Volume XXIV No. 28 Vol. XXII, No. 27 in this issue Fifa and Your Spirituality........................ 2 World Heavyweight Champion................ 3 Forgiving in Ramadan............................. 4 Ways to a Sweet Taraweeh...................... 5 Why I Embraced Islam................................ 6 From The Editor’s Desk........................... 9 Involving Children in Ramadan................10 California Prayer Locations.......................11 Mus’ab Ibn Umair (R)..............................15 Cook’s Corner....................................19 7 Daily Spiritual Habits ..........................20 The Importance of Dhikr.........................20 Kids’ Corner. .........................................21 Just Close Your Eyes and Imagine.............22 Sayings of the Prophet............................27 The Islamic Bulletin Published by the Islamic Community of Northern California A Non-Profit Corporation P.O. Box 410186 San Francisco, CA 94141-0186 E-Mail: info@islamicbulletin.org Website: http://www.islamicbulletin.org Dear Readers, Alhamdullilah a lot has been happening at The Islamic Bulletin! With a whole new look and much-needed changes being made, IB has been energized to hopefully serve you, our readers, better. From the cover page to the end, you will see new graphics and designs, high-resolution clarity, and a more modern-looking newsletter. One thing that will never change, Inshallah, is our commitment to providing up-lifting, positive articles that touch our souls. With that goal in mind, in this issue we have an inspiring story of Omar, in our How I Embraced Islam. You will also find an article entitled Stoppage Time, a concept and term that I only recently learned by watching FIFA World Cup. Another soul-touching story is in the section entitled, Stories of the Sahaba. I somehow, am always inspired by the sacrifices of the Companions of our Holy Prophet (S). Just reading their trials and tribulations make the suffering that we are going through small in comparison. Also in this issue are many of our favorite topics, like Cooks Corner, where you will learn how to make a cool and refreshing pomegranate fruit smoothie to break the fast. Packed with flavor and nutritious vitamins, this yummy drink is sure to hit the spot. Another recipe that we have included in this issue is one for a delicious Egyptian pita bread. Fast and super-easy to prepare, this pita bread recipe can be served along with your favorite soup or salad. Serve it at your next iftaar and show off to your friends that you can actually bake! Another exciting development at the Islamic Bulletin is our poster project. Meant to hang in masjids and Islamic centers, these posters help inform Muslims about the correct duas for entering and exiting a masjid, the dua to be recited when hearing the athaan, and reminders of masjid etiquette, such as turning off your cell phone in the masjid and remembering to place shoes on shoe racks. In 1991, we began the task of compiling mosque locations for southern and northern California with driving directions. In this issue, we have included and updated pull-out edition for those who are planning to travel. The Islamic Bulletin is thankful of the achievements we have made and Inshallah in the future we hope to strive to reach even higher goals: to spread the word of Islam to even a greater audience of people. Presently, we reach hundreds of incarcerated inmates; many of whom do not have any other source of Islamic literature. We give a special acknowledgment to our Brothers and Sisters in Prison, and admire their steadfastness in these bleak times. Our readership has grown immensely, and we thank you for seeing us through this growth. As always, we encourage sincere feedback, whether it is something you happen to like in this newsletter and would like to see more of, or something you want to see changed. Our hope is to continue to progress in order to spread the beautiful and peaceful message of Islam.
Page 2 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXIV No. 28 Stoppage Time: Fifa And Your Spirituality By Ehab Hassan earth. We only know that our time is short. At any moment, our time will be up and our whistle will be blown. If we’re tired, then we go without rest. If we’re thirsty or have other desires distracting us from our mission, then we do without them, for just a little bit longer. It’s not a time for rest, but a time to give it everything we got no matter how exhausted we are. Anything we do, no matter how big or small could be our final play, our final moment. We give it our all because in this short time we have to prove ourselves so that, by the grace of Allah, we can live forever as champions. We see people around us dying every day. Some die after long, drawn out illnesses, and others suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere. How would we live our lives if we knew our time was short? I had a friend who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Just days after I heard the news, he invited me to play an online game against him; a game I was already playing with other friends. I thought to myself – what is he doing? Doesn’t he realize that his days are numbered? Does he not know that he’s dying? What is he doing with the life he has left? But then I thought to myself – are my days not numbered? Am I not going to die? He’s just more aware of it than I am. How am I making a difference in the world with the time that I do have? How am I preparing myself to stand before the Lord of the Worlds? When it’s our time to go, what will our legacy be? Will it be that we had a 9 to 5 job and were miserable doing it? Or will it be that we did something that mattered? Will it be that we impacted the lives of our family, friends, and those around us? Will it be that we took advantage of every day of our lives and made a difference in the world? Who will miss us when we’re gone? Will we have any regrets, or did we live our lives to the fullest? As I walked out of my office building one day, a coworker who I had never met before shared an elevator ride with me. We engaged in some small talk and started walking down the street, when I noticed that we were approaching a homeless man. So naturally, I avoided eye contact, and tried to look more engaged in my conversation with my coworker. Then suddenly, my coworker told me it was nice talking to me and that maybe he would see me around some time. Then he turned to the homeless man with a dollar in his hand and with a huge smile on his face cried out, “Dave!” The homeless man, an elderly man in a wheelchair, replied, “Chris, how have you been?” I kept walking and thought to myself, now that’s a man who will be missed one day. That should have been me. Although we don’t like to think of it too much, no one has ever escaped death. But we live our lives as if we may be the first. Allah says: “Every soul will taste death…” ( Al-’Anbya’ 21:35) “Until when the angel of death comes to one of them, he says, [For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, ‘My Lord, send me back That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind’… ” (Al- Mu’minun 23:99-100). So while you’re enjoying the World Cup games this year, make sure you take a moment to reflect. Enjoy the games, but don’t get too caught up – there is a reason why it’s called a game. As we have time to appreciate the fun and permissible things in life, such as sports, remember