Jummah: Saving Our Soul Imam Zaid Shakir Dont let the hatred of a people move you to be unjust.

e unjust. Whoever saves one life, its like they have saved all of humanity. Power is subordinate to the ideals we should carry. We cant let go of the messages the prophets taught us because we have no where else to turn to. We need to return to the ideals taught to us by the Quran. We have the potential to do away with war and racism. We need to be moved by the love for humanity to stop us from being moved by hatred. Never underestimate your potential to make a positive change; you have to realize that I am somebody; you have the power to influence someone else. What do I need to be a Muslim? Worship Allah swt as though you see him and be aware that even though you cant see Him, He can see you. Be merciful towards others just as Allah swt has been merciful with us. Sending Out an SOS: Contemporary Relevance of the Islamic Message Imam Johari Abdul Malik Our ummah has 3 core ideas: 1. Words are powerful: o kun fayakoon: Allah swt only has to say be and it is o Theres a power in the intention to follow through the words youve learned. o The prophet pbuh said Woe to the person whose today is like yesterday. 2. Recitation of the Quran is ibadah in itself: o Companions of the prophet pbuh not only memorized it, but also contemplated the meaning. 3. Application of the Quran: o People should see the Quran walking in us. We need to look at the context of our situations; context is key. Whatever affects our society affects us. We feel pain along with other fellow citizens when pain strikes. Imam shot in Detroit: we need to realize that this is an effect of the poverty in that area we cant ignore this fact. Challenge of identity: we are all a part of the same ummah so we should talk about the problems were facing and how we can relieve the suffering. When the prophet pbuh was assaulted, he didnt act with anger, but with mercy. The prophet pbuh and his companions spread the message of Islam through love, mercy, and compassion.

 It is time to take an oath of nonviolence and to act like the prophet pbuh. As Muslims, we want to defend the rights of other people. Our challenge is to establish Islam in our time, and we cant do this effectively unless we look at the context of our time. When the prophet pbuh went to Yathrib, it was because people wanted the benefit of Islam and Muslims, despite not all of them being Muslim themselves; we need to consider this. Dr. Jamal Badawi The prophet pbuh made an analogy of a ship, where there are people on the upper deck and on the lower deck. Every time the people on the lower deck need fresh water, they must go upstairs to get some. They decide that to make things more convenient for everyone, they will make a hole in the ship so that fresh water flows directly into their deck. The people from the upper deck need to take responsibility: if they dont steop them, then both of them will drown, not only the lower deck. It is problematic to link the delinquit behaviour of people with faith. The basic message of Islam is perfect because Allah swt is perfect, so obviously His teachings will also be perfect. However humans are imperfect, so there will always be a gap between the true message and the understanding of it by Muslims. Our generation was able to leap on the moon, but it is still limping on the ground because we are unable to coexist. The unIslamic muslim world has an unIslamic system of politics: o Regimes are sustained by murder o The situation is better in Western democracies: the problem is not in their principles, but in their manipulation by powerful groups that are greedy. Leaders that have no faith in God use fake evidence to wage wars. o merchants of death o Industrialization Ecologically, the world is on a destructive path: many islands are threatened of being flooded. The root of these problems is not the economic problems, but instead a disconnect from the creator - when people feel that we dont need God any more. The absence of the fundamental peace between God and human means no inner peace, so its very difficult to imagine that a person can live in peace with other humans. Islam is the ideal solution for the problems faced by humanity today because it is: o Divinely based: Allah swt has given us these standards. o Justly balanced. All of the prophets pbut taught tawheed, which is the oneness of God based on willing concession to God. Islam is characterized by the brotherhood of humans. The Quran refers to people universally regardless of their faith: o O children of Adam o O humankind It is the divine command of Allah swt to do justice even if it goes against your own

interests; dont let the hatred you have for others swerve you from doing justice. Quran 10:99 - If Allah swt willed, everyone would be Muslim. Quran 60:8-9 - Use kindness and justice towards anyone who despite their faith restricts fighting with Islam. Strangers or Fellow Travelers: How Islam Removes the Causes of Alienation in Modern Societies Ustad Amr Khaled Surah Baqarah and Surah Yusuf have lessons for ethnic minorites. The story of the children of Israel: o They came to Egypt during the period of Prophet Yusuf pbuh and left 400 years later at the time of Prophet Musa pbuh as ethnic minorites. Surah Yusuf: story of success Surah Baqarah: story of failure The Quran gives all lessons. We can compare our situation to their situation. When you read the Quran, you should read it as though it is talking specifically to you. There are solutions for every problem in the Quran. Prophet Yusuf pbuh spent 9 years in prison: the Egyptians put him in prison even though they knew he didnt do anything. He knew that there would be a dilemma they would face after 9 years. Typically, if we were in his place, we could react in different ways: we could bargain with them so that by giving you a solution you would get freedom and then give the wrong solution and flee because it was unfair how they treated you, or we could stay in prison and give no solution, or we could say well only give you a solution if you conver to Islam. Prophet Yusuf pbuh gave a full solution without any conditions. He even gave an action plan for the next 15 years. This was because he was a citizen of that place, so he helped them by working with them too. He became a minister and helped oversee the action plan. o The Quran doesnt tell you if they became Muslim or not because that is a different story; the point of this story is to tell us to do good things. Prophet Yusuf pbuh represents Islam and its message, and to make people respect him and his message he acted this way. He gave a solution without any conditions and made them wonder why he did this all of Egypt respected him and looked at him like a hero. Theres the idea that this is my home, so I will work with others to build my home and hold my society. Many generations later they forgot the meaning of engagement, and closed themselves off from society and didnt deatl with them. We need to engage with society to maintain our self-respect. Obviously, we have to keep in mind that there are some areas that we cant walk with them because some acts are haram. The children of Israel faced discrimination and didnt do anything they accepted the

injustices and ignored them. o This is not acceptable. You represent Islam, so give it the right image. Do Not Distrupt the Balance: Striking the Balance between Religion and Science Dr. Tareq Suwaidan There are different positions between the relationship of science and religion: o There is no problem between science and Islam; the problem is Christianity. Islam encourages and respects science. Science is the source of the power of the West today. Muslims should acquire science; this way we acquire what was really ours. Without Muslims, the teachings of Aristotle would be lost. o Western science has an ethical problem, so it has a problem with all religions, not only Islam. o Science has problems within itself. Science explains the what and how of things, but not why. There is no such thing as neutral science; Western civilization has Western science, and Islamic civilization has Islamic science. When the west took over Islamic science, ti did not take everything that came with it. Suggestions to deal with this issue: o Neutralize western science o Apply tawheed: ask why o Need to take a look at the history of science: In the 7th year of Hijra, there was a detailed book with the all of the government job descriptions. Keeping such records only started in the west in the 1930s and 1940s. o We cant twist the verses of the Quran to fit Western theories and we cant use incorrect hadith to prove facts. Nothing in science is 100% accurate and everything in the Quran is 100% accurate, so we dont mess with the 100% of the Quran that is accurate. The Quran will never contradict facts of science; it can only contradict theories because theories change. The Believing Men and Women are Each Others Protecting Friends: Men and Women United for Change Sr. Tayyiba Taylor There are different ways to help the community: o Create clarity There needs to be clarity about our purpose and who we are.

o o

Allah swt tells us our purpose in the Quran: I have not created jinn and humans but to worship Me. The soul needs to know Allah swt is the end that well reach. We are stewards of the earth. Allah swt has created men and women from the same essence; its not that men are from mars, women are from venus. We need to have relationships of equity and have harmony within ourselves, within the community, and within the world (i.e. not a relationship where one is dominating the other). It is important to acknowledge the differences between good and bad. Critical thinking This is important for working together. The idea that modesty is used to restrict women from doing anything is extremely far from the truth: in reality it is actually a passport that allows us to do many things while interacting with others in a proper way. Communication New technology means a change in communication (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) which prohibits us from communicating, drawing us farther apart. We need to recognize the difference between fact and assumption. Importance of gender neutral language: it opens opportunities for girls and women. honour killing there is no honour in killing women and children; these people are murderers. Consultation (ashura) Story of an imam that was retiring: a committee of men and women got together to see who would take his place. They decided on a 20 year old man. This is important for reaching out; there is a diversity of thought between men, women, the youth, and the elderly. Concrete change We need to retain what we learn at conferences and seminars to make a positive change. We have come a long way (many more masjids now than before) We need to consider masjids that are empty or that dont give space to youth and women. There will now be the first Islamic college; we need universities and hospitals aswell. We need to craft our own identity to break misconceptions in the news. Think of what you can do to plant seeds for the next generations. We need to create a community. We need to question why it is that instead of knowing about the light of Islam (eg. tawheed), people know that Muslim women are oppressed and Muslim men are are violent. Ultimately, were going back to Allah swt and how we treat and interact with others determines our outcome. In order to establish who we are, we need to look at our purpose.

