“And lose ye not heart and grieve ye not, for ye shall gain the upper hand if ye (only) be (true) believers.” 3:139
[This article is an excerpt from a future book Insha'Allah. The copyright
is reserved 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
whomsoever of them that works righteousness, Ameen]
The concept of Mutaffifeen has a wider significance. Once a man did not attend the
prayer in time, and being questioned by Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the father-in-law
of Nabiy Muhammad [Sallallahu Alayhi (Waalhi) wa salam],
offered a lame excuse. Umar, in reference to the above verses from Sura-tul
Mutaffifeen replied to him,“Taffafta: Thou
hast defaulted”. Hence, Mutaffifeen refers
not only to those who cheat others by giving them less than their due, but also
to those who default in any of their duties, in general.
The Nabiy [Sallallahu
Alayhi (Waalhi) wa salam]
was resting one evening and he saw a man enter the mosque and then come out soon
thereafter. He asked the man what he did in the mosque and the man replied that
he had prayed the Asr Salat. The Nabiy [Sallallahu
Alayhi (Waalhi) wa salam]
told him that he had not prayed Asr and asked him to return to the mosque and to
pray Asr. The man again came out after a short while, and the same conversation
occurred. After the third time, the man mildly protested that he had indeed
prayed Asr all these times, and yet the Nabiy [Sallallahu
Alayhi (Waalhi) wa salam]
sitting outside was telling him that he had not. The Nabiy [Sallallahu
Alayhi (Waalhi) wa salam] then explained to him that the ritual actions
during Salat each take some time to perform, and in the time it was taking him
to pray Asr, he could not possibly have been performing his prayers with the
devotion that it requires. We often see Muslims performing sujood, for example, by merely touching their forehead to the ground
momentarily as if the musalla was a
hot plate, and they barely straighten their backs before they repeat that quick sazdah
in a time that one can not even say a part of Subhana
Rabbiyal A’ala. The Nabiy [Sallallahu Alayhi (Waalhi) wa
salam] sometimes
used to sit between sajdahs for so
long that the congregation behind him would think that he had forgotten to
perform the second sajdah!
Masha’Allah, we are blessed to carry this program and we pray for other Islamic institutions and missions, and also religious and human organizations to do the same all around the world. There are three folds who are responsible and/or care and they come forward, it will be benefit all.
The purpose of this program is to help
Muslims who have been released from prison (and who might have taken Shahadah in
prison to rectify their lives) to begin a fresh life in Islam and to provide
some funds for them until they settle down and find a job.
This program could also be used to
supplement our Dawah program to provide assistance and material (Qur’an,
books, publications, prayer rug, etc.) for inmates, Insha’Allah.
It is worth mentioning since that the
cost of shipping such items are high, and we suggest that volunteers carry these
items in person to prison and give to inmates and/or to an official there.
Please insure that the institution permits such items. Also since the number of
inmates in any prison is high, it is hard to reach each single individual, and
we appeal to the inmates to share with each other.
Note that if you are planning to visit
any institution, you must check with the institution to have your name assigned
for the visit, and you inquire what they will allow you to bring with you for
inmates. Also you should take from the inmate(s) only what they allow you to
take. There are rules of each person, and we must obey such rules and we must be
sincere. Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi
Wasalam)
said,“Religion is sincerity. Whoever is anxious to (enter) paradise, he
hastens doing good deeds.” The Glorious Qur'an says,"I will not suffer
the work of any of you that worketh to be lost, be he male or female, the one of
you being from the other. Then he who hath done an atom-weight of good shall see
it." 3:195 & 99
We urge you, your family and friends
and any official to join us in this effort, and we invite you brothers and
sisters to be participate in this program. Please contact KCIK or simply send your full name, address, telephone and fax
numbers and e-mail address to KCIK.
