Touched By An Angel Promo Video

Online Website Resources

Online English Audio Lectures

Promo Video

Divine Link – Fiqh of Salah Promo Video

Online Books

The Prophet’s Prayer Described – Albaani Rahimahullah

The Prophet’s Prayer Described – Abridged – PDF – Albaani Rahimahullah

Online Website Resources

abdurrahman.org (click on Salah for resources)

7 Common Mistakes Made in Prayer – Slideshow

33 Ways of developing Khushoo’ in Salaah – Shaykh Munajjid

The Importance of Prayer – Shaykh Jamal Zarabozo

Books for Online Purchase

Dar Us Salam – Salah Page

Salah from A to Z (Software) – Dr. Mamdouh N. Mohamed

Online English Audio Lectures, Admonitions & Reminders

Salah Lectures (see Pillars of Islam section) – Shaykh Saleh AsSaleh rahimahullah

The Book of Prayers – Bulugh Al-Maram – Shaykh Muhammad Adly – 32 Lectures

Why Don’t You Pray – see Shaykh Yusuf Idrees

Camp Taqwa – Prayer – Imam Suhaib Webb

Nasheeds/Videos/Reminders/Flash Presentations

Learn How to Pray – Flash Presentation

Last Breath – Ahmed Bukhatir – Flash Version

Last Breath –Ahmed Bukhatir – Video

Pray Before It’s Too Late – Reminder – Video

Bismillah

Asalamu alaykum,

Alhamdullilah!  Insha’Allah the Brand-New Qabeelah Nurayn T-Shirts will be on sale at the next seminar Light Upon Light Lite, Nov 21-23 at George Mason University.

A big jazakum’Allahu khayran to brothers Tariq Lateef and Farooq Yousef and everyone else involved for their hard work, may Allah accept from you and bless it for you.  And the same for all our qabeelah members who critiqued away on the forums, their help was vital.  MashaAllah, that’s the blessings of shuraa… and mashaAllah the shirt is hot! :)

Insha’Allah we’ve got long-sleeves and short sleeves and different sizes.

Insha’Allah on seminar day i can’t wait to see all those bright and shining faces in fresh brand-new Nurayn t-shirts! may Allah bless it for you, and try not to forget the dua for wearing new clothes! :) ;)

35 Long Sleeve Shirts – Black (Medium – Large – X-Large)

• 15 Volunteer Shirts
  • 5 Medium
  • 5 Large
  • 5 X-Large

• 20 Regular Non-Volunteer
  • 7 Medium
  • 7 Large
  • 6 X-Large

35 Short Sleeve Shirts – Black (Medium – Large – X-Large)

• 15 Volunteer Shirts
  • 5 Medium
  • 5 Large
  • 5 X-Large

• 20 Regular Non-Volunteer
  • 7 Medium
  • 7 Large
  • 6 X-Large

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

The Meaning of IlmSummit

Alhamdullilah wa salaatu wa salaamu ala Rasool’Allah

Ashadu an laa illaha illa lah wa ashadu anna Muhammadan Abdahu wa Rasool

It is time for Fajr. “Alhamdullilah Who has restored to me my health, and returned to me my soul, and allowed me to remember Him again.”“Alhamdullilah, Who has brought us to life after having caused us to die, and to Him is our return.”

You wipe the sleep from your eyes and make wudu, Bismillah, wa Ashadu an laa illaha illa lah, wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashadu anna Muhammadan abdahu wa Rasool. You put on your clothes and head down for Fajr.

There you join all your brothers and sisters, some already waiting in the lines in quiet serenity.

You pray two rakahs.

The imam comes, and as he begins to recite you are mesmerized by the melodic embrace of the Qur’an as his heart and voice tremble with emotions, barely able to hold back the tears. The sniffles trickle throughout the rows of the congregants. There is peace.

The prayer ends.

After thikr and dua, some are off to read Qur’an, some are off to breakfast or to get more rest, and some head off to study.

8:45 am kicks in.

The shaykh is ready.

The students are waiting patiently.

Poised for taking notes.

Then, beautiful knowledge flows and swims from the mouth of the shaykh in various colors, forms, and shapes, as the pens scribble and the fingers hover over the keyboards.

