VOLUME 2 ISSUE find your monthly dose ﻮﻧ The...him “Al-Saadiq Al-Ameen” (the Truthful the Trust-worthy). Bibi Khadijah, an extremely wealthy and well-respected woman, married

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Ayat of the Month  “But if they strive to make [you] join in worship with Me things of which [you have] no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in this life with jus ce (and consider‐a on), and follow the way of those who turn to Me (in love)...  

[Surah Luqman Ayat 15 ][31:15] 

Hadith of the Month

Yahya related to me from Ma‐

lik that he had heard that the 

Messenger of Allah(  صلي هللا  ,said ( عليه وسلم

“I was sent to perfect good 

character."  

[Muwa a Imam Malik]

Hajj & Eid ul-Adha Mubarak!

Editor’s Note: Islam-The Religion of Love and Peace Islam is a religion that teaches Muslims to live their lives by compassion, faith, mer-cy, and love: love for Allah, love for our Rasul صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم and his family, love for our Sahaba, love for our faith, our deen, our parents, our elders, our families, our teachers, our communities, our broth-ers, our sisters, and all of mankind.

It is a religion of the heart. In fact, it is a way of life that transforms people into more caring and loving individuals. Any way of thinking that is contrary to this message of love and peace is not Islam. When love is the foundation of Islam, how can actions possessed by anger, hate, and ignorance represent the virtues of the reli-gion? Unfortunately, misunderstanding clouds peoples’ understanding of Islam; it also clouds their hearts. We will not be able to see the light that Islam represents wearing blinders of hate and anger. Only through the light of Prophet Muham-mad صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم does everything become clear.

By looking at the life and the actions of Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم we can

learn how to manifest virtues of peace, re-spect, and love. All three go hand in hand as peace comes from respect, and respect comes from love. And from love branches all character and virtue.

From the hadith of the month, we know that Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم was sent to perfect good character. Nowhere in good character is their insulting, getting angry, or hurting others. Even before Allah ordered Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم to start spreading the message of Islam, he was loved by many of the Quraish for his perfect character.

Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم would never respond to hate with violence. He would instead respond with love and care. He would actually sincerely pray to Allah to help guide those who hurt him!

We need to be doing our part as Muslims by walking the walk instead of only talk-ing the talk. We say we are followers of the Prophet Muhammad صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم , but we have to live up to the expecta-tions our Prophet صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم has for us.

- Br. Thymur Dogar & TMN Team

The place to find your monthly dose of Noor

ISSUE

21 th o f

Oc tober

2012

01  نو

The

Monthly 5th o f Dhu l-H i j j ah

H i j r i 1433

Visit MonthlyNoor.com for more pictures, ar cles, and updates insha’Allah! 

The Official Islamic Foundation Sunday School Newsletter:

The Monthly Noor In this issue 

The Chosen One– Sr. Faiza Mujeeb 

At the Hands of Mercy—The story of Ta’if 

The Final Sermon 

Eid‐Ul‐Adha‐”The Feast of the Ul mate Sacrifice” 

Loving Allah—Nasar  Qureshi 

How Allah Saved my Uncle– Muzzammil Murtaza 

Hajj—A Fountain of Youth 

VOLUME 2

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The Chosen One

I wonder about your flawless character I wonder how many souls you healed I wonder about your profound wisdom That became our ummah’s shield

A figure of amazing humility Twinkling brighter than the stars Illuminating the world’s ends Brightly shining near and far

You are Allah’s mercy on mankind That still keeps us comfy and warm Just like a fluffy blanket Fighting storms of evil harm

You rushed to care for the needy Helping all friends even foes You made the rich and poor alike Pray together in disciplined rows

You are an emblem of obedience A precedent never seen You eliminated the darkness Like a piercing light beam

“Allah is only One” You proclaimed this fact indeed Not only in loud words But showed in greatest of deeds

Your arch enemies would mock at you Grinning foolishly from ear to ear Never did you raise an eyebrow Nor give up Divine Mission in fear

They challenged and threatened you They hurt you over and over again Even slew your kith and kin Causing much grief and pain

When attempts on your life Grew fierce and dangerous They hurled stones at your person Vainly believed they were victorious

When blood began to drip Covering you from head to toe Your strength never wavered You were determined not to let go

Your faith was so strong As hard as a rock Never grew tired or weary Working against the clock

You endured all the trials With patience so high I try to imagine Until I start to cry

