An-Nur: Volume 10 - Issue 3 (March 30, 2007)

An-Nur The newsletter of the Muslim Students‘ Association & the Muslim Women of Maryland Volume 10, Issue 3

“The Light” MWM

Muslim Women of Maryland

Contact Us!

Please send your creative

submissions, comments, and

suggestions to

[email protected]. ―Verily Allah does not change the situation of a

nation until they change that which is in

themselves‖

Ibn Kathir states that when Allah created

Adam he left him in the clay form for forty

days. Satan went towards Adam and said ―you

have been created for a great purpose‖. This

purpose is so blessed that Satan became jealous

and eventually became a disbeliever due to his

jealousy. Yet what was this amazing purpose for

which Adam was created, Allah says in the

Quran ―and we have not created jinn and

mankind except that they become my slaves‖.

The word ―yabadun‖ is generally translated as

worship but worship is limited to rituals

whereas slavery is complete in its love and

obedience to Allah. It is through this great

purpose that Allah has honored us and extolled

us. So what is the perfection of this worship? It

comes in the form of the best of creation, the

prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It is through him

we see the perfection in slavery. The prophet

was sent to guide people and change their

condition as Allah says ―to take them out of

darkness into light‖. The prophet is no longer

with us but he has left behind him the tools of

social change and that is the book of Allah and

his sunnah. It is through these tools of social

change that is the solution to the Ummah. It is

the solution to the disease of the military

occupation of Palestine, it is the solution to the

dictatorship throughout the Muslim world, it is

the solution to the weakness of faith within our

hearts, and it is the remedy for disbelief

wherever we may find it. It is through these

tools that‘s we change that which is in us and

then Allah will change the situation around us.

Allah will not give victory to us until we give

victory to him through our obedience and love.

The MSA is an organization of Muslims

who represent the ummah on this campus. We

are a sample of the ummah in our diversity of

thoughts, backgrounds and commitment to this

deen. If we are able to start this change within us

we will see the change around us. If we fast more

we will see our bodies healthier, if we read the

Quran we will se our grades better, if we respect

our parents we will see our lives fuller. There is

not an act of worship except that there is some

benefit in this life and a tremendous reward with

Allah in the hereafter. If we fail to perfect our

character which was the sole purpose of the

prophetic mission then we can‘t expect that

people will come to our events and benefit from

us when we have not benefited from the prophetic

character. The situation around us is ultimately a

manifestation of that which is in us. If we are

disgraced we have a disgraceful heart and if we

are the pride of campus then we have a humble

heart. So let our theme be ―Changing that which is

around us by changing that which is in us‖.

Solution for the Ummah

By Sami Said

“ . . . L I G H T U P O N L I G H T ! A L L A H G U I D E S T O H I S L I G H T W H O M S O E V E R H E P L E A S E S . A N D A L L A H S E T S F O R T H P A R A B L E S F O R M E N , A N D A L L A H K N O W S

A L L T H I N G S F U L L W E L L . ” [ H O L Y Q U R ’ A N ]

Rabi Al-Awal 1428 March 30, 2007

MSA History

Founded in 1969, the Muslim

Students' Association is an

organization dedicated to

serving the Muslim students

on campus and educating the

campus community about

Islam and Muslims. We carry

out Islamic activities, sponsor

social, community service,

and charity events, and

strengthens relations and

understanding between Mus-

lims and non-Muslims.

Influential Intentions 2

Life Lessons 3

Islam Today 4

Power of the Quran 6

Creative Writing 7

Inside this issue:

An-Nur Volume 10, Issue 3

Page 2

Influential Intentions Islamic Activism: Reflections from the Hadith on Intentions

by Sami Zaharna

ness that we have been in for so many

years to a state of brightness and success. It

is only through Islam that the success of

this life and the Hereafter will be attained.

This is how we must understand our Is-

lamic work: a revolutionary means to

bringing the justice of Islam to this earth.

Yes indeed, revolutionary is what we

ought to think of Islamic work as being.

