Date: April 29, 2015
Reem Shaikh is a 17-year-old Muslim hails from Houston. Wonderful news is that she has finished memorizing Qur’an when she was just seven and traveled to Egypt to learn Arabic. She did not get an opportunity to go to regular schools. She was homeschooled until the age of 12. Then she pursued her bachelors in Islamic Studies at Qatar University. The very fact is that children who are homeschooled will be stereotyped as illiterates. But case for Reem is something different. She is now a social activist and joined Doha youth forum, a forum from UN to give youth an opportunity to voice their opinions, last year. She was the only young Muslim girl who addressed UN delegates and answered their questions on role of youth in fighting crimes around the world.
The month of Rabi-ul-Awwal is famous for the birth and passing of the Holy Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. Did you know that there are some of historic events that also occurred in this month. Here are some of the few highlights. •The Holy Prophet migrated from Makkah to Madinah Munawwarah. •Battle of Buwaat took place in the year 2 A.H. •Battle of Saf'vaan took place in the year 2 A.H. •The first Caliph Abu Bakr (RA.) was appointed. •Mother of the believers, wife of the Holy Prophet Zainab (RA.) passed away in the year 4 A.H. •Ibrahim (RA.) the son of Maaria Qibtiya & of the Holy Prophet passed away in the year 1O A.H.
Read MoreRamadan is approaching fast, insha'Allah, are you ready? What goals have you set for yourself this year? We know that while the month of Ramadan is upon us, life continues. The majority of us will still have to go to work, rush to school, take care of household responsibilities, look after our families, etc. Although our schedules will still be jam-packed, insha’Allah, we will strive to make whatever adjustments are needed to wake up for Suhoor, read more Qur’an, make it to taraweeh, and wake up for tahajjud prayers. We will also try to eliminate distractions and vices, so we can purify and replenish our iman. Examples of such distractions are: • watching television • playing video games • listening to music • surfing the web • social media • spending hours on our cell phones, doing all of the above Why not use our “screen” time as opportunities for increasing our Islamic knowledge? With Alim.org and the free Alim Quran and Hadith Platform app for Apple and Android, you can search in Qur’an and ahadith, read the different translations and understand the meanings and roots of Arabic words in the Qur’an, learn about Islamic history and the life of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and so much more. When we feel the urge to scroll through useless posts on Facebook, call or text our friends, or play that game on our iphone, we can turn on the Alim app instead and choose from its many features. Make a promise to yourself that you will make the most of your time this Ramadan, insha’Allah. And remember to remind others to do the same. Download the Alim app for free and bookmark Alim.org! Go to: http://www.alim.org/alim-mobile-app May Allah, the Mighty and the Majestic, allow us to reach Ramadan so we can reap its benefits and gain Allah’s Mercy and forgiveness. Ameen.
Read MoreHere is a wonderful and heart touching post from a disabled US Navy Veteran. Once he was admitted in the hospital in Washington DC, where he needs to undergo for some checkups and follow ups. In between he stepped up and down first floor and third floor for a long time. In the meantime, on the third floor, he could see the hospital chapel just outside the elevator doors. The chapel, including ten to fifteen members was getting ready for the Jumuah prayer. As he entered the hospital chapel, he was offered a seat in the front by considering the disability to his knees. It was too difficult for him to sit and pray. But they found a bench that he shared with two other gentlemen to pray. During the khutbah, the imam said that “Let us also make du&8217;a for our brothers and sisters that are too sick to join us in this room today.” Imam’s words hit him hard and he got in a mood of agony. That was a Ramadan season. And he thought like whether other disabled brothers sat next to him thought the same sad way. When he started to pray and make sujud the man in the wheelchair next to him caught his eyes. He was an old gentleman. When they first sat for the khutbah, he noticed that he had to struggle sitting up on his wheelchair, that he was missing both his legs. But, as they made sujud, he too did his prayers and Sujud. Here, the narrator doesn’t have any idea about how this man lost his legs. Maybe he lost his legs while serving the United States military. The very fact, the narrator coining here is that, he has done his Sujud. The narrator is feeling very sick due to his bad knees. At the same time, this old man is doing his Sujud without two legs. This made the veteran man to open his eyes. He was quickly reminded of the quote from Helen Keller “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”. He concludes the narration by remembering the words from the messenger of Allah” “Every Muslim has five rights over another Muslim: to return the greetings, to visit the sick, to accompany funeral processions, to accept an invitation, to respond to the sneezer.
Read More"When a person dies, his works end, except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that is benefited from, and a righteous child who prays for him."
Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)
"The best of what a man leaves behind are three: a righteous child who supplicates for him, ongoing charity the reward of which reaches him, and knowledge that is acted upon after him."
Sunan Ibn Mājah
"Every day two angels come down from Heaven and one of them says, 'O Allah! Compensate every person who spends in Your Cause,' and the other (angel) says, 'O Allah! Destroy every miser.'"
Sahih Bukhari