an-nur: volume 4 - issue 3 (november 8, 2002)
DESCRIPTION
Ramadan 1423 November 8, 2002 | Volume 4, Issue 3 | The newsletter of the Muslim Students Association & the Muslim Women of Maryland serves as an excellent opportunity to experience the unity in the Muslim community.TRANSCRIPT
Hundreds of thousands of anti-war protesters
of all different backgrounds, races, and ages
took to the streets on Saturday, October 26, as
they marched around the White House de-
nouncing the impending war on Iraq suggested
by the Bush Administration.
"We think this was extremely successful," said
an organizer of International A.N.S.W.E.R.
(Act Now to Stop War and End Racism). "It
shows that when Bush says America speaks
with one voice, and it's his voice, he's wrong."
The rally began adjacent to the Vietnam Vet-
erans War Memorial. Concurrent rallies were
also being held in San Francisco and other
(Continued on page 6)
Iraq Rally Attracts Over 200,000 to D.C. By Muslim Link Staff Writers
“ A L L A H I S T H E P R O T E C T O R O F T H O S E W H O B E L I E V E . H E B R I N G S T H E M O U T F R O M D A R K N E S S I N T O L I G H T . ” [ H O L Y Q U R ’ A N ]
Ramadan 1423 November 8, 2002
Due Dates
Articles:
November 27, 2002
Distribution:
December 6, 2002
We look forward to
receiving your benefi-
cial submissions for
the next issue sent to
How Islam Eradicates Terrorism
2
MWM Social 3
A Warning to My Mus-lim Brothers and Sisters
4
FAQ About Ramadan 5
MSA Members Impact Iraq Rally
6
The State of MSA/MWM 7
MIST Comes to D.C. 8
Da’wah Committee 9
And much more...
Inside this issue:
AN-NUR - THE LIGHT
The newsletter of the Muslim Students‟ Association & the Muslim Women of Maryland Volume 4, Issue 3
Contact Us!
Please send your creative
submsissions, comments, and
suggsestions to [email protected]
Hosam Haggag sits atop Anan Said as he leads hundreds of both Muslim and non-Muslim pro-testors in anti-war slogans and shouts of takbeer
and shahadah. Photo by Abdullah Valanzola
MSA and MWM Activities During Ramadan By Naser Jaleel
With the approach of the blessed month of
Ramadhan, the Muslim Students' Association
(MSA) and Muslim Women of Maryland
(MWM) have planned several activities on the
university campus. There will be iftaar/dinner
every weekday in the Musallah (Cole Field
0204) immediately after Maghrib. In addition,
we are planning several other activities to real-
ize our goal to bring the campus community
closer to Allah. We eagerly anticipate your
support and suggestions to make the activities
we are planning a success, insha'Allah.
On November 27, there will be a Muslim com-
munity event on campus through the coordi-
nated efforts of Masjid Dar-us-Salaam, MSA,
MWM, Pakistani Students' Association (PSA),
and the Organization of Arab Students (OAS).
Not only will there be iftaar and dinner, but
through arrangements with Masjid Dar-us-
Salaam there will be Taraweeh prayers for the
entire community. Insha'Allah, the event will
serve as an excellent opportunity to experience the
unity in the Muslim community.
Also, the MSA and MWM are planning a commu-
nity service activity, in which Muslim students will
go to a soup kitchen to feed the hungry and poor.
The Dawaa committee has come up with a unique
way to involve the non-Muslim students to partici-
pate in this event. Keep an eye out as we announce
more details about this event. Please contact Br.
Farhat Noor ([email protected]) to learn more
and participate.
The MWM has planned several activities for the
sisters. Throughout Ramadhan, the sisters will have
a 10-minute tafseer session before the iftaar. In-
sha‟Allah, please contact Sr. Maha Ezzeddine
([email protected]) to volunteer and obtain more
information. The MWM is also planning a dawah
event to teach the campus community about the
Islamic month of Ramadhan. Please contact Sr.
Maha to learn more.
An-Nur Volume 4, Issue 3
Page 2
on earth is owned by 15% of its inhabitants.
Terrorism and the World Order: The
present world order that started to shape at
the beginning of the past century has caused
two world wars and numerous other wars
that consumed tens of millions of lives. The
super powers cared only for their own inter-
ests, and that created terrorism and loss of
security. The Qur‟an stresses the role of the
Muslims as a power that must run the world
order aiming to achieve supreme values
such as establishing prayer, collecting char-
ity, enjoining the good and forbidding evil.
Islamic resolution on Terrorism: Finally,
the speaker summarized how Islam Re-
solves the problem of terrorism with the
following measures:
Eradicating Despair by linking this life
to the life in the hereafter.
Raising the value of the human soul to
equate it with the life of all people in
the world; thus prohibiting unjust per-
secution of human life, and placing a
severe punishment for those who vio-
late the main principal of human life,
that is the right to continue life without
interruption, as the following verse
mentions: “The punishment of those
who wage war against Allah and His
Messenger, and strive with might and
main for mischief and corruption
through land is: execution, or crucifix-
MSA Activities
How Islam Eradicates Terrorism
By Abdel Salam Sayyad
This was the title of a lecture delivered by
Dr. Muhammad Malkawi at the University
of Maryland at College Park on October 24.
In the lecture, Dr. Malkawi stressed that he
would depart from the usual approach of
defending Islam and disassociating Muslims
from terrorism. The purpose of the lecture
was to illustrate how Islam provides the
comprehensive solution that inhibits the
growth of terrorism in the first place, while
the present world order is a fertile soil for
such phenomena.
The meaning of Terrorism: The speaker
started by broadening the sense of terrorism
by highlighting the end result of it, which is
the loss of security. As he explained, the
society can lose security in many ways,
including economic insecurity, health inse-
curity, and political oppression. In these
cases, the individuals and the society are
terrorized even if direct acts of violence are
not committed against them. The Prophet
(saw) said: “Whoever starts his day owning
food for his day, health in his body, and
security among his people, then he has
owned the whole world.”
Terror also spreads as a result of secret evil
plotting. The clear example for that is the
intelligence organizations in all parts of the
world, terrorizing innocent people. This has
been happening in totalitarian regimes and
in the third world, and is now apparent in
the West under the pretext of fighting terror-
ism.
Causes behind Terrorism: Dr. Malkawi
then summarized the causes behind terror-
ism as the lack of food, health and physical
security, and falling victim to oppression.
By presenting numbers and statistics from
Western researchers, the speaker was able to
demonstrate the graveness of such problems
as food insecurity, lack of economic growth,
short life expectancy, the rise of child mor-
tality, and illiteracy in most parts of the
world including many U.S. communities.
