“And Stop Them, For Verily They Have To Be Questioned.” As Saffat (The Rangers) 37:24
The message in the Divine Revelation is to serve humanity and to make individuals true servants of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala). With mercy and kindness, He has granted mankind substance and true guidance. The Glorious Qur'an says,“And We made them leaders, guiding (the people) by Our command, and revealed unto them the doing of good. These are they who are the successful ones.” 21:73 & 6:157
Islam teaches mankind to establish justice, liberty, equality, and to achieve security and stability, to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, to encourage goodness and kindness for all through the bonds of love, respect and cooperation, and to not be blinded by materialism or misuse the gifts of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala). The relationship between fellow humans is advised to be based on the principles of justice.
Mankind is exhorted to be just, to oppose corruption, and to ease suffering and hardships. Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) said,“And do not incline to those who are unjust, lest the fire touch you.” Any kind of injustice should be opposed. No innocent individual should be punished for what some other individual does, so that justice and peace prevails among all. This is the challenge for those who lead (administration, educational institutions, executive authority as well as individuals). We pray to Allah (Subhanhu Wa Ta'ala) for unity and mutual love and respect among mankind. We urge everyone to be calm and rational and to hold fast to the strong rope of Allah (Subhanhu Wa Ta'ala), and we remember our brethren who are in difficulties in any land with prayers for their imminent deliverance as well as for their moral and material support. The Glorious Qur'an says,“Whereby Allah guideth him who followeth His pleasure into the ways of peace, and taketh them out from darkness towards the Light by His will, and guideth them to the path (that is) straight.” 5:16
O' Lord, if You desire and prefer for us the comfortable and easy life
of this world, and to protect us against calamities, You may elect to do
so. We pray to ease the hardship for our brothers and sisters, Ameen. Peace
and justice is the reflection of the piety of the hearts. O' Lord, grant
us in this New Hijrah Year a great blessing and the ability to attain what
pleases You, Oh Almighty Creator, Ameen.
“Whoever becomes diligent, he (soon) finds the results of his endeavors,
and whoever plants (the trees), he harvests the produce.”
A large number of requests, through phone calls, letters, and in person, have been received from those who are interested in the AL-KUFA Newsletter, Dawah program, the Prayer Time-Table and also from those who filled the Free Subscription / Cancellation Form for the AL-KUFA Newsletter. If you receive more than one copy of this newsletter via a duplicate mailing, you can help us correct this by informing us and we thank you for that. Please share this newsletter as well as others material you received from us, including the Glorious Qur'an with others, Jazakum Allah Khair.
Our sincere thanks and appreciation to all of you. Because of the large numbers of letters that AL-KUFA has received, we will acknowledge and publish only some of these letters each time, and we are unable to include references due to space limitations. Our purpose of publishing these letters is to (a) make a certain plea known to the public in order that they might respond for the pleasure of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), (b) make us all aware of certain circumstances, or (c) to share a joyous news as well as to make Dua'as and Prayers for those who are ill or have lost a loved one, and also for the one they have lost. NOTE: For those who are interested in announcing the birth of a child, sponsorship of orphan/child, graduation, wedding, death, or matrimonial announcements or find a job, please contact the Kufa Center of Islamic Knowledge {you must include a telephone number for matrimonial advertisements}. Those who send letters and e-mails, please also provide the Center with your telephone numbers. In addition, brothers and sisters who are requesting of us various Islamic materials, please provide us with a full name, postal address, telephone number, and e-mail address. If this is to be sent to an institution, please ensure that the institution will accept such material(s), even if it is just the AL-KUFA Newsletter. Please type your request(s) and sign the paper. Insha'Allah, we will continue sending this newsletter to whoever wishes to receive it. Also, we request readers to let us know their new addresses when they relocate. Thank you brothers and sisters, and may Allah reward all of you. Jazakum Allah Khairan.
Brother Thad from Virginia wrote a letter, segments from it: Bism-Illah-Ir-Rahman-lr-Rahim. I pray for you all. Enclosed is a donation. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) forgive me my sins, and in particular, my sin of being stingy. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) be with you always.