A river of forgiveness Flowed in your veins Sweeping away the malice of enemies Pouring forth like rain

Your words were soft and kind You were a generous giver You brought glad tidings To the faithful believers

Your smile lifted the lowest spirits Your support made battalions brave You taught us to gain knowledge From cradle to the grave

All angels send you blessings In the heavens far above I too feel very fortunate To be able to send you love

On the day of resurrection When only Allah’s shade will prevail I beg Allah to pardon us To make us win, not fail

A final prayer I wish And then we would’ve surely won May Allah bestow Muslims in Paradise Company of His Chosen One

Written by: Sr. Faiza Mujeeb

The Monthly Noor 2:01    The Chosen One‐Sr. Faiza Mujeeb 

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At the hands of mercy—The story of Ta’if

Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم is the best of creation. All of existence, anything and everything besides Allah that is beautiful and majestic in this universe and all of the universes take their positive qualities from our beloved Nabi صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم . May Allah send peace and blessings on him and his family for eternity!

It was this manifestation of perfection that called to the message of Islam in the Arabian peninsula 1400 years ago. At that time, humanity was in one of its darkest phases of history. It was such a horrible time that it is often referred to as the Era of Barbaric Ig-norance “Jahiliyya.” The Quraish used to worship idols and have poor character. Women were op-pressed, and there was no sense of cleanliness, man-ners, or respect. Everyone lived by their own desires disregarding the rights of others: lying, stealing, and cheating.

It was this era of darkness that Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه .transformed and illuminated with Light واله وسلم His light illuminated the hearts of thousands of peo-ple. Hearts that had been closed, silenced, and im-prisoned by darkness for years were lifted to the gar-dens of paradise.

His character was such that the Quraish (the people living in that part of Arabia at the time) would call him “Al-Saadiq Al-Ameen” (the Truthful the Trust-

worthy). Bibi Khadijah, an extremely wealthy and well-respected woman, married Rasulullah صلي هللا for his honest and noble character عليه واله وسلم among many other things.

He never prostrated to any idols, never lied, never cheated, and was never unjust. He was from a noble family lineage coming from a family of pious and righteous leaders. His words were purer than gold. The Quresh would leave their livestock with him when they would trust no one else. They trusted him with all of their valuables and money to hold for them. Not only that, but the Quresh would believe everything Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم said to such an extent that even if he told them there was an army behind one of the nearing mountains, they would prepare themselves for war without any hesi-tation or doubt. The Quresh had much respect and love for Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم until the message of Islam started to spread. They believed everything except one thing, his message of “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His final messenger.”

Even after 40 years of perfect character and radi-ance, for this message of Islam he was insulted, ridi-culed, and hurt. The people who previously respect-ed him and loved him were now calling him an out-cast, a sorcerer, and a liar! Even his relativities were against him. Only his close friends and immediate family believed Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم and converted to Islam; however, they were all put under tremendous distress. They were tortured, threatened, and persecuted; yet, they did not waiver in their be-liefs and love for him.

The Quraish were dumbfounded by the message of Islam. They tried everything to prove it wrong, but they could not come up with anything. They never heard such perfect, majestic, and divine words be-fore. Even their most educated literary geniuses and scholars were unable to match the words of the

The Monthly Noor 2:01    At the Hands of Mercy—The story of Ta’if 

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At the hands of mercy—The story of Ta’if

Qur’an and Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم time and time again.

Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم and his companions patiently endured this for 7 years. Because of the severity of the treatment they were receiving from the Quraish, some of them even migrated to Abyssi-na. Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم was greatly weakened and hurt. He was all alone except for a few companions and his family. His blessed body went through all this suffering and torture only be-cause he stood up for the truth; however, even after going through all of this, he never lost his convic-tion and continued his quest of truth.

The Quraish exiled Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم and his followers from Mecca and started a 3 year embargo/boycott to prevent him from receiving any help, food, or supplies. They were forced to eat grass and leaves! One person that was keeping the Quraish from lethally persecuting Rasulullah صلي هللا .was Abu Talib عليه واله وسلم

Abu Talib was Rasulullah’s صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم most beloved uncle. Abu Talib took care of Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم ever since he was a child and loved him immensely. When Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم was ordered by Allah to start spreading Islam, Abu Talib protected him with his wealth, nobility, social status, and life. Abu Talib was a very wealthy and powerful personality in Mecca; however, after the 10th year of the start of the preaching of Islam, and third year of the embar-go, he passed away.