This is accompanied by the injustice in dis-
tribution of the wealth where 80% of wealth
ion, or the cutting off of hands and feet
from opposite sides, or exile from the
land: that is their disgrace in this world,
and a heavy punishment is theirs in the
hereafter (Quran:5:33)
War on Poverty: Prophet of Allah, Mu-
hammad (PBUH) said: “Allah breaks
covenant with any group of people liv-
ing in a close vicinity, whereby one of
them goes to bed while hungry”
Conclusion: It is the responsibility and the
duty of the people of the world to examine
Islam with serious and sincere scrutiny, in
order to consider it as the only viable alterna-
tive to capitalism.
Dr. Malkawi answered the questions of the
audience in a clear and straightforward way,
avoiding any apologies or defense in the face
of usual accusations. For instance, when he
was asked to comment on the saying
“Terrorism is done by evil people who
should not look for excuses,” he answered:
No human is evil by nature. No one is born
terrorist. If we don‟t look for the reasons of
this issue then we‟ll catch one terrorist today
and have to deal with another tomorrow.
The speaker also answered broader questions
on the Islamic alternative to the Western
system in the political and economic aspects,
and about the methodology of change that the
Muslims should follow to resume the Islamic
way of life.
One of the premier sites for news around the globe from an Islamic perspective. The site
also contains a wealth of other features, including fataawa, live discussions, views & analy-
ses, and much more. The site is available in both Arabic and English versions.
An-Nur Volume 4, Issue 3
Page 3
pray. Two sisters stood on either side of the
convert and constantly corrected her
throughout the salat. It was entertaining to
see the sisters trying to show the new sister
the right way to fold her hands during salat.
The sisters went as far as placing a glass of
water on the new sister‟s back while she
made rukuu so as to ensure that her back
was straight! The whole point of the skit
was to illustrate that sometimes, out of our
enthusiasm, we give our new sister‟s a huge
load to carry.
After the skit, we played the second round
of Jeopardy. After several questions had
been asked and answered and the points
totaled up, the Sophomore/Senior team
came out victorious with a lead of 30 points.
The evening ended with some sisters sing-
ing popular nasheeds. One group sang Zain
Bhikha‟s “Fortunate is He”. Two sisters put
MWM Activities The MWM Social: A Fun-Filled Evening with My Sisters
By Mwanatumu Mbwana
Thursday, October 31st. I cannot remember
when I have had as much fun as I did on
that evening. More than 20 sisters sat
around the tables set up in the Nanticoke
Room of the Stamp Student Union to par-
take in the MWM social event of the semes-
ter. The minute I walked in the door, I could
feel the excitement of my fellow sisters. I
think I speak for most of the sisters when I
say that the MWM social event (held most
semesters) is one of the highlights of the
semester. It provides a welcome relief from
all the tensions of exams, papers, projects,
homework and any other stress associated
with school.
The event started at about 4.45pm with a
Quran recitation. This was followed by a
brief welcome to the event and an ice-
breaker in which sisters introduced them-
selves and gave an account of something
mischievous that they had done. After this
we played “Islamic Jeopardy”. The sisters
were divided into two teams, Freshmen &
Juniors vs. Sophomores & Seniors. The
“Islamic Jeopardy” categories included
hadith, seerah, geography and Quran,
among others. It also included a
“miscellaneous” category that asked ques-
tions not necessarily related to Islam (e.g.
one question required the sisters to identify
the name of the phobia in which a person is
afraid of crossing the street.).
We played until Maghrib time and then,
after salat, we munched on pizza, drinks and
doughnuts. While the sisters were enjoying
the meal, there was a short presentation
about the MWM weekly halaqas (held on
Mondays at 5pm in 1226 Jimenez). The
presentation gave a brief overview of topics
covered during the halaqas i.e. the benefits
of sisterhood, and ways in which we can put
humility, trustworthiness, ihsaan, loyalty
and hayaa into practice.
Following this enlightening presentation, 4
sisters sent the audience into fits of laughter
with their amusing skit. The skit involved
teaching a new convert the “proper” way to
their language skills into practice and sang
Raihan‟s “Syukur” (the song is in Malay).
And finally, one sister sang Dawud
Wharnsby‟s “Ya Ummati” and urged her
sisters to help her raise money for a worthy
cause. She is trying to raise money for Kind
Hearts (a non-profit organization). For $150
the organization will provide iftaar to a fast-
ing Muslim refugee in Palestine this Ramad-
han*.
All in all, the event was a success. There was
great attendance, great food, and great enter-
tainment. It was an evening well spent for
those who found the time to attend.
*A donation box will be placed on the sis-
ters‟ side of the musallah until Monday, No-
vember 11. Contact [email protected] for
more information.
Leaving their worldly concerns behind, it
was a time for the sisters to build the
warm bond of sisterhood and come closer
to Allah (swt). Many of the sisters felt
heavy when leaving and regretted having
to go back to the normal routine of their
lives.
Nevertheless, the Saturday was a rejuve-
nating one, an enriching experience that
would nourish their spiritual selves for
weeks to come.
Sister’s Qiyaam
Anonymous Contribution
What kind of answers would you get from a
sample of college students when asked,
“How did you spend your Saturday night?”
If it were posed to some of the MWM sis-
ters last week, they would proudly answer:
qiyaam ul-layl.
Alhamdulilah, on Saturday, October 19th,
some 15 sisters gathered for the monthly
iftaar/qiyaam ul-layl event organized by the
Muslim American Society-DC Youth Com-
mittee. The program began with nightly
supplications and breaking of the fast. It
followed with salaatul maghrib and a short
khaatirah. The rest of the night was spent in
praying tahajjud, remembrance of Allah
swt, and a short nap that allowed the sisters
to continue their prayer a little before the
break of dawn. The program ended with
salaatul fajr, another short khaatirah, and
finally breakfast.
attention and I would, out of fear, ask Al-
lah's forgiveness and mercy for the sins of
my day. But I inside I knew I would fail
again if given the chance. I recognized the
fact that my Muslim friends could make me
happy and give me whatever it was that I
knew I was not getting from the computer.
But they also made me uncomfortable. I
recognized the feeling after awhile as guilt.
Whenever I saw the purity of their smiles
and their happiness to see me, my heart
pounded a little faster and swelled with joy
to see them. And when I left them, my heart
sank, disappointed that I did not stay. Later,
I began to watch them, to study their actions
and words, questioning their sincerity and
speculating which of them had the same
problem as me. I grew certain I was alone.