Even if it seems like we are just making a

small difference, it may be that Allah (swt)

creates leaders from amongst these organi-

zations, leaders who may one day be the

reasons for the victory of this ummah. As

Allah (swt) says, ―and nobody knows the

soldiers of Allah (swt) except He.‖ If call-

ing to the path of Allah (swt), the path that

Allah (swt) himself calls to, is not a revolu-

tionary concept, then what is? ― And Who

is better in speech than one who calls to

Allah, works righteousness, and says, ‘I am

of those who bow in Islam’?!”

With the correct intentions and sincere

activism in Allah‘s cause, anything is pos-

sible. So insha‘Allah with this mind, we

ask Allah (swt) to make us from among

those who approach Islamic work with

clear intentions and seeking His pleasure

alone, and to make us from those who are

of the first part of the hadith regarding in-

tentions, ―…he whose migration (hijrah)

was to Allah and His Messenger, his mi-

gration is to Allah and His Messenger.” Make marriage the second or third inten-

tion =) and insha‘Allah you will be re-

warded with both the reward and the right-

eous spouse.

A couple of years ago, when I had

just started getting involved in Islamic

work, I attended an activity in one of the

MSA meetings. Before this activity

started, the brother who was running it

made us all stand up in lines and he

asked us a question: ―Who of you had an

intention before coming to this MSA

meeting today?‖ He asked those who

had no intention to step to the side.

Rather embarrassed, I stepped to the side

- I couldn‘t remember having any inten-

tion for going to that meeting. I then

realized that for a whole year I had not

had an intention or focus behind any of

the Islamic work I had been doing.

The Prophet (peace be upon him)

says in the famous hadith (of which the

scholars say is half of Islam), ―All ac-

tions are based on intentions and for

each individual is that which he in-

tended…‖ This hadith is applicable to

every single action that we do, whether it

is praying Salah, giving Zakah or play-

ing basketball. It is from Allah's (swt)

mercy that if someone intends to do

something good, but something comes

up that prevents him from doing it, then

Allah (swt) will reward him for that

good anyway. Similarly, if someone

intends to do an evil action and is pre-

vented from doing it due to unforeseen

circumstances, then Allah (swt) will

punish him as if he had done that action.

Therefore, having an intention is impor-

tant in every action.

Perhaps the most important action

that we need to have an intention for is

our Islamic work. A person can come in

with many intentions when doing Is-

lamic work. For example, someone may

want to get involved with a Muslim or-

ganization in order to find a righteous

spouse. Ultimately, there is nothing

wrong with this intention; however, you

will only be rewarded with that which

you intended (and Allah knows best if

you find her/him!) On the same note,

someone may want to get involved with

the MSA because of the brotherhood and

social aspects of the organization.

Again, this person will be rewarded with

that which he intended. As the Prophet

(pbuh) says at the end of the famous

hadith about intentions, ―…but he

whose migration was for some worldly

thing he might gain, or for a wife he

might marry, his migration is to that

for which he migrated." All the above intentions are good

intentions (especially getting married

=)), and there is nothing wrong with

having them. However, it is important to

realize that the Islamic work that we are

doing is for a much greater purpose than

just worldly means or personal benefit.

When Rustum, the commander of the

Persian army, asked Rib‘ee ibn Amir,

the representative from the Muslim

army, what the motives were of the Mus-

lims in fighting the Persians, ibn Amir

responded, ―We have come to take peo-

ple from the worship of creation to the

worship of the Lord of creation, and

from the oppression of religions to the

justice of Islam, and from the restriction

of this life to the vastness of the Hereaf-

ter.‖ As Muslims, we should be striving

to revive the religion of Allah (swt).

That will bring us from the state of dark-

SINCERE SUBMISSION

The word Islam comes from the Arabic

root word meaning ―to submit‖ – in context,

wholehearted, sincere submission to Allah,

the One God of Adam, Abraham, Moses,

Jesus, Muhammad, and all of the Prophets,

peace be upon them all. Through this

submission, the human being gains peace and

tranquility in the relationship between him

and his Creator, conducting his life according

to how Allah wanted. But through it, he also

takes a pact to conduct his life in accordance

with Allah‘s laws, rules, and guidance to the

best of his ability.