in the words of Nike: “Life’s short. Play hard.” This year, Brazil is hosting the 20th World Cup soccer tournament, it’s the biggest sporting event on the planet. It’s that time when the entire world stops to watch and people’s problems seem to fade away. It’s a time to root for that underdog, cheer for the powerhouse, or if you know soccer well enough, tune in to watch your favorite players. It is the biggest global event – with new stadiums, unprecedented prize money from FIFA, and an estimated one billion viewers. Growing up, I was much more into watching the World Cup than I am today, and even though you can still count me among the billion viewers this year, I don’t go quite as crazy over it as I used to. As a kid, I would pick my team (then pick another team once they got eliminated) and cheer for them until my voice was gone. Yes, it was that important. Those close games would have my heart pounding and my adrenaline rushing, and you knew it was going to have a great ending. Suddenly, the game clock would stop at 90 minutes. That’s when you knew the game was going to get exciting. Stoppage time! For you non-soccer fans out there, unlike most other sports, soccer has a running clock. During the game, if someone gets hurt, the ball goes out of bound, a fight breaks out, or for any reason play doesn’t continue; the clock doesn’t stop like it does in other sports; but instead, the referee keeps track of the time so that it can be added on to the end of the game. Nobody except the referee knows officially how much time is left when stoppage time starts or exactly when he’ll decide to stop the game. But you do know one thing – the time left is very, very little. This drives people to push themselves to their utmost and you see some of the best soccer plays at that time. This includes amazing game-winning shots, heart breaking goals scored, and crowds going wild. Everyone is on the edge of their seats. Even the players who are dead tired and drenched in sweat give it their all in those last few minutes – fighting even harder than they did all game. Everything is on the line and time is of the essence. It’s that final push. If players are thirsty, they go without water. If they are tired, they go without rest. They cannot let up for a second, because they do not know if each moment, that single play, will be the last – they play until the referee blows the final whistle. Only at that instant when the whistle is blown, can the players collapse on the field, exhausted after a hard fought battle. It is over and there is nothing more they can do – they have either lost or they walk away as champions. A few precious moments to give it all we can It wasn’t until I got older that I realized – we’re living in stoppage time. I finally started to understand that that’s what our life is. A few precious moments to give it all we can even though we don’t know how much time we have on this
Page 3 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXIV No. 28 World Heavyweight Champion requirements to receive Allah’s Jannah. Q: Muhammad, I’d like to know what you are going to do when you retire from boxing. When I retire from boxing, I really don’t know. I wanna say something right here, this might make you all think. Life is real short, so you add up all your traveling, all your sleeping, your school, your entertainment, you probably been half your life doing nothing. I am now 35 years old; 30 more years I’ll be 65. We don’t have no more influence, we can’t do nothing much at 65, your wife will tell you that. When you’re 65, ain’t too much more to do. Did you know I will be 65 in 30 years? In those 30 years, I have to sleep 9 years, I don’t have 30 years of daylight, I have to travel back to America which takes 6-7 hours. With all my traveling, that will be probably 4 years of traveling in the next 30 years. About 9 years of sleeping, television, movies, and about 3 years of entertainment. So, out of 30 years I might have about 16 years to be productive; so this is how we can all break down our individual lives. What I am going to do in the next 16 years, what is the best thing I can do? Get ready to meet God. Going into real estate, going into business, teaching boxers, that won’t get me to heaven. Now, let me ask this audience a question. How many believe there is a supreme being? How many believe there’s a God? How many believe there’s some power that made the sun, the moon, the stars? How many believe that this stuff didn’t just come out here? Somebody wiser than us made it. How many believe there’s a God? How many believe there’s not a God? Alright, if I told you, you who don’t believe in God, if I told you that this glass sprung into existence, would you believe it? That this glass made itself, no man made this glass, would you believe it? Would you believe if I just told you this thing made itself? No, no. You wouldn’t believe it, right? If I told you this television station popped into existence, no man made it, you would say that Muhammad Ali is crazy. Alright, well, this glass can’t make itself. If I told you that the clothes you have on wove themselves, that nobody created them, those clothes made themselves, you wouldn’t believe it. But if your clothes didn’t make itself, if that glass couldn’t make itself, if this building didn’t make itself, then how did the moon get out there? How did the stars and Jupiter, Neptune and Mars, and the Sun get out there? How did all this come here if a wise planner didn’t make it? So what I’m saying is I believe we’re going to be judged. Should a man like Hitler kill the Jews and get away with it? Somebody should punish him. Maybe he don’t get it now, he get it when he die. In hell for eternity. So what I’m gonna do when I get out of boxing, is to get myself reading to meet God because ……………….it’s a scary thing to think that I’m going to hell to burn eternally forever. So what am I gonna do? The reason why I’m taking such a long time to answer your question is that I’m explaining what you asked in the question. You asked me a question; I can’t just answer it like that. When I get out of boxing or when I’m through, I’m gonna do all I can to help people. Here’s a poor man come all the way to America. There’s a bunch of boys need some money and somebody is calling me to help them. God is watching me. God don’t praise me because I beat Joe Frazier. God don’t give nothing about Joe Frazier. God don’t care nothing about England or America as far as we aware of. He wants to know how do we Muhammad Ali is perhaps the most well-known American convert to Islam. A three-time World Heavyweight Champion, who embraced Islam in 1965, Ali is one of the first public figures in America to be identified with Islam. In fact, no other athlete has been given more media attention than he. Ali has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated more than thirty times, and his name and face are known to people all over the world. Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, of a Baptist mother and Methodist father. He started boxing at a young age so as to be able to buy his parents a car; by the time he was in his twenties, many considered him the greatest fighter of all time. After winning the Rome Olympics in 1960, he became the darling of the American public--handsome, charming, and greatly successful. In 1963 he recorded an album in which he extolled his own merits (“I am the greatest”) in a stunt that brought him even greater publicity. I, like so many other Americans, follow our sports figures’ lives and sporting careers. But no other sports figure has been as captivating as Muhammad Ali. Perhaps because he is also a Muslim, or perhaps because he stood up for his religious and political beliefs by refusing to be drafted in the Vietnam War, and consequently gave up his boxing career to do what he felt was right. Instead of being enticed by money or his personal agents surrounding him, Muhammad Ali stood up for himself and for Islam. During this time of the turbulent 1960’s, this must have not been an easy thing to do. And for that, I have deep admiration for an iconic figure that history will never be able to reproduce. I chose this interview from the year 1977. Muhammad Ali was visiting Newcastle, England and it was a typical question and answer type of forum where his British fans could ask him questions. What I found so profound while listening to this interview was how Ali could take a seemingly simple question and answer it in a way to preach about the Oneness of God. In this particular interview a young boy asks Ali the following question and his captivating response is mesmerizing. Ali would take every opportunity to give Dawah and use his fame and stature to make the public contemplate about man’s existence, life after death, and the necessary
Page 4 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXIV No. 28 treat each other, how do we help each other. So I’m going to dedicate my life to using my name and popularity to helping charities, helping people, uniting people…..we need somebody in the world to help us all make peace. So when I die, if there’s a heaven, I want to see it. The odds are everybody in this room, some of you gonna be dead 20 years from now, some of you gonna be dead 50 years from now. Some of you gonna be dead 30, some of you gonna be 60, 70 years from now. We all gonna die soon and if you live to be say 125 years old, which we don’t do, we don’t have but about 80 years on earth. This is a test to see where we will spend our life, heaven or hell; this is not the life now. Your real self is inside you, because your body gets old. Some of you go to look at the mirror and you don’t have teeth, your hair is leaving you, and your bodies are getting tired. But your soul and your spirit never die, that’s gonna live forever. So your body is just housing your soul and spirit. So God is testing us on how we treat each other and how we live to see where our real home will be in heaven. So this physical stuff don’t last for so long. So my car, this building is gonna be here when the man who built is dead. There have been many kings and queens of England, they all dead. After this one is gone another one comes. So we don’t stay here; we’re just trustees. We don’t own nothing. Even your children are not yours. If you think I’m lying, your wife is not yours. You don’t own your children and you don’t own your family. So what am I saying? The most important thing is what’s gonna happen when you die. Are you going to heaven or hell? And that’s eternity! How long is eternity?? Let’s imagine. Take the Sahara Desert. There’s a lot of sand on the Sahara Desert, right? Then imagine that one grain of sand represents 1000 years. And when you in hell burning, when you die and go to hell, you gonna burn forever and ever and ever. No end. How long is that? To give you an idea of how long eternity is, take the Sahara Desert and I told you to wait 1000 years and every 1000 years I want you to pick up a grain of sand until the desert is empty. Ok, wait 1000 years--pick up a grain, wait another 1000 years before you get the next grain, keep that up until there’s no more sand in the desert. I mean, America is not but 200 years old. We got 800 more years before 1000 so just scares me to think that I’m gonna die one day and go to hell. …………..so what am I gonna do when I’m through fighting? I only have 16 years to be productive and get myself ready to meet God and go to the best place. Does that make sense? Today Muhammad Ali is 72 years old and resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife, Lonnie. He is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, which is a degenerating disease that affects a person’s muscle tone and central nervous system. We at the Islamic Bulletin ask that all Muslims around the world join us in making dua’ for Brother Ali and all the sick and suffering Muslims around the globe. Ameen Forgiving in Ramadan Forgiving is giving up your right to hate or hurt the person who hurt you. Hate hurts you physically, mentally and emotionally. Forgiveness gives you peace, tranquility and happiness. Allah described the believers and said: “And those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, and when they are angry, they forgive.” (Quran 42:37) The Prophet (P) said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim to abandon his brother for more than three days, each of them turning away when they meet.The better of them is the one who gives the greeting of salaam first.” The Prophet (P) also said: “The gates of Paradise will be opened on Mondays and on Thursdays, and every servant of Allah who associates nothing with Allah will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother. About them it will be said, ‘Delay these two until they are reconciled. Delay these two until they are reconciled. Delay these two until they are reconciled.’” Another hadeeth regarding forgiveness states that the Prophet (P), while sitting in the mosque with his Companions, pointed out a person who entered the mosque as being of those who would enter Jannah. He did this for 3 days, and every time, it was the same person who entered the mosque. Abdullah bin Amr (RA) wanted to know what quality this man possessed that made the Prophet (pbuh) say that about him, so he spent three nights with that man. He did not notice that the man prayed the optional night prayers during any of these nights, but if he woke up during the night, he would simply mention Allah. So before he left, he had to ask him what he did that was so special that the Prophet (P) identified him as a man of Jannah. The man replied: “My deeds are nothing more than what you saw, but the only thing I do is that I do not hold any grudge against any Muslim or envy anyone for what bounties Allah has granted them.” Thereupon ‘Abdullah Ibn Amr (RA) said to him: “This difficult quality to obtain is what granted you this rank.” When he entered the city of Makkah after the victory, the Prophet (P), had in front of him some of his staunchest enemies. Those who fought him for many years, persecuted his followers and killed many of them. Now he had full power to do whatever he wanted to punish them for their crimes. It is reported that the Prophet (P) asked them, “What do you think I shall do to you now?” They pleaded for mercy. “No blame on you today. Go, you are all free.” Subhanallah, soon thereafter they all came and accepted Islam due to his huge act of mercy. This Ramadan, let’s try and forgive everyone who has hurt us. It shows strength, self confidence and a desire to be forgiven by Allah. Let us forgive our parents, spouse, relatives, friends, and co-workers. During Ramadan, the doors of Allah’s (SWT) mercy and forgiveness are open. How can we raise our hands and ask Allah for forgiveness but not be willing to forgive another human being?
