“Then the (believers) shall enter Heaven and they shall not be wronged (even) to the husk of a date-stone.” 4:124
Islam strives toward protecting men and women against the spread of vice, and a foolish and useless life. Muslim women who wear Hijab do not find it an impractical dress that interferes with their activities at any level in their walks of life.
[To Be Continued Insha’Allah]
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 other material you receive 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 to publish matrimonial or employment interests, 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 and messages, 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.
AL-KUFA received letters, e-mails and telephone calls:
Masha’Allah, brother Thad from Virginia has joined the noble ranks of Muslims. He wrote,“Last Thursday night the Muslims in our community sponsored a program "Meet your Muslim Neighbor".
The program was given at a local Christian (Baptist) Church. I was a guest speaker. I told the group of Christians and fellow Muslims about how I had picked up a copy of the Qur'an from the bookstore and how the Qur'an spoke to my heart like no other book that I had ever read. I told them about how my eyes swelled with tears when I read the Qur'an and how my eyes still swell with tears when I read the Qur'an. I told them that I had decided to convert to Islam but did not know any Muslims and how I had found the Kufa Islamic Center in the Roanoke phone book and how I had contacted you. I told them about how you exemplified tolerance in Islam because you did not want me to talk about why I had converted to Islam in front of my wife, who is a Christian. I told them about how you had told me that my conversion was proof that Islam converts through the mind and not by the sword.”
We would love to continually hear from you brother. The Glorious Qur'an says,“Those whom Allah (in His plan) willeth to guide, He openeth their breast to Islam; those whom He willeth to leave astray, He maketh their breast close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies: thus doth Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe.” 6:125 May the Almighty Lord of the World guide all of us to the right path with His blessings to all, Ameen.
Segments of an e-mail received from brother Tim in Virginia,“Hello, I am a college student and have recently developed an interest in Islam. I came across your web site (which is very nice) and read a few newsletters to get an understanding of what you do. It seems that you do very good work and are able to provide information to those interested in what Allah has to offer, so I would greatly appreciate it if you could e-mail or send me any information that will help me to better understand Islam. I find it to be a very intriguing religion and am eager to learn more about it after learning a bit in a religion class, and I look forward to what I will find. Thank you!”
Thank you brother for your e-mail. We hope that you will be to visit the KUFA Public Library. Also, you can locate Islamic bookstores on the web and request copies of the Glorious Qur’an and introductory publications on Islam. Please let us know if we can help in any way. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala) guide all who seek to find His right path, 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 New York and California who respectively donated $75 (Newsletter), $20 (Newsletter); and $25. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala) make the pure things of sustenance flow unto all, Ameen. The Glorious Qur’an says,“Verily, Verily, your guardian is (none else but) Allah, and His Nabiy (Muhammad) and those who believe, those who establish prayer and pay the poor-rate, while they be (even) bowing down (in prayer). Whoever taketh Allah and His Apostle (Nabiy Muhammad) as his guardian, and those who believe, verily, (he hath joined) Allah’s party. 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 (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 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 (at our expense) 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.
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.
Our special thanks to those who visited the Center and/or borrowed books and other material. O’ Lord increase our knowledge and guide all of us to the right path, Ameen. Copies of Islamic Arabic books were received from the donations of Islamic Bookshop. Any donation (s) will aid us in our Dawah program as well as benefit the KUFA Public Library. Thank you, and may Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala) reward you with goodness.
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).
A genuine believer loves whom Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala) loves. Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wa Salam) said,“Love Allah for the gifts He gives you, and me because of your love for Allah.” He also said,“The most loved slaves of Allah are those most solicitous to His devotees.” The Glorious Qur’an says,“But the believers are stauncher in (their) love for Allah.” 2:165 O He whose Names are a Remedy, whose remembrance is a Cure, and whose obedience is Wealth!
