1
Issue10: June 2018
2
Editor’s Note
Tea time is consid-
ered to be a time of connection, relaxation and socialization within our community. Not every nation loves this drink, but for people of South Asian and Mediterranean origin, this beverage is
a
powerful conversation starter, as well as a means to satisfy the craving for caffeine. During Ramadan, the time of taraweeh not only gives Muslims a sense of religiosity, but it is also a time when we can relax and socialize. After long fasts and looking forward to few hours for standing in Qiyam, tea is the perfect drink which can unwind them. Men prepare tea, cookies, and dates for themselves, arrange it on the table on their side and enjoy it gleefully, later boasting to their better halves about how hospitable the musalla was to them. Over and above their hard-
earned donated money is mentioned as working
Our mussalla is a small, yet comprehensive space which serves the better part of the community all year round. The architecture of the mussalla is such that the kitchen, used for arranging water, tea, and sometimes samosas, is in the front of the men’s prayer hall, with the only access to women being through the men’s washroom, or directly past (and in front of) praying men.
on their best behalf.
Behind the veil of our outward modesty,
Unfortunately, the scenario is just the complete
our brothers collectively experience the
opposite on the women’s side. It is marked by
presence of their sisters as: “Out of sight
scarcity and shortage. One side has flowing rivers
out of mind”.
of tea, water, food and juices while for the other side and the better half, there is nothing. Sometime there is no water either.
This set-up is actually advantageous for women, since while they are the queens of kitchen in their own homes, in the musalla finally they can be the
guests under their fellow Muslim brothers. Unfor-
Complaining, getting attention in or around Tarawih is impossible and if you have ever asked a woman they will unanimously say that getting attention of their men round the year is also an impossible task too.
tunately, the reality is far darker. Women, when at home, despite having full control over the food of the household, tend to feed the opposite gender greatly, sometimes at the cost of themselves to show their love and care. Most women fulfill this leadership role with love and care. But at the mosque, this same, let alone equitable treatment, is not provided back to the sisters, thus inciting a
gender war every Ramadan, when access to food and water is managed by the brothers.
3
“The believing men and believing women are alTea, samosas, kitchen access, they are all but mundane trials, but they bring to light some deeper questions: Why this apathy towards women? Isn’t the food eaten by men cooked by women. So how do we forget this as soon as we enter the men’s den? Why do women have to ask for necessities while men are entitled to them? Why is she is excluded from religious activity unless she
is cooking or cleaning in that activity? Do we really believe that the feminine gender is solely made to satisfy the masculine gender? Why aren’t women treated as exclusive and as entitled as men?
lies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give Zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those - Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.” (Sahih International) How would they take care of each other when one’s only understanding of opposite gender is romance instead of humanity? How can we work together if we regard the other as an oppressor or unintelligent instead of fallible Muslims? How will this war around teas and samosas come to an end when we want to preserve our egos instead of our empathy? Men and women do have a defined role in our societies, but does that stop us
Our attitudes towards women has a created a generation which is confused by the role of masculinity and moreover beleaguered by how to behave around women.
from thinking of how to care about each other?
Over the decades, males are told that if they see
tables were turned and the kitchen was in front of
or hear a female that is a sin, so when they try to
women instead of men. Would you be fine on
block the sin to become a good Muslim, they
men’s side without water, tea and samosas?
block the entire population of women including
Would you be fine if women of your household
their mahram.
forgot you at Suhoor or iftar?
As a society, should we continue this apathy and
The articles in this magazine cover some difficult
continue to annihilate opposite gender, or be-
topics: Heaven and Hell, the Muslim Marriage Cri-
come someone who in Quran says:
sis. But they also discuss some solutions, namely
ِ ِ َ ُ ن ِ َ ُ ن اا َوالامؤ ِؤمؤؤوا و ؤؤلؤؤاما ا َاوالامؤ ِؤمؤؤوا و ؤؤلؤُابا ا َاٍؤ ن ؤ ؤ ِ ؤ ن ا ا ناو وامؤ َ ؤُا ِا ا َاٍؤ ن ؤ ا ُ ُ ُ َ َ َ ن َيؤؤما ِ ؤ ِاواما ا واٍؤُامؤ َؤمؤ ن ؤ ِاوا و ا ا َاو َاَؤؤلؤ َ ؤ نؤؤاما ا َ ؤ ا الامؤ ِؤمؤلؤ ؤ ا ا َاو ِاَؤ و ؤ ؤ ِؤمؤؤاما ا َ َ َ َِ َ ن ِ لامؤ ةؤاؤؤواُا ا َاو ِاَؤؤوااؤؤاما الامؤ ةاهؤُاُا ا َاو ِاَؤ و ؤ ؤ ِ ؤؤاما الا َا ا َاوا َا ِ ؤؤامؤ ااا ا َ ُاو َام ؤئ ؤ ؤ َؤَا ا َ ؤ َ نؤم اا اهؤ ِؤمؤ ِ ؤ ِ ا الا ِ ا ُ و
our spirituality, and our character. Join us as we
ة َ اما الا َا ا َ ؤ اؤكَؤ ا ا 1 : :1 - اهؤ و ؤ ؤ ا وإ
Shouldn’t we ask ourselves such questions before our next generation get overly confused? Can we change our attitude towards each other or continue being apathetic and egotistical? What if the
take a deep dive into our inner souls, work towards becoming better, not just as individuals, but as a cohesive, gender plural, society.
4
Humour
Contents Feature Articles Muslim Marriage Crisis
6
Importance of Akhlaaq
1
Spirituality Your Choice: Heaven or Hell
10
Making Room for More
13
The Power of Goodwill
14
On Character Taking Ownership
16
Showing-off
1:
News Bearspaw Mosque
18
Panorama Masjid
20
Eid Al-Fitr
22
Flashback Rise of the True Dawn
24
Tongue Ticklers
26
Muslim Sister Meme
2:
Life Eid Recipes
28
Henna Design
21
Women’s Committee
32
5
Our Team Editor in Chief Shaista Khurshid
Editors & Writers Afshan Habib Shazia Aamir Beenish Khurshid Rabia Khan
Layout and Cover Shaista Khurshid Beenish Khrshid
Submissions, Comments and Advertising: Email: newsletter@ianwc.ca
Š Islamic Association of NW Calgary
6
Before You Say I Do!
