The first of Ramadan will be on Monday, August 1, 2011

"O you who believe, fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint." Qur’an 2: 183

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) follows the calculations of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) to determine the dates of Ramadan and Eid and is excited to share with our community that FCNA has announced this year's dates for both Ramadan and Eid. 

The Fiqh Council of North America recognizes astronomical calculation as an acceptable Shar’i method for determining the beginning of Lunar months including the months of Ramadan and Shawwal.   FCNA uses Makkah al-Mukarram as a conventional point and takes the position that the conjunction must take place before sunset in Makkah and moon must set after sunset in Makkah.

On the basis of this method the dates of Ramadan and Eidul Fitr for the year 1432 AH are established as follows: 

The first of Ramadan will be on Monday, August 1, 2011
Eid ul-Fitr will be on Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Ramadan 1432 AH:
The Astronomical New Moon is on July 30, 2011 (Saturday) at 18:40 Universal Time (9:40 pm  Makkah time). Sunset at Makkah on July 30 is at 7:01 pm local time, while moonset at Makkah is 6:41pm local time (20 minute before sunset).  Therefore the following day Sunday, July 31, 2011 is not the 1st day of Ramadan.   First day of Ramadan is Monday, August 1, insha'Allah. First Tarawih prayer will be on Sunday night. 

Eid ul-Fitr 1432 AH:
The Astronomical New Moon is on August 29, 2011 (Monday) at 3:04 Universal Time (6:04 am  Makkah time). On Monday, August 29, sunset at Makkah is 6:40 p.m. local time, while moonset is at 6:44  pm local time. Therefore, first day of Shawwal, i.e., Eid ul-Fitr is Tuesday, August 30, insha'Allah.

May Allah (swt) keep us on the right path, and accept our fasting and prayers. Ameen.  For more detailed information, please visit: www.fiqhcouncil.org or www.moonsighting.com

And no bearer of burdens shall bear

[35:18] And no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden, and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin. You (O Muhammad SAW) can warn only those who fear their Lord unseen, and perform As-Salat (IqamatasSalat). And he who purifies himself (from all kinds of sins), then he purifies only for the benefit of his ownself. And to Allah is the (final) Return (of all).

ENGLISH TAFSIR  - TAFSIR IBN ABBAS

And no burdened soul can bear another's burden) i.e. with a good disposition of the soul but only insofar as it is forced to do so; it is also said that this means: no soul will be taken to task for the crime of another; and it is also said that this means: no soul will be tormented without having committed a crime, (and if one heavy laden) with sins (crieth for (help with) his load, naught of it) none of the sins (will be lifted even though he (unto whom he crieth) be of kin) his father, mother, son or daughter. (Thou warnest only) your warning, O Muhammad, benefits only (those who fear their Lord in secret) those who work for their Lord even though He is invisible to them, but nothing is invisible to Him, (and have established worship) and perform the five daily prayers. (He who groweth (in goodness)) he who believes in Allah's divine Oneness, does good works and spends of his wealth in charity, (groweth only for himself) the reward of all this goes to his own soul. (Unto Allah is the journeying) unto Allah is the return in the Hereafter.

Welcome Ramadan - 1432H

Please don’t spend this month in a so-called busy schedule, corporate Iftar parties, roaming around shopping malls seeking sales and offers instead availing offers from Allah Almighty, etc, If we really want to be benefitted through our prayers, reflection and connection to Allah, then we have to be sincere & utilize our time to transform from selfishness to selflessness and strive to achieve the height of piety,

 

-          The Month of Quran

-          The Month of Fasting

-          The Month of Mercy, Forgiveness & Freedom from the Hellfire

-          The Month of Lalitul Qadar

-          The Month of Taraweeh

-          The Month of Fitra, Charity, Infaq

-          The Month of Zakath (the same can be given in the month at the completion of lunar year)

-          The Month of Itekaf (Isolate and know the meaning of nearness to Allah Almighty)

-          The Month of Self Assessment & Purification

-          The Month of Personality Development (purify our thoughts in the light of Quran & authentic Hadith)

-          The Month of Comforter (sympathising with other fellow Muslim)

 

 

May Allah give us another chance to purify our soul and protect ourselves from the hell fire by granting the Month of Ramadan which is nearing soon, Ameen.

