw to the needs of the people of Madinah during this difficult year of drought.” The king, still confused, began moving around the room when suddenly he thought of lifting the mat which was spread over the floor. Underneath he found a tunnel dug out leading to the blessed grave of Rasu-lullah g. When the people saw this, they were all dumbstruck. On seeing this the king beat the two men up severely and said: “Give me the real story!” At last they came out with the true story that they were sent by the Christians who promised them much wealth if they bring out the Body of Rasulullah g to them. They were told to disguise themselves as haajis, proceed to Madinah Munawwarah, take up residence as close as possible to the blessed grave of Rasulullah g and carry out their mission. They used to dig at night, pack the sand into bags and spread it out in Baqee’. On hearing this, the king burst into tears expressing his gratitude to Allah E for having chosen him for this great ser-vice. Thereafter he executed the Christians. He also had deep trenches dug all around the Grave which were filled with molten lead so that no one could reach the body of Rasulullah g from underneath. He then returned to Egypt. [Wafa-ul-Waf. vol:2. Pg: 648]

lesson: The divine protection of Al-

lah E is at all times with his be-loved Nabi g. Just as Allah Ta’ala pro-tected Rasulullah g while he was in this world, likewise he protected the mubarak (blessed) body of Rasulullah g in His grave. Similarly Allah Ta’ala’s divine pro-tection is with the lifestyle and sunnah of His beloved Nabi g. If we wish to be pro-tected in this world and the hereafter, let us firmly adhere to the lifestyle of our beloved Rasulullah g.

Courtesy Al-Haadi, Madrasah Taleemuddeen, South Africa

y i d s i l e h ab l e s s e d b is i y l t n i a se e q a b n s r ud h c h d u g p ll a s a s t u r ti n e l f s i o an n u l l b s t nn u r u d d e e ni s h l d b a c ro n a u i y g t ec a h s v b d i ln u d a i a a o fu i u r n g g n bg r a v e i e a sc d r a f a d u hr h r t f i m a nd d s e g y p t m

Word searchCan you find the following words from the story in the puzzle below?

baqeeblessedbodydigdisguisedivinedreamegyptfacesgiftsgrave

leadmadinahnabinuruddeenprotectionrasulullahraudhahsaintlysultansunnahtunnel

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continued on page ��

Furû’-ul-Îmânthe Branches of faithMl. Ashraf Ali Thanvi V

[Translation and hadith citations, Nadeem Abdul Hamid]

3.3. Charity (Sadaqah) Hadrat Abû Hurayrah relates that the Messenger of Allâh said, “Whomsoever Allâh gives wealth but he does not pay its poor-due (zakâh), his wealth will be lik-ened for him on the Day of Resurrection as a huge bald snake with two (poisonous) fangs. It will bite him round his neck on the Day of Resurrection and then seize him with its two fangs, and say, ‘I am your wealth, I am your treasure.’ Then he (the Prophet ) recited, ‘And let not those think who are miserly…’1 (till the end of the verse, which also mentions that the wealth will be like a collar).”2

rational arguments for reformation of those who do not give Zakâh Many wealthy people have misgivings about paying Zakâh, thinking that their money will be decreased. Dear friends! Firstly, it has been proved by long experi-ence that giving Zakâh and charity never results in a decrease of wealth. If at the time of giving, the wealth seems to dimin-ish, at a later time much more wealth will be acquired. This subject can be found in the hadîth as well. Secondly, even supposing that the wealth is decreased, then what about the thousands of rupees [dollars] that one spends for the (fleeting, temporary) delights of the soul – those certainly bring about a decrease in wealth. Then, how much does one pay in government taxes and tolls, which if not paid will cause one to be a criminal rogue? These also decrease one’s wealth. In short then, one can consider zakâh to be a divine tax. Thirdly, is the fact that apparently the 1 Qur’ân 3:176.2 Mishkât/Al-Hadîs II/p.44 from Bukhâri.