The Glorious Qur'an says,“And spend ye of what We have provided you with (in
the way of Allah), ere when cometh unto you death, you say: O' my Lord! why not
thou respite me unto a near term, so that I may give alms, and be of the doers
of good." 63:54
Insha'Allah, this program will enable
us all to serve Islam and humanity in the best way. We hope you will be one of
those (Mohsineen) to come forward and donate for this cause, making every effort
to help us fulfill our objective, Insha’alah. The Glorious Qur'an
says,"Whoever intercedeth with a good intercession shall have a share
therefrom." 4:85O'
Lord, record our good deeds and leave us delighted with what they have written
down concerning them (i.e. good deeds), Ameen.
Please note that the request for
donation for this program is not toward the AL-KUFA
Newsletter – this Dawah requires its own constant funding. The Glorious Qur'an
says,"And Allah gave them the reward in this world and the excellent reward
of the hereafter; Verily Allah loveth those who do good (to others)." 3:147O'
Lord, reward those who act righteously with goodness and blessings for all that
He has conferred upon them of His has conferred upon them of His recurrent
favors, Ameen. Jazakum
Allahu Khairan.
We recognize that there are other sources that inmates who are released from incarceration can depend on:
1. Family, relatives, and friends.
2. The government.
3. The community they might return to.
However these are some who do not have
family and/or their family do not want back, and they are unable to obtain
assistance because of their records. When the inmate release, first 1,2, and 3,
study why he/she committed such crime if any. O’
Lord, an accepted repentance, which afterwards gave us no rest in a sin that we
committed or an act of disobedience that we performed!, Ameen.
There are special programs in certain
land(s) where the government offers such rehabilitation programs for the young
men and women to provide training of academic education along with free housing,
medical and dental care. Students also receive clothing allowance and, at the
completion of training, a readjustment allowance. We hope there are similar
programs for those who are released from prison to begin a new good life. There
are other inmate(s) all around the world who receive food only once a day and
they live in great pain and difficulties that would make a free human being cry.
We encourage others to think about them with kindness and we pray for them.
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. Insha'Allah, the
Center will continue publishing the prayer time-table for each month on the KCIK’s
website. 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. 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 and for
those who are have lost a loved one, please include his/her full name in English
as well as your complete address telephone number}.
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 inform us in this case
about the committed name and DC
number for ID). 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 (Subhanahu
Wa Ta’Ala) reward
all of you. Jazakum Allah Khairan.
AL-KUFA
received letters, e-mails, faxes and telephone calls. Our special thanks and
appreciation to all brothers and sisters who took the time to call the Center
and for their prayers, support and substance. May Allah (Subhanahu Wa
Ta’Ala)
reward them and shower His blessings on all with His protection, Ameen.
They started their letters with the Name of Allah,“BISM-ILLAH-IR-RAHMAN-lR-RAHIM” and their greetings,“Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh”, and they ended their letters with the greeting,“Wa Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh.”
Segments of a translated letter received, from inmate Mouhamad in Thailand:
He (Mouhamad) receives the AL-KUFA Newsletter each month and he prays for this newsletter to
continue to spread the truth. He gets only one meal a day since he is a
foreigner, his health is not good, and it is hard to get assistance for
cleaning. He indicated that Embassies give assistance from time to time. His
family stopped helping him. He requests any kind of help!
Thank you. We pray that the government of Thailand as well as others
treat all inmates humanely. You homeland government, might have representatives
there and we encourage them, as well as other Islamic Embassies and local
Muslims, to visit the Muslim inmates or to be in contact with them. And we
kindly request all who write to us, please to write in English so that we can
publish the material in the AL-KUFA Newsletter, and to insure also that institution(s) will
accept and/or receive any kind of donation(s) for humanitarian reasons whenever
you make such requests.
O' Lord, ease the hardship for any human beings and reward those who are kind
for their efforts, 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, 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. 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.
When a newsletter is returned to us, it costs from $0.32 up to $1.99. This is a
waste of resources. Please, let us
avoid this loss.
Our thanks and appreciation to our
brothers and sisters from Maryland, New York and Virginia who respectively
donated $10; $120 (Sadaqah for the needy); and $4.05 and $1,000 [for Muslim
Inmate Rehabilitation Fund]. Also, the Center received $6.09 from Muslim
Education Foundation, $100 from AL-Safa and $3,000 Tawheed Institution Inc. [for
the sick, poor and needy of the families of Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu
Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam)].