The Status of the Elderly in Islam

On a visit to a post office in San Diego, California, I noticed an elderly lady struggling to get out of her car. Alone and probably in her mid seventies she held the door with a trembling hand as she stepped out of the driver’s seat.
“May I help you Ma’am?”, I said, stepping out of my own car with an outstretched hand.
“No, Thank you”, she replied, politely and with a smile, perhaps reluctant to take help from a stranger.
I watched her as she proceeded towards the building with difficulty. Her dignified refusal, despite the difficult situation she was in, moved me immensely. She was clearly too old to be running errands, and perhaps too old to drive safely.
I realized that the situation of this old lady was not unlike millions of other elderly the world over, who are deprived the love and care they need and deserve in their old age.

The American Pscychological Association reports:

Every year an estimated 2.1 million older Americans are victims of physical, psychological, or other forms of abuse and neglect. Those statistics may not tell the whole story. For every case of elder abuse and neglect that is reported to authorities, experts estimate that there may be as many as five cases that have not been reported.
Even in countries that are known for relatively stronger family structures, the elderly are increasingly getting short shrift. According to HelpAge India, most elders are ill-treated by their own children, who have emerged as the the largest group of perpetrators at 47.3 per cent of all cases of abuse! .

The Status of the Elderly in Islam

While Islam emphasizes respect for all elders in society, children have a special responsibility towards their parents.
The Glorious Qur’an says:
“Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: “My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.” [Translation of Al-Qur’an 17:23-24]
In these verses, kindness towards parents is mentioned along with belief in One God. These two verses reflect the compassion, respect and sense of responsibility that Islam requires the believers to have towards their parents.
“A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet said: Your mother. The man said, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man further asked, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man asked again, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your father” [Hadith from Bukhari and Muslim]
The Prophet declared that parents have the right to be obeyed by their children. In one of his narrations, the Prophet stated that the major sins are to believe that God has partners, to disobey one’s parents, to commit murder, and to bear false witness [Bukhari, Muslim].
Islam makes it mandatory for children to be responsible for the maintenance of their parents once the children have become independent.
Dignity – A Basic Human Right

In the last few years, there has been a renewed interested internationally in the plight of the elderly. Many conferences and symposia have emphasized that often the elderly are not accorded the respect and dignity that every human being needs, even if they are provided basic maintenance.
Compassion and respect towards the elderly is an essential element of Islamic conduct. The Prophet of Islam stated clearly:

“He is not one of us who does not show tenderness to the young and who does not show respect to the elder.” [Hadith from at-Tirmidhi]

Far from the abuse and neglect that we see in present day society the elderly have a protected and dignified status in Islam. Traditionally Muslims have accorded their elders this lofty status, and the decline in this practice we see in some Muslim countries is concomitant with the overall decline in adherence to Islamic principles.
In the cycle of life, the youth and old age are only a matter of time, for one who is young, must surely grow old one day. Islam reminds the young of this basic truth of the human condition, through a narration of the Prophet in which he stated “If a young man honors an elderly on account of his age, God appoints someone to honor him in his old age.” [Hadith from At-Tirmidhi]

May God help us all, to fulfill our duties towards our elderly, to love and respect them as they ought to be loved and respected, and to set a good example for our own children.

on My Take: Norway attacks show why you can't blamethemuslims

Imam Khalid Latif is a chaplain for New York University and Executive Director of the school's Islamic Center.
 
By Khalid Latif, Special to CNN

In the immediate aftermath of 1995’s Oklahoma City bombing, much of the news media rushed to suggest that a Muslim, or at least a Middle Eastern connection, was behind the attacks.
News reports on television and in print featured Middle East terrorism experts claiming the Oklahoma City attack echoed a World Trade Center bombing two years earlier and that it contained parallels to recent Mideast attacks.
The FBI picked up Ibrahim Ahmad, a Jordanian American, for questioning in an initial dragnet.
Does 'Christian fundamentalist' label fit Norway terror suspect?

Of course, it turned out that the attacker was homegrown and named Timothy McVeigh, not a Muslim.
Sixteen years later, not much has changed.
The tragic events that took place in Norway on Friday provoked initial accusations against Muslims worldwide. Of course, that proved to be the farthest thing from the truth.
Anders Behring Breivik, the confessed bomber and shooter in this horrendous act, was not motivated by the teachings of Islam, but by the teachings of those who oppose Islam.
A 1,500-page manifesto that appears to be written by Breivik is an anti-Islamic tirade.
Who is Anders Behring Breivik?