There is no time to lose.

The shaykh ends the session and moves directly to hadith.

The sweet sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, beautifies the gathering and brings happiness and delight to the minds and spirits of the students, and showers them with hope and tranquility.

That session ends, but the knowledge does not end there.

As you traverse throughout the day, your heart, spirit, and mind soak in the miracles of the Quran, the beauty of hadith, the precision of fiqh, the grace of tafsir, the depths of iman, the beneficence sharia, and the wonders of Islamic Spain, amongst the ocean of knowledge.

Yet your day is filled more.

You take an afternoon nap so that you can worship and study better at night. You research and revise with fellow students or alone. You eat with your brothers and sisters in faith and with the shayookh to take time to learn from their wisdom, manners, knowledge, experience, and advice. You are amazed at the level of knowledge of the students amongst you and try to benefit from them. You try to wake up for qiyyam. There is not a moment to waste because you may never get this chance again, and you may miss that one piece of information that could change your entire life.

You are not overseas at a madrassa.

And you are not overseas in a university.

You are in a hotel in Houston, TX, in the United States of America

You are at IlmSummit 2008.

The Birth of a New Reality for Islam in America | IlmSummit 2008: History in the Making

Realize though, that we do not want to be in a hotel any longer.

What is necessary in the meantime will suffice.

The time has come to change history, and to change the course and direction of Islam in America, with the help and guidance of Allah.

It does not have to be a hotel anymore because the time to think and plan bigger has come, if it is not already long overdue.

The time has come to establish a University of Islam in America with a full campus and instructors and students living there, teaching, learning, practicing, sharing, and benefiting day and night.

The time has come to raise our own standards, and to raise our own scholars and callers to Islam who do not have to go to foreign lands to understand and learn and teach Islam at a very high level, but can gain that all right there in America. The time has come to raise such people who not only understand the religion but also the society in which they live because they were born, brought up, and raised in it, so that they can impart it to others and implement it in the most suitable, wise, and beneficial fashion for the land in which they live. And that is because they are simply a part and parcel of it.

The time has come for the average non-Muslim American to be walking the streets with his companion and walk by that University amongst all the beautiful trees and greenery and see walking down its steps a bright-faced young man dressed in white and with hair on his face, and say: “I love those people, they are excellent. They bring so much benefit to the society and their religion is so simple and beautiful. I wish there were more of them, and I want to be like them.”

The time has come to turn that dream into a reality.

The time has come to raise up such an institution for the benefit and betterment of humanity, and this society in particular.

The time has come to bring the fruits of Islam to the people and to establish its peace, beauty, wisdom, and simplicity in the daily lives, transactions, living, and families of our community, and with that practice, spread those fruits as far and wide as we can to the people, with the help, mercy, and guidance of Allah.

The time is now and the time is to act. Because things will not wait for us. And because we do not have to wait any longer.

Insha’Allah, one day in this country, a parent will no longer be hoping for their child to attend Harvard, UCLA, Stanford, or Yale.

Insha’Allah, they will hope for their child to attend that University of Islam in America, because that is where the real benefactors and movers and shakers of society are shaped, educated, and inspired. Because that is where the sincere and true way of life is practiced, embodied, and shared for all who wish. And because it is at such institutions that the promise, hope, and the future of this people and land reside.

And so the dream is in the air.

Change must come and we must work for that change.

Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.

In the immediate time however, insha’Allah we will be in that hotel.

And, insha’Allah, we will be living out that dream as much as we can.

Subhana ka lahum wa behamdik, Ashadu an laa ilaaha illa lah ant, astaghfaruka wa atoobu elayk

Alhamdullilah, wa salaatu wa salaamu ‘ala Rasool’Allah

Part II of II    Click here to See Part I

The Nation of Islam, Then and Now

As the night and speech was coming to a close, Imam Siraj shed more light on the Nation of Islam, then and now.

After the death of Elijah Muhammad in 1975, his son Wallace Muhammad was appointed as leader.