Rasulullah’s صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم other pillar of support was his blessed wife, Bibi Khadijah. She loved Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم very much and was a caring wife. She supported, loved, and com-forted Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم when no one else would. She was the first to embrace Islam, and had full faith in her husband. Bibi Khadijah was of the wealthiest people in Arabia; however, she and

Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم donated all their money to charity, every last cent. Her loyalty and commitment defines what true love is. Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم loved Bibi Khadijah so much that he felt that Allah giving him the love of Bibi Khadijah was worth more than all every-thing in the world. After just three days after Abu Talib left this world, Bibi Khadijah, Rasulullah’s pillar of support, true love, and loyal friend passed

away from starvation.

Now, the Be-loved of Al-lah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم was all alone. Abu Talib could

no longer protect him. Bibi Khadijah could not long-er support, love, and comfort him. Rasulullah صلي هللا was heart-broken and hurt, but his عليه واله وسلم belief in Allah was so strong that he never hesitated in spreading the message. His heart longed for peace and happiness, but the Quraish only intensified their attacks. Although the embargo ended, they attacked and tortured the Muslims. After trying to spread the Message of God in Mecca, instead of giving up, Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم decided to go on a journey to Ta’if.

Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم wanted to see if he could bring other people from different lands to the truth. Even though he was heart-broken from his recent losses, he still set out on foot on a 60 mile journey to Ta’if with Hadrat Zaid bin Haaritha.

Ta’if was a land known for its agriculture and rich-es. As soon as Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم arrived, he didn’t stop for rest and went straight to the leaders of the city: the family of ‘Umair’. Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم told them about the

The Monthly Noor 2:01    At the Hands of Mercy—The story of Ta’if 

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at the hands of mercy—The story of Ta’if

beautiful message of Islam; however, they replied by insulting and slandering him. The citizens of Ta’if then gathered around Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله ,and Hadrat Zaid and pelted them with stones وسلم chasing them out of the city. Rasulullah’s صلي هللا holy body was injured to the extent عليه واله وسلم where pools of his holy blood drenched his sandals.

Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم would try sitting down to rest his injured legs and feet; however, the people of Ta’if grabbed him by his shoulders and pushed him away while continuing to stone him amidst insulting and slandering. Hadrat Zaid tried stopping the stones and hits with his own body, but even so, Rasulullah’s صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم blood drenched his feet.

After this difficult experience in Ta’if, Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم sincerely called out to Allah and made du’a:

"O Allah! I complain to You of my weakness, my scarcity of resources and the humiliation I have been subjected to by the people. O Most Merciful of those who are merciful. O Lord of the weak and my Lord too. To whom have you entrusted me?

To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair? So long as You are not angry with me, I do not care. Your favor is of a more expansive relief to me. I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Your anger

or Your displeasure descends upon me. I desire Your pleasure and satisfaction until You are pleased.

There is no power and no might except by You."

Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم was walking back to Mecca until he noticed a cloud giving him shade. As he looked up, he noticed Angel Jibrail Alayhis Salaam sitting in it. Jibrail Alayhis Salaam said, “Allah has heard the statements and reactions of your people. The angel of the mountains is present to serve you.”

Then the angel of the mountains gave salaam and called to Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم , “Oh Muhammad, Allah has seen the conduct of your na-tion against you and has sent me in your service. Order, and I will do as you please. Within me is the ability to cast the mountains of ‘Abu Qais’ and ‘Qaiqa’aan upon the disbelievers according to your desire.” Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم responded,

“No, I am in hope that people will appear from their descendants who will worship Allah alone and not others.”

SubhanAllah! Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم chose patience and mercy over violence and revenge. The fate of the entire city of Ta’if was in his hands. He could have chosen to pay back those who hurt him; yet, he chose mercy and forgiveness. And because of that one act of mercy, in a later generation, there were Muslims who came from Ta’if and spread Is-lam to many other parts of the world. His convic-tion, belief in Allah, and character was invincible.

If such kindness was shown to people who chased Rasulullah صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم out of the city and made him bleed, just imagine the kindness he would show to people who simply try slandering him and cannot even touch him. Furthermore, if he was this kind to people who didn’t love him, just imagine the kindness he showed and will show to those who loved him then, and love him today!

The Monthly Noor 2:01    At the Hands of Mercy—The story of Ta’if 

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The Monthly Noor 2:01    The Final Sermon 

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Eid-Ul-Adha Mubarak! We celebrate the great sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail (A) for the sake of their Lord.

