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March/April 2010 Issue
The Mercy of ALLAH is ready for us according to the Quran:
“And ask the forgiveness of Allah. Surely Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.”
Chapter 4 (The Women) Verse 106
“And whoever does evil or wrongs his soul, then asks forgiveness of Allah, will find Allah
Forgiving, Merciful.”
Chapter 4 (The Women) Verse 110
Making mistakes is a part of learning. When we try something new, we
are sure to make mistakes. If we are learning to ski or snowboard, we
are sure to fall down many times before our balance improves and we
can make it down a hill without tumbling over. If we think about it, living in this
world is a process of learning new things all the time. As we grow older we have
to learn different things in order to understand the world we are in and succeed
at what we want to do.
While growing up, we learn how to improve our manners and work on ourselves
to become better people. We cannot do this without making mistakes; many,
many mistakes. Yet the One who created us, who knows us even better than our
parents, is always ready to forgive us when we forget and stumble. Allah does not
tire of us making the same mistakes over and over, as long as we are still trying
and not goofing up on purpose.
Have you ever watched a baby learning how to walk? Do you remember when
you learned to walk? A baby falls and stumbles at every step. Sometimes she
bumps into something and hurts herself and cries. But she always gets back up
and tries again to put one tiny, wobbly foot in front of the
other till she gets it right. No one has ever seen a little
baby refuse to try to walk again because she fell down
too many times! Allah has made human nature so strong
that we are programmed to bounce back after mistakes
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and stumbles. As we get older, we should remember that, and not be afraid to
make mistakes or fall down.
The mistake we should be afraid of making, is the one that is really
not much of a mistake at all. It is when we ignore the warning signs
and do the same things again and again, and put ourselves and
others in danger. Mistakes are part of learning and Allah is always
ready to forgive us when we do something silly, but we should try to
learn from the mistakes we make and try not to repeat them.
Allah is ready to forgive the bad deeds we do on purpose, but we have to make
up for them. If we hurt someone’s feelings, we need to say we are sorry and make
it up to them by being kind. If we took something that did not belong to us, we
have to return it and own up to what we did.
In the above verses of the Quran, when forgiveness is mentioned, we are told
about Allah’s attributes, or ways to describe Allah, and we are told that He is
Forgiving and Merciful. An upper case or capital letter is used for the first letter of
forgiving and merciful to remind us that Allah is the source of forgiveness and
mercy and Allah has those qualities to perfection. A person may try to be
forgiving, but even the mercy of the most forgiving person on this earth is just a
drop compared to the forgiveness of Allah. It is our job to copy the qualities of
Allah and to develop them as much as we can.
Can you think of a time when you forgave someone instead of taking revenge or
being mad? How did it feel?
Can you remember a time when someone forgave you for a big mistake and how
it made you feel?
The next time you read a book, think about the
mistakes that the characters made and how they
handled it. Do you think they did the right thing to
make up for them? If they made the same mistake
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again and again, think why.
If you were the president and could forgive people for crimes
they did, what kind of people would you forgive? Would it help
them or not?
Dear Allah, You are the true friend of the believers in
this world and the next.
Please help me make friends who share my faith
and beliefs and who help me walk on the straight
path.
Please keep me away from all those who are
misguided and might lead me toward drinking,
gambling, drugs, shameful things, and violence.
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Another Chance
Miss Sophia Burgundy had never run so fast in a long time. Her knees creaked and
popped like crazy. Her legs felt like they would fall off at any moment, yet she
kept running and often glanced back at the dog coming behind her, who seemed
to be getting closer and closer. She tried to catch her breath as she hitched her
skirt a little higher and looked for a place to hide. She wished she could climb
trees as well as Adam, wished she had taken his free tree climbing lessons when
they were offered, but this was not the time for being sorry for the past. She
spied a group of kids skateboarding by the stop light and ran towards them, the
sound of furious barking getting louder in her ears.
“Kids … help … dog … wild,” was all she could say as she huffed and puffed to get
her breath back.
One of the kids, a tall boy with long hair falling into his
eyes flipped his skateboard into his hand and spun
around to face the dog.
“Hey, it’s only Timmy. Don’t worry about him. He’s just a
puppy.”