The loneliness inside me grew in proportion
to my sins. My grades inevitaby suffered as
I turned more and more to the computer
screen that could google me away from
reality with a click of a button. At night I
tried to drown out the incessant nudge of
my conscience with my fantasies, and there
was my struggle. I tossed and turned nearly
all night, terrified that I might "wake up in
the grave" and wishing it would all go away
by turns. I got a meager bit of sleep out of
the deal.
Why not just remember Allah‟s Mercy, you
might well ask. I was suffering so much that
I couldn't concentrate well on anything,
loading my mind with and force-feeding my
heart junk. Why not just put myself out of
my misery and repent? The human mind
and heart are a very odd part of creation,
when influenced by the devil. To my current
thinking, my way was the easier way and I
felt I could not bring myself to "give up" the
fake pleasure I was getting from my secret
shell of a life. My sins kept me from re-
membering that that I could always turn to
Allah and ask Him to forgive me and lift my
spirits out of their depression. I became half
afraid that Allah would never forgive me
because I kept asking with a sincerity not
backed by actions. But something inside me
still wanted goodness. I starved during
Making the Most of Ramadan
A Warning to My Muslim Brothers and Sisters
Anonymous Contribution
My dear brothers and sisters, I want to warn
all of you against doing what I did.
I entered Ramadhan on a low wave of Iman.
Since the beginning of the semester, I'd
been spending far too much time on cam-
pus, a regular 10 hours a day, sometimes 12.
It made me feel important and grown-up to
be by myself in the "world"; I had yet to
spend so much time away from home alone
anywhere. As night came on, I was left feel-
ing slightly alone as all my Muslim friends
went home at around Maghrib or so.
It always looks and feels as if one has
something to do if one sits in front of a
computer screen. So I started going just
during breaks between classes whenever I
was close to a computer lab. It built up to
the point where I was on the computer for at
least 3 hours a day, sometimes more. My
surfing habits were not healthy, since they
were born of boredom. They became even
less so as I began venting some of my fanta-
sies by living them on the computer. I fre-
quented romance sites, and it became an
addiction. I planned my day around the
computer, and the hours I used to spend in
the musallah socializing and relaxing began
to taper off.
I was still friendly and enthusiastic around
my friends, who all showed me the sweet-
ness of Islamic sisterhood. I loved them, and
I loved feeling loved by other Muslims. But
I admitted to myself that I no longer truly
wanted the company of the friends I knew
could help raise my Iman. It came to me
then that I didn't want to raise my Iman. The
consciousness of that feeling, when it came,
scared me so badly that I tried hard not to
examine my nafs more closely for a long
time. If I raised my Iman by reading Qur'an,
keeping the company of good people and
really praying for forgiveness, I knew it
would cause me to stop doing what I knew
was wrong.
And I didn't want to stop. At night, some-
times my conscience would slap me for
Ramadhan although the days of restraint
were short. I fasted on the outside; I prayed
in congregation as often as possible, and at-
tended Islamic classes and lectures that, if I
truly listened, could only intensify my guilt. I
never ate or drank a drop of food during the
day's fast. But I wasted away on the inside
and left Ramadhan with nothing but a mem-
ory of hunger and a deep, cold misery. The
misery was my heart, crying and growing
thin and dark for having not been fed for a
month.
After I lost Ramadhan, my inner depression
intensified. I lived very much like a soulless
being, eating, drinking, sleeping, ritually
praying when necessary. I was unhappy, rest-
less, shiftless spiritually. I thought maybe this
was Allah's punishment for my missing
Ramadhan. I wanted very badly now to do
better. But I seemed not to have the will. I
peaked on my bad habits, even with the
growing sense that I could hide only so much
from my family and friends. I looked in the
mirror every day with the very real fear that I
might see a monster. Was I growing more
haggard outwardly? I worked hard to make
sure no one else could see any difference..
But now my darker intentions could no
longer give me even the fleeting sense of
enjoyment I used to get. I knew they were
illusions now. But I continued to ignore real-
ity, so what was my world now but illusion?
I cultivated a very peculiar sense of empti-
ness that I attributed to a liberating lack of
responsibility. I never missed a prayer, even
when alone, but never really prayed. I stayed
far from the Qur'an with a detachment that
was not only physical. I did not want to think
about Allah, because for me He was the sum
of my fears. Yet often, during my sleepless
nights, I would sit up and reach for the Book,
open it to any place, and read the two facing
pages just to soothe my pain until the next
day. I knew that the Qur'an, like my good
friends, could cure me completely. But I de-
nied my heart the treatment for just a little
longer. The pain inside grew to a physical
reality, a vague throb that I ignored easily
during the day but not so easily at night. I
tried to convince my desperate self that I
would have time to repent, later. But mostly,
I didn't use the time I had.
(Continued on page 5)
An-Nur Volume 4, Issue 3
Page 4
How does fasting help a Muslim come
closer to success?
In Islam, the definition of success is the
multitude of infinite rewards that are to be
had in the life Hereafter. This success is
limited to those who earn Allah‟s mercy and
Divine Pleasure. Bodily success can be a
good thing, but it is not real success. Real-
ity is something transcendent, and therefore
beyond time, space, and the mere appear-
ances of things. A Muslim should see any-
thing and everything as the signs of Allah,
with his or her heart. In so doing, it be-
comes important to be able to distinguish
between needs and wants, and to refrain
from dangerous extremes.
Does Ramadan affect the rest of the
year?
In short, yes. Ramadan is a spiritual boost
that should last for the entire year. It is a
time of preparation and behavior modifica-
tion, like a yearly spiritual check-up. Every
second in Ramadan is precious. In this time,
Muslims learn how to gain control over
desires. There is a drive to engage the signs
of Allah, to see them in a state of active
dhikr, and to be in a state of prayer. It is
possible to read the signs of Allah in His
Introduction to Ramadan Frequently Asked Questions about Ramadan
By Omar Nawaz Khan
Br. Omar Nawaz Khan compiled some of
the most frequently asked questions about
Ramadan and answered them in this concise
introduction to the month of mercy, forgive-
ness, and pardoning from Hellfire.
What makes Ramadan so special in the
hearts of Muslims?
Ramadan is the month in which the Quran
was revealed. On Laylat al Qadr, or the
Night of Power, the Quran descended from
the highest heaven to the lowest heaven.
This night occurs during one of the last ten
nights of Ramadan. The ninety-seventh
Surah of the Holy Quran is called Surat al-
Qadr, and is a comprehensive teaching of
this Night of Divine Decree and Knowl-
edge.