Wallace introduced the Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam, and the first thing he taught was that W.D. Fard was not God, and that his father Elijah Muhammad was not a messenger of Allah, and that Prophet Muhammad, sal’Allahu alahi wa salam, is the Last Messenger of Allah. Wallace brought so many people out of absolute shirk and pointed them in the direction of Allah. Wallace did that as a Sunni Muslim, and while wearing a Nation of Islam Fruit of Islam uniform.

After the death of Elijah Muhammad, from 1975 to 1977, Minister Louis Farrakhan, in fact, taught orthodox Islam. In 1977, Farrakhan again started the movement of the Nation of Islam.

During 1975, Shaykh Jafar Idris came and taught twenty-five ministers of the Nation of Islam, Imam Siraj Wahaj being one of them.

When Shaykh Jafar recited the Qur’an, that was the first time in his life that Imam Siraj had heard it. Imam Siraj even has it is on tape. In the background you can hear his voice saying, “That’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard in my life, I’ve got to learn THAT!”

Shaykh Jafar also taught them to fast in Ramadan, and not during the month of December as the Nation of Islam did. He then took thousands of his followers to Mecca to make pilgrimage.

Imam Siraj said that up to that point during his time in the Nation of Islam, from 1969 to 1975, he had also never made salaat once. He had prayed, but not as the Prophet sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam had prayed. And it was Imam Muhammad who taught them.

The Breakdown

Imam Siraj was actually invited to speak at the Million Man March in 1995. And even though other imams had disagreed with him and criticized him, since he had the opportunity to do dawah, Imam Siraj still refused to attend, for Allah, because he did not want to make it legitimate.

Last year, Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam had their annual Savior’s Day convention in Detroit.

For that event, Minister Farrakhan and his top staff from the Nation of Islam called Imam Siraj to come to Detriot and lead thousands of their followers in salaatul Jumuah.

Imam Siraj invited imams he respected to take shura with them, and they talked about changes that needed to be made in the Nation. They witnessed that changes were occurring, and that things were getting closer to orthodox Islam. So they made the decision that he should go and give khutbah there.

Imam Siraj said that you can be of opinion that he should not have gone there, that’s ok.  He thought about it a lot himself and waited. In this case, he decided to go, for Allah, and he thought that he could somehow help to bring them closer.

After the khutbah, many of the leaders of the Nation of Islam came to Imam Siraj and asked him to teach in their cities. In fact and already, one of the biggest ministers of the Nation of Islam has already taken his shahada and is in the Nation teaching right now. Other ministers in the Nation are also ready for Islam.

Imam Siraj said that Imam Muhammad, son of Elijah Muhammad, was the one who first brought them to Islam in massive numbers, and pointed him in the direction of the Qur’an and Sunnah. And because of that, Imam Siraj believes that some of the credit of the work he does will also be given to Imam Muhammad on the Day of Judgment.

Final Words and Advice

In closing, Imam Siraj asked Allah to bless Imam Muhammad, to continue to help him grow and help his community, and asked Allah to guide minister Farakhan to Islam.

He recalled the dua of the Prophet, sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam, for Allah to strengthen Islam with Abu Jahl Ibn Hisham or Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be please with him. Umar accepted Islam, and the rest is history.

He finished by saying one of the biggest lessons we learn in the Qur’an and Sunnah is that it is not how you begin the race that counts – everyone is born Muslim – but your deeds shall be judged by your last deeds.

Imam Siraj said he will continue to work with all the Muslim groups he can, and try to bring them closer to Islam, and that in that attempt he takes the position of Shafi, may Allah have mercy on him:

I believe that I’m right, with the possibility that I might be wrong. And I believe that you’re wrong, with the possibility that you might be right.

“May Allah bless you brothers and sisters, and keep on learning and keep on growing, and keep having patience with one another… Asalamu alaykum wa rahmatallah”, Imam Siraj ended.

Alhamdullilah, wa salaatu wa salaamu ‘alaa Rasool’Allah

Part I of II

Sunday night of Ilm Fest began with a video of Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef giving a special keynote address about Leaving a Legacy, in which he spoke about performing deeds that give on-going returns. Of them are knowledge that continues to benefit, a continuous charity which people take from, and a pious child who prays for the parents.