I
always wonder what is the reason behind the upward rising graph of failed marriages? Why is that that older generations tend to keep the marriages intact, while the newer generation cannot? I asked people around and the older generation had two words to describe the failure: “Patience & Sacrifice”. The older generations have a verdict that the younger generation lack severely in patience. Self sacrifice is missing too. They think that it is the patience of older generation with their spouses and everyone around them had made them survive through the thick and thin of the marriage. I don’t fully agree with this. I think that the happiness of the two parties, based on the teachings of Islam, should be the main criteria for the continuation of marriage. Given that 50% marriage tend to fail at any given moment, I am worried for a reason. There must a solution to this rising problem. I also do not think that slapping the whole world with one conformed solution for a diversified problem is smart. Don’t get me wrong- I am not one who believes that there is a problem in the institution of marriage. I am after the attitude we have towards weddings and marriage. For years girls are bred to be some good daughters-in-law rather than to be a good servant of Allah. Men are raised to be a good provider only. Regardless, neither is raised on the true values of rights and responsibilities taught by Islam. These notions have resulted in creating people who like to live their lives on their own terms. There is nothing wrong with that either but in retaliation to conform, we are doing the opposite. Now we are seeing people who want to live with utter disregard of
others’ feeling or rights as they choose to live in plain and simple selfishness. Societies when pressed beyond their capacity, usually swing and go to the opposite extreme which can be equally detrimental to the society as their predecessors. A human life is simple, yet it requires a lot of planning and needs to be executed successfully. Life involves happiness and sorrow, loss and gain. All humans naturally want to live a happy life, but humans are made to strive. َ َ َ ْ ََْ َ ْ ََ 10:4 نسان ِ يف ك َب ٍد لقد خلقنا ِاْل “We have certainly created man into hardship”
Most of the life we have, is by default (will of Allah); and that’s our destiny (Taqdeer). Our choice is limited when comes to choosing parents, siblings, gender, where to be born or live and much more. Despite having a predestined and predetermined life, mankind is born with free-will. He is born to think, understand, and make decisions. He has been given the intelligence and knowledge to determine from an undetermined fate and to choose to make his life as good as he possibly can. Since marriage is a union of two strangers and their families, there are firm guidelines in Quran on how to handle this sensitive subject. Islam’s criteria of living well become very stringent when it comes to dealings. These dealings could be of business or animals or human relations. Islam believes in justice and mercy for everyone. Given that the rights we have are the obligations of oth(Continued on page 7) Maturity & Wisdom
:
َربَّنَا َه ْب لَنَا ِم ْن َأ ْز َو ِاجنَا َو ُذ ِر ََّّي ِتنَا قُ َّر َة َأ ْع ُ ٍُي 47:52 - َوا ْج َعلْنَا ِللْ ُمتَّ ِق َُي ا َما ًما ِ
ers and vise versa. Islam wants to create a ‘live and let live’ world for everyone.
I Seek!
A
point to keep in mind before embarking on a new relationship is that the new one does not replace old relationships. It is a mere addition to one’s life. When it comes to spousal relationships, there are many verses in the Quran that tell you about how to live with your spouse, how to handle conflicts, when and how-to breakup this union, and what should be the role of a society when a couple gets in disagreement or conflict.
until the orphan is mature enough to control his \her wealth. ُ َ ُ َ َ ْ َ ُ َ َا َ ُ َ َ ُ ا َّ ا ْ َ َ ََُْ ََ ٰ ه أحسن ح ت ي ْبلغ أشده َۖ َوأ ُ ْوفوا يم ِإَل ِبال ِ َ يت ال ال َي ِت وَل تقربوا م ِ ِ ي َ ُ ا َ ْ ْ ِّ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ َْ ْ ُ ان بالق ْسط ۖ َل ن َكل ْف نف ًسا إَل ُو ْس َع َها ۖ َوإذا قل ُتم َالكيل وال ِمي ِ ِ ُ ِ َ َّ ُ ْ ُ َ ُ ِ ْ َ ُ َ َِ َ َ اَّلل أ ْوفوا ۚ َذَٰ ِلك ْم َو اصاكم ِب ِه فاع ِدلوا َول ْو كان ذا ق ْر َ ٰب ۖ َو ِب َعه ِد ِ ُ َّ َ َ َّ 251:6 - ل َعلك ْم تذك ُرون “And do not approach the orphan's property except in a way that is best until he reaches maturity. And give full measure and weight in justice.” When a guardian is asked to keep safe the wealth of an orphan until he reaches his/ her maturity, then how do we interpret that the adulthood is only puberty.
Allah (SWT) has commanded that union of nikah can only happen if certain criterias are met. One of Do marriages survive only on sacrifice and pathe prerequisite is adulthood. Usually adulthood is tience? I would not fully disagree. I believe, It extaken as if a person is biologically adult. However, ists on empathy, justice, wisdom and responsibilthe Quran doesn't always see it as biological puity. To live harmoniously in this world, a couple berty. In case of orphan’s money to be returned to requires to have a lot of skills. them; they require maturity The most important skills are or wisdom, meaning reachmaturity and wisdom. MaJustice & Responsibility ing their full strength. Otherturity means to take responwise the guardian must wait
(Continued on page 8)
8 (Continued from page 7)
sibility, and wisdom to give when needed. Maturity to let go, maturity to know that life requires food, money and many physical, emotional, and mental needs to run. Furthermore, to have a sight on to one’s temptations, fears, love, desires, goals and needs. Maturity to understand one’s weaknesses and strengths and the wisdom to live with the fallibility and capabilities of others.
amount of pressure or manipulation will take them away from the rights of the people they are related today or will be in the future. They also recognize that going through thick and thin or the ups and downs of life, the diligence is to safeguard love and mercy towards others. They know that these are the two tools which Allah (swt) has recommended in the Quran that will get them through the journey of life with tranquility and peace.