A puppy, thought Sophia, an overgrown puppy is what he is, as big as a horse and
as stupid as …. as … She watched the kids pet the dog who was panting almost as
hard as her. Now suddenly he seemed like a friendly enough creature, an
expression similar to a smile on his face. She wondered what had prompted
Timmy to run after her. All she had done was shoo him away, and when he
followed, she went faster and when she started running, he ran behind her and
she ran faster and he ran faster too.
“He must have thought you were playing a game with him,” said another boy with
freckles and Tony Hawk shirt. “Timmy is always ready for a game, aren’t you
boy?”
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Sophia felt even angrier if that was possible. She drew herself upright to her full
height and said in her snootiest voice, “I do not play games with stray dogs. I am a
very busy teacher and have far better things to do.”
The kids all stared at her for a second. Then the tall boy said, “Oh, he’s not a stray.
Timmy belongs to Mr. Sidwell, you know, who lives on Pony Lane. He just runs
away sometimes.”
“Mr. Sidwell? I think I know who he is. And I will surely have a word
with him about the need for keeping his WILD DOG, under control.”
With that Miss Sophia Burgundy smoothed down her hair and her skirt and
marched back home with her nose in the air. She had wanted to stop and give Mr.
Sidwell a piece of her mind but she was so exhausted from that unexpected race
that she couldn’t wait to collapse on her green sofa and take a little snooze.
The following day Adam came over from next door as usual, to help her with her
garden and to get help with his homework. It was warm enough to sit outside and
soak in the sun. Adam was a chatty boy and told Mrs. B. (as he called her), all
about the school play coming up and his aunt’s wedding. Sophia told him about
being chased by the dog and how she planned to talk to Mr. Sidwell about it.
“And if it happens again, I shall report him to the police.”
Adam gasped. “You’ll have Mr. Sidwell arrested just because his dog ran away.”
“Oh, I don’t think he will be arrested, but they might take that vicious dog away.”
“He’s not really vicious at all Mrs. B, and he’s all that Mr. Sidwell has … He lives
alone since his wife died last year and their only son was killed in the Iraq war.”
“Oh, that’s sad. But my boy, I live alone too and the last thing that I want is to
become a meal for an overgrown puppy!”
“I’ll tell Mr. Sidwell to make sure Timmy does not get out of his leash again.”
“I was planning on doing that myself, but since you seem to be such great friends,
I’ll let you do it.”
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Sophia had been bitten by a neighbor’s dog when she was a little girl. She did not
like them at all, but she did have a soft corner for Adam and so she decided to
forget about the unpleasant incident ... until she met Timmy again.
Sophia had been avoiding Pony Lane as she went on her walks, because she did
not want to give Timmy a chance to chase her again. Her knees still hurt from the
last time. She did have to walk longer to get back home, for Pony Lane was a
convenient short cut. Today she had bought fresh carrots, tomatoes and turnips
from the Farmer’s Market on Ruby Street and her bag was heavy, so she decided
to take the shortcut. She kept her eyes open for large creatures pouncing on her
from behind trees. She felt safer knowing she had a large and heavy shopping bag
for protection.
She had almost crossed the street when she heard the barking behind her. This
time Sophia did not run. She took a deep breath and turned around ready to slam
her bag into the dog before it got to her ankles, but there was no dog chasing her.
Timmy’s barking was loud and urgent yet he was still in his yard with his leash
around a tree, and he seemed to be barking at something on the ground. Sophia
thought to rush on home in case it was a snake the silly dog had seen. She was
scared of snakes too. But then something made her walk back and that is when
she saw a man slumped on the ground by Timmy! Sophia dropped her bag and
ran towards him. He had clutched his chest and was breathing
with difficulty. Sophia ran to the house next door, where she
called for help and soon the sirens of the ambulance were
screeching through the neighborhood.
Sophia stayed home the following day. She had had enough excitement for a
while. She was waiting eagerly in her garden for Adam to come and give her the
neighborhood news. He was such a friendly boy that he knew everyone. Soon she
saw him running along and was surprised to hear familiar barking.
“He’s come to say thank you,” said Timmy as both he and the dogs panted. “You
saved Mr. Sidwell’s life. He’s better now but he’s in the hospital. It was a heart
attack. I’m taking care of Timmy. Miss B, you are a hero!” and with that Adam
gave her a huge hug.
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Sophia smiled and hugged him back, not minding that Timmy was trying to join
the hug.