Page 5 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXIV No. 28 Ways To A Sweet Taraweeh Don't be stressed about parking and whether or not you'll get a good spot. Get in your zone before prayer starts. Do some pre-game warm-ups (sunnah) if there's time. It's unfortunate that we worry so little about Isha prayer and concentrate more on taraweeh. Remember that the obligatory prayer in its time is the best of deeds. 7. Sit close to the front if you can (brothers) Don’t let the congregation distract you. Sitting in the front is the best for the brothers, and in the back rows for the sisters. I know you want that spot in the fifth row right under the ceiling fan, but you’re the first person at the masjid. Sit as close to the front as you can. 8. Take the grudge out of your heart Yes, that sister talking loudly on her cell phone is being inconsiderate to people praying. But, it's that time of year, so let it slide. “Let them forgive and overlook. Wouldn't you love that Allah would forgive you?” (24:22) 9. Be aware of which chapters are being recited If you're not very familiar with the Quran yet, at least try to get the chapter title. Maybe ask the imam or the person following with his or her own Quran. You can even ask the organizers to post a schedule on their website. It'll help you concentrate when you know which surah you're on. 10. Memorize key words that shake the heart If your Arabic isn't good, or nonexistent, memorize a few common words that shake your heart and help you reflect – words like mercy (rahmah), Forgiver (ghafoor), believe (aminu), paradise (jannah), hell fire (jahannam), punishment ('athab), and anything else that moves you. 11. Make dua'/ istaghfar before going Stand before Allah with a pure heart. Ask that He open your heart to Him, that He protects you from an eye that doesn't shed a tear and a heart that doesn't ache. In His hands are all matters, so ask for His guidance and help to benefit from the taraweeh. 12. Have heart softening discussion/reflections Talk about Islam on the way there – with someone in the car or on the phone. If you have no one to talk to, reflect a little, listen to a short lecture, and get yourself in the mood to stand before the Lord of the Universe. 13. Leave the world (and your cell phone) behind Stop thinking about school, work, troubles, Facebook, Twitter, replying to texts, emails, or anything else. Turn the ringer off… not vibrate so that when someone calls you can spend the next 20 minutes of prayer wondering who it could have been, only to find it was a wrong number. Turn the ringer completely off. 14. Reflect on your regrets and moments of closeness to Allah Stand before Allah as a needy beggar and ask Allah to give you. Remember what you've done, and be humble enough to ask Allah to forgive you. 15. Concentrate on the message Listen to the words as best as you can, and know that this is a message to you from the Lord of the Worlds. Know the depth of the Quran and how heavy it really is. Had it been revealed on a mountain it would have crumbled out of the fear and love of Allah. Now go get it! Enjoy this beautiful month. May Allah allow us all to find that sweet taraweeh, and may He grant us the most out of the blessed month of Ramadan. Ramadan is here! Alhamdullilah! It's a beautiful time of year for Muslims all around the world. It's time to tighten that belt and fast those long days. It's a time to connect with Allah, even if you've fallen below your own bar for the last 11 months. Alhamdullilah, you made it to another Ramadan – when the gates of the hellfire are closed, the gates of paradise are open, and the devils are chained. The good deeds are multiplied by 70 or more, and in it is a night that is better than 1,000 months. During the month of Ramadan, the Holy Prophet (P) used to urge the people to perform optional taraweeh prayer at night. He did not order them or make it obligatory on them. “Whosoever performs optional Taraweeh prayers at night during the month of Ramadan, with Faith and in the hope of receiving Allah's reward, will have his past sins forgiven.” (Muslim) Taraweeh can be tough sometimes. You want to make that connection with Allah, but the prayers can be long sometimes – standing for extended periods of time and sometimes not understanding the verses being recited. Well here are some ways we can all work on making that connection and finding that sweet taraweeh. 1. Eat a light iftar So your stomach shrunk, but your eyes haven't. You're starving and the iftar looks great. Take it easy. Eat when you get back from prayer if you need to, but don't overdo it before taraweeh. 2. Make a proper wudu. Concentrate on your wudu. Think of your sins dripping as the water washes away. Sure, you're rocking the leather socks and are ready to wipe, but try washing your feet anyway. 3. Dress comfortably Nobody's saying you have to wear a thobe or shalwar kamees… but it doesn't hurt to try it out every once in a while. Nevertheless, just make sure you're comfortable (and modest) in whatever you decide to wear. 4. Smell nice This is more for your taraweeh neighbors who just finished reading this article and are also searching for that sweet taraweeh. But the last thing you want to be thinking about is whether that stench is really you or the guy standing next to you. Brothers, the Prophet (P) loved nice-smelling musk, and so should you. 5. Drink green tea Drink green tea 30 minutes before taraweeh for a natural energy boost. The light caffeine will make you feel more alert. It'll also keep your breath fresh, and the person next to you will thank you for it. 6. Get to prayer early
Page 6 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXIV No. 28 Why I Embraced Islam A Latino Brother’s Conversion to Islam considered one? And the concept of Jesus’ death; it all just didn’t make sense to me. However, I knew that it was my parents’ faith, so I accepted that fact and would thus follow the faith blindly. So up until I was the age of 20, I lived my life with the idea that I would take advantage of everything that this life had to offer. But it hit me one day that here I am partying, taking advantage of life, not sleeping, and yet one day I’m going to die. I started asking myself, “What’s going to happen to me? Where am I going to go? Who am I going to talk to? Who am I going to see?” I started to get worried. I thought to myself, “I don’t want to be doing this for forever. I don’t want to be with a bunch of knuckleheads partying every day for the rest of my life.” That is when I took the initiative to start researching about the purpose of life. Since I had never been very religious in my own religion, I thought, “Let me start doing my very own research and my own reading of the Bible and see what it has to say.” We had a Bible in the house so I decided to open it up and start reading it. But it had many different things that I just didn’t understand and that didn’t make any sense to