o We need to carry the Quran within ourselves. o If the Quran was placed on a mountain it would crumble. this is the power we deal with at least five times a day. Imam Tahir Anwar Amongst everything Allah swt created, He created insan. Unlike other creations, humans are the only ones who can do both good and bad. When the prophet pbuh left, it became our obligation to take our faith and leave it behind for the next generation. Our ancestors gave us the gift of Islam. In the west, muslims are the minority, but we need to realize that even at the time of the prophet they were the minority. We need to present Islam to others in a way that it becomes a lgift; something that they can love instead of something that they hate. We cant judge other people. We need to come together for the next generation os that theyre proud and not scared of their relgion. o This begins at home where both parents need to be on the same page. We need to be able to define the difference between needs and wants. o Hadith: Something little that is sufficient is better than a lot that causes heedlessness. Commend someone for doing a good action instead of putting them down. Spend time in good company: o The Quran asks: Where then are you going? o Hadith: there is a difference between who you spend time with. If you spend time with a perfumer, even without buying perfume yourself you start to smell nice. At the same time, if you spend time with a blacksmith then even without working you will become blackened by the soot. We need to start practicing what we learn: o Eg. there was a sahaba who spent 13 years memorizing Surah Baqarah only because he was practicing what he learned. Purification of the Soul: A Blameworth Innovation or the Heart of Islam Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah We need to purify our souls to get to the level that Allah swt wants us to be at. Its important that before you sleep every night to evaluate the work youve done that day so that you can see what you did wrong and how to better yourself. Our soul is like a child who is being breastfed: if you keep feeding it, it will keep looking for it, but once you stop, the baby finally has a chance to grow up. A baby starts to learn from the time it is born. Just like we need to follow a set curriculum when we go to school, we have to follow the

curriculum set in Islam. If you work, things for will happen. You cant just pray for a miracle: you need to do work to acquire it. Islam requires perfection in all of our work so we must always do the best of our abilities (eg. its not enough to make pamphlets about Islam if they have grammar and spelling mistakes and if they dont look professional.) Other muslim countries have troubles, but we are free so we have a greater responsibility to do good because we are not restricted. Ancient metaphor of humans in a ship: there is a hadith where people in charge of a ship maintain the limits and if they dont do this, the ship will sink. o Your actions affect everybody. (eg. with the media, both good and bad media affect people.) o If were concerned about our ship, we need to think of this analogy. o The world leaders gather to save humanity, as theyre the captains of the ship. The question is what are muslims doing to give advice to the captains of the ship? o We need to think of the condition of the pessengers: theres war and theyre fighting. This is not like the past where people throw things at each other, but wars are very destructive. o The passengers are complaining about each other and there are criminal activities going on; how then do you take it to a safe port? Humanity is at a loss without wisdom. We need to understand the disease to think of the treatment. A poet said ponder the silk worm; it makes silk and in doing so it destroys itself. Humans are similar to this in that were making that which destroys us. The Quran says unwholesomeness has manifested itself everywhere. Not only are we harming ourselves, but we are also hurting animals. o The prophet pbuh praised frogs because they do the most tasbih; we need to consider this. We must look at ourselves and self-examine ourselves. If we look at the problems were facing, ew can look at the Quran and sunnah for the solutions: the Quran was sent to address every issue we face. Many Quran verses and hadith talk about taking care of the earth ecologically; we cant even cut down a tree without any benefit we can not start fires and burn down forests without a cause. o Abu Bakr ra gave 10 counsels, most of which have to do with nature. Examples: dont put fires in forests, dont poison wells, dont kill a monk in his monestary etc. These are the rules of engagement that need to be practiced today so that we know what etiquette to follow on the battlefield and elsewhere. The prophet pbuh had love for the animals (eg. he made his army shift their path so that a suckling puppy and the mother wouldnt be disturbed. The prophet pbuh was a mercy to all of the worlds. Where is the muslim voice in the summits that have been happening? Weve been given this guidance and we need to share it. There is a story in the Quran where a prophet is bit by an ant and wants to destroy the ant

hill because he is so mad. Allah swt then says would you destroy an entire community because of the action of one individual? We need to look at the economic crisis: if you look at the cause, you can find a solution. A lot of people say that the market place is amoral; it is not a place to take morals into account. However others recognize that Islam explains economics (eg. Frances minister aksed for Islamic ideas from the shaykh despite the fact that especially in France the public is cut off from government issues.) o Eg. there is no usury in Islam; there was none in Judaism and Christianity either, but they gave up these prohbitions same with selling and debt which was the cause of downfall. o The solutions put forward right now are only tranquilizers to ease the current pain they do not look at the long run. o The Quran mentions mortgages. We need to remind others of the importance of prayer. When youre afflicted, you should turn to Allah swt. Whenever the prophet pbuh had any problem he would pray. There are different types of dua you can make for different issues. Rediscovering our moral Compass: Finding our Spiritual Coordinates

Imam Yassir Fazaga (Can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXl3DYF0RdI&feature=related) There is a hadith that one of the signs of the day of judgment is that time moves so fast that one year feels like amonth, a month like a week, a week like a day, and a day like a moment. o Irony: everything in technology is made to save time: coffee makers, cell phones, internet, transportation. We do not save time, but rush. We will be held accountable for what happened in the past and what will happen in the futre. The problem with new years resolutions is that people dont follow through. We need to reflect and take accountability of the actions of the past year. There are three components of people o Reputation: what people think of us: we devote a lot of time to this because the reward is immediate and it requires little effort. o Personality: enhancement of this takes a lot of effort, and again it is self-evident. o Character: this is who we really are: we may put in a lot of effort and the reward from others may not come. As muslims, we must value progress and not stagnation (which is often mistaken as stability.) Relativism allows us to get along with one another: we need to be open-minded and and tolerant, but not at the cost of compromising or sacrificing the truth. The prophet pbuh said I was sent to you to perfect your character. There was another hadith that says that you can attain the same level as a person who prays during the night

and fasts during the day through a good character. Our reputation can be ruined by people, but only we can control what becomes of our character. There are 6 essential characteristics of someone going through self-development: o Conscience Alah swt has created an internal moral compass to tell us the difference between whats right and wrong. Hadith: a man approaches the prophet pbuh to ask how to determine whether something is good or bad. The prophet pbuh replied righteousness is in good moral character, and sin pricks your heart and it is something that youre afraid of people finding out about. The more we pay attention to this, the more we develop in character. Sometimes you justify your wrong actions, but the prophet pbuh said that at the end of the day do what your heart tells you is right. o Compassion Dont be heedless of the suffering of others. Being good to those who are good to us or those who deserve our kindness is not being compassionate; being compassionate is to be kind to those the least deserving of our compassion. In Makkah, people used to be cruel to the prophet pbuh and his followers, but the prophet pbuh and his followers were kind. o Consideration Being thoughtful We need to think about how what were about to say will affect others and how what we do will affect those around us. One time the prophet pbuh went to visit a man. The man was so happy that he kept on feeding him grapes (or something of the sort) directly into the mouth of the prophet pbuh. After a while the man took one for himself and it tasted awful. The man then asked the prophet pbuh whether they all tasted like that and he said yes. When asked why he didnt say anything, the prophet pbuh replied because you were so happy. The prophet pbuh used to end prayers early when babies used to cry. The prophet pbuh stopped told men that they couldnt beat women during the day and suddenly become intimate with them at night. We need to pay attention to what we say and what we do. o Control Discipline being incharge of our desires and making sure its not the other way around. The top resolutions people make for the new year are to get out of debt and to lose weight both of these are problems of a lack of control. A need never needs to be justified, but a want does. Procrastination is a problem of mixing should and must (eg. I should really be studying, but I must watch this movie.) Hadith: if you guard whats between your jaw and legs, you will be guaranteed paradise. You need control to do this.