On the other hand, Allah says (2:207),“And of men is he who sells himself to seek the pleasure of Allah”. We have to imagine that on the front lawn of our heart and soul, there is a real-estate sign that says,“Sold” - sold to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’Ala). Nabiy Ibraheem (Alayhi salaam) said it best when he submitted (6:163-164),“My prayer, and my sacrifice, and my life, and my death are surely for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. No partners has He. And this I am commanded, and I am the first to submit.” All our thoughts, words, and deeds must conform to the wishes of our Master, as ordained in the Qur’an and in the Sunnah of the Nabiy [Sallallahu Alayhi (Waalihi) wa salam]. Allah instructs the Nabiy [Sallallahu Alayhi (Waalihi) wa salam] in Surah Al-e-Imran to tell us (3:30),“If you love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you, and grant you protection from your sins. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” We should always remember that after all, our objective is to attain a grand destination, the path to which requires an exclusive character of behavior. Allah says in Surah Al-Nisa (4:69),“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, they are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favors from among the Nabiyeen, and the truthful, and the faithful (the bearers of witness to the truth of Islam), and the righteous; and a goodly company are they!”
A question we might ask is,“How can we consciously work to enhance our Imaan and instill within us the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah in our day-to-day lives”? Psychologists who study human nature offer the following advice on changing bad habits to good ones, and this is coherent with the deen of Islam, because Islam conforms with the very nature of man.
First, we need to modify our environment. If the friends that we keep, the places we frequent, the kinds of things around our homes such as videos, and books and magazines to which we expose our senses and those of our families, are not Islamic, then in essence, we will have booby-trapped our environment against ourselves. It is imperative that we must rid our environment of anything that’s immodest, and this immodesty must be defined by the standards of Islam. Nabiy Muhammad [Sallallahu Alayhi (Waalihi) wa salaam] said that, “Verily, modesty and Imaan are related to each other; when one of them is taken away, the other also departs”. At another time he said that when a person has no modesty, he does just as he pleases. Walk through your home, watch the activities of your family, and ask yourself if the environment you have provided facilitates the remembrance of and obedience to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’Ala), or if detracts from this mission in life.
A second advice is to consciously monitor our own behavior. It has been studied that if a person records the nutritional value of what he eats and regularly weighs himself, then he will tend to eat right and will lose excess weight. Likewise, making a habit of monitoring one’s spiritual level on the basis of heartfelt devotion and sincere obedience to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’Ala), encourages one to keep reaching for higher and higher levels. The Nabiy [Sallallahu Alayhi (Waalihi) wa salaam] said that the most perfect Mu’min, in point of Imaan, is one who is the best in manners. He also said that that there are two qualities which do not occur together in a Mu’min: miserliness and bad manners or ill-disposition.
Observe yourself. Examine your manners and disposition toward people, especially toward your fellow Muslims. Maintain a diary of what you owe Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’Ala) by way of missed salah, and fasts, and zakah. Remember that a debt to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’Ala) has the highest priority to be repaid. If this self-evaluation reveals a mounting negligence in your duty toward Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’Ala), then Insha’Allah this evidence might drive you toward fulfilling your debts, and then going beyond the boundaries of basic, minimal duty.
Finally, we need to make a commitment toward change for the better and toward enhancing the level of our Imaan. We need to make a resolution on how we are going to modify our behavior and activities, and how we are going to organize our lives around our basic duties toward Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’Ala), and not how Islam can be accommodated to the convenience of the rest of our lives. Then, we must hold fast to this commitment. Just like it’s often easier to exercise regularly if you arrange to do it with a friend, so also in the spiritual realm, Islam encourages congregational prayers and community activities so that we can exhort each other along the path of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’Ala), and perform acts of goodness together.
In this context, it is very important to discipline and teach our children early in life. By the time they are seven years old, they should be exposed to regular prayers, and by the time they are ten years of age, Islam should be reflected in their lives. Discipline, and good manners, and respect for elders should all be in place by then. Only then, can further learning take place. When a child performs badly on a single test at school, or if the teacher complains of misbehavior, the parents confer with the teacher and take all kinds of actions to correct the situation. How do we react when our child misses a prayer, or misses a fast, or disrupts an Islamic study class?
The Qur’an says in Surah Bakarah (2:257), “Allah is the Protector of those who believe - He brings them out of darkness into light.” And so, in the words of Yusuf (Alaihe salaam) as revealed by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’Ala) (12:101), let us also acclaim and pray, “Originator of the heavens and the earth, Thou art my Protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Make me die in submission and join me with the righteous”, Ameen.