me. Although from a very young age I had been taught about the Prophets of God and the stories of Noah, Moses, Abraham, etc. were familiar to me, however, when I started reading the bible, my understanding of the prophets didn’t correlate to my understanding of the purpose of the prophets. I thought to myself, “God sent these messengers down and they were supposed to be the best example of man from among the people. However, the Bible would state that the Prophets committed crimes; for example, it described Noah as an alcoholic and David as a fornicator.” I thought to myself, “How could Prophets do something like this? The Prophets of God?” This did not make sense to me. So I decided to go and speak to a priest at church. I stayed after the sermon and went up to him to talk to him privately. I specifically remember when I asked him these questions that he gave the excuse that this was the time of the Jews and that they were very corrupted people. He then told me to “Just stick to the New Testament; just read the New Testament.” He really didn’t explain the details about this issue so I decided to follow his advice and see what the New Testament had to say. At 20 years old, I wanted to read the New Testament and see what it had to say about Jesus being God. I have been told my whole life that Jesus is God, however, as I read through the New Testament, I couldn’t find anywhere in this book telling me that Jesus is God or explaining to me the concept of the Trinity. I went back to my priest and told him that I had further questions. I showed him passages from the New Testament and asked him, “We’re Catholics. So we believe that Jesus and God are a part of the Trinity?” After he replied in the affirmative, I asked him for proof. I wanted him to point out to me the passages in the Bible that explained this phenomenon. I Q: Can you please tell me your name, your background, and a little about yourself? My birth name would be Richard Sagastume. My muslim name now is Omar. I was born in San Francisco and I’m 26 years old now. I graduated from high school and pharmacy school so far, Alhamdullilah. Q: Can you tell me a little about your religious upbringing? I was raised Catholic, but not in a strict religious family. It was more that if we ever were to go to church, it would be to attend services during the holidays, like around Easter time or Christmas. But at a young age my parents would teach me the basics of religion; who God was, what to follow, what you must do to be a good person, not to steal, lie, or cheat. I was taught basically the human instincts of religion. It wasn’t until I reached the age of 14 that I started to get a little more knowledge about Catholicism. When I visited El Salvador, my aunts and my uncles would read the Bible to me. As a child, I remember one time when we were attending church services and I asked my mother, “What does God look like?” She pointed to the man on the cross and said, “That’s God right there.” I asked, “Well, isn’t that Jesus?” After she replied, “yes,” I asked her, “Well how can God die? Isn’t God eternal?” I was asking her a ‘common sense’ question that needed to make sense to me and she didn’t have an answer. She just told me to be quiet and listen to the sermon. In my mind, I was still very confused. I always was told that ‘Jesus is the son of God’ and ‘God is One’ and yet the concept of the Trinity was never explained or how it worked. I always thought that Jesus was one separate thing and God is separate. Growing up I didn’t have any religious knowledge. Like I said previously, it was when I was about 14 or 15 years of age that people told me that ‘Jesus is God,’ and ‘the Holy Spirit;’ they are all one and together. And I would continue to ask them the question that bothered me at this age. “Well, that doesn’t make sense.” How can three things be put together and be
Page 7 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXIV No. 28 told him, “It does not state anywhere in the Bible about the concept of the Trinity. I don’t see where this is coming from.” The only answer that he could give me was, “Do not let a few mistakes jeopardize your faith.” When I heard this, I realized that he didn’t have an answer for me. And the fact was that I was at a point in my life where I was trying to become a better person in this life, trying to become more religious, trying to get in touch with God, and I was lost. I was counting on the priest as an a’lim (scholar) and he couldn’t answer any of the questions for me. Thus, after doing research for about three months, I determined that Catholicism was not the way for me. I then decided to look at other Christian branches and their beliefs. However, after trying to adopt the beliefs and practices of the other branches, the same scenario would be repeated. I had always assumed that the different groups had a different Bible, but essentially they all followed similar concepts. Again, arguments would follow because they couldn’t answer my questions. People would start looking at me like I was crazy because I was asking questions about concepts that did not make any sense. So I would merely jump to another branch and I would still have the same problem. Then I decided to do some research on the religion of Christianity. As I researched, I found out that Christianity was never with the belief that Jesus was God. This was in fact a belief that was added on years later in history. I accepted this belief with certainty; for I had always believed that Jesus was never God and so this nowmade a lot of sense. I decided to then do further research and look into what was before Jesus and before Christianity; hence began my journey with studying Judaism. While studying Judaism, I noticed the same problems that I had with the descriptions of the prophets in Christianity to be the same in Judaism. I also found out that I would never be accepted because I was not born Jewish through my mother. I would never want to be in a religion where I am not accepted if I am not born into it. It doesn’t make any sense to me. So I left that alone and I went off, off course. Having just turned 21, I started studying Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. It was something that was really out of the ordinary, something I really didn’t understand. In Buddhism, you do not believe in God. I had always believed that I was brought here for a purpose and that I was created by a Creator. So I really couldn’t believe that Buddhism was the right path. The whole thing about Hinduism having a god for everything was to me much worse than Christianity. Here I would have a god for every element on earth and that was unfathomable. After having studied enough religions that didn’t make sense to me….... I thought, “God I’ve looked , but I could not find the perfect religion. So maybe there is no such thing as the perfect religion.” So there I was, full of questions and praying to God for help. I had a real fear of