Why do Muslims have the duty and
honor of fasting during the month of
Ramadan?
There are infinite blessings to be enjoyed
and utilized during the month of Ramadan.
The main purpose of the ordained fasting is
for Muslims to strengthen their connection
with the Creator, the Sustainer, the Power-
ful, and the Most Loving, the One and Only
Allah. In order to strengthen a connection
with the Divine, it is essential that servants
of Allah indulge less in physical desires. In
a sense, there is a lessening of the connec-
tion with the body and an increasing of the
connection with the heart, which is the seat
of the soul.
What impels a Muslim to wake up early
for the pre-dawn meal, or suhoor?
As the human heart makes all decisions, the
decision to wake up is also made by the
heart. While the soul (or Rooh) constantly
strives to be close to its Divine Originator,
the animal body aspect of the human being
is always dragging a Muslim down. The
heart must decide whether it will follow the
light of the soul (i.e. wake up for suhoor and
fajr), or merely succumb the desire for two
extra hours of sleep that the animal body
demands.
Book (the Quran), and to read the signs of
Allah in the book of His creation. “Kun fa
yakoon.” “Be and it is!”
What does saum mean?
Saum is the Arabic word for fasting. The
Arabs used to train horses by taking them
into the desert during fierce sand-storms in
order to toughen them up, and so that they
would be able to ignore the fierceness of the
desert wind during the time of a battle. This
practice was called saum. This is the time in
which the Muslims are toughened by devel-
oping the ability to ignore, confront or con-
quer their lower desires and therefore strive
for a higher Ideal.
What can be done during Ramadan in the
sphere of self-advancement?
During Ramadan, Muslims must strive harder
than ever to think the way Allah wants us to
think. Old habits must be broken and good
ones must be developed, insha‟Allah. The
ability to concentrate with both mind and
spirit must be developed, as opposed to being
enslaved by the sensory organs (which too
are the mercy and bounty of Allah). Perhaps
it will help to consider the following ques-
tion: “What if I die at this very moment?‟
Rabbana atina fi dunya hasanatan wa fil
akhirati hasanatan wa qina adhab anaar!
still striving, but it gives me a sense of
purpose to turn down the urge to follow
my nafs. It makes me feel happy, upright,
and alive. But I am still afraid. I am some-
what afraid that Allah may not accept my
repentance, as perforated as it has been.
That fear is diminishing as I become
stronger against conscious sins. I am
afraid to go to libraries or log on to the
internet alone for long periods of time.
But mostly I am afraid I may not live to
see another Ramadhan...
Warning (cont.)
One night I lay sleepless and rubbed at my
breastbone, trying to soothe the throbbing,
and realized I was tired. I was paranoid,
afraid, depressed, unhappy, restless, shift-
less, and I was now tired. I didn't want to
live forever like this, but I saw now that I
was being dragged into forever by my ac-
tions. I sat up in bed reached for the Qur'an-
hesitated, and lay back down. Tomorrow, I
thought, I'll read. Many tomorrows and
many backward slides later, I am writing
this warning. I feel better, freer in spirit than
I ever did during that period of time that
seems like years but was only months. I am
(Continued from page 4)
An-Nur Volume 4, Issue 3
Page 5
An-Nur Volume 4, Issue 3
Page 6
cars?”
Kai of Harlem, New York, agreed with
Cousin Sammy, saying, “Bush is trying to
maintain control of Middle Eastern oil.”
When approached by Muslim Link reporters,
D.C. Police refused to answer any questions
regarding the rally. One paramedic stated
that there was no trouble, only to be cut
short by his chief not to answer any other
questions.
Sixty to seventy students and faculty from
Montgomery Blair High School of Silver
Spring, MD, came out to voice their opinion
about the potential war on Iraq. Nathaniel
Pancost, representing a Blair organization
called the Students for Global Responsibil-
ity said, “It‟s a stupid idea; we‟re doing it
MSA in the Community MSA Members Impact Iraq Rally by Rallying Crowd (Iraq cont.)
locations around the world. Organizers say
an anti-war demonstration this large has not
happened since 1969, five years after Con-
gress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
which gave President Johnson authority to
launch a war on Vietnam. Recently, Con-
gress passed a very similar resolution giving
President Bush the authority to declare war
on Iraq.
By noon, the lawn was packed with people
listening to a variety of speakers, including
Reverend Jesse Jackson, Susan Sarandon,
and former attorney general Ramsey Clark.
Muslim speakers included Imam Mahdi
Bray of the Muslim American Freedom
Foundation and Ahmed Al-Awazza of the
Muslim Students Association, among oth-
ers.
“If we launch a pre-emptive strike on Iraq
we lose all moral authority,” Jackson told
the crowd.
“We must not be diverted,” he said. “In two
years we've lost 2 million jobs, unemploy-
ment is up, stock market down, poverty up.
It's time for a change. It's time to vote on
November 5th for hope. We need a regime
change in this country.''
After the speakers finished, the march began
on 21st Street and Constitution Avenue.
The protesters then circled the White House
and returned to the original starting point.
Massive crowds of people filled the streets
for several blocks. In fact, the march was so
large that those in the lead had to wait for
demonstrators at the end of the march to
pass in front of them before they could re-
turn to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Several Muslim Link reporters had the op-
portunity to speak with many different pro-
testers during the rally about the impending
war on Iraq. “Why make war on people for
oil?” asked Cousin Sammy, one of the older
protesters at the rally. “Why can‟t we have
cars run off of bio-diesel or have electric
(Continued from page 1)
for the wrong reasons. It‟s Vietnam all over
again. We went in that war not knowing
clearly why, and the same is happening
now.”
Two Vietnam War veterans told Muslim Link
reporters that they stand in solidarity with all
of the other protestors at the rally. “We‟re
against what‟s been going on the last few
years,” said Mark McVay, who fought in
Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. “George Bush
is selling fear. He wants everyone to be
scared, and we‟re not buying it.”
Len Funk, another veteran who fought from
1969 to 1970, told reporters that there is “no
compelling reason and no evidence” that a
war on Iraq is necessary. He said that CIA
reports show that Saddam Hussein will only
(Continued on page 7)
Although media coverage of the event often cited the number of protestors as “thousands” or in some cases even “hundreds”, anyone present at the rally would be quick to disagree. Rally organizers estimate that the attendance was more than 200,000.