On this day Prophet Ibrahim was or-dered to sacrifice his most be-loved possession in order to please Al-lah. His most beloved possession in the world was his son the noble Prophet Is-mail (A). He was the result of countless years of dua of Prophet Ibrahim A when he was close to 100 years of

age. Prophet Ibrahim approached Prophet Ismail A when he was only 13 years old that Allah has ordered him to be sacrificed. Prophet Ismail A being a true Muslim did not hesititate at the order of Allah and told his father "Father, do what you have been commanded. You will find me, Inshallah, to be very pa-tient." Look at the greatness of Prophet Ismail at such a young and tender age to be willing to give up his life for His Lord. And look at the greatness of Prophet Ibrahim, Al Kahlil Allah (The Great Friend of Allah) who was willing to sacrifice his most beloved possession. May Allah shower blessings upon blessings upon them and their descendants. From their descendants came our most beloved master Prophet Muhammad ( صلي هللا .( عليه واله وسلم

Their story is mentioned in Surah As-Saffat "Those Who Set The Ranks:"

"O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)!" So We gave him the good news of a boy, possessing forbearance. And when (his son) was old enough to walk and work with him, (Abraham) said: O my dear son, I see in vi-sion that I offer you in sacrifice: Now see what is your view!" (The son Ismail) said: "O my father! Do what you are commanded; if Allah wills, you will find me one practicing patience and steadfastness!" So when they both submitted and he threw him down upon his forehead, We called out to him saying: O Ibrahim! You have indeed fulfilled the vision; surely thus do We reward those who do good. Most surely this was a mani-fest trial. And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice. And We perpetuated (praise) to him among the later generations. "Peace and salutation to Abraham!" Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. Surely he was one of Our believing servants. And We gave him the good news of Ishaq, a prophet from among the righteous." (37:100-112)

In following the practice of Prophet Ibrahim who sacrificed a sheep in place of Prophet Ismail on this day Muslims sacrifice an animal in the name of Allah and distribute the meat to the poor. This is done to seek the pleasure of Allah by remembering the Ultimate Sacrifice. May everyone have a blessed Eid.

The Monthly Noor 2:01    Eid‐ul‐Adha‐”The Feast of the Ul mate Sacrifice” 

Eid-ul-Adha—"The Feast of the Ultimate Sacrifice"

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Loving Allah—By: Nasar Qureshi

“Wa ata kum min kulli ma sa altumu wa in tauddu naymat allahi la tuh suha.” “And if you could the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them.” (14:36).

Allah has given us many senses. For example, the eyes can see, the ears can hear, and etc. Allah سبحانه has created the heart to love, but who do we و تعالي love? We naturally love those who are kind to us, care about us, and help us when we need it. The ayat given above clearly explains that Allah سبحانه و تعالي has given us so many blessings that it is impossible for any human being to count them. Most of these blessings have been given to us even without asking for it, and we often take them for granted.

Firstly, I love Allah سبحانه و تعالي because I am a Muslim, and I believe that Allah is my creator. I love Allah because He has created me as a follower of His beloved Prophet Muhammad صلي هللا عليه وسلم who was a source of mercy for the entire humanity. I love Allah for His kindness and mercy. I know I make many mistakes, but Allah سبحانه و تعالي is the most merciful and forgiving, and when I repent sin-cerely, I believe Allah will forgive me even if my sins were as big as a mountain. Allah’s love for us is more than the love of 70 mothers. SubhanAllah! So is it not our obligation to love Him back? Allah’s love and mercy is shown in that, if we commit a good deed, we can get many folds of hasanath, but

for one bad deed, there is only one punishment. In-deed Allah سبحانه و تعالي Is worthy of all praise and love. Allah has promised to help us if we ask him. Allah سبحانه و تعالي Says if we take one step closer to Him, He will come ten steps closer to us, if we go walking towards Him, He will come running to-wards us. Is there anyone else who can do this?