Kindness & Empathy
Maturity helps us understand the why and what of life. It forces us to live justly, instead of living selfishly for our own desires. Marriage also requires a soul who loves and understands his/her Khaliq. Because if a person doesn’t understand that he/she is just a mere creation who is in constant need of blessings from Allah; he/she cannot take care of the other with love and cannot give up, give in, or give to, conscientiously. This is such a beautiful relationship that Allah says about it in the Quran as ُ َ َ َ َ ْ َ َ ْ َ َ ُ ُ َ ِّ ً ْ َ ُ ُ َ ْ َو ِمن آي ِات ِه أن خلق لكم ِّم ًن أنف ِسك َْم أز َواجا لت ْسكنوا ِإل ْيها َ َّ َ َ َ َ ِّ ا َ َ َ ٰ َ ْ ََ ً َ َ َ َ ََْ ُ ا َ ا - ات لق ْو ٍم يتفك ُرون ٍ وجعل بينكم مودة ورحمة ۚ ِإن ِ يف ذ ِلك َلي 12561 “And of His signs is that He created for you
from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you, affection and mercy. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who give thought.”
When mature adults pursue to get married, their criteria of judgment is based on what Allah has commanded, versus the popular beliefs. They also keep in check or their own lusts and desires. They understand that to go through any relationships there is give and take on both sides. They also know that this union is formed to get tranquility and is not for show off. Their conscientiousness helps them to understand that no
To achieve this, we must understand what is our purpose of life? What is our goals and passions? Are they corrupted by our desires? Are our expectations towards others disillusioned by our selfishness and arrogance? Are we tainted with our fear instead of love and hope? Is our attitude towards Allah’s creation one of arrogance rather than of mercy? Can we make our lives simpler and instead of seeing the other person as prized merchandise see them as a human? Instead, why don’t we work on our maturity level, gain wisdom, and do what Allah wants from us. Let us recognize that this life is temporary yet eternal, as the crimes we commit here today whether physical, social or societal- have a lasting impact on us in the hereafter. So, continue to plant goodness one tiny seed at a time. Hold hands with your parents, family and relatives, take them through this enchanted journey we call life. Live and let live with kindness, wisdom and maturity. Soon we will figure out that that the seeds of kindness, love and care that have sown will sprout as peace, tranquility and blessings in this world as well as bring about great rewards in the hereafter.
1
According to a hadith of the holy proph-
thing I didn’t do: Why didn’t you do
et Mohammad sal Allaahu alayhi wa sal-
that?” Of the things Allah subhaanahu
lam:
wa ta’aala praises the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam for was that he had
“The heaviest thing on the Day of
good akhlaaq or good manners. Allah ta ’
Judgement will be good
aala defends the status and honour of
Akhlaaq” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi).
Rasool Allah pbuh in Surah Al-Qalam by saying:
It has been reported that the Messen-
َ ُ ُ َََٰ َ َ ا 2:56 - يم و ِإنك لع ٍ َل خل ٍق ع ِظ
ger of Allah, may Allah shower peace and blessings upon him, said : “The only reason I have been sent is to
“And indeed, you are upon a noble con-
perfect good manners”
duct, an exemplary manner”
(Al-Qalam 68/4). A sahabah once asked the Prophet (pbuh), “What is the thing that will
This shows the importance and blessings
cause the people to enter Jannah the
of having good akhlaaq. When Tawheed
most?” The Prophet SAW replied, “To
of Allah and good Akhlaaq come togeth-
have taqwa/ fear of Allah and having
er they cause a person to worship Allah
good Akhlaaq/character”. This “good
properly and treat people properly.
moral character” includes how we con-
Thus, taqwa and husnal khuluq become
duct ourselves with God, and how we
the primary cause for most mankind to
treat other people, including ourselves.
enter Jannah and be among the people
The Prophet’s servant Anas observed,
closest to Allah’s Messenger on the Day of
“God’s messenger had the best charac-
Judgement.
ter of all people”. He also said, “I served the Prophet for ten years and he never once rebuked me. He never once said about something I did: “Why did you do that?” and he never said about some-
O Allah As you made my outward appearance good make my character good too
10
Your choice: Heaven or Hell? When we are going on a vacation what do we do first? Make plans where we want to spend our vacation then we make bookings for either air travel or road trip. If we want to stay in a hotel we make sure everything is perfect and up to our expectations. We put in so much effort to make our travels easy and enjoyable. We choose aisle seats or window seats in an airplane and we look forward to our vacation thinking about it. As Muslims every one of us knows that this world is temporary. We have to go on a final journey towards our Creator. Yet we are so unprepared about this final journey, our last travel. We are much too busy in our worldly life to think about this final journey There are some people who, when they think about the hereafter they are sort of indifferent to it. They are either too lazy or don’t care about their final journey and where they want to finally end up. However in the afterlife there are only two possibilities: Paradise or Hellfire. There is NO other option to go to a place in between. Allah SWT says my paradise is not cheap. In order to go to Paradise one must long for it, have a desire to attain it and work for it day and night. Someone who is indifferent to Allah’s rewards and does not desire it and persists in this attitude is one of the clearest sign that he or she belongs in hell. Since each one of us is sure to end up in either Heaven or Hell, let’s take a sneak peek at our fina
A place called Hell This is a place you would not even wish for your worst enemy. Hell is an actual place not a mere state of mind. The horrors, pain, anguish, and punishment are all real. Allah SWT has already created Hellfire. Prophet Saw on his night Journey witnessed its existence. There are 11 huge angels who guard the gates of Hell as its gate keepers. They are so huge that some angels could put an
entire ocean on their head. The name of the chief angel is Malik. Hell is a huge place. A stone thrown from the top of Hell will take a very long time to reach the bottom. On the day of judgement hellfire will be dragged in to place by :0,000 ropes, each rope carried by :0,000 angels, for a total of 4,100,000 angels carrying it. There are : gates in Hell. Each will enter according to his deeds and assigned a level of Hell accordingly. Normally in this world, fire is ignited by wood but in Hell fuel will be Waqood (men and stones) Fire in Hell is :0 times hotter and stronger than fire in this world. So anyone who had burned his hand accidently by ironing or cooking knows how painful it is to be burned by the fire of this world. There will be levels in hell. The levels of hell are called Darakat. The lower the level of Hell, the greater is the intensity of heat. Since the hypocrites will suffer the worst punishment, so will they be in the lowest part of Hell. So imagine a so called Muslim going to a lower level than Abu Jahal. There will be life going on in Hell. Allah SWT describes the clothing of the inhabitants of Hell as made of fire. People of Hell will get so hungry that they will eat from the obnoxious tree of Zaqqum. When they will fill their bellies with it, it will start to churn like boiling oil causing immense suffering. Bitter thorny plant of Zaqqum will burn the intestines from inside Water in hellfire is Hamim. It’s boiling water! They will drink it like thirsty camels, yet it will never quench their thirst. Rather their internals will be torn. Fire sticks to the skin, burns the skin . The Fire consumes everything, leaving nothing untouched. It burns skin reaching all the way to the bones, melting the contents of the stomach, leaping up to the hearts, and exposing the vital organs. The skin will be formed again and again. The skin is the largest organ of the body and the site of sensation where the pain of burning is felt. God will replace the burnt skin with a new one to be (Continued on page 11)
11
burnt again, and this will keep on repeating.