o Courage We need to stand up for whats right even if it isnt the social norm. To do this we need courage. It is mentioned in the Quran that even Prophet Musa pbuh was afraid, but courage is not the absence of fear, but is instead doing whats right despite the fear you have. Right is right even if no one is doing it, and whats wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it. It is said that there are 3 important ages in our lives: 13, 40, 60. 13: you care a lot of what people are thinking about you 40: you dont care about what people are thinking about you 60: you realize no one was really thinking about you to begin with. Hadith: he who displeases Allah swt at the fear of pleasing others, Allah swt is displeased with him and makes others displeased with him, but he who pleases Allah swt at the fear of displeasing others, Allah swt is pleased with him and makes others pleased with him aswell. o Confidence Do what is right regardless of when you see the fruits. Akhlak can make up for your deficiency in ibadah, but extensive ibadah cant make up for a bad Akhlak. Hadith: prophet pbuh was asked about 2 women. One was steadfast in her prayers, but dealt with others in an extremely horrid manner, and the prophet pbuh said she would not go to jannah. Another was nice and a minimalist in her prayers but was very good in her manners with others and the prophet pbuh said she would go to jannah. Live with an attitude to make the rest of your life the best of your life. Shaykh Sulaiman Mulla In todahys day and age, our emotions are run by sport and sin. Were now desensitized to the pain and joy of tothers because of external factors. The happiness and sadness of the sahabas was based on spiritual success (not which team won the game or the stock market etc.) Abdullah ibn Masood said there is nothing that I regret more than seeing a day lapse without my good increasing. Prophet Luqman pbuh said to his son that life is like an ocean where the consciousness of Allah swt is the ship, and righteous deeds will be your provision hopefully youll sail across but I doubt it. The prophet pbuh said about Hassan that this child of mine will grow up to be a great leader and Allah swt will impower him to rise up to a challenge when the community divies history bears witness to this. The biggest issue in our ummah is division. When we talk about Muawiyah ra and Ali ra, we need to maintain the dignity of both because both were companions of the prophet pbuh.

 When people to said Hassan youre an insult to this world he replied I would prefer the disgrace of this world over blazing hellfire. It is easy for us to hope that the world leaders unite, but we dont take the time to think about all the ties weve broken with family members and friends. One day Umar ra was walking with his group and an old woman started advising and admonishing him in public despite the fact that he was the leader at the time. She said to him Ive known you since you were a little boy and we called you Umayr. Then you became Umar, and now you are at the head of the community. Let it not be today that your profile and entourage today make you forget Allah swt. One of the men said why are you still standing here listening to her abuse, and Umar ra replied that even if she were to continue for the rest of my life, I would drop all of my commitments and stand here and listen to her. Another time a little girl said O Umar wont milk goats again; he has forgotten how it is to be us and he rplied I hope that my interactions with others only get better, but never worse. One time Hussayn ra, Hassan ra, and Jafar ra went for Hajj. They had no provisions so they stopped along the way and asked a woman for food. The woman herself had almost nothing, but sacrificed her goat to feed them. They were very pleased and promised to repay her when they had a chance. At the time, her husband was not there but when he came back home and realized what she had done, he was very angry with her and said to her do you really think that theyll repay us? After some time, the woman and her husband were facing hard times. Then one day Hassan ra saw her and recognized her and said remember you helped us one day, now I must repay you, so he gave her 1000 goats and sent her to Hussayn ra. Hussayn ra also recognized her and asked her how much Hassan gave, and then gave her 1000 goats and 1000 dinar and sent her to Jafar ra. Once Jafar ra met her, he said had you come to me I would given you more than you can imagine, but respecting Hassan and Hussayns genoristy, Ill gave you 2000 dinars and 2000 goats. When the woman went back home she told her husband that he gave 1 goat in the name of Allah swt and got all of this in return. As muslims we believe in the unity of humanity. Once Hassan ra saw a child slave who split his bread in half and gave it to a goat. He asked the child why he did this and the child replied he would not be able to sleep if he knew his greed caused this animal to startve to death. Hassan then purchased and liberated the slave and also gave him an orchid tree. Umm Salamah migrated with her husband to Abyssinia and then news came that Makkah was no longer hostile, so they returned only to find that this was a lie. Then they decided to migrate to Madina. Her husband put her and her child on a camel and they left, but before they could get far some men from her clan intercepted them and told him that he couldnt take his wife because she belonged to their clan and abducted her. Then the clan of her husband came and said the child belongs to us, which led to the two clans pulling and fighting over the child. They pulled the child so much that they dislocated his arm while she stood defenseless watching all of this happen. She would continually come back to the place and wonder about the fate of her husband and her child for a year. Then finally someone appealed to the others of the clan on her behalf and convinced them to allow her to go to Madina and join her husband. She said how can I go there when my baby is here. Then others intervened with her husbands clan and got her baby back. She

quickly took her baby on a camel and went for Madina. On the way, Uthman ibn Talha intercepted her and asked her if she was alone. She said it is just me and my baby, so he dropped all of his other commitments and and escorted her all the way there. Despite the long trip, he never set his gaze onher even once. He then showed her the village where her husband was and went back to Makkah without giving her or anyone else a chance to thank him. He later became Muslim and the prophet pbuh gave him charge of the keys of the Kabah. Imam Ali: A Role Model for Our Youth Dr. Tareq Suwaidan One of the saddest mometnts of our history was the death of Hussayn ra. Brief history o Imam Ali is 30 years younger than the prophet pbuh and was born 10 years before the prophet pbuh was made a prophet. o He came from a family of leaders, so he had a higher chance of becoming a leader. o The prophet took him at the age of 6 and raised him with Khadija .ra. o At the age of 10, the prophet pbuh asked him to become muslim. Imam Ali said that he wouldnt to ask his father Abu Talib before making any decisions. Then during the night, he reflected a lot about this and decided to become a muslim without telling his father. He was the 3rd muslim (after the prophet pbuh and Khadjia ra). Then one day his father saw him praying and enquired about this. Ali told him that he had converted and his father told him to always follow what the prophet pbuh said to him. o Ali ra was never tortured because of his lineage. During Hijra, the prophet ra left him in his bed. This was the first sacrifice made in Islam. The killers did not kill him though. o Although everyone had migrated, Ali ra had to stay because the prophet pbuh was given care over the treasures of other people, so the prophet pbuh gave Ali ra the job of giving back these treasures to the rightful owners. o The only battle he missed was the battle of Tabuk and that was because the prophet pbuh left him in charge of Madina. o Ali ra was the one who buried the prophet pbuh. o He never quarreled with the sahabas. o He was minister. o He ruled after Uthman ra for 5 years. o He had 3 battles: Battle of the Camel Battle of Sufeen (with Muawiyah) Battle with Khawarij Physical description o He was very short, stout, bald from the top, dark, had a white beard and was

extremely handsome. o He was so strong and muscular that when he walked the ground shook. Noble family o Grandson of Abu Mutalib o Cousin of the prophet pbuh o Husband of Fatima ra o Kids: Hassan, Hussayn, Mohsin, Zainab, Umm Kulthum o After Fatimas death he re-married and had 18 kids total. o He named two of his kids Umar and Abu Bakr. Distinct characteristics o He was known for his wisdom o Many of his sayings are still used today. o He was humble he dressed humbly even after becoming a ruler. o He used the clothes he brought from Madina until he died. o He helped old women. o He was very clever; he was a judge so he understood problems. o Because he was so generous, he was very poor when he married Fatima ra. Proposal story: An elderly woman approached him and told him to hurry up and ask for Fatimas hand in marriage. He said he wanted to marry her but had nothing to offer her. The woman said it was best for him to act fast since she was getting many proposals that the prophet pbuh was rejecting because he was waiting for Ali ra to ask. Then he decided to go to the prophet pbuh and when he went he was very nervous and sat in silence. The prophet pbuh also sat there silently, and they both sat in silence for quite a while. Finally, the prophet pbuh asked Ali ra if he was there to ask for Fatimas hand, and he said yes, but I have nothing to offer, so the prophet said give your weapon and so it was set. At one point, Ali ra was a multi-millionaire. He was so generous though that he gave it all away and died with only 600 dirhams (approx. $250) in his pocket. Knowledge and talents o As Muslims, we need to acquire as much knowledge as we possibly can. o Before the age of 30, we need to spend time learning as much as we can and then work after that. o Ali ra was one of the greatest narrators of hadith. o He had an excellent memory. (Initially, he had a poor memory and went to the prophet pbuh and told him that he really wanted to remember everything he learned but couldnt because of his memory, so the prophet pbuh made a special dua to make his memory better. Ali ra said that after that dua he never forgot a thing.) o He knew a lot of fiqh. o He was also a poet. He wrote poetry about wisdom and also about the beauty of Fatima ra. o He was a great politician he was a major minister for Abu Bakr ra, Umar ra, and Usman ra.