Thank you brother for your kind letter and the continuity of your support. Let us pray together and ask Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) to forgive our sins, O’ Lord accept our prayers, Ameen.
Segments of a letter received from sister Ala’a from a remote part of the Middle East: Bism-Illah-Ir-Rahman-lr-Rahim
Best greeting with Salams. I am an English schoolteacher. I always read the AL-KUFA Newsletter, and I read every word in it. This has brought pleasure to us and we ask our merciful God to make you succeed in your efforts and to bless you and other brothers who work with you in the Kufa Center of Islamic Knowledge. Best wishes to you all.
Thank you sister Ala’a for your kind letter and also for your efforts to translate the AL-KUFA Newsletter. May the Almighty Lord bless and protect you all. Salams with Dua’a to all of you and please remember us in your prayers.
AL-KUFA received faxes, letters, e-mails and phone calls concerning our brothers and sisters.
Urgent Help Needed
Segments of e-mail received from sister Sabira from New York: Bimsm-Illah-Ir-Rahman-lr-Rahim. Asalamu Alaikum.
We all Muslims must take heed of and unite and help those Muslims who are suffering in Kosova. They have no water to drink or food to eat. Their houses are being burned and the women are treated with disrespect. The orphans that are generated from this huge injustice are taken in by the Christian missionaries and taught Christianity in exchange for basic necessities such as water and bread. We must think about the implication of any tragedy, and today, there are many similar ones that afflict Muslims all around the world. This is the time when we as Muslims must utilize all the resources available to help the needy ones. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) reward us for that. Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) is the all hearing, the all knowing. Wasalaamu Alaikum.
Thank you sister for caring. Would you please visit KCIK’s website regarding the plea for orphans posted in March and April, 1999. Also if you want to receive the AL-KUFA Newsletter, please send us your complete address. We invite our readers and others to send their articles and we love to hear from you.
Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) is near and responds to the call of His servant O' Thou, by Whom the severity of hardships is diminished, diminish the severity of Muslim hardships. From Thee we seek deliverance from trials and we seek comfort in times of distress. O' Lord, graciously open the gate for those in difficulties with speedy deliverance from distress and danger, Ameen.
There are many things a caring individual can do in cases of tragedies:
First, offer prayers, and we request our readers to pray to ease the hardships of all our brothers and sisters, and pray for their safe union with their families. Second, encourage your communities to collect funds for their suffering brethren, especially for innocent civilians, and to send their donations for the needy. Third, offer your services especially as physicians and relief workers as far as possible. Fourth, invite speakers and to raise consciousness collect signatures to petition against any kind of human injustice and send these signatures to the sources that care about human beings. Fifth, the human tragedy in certain lands is pointedly painful because it results in many these children, orphan and we encourage your support of orphans by becoming sponsor.
Our special thanks to those who help, and who join us in prayers for a peaceful world. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) bless all Muslims with kindness and bring guidance and peace to all of mankind, Ameen.
Our thanks and appreciation to all brothers and sisters, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, who sent letters, faxes, e-mails, postcards, publications or phone calls, or came in person to the Kufa Center of Islamic Knowledge (KCIK), and for their support of the AL-KUFA Newsletter, the KUFA School, and the KUFA Public Library, from within the United States and abroad. The kind expressions of the readers, encouraging us to continue this Newsletter are especially appreciated. As for financial help, our thanks and appreciation to all brothers and sisters among our generous readers for their support. Please note: you may specify the purpose of your donations(s), unless you give us permission to use your donations(s) wherever they are needed most and where your donation(s) can most effectively assist, especially for the AL-KUFA Newsletter. All donation(s) and gifts are acknowledged with a tax-deductible receipt (unless otherwise requested) and we thank you for sharing your gifts from Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) with us. As the fruit of this mission begins to blossom. Insha'Allah, large numbers will receive the AL-KUFA Newsletter. The Glorious Qur’an says,“(Say): We feed you only for the pleasure of Allah; we desire from you neither reward nor thanks. And they spend (benevolently) of what We have provided them with, secretly and openly, and they repel evil with good; for these is the (happy) attainment of the (Eternal) abode.” 76:9 & 13:22
We are very grateful to all sources that sent us publications, their communications about Islam, Muslim community affairs, and educational articles, and to many individuals and institutions in the United States and abroad. Masha’Allah, these publications are all excellent and those who have borrowed them have enjoyed reading them. These publications are inventoried in the KUFA Public Library and some have been mailed to our brothers and sisters in the prisons and other places.