A place called Heaven Super-heated water will be poured onto their heads and will dissolve through it until it cuts up their innards, expelling them; until it comes out of their feet, and everything is melted. Then they will be restored as they were. And the whole process will start again. The fire will burn the faces of the inhabitants of hellfire until their lips are stretched in a grin like expression. There will be bad smell everywhere. People shouting and screaming, calling out for death but there is no death in hell. Every time they want to escape out of hell fire, they will be dragged back by the guardians of Hell and beaten with a ball of iron with spikes. Wind in Hell will be very hot it’s called Samun.There will be no shade in hell, only dark smoke called Yahmun. People of Bani Israel used to say and even some Muslims say that nowadays, that we will eventually go to paradise after spending some time in Hell. Big Mistake! It is said that the least severe punishment of Hell is that a piece of smoldering amber will be placed under the foot of a man and his brains will boil because of that. Something to think about, right? After reading about such graphic details of Hell from Quran, I am sure now some of us will be motivated to get over our indifference and work for heaven and escape the fire of Hell. There is a reason why I gave the description of Hell before Heaven. Some people have so much in this worldly life that they just don’t feel motivated to work for Heaven. Now that they know a little about the horrors of hell they will work to escape the fire of Hell. They will stay away from the sins, which in their mind are not very important. May be they will start offering the 5 times Salah on a regular basis, in the hope of escaping the fire. Prophet SAW used to worry about people of his Ummah going to Hell. He has taught us numerous Duas to pray to Allah SWT to escape the punishment of Fire.
Qur'an describes Paradise as an extremely luxurious and magnificent place, and that life therein is as comfortable and attractive as it can be. This world of ours is a place of testing, believers will face difficulties here, such as hunger, illness, and sleeplessness, an accident or material loss. They may go through even more difficulties and trials, such as those of poverty and constraint. Most of us Muslims can only dream and hope for such a luxurious life where there is no poverty, hunger and illness and life of eternal bliss. Those 0.01% of us who have everything like wealth and family and children and are living a dream, Allah has given these people a taste of what is to come so that they can work for Jannah even more. They still go through tests like illness loss of a loved one etc, because this is Allah’s law that He will surely test us in this world. In each case Jannah is the only solution where you can get eternal bliss. It is really not that difficult to achieve Jannah. Just follow Allah’s commands and stay away from Kabairs.
So what is Jannah like? In Quran, Allah SWT has not revealed all of Paradise's blessings, for they are beyond any human being's ability to imagine and conceive. In Paradise, Allah offers believers countless blessings that the eye has never seen and the ear has never heard. Allah SWT gives us examples from this world to help us imagine the beauty of Paradise, because people can easily imagine things which they have seen but people have a hard time imagining things which they have not seen. They can only comprehend those things. When we think of a place to go for a vacation we think of a beach and drinks and just relaxing on chairs. Allah SWT has created us He knows what we want so the most talked about thing in the Quran about paradise is flowing water. We all love water. It is used esthetically when building a mansion either in the form of an infinity swimming pool or a waterfall feature. So in Jannah there will be flowing water. You either have a beach front property or you have your own river (Continued on page 12)
12
(Continued from page 11)
with a waterfall. So the next thing Allah SWT talks about is mansions or palaces in high places. Why high places? So we can have a view! Isn’t this the main theme in Calgary right now? The higher a house is with a view the more it costs. Then we come to the size of a house. Of course everybody wants a big house! So this is how it works, the more you work for Jannah in this world the bigger your house will be. Even the construction material of the houses will be different in Jannah. The bricks will be of gold and silver joined by Musk. The stone pebbles on the ground will be rubies and pearls and the dust will be musk. No one will have to worry about chores in Jannah. In Paradise, everything believers desire will be created and brought to them by special servants appointed for that task. Allah SWT will provide everyone with Wildanum Mukhalladun, servants so beautiful like scattered pearls. The clothing worn in Paradise will be several times more splendid and stylish than worldly clothing. The Qur'an especially mentions two kinds of material found in Paradise: silk and heavy silk like brocade. Both these materials are very expensive in this world but these will be the standard issue there I guess. Of course, Allah SWT definitely will have much prettier material which we can only imagine. Our clothing will be accompanied by jewelry. Any and every kind of jewelry believers want will be provided in Jannah. Qur'an announces that the people of Paradise are blessed with the finest food and various drinks But, unlike with earthly food, there will be no need to worry about gaining weight, cholesterol, overeating, and so on. Choicest sealed wine will be given to drink which will not intoxicate the mind. Any type of Fruit or meat the be-
liever’s desire will be there for them. Allah SWT talks about two trees, the lote tree with thorn removed and banana tree. There will be all kind of trees so laden with fruit that the fruits are easily picked. Also no Bathrooms in Jannah! There will be no need for toilets there. Everything we eat and drink will come out as sweat. There will be beautiful women called Hoor, a special creations of Jannah, for the believers. They are mentioned "as if they were delicate eggs, well protected" or "dark-eyed maidens like hidden pearls". They will be the same age as the believers. The believers will be aware that they have arrived at this final happy end only by Allah's merciful will, and they will remember the past. Perhaps their whole lives are shown to them in Jannah. They can see whatever they want to see. They can even see the people in Hell fire who back in the worldly life wanted to deviate them from the right path. So it will be a perfect Scenario, the believers sitting on thrones of gold and silver with cups of fine wine conversing with each other under shades of beautiful trees besides flowing rivers or if they want beautiful beaches. No fatigue, no illness no worries. Just relaxing and enjoying with the best of company. And best of all they get to see and meet Allah SWT. In Jannah Allah SWT will give special people the ability to see Allah. We will get to meet all the prophets. People who are conscious of Allah SWT all the time in this world, Allah will honor these believers in the hereafter There are going to be levels in Jannah and the highest level is called Jannat-ul-Firdous. Our prophet SAW said to always pray for the highest level. May Allah SWT help us achieve Jannat-ulFirdous! Ameen.