Allah the Exalted says in the Holy

Qur‘an: ―Allah is the protector of the

believers: from the depths of darkness He will

lead them forth into light. As for those who

reject faith, their patrons are the Evil Ones

and Wrongdoers: from light they lead them

into the depths of darkness. These are the

Companions of the Fire, dwelling therein

(forever).‖ (2:257).

So we see that by choosing a way of life,

one is also choosing a road to walk – either

from light into darkness, or from darkness

into light. For those who might think this to

be simply a metaphor, carefully review your

past. Do you remember all of the sins which

Allah hid from the eyes of humanity? Do you

remember how your prayers used to wait until

the last 10 minutes of the time window, and

He caused you to look forward to meeting

Him? Do you remember your friends who

sunk into the maelstrom of alcohol, drugs,

deceit, lying, cheating, theft, illicit relations,

and Allah chose you among many to protect

from these harms? Truly, faith is a savior

from a darkness where one can not see his

own outstretched hand. And the current

status of our ummah (community) and world

should be an indication that we are

collectively quite far from true faith.

Dear reader, notice the prerequisite of the

entrance into light: taking Islam as a way of

life, not a religion alone. Anyone can

proclaim faith on the tongue, but who is it

that can display the sweetness of that faith in

action? So many of the religious people

confine their faith in both time and space. In

time, they choose Friday, Saturday, or

Sunday as their holy day; in space, they are

confined to a mosque, synagogue, church, or

temple. On these days and in these places,

mindful of the watch of their Lord you will

find them the best people; yet upon exit, you

find them a changed people. This is not the

way of the believing Muslim.

So many of the atrocities of humanity‘s

recent years are attributed to our collective

distance from the guidance of Allah. Think

– in this past century, we have seen more

people die in war and armed conflict than in

the combined history of human conflict to

that point, a fact truly unimaginable. It is

estimated that 85% of the world‘s wealth is

shared by under 20% of its population. And

the list goes on. Allah asks rhetorically in

the Qur‘an: ―Is it not His to create and to

govern?‖ (7:54). Yet we have reversed the

command of this noble verse – so we wish

that to Allah is creation, and to our own

selves is the command and governing

decisions. And we see where this attitude

has taken us.

Allah further teaches us: ―And they say,

‗We believe in Allah and in the Messenger,

and we obey‘: but even after that, some of

them turn away: these are not (truly)

believers‖ (24:47). What clearer account

can we request to show that faith of the

tongue is no faith at all?

Allah the Exalted also says: ―But no, by

your Lord, they can have no (real) faith,

until they make you (Muhammad) judge in

all disputes between them, and find in their

souls no resistance against your decisions,

and submit themselves in full

conviction‖ (4:65). So we see here that

Islam takes its part in all affairs of our life –

yet most of us do not adopt this attitude. A

true believer must understand that in all

worldly matters – finances, banks, marriage,

Life Lessons Duties of the Conscientious Towards a Better Tomorrow

by Mohamed Abutaleb

An-Nur Volume 10, Issue 3

Page 3

divorce, work, education, food, drink,

cleanliness, worship – in every stage of life

from birth to nursing to weaning to

childhood to school to profession to

retirement to death – there is hukm Allah –

the ruling of Allah. Its presence and

existence is indisputable – what must be

reviewed is our conviction and willingness

to submit to it.

Dear reader, do not become confused

between conscious submission and blind

faith. Repeatedly, the Qur‘an forbids the

Muslims from blind faith as it accounts and

reviews prior nations that used to say ―we

have seen our forefathers do such before

us.‖ The faith of a Muslim stems from a

deep conviction and understanding, and it is

for this reason I have termed it a sincere,

conscious submission. Muslims say every

day multiple times in their prayers, ―I bear

witness that there is none worthy of worship

but Allah‖ – literally indicating that while

they have not seen it with their own eyes,

their conviction and belief is so firm that it

transcends even that of one who

has visually confirmed the fact.

As we conclude, let me briefly

comment on how we are to find

the ruling of Allah in the affairs of our lives.