Even in this small glimpse of the rally, protestors can be seen as far as the Washington Monument in the upper right-hand corner. Photo by Yasser El-Haggan
An-Nur Volume 4, Issue 3
Page 7
together non-Muslim freshmen and mem-
bers of the MSA/MWM. Sadly, only 5
MSA/MWM members showed up (2 sisters
and 3 brothers). If I felt as disappointed as I
did, then how did the organizers of these
events feel? How did they feel after putting
so much of their time and energy into the
planning, only to face such disappointment?
Student Advice & Perspectives The State of the MSA and MWM
By Mwanatumu Mbwana
Once upon a time, there lived a family of
ten; eight children and their two parents.
Since they were the only Muslim family in
the neighborhood, they felt it was their duty
to educate their neighbors on Islam. The
parents felt that the best way to initiate a
good relationship with their neighbors was
to invite them over for a dinner. Their hope
was that this dinner would lead to more
interactions through which they could teach
their neighbors about Islam. So the parents
busied themselves in preparing for the din-
ner; cooking, cleaning, etc. They were con-
fident that with the help of their eight chil-
dren, the whole neighborhood would get to
hear about the dinner. However, on the day
of the dinner, no one showed up. Only one
of the children had joined her parents in
waiting for the guests. Upon questioning the
children, the parents found out what had
gone wrong. Only one of the children had
attempted to inform the neighbors about the
dinner; everyone assumed that someone else
would do it. Since she was the only child to
publicize the dinner, she didn‟t do a very
effective job. As for attending the dinner,
each of the children had an excuse. One was
busy doing homework, another assumed
that the other siblings would go and so her
presence would not be missed. Another
simply felt that the dinner was none of her
business because her parents were the ones
who had planned it.
Okay, so you‟re probably wondering what
this corny story is doing in An-Nur, right?
Well if you haven‟t already guessed it, this
story is representative of the current state of
our MSA/MWM. After attending more than
one less than successful MSA event, I won-
dered what the problem could be. For exam-
ple, when I showed up for the showing of
“The Message”, only 2 other sisters and the
brother who had organized the event were
present. Due to this dismal attendance, he
was forced to postpone the event to the next
week. Even then, only 3 sisters, 4 brothers
and 3 non-Muslims attended. Another ex-
ample is the bowling event organized by the
Dawah committee. It was meant to bring
It‟s very easy to point fingers and say that the
advertising committee is not doing a very
good job. But how can we expect 2 brothers
(yes, at last count I was told only 2 brothers
are on the committee) to shoulder this re-
sponsibility alone? How can we expect the
MSA/MWM cabinets (plus a few other indi-
viduals) to take on the responsibility of orga-
nizing events, getting people to attend the
events, and then attending the events them-
selves? These people are not “super people”.
They‟ve got classes just like the rest of us;
(Continued on page 8)
and the loss of innocent lives, Haggag was
also able to get both Muslims and non-
Muslims alike to repeat the takbeer and
shahadah. Haggag was later hoisted up on
the shoulders of several Muslim brothers,
and as he paced the crowd with a variety of
slogans, an interactive approach, and timely
encouragement and humor, a gap formed in
front of the Muslim banners as more and
more people followed Haggag‟s lead behind
the Muslim banners.
Unfortunately, the presence of Muslims in
general at the rally was very small in com-
parison to the Muslim attendance at the rally
for Palestine last spring, and the vast major-
ity of demonstrators were clearly non-
Muslim. Many attendees cited their disap-
pointment at the lack of attendance, espe-
cially with such a large Muslim population
living in the greater Washington, D.C. area.
Rally organizers said over 200,000 people
in total came to voice their disagreement
with President Bush and his determination
to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
This rally was unique because it came be-
fore a possible war on Iraq, while past pro-
tests usually came after the start of war. In
fact, protests against the Vietnam War only
gained momentum after the war had been
going on for eight years. John of the Paper
Hand Puppet Intervention thinks the rally
can, “definitely make a difference. It can
stop the government from [passing] many
bad policies.”
Iraq Rally (cont.)
use his weapons when attacked. Funk
claimed that America is “creating terrorists
by the actions of our government.”
When asked what could be done after the
rally to continue efforts to stop the war, both
veterans said that Americans just need to
keep on organizing and showing that
“people of all walks of life, ages, races, and
ethnicities” are against this war. They also
cited the importance of the media in getting
the word out that what they feel is the ma-
jority of America is against the war.
Pancost, agreeing with the veterans, said we
should “just keep organizing and getting
more people.”
Aside from being among the rally organiz-
ers and contributing several speakers, Mus-
lims also made quite an impact during the
rally itself. The call of adhan and the Zuhr
prayer attracted the attention of many pro-
testors - some even took pictures of the
prayer. Earlier in the morning, several Mus-
lims passed out da’wah materials to others
in the rally.
During the march, local resident and Uni-
versity of Maryland student Hosam Haggag
was able to rally hundreds of marchers be-
hind the MAS (Muslim American Society)-
Maryland Chapter and Islamic Center of
Maryland banners as he led them in the
chanting of slogans. Aside from repeating
several slogans denouncing the war on Iraq
(Continued from page 6)
judges. All 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners
will receive trophies that they can display in
their school trophy case. The overall indi-
vidual and team winners will receive schol-
arships and awards.
The most interesting award that we can
make public is the award for the Extempora-
neous Speaking event. IslamiCity.com will
feature the 1st place winner‟s speech on their
website, islamicity.com, which gets over 25
thousand hits a day from over 100 countries.
Also, the winner will receive the IslamiCity
Life Time Membership Award which in-
cludes free gifts and services. This award is
valued at $500.
Let‟s say you‟re not the competitive type
and the Community Service Project event
doesn‟t interest you. Why should you come
to MIST? Well because MIST is not just
about competitions. It‟s also about net-
working, having fun, and meeting new Mus-
lims. We are also hosting some exciting
and interactive workshops that include:
“How to form an MSA at your school”,
“How to overcome bias at your high
school”, etc. All workshops are interactive;
no lectures are allowed!
Community Events MIST Comes to D.C. - Featuring Workshops, Skits, and Native Deen
By Rasha El-Haggan
The Muslim Inter Scholastic Tournament
(MIST) will be coming to a university near
you! This year, the DC MIST board is ex-
cited to announce that MIST will be hosted
at the University of Maryland College Park
on February 28th to March 1st of 2003.
For those of you who don‟t know what
MIST is, it is a tournament similar to speech
and debate but with an Islamic concentra-
tion. MIST is open to all high school stu-
dents in the Maryland, Virginia, and DC
area. MIST staff has been working very
hard with businesses in the area in order to
provide professional trophies, monetary
scholarships, and attractive gifts to the win-
ners of each event.