o Whenever Umar ra hesitated about something, he would go to Ali ra. Umar ra once said I seek refuge with Allah if theres an issue that Ali cant solve. (If Ali cant help, no one can.) o Within 6 months of Ali going to Yemen, everyone turned muslim. o As muslims, we should strive to be multi-talented. o The prophet pbuh left us with the duty of carrying his message to the world. o We should become multi-talented, but have one specialtiy. Ali ras speciality was that he was a military hero (second only to Khalid ibn al-Walid) He participated in the battle of Badr. At the time, battles were fought such that only a couple of the strongest warriors would go first and fight it out. The 3 men from Quraysh who went up first in the battle of Badr were Hamzah ra, Harith ra, and Ali ra. Ali ra killed Utbah. In the battle of Uhud, there were only 21 men and women left until the end, and only 9 of these proctected the prophet pbuh. Only 2 helped him escape Ali ra and Talha. Battle of the ditch they made a ditch to protect themselves. Three fighters were able to jump across the ditch (a distance of 6m!) and faced the muslims directly. One of these men were Amr ibn Abd Wudd, who was equal to 1000 fighters. He challenged the muslims to fight him, but no one stepped up except Ali, at which Amr just laughed. The prophet pbuh told Ali that he was not experienced enough, so he could not. Amr challenged everyone again and again only Ali stepped up. Then he challenged them a third time and the prophet pbuh relented. When it was time to fight, Ali ra told Amr that hed give him 2 choices: he could either say lailla ha illalla, to which Amr laughed and said no, and then Ali said then I dare you to fight me. They fought for an hour with sand flying everywhere such that no one was able to see what was happening. Finally at the end of the hour Ali said Allah-hu-Akbar and came out victorious, killing Amr. This was the greatest fight in the history of Islam nothing before or after was like it. We need to follow the life of Ali ra and choose one thing and excel at it and lead a balanced life. No matter what you do, Allah swt should be at the top, you should pray on time etc. Until his death, Ali ra was always healthy and never sick. Ali ra even approached children to learn hadith he didnt already know. We need to take initiative. o Ali ra had many jobs. Once he filled pails of water from a well for a woman at the pay of one date per pail filled, and earned a totally of 17 dates. o Ali ra started Arabic grammar. Once a man came up to him to ask him a question about the Quran because he did not understand the verse, and his misunderstanding was because he missed one letter, which lead to it becoming a completely different word (he thought the word sinners was walkers). People slandered Ali ra and he said it was okay because everyone should have freedom of

speech. He kept the hereafter as his goal. Imam Ahmed said that Ali is a beautiful leader and that Islam is lucky to have him. Aisha ra said no one knows the sunnah of the prophet pbuh like Ali. Umar ra said Ali is the best judge among the companions. The prophet pbuh said whoever loves and supports me should love and support Ali, and only believers love Ali and only hypocrites hate Ali. The Apples Rotten Core: The Social Implications of Domestic Violence

Dr. Zainab Alwani Domestic violence is a global societal problem; it is a pattern of abuse used to establish control. After a period, the period becomes sorry but repeats acts of abuse. A woman is abused every 9 seconds. 85% of victims are women. More women are killed by their intimate partners than soldiers killed in the Vietnam war. Hadith: the prophet pbuh once asked a man what he regret the most. The man replied that once when he was about to go travel he had to leave his pregnant wife behind. He told her that if the baby is a boy its okay, but if its a girl to bury her. He came back from his trip 7 years later and upon coming home he heard the voice of his wife and another voice he could not recognize. Then a 7 year old girl came running to him and hugged him. While she was hugging him he said to his wife shes still alive? and decided to bury her. The wife said give me one week to prepare myself. A week later the wife gets her daughter ready in nice clothes, and the father tells the daughter that hes taking her to the bazaar. The father and daughter leave the house and walk and pass the bazaar, but the little girl does not think much of this, as she assumes theyre going to another bazaar. Then when he comes to a desserted place, he starts digging a hole. Every time any dirt or sand would come on his face or hands or clothes, his daughter would wipe it off with her scarf. After digging the hole, he tells his daughter to get in and proceeds to bury her, and her last words were Ill never forgive you. The prophet pbuh was teary eyed and said if Allah swt can forgive your action, he can forgive anything. This changed the rights of girls and women in Islam. When it comes to abuse, even verbal abuse is domestic abuse whether it be to a spouse, child, sibling, or a friend. The Quran offers a structure of family. Allah swt devotes an entire chapter to divorce. We need to study the solution, apply it, and show it to the rest of humanity. Imams need to help counsel. It is not acceptable by Allah swt when people face injustice, so we need to realize that we need to stand up for ourselves and say no when abused, and we need to help the abusers get help so that they can stop. Allah swt does not accept the abuse of children (Surah 49(. Accountability in islamic law is essential, just as repentance is also essential.

Imam Zaid Shakir We dont read the Quran for fun, but for salvation. We need to be suitable representations of Islam we need to take responsibility and take an active role in making positive history. Abuse is oppression and oppression is forbidden. When you engage in abuse, you deny someone their right as a mother, daughter, etc. The prophet pbuh was a mercy to all of creation, so as believers we need to be merciful. There needs to be mutual mercy so that everyone is merciful. Look at everyone as if theyre potential muslims. The prophet pbuh was merciful to animals too he once threatened a woman who was treating cats cruelly with hellfire. Cruelty to the weak is a sign that mercy has been taken out of the hearts. Causes of child abuse: o Unrealistic expectations: let children grow at their own pace. o Abusers were victims of abuse themselves. According to one study, 70% of abusers were abused themselves. 90% of abusers are close to children and are their caregivers, which is very disorienting for a child so they dont live normal lives. We need to be careful with how we deal with each other. Abusing someone erodes the faith of the believer. We need to consider the consequences of our actions. If youre abused, dont be ashamed to reach out. We need to rely on each other. Islam has the greatest anger management program: dhikr, wudhu, changing state (stand if sitting, sit if standing), say Aoozu billa hi minashay tha nira jeem etc. Whenever you abuse a muslim child, you abuse someone who is a believer in Allah swt and for this there are grave consequences. Allah swt will punish you for abusing a believer. You shouldnt be obsessed with control because Allah swt controls everything. Allah swt said be patient with one another; not everyone has to be the same this just leads to genocide (USSR, China, etc.) The New We: Muslims in Future of Western Society Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson We dont start at square one, but on the shoulders of our predecessors who have paved the way for us. What works in one country doesnt necessarily work in another country. If you cant beat them, join them. We need to gain acceptance. We have to gain intellectual and authority in these lands. The sunnah of the prophet pbuh was not only for the people of his time and place, but for

everyone until the end of time. We can never gain cultural authority as long as were outsiders in this society. Allah swt says in the Quran that they dont like to say anything you can detect the ignorant from their actions. If we look uncomfortable, we will not be accepted. Us settling in the west means establishing a relationship between muslims and nonmuslims. We need to make it clear to islamaphobes that theyre not contributing to the welfare of society. We need to establish authority to make sure we dont get run down and we cant do that without being accepted.