Dear friends, in academic and professional

settings we are all very respectful of

scholarship and expertise – yet when we

enter the doors of the mosque, we all tend to

want to be religious scholars. It is the

nature of the disciplines of knowledge that

scholarship in them requires years upon

years of dedicated and focused study with

frequent examinations, homework, and

“Allah is the protector of the believers: from the depths of darkness

He will lead them forth into light…” -The Holy Quran

Islam Today

An-Nur Volume 10, Issue 3

Page 4

So What’s wrong with a postmodern Interpretation of the Qur’an?

by Maria Khalid

―His only supposed crime was that he

took a postmodern interpretation of the

Qur‘an.‖ Those were the words of my Eng-

lish professor in reference to Salman Rush-

die‘s writing The Satanic Verses. She con-

demned the people who were responsible

for persecuting Rushdie, for in her opinion,

Rushdie had done absolutely nothing

wrong. And while I will not condone how

he was treated, what he did in his book

merits some consideration. The fact is that,

unfortunately, many American Muslims

also take a postmodern interpretation of the

Qur‘an. In their case, the intention is pure

and the outcome isn‘t nearly as absurd, but

nevertheless, they are engaging in a big sin

and they do not realize it.

What does a postmodern interpretation

mean?

This method of interpretation is what we

are taught in schools and it is what we

have formed the habit of using. Postmod-

ern theory states that any reader can inter-

pret any text based on his/her own intelli-

gence alone, without recognition of the

author‘s intent. This means outside sources

of any kind are not needed for explanation.

The idea behind this theory is that lan-

guage is infinite in the meanings that it can

contain. You cannot restrict any piece of

literature to one single meaning. Therefore,

each reader should be free to derive every

possible meaning that the language of a

text may convey, whether intentionally or

unintentionally. What this means in prac-

tice is that I can pick up any book- for exam-

ple, Moby Dick- and I can argue that in fact

the entire book is about capitalism; that the

whale in the novel represents the capitalist‘s

undying desire to consume even that which is

beyond his reach. This interpretation may be

far off from what the author intended, but in

this case it does not matter. Postmodern inter-

pretation is all about the reader and what he

chooses to understand from a piece literature.

However, individual interpretation is al-

ways based off one‘s own experience. Think

about this, when you are interpreting a text,

what are you really doing other than project-

ing your own ideas and experiences onto it?

So if you were a communist, it may be that

you would interpret Moby Dick in the way

that I described, because you would be pro-

jecting your own way of thinking onto what

you are reading. However, if you are reading

something to try to ―attain truth‖ (which,

some postmodernists claim, is the general

purpose of literature) then that truth is really

from within yourself and limited by your

understanding. Nothing about that supposed

―truth‖ is finite or universal.

Now in the instance of reading any ordi-

nary book or novel, there is nothing wrong

with using the postmodern approach. The

purose of the approach is for readers to stay

away from the tendency to idealize or wor-

ship the author. However, in the case of the

Qur‘an this same method does not hold up

because, who is the author of the Qur‘an? It

is Allah (swt), the All-Knowing, and the

Wise. We do worship Him, so therefore we

want to determine the true meaning and what

He has intended, not our own convoluted

ideas.

So it should not come as a surprise that

the Qur‘an was not traditionally interpreted

according to the postmodern method, nor was

it interpreted haphazardly by random people.

There is a clear methodology behind the con-

struction of Qur'anic exegesis that the legiti-

mate scholars of Islam followed throughout

the centuries; if it were not for this clear-cut

methodology, people would have (and have)

deduced meanings from the Qur‘an, whether

intentionally or unintentionally, that justify

their own desires.

The traditional methodology of interpret-

ing Qur’an is as follows:

1. Qur‘an is interpreted by Qur‘an: some of

the verses of the Qur‘an, Allah explains

though other Qur‘anic verses. (And who is

there better to explain than Allah (swt)).