He ended by saying that when he was being interviewed for Madinah University and was asked who it was who had inspired him, he mentioned Imam Siraj Wahaj. Muhammad Alshareef finished by thanking Imam Siraj for being such an influence in his life, and praying that Imam Siraj gets the reward for the work AlMaghrib has done.

Next, Shaykhs Yasir Qadhi and Muhammad Ibn Faqih went up stage with Imam Siraj, and both felt it incumbent to take time before Imam Siraj’s speech to say a few words to thank him, appreciate him, and show their love and respect for the great things he has done for the Muslim American community and the American community at large, and for the positive effect he has had on so many people.

Shaykh Yasir mentioned how one day we will tell our grandchildren about how we were actually there to hear Imam Siraj speak, and that when it comes to Imam Siraj, we are reminded of the following portion of a hadith from Rasool’Allah, sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam,

If Allah has loved a servant [of His] He calls Gabriel (alay salam) and says: I love so-and-so, therefore love him. He (the Prophet sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam) said: So Jibreel loves him. Then he (Jibreel) calls out in heaven, saying: Allah loves so-and-so, therefore love him. And the inhabitants of heaven love him. He (the Prophet sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam) said: Then acceptance is established for him on earth…. [Muslim]

It’s very difficult and perhaps impossible to describe the feeling in the audience that night. Love, care and respect oozed throughout the audience and permeated the air. And what followed was a heartfelt, emotional and remarkable speech.

Imam Siraj Bringing Down the House on Ilm Fest ’08

Imam Siraj finally took to the podium.

He began by praising Allah and sending salams on the Prophet, sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam.

His shock was noted in his expression and demeanor. He explained how he had not expected such a reception, and then, the mood changed.

As he continued he sniffled, and the eyes became red and wet. The tears then rolled down his cheeks as he stood under the bright lights in front of hundreds and hundreds of people who love him so much. He couldn’t even speak a word, and the room was at a still.

In the audience that night, how many eyes welled up or shed tears, or how many hearts were captured with love and emotion, or how many heads hanged low, only Allah knows. How could they look up, as their teacher, Imam Siraj Wahaj, stood before them shedding his tears in silence.

Finally able to speak, Imam Siraj thanked Allah for allowing him to try his best to serve Him, and said that he appreciated that there are those who have recognized what was being attempted to be done.

Tears still in his eyes, Imam Siraj mentioned how 1978 he was blessed to study at Umm Al-Qura, not for 10 years – but for 4 months – and that he was blessed to have learned from true scholars.

Imam Siraj mentioned that one of his favorite teachers was Shaykh Husayn Hamid from Egypt, who began every class in the same way: “Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise.” [2:32]. He then added, “We ask Allah to accept our very humble effort.”

He mentioned how he did not want to come to a conference, a meeting, or a gathering, and meet for one minute or an hour or a day without taking something of benefit home.

He mentioned how some of the George Mason students he saw on Thursday said they were coming to Ilm Fest, and the next day at University of Boston, some of the Muslims there said they were coming. And as he went around the country, various students – especially students – said they were coming to the conference.

He related how the Prophet sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam sought refuge in Allah from knowledge that does not benefit, and how Mu’awiyyah had said that there is no real wisdom without experience.

A Travel through the Life of Imam Siraj

Having fully gathered himself, Imam Siraj took the audience through the story of his life. A history – as he described it- that you know, and some of it you don’t know, a history that was very intimate.

He took the audience through the days of his life as a basketball player at New York University. A basketball player would talk to him about the Nation of Islam on the bus. Things led up to his acceptance of what he thought was Islam, in 1969.

Believe it or not, Imam Siraj was in fact a very shy person.

In high school, whenever he was called to come up and read in front of the class, he would sit in the back and hide under the desk. And when he began selling the Nation of Islam’s newspaper, “Muhammad Speaks”, which Malcolm X himself started, Imam Siraj would walk up to people fired up inside, yet scared to death, and would ask, “Excuse me sir, you don’t want one of these, do you?” They said “No”, and he would say, “Ok.”