Prof. Tariq Ramadan We cant forget the contributions of elders it is important to remember that our parents gave us the feeling of knowing Allah swt is there we need to be thankful. We need to free ourselves from the dominant mindset around us. We need to use the old methodology to come up with new solutions. The world is changing so we need new rules, and to make these rules we use shariah. We need to stop acting as though we are victims life is a test we cant keep saying they dont like us. Being checked at the airport is not a test compared to the trials other have to deal with. We need to realize that we have universal values were not a minority so we must not think of ourselves a minority. We cant be nave; we have to realize that some people do see that were rational and peaceful, but theyd rather have the radical side. We need to be selective to see who is sincere in learning about us some journalists want to learn; not all of them are cynical. Crucial to remember: o NO victim mindset o NO minority mindset o NO naivety Need to be humble the meaning of laillaha is humilty. Arrogance is the first sin in Islam. The goal of islam is to remind people of something that is deep down. We cant impose religion on people it is in the hands of Allah swt. We need to understand the philosophy of religion because thats how people approach it at first ask why. Use spirituality to conquer your emotions. We need to understand that in Europe and the Qest, Islam is an alien religion we are considers the outsiders that are inside. No civil freedome unless you know the language of the country you live in you must learn the language. Learn to do critical thinking something from a nonMuslim can be good and something from a Muslim can be unIslamic. Who cares if youre nice if youre not connected to the community.

 We need to learn to work with others. SOS: Saving the Ship of Humanity Yusuf Islam In a reasonable world, Islam would be accepted by everyone, but the world is not at all reasonable. A person embraces Islam if this isnt saving humanity then what is? Verily, humanity is at a loss. (Quran) When the prophet pbuh took retreats, he was waiting for the door open. Three times the angel compelled the prophet pbuh to read finally the first words of the Quran came: Read in the name of your Lord who creates. This was the turning point for the prophet pbuh to listen and obey. This was the greatest transformation of humanity. He was so scared that he rushed him to his wife for comfort, and she became muslim. o It begins from an individual and then spreads, first in a close circle and then to more people, but of course theres a huge challenge and a number of threats. If we want to save humanity, we have to listen to the voice of God, which becomes our guide. Then when youre strong enough, youll hit more trouble. o This was evident in the prophet pbuhs life when he began to preach people who opposed him became clear in his family (eg. Abu Jahal hindered the prophet pbuh from praying at the Kabah). The prophet pbuhs reaction was a reflection of his iman he was patient. Everyone could see the difference between the right and wrong behaviours. Words came to the prophet: Nay but man transgresses in that he thinks hes self sufficient. Verily to the Lord is your return. The servant of God when he turns to ypray, do you observe if he is the one guided and on the path of righteousness? Dont you see how he turns away? God see.s Let him beware; if he doesnt stop, well drag him. We will call the angels of punishment for him. o We need patience. We need to get back to the basics about how to preach Islam. We need moral conviction, patience, and prayer. Until Allah swt brings about change, humanity is not going to change, but we need to be prepared for this to happen. We need to reform ourselves instead of condemning others. We are living in a state where secular dominates we dont want to go back ot bloodshed. Allah swt doesnt change the condition of people until they dont change themselves from within. Freeing Our Mosques Sr. Aisha al-Adawiyyah

There should be a zero tolerance policy for domestic violence. We cant let this go. There is no safe haven for abusers. The pathology gets passed on to further generations. There is an issue of women in mosques women should have equal access to mosques, including in their management. Women are the ones raising the next generation. Women today are doing a lot of work in society, but they cant in the muslim community, so we need to find a way to make it more accessible. There were no walls, curtains, or barriers between men and women in the mosque at the time of the prophet pbuh. Allah swt didnt create us to be re-enslaved Islam freed us. We were in dire need of it and Allah swt freed us. We encounter men and women every day we need to be strong enough so that we realize that men dont become predators as soon as they see a woman; this is simply unrealistic. Women are increasingly not going to masjids because they dont feel welcome and because of this children are going less too. Everyone needs to go to their masjids and engage in leadership. A mosque is a very uplifting environment with carpets and chandeliers, but what about for the women are forced to pray in broom closets or broken basements? Men should go to the attic everyone needs to realize that women are raising the nation. Nonmuslims should feel welcome too, but we cant look beyond ourselves. Dawah is by example better to talk less, and walk more. The position Islam bestoys on a woman is very high and lofty; women are given a lot of status and honour. Women also need to step up. We need to differentiate between cultural norms and Islamc norms. Women need to start sitting in the front rows instead of in the back rows. If not for yourself, for your children.If not for others, for girls and boys. o Only a woman can teach this to her child and children deserve no less. Women have the power to make change; and this is not a feminist statement but an Islamic one.

Dr. Abdal Hakim Murad When the prophet pbuh made Hijra to Madina, he found the jews were fasting on the day of Ashura. This is the day on which Allah swt saved Prophet Musa pbuh. The prophet pbuh said we have more right to Musa, so if I live until next year Ill fast on the 10th too, and also on the 9th. The prophet pbuh upholds the teachings of all of the previous prophets. Ours is the inclusive religion we love them all. We need to conform to Allah swts commandments and to be uplifted and liberated. We are people of and and not or when it comes to religious rulings. Isa pbuh said my house will be a home for everyone.

 About mosques, it is said in it are people that love to purify themselves. Whats more like treason than not helping out your community? Once there was a battle and many of the sahabas stayed back either out of fear or because of the extreme heat. When the prophet pbuh returned, him and his companions first made a stop a masjid. Once people saw him, they started giving their excuses one by one, and the prophet pbuh made istighfar for them. The the one sincere sahaba who stayed back was overcome with remorse and wanted to atone. He went to the prophet pbuh and told him that he had no excuse for staying back, and the prophet pbuh told him he was right and told him to depart until Allah swt decided his fate. The muslim community turned away from him because they were ordered to do so and no one talked to him. Then the man heard from a Christian king who invited him to join him. Despite having no one to confide in, the remorseful sahaba saw this as a bala and rejected the offer. After 40 days, he heard a voice saying rejoice so he goes back to the masjid where everyone embraces him. He tells the prophet pbuh that he has been atoned. One time there were a few bad men who got together and made a masjid. They went to the prophet pbuh and told him they built a mosque for the sick, poor, and for people to take refuge from the rain. The prophet pbuh told people to burn the masjid down because the people who made it were not good. o In order to establish ourselves, the infrastructure we need is a masjid. o Our religion is based on intention, so if a masjid is built, it has to be with the right intention. o We love the prophet pbuhs masjid because thats where the sunnah was made, because it was the prophet pbuhs, but mainly because it had the purest intention. Just as Makkah has the perfume of Ibrahim pbuh, Madina has the perfume of the prophet pbuh. Ugly intentions will lead to conflict later. Islam doesnt recognize hyphenated mosques (no such thing as Egyptian masjid, Somali masjid, etc.) A mosque must be inclusive to everyone. What we need in the west is an inclusive mosque made of the purest intention. All we really need in a mosque is clean carpeting, cooling in the summer, and heating in the winter. We need to let go of our egoism with having different mosques for different cultures. The only place we can find a solution is in the Quran and the sunnah. Read: A Simple Command of Profound Implications Prof. Tariq Ramadan Knowledge is essential in our traditions. The first verse revealed tells us read in the name of the Lord that created you. We even need knowledge to deal with freedom, and youre jailed if you think freedom means following your emotions. Following society because of freedom or equality is just an illusion.

 It is dangerous to follow knowledge and scholars blindly we need to think of it critically. We cant just like what someone is saying because you like them. Companions of the prophet pbuh followed him, but they had their own personalities too. There is no point in wanting knowledge if you dont know how to use it. The knowledge of a book is useless without a mind otherwise youre as good as a book on a shelf. You need to take it a step further and apply. People tend to think the first surahs in the Quran are deeper in meaning because they are longer, but we need to recognize that the shorter surahs were the first ones revealed and have very deep meanings they were the ones that first drew people to Islam. In the Quran it says that there are signs; you need to do more than read you need to look at the signs around you. We need to question why were here. Allah swt says if you want to come to the creator then ponder the creation. We need to realize our purpose: Surely we belong to Allah and to Him we will return. When Luqman pbuh talks to his son, he tells him to thank God. o We need to learn to be thankful for everything that we have. We need to meditate over signs. What is our understanding of ihsan? By understanding signs, you get inner peace and tranquility. Signs show us that were going back to him. We dont have enough intellect or the mental capacity to define Allah swt, but His names help us qualify Him without defining him. We need to try to come to come close to Allah swt by nurturing his qualifications within ourselves, eg. Ar-Rahman we must also be merciful etc. To go to Allah swt, go to yourself, go to your heart: o O you who attend to faith respond to the call of Allah and the prophet. The Knowledge of Allah is between you and your heart. (Quran) o Come to Allah in your hearts. (Quran) You cant transform yourself until you know yourself. If you cry when you do something bad, you should be happy your remorse indicates that youre not bad. Tears are a sign that Allah swt is close. The prophet pbuh was never angry (except when it was in the matters of Allah swt and even then he was silent). Were very quick to judge others and excuse ourselves. Dont let others judge you. We need to understand that Allah swt will forgive you for everything; murder, sin, etc. (everything except shirk). When you read, suspend your judgement and open your heart. We need to stop talking so much. We need to learn to be silent and to stop talking about people. We need to check ourselves. A man came to the prophet pbuh and said I have a lot of bad qualities (drinking, stealing, etc.) so tell me one thing I should stop. The prophet pbuh said stop lying, as you cannot steal without lying, you cannot drink in secret without lying to the ummah etc. (Note: this