2. Qur‘an is explained through the Sunnah.

3. Qur‘an is explained through the state-

ments/actions of the Sahabah or Tabi‘un (the

generation that immediately succeeded the

Sahabah and were

taught by them)

4. Tafsir of the

Qur‘an by language:

(With the passage of time, and as the Mus-

lims conquered new non-Arabic-speaking

territories, new words entered the Arabic

language. Some of the words already in the

language took on multiple meanings. Thus

some of the meanings that were understood

by the companions and the early generations

needed more explanation for the later genera-

tions. This period witnessed many dictionar-

ies that were specifically made for Qura‘anic

Arabic.)

5. Qur‘an interpreted based on opinion**

**Opinion based on a careful study of the

first four steps is allowed as long as it does

not contradict those first four steps. It is

evident from all of this that a very deep un-

derstanding and knowledge of Islamic

knowledge is required for those who are

qualified to write tafsir. This does not mean

that the Qur‘an is inaccessible for us, for

there are also many verses that are straight-

forward in their meaning. Since the Qur‘an is

a book for all times, we are also allowed to

apply obvious meanings to current times.

However, free interpretation based on phi-

losophical, scientific or individual ideas that

contradict with Islam is strongly forbidden.

“We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and we will assuredly pre-

serve it..”- The Holy Quran

The prophet (pbuh) said, ―Opinion based

argument about the Qur‘an is kufr.‖ He re-

peated this three times, and then said ―What

you know of it. Act upon; and what you are

ignorant of, refer it to one who knows.‖ This

indicates the importance of reading and ex-

ploring the numerous tafsirs of the Qur‘an

that have been written. Or at least we can

consult those who are more knowledgeable

on these topics than we are, for if we were

allowed to interpret the Qur‘an as we

wished, its value would have been dimin-

ished.

The important thing to keep in mind

here is the intent behind the different inter-

pretation methods. Postmodern interpreta-

tion takes for granted that the author is un-

important. The intent is to use literature in

an attempt to reach a superficial, subjective

understanding of truth. Whereas, the truth

we find in the Qur‘an is neither superficial,

nor subjective, and the author is the most

important element. So we have to be careful

that we don‘t apply the same approach to the

Qur‘an that we use to interpret literature in

general. Habit has made is easy for us to

commit this huge mistake.

Below are examples that correspond

with the first four methods in interpreting

the Qur‘an:

Quran is interpreted by Qur’an

Surat al-Tariq:

1. by the sky and the Night-Visitant

(therein);-

2. and what will explain to Thee what the

Night-Visitant is?-

3. (it is) the Star of piercing brightness;-

Here Allah (swt) asks a question to catch the

mind of the readers and then answers it.

Allah (swt) says in Surat Al-Ana‘am: ―La

tudrikhu al-absar…‖ (103) (Sight Cannot

Encompass Him…) which implies that Al-

lah cannot be seen in this life or the Hereaf-

ter. However, we understand this verse

through other verses such as in Suratul Qiy-

yamah, verse 23: ―Gazing at their Lord...‖

This verse informs us of the believers who

will see Allah (swt), which is the greatest of

pleasures. Therefore, the tafsir of verse 103

in Suratul Ana‘am is that Allah will not be

seen in this world, but will be seen in the Here-

after by the believers whom Allah (swt) wishes

for.

Qura’an By Sunnah

Allah (swt) says in the Qur‘an: ―...We

have revealed the Reminder [the Qur‘an] to

you [Oh Mohammed] so that you may explain

to the people what has been revealed to

them…‖ An-Nahl, verse 44. Thus the prophet

(pbuh) was entrusted with the job of explain-

ing the Qur’an to us.

Allah (swt) says in Surat Al Ana‘am verse

82: "It is those who believe and confuse not

their beliefs with transgression (dhulm) - that

are (truly) in security, for they are on (right)

Guidance."

When some of the companions heard this

they felt distressed, because the word dhulm

transgression) covers any kind of wrong by its

linguistic meaning, and none of the sahabah

were free from error. So the prophet (pbuh)

cleared this up by showing them the true

meaning of dhulm in this context:

―It is not as you all think. It is no more

than what Luqman said to his son, ‗Verily,

shirk is the greatest form of dhulm‘ 31:13‖

– Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, p. 72, hadith no.226.

Therefore the meaning of dhulm in the former

verse is shirk.