MIST is comprised of 4 categories. Each
category is contrived of a number of events.
We have a competitive event for anyone out
there. For those of you who are thirsty for
knowledge, we have the test events which
basically allow you to read a book we spec-
ify and take a test on it. We also have the
Islamic Scholastic Bowl for those of you
who really like team competitive events.
Not only that, but we have something for
those of you with artistic inclinations. We
have the 2D and 3D Islamic events, the po-
etry event, photography event, and even an
MSA/Islamic Club scrapbook event.
For those with serious competitive edges,
we have the Skills category which includes
events such as the Extemporaneous Essay
and Extemporaneous Speaking events. We
also have Prepared Essay and Research
Project Presentation events. Finally, for
those of you who know how to read the
Quran, there are Tajweed events.
Last but not least, we have the Community
Service event. This event helps students
fulfill their community service hours for
graduation purposes. To learn more about
this or any of the other events, visit us at
www.dcmist.com.
All events are judged by a panel of 3
The most exciting thing that MIST is featur-
ing is Native Deen! The hot Islamic rap
group will come and entertain us on Saturday
evening during the Award Ceremony!
So, in short, what does MIST offer? Com-
petitions, networking, having fun, work-
shops, skits, food, AND Native Deen!
To register with MIST, all you have to do is
email MIST at [email protected]. Someone
will then email you back and direct you to
your school contact. Registering is so easy
and the first school to register 10 students or
more will get 10 dollars off the registration
fee, that‟s $100 or more in savings! Remem-
ber though, registration ends on December
10th.
For those of you who are not in high school,
make sure to spread the word to your broth-
ers, sisters, cousins, and friends who are in
high school! Help us make this event a suc-
cess!
DARE TO BE CHALLENGED! GET
MISTIFIED!
pay attention to the emails sent out by the
MSA/MWM. Several upcoming events
are usually announced in these emails. So
if you see an event announcement, let
others know about it (both Muslim and
non-Muslim). Make plans to attend these
events. And if you see flyers that need to
be distributed on campus (usually left on
the table on the way out of the musallah),
take a handful and put them up around
campus. Put them up in the buildings you
pass through everyday, hand them out to
people you pass on your way to class.
Second, take the time to help out with a
committee*. I always see the same faces
at the Dawah tables. Why? Are they the
(Continued on page 9)
State of the MSA (cont.)
they have papers due just like we all do. But
because of their love for their deen, they
make time to spread the message of Islam
on campus through the MSA/MWM.
The MSA/MWM does not belong to a spe-
cific group of people. Just because you are
not on the cabinet, it doesn‟t mean that you
have no responsibility towards the
MSA/MWM. Remember, there is thawab
(blessing) in doing work for Allah‟s (swt)
sake. Do we mean to say that this blessing is
reserved for only those on the cabinet? No!
There are several ways that we too can earn
this blessing. First and foremost, we need to
(Continued from page 7)
An-Nur Volume 4, Issue 3
Page 8
Buddy System in which we have non-
Muslims who are interested in Islam pair up
with Muslims who can answer questions
and tell them about Islam on a personal and
regular basis. In order to get this program
started we need a list of non-Muslims who
are interested in Islam (and believe me on
this campus you can find many), and a list
of friendly Muslims (I'm almost sure there
are some of those) who would be willing to
be "buddies" of these non-Muslims in order
to invite them and give them information
about Islam.
Fishing for Freshmen is a series of events
mostly geared towards incoming freshmen.
The goal of these events are to educate and
build bonds with freshmen exploring the
endless possibilities on campus. In each
event it is important to show that Muslims
are willing to help and speak with them on a
personal and social level in order to make
them feel comfortable and build better rela-
tionships in the future. These events need to
be planned and organized as well as effec-
tively advertised where freshman usually
roam, throughout the semester.
Lastly, the MSA's Da'wah Committee is
setting up lectures for the public where the
general campus community is invited to sit,
listen and learn about Islam. Again, we
need advertisement in the "Diamondback"
ahead of time, as well as speakers and topics
as often as possible.
Committee Spotlight The MSA Da’wah Committee
By Maryam bint Dawuid
Inside the MSA there are many committees
that help to make it run and bring to you as
well as the campus the true essence of Is-
lam. One of the largest committees in the
MSA is the Da'wah Committee. The
Da'wah Committee was set up to invite non-
Muslims to Islam and to promote Islamic
awareness among the general student body.
Alhamdulillah, there are many different
programs within the Da'wah Committee that
take place every week, and this is just a
brief highlight of those programs.
The da'wah table is by far the most popular
activity, set up every Tuesday outside the
Stamp Student Union, and it seems that the
brothers and sisters of the committee have
made it like a second home (at least from
the looks of the congregation surrounding it
every Tuesday). The da'wah table (I bear
witness) is out rain or shine, from 9AM to
4PM. There is da'wah material such as
pamphlets, books and CD's and usually
more than one brother/sister available to
hand out materials and answer questions
about Islam. There is also a sign-up sheet
for Muslims who would like to be involved
with the MSA, and one for Non-Muslims
interested in Islam. Tables need to be re-
served and set up, and of course, you can
always make yourself at home handing out
information about Islam at the da'wah table.
Also, every Tuesday, from 5-7PM there is a
movie presentation in Hornbake Library on
the fourth floor. The movie currently being
shown is "The Message". This presentation
was set up in order to educate non-Muslims
about Islam (so please invite your Non-
Muslim classmates). In order to continue,
rooms need to be reserved ahead of time,
the video must be approved by the MSA
president (Brother Farhat Noor), and at least
one brother/sister must be there during the
entire movie session and afterwards to an-
swer questions. Also, advertisement is criti-
cal to the success of this event.
Another really nice program that the
Da‟wah Committee has set up is the Muslim
The Da'wah Committee has been an excellent
committee for the campus and the student
and staff body at large, and although you
may feel as if the MSA is already run by
invisible but effective forces who don't need
any help, that is most definitely NOT true.
The MSA at large welcomes you (if I may
speak for it) and your ideas and active sup-
port. The Da'wah Committee is setting up a
Fast-a-thon during Ramadhan which will
focus on informing as well as encouraging
non-Muslims to fast one day by asking them
to fast to feed the poor, and then having a
huge iftar at the end of the day. Also, with
regards to advertisement, you can't expect
one person, or even a few people to organize,
advertise and run big programs like these
alone, they have done an excellent job doing
so far, but I hope and encourage you all to
offer support in publicizing the MSA‟s
events. You never know what small deed
might save you from the Hellfire, on a day
when there will be no shade, but the Shade of
Allah (swt) and may Allah grant us this on
Yaum ul Hisab, Amin. If you have any
questions, comments, concerns or help/ideas
to offer to the da'wah committee, please con-
tact Brother Raef Haggag, president of the
da'wah committee at msa_da3wah@-
yahoogroups.com. May Allah forgive me
for any mistakes I have made in writing this
paper, and continue to shower upon us His
blessings and mercy forever, Amin.
energy planning an event, only to have
one or two people attend? Brothers and
sisters, this is our MSA/MWM. Let‟s take
the time to make it what it should be; the
most effective organization on campus.