wealth is disappearing here but there (in the next life) it is being gathered togeth-er. After all, when one deposits money at the post office or bank, then evidently the money has left one’s possession but there is still the peace of mind that it has been secured in a dependable place and that its benefit will remain. In the same way, one who has îmân must depend upon the prom-ises of Almighty Allâh and understand that this wealth (given in zakâh) is being col-lected for the next world. On the Day of Judgment one will receive the principal and increase in such a situation when such wealth will really be direly needed. Additionally, to protect one’s wealth, people will hire a guard, who requires a salary be paid to him. Even though this de-creases the amount of wealth, one is fearful that by not spending this little amount of money on a guard, there is danger that the whole money will be stolen. In the same way, one should understand that zakâh is a means by which one’s entire wealth is pro-tected. It is deduced from the ahâdîth that failure to pay zakâh results in destruction of one’s wealth. Thus, Hadrat ‘Â’ishah reports that she heard the Messenger of Allâh say, “Zakâh never mixes with a property except to destroy it.”3

Humaydi also reported it with the addi-tion, “If zakâh becomes obligatory upon you and you do not pay it out, then that unlawful (wealth) will destroy the lawful.” Thus, one should think of zakâh as the sal-ary paid to a guard for the protection of one’s wealth. Finally, there is no such person who does not at one time or another need to spend money to help some needy person. If only this is done systematically then the obliga-tion of zakâh will be fulfilled very easily.

3 Mishkât/Al-Hadîs II/p.47 from Shâfi’i, and Bukhâri in his Târîkh.

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continued from page ��Sadaqat-ul-Fitr Hadrat Ibn ‘Abbâs reported that he said in the end of Ramadân, “Pay the char-ity of your fast. Rasûlullâh made this charity compulsory: One sâ’a from dates or barley or half sâ’a of wheat upon every free man or slave, male or female, young or old.”4

And the same reported that the Messenger of Allâh made sadaqat-ul-fitr compulsory in order to purify the fast from vile and vain talk (engaged in during the fast) and so that the poor would obtain some food.5

The detailed rules of sadaqat-ul-fitr should be read from the books of fiqh (Is-lâmic jurisprudence).

obligations upon Wealth Besides Zakâhremoval of an erroneous concept: Many people of a technical, legalistic frame of mind think that once they have given the zakâh, then they have no more obligations upon them in this regard. Their hardheartedness is such that if a poor, needy person comes to them, it does not matter how hungry or close to death he is: these people may have thousands of rupees [dol-lars] piled up but they neither have mercy upon the poor nor even give him a single penny. They sit unconcernedly in their er-roneous opinion that, “as we have given the zakâh already, we have no more dues that are obligatory upon us.” This thinking is completely wrong since it is related in the hadîth itself, “Truly there are dues upon the wealth besides the zakâh.” Then he recited, “It is not righteousness…”6 till the end of the verse.7

The reason that the verse (2:177) con-firms the subject of the hadîth is that in it Allâh, the Exalted, first mentions giving wealth and then afterwards mentions the 4 Mishkât/Al-Hadîs II/p.58 from Abû Dâwûd and Nisâ’i.5 Ibid from Abû Dâwûd.6 Qur’ân 2:177.7 Related by Tirmidhi, Ibn Mâjah, and Dârimi.

payment of zakâh. Thus, it is understood that giving money is separate from the payment of zakâh. There are many other ahâdîth which similarly establish the dues upon wealth besides zakâh. In summary, the dues upon wealth are of two kinds: “specified” (mu’ayyan) and “unspecified” (ghayr mu’ayyan). Zakâh is a “specified” due upon wealth which has been prescribed upon a certain time pe-riod, with certain conditions, and in cer-tain amount. The other dues upon wealth are “unspecified” and they depend upon the needs of the deserving people – for these, there is no hard and fast rule. For example, a needy beggar who requires one rupee [dollar] comes to us and our wealth exceeds our basic needs by more than one rupee [dollar], is it not our responsibility to assist him? Without doubt, it is neces-sary that we help! In the same way, lending money to someone, loaning some object to someone temporarily, helping others in their work – all these must be done accord-ing to our capability.

