Date: August 26, 2020
Assalamu Alikum WaRahmatullahi WaBarakatuhu, As we approach the end of 2015, we’re humbled to be able to serve the community through Alim’s comprehensive platform. We first thank Allah SWT, who has enabled us so that we can carry on this work of Da’wa. Secondly, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our generous donors for their continuous support and encouragement. This past year, Alim Foundation has achieved many milestones, including improved web portal with added functionalities and new contents, new translations, new Tafaseer, as well as , new versions of Android and Apple apps to name a few. We were able to do many of these enhancements because of donors like you. Take advantage of the tax break before the year end, please donate(https://www.alim.org/donate/) generously to help us continue this noble work. Alim.org is a non-profit 501 c organization, and your donations are tax deductible. Act before December 31st 2015 to take advantage of 2015 tax break. Please visit us at www.alim.org(/) to donate and support us! Wassalam Walaykum WaRahmatullahi WaBrarakatahu The Alim Team
"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
Safar is the second month of the Islamic calendar. The definition is empty and the reasoning is all the Muslims would rush towards the battlefield (at the time of the Prophet (SAW), leaving their houses deserted after Muharram. Moreover, superstitions were widespread during the days of ignorance (pre-Islam). These superstitions were made irrelevant by the following Quran verse: "No misfortune befalls except by Allah’s command..." Surah Tagabun, Verse 11. Folks in those days believed bad omens and evils occurred in Safar, but all those beliefs were incorrect. As stated in Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2222: There is no bad omen in the month of Safar and no ghouls (evil spirits). Superstition is for folks who lack faith and trust in Allah (SWA). Assalamwalakum.
Read MoreMecca: The Holiest City in the World in Islam Mecca is the holy city in the World. This title has been given to Mecca because, Prophet Muhammad was born here. The Kabba, the holy site in Islam, is located in Mecca. Islam perform the ritual prayer to Kaaba called the Qiblah here in Mecca. Each Muslim can collect the holiest water in the world, Zamzam from Mecca. Every year, Islam devotees make pilgrimage trips to Mecca to perform Hajj and Umrah. The holy city, Mecca is located 45 miles east of the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The place has 909 feet of elevation and is located in a valley surrounded by mountains. Here the temperature can reach upto 120 degree Fahrenhei. In fact, Allah has described Mecaa in many names in the holy Quran such as Mecca, Bakkah, Al-Balad, Al-Qaryah, and Ummul-Qura. The largest and holiest mosque in the world named Masjid Al-Haram is situated in Mecca. This holy devotion place has a capacity of allowing up to 1.2 million people to pray at any one time. Masjid An-Nabawi called as the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina where the reward for prayers is equivalent to 1,000 times prayer from any other mosque in the world. What is Kaaba? Kaaba is a large stone structure that lies in the center of Masjid Al-Haram. Kaaba is 60 feet high and constitutes a single room. Kaaba is covered with a black curtain called Kiswah. Kaaba has a door which is located at the south-east wall. It is noted that Kaaba was built by Prophet Abraham and Prophet Ismail. The holy Quran provides evidence that prophet Abraham and Prophet Ismail were the founders of Kaaba. Kaaba has been given several names such as Bayt Al-Ateeq(ancient house), Bayt Al-Haram( honorable house) and Baytullah( house of Allah- This is just a figure of sppech and does not mean). The black stone, which is brought from the paradise is placed in Kaaba. Now this black stone is framed with silver as it had been broken into a number of pieces when it was rebuilt by the Quraysh. Islamic devotees try to kiss the black stone because the Prophet Muhammad used to do so. Zamzam Spring Zamzam spring holds a historical miracle and has got extreme religious relevance due to its origin. Zamzam has a wonderful historical significance that miraculously, had issued forth from a barren and desolate wadi, where the Prophet Ibrahim sent his wife Hajar and infant son Ismail. She searched for a drop of water desperately. She ran seven times across mountains and she could not find some water. Thus, by seeing this, Allah sent Gabriel to give Hajar some water. Gabriel scratched the ground to appear the spring. By finding the spring, she became happy and gave water to Ismail who was dying with thirst. Hajar has got in a great fear that, what will do if this spring disappears all on a sudden. Thus, she enclosed the spring with sand and stones. The name ZamZam got this name from Hajar that she chanted Zome Zome repeatedly while enclosing the spring with sand to prevent the water from flowing. Zamzam means “stop flowing”. Now Zamzam is protected in a well and every Muslim collect the water during their pilgrimage. Apart from these, Hira cave which is been known for prophet Muhammad’s first revelation place, is located at Mount Al-Nur,a place nearby Mecca.
Read MoreHiba Masood a writer, speaker and a story teller talks about her Baba's influence in teaching Quran and its holy threads in her wonderful opinion piece "Baba, The Quran and Me". When she was in her younger age, she had to recite Quran every day, that her Baba taught her to do so without fail. She memorizes her childhood experience in the holy month of Ramadan as well as her Baba's powerful Ramadan experiences. Her Baba looked after all his children with extreme care. She had not faced poverty or any other means difficulties in life. Baba used to talk about his life and his days spent with his eight brothers and sisters used to look like. They were like in abject poverty, splitting one bowl of food for Iftar amongst a family of eleven and so on. Baba used to say that once all the work is done, you should recite Quran in every single possible minute. Every letter you recite during Ramadan has 70 times the regular reward? That means every letter, like saying Alif, gets you seven hundred good deeds. Years passed and with all the impetuous, rebellion of youth, of spending my days in smoke-filled rooms, strategizing with socialist/activists, and my evenings protesting against the Iraq war on the frozen streets of Toronto. Of not praying at all, of not so much as glancing towards the dusty shelf where my Qur'an sat the entire year. Next year Hiba got married and her brand new husband got astonished by her behavior and activities. She never proper placed her shoes and she always misplaced her cell phone. And she blessed with a baby boy just before the month of holy Ramadan. And there have many, many more years filled with anxiety, scary financial strain and a stormy marriage of sickness and grief. Years passed with no changes. Hiba recited Quran verses just as a routine, or just like fasting in the month of Ramadan without knowing the rewards of reciting. At last wisdom came to her brain at the age of thirty and she started to settle in life. Slowly, as an enthusiastically expected reconnection, she started reciting Quran well to Allah to the Qur'an to her childhood, to her father and to herself. Now her beloved father is aging and sick and she is in great agony by thinking about her sick dad. She used to caress his dad's grey hair, press her cheeks to his. She says that she misses him a lot and she is afraid of the future. But most of all, she whisper her gratitude. Gratitude for gifting her so freely all the things, all the lessons, all the beliefs, all the forces of habit and inspiring stories and abiding, enriching traditions that have blessed her life. Ultimately he was the lighthouse when he was able.
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