Fast forward to the 1990s, and Imam Siraj Wahaj is the first Muslim ever to open up a US congressional session with supplication. Then to India, were Imam Siraj gives a talk with John Esposito to a crowd of around three hundred thousand. Till this day, Imam Siraj has spoken around the globe.

Imam Siraj drew from his life experiences. He advised Muslims to stop talking about one another, and rather start talking to one another. He said that we seem to be good at the former, and make a lot of assumptions, while we learn from the Qur’an and hadith and the Prophet, sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam, to be very careful to give our brothers and sisters the benefit of the doubt.

One of the most difficult things, he said, is when someone gives so many speeches and everyone listens to everything they say, and some people listen not to get information, or naseeha, or inspiration, but to try to find something wrong.

Yet when a man came to Rasool’Allah, sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam, about some offense he committed, the Prophet, sal’Allahu alayhi was salam, replied: maybe you just kissed. Maybe some Muslims today would ask: who, and where, and how many times? The point being that he, sal’Allah alayhi wa salam, did not dig in or try to find people’s faults.

Malcolm X: Courage and Conviction, may Allah have mercy on him

As Imam Siraj traversed through his life and things related to the Nation of Islam, he touched upon the life of Malcolm X.

Malcolm X, Imam Siraj said, knew he was going to die.

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X parked his car not right in front of the Audubon Ballroom, but ten blocks away. A follower of his saw Malcolm walking, and picked Malcolm up in his car and they drove to the ballroom.

When they were in the back of the Audubon Ballroom, Malcolm said, “I feel something’s going to happen. I shouldn’t go out there.” But, Malcolm went out.

Benjamin Kareem, who Imam Siraj said he used to visit personally in Richmond, Virginia, to learn about history from someone who knows, was the person who would open for Malcolm X.

“Imam Siraj, Malcolm X saved my life”, Benjamin said. How, Imam Siraj asked?

“Usually, when I open up for Malcolm I sit right there next to him. And that day I opened up for Malcolm, and Malcolm said, ‘Benjamin, don’t sit there.”

Benjamin was sent back, and at that moment the guns fired and Malcolm was murdered, may Allah have mercy on him.

What you don’t know, Imam Siraj explained, is that two days before that, a professor at the University of Brown invited Malcolm on Tuesday to come and give a lecture to his students. Malcolm said “I’ll be dead by Tuesday.” The professor said, “Malcolm, don’t mess around.” Malcolm said, “I won’t be alive.” “Come on, Malcolm.” Malcolm said, “Ok, I’ll be there – if I’m still alive.” Malcolm knew.

Imam Siraj said that “Malcolm had courage. So even courage is not the absence of fear, courage is to move ahead despite your fear.”

“I know sometimes, young students, you have fear. As a student in college, maybe the only one in your college, only one in your highschool, I know you have fear. But despite that fear, move foward.

“I know some of the sisters, they have fear about wearing the khimar, because nobody else in the area, in the school, on the block, in the neighborhood, wear khimar, so there’s a little bit fear. So some sisters - despite the fear – they put on the khimar, and they move ahead, because they have courage.”

Part II soon insha’Allah…

الحمد لله وحده

و الصلاة و السلام على من لا نبي بعده

During the final session of Ilm Fest, and as a change of pace, the shuyookh were asked to share how their path for ilm was inspired or started, and also to share a story from their life, be it emotional, funny, embarrassing, or a combination.

Shaykh Waleed Basyouni spoke of a hilarious and embarrassing story in his life, Yasir Qadhi about how he was inspired to seek knowledge, and shaykh Muhammad Ibn Faqih about a moment in his life with his father. Prior to Shaykh Ibn Faqih, Abdulbary Yahya gave his story, and Ibn Faqih mentioned that this one, Abdulbary, was the strongest amongst them.

Shaykh Abdulbary went right into his story, wasting no time.

About two years after 9/11, his father was shot outside the masjid, his father being the last person after Isha prayer.

His father called him, “Abdulbary”!

Shakyh Abdulbary ran out the back door to his father, and blood was coming out of the abdomen of his father. His father then looked at him, and said “Ashadu an laa illaha ill’Allah, wa ashadu anna Muhammad Rasool’Allah.”