3.4. Fasting (sawm or roza) Hadrat Abû Hurayrah relates that the Messenger of Allah said, “Every good action of the son of Âdam shall be multi-plied from ten times the like up to seven hundred times. The Almighty Allâh said, ‘Except fasting, because it is for Me and I shall Myself compensate for it. He gives up his passions and food for Me. For a fast-ing man there are two rejoicings: one at the time of breaking the fast, and the other at the time of meeting his Lord. And certainly the fragrance of the mouth of a fasting per-son is more pleasant to Allâh than the smell of musk. And fasting is a shield. So one of you keeps fast, he should not utter foul words, nor should he be loud and noisy. If anyone abuses him or fights with him, then let him say, ‘I am fasting.’”8

8 Mishkât/Al-Hadîs III/p.514 from Bukhâri and Muslim.continued on page ��

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continued from page ��reformation of those Who have shortcomings With regard to fasting There are a great number of hadîth re-porting on the virtues of fasting and the sin of abandoning it. Alas, nowadays many people of luxury try to escape from it, say-ing that they cannot bear the hunger and thirst. This is a very strange thing. If the doctor prescribes for a certain sickness that four consecutive meals must be skipped, otherwise death is certain, then these peo-ple will happily be ready to skip, not four meals, but five as an extra precaution. It is truly unfortunate that the ruling of Allâh is not even considered as weighty as that of a human doctor. And furthermore, the life of the Hereafter is not considered as im-portant as the life in this world. Oh Allâh! Grant our brethren correct understanding and protect them and us from the domi-nance of the nafs and Shaytân!

There are three types of fasts:• Fard – those of Ramadân, nadhr (vowed fasts), kaffârah (compensation for certain sins), qadâ (make-up fasts), and in place of hady (sacrificial animal of Hajj).• [Fixed] Nafl – the six days of Shawwâl, nine days of Dhil-Hijjah, fast of ‘Âshûrâ and the 15th of Sha’bân.• Other [optional fasts can be performed any time] except on the days of ‘Eid-ul-Fitr, Adhâ, and three days after ‘Eid-ul-Adhâ.

3.5. hajj and ‘Umrah Hadrat Abû Umâmah relates that the Messenger of Allah said, “Whomsoever an obvious necessity, a ty-rannical ruler, or a confining disease does not prevent from making the Hajj and he dies without performing the Hajj, (it does not matter) he may die as a Jew if he likes or as a Christian if he likes.”9

Hadrat Abû Hurayrah relates that the Messenger of Allah said, “The ones performing Hajj or ‘Umrah are guests of 9 Mishkât/Al-Hadîs III/p.578 from Dârimi.

Allâh. If they invoke Him, He responds to them and if they seek forgiveness of Him, He forgives them.”10

Hadrat Abû Hurayrah relates that the Messenger of Allah said, “Whoever goes out to perform Hajj or ‘Umrah or for war and dies in his path, Allâh will record for him the reward of a ghâzi (warrior), hâji, and mu’tamir.”11

erroneous concepts regarding hajj Wealthy people often have shortcomings with respect to performance of Hajj. Some give the excuse of their trade and business, others claim that travel makes them sick, and others are deathly afraid of Bedouins [i.e. of being robbed by them enroute]. Dear friends! All these excuses are only there because the prestige of the Hajj is not in the heart. Attendance in the court of the Almighty Allâh is not considered neces-sary. This is only because the heart is de-void of the love of Allâh– otherwise noth-ing could bar one from the path. Let me give you the simplest example of this: If “Her Majesty,” the Queen, sends you a special invitation along with all the ex-penses of the journey paid for you to come to her court, then can you honestly say that