is a weak hadith). Just because someone knows the language of the Quran does not mean they know the substance. However it is still important to know a minimal amount of the Arabic language. This is crucial and critical. Allah swt talks to us in this language. Yes, the Quran comes first, but we cannot follow it without prophetic traditions. For instance, the Quran tells you to pray, but it is only through the sunnah that you know how to do it. If we want to be autonomous in the west, we need to answer our own questions and the questions of others. It is not enough to ask others for answers (eg. ask shaykh if you dont know something); we need to find them out for ourselves. In order to follow the Quran and change the world, you need to know the world. You cant reform the world without knowing it. It is distortional to think of values without thinking of reality. It is not enough to know our values: we need to know our history and how the values applied then, and then apply it to whats going on in the world now. Whats happening in Palestine isnt sad because theyre muslim, but because its a crime against humanity. Whats happening in the Congo is just as sad. He Made You into Nations and tribes to Know One Another: The Social Implications of Race Relations

Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson Fitna is a test or trial to see the impurities in a substance. Eg. you take gold and put it in fire so that the impurities melt out. Allah swt says He will subjugate us to fitna to test us and help us overcome our weaknesses and our flaws. Only when we have this perience can we go higher. Musa pbuh faced a lot of fitna (tests): his mother send shim away, he then needs to run away. He was tested to bring out all of his faults and self-doubts to make him ready to confront Firaun. We need to understand that life is a test which helps us grow. Human condition: we are physically and mentally contingent we dont have control over our physical processes (eg. how our blood flows). Psychologically, we cant even say if were smart or attractive without subjectivity. Without knowing how other people look, you cant judge your attractiveness or your intelligence. We need confirmation of other human beings. Children look for confirmation from parents, so its important that parents give their kids confidence. Our drive for human validation is so strong that the closer you get to redemption, the stronger you get pulled away. White supremacy makes Western values and norms the values and norms of all humans. You cant confuse white supremacy with white people the toughest critiques of white supremacy were by white people. As muslims, we need to consider who we think it is worthy to take our values from and

who isnt. o Eg. Danish cartoon: what if someone from the Congo drew the same cartoon? Would we still be upset? Wed dismiss it because we dont need validation from them, but we do need validation from the Danish people. Why? This is coming between us and Allah swt we are supposed to want Allah swts validation. When the prophet pbuh went to Madina he asked questions about the reality and situation there; we need to do this as well. We need to realize this discrimination isnt against our religion, but against our race. The last thing the leaders want is for the powers of the masses to become more than that of the heads. To help stop racism, Muslims need to start practicing what we preach. We created you from a male and female and made you into nations and tribes so that you can get to know each other. (Quran) We need to understand that morals differ depending on where you are not everyone is dealing with the same issues. White muslim converts immediately raise anti-racist thoughts because they know that they cant be good muslims if theyre racist. White people have also been victims of white supremacy; they are told by the elite that they need to worry about people of other races instead of the issues really affecting them (pollution, job losses, etc.) by the white elite. No one can be a good muslim if they are racist. The Muslim World: A SWOT Analysis

No one before the prophet pbuh was able to explain racism, when colour racism was not as significant as tribal racism. The Quran tells us that were bani Adam, and that Allah swt made us into nations and tribes to know each other, not hate each other. Were not here to worship things we make and manufacture: Allah swt will not judge our provisions. We want a spiritually and economically thriving community. The most ethical states have the broadest middle class, making corruption and bribes most difficult. Corruption always rises when people are mostly rich and poor. The best of affairs are of the middle way. When you meet a person, you dont know what theyve been through. Every child is born in both good and bad. Hadith: the one taking care of an orphan or a widow is like someone doing jihad. We need a socially and politically effective society. We have 2 parts of society the ruler and the ruled. Today we can outlow and lobby things with a certain number of people. We need to sustain our language and religion; we need scholars to make sure everything is properly passed on to the next generation. In England, religion is involved in the government.

 Obama said open your firsts and well shake your hands; well open our fists when you stop throwing bombs. We need to be a part of the issues going on today; what is the muslim point of view in the environmental issues and in stem cell research? We need to make our voice heard and make contributions. Our religion is a great discussion topic, yet were absent from the discourse going on in the world. Art is a great means of teaching people about Islam Yusuf Islam has done more effective dawah than all of the scholars at the convention through his art. This religion is a way of uniting people, not dividing people. We cant purify our religion by shunning people who do things differently paradise is not based on our vanity. Palestine is not an issue thats going away it is an issue of social justice. A lot of people fighting for this are nonmuslim (eg. Rachel Corrie lost her life over this, and now her family has dedicated their lives to it as well) so where are we in the issues of the world? Its like Imam Zaid said: dont get mad, get even. In a market place of ideas, truth is the bargain. Jefferson We need to look at this conference: people of all of these different sects are together because of shahada. When you go to Makkah, everyone prays side by side despite the different languages they speak, some of which weve never even heard of. Everyone prays the same fatiha; pray for the whole world. The prophet pbuh said dont be someone who after eating reclines and says only take what you find in this book (the Quran) and leave all else. All of the differences in the sects are from three main things: o Interpretation o Causation o Application Eg. hadith: Whoever fasts in Ramadan and then in the first six days of Shawwal after it, it is like he has fasted the entire year. o Different scholars differ on the six days aspect some say they must be immediately and consecutively after Eid, some say it could be any six days in Shawwal, and some say it can be any six days of the year. If the prophet pbuh gave a tafseer of the Quran, the meaning would only be in one way and as such, it would be limited. However the Quran has inexhaustible meaings. The prophet pbuh said this is what has led the people before us astray to the sahabas who were fighting over the interpretation of an ayah. There are many ways to interpret the Quran, as long as its within a certain parameter. Marriage is about sacrifice. The word sacrifice comes from the word holy it is not designed to make you happy, but to make you religious: marriage is half of deen. In the muslim world, education is a disaster, but literacy is not the only criteria we should look at some illiterate people are the best you meet: o Once Sh. Hamza Yusuf was gone on a trip to Mauritania. Him and his friend were going somewhere in the middle of the night, when their car broke down in the middle of the road. They came across a shepherd who immediately offered them refuge. The shepherd quickly sacrificed one of his goats and fed them. Then he

took them to a tent where they could sleep. Because it was so windy, the shepherd had spent the entire night holding up the pole in the middle of the tent so that it would not fall on Sh. Hamzah Yusuf or his friend and so that they could sleep peacefully. It is a strength that were a mildly oppressed minority; when youre repressed it makes you stronger. During the inquisiton, people had their tongues cut out because they taught the Quran. Look at how much people suffered in the south (in America) 60 years ago; what were dealing with now is not oppression. We should not have sunni and shia conflicts in the west shias are considered muslims by all scholars. We need peaceful coexistence. Allah swt said that these different colours of people are a sign from Allah swt. Seeds that were planting can be harvested by our grandkids this is our time right now, but its not going to be our time forever. Allah swt loves it when people put excellence in their work. We need to work at the highest level and maintain professionalism. There are conspiracies in the world, but Allah swt msays do not preoccupy yourself with the plot and enemies; preoccupy yourself with Allah swt and taqwa for protection. Allah swt can make your enemies your friends. Rise up and dont be victims produce. Nothing can afflict you unless Allah swt allows it to afflict you. Dont victimize yourself; never did the prophet pbuh in his sermons say Look at the Quraish and how theyre abusing us he taught taqwa instead. We need to take advantage of our situation: the world is extremely interested in us; the US presidents grandmother went for Hajj we need to see that this is our time. The prophet pbuh saw all of these economic problems and gave solutions with a proper system without even receiving a formal education. The greatest threat we have today is a Christian Zionist alliance. o Its crucial to understand that we cant make generalized statements. o An extremely large group of Christians withdrew their goods from Israel, so we must support them too. It is time to try new strategies. The greatest victor is one who wins over his enemies, and this was our prophet pbuh. Everyone who came to the west had to work to be accepted, so now we have to show them how good we are. Is the Generation Gap Real?: Social Reality or Anarachist Myth

Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali The generation gap is a reality Allah swt says there are 3 stages we all pass through; first we are weak babies, then we pass through a maturation age, and then we are old. A true orphan is someone whose parents neglect them.