In addition, our thanks to all brothers and sisters who took the time to write or call KCIK, and informed us about the change of their addresses or their desire to receive the AL-KUFA Newsletter. Remember, it costs us to distribute this newsletter to thousands of readers, and only a few continue their support of it. Please be aware of this and send your donations to cover the cost for mailing, etc., to AL-KUFA. Please also inform us of any change in address. When a newsletter is returned to us, it costs us up to $1.60 in some cases. This is a waste of resources. Please, let us avoid this loss.
Our thanks and appreciation to our brothers and sisters from Illinois and Maryland who respectively donated $100 (Sponsoring an Orphan) and $25. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) make the pure things of sustenance flow unto all, Ameen. The Glorious Qur’an says,“They are those that shall (always) be triumphant. And the believing men and women, they are guardians of one another; they enjoin good and forbid evil and they establish (the regular) prayer and pay the poor-rate and obey Allah and His Nabiy (Muhammad). Allah will bestow on them His mercy; Verily Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” 5:55-56 Blessings of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala) upon you all now and always. Jazakum Allahu Khairan for your donations and support. May the Almighty Lord reward all of you in this life and in the hereafter. The Glorious Qur’an says,“You will never attain piety unless you spend on others out of what you dearly cherish.” 3:92
Just remember that any money you pay to support KCIK, KUFA School, KUFA Public Library and AL-KUFA Newsletter is paid to strengthen the word of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) and for the sake of spreading Islam. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala) bless you all, give you courage and provide you with resources to continue your support. The Glorious Qur’an says,“Say (O' Our Apostle (Nabiy Muhammad!)' If ye do love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will love you.” 3:30 Jazakum Allah Khair (MAY ALLAH REWARD YOU WITH GOODNESS).
The Kufa Center of Islamic Knowledge is entirely dependent on your financial contributions. The AL-KUFA Newsletter especially needs your support to cover its monthly costs. So, please share with us a fair contribution for this newsletter to enable it to continue. In addition, we receive a large number of requests for the AL-KUFA Newsletter. If you don't receive the AL-KUFA Newsletter, it is only because we don't have enough funds to cover the costs, especially for overseas shipping including Canada. [Note to our brothers and sisters in prison: please check with your institutions if you did receive the AL-KUFA Newsletter, and if you received it, then please share it with other brothers and/or sisters. We included the previous issues of the AL-KUFA Newsletter with our parcel to prison libraries. Those in any prison who haven’t received their packages including a copy of the Glorious Qur’an, please request your chaplain and/or any representative of that facility to contact the center, and Insha’Allah, we will be able to send it. Also, as part of Dawah program, brothers and sisters who would like to have someone visit them and/or call them on through the telephone for about 20 minutes to talk about Islam, please request the chaplain/officer of that institution to contact the KCIK. We can arrange for people to call specific individuals, or to call a group of Muslims over a speaker phone, at an appointed time to provide lessons or answer questions on Islam, Insha’Allah.
In addition, it is our responsibility to bring to your attention, our dear readers, that we are in desperate need for a place to teach and in need of resources {Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh, and other Islamic books}. Islamic newsletters, Bulletin of Affiliation, Islamic magazines, newspapers and other Islamic materials were received from many Islamic institutions. Copies of Islamic Arabic books, and videos were received from the donations of Islamic Bookshop, and also, our brother from Illinois donated one video and other Islamic material. Any donation (s) will aid us in our Dawah program as well as benefit the KUFA Public Library. Insha'Allah, many individuals and publishers will participate in this Dawah program. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) reward you for your efforts and enable you to do good deeds in this life and bless you and your family in this world and in the hereafter.
