domingo, 21 de septiembre de 2008

Biography of this week...

Bismillah,

Habib Umar bin Hafiz is a descendant of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, through his grandson Imam Hussain, may Allah be pleased with him.

He was born in Tarim, Hadramaut in Yemen, and raised in a household that possessed a tradition and lineage of Islamic scholarship and righteousness, his father being the famous martyr, scholar, and caller to Islam Al-Habib Muhammad bin Salim.

Having memorized the Qur’an at a very early age, Habib Umar also memorized the core texts in fiqh, hadith, Arabic Language, and other religious sciences. He studied many sciences including spirituality from his father Al-Habib Muhammad bin Salim, acquiring from him a deep love and concern for da‘wah and religious counsels in the way of Allah.

He attended numerous circles of knowledge held by many traditional scholars, such as Muhammad bin Alawi bin Shihab and al-Shaikh Fadl Baa Fadl. Later, he enrolled at the Ribat of al-Bayda’, where he began to study the traditional sciences under the expert tutelage of Al-Habib Muhammad bin Abd-Allah al-Haddar, as well as under the Shafi‘i jurist and scholar Al-Habib Zain bin Sumait. Habib Umar was given permission to teach soon after.

Afterwards, he began to visit many neighboring towns and communities across Yemen and studied with the mufti of Ta‘iz, al-Habib Ibrahim bin Aqil bin Yahya, who began to show him much love and attention. He received similar treatment from his Shaikh al-Habib Muhammad al-Haddar, who gave him his daughter’s hand in marriage after being impressed by his uprightness and intelligence. Al-Habib Umar then traveled to the Hijaz and studied several books with prominent scholars, including Al-Habib Abdul Qadir bin Ahmad al-Saqqaf, Al-Habib Ahmed Mashur al-Haddad, and Al-Habib Attas al-Habashi.

Wherever Habib Umar has gone, no stone has been left unturned in his attempt to revive the love of Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessing be upon him, in the hearts of people. After returning to Tarim, he established Dar al-Mustafa, an educational institute to which students from across the world have come to study. Habib Umar currently lives in Tarim, where he oversees the development of Dar al-Mustafa and the many schools that have been set up under his management.
Source: sunnipath.

Sheikh Habib Umar is our teacher's teacher (Abdul Kareem) and we have learned to love and respect him as much. That is what we get from him, the love and the respect for the teachers and the family of our beloved nabi Muhammad (saw). May Allah (The Exalted) bless Sheikh Habib Umar and shower him and his family and students with blessings and a great place in Jannah. Ameen.

viernes, 19 de septiembre de 2008

I' tikaf (spiritual retreat) for women....


Bismillah,


It is permitted for women to do i`tikaf (spiritual retreat) in a specific place in their house, whenever they have the time and are able to do so without neglecting their family duties and other responsibilities.


The same considerations would apply as in any other i`tikaf: ones primary concern during the time should be towards worship, and unnecessary worldly activity should be avoided.

Even when one is in their monthly period, it is recommended in the Hanafi school to sit in a designated place of prayer (musalla) at home, after having made wudu, and make dhikr for the time it takes to pray.

It is recommended for women to designate a place in their houses as their 'masjid'. They can do i`tikaf there at any time, even for a brief period of time, [Radd al-Muhtar] and attain the great rewards mentioned in the hadiths for i`tikaf (as long as they fulfill their other worldly and religious duties, as is the case for men).

The Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said, Whoever stands the nights of Ramadan in prayer out of faith and seeking reward shall have their previous sins forgiven. [Bukhari & Muslim]

May Allah give us success to follow the guidance of His Beloved (Allah bless him & give him peace).
www.sunnipath.com

lunes, 15 de septiembre de 2008

Please enjoy this beautiful and profound nasheed...

Brother Nader Khan, his album will be out soon inshAllah!!!

domingo, 14 de septiembre de 2008

Biography of this week...


Bismillah,


KHALIL ABU ASMAA (CHRISTOPHER MOORE) was born and raised in America into a practicing Christian family. While on the path to becoming a professional musician, he went through a deep spiritual and emotional journey that led to his conversion to Islam in the summer of 1994 at the age of nineteen.


He later traveled to the Muslim world in search of sacred knowledge and a balanced understanding of the prophetic legacy. He has studied in the blessed city of Madinah (1996 to 1999), the deserts of West Africa, the Atlas Mountains of Southern Morocco, and the Hadramawt Valley of Yemen.


He holds a B.A. in English, with a minor in Religious Studies, from George Mason University (2001) and a M.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland (2007). He has also studied Arabic-English translating and interpreting at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.


He works as a Translator / Lecturer / Writer / Researcher / Editor
A Washington Post story about him can be found in his website.
Information about his formal education, study abroad, technical training, publications & translations, and language competencies can be found below :


St. John's College, Annapolis, MD (USA)Master of Arts in Liberal Arts (M.A.L.A.), August 2007
"Great Books” program of study in Philosophy, Theology, Literature, Politics, and History, consisting of over 440 hours of classroom discussion


Partial list of authors read: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Rousseau, Kant, Locke, Hobbes, Hegel, Nietzsche, Tocqueville, Gibbon, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Plutarch, Herodotus, Thucydides, and others.