Qur’an is explained through the state-

ments/actions of the Sahabah or Tabi’un

Ibn Kathir said, ―If we are unable to find a

suitable tafsir in the Qur‘an or in the Sunnah,

we go to the opinions of the Sahabah. For ver-

ily, they knew the Qur‘an better than anyone

else due to: their knowledge of the circum-

stances of its revelation, their complete and

accurate understanding of it, and their right-

eous deeds.‖

In Surat al-Maida, verse 44 ―…if any do

fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath

revealed, They are (no better than) Unbeliev-

ers.‖

Abdullah ibn ‗Abbas said about this verse,

―it is a form of kufr less than real kufr.‖ In

authentic narrations, the Prophet (pbuh) made

dua‘a for Ibn ‗Abbas by saying ―oh Allah, give

him a deep understanding of the religion and

make him skilled in interpretation,‖ and

indeed he became amongst the most promi-

nent scholars of tafsir.

Tafsir of the Qur’an by language

There is a classical example of this from

Surat An-Nisa, verse 43: ―…or ye have been

In contact with women, and ye find no wa-

ter, then take for yourselves clean sand or

earth, and rub therewith your faces and

hands…‖

The word lams in Arabic literally

means to touch but in this verse we under-

stand it to mean sexual intercourse due to

other proofs that show literal touching does

not make a person impure.

It is important to note that the Qur‘an

has been protected by none other than Allah

(Swt). It is His job to protect the Qur‘an as

he says: ―we have, without doubt, sent down

the Message; and we will assuredly preserve

it (from corruption).‖ This preservation of

the Qur‘an is not only the preservation of the

words but rather also the preservation of the

meaning of the Qur‘an. For this reason the

Qur‘an is a book for all ages and its meaning

applies for all the generations from the time

of the Prophet (pbuh) until now. Many of

the deviant sects that have ‗post-modern‘

approaches to the Qur‘an fail to understand

this point of preservation and claim that the

Qur‘an and sunnah are only for the time of

the Prophet (pbuh) and have different mean-

ings now.

Anything good that I have said is from

Allah (swt) and anything wrong I have said

is from my own self. Please forgive me if I

have made any mistakes. May Allah (swt)

allow us to benefit from what we have

learned and teach us that which is beneficial.

Ameen.

An-Nur Volume 10, Issue 3

Page 5

Islam Today

Power of the Quran

An-Nur Volume 10, Issue 3

Page 6

Imam Shafi‘i said ―If mankind

were to ponder on Sura Al-Asr alone it

would be sufficient for their guidance‖.

What makes this sura so great? There

are 114 chapters in the Quran and to say

that this one chapter is sufficient for

guidance when it only contains 3 verses

is a very bold statement. However, we

know of the unanimous agreement on

the scholarship of Imam Shafi‘I who had

memorized the Quran by the age of

seven and read the Quran twice daily

during Ramadan. Yet what drove him to

make such a statement? If we look at

the theme of this chapter we see that the

emphasis is on salvation. Allah first

swears by time that verily all of mankind

is in definite loss. Loss here means loss

in the hereafter which is hellfire. So all

of mankind is going to hell— but that is

only half of the truth. Allah then goes on

to state that ―except those who believe,

do righteous deeds, call towards truth,

and call towards patience‖. So Allah

gives us a way out. He doesn‘t condemn us

to hell as some preachers do nor does he say

all is good as others do. There is a balance

set from the very beginning. If you don‘t

want to go to hell then follow the way to

salvation outlined in this chapter.

The halaqaas on Monday will go fur-

ther into detail about the meaning of this

chapter based on the first principle of expla-

nation, which is that the Quran explains the

Quran. If we want to further understand

something our professor said we could go to

the TA but the best person to explain him-

self or herself would be the professor for he

or she knows the words they chose to use

and what they meant by it. Similarly, we

want to understand what Allah intended by

belief, doing good deeds, calling towards

truth and calling towards patience. Come

and journey with us through the Quran in

search of salvation every Monday in Pyon

Su from 12-1pm. For any comments e-mail

me at [email protected].