13
Making Room For More
We all live busy lives, with expectations that some-
•Plan ahead, and simplify your life
times
•Cut out unnecessary, and replace them with
seem
to
swallow
us
whole.
Between shuttling the kids to and from school, paying off the house, calling the parents, mowing
lower cost/less time intensive alternatives
the grass, getting out dinner every day, and just
•Have a goal: plan to do something positive
trying to make ends meet, it seems like a struggle
and meaningful for your family, for your par-
just
obligations.
ents/in-laws, for your community, or just simp-
But how much do we really need to survive, and
ly for the sake of Allah with your extra time and
how much of our “needs” are actually just a need
money.
to meet society’s expectations, a need to fulfil our
•Step outside your comfort zone. Make a goal
to
survive
and
fulfil
our
desire, or a need to live up to a picture we have drawn
for
ourselves
about
who
we
are.
Ramadan is a good time to take a step back from the never ending throes of life, find some solace in prayer and remembrance, and re-evaluate the pushes Where
and are
pulls
that we
drive going?
our
life. Why?
one month to get ahead of the basics. Now use the extra time/money to take a step towards reducing the time, energy, and cost of your everyday life. •Make a list: What are thing I do in my daily life to keep things moving along?
When we take a step back, turn to Allah, and put
•Make another list: What are the bare-
our trust in him, we find that Allah has given us
minimum things I needs to do, and how often,
more than enough, if we are thankful, appreciative
to keep things moving along?
of what we have, use our resources wisely, and treat our God-given gifts as they ought to be treat-
•Now make a third list: If I could get past my
ed.
current dailies, what what new dailies would I
So how to make room in your life:
incorporate into my life? For example, go for a walk with the family every afternoon.
14
The Power & Beau My brother often says: “The Masjid is run on goodwill.” I would argue that Mosques in North America are run almost exclusively on goodwill. The goodwill of people is what sponsors iftars. Goodwill runs the many free Qur’an literacy programs. Goodwill is how outreach events like Our House is Your House are organized, how Eid prayer locations get booked, and how walls get repainted. The dictionary defines goodwill as: “friendly, helpful, or cooperative feelings or attitude.” But this goodwill does not come for free and
should not be taken for granted by the community as this goodwill is a great undertaking on the part of the people displaying it which involves spending freely and generously out of one’s time and money for the betterment of society. Thus, goodwill deserves honorable mention and appreciation. There are people in this community who donate upwards of $10,000 every year to support the up keep of this Mosque. Even if we assume they have a generous take home income of $200,000, that is still 5% of their budget. There are people in this community who donate upwards of 30 hours a week to the Masjid. Some of our
board members can probably say upwards of 40 hours (which is more than a full time job!!). These people donate time despite having full time jobs, and families. And there are people who donate spirit. Whenever you meet them, they always speak words of encour-
15
uty of Goodwill agement, and make du’a for the Masjid and the people of the Masjid. These are the people who are the backbone of any Islamic Community in North America. People who believe with their hearts, minds, and souls that this Masjid is a barakah from Allah SWT, and give their all to contributing their share in the way of Allah, to the house of Allah SWT.
My brother also says: “Allah is paying us to run the mosque, by rewarding people to give to the Masjid”. May Allah SWT reward people, manifold, for their contributions to the house of Allah, and the community that surrounds it. May He build for them a house in Jannah, may he put immense barakah in their wealth, ease for them their worries, their old age, and their deaths, make their children and grandchildren of an enlightened people who hold steadfast to the way of Allah, a sadaqa-e-jariah, and leaders of the believers, and most of all, may He reward them, in the next world, with His Most Gracious presence. “They will not hear therein ill speech or commission of sin - Only a saying: "Peace, peace." (56:25-26) “Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein
they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment. “ (9:72)
16
The Islamic Association of NW Calgary (IANWC) has around 2000 registered members, and at least 1000 active member families (families who attend the mosque at least once a year). IANWC runs a 24x: Musallah in Ranchlands, 2 additional friday prayer locations at Dalhousie Community Center and Rocky Ridge Sports Center. We run 3 locations for taraweeh, and arrange Eid prayers twice a year. Besides the required religious functions, IANWC runs countless programs: sports, Qura’nic literacy, Islamic literacy, Arabic literacy, youth programs, halaqah’s, community outreach events, potlucks, iftars, and more. We also maintain an Imam on staff, and a cleaner on contract. I won’t deny that the work we do is imperfect. Sometimes we run out of food at iftars! Sometimes we announce the wrong imams and times for taraweeh (facepalm, yea that was me!). Sometimes we get into arguments with each other, but this is all because we love this Masjid and this community with all of our hearts. We take ownership of what happens and doesn’t happen, and we take it personally when something goes wrong. Because this isn’t just some mosque in the NW of Calgary, this is OUR mosque. So here is my challenge to IANWC’s 1000+ active member families: (1) If you benefit from the mosque, give back at least equal to or greater than you get: If you attend the mosque at least once a year, donate $500 for it’s upkeep a year (or more if you can). If your child attends a free program, make it a point to volunteer for at least one event a year. If you’ve eaten a free meal, donate the value of that meal. If you’ve complained about something at the mosque, make an effort to fix something at the mosque.
