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The Official Newsletter of the Muslim Youth Association
Volume: 1 Number: 1 May 1996/Zul Hajj 1416
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds, Who has said in His Noble Book:
Proclaim! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created-
Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood:
Proclaim! And thy Lord is the Most Bountiful-
He Who taught (the use of) the Pen-
Taught man that which he knew not.
(96:1-5)
And may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions.

Dear Readers,

Assalamu Alaikum and Eid Mubarak! Welcome to the first issue of Iqra. We bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and that Prophet Muhammad is his last messenger. We hope that this will be the start of a long and productive series of informative newsletters for both Muslim youth and adults alike. The Muslim Youth Association hopes that this publication will be positive and informative to all that read it.

Inshallah Iqra will voice the views and concerns of the area Muslim youth in response to the various issues and circumstances faced by them. It is our intention to better ourselves by addressing our ummah’s problems and offer a constructive solution.

We have chosen the name of our newsletter as Iqra because it means read or proclaim. This word was said to our last Prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), by the angel Gabriel from Allah. It was the first word revealed to him from the Quran. Iqra represents the beginning of the search for knowledge. In this same way we hope that Iqra will be the beginning of something beneficial to all that read it. Knowledge is the key to life. It is a Muslim's duty to continue his search of knowledge and the truth.
 

Wassalamu Alaikum,

The Editors

Iqra welcomes articles contributed from area youth. If you are interested please contact the editors.

"Such are those who barter guidance for error, whose commerce has brought them no benefits, and who have lost direction" (al-Baqara 2:16).

This verse is directed towards those who give preference to error over guidance and reject faith intentionally instead of answering Allah’s call.

As we enter college and choose our careers, we also set goals for ourselves. These goals include achieving high academic and social status. There is certainly nothing wrong with these goals but we often forget that these goals are "material goals." These goals have no importance for us after we die. The financial, social and academic credibility that we achieve will remain on earth while we exit these great domains when we die. For example, all the wealth or social respect that we accumulate in this world will not benefit us in the Hereafter. The only way we can "buy" our way to Paradise is through our deeds of righteousness.

The fact that we take only our deeds (good and bad) with us to our graves instructs us to reset our primary goals in life. These goals are those that we must strive for first with our maximum potential. We must establish and fulfill goals for ourselves that have an impact on our status with Allah, All-Knowing. These goals have been clearly set by Allah, the All-Merciful, for us in the Holy Qur’an and through Prophet Muhammad (saw). These goals are the pillars of Islam. Without these goals we are truly dumb, deaf and blind to the truth that Allah has established. We are Muslims before anything else. This means that all "material goals" are second to the goals of Islam. We are given the goals of our short lives in the Holy Qur’an: "Trueness to one’s Lord is not determined by whether your faces towards the East or the West, but trueness to one’s Lord consists of believing in God, the last day, the angels, the message of the Book and the prophets. True to this Lord is one who shares his money with his family and relatives with love and who willingly gives alms to the orphans, the needy, the traveler in need, and the beggar, and who frees someone from bondage, who attends to his prayers and gives due alms. True to their Lord are those who fulfill their promise when they make one and who exercise patience and forbearance in adversity, hardship and peril. Such are the true believers and such are the God-fearing" (2:177).

We must realize that our final goal is to worship and praise Allah, the Great. This final goal is very important because our whole purpose in life is to worship Allah. Through the established goals in the Qur’an, we worship and praise Allah.

An important step towards fulfilling these goals that Allah has established is to repent for our sins (surely we are imperfect) and to resort to the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad and apply it to our simple lives, instead of mindlessly reciting it.

Obviously, this is a hard part for the believers but we must be steadfast and have complete faith in Allah. Also, we must stand, fall and rise as a united Ummah. We must remember that we are all equal in the eyes of Allah, the All-Seeing. We cannot judge each other, only love and help each other. We must learn that our nationality, identity and our cultures are all represented under one magnificent flag of Islam.

May Allah guide us onto the straight path and protect us from the disbelievers, hypocrites and Shaitan who inspire hatred among believers.l

It seems that in this day and age, the global Ummah is having a struggle to retain it’s Muslim status, perchance, as shown through the crisis our brothers & sisters are currently going through in Bosnia-Herzegovina, because of outside pressures, war, or perhaps more correctly put, mass hysteria. It is generally agreed upon by most that this re-establishment of Islam as it was in our Golden Age, will be carried out by the younger and next generations. As Khurram Murad says: "For the future of the Muslim youth is but another name of the future of the Ummah here, of our families, traditions, and institutions, of the numerous mosques that have come to dot the landscape today, some of them built at huge costs." (Murad 1)

Now that it has been established that the Muslim youth are indeed the future of Islam, the quandary of how to develop them into Allah’s true vicegerents on Earth arises. It is the belief of many that this is only possible through education(tarbiya). However, "this is more comprehensive than mere religious instruction in the faith and practices in Islam." (Murad 5) If one examines the meaning of the word "tarbiya" this will become obvious. Tarbiya literally means "change, growth, increase, and nourishing." The goal of Islamic education is to bridge the gap between the present state of the ummah (hypocrisy, corruptness, etc.) and the desired state of affairs (Islam). Dr. Moosa Alkindi observed that in Arabic they have a saying: "faquidu-shai-lay-outih" (The one who does not have something, cannot give it). This is the current state of the Ummah.