“Since the creation of Islam in the 7th century and to up to this day, the Islamic Jihad has systematically killed more than 300 million non Muslims and tortured and enslaved more than 500 million individuals,” it says.
“Since 9/11 2001, more than 12, 000 Jihadi terrorist attacks have occurred,” it continues. “… This trend will continue as long as there are non-Muslim targets available and as long as Islam continues to exist.”
An inappropriate response to Norway’s acts of violence would be the condemnation of Christianity, or a claim that religion itself breeds violence and hatred, though the manifesto repeatedly invokes the defense of Christianity as a primary reason for violently defeating multiculturalism and combating the “Islamic colonization” of Europe.
The expectation shouldn't be that white Christian males should now be scrutinized at airports or profiled by TSA workers. It's wrong when it happens to Muslims and it would be just as wrong if it happened to anyone else.
A more appropriate response would be to expand the conversation around terrorism and violent extremism beyond Islam and the Muslim community. The Norway attacks highlight why congressional hearings should not be held on solely on radicalization in the Muslim community, but should focus on radicalization more broadly.


It's also imperative that training for law enforcement and other governmental offices on Islamic doctrine and law not to be conducted by those who present the normative understanding of Islam to be something that is radical. Our focus should be the safety of all citizens in any country from every act of violence or terrorism.
By cultivating a narrative that says Islam is the problem, we keep ourselves from maintaining that focus. All terrorist acts stem from an idea that it's OK to resort to violence in order to get what you want; that it's OK to kill to get the kind of world that you would like; that if we disagree, we cannot co-exist peacefully.
Over the weekend, #blamethemuslims became a trending topic on Twitter. The purpose of the hashtag was not to blame Muslims for the Norway attack, but show how Muslims are unfairly blamed and singled out regularly these days. The tragic events in Norway remind us that not all terrorists are Muslim and there is no reason that all Muslims should be treated like they are.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Norway. May God make things easy for them and grant us all the strength and courage to stand up against those who preach intolerance and hatred, even if they look like us, align politically with us, or practice the same religion we practice.

Muslim woman accuses Bajrang Dal of forcing conversion; urges IGP to take action

 A married Muslim woman, who was allegedly forced to convert to Hinduism recently, approached Inspector General of Police (Western Range) on Tuesday and sought protection from Bajrang Dal and demanded action against the culprits.

The conversion of Bushra and her husband Jaffar along with their four little children at Saralebettu Shivapadi Sri Umamaheshwari Temple near Manipal of Udupi district on July 14, had hit the headlines.

However, Bushra, who has now apparently fled husband’s house, accused the Bajrang Dal activists of harassing her physically and mentally and threatening to kill her and her children if she continued to remain a Muslim woman.

IGP Alok Mohan has assured the woman of taking stringent action against the accused after a thorough investigation into the case.

Bushra, daughter of late Ibrahim AK alias Ibba from Valachchil near Adyar, had married Jaffar eight years ago, as per the Muslim tradition. Jaffar, a driver, who was in love with Bushra, had converted to Islam a few weeks before the marriage.

The couple has been leading a normal life and rewarded with four children namely Iqbal (4), Irfan (3), Fathima Yasmeen (2) and Jalauddeen (one and a half month).

In the recent years, Jaffar, whose earlier name was Prashant Shetty, had developed friendship with Bajrang Dal activists and had shifted his house from Adyar Kannur to Sunkakatte in Udupi nearly three months ago, against the wish of his wife.

Bushra, in her complaint, said that she was preparing food for her children on July 14  when a group of Bajrang Dal activists stormed into their house and forcefully took the entire family to a temple.

“When I protested, they threatened me to kill my children if I failed to act according to their wish,” she said in her complaint.

She also accused the priest of the temple of disregarding her plea and forced her to accept Hinduism. The priest continued ‘Pravartan’ (conversion) rituals without paying attention to my pleadings, she said.

“Although I became silent in the temple, fearing that Bajrang Dal activists may kill my children, I did not accept Hinduism and I am still a Muslim,” she said adding that the rumours and false reports that she had been converted to Hinduism had deeply hurt her.

Harassment

Bushra told the IGP that a Bajrang Dal activist identified as Manohar, harassed her physically and mentally with the support of her husband, after shifting to the new house.

She said that her husband continued to allow Manohar in the house during nights, despite knowing that he was trying to seduce her and inviting her for sex.

Divorce

Bushra said that she has left her husband’s house for ever along with her four children after undergoing the agony. 