* For more information how you can help
out with the MSA, contact Br. Farhat at
[email protected]. To help with the
MWM, contact Sr . Maha at
State of the MSA (cont.)
only ones allowed at the table? Of course
not. We should help out whenever we can.
Remember, the ummah can only be as
strong as its weakest member. Do you want
to be personally responsible for the failure
of the MSA/MWM in achieving its goals?
Do you want to be responsible for an unsuc-
cessful event? Put yourself in the shoes of
those dedicated to the MSA/MWM. How
would you feel if you put all your time and
(Continued from page 8)
An-Nur Volume 4, Issue 3
Page 9
An-Nur Volume 4, Issue 3
Page 10
me in the right direction, but there was no
compulsion in faith, as Islam should be. I
was 7 years old when my mom read to me,
“O ye who believe, fasting is decreed for
you as it was decreed for those before you;
perchance you will guard yourselves....The
month of Ramadan is the month in which
the Qur‟an was sent down, a guidance for
the people, and clear verses of guidance and
criterion” [Qur‟an: Chapter 2, 183]. Since
then, I have fasted. No questions asked. If
Allah All Mighty tells humanity to do some-
thing, then we should do it. But let me tell
you, it‟s been an interesting experience.
I am sure all my brothers and sisters out
there can relate. Going to public school in
America is hard enough. Try fasting for the
first time in your life, and BAM, it‟s like
everything is an obstacle. You can‟t eat.
Creative Writing Reflections on Fasting
By Nabeel Babaa
No food? No Drink?
Take time to think, for life can be taken
away in a blink.
Starvation and malnutrition have always
plagued mankind. But there have never been
as many starving people on our earth as
there are now. Between l5 and 20 million
people are starving in the world. 40,000
children die every day because they have no
food to eat. Want to know how that feels,
having nothing to put in your stomach? Try
fasting.
Fasting is something all Muslims are re-
quired to do, and well, I was never forced
into it. My mom always told me that when I
was ready, I should begin. I respect that
about my parents. They never forced me to
do anything. They taught me and pointed
You can‟t drink. And you have to close your
mouth outside when its raining because your
afraid of the water getting in. Well, maybe
that‟s just me, but you get the point. And you
know how sometimes you would uninten-
tionally go to the water fountain and drink,
and then realize that you broke your fast. Oh,
the good old days of being a child. Now
Ramadan is something I actually look for-
ward to alhamdulillah. Because subhanallah,
the heart weakens and yearns for faith when
the body is deprived of food and water. It‟s
that time of year for Muslims to reflect on the
past, and look forward and pray for the fu-
ture. You just never know when the end will
come, so do yourself a favor and dust off
your Qur‟an, and read. Ramadan is the per-
fect time to start if you haven‟t done so al-
ready.
Poem: Lose Not Hope for Victory is at Hand
By Omar Nawaz Khan
Salaam!
There will come a time when peace is the norm
And light in the sky when love takes a form
The suffering ones embraced by the warmth
The Way that is just shall fill hearts with bliss
Haqq!
Which of the great favors will you dismiss?
Of a Lord Most High who fulfills your Wish
All laws prostrate before the One, Unique
The rich and the poor, the mighty and weak
Noor!
Strengthen our conviction and stop the leak
Halal and haram bow down to Allah
There is no real “other” except Allah
The Truth is Laa ilaha illa-allah!
Hayy!
He is the One, Who makes our dreams come true
The Ink overflows from oceans of blue
We must bind our hearts with some Super Glue
Beware of the wicked, who try to deceive
Wadood!
In the masjid they come and shout out, “Leave!”
There is a refuge from what people weave
In a Book that defines that which is Right
He separates Night and Day with Twilight
Hakeem!
And removes from the poor their wakeful plight
And Day from Night with a beautiful Dawn
You can flip the switch, and turn your heart “On”
In this reality which is near gone
Allah!
Praised is the One who listens to the poor
Those who love to knock on the Divine Door
Rich is the One, Who gives freely, with ease
Erase our sins every time we sneeze
Astaghfirullah!
Possessed with Quran are the hearts that sing
Enshrined in a lamp or a diamond ring
Thoughts that purify servants of the King
The Green Fire will burn in a mind that thinks
Fattah!
And diseased ones shall have their chains and links
With hues of orange and transcendent pinks
There is a Path that leads to man‟s delight
We must humble ourselves and bow to Might
Laa hawla wa laa quwata illah billahil-„Aliyyu Al-„Adheem!
An-Nur Volume 4, Issue 3
Page 11
Within My Major Physics is Phantastic
By Mohamed Abutaleb
Have you ever wondered if those cartoon
characters who lay on beds of spikes can
really do that without severe injury? Or if
a bowling ball falls faster than a golf ball?
Or what building blocks the universe is
made out of?
Physics provides the answers to these and
countless other questions. It lets us know,
for example, that it is possible to lay on a
bed of spikes, and that it is easier to lay on
100,000 spikes than it is to lay on 1,000
spikes - but that‟s a separate article.
Physicists are in the business of under-
standing the universe and everything in it.
Needless to say, this is an incredibly ex-
pansive and often overwhelming task, for
the universe which Allah (swt) created is
full of complexities, complications, and
phenomena beyond our understanding and
comprehension. Yet, amidst all of this
complexity there is an underlying order
and balance which Allah (swt) has created.
Albert Einstein, among other prominent
scientists, was propelled more and more to
the belief in a Creator and in an underlying
order in the world around him as he got
deeper into his studies. One of his most
famous saying is, “I can not believe that
God would choose to play dice with the
universe.”
Because the universe around us is so com-
plicated, one of the most important strate-
gies that physicists learn to implement is
the abstraction away of irrelevant details.
The set of tools physicists have to describe
nature is very limited; thus, physicists are
always looking to simplify problems by
considering only the most relevant compo-
nents. Although this sounds, easy, the
human tendency is to do exactly the oppo-
site; to consider anything and everything as
part of the problem. That is why the most
difficult part of physics is not the solution
of the problem, but the initial approach and
setup.