10 Ibid from Ibn Mâjah.11 Ibid III/p.579 from Bayhaqi.

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continued from page ��you will reply that there is no one to take care of your home and business, or that you suffer from seasickness and cannot travel, or that there is a place along the route that is notorious for robbers and it is not safe to go? No, indeed, you will not have the heart to proffer any such excuse. All the exigencies and excuses will be thrown in the hearth and with much ado you will re-spond with great pleasure and happiness. Any difficulties will become very easy in your eyes. In reality, where there is a will to do something, it becomes very easy. And when one’s will and determination is low-ered, then even something easy will seem very difficult to achieve. Especially, to give a bad name to the Bedouins is pure mis-information. Those who have performed the Hajj and have witnessed the real situ-ation know very well that the situation and circumstances of the Bedouins is nothing strange. Whatever accidents or undesirable events occur here in India, their cause here is no different than their cause there. For example, consider a [taxi] driver: if you en-gage him in some conversation and make him happy with some food or tobacco, then he will be your slave. On the other hand, if you are rude and abusive to him, he will take the car in the wrong direction or cause you other problems. Similarly, no matter how much arrangement (police, etc.) there is, we always have incidents of crime and other accidents happening on journeys of short distances within our own city. The situation at Hajj is the same. In fact, the low rate of incidents there is amazing because there are no guards or police anyway. And what does take place is most usually due to the unpreparedness or lack of caution on the part of the travelers. Otherwise, there is complete peace and safety to be found there. Many people have such a negative view because in fact it is a strange country and

whose hands rest my life, your nafs is such a companion.” (Qurtubi) He further said: “A strong person is not the one who overcomes people, but one who overcomes his nafs.” (Majma’ ul-zawa’id) The three stages of the nafs ultimately de-termine the three levels of our relationship with the Quran. “And so We have bestowed the Book as a heritage unto servants that We choose and among them are some who sin against themselves; and some who follow a middle course (between right and wrong) and some who by the permission of Allah are foremost in deeds of goodness. That indeed is the highest grace” (35:32) 1. those who wrong themselves - They are subjugated by the An-nafs-ul-ammarah -the self that tempts (to evil)’ They are unable to submit to ‘what is right’ and abstain from ‘what is wrong.’ They are generally indif-ferent to Quranic teachings and justify their wrongdoing. They see the Quran as a collec-tion of ancient tales - a Book containing law that is irrelevant or irrational. 2. those who sit on the fence – Those who see-saw between obedience and dis-obedience. They are at the second stage of development - An-nafs-ul-lawwamah – ‘the self-reproaching conscience’. They display a lukewarm commitment to the teachings of the Quran wavering between obedience and disobedience, even though they have a con-science that drives them to feel remorse and regret each time they rebel against the law of Allah. 3. those who are foremost in the doing of good - Those who possess An- nafs-ul – mutmainnah’ – ‘the Soul at Peace.’ They are moderate in temperament but extreme in following principle. They demonstrate a wholehearted commitment to the teachings of the Quran in the belief that the Quran con-tains law that is most perfect and most just. May Allah Ta’ala purify our souls and may He grant us the ability to be among “Those who are foremost in the doing of good.”

Jamiatul Ulama, south africa

Nafs, continued from page �

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a strange language and they cannot bear it. After all, I say, what does it matter if all that is true? A person will bear all sorts of disgrace and af-fliction in his love for someone else. Then is it even too much to bear for the love of Allâh?

advice for the pilgrim of hajj Those going to perform Hajj should keep a number of important points in mind:• While in travel, especially on the plane or boat, one should not miss the prayer. It is a very bad thing that in performance of one fard so many other fard should be abandoned.• Do not quarrel with anyone during the journey, nor place confidence in anyone.• One should choose a leader who knows the rules and regulations of Hajj very well and who is sincere and honest.• Take enough money along for ex-penditure and be neither so miserly in spending that you bear difficulties, nor so wanton that your money is quickly spent up, leaving you distressed.• Do not leave the caravan at any time.• Bedouins (e.g. guides) are content with a little, so keep them happy.• Consider this journey to be a jour-ney of love.