Salvation Through Sura Al-Asr

By Sami Said

Duties of the Conscientious Towards a Better Tomorrow (cont’d)

(continued from page 3)

research – and this is so much more so with

Islamic jurisprudence, which is immensely

broader than any of the sciences or humani-

ties. Each Muslim is required to learn a

certain minimum basis of knowledge – how

to purify oneself, how to pray, basic obliga-

tions, etc. – and to increase on this. Further,

it is praiseworthy for each able Muslim to

be a da’iyah – a caller to Allah‘s way who

invites others to true Islam, be they Muslim

or not. It is also praiseworthy for one to be

a ‘alim (scholar), but it is few among us

who will become religious scholars. Many

of you have dedicated your lives to becom-

ing scholars of science, government, art,

journalism, engineering, medicine, and so

many other disciplines – and this is a path

which, if pursued with sincerity, will lead

you to mountains of good deeds and re-

wards. Yet just as you are not instructed on

how to build the next bridge or conduct the

next surgery by religious scholars, so must

they also be respected in their religious dis-

course, debate, and fatawa (rulings).

Each intellectually able human being is

asked to make conscious choices in their

lives, for which they will be brought to ac-

count on the Day of Judgment. However,

these judgments are not to be made in a vac-

uum – they are to be made among the pool of

opinions of reputable scholars. When there is

a consensus of scholars – such as on the exis-

tence of five daily prayers – it is incumbent

upon the Muslim to follow that opinion. And

when there is a difference among reputable

scholars, one should choose that opinion

which in their heart is closest to the truth,

without ridiculing or attacking those who

take the other opinion(s). The interested

reader might consult a book on usul al-fiqh –

the sources of jurisprudent methodology – for

more information on this subject. And here,

let us pause our discourse until next time,

when we will take up our discussion on

these points, Allah willing.

The author welcomes correspondence

by electronic mail at [email protected]

with questions, comments, and suggestions.

High and exalted be Allah, the True King!

Do not hasten to recite the Qur’an before its

revelation is completely conveyed to you, and

say: “O my Rabb! Increase my knowledge.”

- Surah Taha,

114 Directions: Enter Musullah, turn right, take 7

steps, first door on your left

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War Poem By Faten Gharib

Creative Writing

An-Nur Volume 10, Issue 3

Page 7

My mission is to expose you foes that bulldoze our homes

Put us in zones and then just call them your own

You kill hundreds and thousands in the name of peace and justice

And it‘s quickly covered up if the truth were ever published

State to state, we‘re slowly dropping one by one

You can‘t even hear me from the monstrous anger of your guns

You destroy a whole country for the soul of a single man

Mission not accomplished, leave Afghanistan

Then on to Iraq, which was really about the oil

You lied to begin with, no need for more turmoil

What about the country you‘ve stolen for more than enough time

You don‘t call these crimes…then where is our Palestine

Now considered ‗history‘- Bosnia, Kosovo, Shishan

What about Kashmir, Lebanon, Sumalia and Sudan

The list goes on, killing us from country to country

Making parents lower their children into the ground sadly

As the sun sets, refugee camps fill with men in tents

Ready for defense, yet looking over a barbed wire fence

What do you say to the one with no more family

That for trying to defend himself he‘s lost all his sanity

So easy to say ―suicide bomber‖ or ―insurgent‖

While you kill women and children as if they‘re house rodents

In our own homes and you make us feel trapped

And then wonder why people are walking around strapped

Your aim is to make us bow down in shame

While you quickly put our homes to flames

Fighter jets are killing our children in beds

One shot, the sky is red, from the blast, 50 dead

Tyranny to you is like the Holocaust or 9/11

Yet your heart doesn‘t ache when you blast child 5, 6, then 7

Any place or time, once you open your mouth wide

All we‘re going to hear are lies

Although it may be too late, one day you‘ll come to understand

That the only real peace was through Allah‘s path of Islam

Looking at all this, we‘re in need to educate ourselves

Because as this persists, we slowly lose our places to dwell

Once the drums of time have finally rolled and ceased

We‘ll be judged for the ways we tried to help our deceased

Tanks are rolling, blood‘s flowing, yet we must hold to our dream

One day we'll see the sun gleam, over the Med Sea

No body or soul is going to change our plan

We‘ll keep fighting with our right hand, til all tyranny is banned

A long time ago, half a century away,

TV was created, there were shows on all day,

It was a playful little thing, a miracle to see,

These talking moving heads just looking at me,

It was a daring start, and we wanted much more,

Then huge HUGE computers were there at the store,

It was too much, we loved it, this stuff pulled us in,

It was an age of technology, piling up to our chins,

Radio, microwave, refrigerators that freeze!