For the Momineen and Mominaat who
donated toward the purchase of land for the Center, and/or supported the Center,
may Allah (Subhanahu
Wa Ta’Ala) gift
them houses in Heaven, Ameen. Insha’Allah, those who donated toward a place
for the Center and for other Islamic causes including voluntarily charity such
as Sadaqa, we will publish their donations in the future. Regarding specific
donations, they will be distributed according to donors’ requests. May Allah (Subhanahu
Wa Ta’Ala)
reward them for their good deeds for their kindness and may He protect them all.
May Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala)
make the pure things of sustenance flow unto all, Ameen.
Blessings of Allah (Subhanahu
Wa Ta’Ala) upon you all now and always. May
the Almighty Lord reward all of you in this life and in the Hereafter for your
support.
Jazakum
Allah Khair (May Allah Reward You With
Goodness).
Financial Report
Summary
Insha'Allah (God Willing), we will
report to you the income (receipts) and expenses (payments and/or costs) through
the coming months.
Total receipts (cash $4.05 and checks
$267.05) = $271.10.
Total expenditures: Printing the AL-KUFA
Newsletter: $231; Mailing Periodicals: $744.86.84; Envelope: 43.90; Toner:
36.94; Stamps: 42.35; Labels: 116.35; Telephone: $67.68; papers $19.99.
Total = $1304.05.
This report includes donations to other
programs and/or other causes. Note:
Coupon(s), reward(s), certificate(s), price matches, etc. will be reported in
the annual summary. Also, the Center received $1,000 for Muslim Inmate
Rehabitation Fund and $3,000 for the poor, the sick and needy of the families of
Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu
Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam).
Neither of these donations are included in the above report and the center will
be Insha’Allah, do its best to carry such responsibilities. From the $3,000,
the Center has distributed $500 for a sister who has a large needy and sick
family of Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi
Wasalam),
$500 for a needy sister whose is the main support was her mother who now has
cancer, and she needed to pay her tuition (the KUFA
Scholarship pays directly to the university), and $2,000 for the sick, the poor
and needy of the families of Nabiy Muhammad (Sallallahu
Alayhi Waalihi Wasalam).
O’
Lord, we seek from You succor, protection against straying, correctness of
action and Your Assistance, Ameen. Let us pray together that this
mission will have a permanent place, and that the AL-KUFA Newsletter and its monthly messages and replies, KUFA
Scholarship, other KCIK programs.
will continue to serve the Muslims and the entire world. O'
Lord, fulfill our desire from vastness of Thy Grace and do not cut off our hope
by refusal, Ameen.
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. Masha’Allah, many Islamic institutions and
missions, and human organizations as well as individuals from all around the
world distribute the AL-KUFA
Newsletter. May He reward them with His Blessings, Ameen.
Islamic newsletters, Bulletin of
Affiliation, magazines, and newspapers, and other Islamic materials were
received from many Islamic institutions. Copies of Islamic books in Arabic and
with English meanings were received from the donations of the Islamic
Publications Propagation and Foundations. Any donation(s) will aid us in our
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. O’
Lord increase our knowledge and guide all of us to the right path, Ameen.
Jazakum Allah Khair (May Allah Reward You With
Goodness).
A genuine believer must always be in fear of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala)'s wrath which throws its victim into the fire; and he must have utmost confidence in His mercy which takes His favorite to the eternal abode of bliss and happiness.
O’
Lord, preserve me, purify me, and take away my affliction!
Nabiy Muhammad [Sallallahu Alayhi (Waalihi) wa salam] said,"This world is a prison for the believers, and a garden for the disbelievers."
In your life you get some pleasant
breaths from your Lord. Make a point of being benefited by them and do not turn
away from them. Your yesterday is past. You have no hold over it. Your tomorrow
has not yet come, therefore it is uncertain whether you will be there or not,
but your today is the day you must use in the best possible way and act as you
are commanded by Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’Ala)'s. Let it be true fr you to
say,“Whatever I do is in the cause of Allah. I do nothing for myself. Wholly
and solely all my actions are for Allah.”