“I cannot lead life with my husband anymore. I want a divorce from him,” she said.

Threat

Bushra also said that the Bajrang Dal goons have threatened her against approaching the police. She urged the IGP to inquire her case in Dakshina Kannada, as she fears to go to Udupi.

-- 

POPULAR TAMIL POET REVERTED TO ISLAM

PORKIZHI  M SHANMUGAM IS A POPULAR POET IN TAMIL LANGUAGE,AND RETIRED AS A CLERK IN DR ZAKIR HUSSAIN COLLEGE AT ILAYANGUDI, IN TAMIL NADU,INDIA WAS REVERTED TO ISLAM YESTERDAY.


HE HAS CHANGED HIS NAME TO HIDAYATHULLAAH.


HE IS VERY POPULAR POET FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS IN TAMIL.


COURTESY : ILAYANGUDI YOUSUF, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES

Truth and falsehood.

[13:17] He sends down water (rain) from the sky, and the valleys flow according to their measure, but the flood bears away the foam that mounts up to the surface, and (also) from that (ore) which they heat in the fire in order to make ornaments or utensils, rises a foam like unto it, thus does Allah (by parables) show forth truth and falsehood. Then, as for the foam it passes away as scum upon the banks, while that which is for the good of mankind remains in the earth. Thus Allah sets forth parables (for the truth and falsehood, i.e. Belief and disbelief).

ENGLISH TAFSIR  - TAFSIR IBN ABBAS

Allah then gave a simile of the Truth and falsehood, saying: (He sendeth down water from the sky) He says: He sent Gabriel with the Qur'an and explained therein the Truth and falsehood, (so that valleys flow according to their measure) so the illumined hearts bore the Truth in proportion of their size and light, (and the flood beareth) the darkened hearts bore ((on its surface) swelling foam) much falsehood due to their whims (from that which they felt in the Fire) this is another simile. He says: and of that which you cast in the fire of gold and silver contains adulteration just as the foam of the sea does have salt (in order to make ornaments) which you were. Allah says here: the Truth is like gold and silver which benefit people, and falsehood is like the impurities which are derived from the casting of gold and silver, which are of no benefit. Likewise falsehood benefits no one (and tools) ore and copper (riseth a foam like unto it) He says: these also have impurities, i.e. just as the foam of the sea. This is another simile. He says: the Truth is like ore and copper from which people benefit, just as people benefit from the Truth. And falsehood is like the impurities resulting from the casting of ore and copper, which are of no benefit, just as falsehood is of no benefit to anyone, (thus Allah coineth (the similitude of)) thus Allah explains (the true and the false. Then, as for the foam, it passeth away as scum upon the banks) it goes just as it comes: it is of no benefit to its owner, (while, as for that which is of use to mankind) pure water, gold, silver, ore and copper, (it remaineth in the earth) it is useful just as the Truth is. (Thus Allah coineth the similitudes) Allah explains the similes of the Truth and falsehood.

Bosnians bury Srebrenica massacre victims

More than 15,000 Bosnian Muslims have gathered to bury the remains of 613 people at Srebrenica to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the 1995 killings of thousands of Muslims in and around the town. A special commemoration service was held on Monday at the vast cemetery and memorial centre in Potocari where 4,500 of the 8,000 victims of the massacre were already buried. Families prayed over the graves of their loved ones, and some came to bury 613 people whose remains were identified just last year. Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting from the memorial centre in Potocari, said during the "highly emotional ceremony" the "613 coffins snaked through the crowds to the graves". "During this, every single name was read out. It went on and on," he said. Worst single atrocity The massacre is the worst single atrocity on European soil since World War II and the only episode of the 1992-95 Bosnian war that international courts have called a genocide. The remains of the 613 victims, who were buried during Monday's service in Potocari, were recovered from mass graves during the past year and identified through DNA tests. Forensic experts painstakingly assembled complete skeletons and checked each bone against the DNA from blood samples of survivors of the massacre. The dead were among more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys from the eastern enclave who were systematically killed after Serbian forces besieged the town on July 11, 1995, in the climax to the 1992-95 Bosnian war that claimed a total of 100,000 lives. "The big issue here is the time it has taken to identify the bodies because the Serb army were meticulous in hiding away the evidence. They moved the remains of the bodies to various sites all over the mountains and villages of this area," our correspondent said at the site of the burial. Ahmed Sehic, who came to bury his father who was killed with two of Ahmed's uncles while trying to flee through the woods to Muslim-held territory during the Bosnian war, said: "I hope it will be easier for me now, I will know where he is, where I can come to visit his grave." 'Celebrated as heroes' A Muslim member of Bosnia's presidency said on Sunday that many Serbs were not facing the truth about the Srebrenica massacre. Bakir Izetbegovic, whose father Alija Izetbegovic was Bosnia's wartime Muslim leader, said the wartime Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic were still "celebrated as heroes" by a large number of Serbs. "Time is needed for these things to heal and to find their place," he said. "It takes too long for things to improve. We still face provocations from people who consider Ratko Mladic a hero." Mladic is being tried at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslovia (ICTY) on 11 war crime charges, including genocide, for allegedly masterminding atrocities during the Bosnian war. Munira Subasic, who lost her husband, two brothers, and many men in her wider family in the 1995 massacre, said that though the arrest of Mladic had brought some comfort, "there is no justice that can make any mother happy". Al Jazeera's Simmons said Monday's commemorations were "an active way of perpetual grief, as the whole cemetary is emotionally charged because Ratko Mladic is now behind bars, now facing justice in a defiant fashion".