dying and not knowing the truth. I prayed and I prayed. I felt that God wanted people to go to heaven so He wouldn’t make it a mystery as to how to get there, how to live life accordingly, and how to understand Him. Maybe everything is distorted, I don’t know. Around that time, I decided that I would concentrate on being a good person. I would not be doing anything that I believed was inhuman or unethical. Once in a while, I would still pray to God. During that time, late 2008 and early 2009, My Space was very popular. I remember specifically reading a person’s post who was an artist. I went on his My Space and I remember reading something on his My Space that caught my attention. There is no god but Allah. There is no other god you should worship but Allah and he said it in Arabic as well, the Kalimah, which at that point I could not understand. Right then and there this intrigued me. Who is this Allah he is talking about? That is what intrigued me to do some research because I thought I had studied every religion that I could think of. This man on the internet is talking about Allah, the Creator of the Universe. I then did a quick Google search, “Who is Allah?” It came back with basic Google answers such as: Allah being the creator that Muslims worship, the God of the Islamic faith, etc. This surprised me because I had always thought that Islam was a branch of Hinduism. The only knowledge I knew about Muslims was how the media portrayed Muslims to be. But, at the point, I was like, I don’t really believe in the media that much. I am going to put that to the side and let me see what the Muslims have to say. What their doctrine says. I had never come across a Muslim before. Maybe I had come across some Muslims but I did not know they were Muslims, so I decided to do my own research. I did a Google search on the holy book of Muslims and came across the Quran. So, I went to Barnes and Nobles in Fairfield and came across an English version of the Quran. I went every single day to read a little more of the Quran. In the long run, I probably should have bought the book. I began reading Surah al-Fatiha, and came across the ayah that proclaims that there is One God that we should worship and no one else. After reading some parts of the Quran, my biggest question was how does Islam as a religion correlate to the other religions? Again, I did a Google search about the prophets and found Musa, Isa, Yusuf, Ibrahim, etc. , the same ones Judaism and Christianity talk about. While studying the prophets in Islam, I found that the prophets are looked at in a different, more positive way. They are not shown as criminals or alcoholics. The more I read the Quran, the more I became
Page 8 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXIV No. 28 interested, especially when it says Isa was not crucified. This really shook me! I never heard a story of Jesus not being crucified. I decided to research on the role Jesus plays in Islam. I found that Jesus is not the son of God, he is not God himself, but a prophet just like any other prophet. I then came across the Prophet Muhammad and the revelation. I thought, “Why Prophet Muhammad, not any other prophet?” I looked at the lifestyle of Prophet Muhammad and I could see that someone like that deserves to be a prophet. At this point, I think I’m ready to become a Muslim. In my heart, I believe that I was a Muslim already. I remember once when I was in pharmacy school, the subject of religion came up. Students began asking each other which religion they belonged to. Some people replied that they were Buddhist; others answered Christian. I, on the other hand, remember saying proudly that I was Muslim. I was scared to say I was Muslim because if there was another Muslim in the room, they would have told me to prove it. One thing I did before I fully became a Muslim was that I made dua to Allah. “O Allah, if this is your revelation, if this is the true way of life, please guide me towards this way, do not let me turn to anywhere else and bring me happiness.” During this sole-searching time I had a job in the meat department. A man with the last name of Muhammad was transferred to my department. I thought to myself that this man has the same last name of the prophet. I did not know this man and was nervous to ask him. After working with him awhile I got to know him a little bit better. I told him that I was very interested in Islam and asked him if he could guide me toward the right direction or teach me about Islam. He told me that he was not the best Muslim but could guide me toward the right direction. He invited me to come over to his house, chill, take a bite to eat. I was a bit nervous, but I knew Allah was on my side. I met up with this brother. He said that Islam brings so much peace and tranquility, in addition to cleanliness. I did not know what he meant by cleanliness until I learned about wudu and ghusl later down the road. I asked him, “What do I have to do to become a Muslim?” He said he would take me to the place where Muslims pray. So he took me to the masjid in Vallejo; my intention was that I wanted to become Muslim. Whatever I had to do, I was determined to do them right away. I remember that it was almost time for the noon prayer and a brother was making adhan. When I heard the adhan, it was so powerful, it was something I never heard before. Although at that time I did not know what it meant, it still had so much meaning. It was so powerful, I could feel its booming message. It felt as though it could crumble a mountain! That’s how powerful it meant to me when I heard the adhan. I performed Salah with them, following what they were doing. One thing I noticed when performing Salah, even though I did not know anything about Salah, was something I remembered reading in the Bible which was the manner in which the prophets prayed. I thought, “We are praying just like Isa, Ibrahim and all the other prophets used to pray.” In the bible, it always occurred to me at a young age, as Christians we don’t pray like the prophets prayed. I remember reading passages that Jesus would go to the garden and prostate to his Lord. Musa and Haroon would prostate to their Lord on the mountain. After the Salah, I talked to the imam and he explained that Islam is a religion of peace that will bring total salvation. I remember asking the imam some questions which he answered. I asked, “Why are Christianity and Judaism so similar but different from Islam.” He gave me an explanation of how over 1000 years ago, people changed their religion for their own benefit. Or, sometimes religion was changed over politics and somewhere down the line the message was distorted. He further went on to explain that the Quran is just a confirmation of what the Bible and Torah also preached. He also told me about the five pillars of Islam. It sounded like a lot of work, but I was willing to do whatever it takes. God-willing I am ready. He asked, “Are you ready