 In the Quran, a youth is anyone below the age of 40. There is a misunderstanding of how to bring up children. During the time of Umar, the judge hired was very short, so everyone thought it was a kid, and his response was Im not younger than Abdullah bin Abbas when he started compiling hadith, Im not younger than Ali when he accepted Islam, etc. There are two people who sincerely want the people they care for to be better than themselves: parents and teachers. Family and the relationship between parents is emphasized in the Quran; every relationship is in the Quran. Surah Baqarah: Allah swt says if He has given you wisdom, He has given you abundance. You can give your kids training, but you cant turn them into yourselves. Areas of conflict between parents and their children: o There is often a language barrier between kids and their parents; things often get lost in translation. o Sometimes extended family gets in the way sometimes the kids go off with an uncle who does not have the same values as you. o Media influences o School influences Shaykh Sulaiman Mulla Regardless of where youre from geographically, there is a common concern for the youth from the parents. One article points out that 15 million kids in the US are going to grow up unskilled, unlearned, and unloved. The Quran says O you who believe! Save your family from hellfire There is a problem in society. Some kids renounce Islam, some are under doubts, some have misconceptions about their religion, and some are trying to find a compromise. Islam encourages us to display love towards children. o Hadith: the prophet pbuh picks up and kisses a child and a man who is with him asks him if this is an integral part of his teachings. The prophet pbuh replies indeed, and the man says but I have 10 kids and Ive never done this. The prophet pbuh says then there is no kindness in your heart. o The prophet once carried Hussayn ra into the masjid on his shoulders. While leading the prayer, he prolonged his sajda. After the prayer, he was asked why he had prolonged sajda; whether it was because something was being revealed to him or whether it was out of the fear of hellfire, and the prophet pbuh replied that it was neither it was that Hussayn ra had climbed his back and he was waiting for him to get off before he got up. o After the prophet pbuhs demise, Abu Bakr ra was in extreme remorse and stress over all of his new responsibilities. Despite this, he picked up Hussayn ra and happily said to Ali ra, O Ali your son does not look like you in any way, but instead shares every feature with the prophet pbuh.

 The problem in families today is self-inflicted: mothers have left their homes to find their full potential. Even the Soviet Union leader after a war said we failed to realize the potential and strength of women, who stay at home and raise our kids and teach them the fundamentals of education. The first duty we have to children is to love and care for them. Dawud pbuh said let me not live to see an era where my children become my parents and control me. One time Abu Hanifa went to visit one of his ill students, Abu Yusuf who was in a critical condition. He made dua for the student and said that the world be at a loss of knowledge without him. When the student got better and heard of this praise he decided to become independent and to stop going to religious sessions with Abu Hanifa. Abu Hanifa then sent a man to his student to ask him a question: he said tell him that man takes a piece of cloth to a merchant to get it bleached and coloured at the price of one dirham. The man leaves his cloth there and comes back later. When he comes back, the merchant denies that this deal even took place. Then when asked about it again, he gives in and says yes I have it. Abu Hanifa said ask Abu Yusuf whether the payment should be made since the man did bleach and colour the cloth, or whether it shouldnt, because the man initially lied about having the cloth. Because Abu Yusuf did not know the answer, he was compelled to go back to Abu Hanifa. Abu Hanifa tells him that it depends on when he bleaches and colours it if it was after he decided to keep it, then he intended to colour it for himself, so then the payment does not need to be made, but if it was after colouring it, then the payment should be made, i.e. it depends on the intention before he coloured it. Abu Hanifa said to Abu Yusuf, youre trying to be a raisin before becoming a grape; there are many important stages in between. When Umar ra won his campaign, he was handing out funds to everyone; to people who helped out in the battles, to his son, and to the sons of Ali ra. He gave 5000 each to Hassan and Hussayn and 1000 to his son Abdullah. Abdullah approached his father and asked him why it was that he got less than the other two, as he had been fighting battles while the other two were still playing with twos and because he was wiser than the two children. Umar ra then explained his rationale; he said that he wasnt being unfair, but that they had gotten the extra money not out of their own credit, but because Fatima ra was their mother and the prophet pbuh was their grandfather. o The point is that Umar ra allowed for healthy dialogue with his son. One time Ali ras kids Muhammad and Hussayn had a fight. However Muhammad soon sent Hussayn ra a letter saying though we are equal in every aspect, Im much lower than you when it comes to the fact that Fatima ra is your mother, so Im sorry. We need to consider that getting As doesnt suggest the profoundness of a child just because the child is good at memorizing things does not mean what the child is learning is good or bad. A scholar once said whatever I do even if something excels, if it does not help my parents I have to question my intention. Another said giving my mother a date when she wants it gives me more pleasure than 1000 dinars. Abdullah ibn Zubair before going into a battle told his mother that he never disobeyed God or hurt anyone intentionally just to give his mother peace and joy.

 It is said, If someone says something unkind about me I should live in such a manner that no one believes. Overkill: How Many Times Do We Need To Destroy The Earth? Imam Zaid Shakir We living in a shrinking world. The Hiroshima bomb was primitive compared to what we have now; now we have bombs 100x and 1000x stronger than this. There are bombs everywhere waiting to be unleashed. There is a threat of nuclear weapons and cluster bombs. In seconds, Hiroshima which was full of civilians (men, women and children) was wiped out. There are millions of tones of chemical and biological weapons (eg. anthrax). WWII: 100 million people lost their lives- most of htem were civilians, not soldiers. Electromagnetic weapons are being developed. There are weapons controlled by satellite. The research of weapons continues why? We already have enough to destroy the entire earth as it is. Cluster bombs were thrown down in groups of 100s from planes. Sometimes theyre bright colours. When children pick them up, they get their faces blown off. We must be a community of believers and be people who stand up and say no to these weaposn if not us then who? Handmines: some have been in the earth for 50 years; people and animals step on them every single day. There are 5 million land mines in Afghanistan. The UN said that it would take 30 years of dedicated work to clear Afghanistan of all of its land mines. Most of this land is good farming land. When Israel left Lebanon, it left behind 100 000 cluster bombs. Islam teaches us that we can only have a war with proper justification not for power. Dont let your hatred for a people let you swerve from justice. We need to look for a way out as a collective community. If my security is purchased at the price of someone elses insecurity, I will be insecure because were all going to die sooner or later. Everyone is going to die; its better to die with honour, dignity and respect, instead of with our hands stained with blood because of self interests. The purpose of this life is to pave the way to paradise. Allah swt owns all power; He gives power to whoever he pleases and takes it from whoever it pleases power is not an issue for us. Sometimes youre rich, sometimes youre poor, sometimes youre powerful, sometimes youre weak are you going to stick to your morals regardless of which situation you are in?