No more salted meat and rotted old cheese.

Gadgets and gizmos, electronic stuff that talked,

It was a pathway to heaven, never before walked,

The inventors were awed, look what they had tried,

But their minds nagged them on: Go on, wer‘e not satisfied!

The computers grew smaller, yet compact and fast,

TV just got color, and cable, at last,

Palm pilots, VCR‘s, DVD‘s, much more,

Warcraft and Starcraft, 3-D games at the store,

Suddenly came the now most famous used Internet,

With communication in a flash, very fast, I bet

Movies came out, how these machines would be smart,

Artificial intelligence, it was called, I believe is the start,

If you look outside now, you‘ll find the streets are pure kidless,

Staring at TV about law, order, and business,

The plague has just started, a long time from now,

We‘ll be ruled by machines, I keep thinking, oh wow!

But, I‘ll start to think later, I have stuff to do,

I‘ll go watch TV, then chat online too,

Then listen to music, ―sweet ipod,‖ I sigh,

Yep, machines‘ll control later…oop! My show‘s on, so bye!

Artificial Intelligence By Eman Haggag

An-Nur Volume 10, Issue 3

Page 8

MSA Officers

President: Sami Said

Vice-President: Sami Zaharna

VP Sisters’ Affairs: Faten Gharib

Masjid Affairs:Hamzah Abu-Ragheb

Pub. Relations: Rashad Ahmed

Secretary: Jameel Khan

Treasurer: Salman Shah

MWM Officers

President: Hera Hashmi

Vice-President: Maria Khalid

Secretary: Anum Shami

Treasurer: Jesmin Saikh

Pub. Relations: Sana Din

SGA Liaison: Qundeel Rafiq

Newsletter Staff

Editor in Chief

Nadia El-Hillal

Staff Writers:

Mohamed Abutaleb

Rafia Ali

Faten Gharib

Eman Haggag

Maria Khalid

Sami Said

Sami Zaharna

The views and opinions expressed in An-Nur

are solely those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of

the editing staff or of the MSA.

Creative Writing University of Maryland at College Park

Box 44, Stamp Student Union

College Park, MD 20742

Email: [email protected]

WWW.MSA-UMD.ORG

WWW.MWM-UMD.ORG

T H E M U S L I M S T U D E N T S ’ A S S O C I A T I O N

MSA Chaplain: Tarif Shraim

Seven Wonders Who picked the “Seven Wonders of the World”?

Hanging gardens, pyramids and such

Beautiful craftsmanship but to me they’re not worth that much

Some of my wonders are of this world, some are of the next

One of them is the Quran the most noble of text

I wonder about Paradise I wonder about Hell

Peoples’ doubts about these places I hope to dispel

I wonder why people reject belief

Cause all they’ll get is eternity in the hellfire no relief

I wonder about Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him

Read about his life and learn how he abstained from sin

I wonder about Allah

Cause He is Most High

To Allah we will go after we die

Of all the best attributes Allah has the most and the best

Allah gave us one-hundredth of a part of mercy and kept the rest

So Allah is most merciful the greatest wonder of all

Those “Seven Wonders of the World” combined can’t come close to a place in Jannah at all

Be weary not to confuse the hypocrites with

the righteous

"And of mankind are some who say, "We believe in God and the Last Day," when they believe not. They think to beguile God and those who believe, and they beguile none save themselves; but they perceive not. In their hearts is a disease, and God increases their disease. A painful doom is theirs because they lie. And when it is said to them, "Make not mischief on the earth," they say, "We are only peacemakers." Behold they are indeed the mischief-makers but they perceive not." Qur'an 2:8-12