(2) Whatever you are contributing today (in terms of time, energy, money), make it a point to contribute just a little more than you did yesterday: If you’re volunteering at Islamic School, join management. If you attend Friday prayers, wipe the counter after you do Wudu. Just one small step that will make the community better, and Allah will reward you for. If you attend a program, offer to volunteer this time. (3) Next time you attend the mosque, say salaam to the person next to you: Ask them where they are from, where they live, how many children they have, and what brought them to the mosque. Start a conversation, and build this community brother by brother. And when you see a child, remember to pat their heads, to show him/her that the community does love them. I still remember the faces of all the uncles who patted my heads (though awkward as a young woman), and pray for them straight from my heart whenever I remember them. May Allah have mercy on them. And that’s it. Prophet Muhammad advised us that those whose hearts are attached to mosques will, in the Day of Judgment be shaded under the throne of God. So take a step today to become just a little more attached to the mosque, take a little more ownership, and make this community feel a little more like home. May Allah SWT grant all those who contribute to the House of Allah and make the Masjid a part of their personal lives His shade on the Day of Judgement. And may Allah SWT make you, dear reader, one of those people. Ameen.
1:
A
fancy new car, a brand new Louis Vuitton bag, a huge mansion in an acreage, a flawless diamond ring- how many times have we told or rather boasted to our friends and relatives of all the great things in our lives without considering our intention? We may not realize but if we look carefully, the above behavior points towards a showing-off of the worldly things of life. Showing off is the act to impress people by showing what one can do, or own. Bragging, gloating and boasting are some other words to describe showing off. One of the most common reasons people may brag is to be able to compete with the society from a status and financial perspective. Riya is another form of show off and a very dangerous one for that matter, because it boasts of righteous deeds which are intended to get praise from other people rather than to please Allah. There are a number of reasons why one shouldn’t show off their achievements, not just from a religious pointof-view but also from a societal one. Showing off reflects an inherent insecurity within the person. Someone who shows off needs people to know that they are good at something, otherwise they feel meagre and lacking. They need people's approval to actually be satisfied with their skill, which implies a lack of self-confidence. You earned 80k just in the last quarter? Just got your kitchen upgraded? Bought a new BMW : series car which goes 0-200km/h in 3 seconds? Finished the whole Quran in 2 weeks? That’s all really good, impressive even, but that’s also something you should not gloat over! Bragging about something makes others lose respect for the individual. Not only that, showing off also negatively impacts the psychological state of the less financially and spiritually fortunate in the vicinity. Showing off about something is, overall, a frowned upon action which people should refrain
from. Besides not giving importance to the opinion of people, one should keep a constant check on one’s own shortcomings. Awareness of our weaknesses is a sure way of keeping our feet firmly planted on the earth, not allowing us to get carried away by any praise that comes our way. By thanking Allah for our achievements, we become conscious that it is He alone who makes us capable of all that we might achieve, and this effectively curbs the desire to take credit for our good deeds. We should not let fear of riya take us to the other extreme and prevent us from doing good. Just as Satan arouses in us vanity and the yearning for self glorification, he also uses his wiles to make us avoid doing good out of fear of showing off. This suspicion can weaken our resolve and eventually stop us from doing that which pleases Allah. An honest assessment of the purity of our ‘neeyah’ intention can help us in such a situation. We should ensure that the intention to seek Allah’s favor is the only factor that prompts us in the practice of good. As long as we are sincere in our intentions we need not worry about anything that Satan might come up with. A heart fortified with strong faith and sincerity of intention is not troubled by Satan’s whispers when practicing virtues secretly or openly. May Allah SWT protect us from all evils including Riya and show-off. And may he bless us with a BMW-:, a few diamond rings and a new house but save us from showing off. By not letting our fake material goods represent who we are, we can allow who we truly are to shine and be recognised in the eyes of others as well as God and thus move on towards becoming stronger and more authentic individuals. Aameen.
18
Bearspaw Mosque Why we bought the land? It was almost : years ago that the IANWC acquired a 20 acre piece of land in Bearspaw, bordering the City of Calgary, just west of where the new Shane Homes YMCA is now located. The community fundraised $1.2 million for the purchase of the land, and held high hopes that this would one day be a cornerstone Masjid in the Calgary community. The plan was to start with a small mosque in Phase I, and then add community serving features such as an Islamic School in Phase II, and a seniors complex in later phases. The plans also included a recreational facility, including a pool, that could be easily cordoned of to allow the level of privacy required by Muslim sisters in our community when swimming. Where we are now? Fast-forward to 2018, two Rocky View County application rejections later, we are all a little disappointed and frustrated: at how long the process has taken, and at the County’s refusal to be forthright in its true concerns about the project. From the start, Rocky View County and planners have been dragging their feet on the application. The first application was rejected on technical grounds. But as we engaged in the process of rectifying the technical shortcomings, we found that every subsequent resubmission to County planners, we were returned with some more, new technical requirements, some of which were previously satisfied, but were asked to re-do. In this final application, Rocky View County Planners noted that the application was technically sound, but recommended to council to reject the application, citing that the project was of no bene-
fit to the community. At the hearing, the County heard many objections to the plan, many on the technical grounds which the plan already addressed, and finally rejected the proposal, citing that the project is “of no benefit to the community”. No benefit to the Community? The Calgary Herald recently published an editorial in support of Mosques and places of worship, stating that all such centers, like libraries, schools, and community centers, ARE of benefit to their local communities, citing what researchers call the “halo effect” of such institutions.