to become Muslim?” I answered, “Yes!” I told the Imam I would be willing to do anything right now, if I have to travel a thousand miles away, I will do that right now. He laughed. “You don’t have to go anywhere to become a Muslim.” “All you have to do is say two sentences and you are done.” So that is when I recited the Kalimah with him and took shahada on October 7, 2009. Alhamdullilah I have been Muslim ever since. Q: How did your family react to your conversion? At first, they thought it was a phase; my parents thought that this was another phase that I was going through. When I was young I had wanted to be a rock star and, later on, a basketball player. So they thought that this was something new that will eventually go away. After that, they started to notice that I began wearing different clothing and spent much time reading all the literature that I was bringing home. When they would ask about my whereabouts, I told them that I was spending my time at the masjid. A year passed and I continued to learn everything I could about Islam. Although my parents never told me directly, they would tell my brother and my uncles that there was a change in me. I would always try and speak to them about Islam, but it was still too new for them. Even though they felt Islam was not for them, they did help me with my new religion in other ways. For example, when my mother would go grocery shopping with my father, they would stop by a halal shop and buy me halal
Page 9 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXIV No. 28 food. Overall they have been very accepting; I always make dua to Allah to accept them as Muslims. Over the years, my father began to ask me questions about Islam. At times, I was a little pushy about Islamic beliefs. Almost like a car salesman where he says, “You need this car. You can’t leave without it…” And, likewise, I would be very persistent in preaching about Islam and at times it would become a little ugly when our discussions would always end up in arguments. I felt that this was not helping the situation. So I decided to show Islam through my character and continued to pray to Allah (SWT) for their hedaya. Things were going very well, Alhamdullilah. One weekend I had a dream that I was in a masjid with my good friend and we were both praying to Allah (SWT) in white thobes. Subhanallah, the next day my good friend called me. Although I missed his call, my father called me right after to tell me that he had a surprise for me. I thought his surprise was going to be that he bought me something new, like a pair of new shoes. After meeting him, he told me that he wanted to become a Muslim. I was speechless because this came out of nowhere. I hugged him and asked him what changed his mind. He told me that he was doing research on his own for a while about Islam. In other words, behind my back. No father wants to be lectured from his own son. He wanted to discover Islam on his own. We went to the masjid together and, Alhamdullilah, he took his Shahadah! Q: What are your future plans? I still have much to learn about Islam. I never tire of reading the Qur’an. When I am unsure about something in Islam, I look to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). I see how he responded to situations and use this as my guide. My journey in Islam will continue, and I look forward to many new experiences. I thank Allah daily for His Mercy and Love. I still have many goals which I wish to achieve with my faith. I have come to accept my belief in Islam as a progression, a journey, a seed that was planted and has grown into a strong and living presence in my soul. I am not perfect, but I believe that I am a better Muslim this year than I was last year. I know by the number of things that I have left behind that were not pleasing to Allah. I know with each passing Ramadan because I can look back at my first weak attempts at fasting and realize that I can look forward to this month and that Allah will be there to help me through the weak moments Let me conclude by inviting everyone who is not a Muslim to examine Islam and decide for yourself about this religion which is practiced by one out of every five people in the world. As a Muslim, I invite you and encourage you to seek out a Muslim and initiate a dialogue. Subhanallah, once again another year has gone by. Where does the year go? Where do the hours and days go? How do the weeks and months slip by? By the time this newsletter will reach you, the first one-third of Ramadan will be over. Have you made the most of the first ten days of Ramadan? What steps have you taken to strengthen your Imam while the Shaitan is locked up? During Ramadan, I have come to an alarming realization. During the remainder of the year, when my mind wanders during Salah, when I am not as generous as I could be when Muslims ask for help, when I lose my temper, etc. I feel a small sense of relief when I angrily blame the Shaitan for tempting me and quickly and repeatedly ask Allah (SWT) for forgiveness. However, have you ever thought about whose fault it is for your actions during Ramadan? How about the struggle to keep our tempers in check? Have you lost your temper with any person during the past 10 days? And if you answer in the affirmative, do you know what this means? This means that Shaitan has temporarily succeeded. This means that you and I cannot blame the Shaitan for our actions. The decisions that we have made within the last 10 days are a representation of our true self and we will be judged accordingly on the Day of Judgment But wait!! It’s not too late!! There’s still time to repent. Take advantage of the remaining two-thirds of Ramadan to perfect your Salah and your character. This is the month for renewing our commitment and re-establishing our relationship with our Creator. Beg Allah (SWT) for forgiveness and ask Him (SWT) to grant you steadfast Iman, Khushu’ (total concentration) during Salah, patience during trials, and characteristic traits that defined our Prophet Muhammed (S). The Messenger of Allah (S) said: “Every action a son of Adam does shall be multiplied—a good action by ten times its value, up to 700 times. Allah (SWT) says: With the exception of fasting, which belongs to Me, and I reward it accordingly. For, one abandons his desire and food for My sake.” However, we must remember that the practices and lessons learned during Ramadan should be instilled in our lives throughout the rest of the year! It would be pointless to end the month and return to our old behavior. Instead, at the end of Ramadan, we should take time to evaluate the changes that we have made and continue to engage in these practices in our everyday lives. May Allah (SWT) reward you, may He (SWT) grant you and your family everlasting success in this life and the hereafter, and may He (SWT) protect the entire Muslim Ummah from the torments of the grave and from the punishments of the hereafter. Ameen Ya Rabb-al Alameen.