Shaykh Abdul bary told him: Father, don’t say anything else, and repent to Allah.

The police came and asked questions. It was right in front of the masjid door.

Later on, his father died in the hospital.

A brother came to Abdulbary the next day and said, “You made great dawah.” Shaykh Abdulbary wondered how that was so, because he didn’t say anything about Islam at all to to the police officer who he spoke to.

The brother told him how the police officer had said that he had seen hundreds of cases, and could not believe that the person he spoke to – Abdulbary – was the father’s son, because he was so calm.

The reason he was calm, Shaykh Abdulbary explained, was because he was hearing his father say the shahada, and he immediately thought that this is what he wanted for himself and for his father.

When Shaykh Abdulbary commenced the story, the shuyookh and audience made dua for his father.

We bear witness that Abu Abdulbary bore witness.

The Prophet Muhammad sal’Allahu alayhi wa salam is reported to have said, “He whose last words are “La illaha illal lah’, shall enter Paradise.” [Abu Daw’ud]

May Allah forgive Abu Abdulbary his sins, protect him from the punishment from the grave, grant him His shade on the Last Day, not call him to account, and enter him into Firdaws and protect him from the Fire, and join him with his family, ameen. And may Allah forgive and reward shaykh Abdulbary for his difficulty and replace with something better, and wherever in the world Allah may put Shaykh Abdulbary, make it of benefit him and make him beneficial to the people, ameen.

So be patient with graceful patience.

UPDATE: 3/9/08

asalamu alaykum wa rahmattallah wa barakatu,

sister noria has stepped in for 1st weekend of baby-sitting in place of sister karima insha’Allah. may Allah reward them both well and grant them all the patience they need, ameen. to get into contact with sister noria for the 1st weekend, or sister karima for the 2nd weekend insha’Allah, please contact services.nurayn@almaghrib.org

• charge is $7/hour
• she karima was told there was a tv there, so she may bring her dvd player and some toys, if someone has more toys to bring that would be great!
• insha’allah sister kishmish is bringing some mats
• best advice to parents is to bring their own dippers and milk or water bottles for their kids
• please bring your child’s/childrens’ toy(s) with an identification label on it

GMU Maps

Jazakum’Allahu khayran to brother Mobeen for making these really useful maps!

… Oh children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive.  Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess. 

Halal Eats

Grill Kabob Express – Directions from GMU – 3.8 mi and 7 minutes
Phone: 703-246-9013
11213-J Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22030

Simit Bakery & Kabob – Directions from GMU – 2.9 mi and 9 minutes
Phone: 703-426-1901
9558 Main St, Fairfax, VA 22031 Afghan Kabob – Directions from GMU – 7.1 mi and 17 minutes
Phone: 703-913-7008
6357 Rolling Road, Springfield, VA 22152

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Maps/Timings

Heavenly Hues: Thematic Tafseer | Shaykh Yasir Birjas | Enroll Online
March 14-16 & 21-23, 2008
Fridays: 7pm-10pm, Saturdays/Sundays: 10am-7pm George Mason University – Enterprise Hall bldg, Room 80
4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030

Directions: Map Your Directions to GMU
Map of GMU Campus – Enterprise Hall (ENT) highlighted

Parking Friday (8am – 10pm) & Saturday (8am – 2pm) are $2/Hour, $8 Maximum per day at Sandy Creek or Mason Pond parking Decks. Student lots available for valid decals or special permits. Sundays, student lots are FREE. Closest student lot to Enterprise Hall is Lot A (Lot B is under construction.)

Parking Decks Map – Sandy Creek Parking Deck is right next to Enterprise Hall

Phone: (703) 993-2710

Tips: Enterprise Hall has a drive-up road for drop-off of passengers. Nearby free parking is also available right outside the University Field House along University Drive (street). Walking distance from Field House to Enterprise Hall is approximately 20 minutes. On Fridays there is a bus that comes every ten minutes to the University Field House until 11PM and drops off at the GMU Bus Stop. Side street parking is also available in some nearby housing areas, also quite a walk from Enterprise.

PS: Researching on free lot parking on Fridays/Saturdays due to events, please stay tuned for possible updates.