For the pleasure of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), we therefore request you to assist us financially or materially in all of our programs. We particularly request you to bring this plea to the attention of your community, and encourage them to donate their Islamic charities to this cause. Jazakum Allah Khair (MAY ALLAH REWARD YOU WITH GOODNESS).
Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) declared to his companions: "O' Allah, I love them (Hasan and Hussein), and love those who love them, and he who detests them will have detested me." He also asked Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) to love those who love them. Moreover, it is reported that he said: "Verily, Al Hasan and Al Hussein are each a forerunner of the youthful in Heaven."
It is reported from the Nabiy (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam)’s wife that she saw her husband in a dream and had the vision that Hussein will be killed at a place called Karbala in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley. In the dream, he was upset and dust was on his head. When she asked him why he was so dusty, he replied,"My grandson was killed and I was digging a grave for him."
The message of Islam is for all humanity and it urges the support of justice and the struggle against injustice and corruption. Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) said,“The fear of Allah is the beginning of wisdom.” However, in today’s world, unjust treatments have continued in different forms, including harassment, abuses, torture, and murder. Moreover, the oppression takes other forms that include preventing opportunities and instilling suffering and hardships. What must prevail is the supreme symbol of brotherhood, fraternity and solidarity in the Islamic society and the world. Today, there are many leaders who forget what happened in the past, and have changed the constitution to suit their purposes. However, the Almighty never changes His constitution; it has always been the same, and shall remain the same until the end of this world.
Unpleasant events and tragedies accompany human life, and there is no escape for this if it be the will Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala). It is reported,“The world is like a house, which has been encircled with temptations and calamities.”
O’ Lord! Deal with me through Thy forgiveness and do not deal with me according to Thy retribution.
Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam) said: “Patience is of three kinds. Patience in tragedies and unpleasant events. Patience in performance of compulsory obligations. Patience against sin.”
[This article is an excerpt from a future book Insha'Allah. The copyright is preserved by the author and this Newsletter. We pray that he will finish this book soon. May the Almighty Lord protect him and reward him for his goodness. He gives success through His mercy to whosoever of them that works righteousness, Ameen]
The concept of fear and hope, however, needs a delicate balance. Let
us leave aside for the moment the ignorant and spiritually destitute one,
who, as Rasool Allah [Sallallahu Alayhi (Waalihi) wa salaam] said, is like
a camel that has no idea why it was tied and why it is being untied! But
even among Muslims who have heard the call of Islam, but have not heeded
to it, there is a dangerous misconception of this concept. As Muslims,
we need to study Islam studiously, and then sincerely integrate it within
our lives, letting it become the guiding principle, in order to cultivate
the proper form of fear. This fear must stem from the deep love and respect
we should develop for our Creator, that makes us afraid of losing His love
and earning His displeasure out of our misgivings. Huzur (Alaihe salaam)
used to say, “I fear Allah more than any of you”. It is only then that
one can hope for His forgiveness and mercy when one strays momentarily
from His path out of human weakness. This hope is not meant for the one
whose religion is self-indulgence, and who worships his own low desires.
The Nabiy [Sallallahu Alayhi (Waalihi) wa salaam] said that a man who gives
in to his own low desires and yet has the tammannah (intense desire) for
Jannat is a fool. Allah says in Surah Al-Araf (7:56), “And make not mischief
in the earth after its reformation, and call on Him, fearing and hoping.
Surely, the mercy of Allah is nigh to the doers of good.” Once when
the Nabiy [Sallallahu Alayhi (Waalihi) wa salam] read some verses on maghfira
(the forgiveness of Allah and His protection from sin), one of the Nabiy
[Sallallahu Alayhi (Waalihi) wa salam] ’s wife asked him if this was for
the adulterers and for those who steal and cheat. He replied, “No, this
is for the ones who fast and pray.” [To Be Continued Insha’Allah]