Some may try to deny the importance of this dilemma. These are the ones who are hypocrites, Muslim by name only, nothing more. For it is evident through our environment: t.v., movies, school, government, etc., that this society runs counter to Islam. Western schools through their teachers, curriculum, text books, and administrators contribute to the de-Islamization of our children. As displayed in our community alone, children have become estranged from faith in God, the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) as the ideal, and the Islamic way of life (sex, family, etc.). In school, children aren’t allowed or enabled to follow Islamic teachings in such matters as diet, dress, Prayers, Fasting, and co-education. In other cases, the child feels embarrassed or their parents prohibit or advise them against practicing a certain teaching of Islam (Hijab, Prayers, etc.) in the name of "keeping the peace." What ever happened to "In the name of Allah?" So it is clear that the Ummah is struggling to keep up with the deceitful fire of the West. It is urgent to instill a sense of pride in being Muslim in the hearts of the young. In short, we need a potent counter culture.

This counter-culture will not materialize out of thin air, it will evolve over a period of years. There are, however, certain short range goals we can accomplish in our own community if the "elders" desire to do so. The Islamic classes are essential for the children’s development into responsible Muslim adults. However, as emphasized before, the basic overview of Islam is not enough. When reading Quran, it is essential to also understand it’s meaning, otherwise the whole effort is pointless. Teachers should be more compassionate, being able to deal with contemporary society. Also, the Seerah of the Prophet (S.A.W.) and History of Islam are integral components of tarbiya. Secondly, there should be a concerted effort to involve the children in adult & community activities, even things as trivial as cleaning the Mosque and calling people to the prayers. In addition to this, social bonds between the youth must be established in order to create unity and cooperation in the future Ummah. This can partly be established through such activities as: sports, bazaars, camps, study groups, and neighborly deeds such as visiting the elderly and feeding the poor. This is essential.

It is reported by Abu Ruqayya Tamim ibn Aus ad Dari (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (May the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

Murad, Khurram. Muslim Youth in The West (Towards a New Education Strategy). Leicester, U.K.: The Islamic Foundation, 1986

An-Nawawi. Forty-Hadith (An Anthology of The Sayings of The Prophet Muhammad). Brooklyn, NY: Sautal Islam Publications, 1988.l

As a high school student, a Muslim can go through a lot of turmoil. However, if you educate your peers, a Muslim can enjoy themselves and follow their beliefs.

A lot of the people I have encountered over the past four years really had no idea about Islam. In history classes, they would not get a clear view of our religion. The news would distort things and depict us as terrorists.

What I would do was talk to them and explain what Islam was really about. This would give them a better idea of Muslims. They would keep asking questions and, in turn, found out a lot about Islam.

Now, as I leave high school, all of my friends have a lot of respect for Islam and Muslims. They have been educated (to a certain degree) and are no longer ignorant about Muslims.

I think that the key to avoiding problems about religion in high school is to give your friends a better understanding of Islam. That way, you can tap into ignorance and bring them from darkness to light about our religion.l

Assalamu Alaikum. I congratulate all of the youth of the community who have put many hours of hard work in order to bring us the first issue of the Iqra youth magazine. Keep up the good work. I would like to extend my gratitude to the editors and contributors. I would like to extend a special thanks to brother Khalid Hussain. Without his help this issue of Iqra would not have been published.

I pray to Allah that he guides the youth to become good Muslims and an asset to the Muslim Ummah, ameen. Wassalamu Alaikum.

Sincerely

Miftahul Ain Khan

Miftahul Ain Khan

President,
Islamic Center of South Jersey

-Inshallah the Islamic Center of South Jersey (ICSJ) will hold its Eid-ul-Adha Dinner at the ICSJ on Saturday May 4, at 7:30 P.M. The price of the dinner is as follows: adults- $10, children 12 and under- $5, & children under 3- free. Please make payment by June 2.

-Also the ICSJ will hold it annual Eid Picnic on June 8 at the Fort Dix Recreation Center from 12 noon till 4 P.M. The price of the picnic is as follows: adults- $10, children under 12- $5, & children under 3 free.

-Every Sunday morning at 11:00 AM the ICSJ holds Islamic Classes for all ages. Those interested are encouraged to visit.

-Iqra would like to congratulate the following people that have gone to perform their Hajj:

Br. Ismail Badat, Sr. Anjum Rasheed, Br. Habib Quraishi, Sr. Rashida Quraishi, Br. Makbul Kureshi, Sr. Fatima Kureshi, Br. Abdul Rasheed, Sr. Anjum Rasheed, and Br. Usman Khan

May Allah accept their Hajj, ameen.

-A few weeks ago brother Usman Khan delivered a lecture on the procedures of the Hajj. It was very informative for those going on Hajj as well as those who were not.

-We regret to inform you that Sr. Shabnam Ahmad has recently passed away. We ask everyone to console and pray for her family.

-The Muslim Youth Group of Masjid Ibrahim is hosting a basketball tournament in May. Teams are being formed now. Please contact Saleem Safdar for more information at 866-0515.

-Books are being sold in the library at the back of the basement in the ICSJ. Please come and browse.

-The following people have recently been married:

Shahid Munir & Shaheena Arshad
Nabile Safdar & Shazia Yunas.
May Allah bless their marriages, ameen.l

Members of the MYA meet weekly in the ICSJ. Our purpose is to instill a sense of unity amongst the youth, and to cultivate a spirit of Islam in the community. In order to accomplish this, we hold activities that involve the community in areas of sports, entertainment, etc. Currently, we have many ideas and projects for the summer. For example, Br. Sameer Hasan is working on a library proposal. Sr. Noeen Ahmed is involved in a few projects through the Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA). Br. Saleem Safdar has proposed a comprehensive dawah program for the Camden/Philly area. Despite this, we desperately need and yearn for more active participation from area youth.