American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Completed one full semester of study towards an
M.A. in Translation and Interpreting (Dec. 2005)
Topics studied included: Academic writing and research methods, and the skills, techniques, and theories concerned with both liaison and consecutive interpreting.


George Mason University, Fairfax, VA (USA)Bachelor of Arts - English, May 2001
Major concentration in nonfiction writing and editing.


Minor in Religious Studies, with a focus on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia (KSA)
Graduated from a four-semester, intensive Arabic and Islamic studies course (Sept. 1996 - May 1998)
Completed two semesters towards a B.A. in Islamic Law (Sept. 1998 - May 1999)
Topics studied included: Quranic Exegesis, Prophetic Traditions and Terminology, Jurisprudence, Research Methodologies, Juridical Principles, Arabic Grammar and Morphology, History of Legislation, and Political Law.


Alhamdulillah we have benefited greatly from his work, he is a true example for us, to read his story and the effort he has put to learn our beautiful deen is very inspiring and fulfilling.


May Allah (The Exalted) bless him and us, and give him the strenght to keep sharing his knowledge with all of us.

ameen.


If you want to know more about his beautiful story, feel free to go to his website http://www.reflectonthis.com/about.html




lunes, 1 de septiembre de 2008

RAMADAN MUBARAK!!!!!!

Bismillah..
MashAllah,
El mes de Ramadan se hizo decender en dirección para los hombres y pruebas claras de guía y del Discernimiento.
Corán, surat 2, verso 184.

The month of Ramadan:

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) says, "Ramadan has come to you. (It is) a month of blessing, in which Allah covers you with blessing, for He sends down Mercy, decreases sins and answers prayers. In it, Allah looks at your competition (in good deeds), and boasts about you to his angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves, for the unfortunate one is he who is deprived in (this month) of the mercy of Allah, the Mighty, the Exalted." [Narrated by Tabarani]

Source.. Sunnipath.

Bien sea en el mes de Ramadán, o en otros meses, son los siguientes:

1) La abstinencia de todo aquello que rompa el ayuno [Bien sea bebida, comida o relaciones carnales) desde el alba hasta la puesta del sol.
2) Tener presente la intención. Se debe tenerla presente en la mente y en el corazón, tiene que ser antes del fajr (inicio del tiempo de la primera oración del día), y puede ser dicha diariamente, o por todo el mes desde su inicio.
El procedimiento del ayuno es el siguiente:

1) As-suhur: El suhur consiste en tomar algún alimento por la madrugada, siempre antes del Fayr, por muy poco que sea la cantidad de comida o bebida, aunque fuera un poco de agua, tiempo que se extiende desde la medianoche hasta la entrada del momento de la oración, antes de las primeras luces del alba, con la intención del ayuno presente en la mente, pues el suhur es bendición y prosperidad como dice el Profeta (PB).

2) Romper el ayuno inmediatamente después de la puesta del sol y al comienzo del tiempo de la oración de magrib: Pues dice el Profeta (PB): "Los hombres permanecen en el bien mientras no retrasen la ruptura del ayuno después de la puesta del sol".

3) El orar y suplicar en el momento de romper el ayuno: Por ejemplo, decía el Profeta (PB): "Se fue la sed, se hidrataron las venas, y se logró la recompensa con el permiso de Dios".

4) El abstenerse de todo lo que contradice el ayuno en lo moral:Ya que el ayuno es una gran escuela de disciplina y doctrina, tanto espirituales como morales, pues no se limita a la abstinencia de comer o beber solamente, sino de todo lo que sea mala palabra, mal acto o mal pensamiento. El ayunante debería ser indulgente en caso de ser insultado o agredido por alguien, debiendo evitar todas las obscenidades.

5) El uso del siuák durante el ayuno:Es un trozo de rama de un árbol especial que se encuentra en la península arábiga y que es de muchos beneficios, tanto para los dientes como para las encías y la boca, y se usa como un cepillo de dientes.

6) Ser generoso: El musulmán siempre tiene que ser generoso, pero lo es más en el mes de Ramadán.

7) Incrementar la lectura del Sagrado Corán: Durante el mes de Ramadán, en que fue revelado el Sagrado Corán, se debe recitar éste con mayor frecuencia que en los otros meses. Además dijo el Profeta (PB): "El ayuno y el Sagrado Corán intercederán a favor del siervo el Día de la Resurrección."

8) Incrementar las prácticas: Sobre todo en los últimos diez días del mes de Ramadán, tal como lo hacía el Profeta (PB).

El ayuno se puede clasificar en dos tipos:

1- El ayuno obligatorio (Fard)
2- El ayuno voluntario (Nafl

Que tengan todos un feliz Ramadan lleno de bendiciones y de grandes aperturas
espirituales..amin.