Due to the central role of logic and abstrac-
tion, mathematics becomes the natural lan-
guage of physics. This immediately turns off
most people, thinking that physics will for-
ever by hopelessly difficult and incompre-
hensible. This is far from true. Richard
Feynman, considered by many to be the
greatest American physicist, used to pride
himself on being able to explain physics to
anyone at any level. He nearly threw a fit
when an elementary school teacher taught her
students that a wind-up toy ran on energy; he
knew that the students were too young to
fully understand the complexities of energy,
but he did not want them to walk away with a
flawed understanding. Even if you don‟t
read Arabic, you can still appreciate the
beauty of the Qur‟an, although you are im-
peded from becoming an expert on the sub-
ject. Similarly, you can love and appreciate
physics without being a mathematics guru.
But who cares about physics anyways? Ac-
tually, physics has an unbelievably profound
impact on your lives and probably your pro-
fession of choice. Physics is the foundation
of all science - in the movement of atoms in
chemistry, the dynamics of plate tectonics in
earth science, the motion of the cell‟s various
parts in biology, one finds a common link
back to physics. Physics studies matter, en-
ergy, and the interactions of the two, and no
scientist or engineer can claim to study some-
thing not related to these concepts.
Surprisingly, physics also has a profound
impact on completely non-technical fields.
Many popular science and philosophy books
written for general, non-technical audiences
are authored by physicists such as Richard
Feynman, Stephen Hawking, and others. For
some reason, physics also seems to be great
preparation for a career in administration.
Our own Senior Vice President for Academic
Affairs and Provost, William W. Destler,
graduated with a degree in physics. Many of
you may also be unaware that two former
Chancellors of the entire University System
of Maryland have offices in the Physics
building on campus, including John S. Toll,
whom the building is named after.
Many of you probably have this picture in
your minds that a physicist is an old person
with hair flowing in all possible directions
who can‟t relate to the rest of humanity.
This is actually not true. The majority of
physicists are experimental physicists,
designing machinery and running experi-
ments in the laboratory much like engi-
neers. These people are hands-on workers
who study their findings and try to develop
the basic research that eventually turns into
new technology and tools for society.
There are also a group of theoretical physi-
cists, who make predictions about physical
phenomena and future experiments using
logic and mathematics. Albert Einstein,
Stephen Hawking, and the famous equa-
tion E = mc2 are all products of theoretical
physics. Again, just because it is theoreti-
cal and can‟t be touched doesn‟t mean that
you can‟t understand it; I worked in theo-
retical physics over the summer, and I can
explain what I did to you.
Allah (swt) has summarized beautifully for
us the benefit in Imaan that we get from
learning about the world around us. In
Surat Fatir, where He tells us, “Those truly
fear Allah, among His servants, who have
knowledge” (35:28). In Surat Ali „Imran,
He decrees, “Behold! In the creation of
the heavens and the earth, and the alterna-
tion of the night and day, there are indeed
signs for men of understanding - men who
celebrate the praises of Allah, standing,
sitting, and lying down on their sides, and
contemplate the (wonders of) creation in
the heavens and earth, (with the thought):
„Our Lord! not for naught hast thou created
(all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salva-
tion from the penalty of the Fire.‟” (3:190-
191). We understand from these verses
that contemplation about the world around
us is not a luxury, but rather an obligation
in Islam. So let us go forth, engineers,
journalists, mathematicians, doctors, edu-
cators, physicists, businessmen, and mem-
bers of all other professions, and join
hands in the exploration of Allah‟s beauti-
ful, wondrous, flawless creation.
University of Maryland at College Park
P.O. Box 44, Stamp Student Union
College Park, MD 20742
Email: [email protected]
WE’RE ON THE WEB!
WWW.MSA-UMD.ORG
T H E M U S L I M S T U D E N T S ’ A S S O C I A T I O N
MSA Officers
President: Farhat Noor
Vice-President: Hisham Abdalla
VP, Sister’s Affairs: Sali Mahmoud
VP, Masjid Affairs: Harris Khan
Public Relations: Raef Haggag
Secretary: Naser Jaleel
Treasurer: Mabroor Mahmoud
MSA Chaplain: Ali Darwish
MWM Officers
President: Maha Ezzeddine
Vice-President: Haleema Rehman
Secretary: Naimah Khalifah
Treasurer: Aminah Shahid
Public Relations: Sali Mahmoud
SGA Liaison: Coniqua Abdul-Malik
Newsletter Staff
Editor-in-Chief:
Mohamed Abutaleb
Staff Writers:
Mohamed Abutaleb
Nabeel Babaa
Taqiyyah bint Dawud
Maryam bint Dawud
Naser Jaleel
Mwanatumu Mbwana
Omar Nawaz Khan
Contributing Writers:
The Muslim Link
Rasha El-Haggan
Abdel Salam Sayyad
2 Anonymous Contributors
Copy Editors:
Saman Ahmad
Taqiyyah bint Dawud
Hosam Haggag
Islamic Puzzles
An-Nur Volume 4, Issue 3
Page 12
E S U O R E N E G A Y M R R A ABSTAIN
E N D Y A L L S A B D H E D B DATES
L I I A E S S U Y S E O W A U DISCIPLINE
R F D L T A S H T T E E A Q P EIDULFITR
Y J K U P E L O D A N C R L I EXCESS
P U K O L I S O U I S A D U F FOOD
V H S Z T F C R E N S F M T T GENEROUS
W V A C X J I S S M E O Q A A IFTAR
W K R D N A D T I J C O X L R LAILATULQADR
R A M A D H A N R D X D N I J NEEDY
K O R Q I Y Z P A N E V P A T QURAN
P U C R B E Z G Q V E O N L W RAMADHAN
Q Y N U V E W C C X J Y Y Q M REWARD
R R U E G D F A V I B L W L B SUHOOR
K J D V D K R M H V C P F J S
YOU WILL SEE A MESSAGE IN THE LEFTOVER LETTERS:
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Ramadan Mubarak Word Find
By Taqiyyah bint Dawud
Q1. What is the original meaning of the word Ramadhan?
Q2. In which year was fasting in Ramadan made obligatory?
Q3. In which year the 1st Eidul Fitr was celebrated?
Q4. Is your fast valid if you lie or use foul language?
The first person to submit a set of complete, correct answers to both the quiz and the word find will have an interview featured in the next newsletter and become eligible
for a special prize. Please direct your submissions to <[email protected]>.
An-Nur Islamic Quiz
By Taqiyyah bint Dawud