Muslim residents of Bearspaw and surrounding communities find this type of language almost offensive. There are over 300 registered members of IANWC in the area around the Bearspaw Mosque that would directly and consistently benefit from the development of a place of worship near their residence. Where do we go from here? We have been presented with a few options: • The Alberta Human Rights Commission called us after this story was released to the Media to inform us of our rights to pursue a legal case against the County of Rocky View with respect to human rights • “Freedom of Assembly” and “Freedom of Religion” are enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms • Litigation Lawyers have been consulted and are supportive of a case to sue the County of Rocky View
11
Our Stance5 • The project is still a very good idea. • The location of the Bearspaw land is ideal with respect to the distribution of our member population. • The property is very large, and lends itself to future projects such as a school, library, and seniors residence complex. • We will NOT sell • The planning committee and the board of directors of IANWC have unanimously agreed not to sell the property. • The trust fund reserves may be, on approval from the community in an Special General Body Meeting, be released and given as Qarz-e-Hasna (interest-free loan) to other Mosque building projects in the city though (Such as the Northern Hills mosque initiative) • Aggressive Action • The planning committee has agreed that we would not like to pursue confrontational actions except as a last resort. The County of Rocky View are our neighbours, and we’d like to live with our neighbours as is the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): in peace. Action Plan5 • Outreach • If the volume of letters speaking out against the project, however misinformed, are any indication, we need to increase our outreach work in the community of Bearspaw • This includes door knocking level outreach, as well as open houses during the summer to maximize our reach, and build understanding and foster love with our neighbours in Bearspaw. • Negotiate. • Negotiate with the county on their “objections” such as the size of the project, gauge the validity of their objections, and act on their suggestions if they are fair • Reapply • After 4-6 months, submit a reapplication. If it fails again for reasons that
are similarly doubtful, we may be pushed to pursue stronger action. • We will face re-zoning in any other project we pursue, even within the city. If we back down from our right to worship and to assemble, it sets a dangerous precedent for all other future Mosque projects in Southern Alberta. To find such a large peice of ideally located land, at such a reasonable cost, was a God-send for IANWC. Let’s be patient, and follow through with our efforts on this project. May Allah SWT make it easier for us to build homes in which his name is remembered. Ameen. Why Rocky View County doesn’t have much ground to stand on5 • Similar churches approved. • Other very similar projects have been approved by Rocky View recently. Most notably, a church in Watermark almost identical in size, surrounding zoning, and location in the county to the Bearspaw Mosque project. • “Of no benefit to the community”. • Calgary Herald recently wrote an editorial on why Mosques, and all places of worship, ARE a benefit to the community. This reason for rejection was almost offensive to the local Muslim community. • Technically sound. • Rocky View County planner agreed that the application was technically sound, taking into account water, sewage, environment, and traffic considerations. • Yet letters of objection with regards to these points were still taken as evidence to support the rejection. • Zoning Principles • Mosques are supposed to be built in residential neighbourhoods. ‘Nuf said. • City of Calgary Growth plans • The land borders the City of Calgary. The two major roads which the land sits ajacent to are to be widened by the City and the County, and used as major traffic routes.
20
A Mosque in N The Islamic Association of NW Calgary has over 800 registered members in the North Calgary neighbourhoods. This is a very large and significant population. Yet, there are no friday prayers arranged by MCC in these neighbourhoods, taraweeh, nor any plans for a future mosque. The Symons Valley Planning Committee is aiming to change that. Volunteers, as part of the planning committee, are looking for opportunities in which the Muslim communities of Northern Hills and Symons Valley may be better served. This includes everything from large acreages that require rezoning, City partnerships, to commercial lease opportunities. It’s about time The Muslim population in these neighbourhoods has been strong and growing for years now, and it’s high time that more facilities be set-up to accommodate this growing need. That being said, Rome wasn’t built in a day. We’re starting this process today and telling you about it so you’re prepared and ready. It will likely take at least a year to find a suitable property, years more to get the proper approvals, and more even still to get a facil-
Help us better understand you
ity
Do you live in Panorama Hills, Sage Hills, Nolan Hills, Kincora, Evanston, or a nearby community? Fill out this survey, and help us better understand how we can build a house of Allah in your neighbourhood that you can be a part of: https://goo.gl/forms/4nPDWLvVWy3H8zKX2
built or renovated. And all this will likely also come at a noninsignificant price tag. One of the goals of the planning committee is to be cautious of the per-capita debt burden we incur as a result of any property we choose to purchase or develop for this neighbourhood. What this means is we are trying to build something that is
21
North Calgary At some point in the next few years, we’re going to need to ask for donations to help purchase a property for this new Mosque. We cannot take an interest-based loan to purchase a Mosque. One of the most important things you can do right now, is start setting aside some of your earnings every month with the intention that inshAllah, when a mosque is being built in my neighbourhood on day, I will contribute to it.
within our collective means, and doesn’t incur a qard-e-hasna that takes more than 5 years to pay off, nor something that will require people to donate more than they feel comfortable. How can I help? Volunteer Help us find properties. We’re working hard trying to find properties that are zoned correctly, have the right price, and are actually up for sale! We’re all volunteers, and we need all the help we can get. Do you know something about real-estate, zoning, planning, or architecture? We could really use your expertise! Even if you aren’t an expert (we aren’t either), we need all hands on deck. If you’re willing to spend a few days every month dedicated to the hunt, to the research, or to the community building initiative, get in touch with us: email panorama@ianwc.ca and tell us that you want to help.
Prepare
The properties we are seeing right now, a prayer spot on average would cost between $1000 and $5000. Set a goal in that range, whatever is achievableacheiveable for you, and save up. This way, we’re preparing for the cost up front, instead of paying back a loan, or rent-to-own scheme, for years to come.
22
Eid 2018
23
24
Article Republished Newsletter Issue June 2016
Rise of the True Dawn
M
uslims live in all parts of the world and not only adapt to the local climate, culture, and language, but they also, and most importantly, adapt their prayer timings. This becomes a serious issue especially for people living above 41th parallel.
The ulema have come up with different solutions to this Fiqh issue. Some cities use a shifting sun angle, between 15 and 12 throughout the year instead of the commonly used 18. Some follow the nearest city where true Isha and true Fajr occur, where as some opt to follow Makkah instead.
Isha is traditionally believed to start when twilight (whiteness in the sky) ends which scholars have calculated to be around when the sun depresses 18˚below the horizon. Fajr similarly beings when the sun rises above 18˚ below the horizon and ends at sunrise. Between late May to late July, the sun does not go down far enough for true night time, and therefore there is always some whiteness in the sky (twilight). This is true for all countries over the latitude of 48˚33’, (Calgary has a latitude of 51˚). Therefore Isha does not enter, nor can Fajr enter, due to persistent twilight throughout the short summer nights.
In Calgary, the predominant approach as adopted by the Muslims of Calgary is to start Isha 10 minutes after Maghrib, and to start Fajr 10 minutes before sunrise. Each of these approaches has their shortcomings. But since no true night occurs in these months, some level of Ijtihad has to be undertaken when deciding prayer times in this special case. Note that some schools of thought hold the angle of depression to be 15,̊ at the disappearance of redness in the sky, in which case Isha falls earlier in the day, and occurs through the year in Calgary.