I am thankful to Allah for several reasons. In Surah Ar-Rahman, Allah سبحانه و تعالي says, “Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?” If I sit down to write down all the reasons, I will surely run out of ink and paper, and I could not properly even thank Allah for one day of blessings. First of all, I am thankful to Allah سبحانه و تعالي for making me a Muslim and giving me the guidance to practice the best religion on Earth which is Islam. I am thankful to Allah سبحانه و تعالي for giving me a loving family who is always there for me. I am also thankful to Allah سبحانه و تعالي for giving me great teachers who have taught me a lot about Islam. I am especial-ly thankful to Allah for giving me a teacher like my Islamic Studies teacher in Sunday School who has been a big source of inspiration for me in the past two years. I am thankful to Allah سبحانه و تعالي for giving me good health. I know there are many chil-dren who are sick, and I always pray to Allah for their health. There are many orphans and poor chil-dren all over the world who do not have food to eat or a place to sleep. I am thankful for Allah سبحانه و for providing me food and shelter. I think تعالي Allah has given me everything a child could ask for and, I feel fully satisfied.

As I write this essay, my head bows to Allah with extreme gratitude, and my heart whispers nothing but praise and glory to my Lord. I don’t have enough words to describe how thankful I am to Al-lah for granting me the biggest wish of my life. Ever since I was four years old, I dreamt of becoming a Hafiz. I knew this could be only a dream because there is not a single person in my entire family who

The Monthly Noor 2:01    Loving Allah– Nasar Qureshi 

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is a Hafiz, but I believed in Allah and sincerely prayed to Him. It was unbelievable how Allah made things easy for me. I was extremely shocked when Hafiz-saab took me in his full time Hifz Program. When Allah says, “Kun Fayakun” it will be done. Now I am only four Juz away from becoming a Ha-fiz, and I thank Allah everyday for making my dream come true.

Indeed, for all that He has given me, the least I can do is love my most benevolent and merciful Creator with all my heart. I love Allah more than my friends and family and anything in this world. I pray to Allah to guide me on the path that pleases Him and not on the path that is filled with His wrath.

The Monthly Noor 2:01    Allah Saved My Uncle—By Muzzammil Murtaza 

Allah saved my uncle—By: Muzzammil Murtaza

I love Allah سبحانه و تعالي because He is our God, He is our Creator, He is our Master. He is the Mas-ter of the Day of Judgment. He can take our lives and create us again, and He did this with my uncle.

One time in my life, my uncle was having a heart attack and when he was at the hospital, his heart beat was really low, slow, and slowly the beats of his life was going down until the beats stopped.

The doctor came out saying frightful words. He said, “I’m sorry; he’s dead.” Everyone in our family was filled with tears. If all of our tears combined it would be like a lake. But then we heard a beep, then another beep, and we noticed my uncle was waking up. He was alive! Allah سبحانه و تعالي had saved his life, and he was as healthy as ever. The doctors said that what actually happened was that he had a NDE or a near death experience. I will say this, Allah سبحانه و تعالي had saved his life. This is why I love Allah سبحانه و تعالي . I love Allah سبحانه و تعالي so much because He has saved many of my family members from terrible disasters.

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The fountain of youth is not a myth. It exists. But I am not talking about the mythical fountain of youth the Spaniards looked for. I am talking about a real fountain of youth: Hajj. By going on Hajj, you are reborn, and all of your sins are washed away.

“He who came to this House (the Ka’bah) (with the intention in performing Hajj) without speaking or committing indecencies, would return (free from sin) as on the day his mother bore him.”

What would we give to go back in time: just even for 5 years, 10 years, 20 years? By going on Hajj, we can go as far back as to the very second we were born. We become as clean hearted as we once were on our birthdate. Such a profound transformation is most easily achieved through the experience of Hajj.

Hajj is not only a surah in the Majestic Qur’an, but it also means “pilgrimage.” And what is a pilgrim-age? It is a spiritual journey. So starting in the name itself, we come to understand that Hajj is not just a journey with a list of rituals and regulations to be followed. There are deeper spiritual aspects of Hajj

which make it as special as it really is.

Before one physically does Hajj, they must perform Hajj with their hearts. As one makes Tawaf around the Ka’bah, one should make tawaf with their hearts first. The heart adds the needed dimension that is required to bring us closer to Allah سبحانه و تعالي .

We know that the destination of our physical jour-ney is to Mecca Mukarrama, but what is the destina-tion of our spiritual journey? In reality, Hajj is a means in reaching Allah سبحانه و تعالي , it is our journey to Him. The Arsh of Allah is above the Ka’ba where thousands of Angels do tawaf. You will be standing before Allah! The Ka’aba is Allah’s house, and you have come as a guest. In fact, the du’a that is recited is us talking to Allah and saying, “Oh Allah we are here in front of you!” Not only are you joining millions of Muslims in Hajj in front of Allah, but there are billions of angels present too! In Mecca, you are at the closest point to Jannah; there-fore, the good deeds done there are multiplied many times over.