Page 10 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXIV No. 28 Involving Children In Ramadan Allah (SWT) has made fasting obligatory on all sane, healthy Muslims during the month of Ramadan. Children are not expected to fast until the age of puberty. However, many children desire to take part in fasting along with their family from a young age. Although this can be challenging for them, there are many benefits in allowing and encouraging your children to fast from a young age. Fasting, just for a few hours a day, will teach children a degree of self-control that they might not exercise outside of Ramadan. It will also help mentally and physically prepare them in a progressive manner as they get older, so that when they are obliged to start fasting, it’s not a complete shock to their system. Finally, fasting serves as a means of taking part in Ramadan, allowing them to develop their spiritual connection with Allah from an early age. Let us look at some of the ways in which we can encourage our children to get involved in Ramadan. Start when they’re young Children will inevitably be involved in some aspect of Ramadan from the time they’re born. Whether it’s sleeping next to their mothers during taraweeh or setting the table for iftar – try and encourage their involvement in Ramadan to instill a love and appreciation for the month from a young age. For those too young to fast at all, introduce special Ramadan time activities to highlight the significance of the month for them. This could be something as simple as making Ramadan cards for family or giving dates to friends and neighbors. Small dosages Fasting only becomes obligatory after puberty so when the children are young, try out partial fasts during the day. Let them “fast” from breakfast till lunch, then gradually increase this so they can get used to the idea as they get older. Children who can manage it may be able to fast entire days, possibly just the weekends if school days are too tiring. Similarly, encourage them to increase their ibaadah bit by bit – if they normally read one page of Qur’an a day, try and make it 2, or try and get them to pray more of their daily sunnah or nafl salaah. Be sure to inform them of the increased reward of good deeds during Ramadan. Reward While we know that all reward comes from Allah, sometimes this can be a bit harder for children to understand. A tangible reward for their efforts during Ramadan can help encourage their spirit. Try creating a chart with stickers to mark out the days they fast, or give them a small gift of some sort to acknowledge their daily attempts. Visit the masjid Try and take your older children to the masjid at the time of iftar. A communal breaking of the fast will help bring about the spirit of Ramadan as will praying in jamat. Remember that this is not suitable for small children and babies who may distract others during salaah. Encourage good deeds Remind your children of the importance of doing good during Ramadan. Encourage them to be kind to their siblings and friends, to give a small amount in charity daily and to make dua to Allah. Distract them Do not force children to fast the entire day if they are struggling as there is no obligation for them to do so. Do try and distract them for as long as you think appropriate, especially just before iftar when the smell of food may tempt them. During the time of the Prophet (SAW), the women of the village of Ansar said they would make their boys fast and if any of them started crying, their mothers would give them toys made of wool to distract them (Bukhari). Try and take the children’s minds off food but remember to find a balance between pushing them too far and giving in too easily. Feed them wisely While there may be a temptation to “reward” children who attempt to fast with their favorite meals and treats, this could do them more harm than good. Excessively sugary and fatty foods will not benefit their health during Ramadan. Aim for a well-balanced meal to provide long-lasting energy for children who are fasting and remember to control their portions of sweets and caffinated drinks. Change their habits As we adults try to reform our lives and character, so too should our children. Try and change your children’s daily activities to be more in keeping with Islam. Restrict movies, cartoons, iPads and TV games etc. and instead encourage them to read Islamic stories or listen to Qur’an. While these habits may be difficult to maintain after Ramadan, at least make it clear to the children that things need to be different during the month. Company Try and take your fasting children to visit their young friends who are also fasting. This will help build a companionship and can help them encourage one another. In the case of children of different ages where some may be fasting and others not, make sure the younger ones are conscious of their older siblings or friends and are not showing off their food unintentionally. Above all, remember to use Ramadan as a time to prepare your young ones for when they are older. Instil a love and appreciation for the month and Insha Allah the rest will follow suit as they grow up. Acknowledge and reward their efforts and do what you can do to make their attempts easier. May Allah (SWT) reward them and us for trying, ameen.
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