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Hijab is my ornament: Mumbai corporator Afreen

Imagine a scene where a burqa-clad woman, among more than two hundred corporators of Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, is shouting for the problems of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Mother of two teenagers, Afreen Fayyaz Ahmed is the Congress corporator of Mumbai Municipal Corporation for last 3 years.

Born to Parsi parents, educated in one of the best schools in south Mumbai to marrying Fayyaz Ahmed and becoming a corporator, story of Afreen is very interesting.

Afreen converted to Islam at the age of 18 years and married to Fayyaz Ahmed, former Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and was just a housewife till Madanpura Municipal seat reserved for women.

Conditions in the politics compelled her to get out of her home and fight the corporation election. Although, it would be normal for Muslims but very strange for others not to see their own elected corporator ever and vote for her. Imtiyaz Ahmed, 30, a local of her area said, “No one has ever seen Afreen Fayyaz Ahmed but everybody knows her and get their work done.”

Afreen, while talking to TwoCircles.net said, “Hijab is my ornament and it never stops me from serving the people of my area.” She also added that she derives all the courage from Allah and her husband Fayyaz Ahmed is the biggest support for her.

Sharing her experience of working along with hundreds of men in the corporation, she said, “Initially it was bit odd but now I am used to it because of their co-operative nature. They all respect and care for me. Sometimes they go out of the way to co-operate me.”

In Maharashtra and specially in Municipal Corporation Marathi is the only way to communicate the grievance. “Knowing Marathi is compulsory if one likes to get her work done in Maharashtra and Alhamdulillah, I speak good Marathi besides English, Gujarati and Hindi” said Afreen.

Clean water supply, road and drainage are on top of her agenda because of which she has been treated badly by the voters while campaigning. She remembers an incident while campaigning, “I was nearly thrown out of the door and treated very badly because water supply was nearly collapsed in the area and people has to wake up at around 4 a.m. to store the water.”

After the incident Afreen was literally crying but gathered the courage and continued her election campaign with the help of her husband and brother-in-law and finally won the election.

She said that her biggest achievement would be to get her proposal passed by the corporation -- a woman doctor and labor must be appointed for a female dead body during the post mortem.

She said, “Once in an accident a 20-year-old girl died and I had to go to the Hospital for her dead body. I found a man was covering the body of that girl and naturally was touching the body of that poor girl.” She was shocked to see that and decided to move a proposal in this regard and also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister.

On the backwardness of Muslims, she believes that awareness about education and employment to Muslims will truly empower them.

Afreen, with the help of her husband, organizes guidance camps for Ration Cards, OBC, Certificate, PAN Cards, Electoral role, Domicile certificates. She said, “We Muslims don’t know how to get all these important documents which are the prerequisites to get any kind of government facilities such as scholarships schemes, employments.”

She has also planned a permanent guidance center in the area and a month long campaign during the month of May, the summer vacation. She said that she and her volunteers will go door to door for the awareness campaign and will facilitate them to get these important documents.

Afreen is also aware of the difficulties women face in the male dominated politics. She accepted that all the social and technical job is done by her whereas her husband takes care of the other aspects and more importantly the politics.

She parried the question about 50% reservation for Muslims in the corporations but her husband Fayyaz Ahmed vehemently opposed the bill put forward by his own party.