“A heroine, you mean,” she said. “I’m so glad I stopped, Adam. I was ready to
attack Timmy with my grocery bag, but a voice in my head asked me to see why
he was barking so much. And I was able to help. When I was younger, I used to
hold on to grudges far too long and I suffered because of that many times and
made others suffer. Since then I try my best to forgive others, hoping that Allah
will do the same for me, for I have so many faults.”
“Timmy has come to say sorry for chasing you and he wants to be friends now,”
said Adam.
Sophia was not sure she wanted to have a conversation with a dog, but Timmy
was offering her his paw with a face that plainly said, “I’m sorry”.
Sophia slowly held out her own hand and shook Timmy’s paw. It felt soft
and moist and … friendly. Slowly, she patted Timmy on his head as Adam
watched in surprise.
“I’m sorry Mr. Sidwell is sick and I hope he will be better soon,” she said to
Timmy. “Would you care for a cup of tea?”
They both laughed as Timmy barked and ran in circles, chasing his tail, both of
them imagining Timmy sitting on the sofa drinking tea and dabbing at his mouth
with a napkin!
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Forgiveness Issue
Anger is like a hot potato
A flame, a bolt of lightning
Hold on to it and it will burn you
Let it go and wait for it to cool
And you can use it well
Forgiveness is a gentle rain
A smile, a hug, a breeze
When you forgive someone
You also forgive yourself
For all that went wrong
All those little things
And big things
You are forgiven
You are free
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How did Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) treat his old enemies?
When Mecca was conquered by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his
Muslim army, the people of Mecca were afraid that they would be
treated badly. They had good reason to be afraid because they had
treated Muslims very cruelly and bullied and even killed them whenever
they got a chance. Eventually they had forced the Muslims to leave
Mecca. When the Prophet Muhammad came back, powerful with more
followers, the Meccans knew that they were in a bad situation.
At that time our Prophet put a question to the people of
Mecca. He said, "What treatment do you expect from
me?” The Meccans knew that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
had a generous heart within his breast and replied without
any hesitation, "You are a noble brother and the son of a
noble brother". But the treatment Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) gave them
exceeded their own expectations. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, "This
day there is no reproof against you". He forgave all of them although
they did not deserve to be forgiven. The Meccans were very impressed
by this kind and forgiving gesture of our Prophet. It helped them to
realize that indeed Islam was a true religion from Allah, which taught its
messenger and its followers to be kind and forgiving. A very large
number of Meccans accepted the true religion of Islam at that time.
This lesson from the life of the Prophet teaches us that often,
kindness and forgiveness can do what revenge and punishment
cannot.
What do you think would have happened if the Prophet Muhammad
had punished the people for their crimes?
Do you think that two countries that are at war can make peace if
they forgive all the bad things that have happened?
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Muslims in the News
“Resisting Jihad” is the heading on the front page of the March 14th, 2010 Star
Tribune. The story, spread over three pages, tells about two Muslims in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, who are working hard to prevent young Somali Muslims
from embracing violent extremism. Fartun Ahmed is a college
sophomore who grew up in the twin cities suburbs, who serves as a
youth director at the local mosque and organizes events, like plays and
skits, to warm young Muslims of the danger of religious extremism. She
spreads posters and fliers to promote the true peaceful nature of Islam
and keeps a watch out for the kids of her neighborhood who might be
cutting school or hanging out with the wrong crowd.
Abdirrahman Bihi is a father of four, whose nephew Burhan recently joined the
terrorist organization al-Shabbab, and was shot to death by them after refusing an
order. After that tragedy in his own family, Abdirrahman works very hard to alert
parents and kids about the danger of such organizations that try to recruit
youngsters to fight and die for their faith. He tries to provide safe and
meaningful activities for Muslim youth after school, like soccer clubs etc.
so they can adjust in and belong to the local community and follow the
true, peaceful teachings of Islam instead of turning to the evil of
extremism.
It is important for all Muslims, young and old to be watchful about how
Muslims are presented and discussed in the world around us. This article
about “The War on Violent Jihad” acknowledges that the word jihad does not
simply mean fighting in an actual war, but it means trying hard and working for
something.
Do you know of any such Muslims in your community who are working to keep
young Muslims safe and away from extremism? If so, write to your local
newspaper about them. People need to hear more news about peaceful Muslims
doing the right thing for their community and their country. So often bad news gets
all the attention and good news gets overlooked.
How could you raise awareness of the dangers of religious extremism?