Hajj symbolizes true equality among all Muslims. When Muslims where the Ihram (two white sheets), they are then made to realize that the only deciding factor of their fate before Allah will be piety and righteousness. Wealth and status will not help them standing in front of Allah. Malcolm X said the fol-lowing about this aspect of Hajj:

“There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood…”

In Hajj, there also is a reminder for the Day of Judgment. Just as all the Hajis will stand on the plain of Arafat, so will all of humanity stand on the plain of resurrection. Nothing will distinguish be-tween each person except his or her piety.

Hajj shows us that the path to Allah is to leave the

The Monthly Noor 2:01    Hajj—A Fountain of Youth 

Hajj—A fountain of

youth

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duniya behind you. Everyone leaves their homes, families (for some), jobs, and wealth behind just to migrate to Mecca. There is a need for sacrifice in order to attain closeness to Allah. This theme of sac-rifice is further enforced in the story of Ibrahim Alayhis Salaam and Eid-ul-Adha. There can be no love without sacrifice as sacrifice measures the ex-tent of one’s love (in this case, love to Allah and His Messenger صلي هللا عليه واله وسلم )

This is a major test for many people. It is not easy to leave your home for weeks and go to a crowded, extremely hot, and foreign land. But it is in tests that Allah gives us sabr (patience) and purifies us. Test-ing is a means of purification, and the more we are tested on the journey of Hajj or afterwards, the more Allah is trying to clean our hearts.

Finally, Hajj is also one of the five pillars of Islam, where all the pillars are bound by the threads of time. Hajj occurs once a year during Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar, but even the placement of Hajj in the last month is symbolic. Af-ter a year’s worth accumulation of sin, having Hajj at the end of the year will wipe away all those amassed sins in just one month to make the believer ready to take on the new year sin-free, clean, and full of noor.

Once the sins have been cleared from the heart, it allows room for noor to fill into it. This is often why people visit Medina Munawara Shareef after their Hajj trip! Now that their hearts are clean, the Noor of Medina can fill their hearts, and they can then take this noor with them wherever they go.

Going on Hajj multiplies good deeds 70 fold. Du’a of a Haji is accepted for 40 days after they perform Hajj, and just looking and being in the presence of those who went on Hajj is considered an ‘ibadat (act

of worship)! The wonders of Hajj are endless, and it is said that people start having more and more hi-daya, guidance to Allah, after they complete Hajj. SubhanAllah!

For those of our brothers and sisters who have been blessed with the opportunity to go to Hajj, may Al-lah bless them, accept their Hajj, and make their Hajj easy for them. For those of us who have not been blessed with the opportunity to be filled with the purest of lights and to be cleaned from the purest of cleansers, may Allah grant us all the opportunity to see, indulge in, and appreciate the fountain of youth. Ameen.

“Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik. Labbaik, La Shareek Laka, Labbaik. Innal Hamdah, Wan Nematah, Laka wal Mulk, La Shareek Laka Labbaik.”

“Here I am at Your service Oh Lord, here I am. Here I am at Your service and You have no part-ners. You alone is All Praise and All Bounty, and You alone is The Sovereignty. You have no part-ners”

The Monthly Noor 2:01    Hajj—A Fountain of Youth 

Hajj—A fountain of

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Hikmah of the Month Oh Allah… 

I told you: I’m in pain 

You  said:  ‘Do  not  despair  of  the mercy of Allaah’ (39:53) 

I told you: Nobody knows what is in my heart 

You  said:  ‘Verily,  in  the  remem‐brance  of  Allah  do  hearts  find rest’ (13:28) 

I told you: Many people hurt me 

You  said:  ‘So pardon  them  and  ask forgiveness for them’ (3:159) 

I told you: I feel I’m alone 

You said: ‘We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein’ (50:16) 

I told you: My sins are so many 

You said:  ‘And who can  forgive sins except Allah?’ (3:135) 

I told you: Do not leave me 

You  said:  ‘So  remember Me;  I  will remember you…’ (2:152) 

I told you: I’m facing a lot of difficul‐es in life 

You said: ‘And whoever fears Allah – He  will  make  for  him  a  way out’ (65:2) 

I told you: I have many dreams that I want to come true 

You  said:  ‘Call  upon Me;  I  will  re‐spond to you.’ (40:60) 

Subhan’Allah