You cant oppress anyone Allah swt doesnt love oppressors. At the end of the day, everything belongs to Allah swt and He will take it back. Whatever we do, we cant compromise the teachings of Islam. We need to do ethical thinking rooted in universal values across all languages. We cant repulse the pirates hijacking our ship with swords or violence, but instead need to use big thinking. Weve been surrounded by a culture of disbelief which belittles our religion. We need to preserve life; saving one life means saving all of humanity and harming one life means harming all of humanity. We need to understand that as humans it is our job to preserve human dignity. We need to choose the right understanding of our religion for our time and place. The prophet pbuh said the one Allah desires good for, He gives him a sound understanding of religion. Obviously the people in previous times wouldnt have said bring it on if the weapons being dealt with were nuclear weapons, but said so only because the weapons were bows and arrows. If they were here today, they would say keep it where it is and destroy it! Now people are not battling form a battle field, but from a satellite. Shaykh Shakespeare in Henry V rightfully said for how can they charitably dispose of anything when blood is in their argument? A Quest for Dialogue: Islams Contribution to a New Civilizing Discourse

Dr. Tareq Suwaidan There is a problem of dialogue between sunni-shia, husband-wife, parent-child, and between scholars on various issues. Types of disagreements o Dialogue: back and forth discussion, hopefully to achieve a goal o Argument: has no end o Debate: argument with a goal of winning. This occurs if people differ in opinion and theres a need for understanding. Good for sending a message (dawah) Reasons for disagreement o Different points of reference: will you be using religion to prove your arguments, or logic, or science? There needs to be an agreement on the same reference. o Differences in character: some people are power hungry, arrogant, stubborn etc. Do not continue youll never win. o Benefits: positions, politics, financial reasons. This is not for the sake of truth, but for benefits. o Ignorance or misunderstanding Phases of a successful dialogue o Pre-dialogue phase If youre seeking the truth, be sincere. Imam Shafii: I have never debated anyone without hoping that

Allah swt puts the truth on his tongue. Both sides need to be equally competent: Imam Shafii: I have never debated a scholar without beating him and I have never debated an ignorant man without him beating me. Preparation o Initiation of dialogue Agree on the reference (religion, science, logic) Determine which points you agree on and which points you disagree on. Remember the etiquettes of disagreement (no violence etc.) Define terms of importance in detail. Eg. What do you think about gossip? Lets define what gossip is first. o Discussion phase Divide the time The prophet pbuh said that the burden of proof lies on the person who claims it; you dont need to disprove it. There is a method of refusing evidence; you cant just say no. Academic honesty you cant call a hadith weak if its not and you cant say you read somewhere about something when you didnt. o Accepting truth and admitting defeat Respect the opposition; dont backbite and be civil. Differentiate between speech and speaker just because you dont agree with the speech does not mean you lose respect or cant love the speaker. o When to leave the argument When the person starts raising their voice for them its a matter of winning. When they repeat what theyve already said, theyve run out of arguments. When they refuse whats obvious. Eg. One time the shaykh was in a disagreement with someone and he said well the earth is round and the other person said no its not; you need to be logical. And if your Lord willed, he could have made mankind a community, but they will not cease to differ. Except whom your Lord has given mercy, and for that He created them. (Quran) United We Stand Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah The most unifying thing we have is taqwah. It is important to recollect that during his final Hajj, the prophet pbuh said to listen to him carefully while he gave three khutbas, all of which were about unity. He said not tbring in swords and that honour is sacred. To drive these points home, he used stronger language than he had previously, like Woe, woe. We need to take this language to heart, as its important to want the purification of the soul. It is important to be happy and meet with other people at the convention but we should go home with spiritual provisions.

We need to remember the blessing of unity on us. Before Islam, the Arab tribes were fighting each other, and then tawheed united them. Ihsan worship Allah swt like He sees you even though you cant see Him. Every day, we pray Surah Fatiha and ask for guidance on the straight path, which is the path of the prophet pbuh. This religion is based on knowledge take knowledge from learned people. Of course study the Quran and hadith, but just like a plane needs a pilot, we need tools to learn to the Quran and haidth, which are scholars. The prophet pbuh said to take our souls to account. Bukhari has a chapter on seeking knowledge in itself. At the time of the prophet pbuh, people used to travel for a month just to verify a hadith. The Quran says if they had only taken what was troubling them and taken it to the ulama who could help them with the inward meaning. We need to realize that the youth need the influence of elders, as wisdom comes with age. We need intellect on how we can learn to live together. The paths of shaytan are many, but the path of Allah swt is one. The prophet pbuh warned us of arrogance and told us not to have contempt for others. Allah swt says whoever remembers me in a gather, I will remember him in an even greater gathering. All of us are from one father and one mother.

Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali It is important to make a comfortable environment where everyone can continue studying. We need to be greatful to the scholars who came before us. One of the sahabas mother gave him 10 dirhams for every 10 hadith he learned, and 10 more for applying it in his life. o We need motivate children to learn. If we feel the presence of Allah swt, we will succeed. Sr. Aisha al-Adawiyyah Not only do we need to remember women and children in the masjids, but we must also remember to make it handicap accessible. Dr. Jamal Badawai There needs to be a unity of humankind at large, we cant be achieved without the unity of muslims first. Were all united with articles of faith. People have different interpretations, but we must respect them all. We cant define each other as wahabi, salafi, etc., but as muslims. Dr. Abdal Hakim Murad

 We are people of tawheed and tawakul. Allah swt gave us all amanah: were more than skin and bones we can make choices. Studies have been done that prove biologically, socially, and economically were driven by selfishness. We must say no, you guys are wrong about human interests and that our destiny is amazing. The Quran is rich with relationships between human and nature, so why dont we work with this? Our natural state isnt in fighting, but to be united. We will all be taken into account. Our nafs is getting in our way of saying Allah hu akbar. How can we help society if were fighting amongst ourselves? Only in the light of the truth does anything else matter. Shaykh Sulaiman Mulla We cant magnify the mistakes of others and ignore our own. Imam Shafii: if youre learned, itll help you see the good side of people: o Keep yourself occupied with your own flaws so that you dont have time to probe the flaws of others. We have the tendency to criticize, but the problem is in me. If Im in order, there is no problem. We say there is this problem in this person if the earth could talk it would say such wicked people walk on my back. Humans have stooped so low that they now prey on each other; worship has become hypocritical. From far a man looks like a rose, but from close is a thorn that pricks. Imam Shafii: I love those who tell me my flaws only in private and carry them with them to their graves. If you look at your faults, you can achieve perfection, and if you look at your perfection, you will achieve deficiency. Luqman pbuh was asked where he learned his wisdom, and he said from those who were devoid of it he avoided the mistakes others made. Abdul Hakim Jackson We need to realize that unity is an OBLIGATION upon muslims; it is not only politically pragmatic. We have to understand that hard-heartedness and cruelty are diseases; they are always talked about negatively in the Quran. If we are commited to a cause, Allah swt is commited to us. Imam Zaid Shakir We need to start being beneficial to each other. To do this, we must get back to the basics. We need to make a base which is from a strong relationship with Allah swt and

from reading and understanding the Quran to shape our personalities. Strength comes from remembering Allah swt. Keep perservering and relief will come; the obstacles you encounter will make the relief sweeter. Always be mindful of Allah swt. Dont despair of your mistakes repent and do good deeds. You cant let what other people say get you down.

Yusuf Islam We have peace and love. Were projected with hate and killings, but were not that. As muslims, were riding a boat, but were not doing enough to keep it afloat. The commandments in Christianity are also fundamentals in Islam (eg. do not have any other God, you shall not make in any form an idol etc.) Dr. Tareq Suwaidan Is unity a goal or a means? Unity was never a goal. The Quraish were united before the prophet pbuh came; he divided them with his message. This tell us that unity is not a goal. If were united on shirk and falsehood, its not worth it. Unity is a means to the civilization of Islam. United we stand: same clothes? Same opinions? What is the unity we aspire for? Unity doesnt mean that we agree on everything, but on principles. If we differ on ideas, we still respect each other as long as it doesnt touch tawheed. Sometimes people look at very small issues just to make a difference of opinion with others and find points of disagreement. Unity is not similarity. The beauty of Islam is that it strings people of different ideologies and ethnicities together. We dont need to conform. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Its important to recognize that when Sr. Meimoona gave counsel to prophet it was the best of advice. Save the ship theme for this convention people think that muslims are sinking the ship. Captains of the ship met in Copenhagen, but they need to realize that nothing can be done about the climate; they cant control it. The Quran says that when people are on a ship in rough weather, they pray, but when theyre back on shore they forget Allah swt. A poet once said get aboard the ship of sunnah and youll be saved by it. Youll be following the commands of the captain, who is the prophet pbuh. If you have faith in him, hell get us to the other side. Look and see tawheed in creation, but separation is the law of God so dont forget it. Dont be deluded by power; you have it for a short time.

Dont forget Allah swt. If you make your afterlife your concern, everything else will be taken care of. Give your affairs to Allah swt. Give up your being to Allah swt because He knows what all of us truly want to be reunited with our lords. When we stand in prayers five times a day, it is like our standing ovation to Allah swt. People leave Islam by rejecting its concepts.