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Write to us and let us know at zamustang@msn.com.
Ask Ayesha and she will answer your weird, wise and
wacky questions
Dear Ayesha, is there anything in Islam that says we cannot run around in
the mosque if no one is praying there? When I go to Sunday School, after
we are done with classes some kids play tag and stuff in the masjid area,
as that’s the only part big enough to play in. But one of our teachers keeps
stopping us and says we have to be respectful in the masjid and should not
run. Why can’t we have a little fun if no one is praying at that time?
Dear Playful Pal,
I can certainly understand your desire to use the mosque to run around in and have
fun! I always used to want to run around in the mosque too! However, in order to
really understand how we should act in the mosque, it’s important to understand
what the mosque is.
The Holy Prophet said, “Mosques are the houses of Allah and those
believers who enter therein are the guests of Allah.”
The mosque is the place where all Muslims can gather for prayer and sermons. It is
the place where we learn morals from our elders and we grow closer to each other
in friendship and brother/sisterhood. Did you know that the first thing
the Prophet built when he arrived in Medina was a mosque? That shows
us how important the mosque is to Muslims. But the mosque isn’t just a
building; it is a spiritual haven. It is the house of Allah, a place to
escape from the craziness of this world and pray and communicate with
Allah. It is the place where people “come to prayer, come to success.”
The few moments a week we spend in the mosque can be the most
tranquil moments of our week. As we line up to pray, we momentarily put
thmatters of this world behind us. The mosque needs to be a place of peace that is
free from distraction and loud noises. You might think this just isn’t fair and the
rules are all made so kids just can’t have any fun. But that’s not true! These rules
aren’t just against kids, there are rules for everybody!
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In addition to not running around and being loud, there are a whole bunch of
Mosque Manners we are all supposed to follow. First and foremost, we are
supposed to be totally clean when we enter a mosque. That means neat, decent
clothes, hair combed, nails trimmed, and shoes off. We are supposed to be washed
so that we are not stinky and bad odor doesn’t distract our
fellow Muslims from the worship of Allah. In fact, we are
discouraged from eating onions or other smelly things
before Friday prayers so we don’t have offensive bad
breath! Secondly, we need to keep ourselves on mute, or at
least a low volume. When we greet our friends in the
mosque, we should say salaam in a low voice. We aren’t supposed to blow our
nose loudly or burp or fart or even crack our fingers. Lastly, we should be careful
of our movements. That means we shouldn’t pass in front of someone while they
are praying. When we sit, we should sit calmly and not with our legs outstretched
toward the Qibla.
Wow! It sure seems like a lot of rules meant to take the fun out of everything!
Think about it this way. Have you ever sat next to someone who is chewing their
food loudly? And the food happens to be something super smelly like pastrami
with double onions and anchovies and boiled eggs on it? What if they are
smacking away and food particles are flying everywhere? Ewww! Isn’t that
distracting? All the Mosque Manners outlined for us are meant to keep you from
distracting others from communicating with Allah and meant to keep others from
distracting you. You wouldn’t dream of running around and playing in a library
would you? That’s because people there are concentrating on studying and reading
and you know you shouldn’t distract them. So why would you ever distract
someone from concentrating on Allah?
I know what you’re thinking. “But Ayeshaaaaa, I meant after
prayers…” I know you did. But the mosque is still the House
of Allah whether it is prayer time or not. In fact, even though
there are five prayers a day and Friday prayers, there is no time
that isn’t prayer time! Just because everyone isn’t in the
mosque, what if someone was running late and needs to pray
after? What if someone needs extra time to pray? Sure the
mosque might be empty when you start to run around but what
if someone comes by and sees you running around and doesn’t feel
comfortable interrupting you to ask if they can have that time to pray? The
basic purpose of the masjid is giving them a quiet and peaceful place.
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I also think it’s a good idea for the kids at your masjid to
talk to their parents and teachers at Sunday School
about the need for finding a space where they can have
some fun while they attend classes. Getting some
exercise together is a great way to chase away the
sleepiness that often afflicts young learners. If the
weather permits, the kids could head outside to a
nearby park together for a break, or block off a part of the parking lot where
they can play. Kids do need more places where they can run and play in with
their friends, but it is important to remember that there aren’t many places
we can go and pray! So let’s keep in mind that we should always do our best
to keep the House of Allah, neat, clean and peaceful so that we can all find
peace there.
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