The images to the left show (A) the sun positions according to the sharia for each prayer time, and (B) the sun positions reached in Calgary during the summer. As you can see, true night, and thus Isha and Fajr are not reached.
Adapted from “Prayer & Fasting Times: A Clarification of the Issue” (http:// moonsighting.co.uk/?page_id=11040). For another perspective on the issue, visit http://moonsighting.com/how-we.html.
25
Daytime Sun’s Path
Horizon
Sun’s Light cannot be seen when the sun descends lower that this line
Nighttime
DAYTIME
Zuhr5 Sun passes the highest point
Asr5 Object shadow equal to it’s length
Horizon
End of Fajr When the sun rises
TWILIGHT
Maghrib5 When the sun has
Esha: When first light disappears
Fajr: When the first sun rays appear
26
Miss-Guidance There is always analogies given about Muslim women that circulates in social media these days. It’s comparing women to candies, or like precious stones. Like candies, they should keep themselves covered and any exposure will get them to attract flies. Or like diamonds, which should be locked away in some safe place, otherwise somebody is going to steal it. I wonder whom they are referring to? Who are those unidentified men who will steal or see you with evil intentions? Are the brothers calling themselves flies and thieves? If precious stones and jewelry are not worn , what’s the purpose of it?
Interestingly believing that most world problems exist because women are out and about and don’t cover themselves according to random stranger brother guidelines, is strange in itself.
I have a solution for you! Brothers'! For past 20 years Muslim women has been wearing abayas and scarf mostly and covered head to toe, even in hot summer. They are also been hiding away from main stream, longer than that. No amount of world problem seems to disappear lately. So, why shouldn’t we change the strategy ? Why don’t we start with Ghadd-ul-basr (lowering your gaze) for brothers and than sisters? Also drink the non-judgemental Kool-Aid. It will definitely help brothers to cool down. Then move on to work on real problems humanity is facing and let the women live in peace. Shall we!
2:
What My Mom Thinks I do
What My Family thinks I do
What people think I do
What I Think I do
What Aunties Think I do
What I really do
28
Sheer Khorma A South -As ian Eid Delicacy
What you will need Half and half milk:
2ltr
Dry dates or chohara: 10-12 Pistachio :
½ cup
Almonds slivered :
½ cup
Raisins :
¼ cup
Vermicelli or seviyyan: ½ packet Rose water :
2tsp
Cardamom green or elaichi : 2-3 Oil:
2 tbsp
Condensed milk :
1 can
What you have to prepare •
Soak the chohara (dried dates) and pistachio in separate bowls. When soft chop them in small pieces
•
Crush the slivered almonds but not in too small pieces
•
Crush the green cardamom. Remove the covering.
What you have to cook •
Fry the crushed cardamom seeds in a little oil. Break the Sevayyan and add to the pot. Fry for 2 minutes until roasted. Add the half and half milk. Add the chopped chohara. Add the almonds , pistachio and raisins. Let it cook on very low heat stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens and the chohara becomes soft. Now add condensed milk according to your taste to sweeten the dish. Add the rose water. If you want a thicker sheer khorma let it cook for few minutes. If you want a thinner sheer khorma then your dish is done. Serve it cold.
21
Hummus
Ingredients:
A Mediterranean Dip
1 cup uncooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans (yields 1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas) 4 tbsp tahini paste juice of 1 lime or lemon 2 garlic cloves 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt or soy yogurt 1/2 tsp salt Olive oil Dash of sumac or paprika for garnish Instructions: 1. Soak chickpeas overnight in plenty of water (water needs to be at least double the volume of chickpeas). 2. When ready, drain chickpeas and place them in a medium-sized heavy cooking pot. Cover with plenty of water and boil for 1-2 hours. Once fully cooked, transfer chickpeas immediately to a large sieve or colander over your sink. Run cold water as you rub chickpeas by the handful to remove the skin. 3. Place tahini, lemon juice and garlic cloves in
and drain them well. a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Now add the cooked chickpeas, salt Puree until you achieve a smooth and creamy hummus dip. Serve at room temperature, or cooler, topped with olive oil and a dash of sumac or paprika. Add your choice of veggies and warm pita bread. Notes: 1)
If you don’t have the time and must take a short cut, you may use canned chickpeas. Make sure you rinse
2)
Hummus is great as part of a mezza (appetizer) table with other small dishes. See suggestions above.
3)
Storage: Generally speaking, if you refrigerate homemade hummus in a tight-lid container, it should last a good week. It usually helps to add a top thin layer of olive oil, it seals it nicely. You can also prepare some chickpeas in advance (soak and boil according to instructions). Refrigerate in a tight container, and when you are ready to make hummus, blend the appropriate amount of chickpeas with the remaining ingredients. Link: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/ how-to-make-hummus/
30
Heena Designs
31
32
Meet the Ladies Committee
N
orthwest Mussalla is proud to have a ladies committee. Calgary has a strong Muslim community and having a ladies committee in the quadrant of Northwest for the first time is an opportunity and a blessing at the same time. In this committee we will be able to serve community with the perspective of women, also we will be able to do programs which will enhance women. We also encourage people to help us in making this as an initiator of long running programs. Also as a platform to continuously improv themselves and the community around them. We as ladies committee encourage other quadrants to do the same. Together we will achieve the greatest of our collaborative potential to serve this community. MEET OUR MEMBERS Director: Shahnaz Muneer Members: Aliza Ali, Hiba Chakif, Komal Ayub, Manal AbdulWahab, Rizwana abdurRehman, Shaista Khurshid and Tawakalt Owoola. What have we done so far: • Hajj dinner • Syrian families welcome and setup with collaboration with ICNA Relief • Parenting program “Parenting that makes a difference” in April • Ramadan Iftar • IANWC ladies committee participate or take part in many other activities initiated by IANWC What we like to do next: • Hiking trip to Johnston canyon: IANWC ladies committee has arranged a family hiking trip to the canyon nestled in beautiful Banff national park. Details will be posted soon. In’Sha’Allah
33
34
Islamic Association of North West Calgary