Seek Knowledge!

My dear brothers and sisters, the ability to comprehend and disseminate knowledge is one of the greatest blessings and trusts that we as human beings have been endowed with from our Creator and Sustainer, Allah (swt).

We are reminded of this in the very first revelation that was given to Prophet Muhammad in the Qur’an from Allah (swt) in the first five verses of surah Iqra:

“Read, in the name of your Guardian-Lord, who created: created man of clotted blood. Read, for your Lord is most generous, the one who taught the use of the pen, taught man what he did not know.”

Despite our lowly origins as a clot of blood, we have been raised to a station of honor and dignity over the rest of creation because of our God-given ability to process and retain information with our intellects, perceive with our hearts, and articulate with our pens and tongues. Knowledge is such a blessing that the Prophet (s) constantly emphasized its importance:

“Seeking knowledge is incumbent upon every Muslim,” he once said.

“Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.”

“Seek knowledge even if it is in China.”

“Wisdom is the lost treasure of the believer: he seeks it wherever he may find it.”

These and other sayings of the Prophet, not only encourage, but obligate Muslims to pursue knowledge. And, this pursuit must not only be undertaken by young affluent men; But, also by women, by the old, and by the poor—everyone who has the ability and capability. Furthermore, if we look at the words of the Qur’an and of the Prophet, we see that this knowledge is not only “religious” knowledge, but also any knowledge that may be beneficial for the world.

Indeed, our scholars have distinguished knowledge into two main branches: Knowledge that is fard ‘ayn (obligatory on all individuals) and knowledge that is fard kifayyah (obligatory for some to posses in a community). Fard ‘ayn is knowledge, for the sake of Allah, on such matters as how to worship Allah (swt), the basic rules of fasting, almsgiving, and so on. Fard kifayyah is knowledge, for the sake of Allah, which is beneficial and necessary for the flourishing of human society, such as medicine, engineering, history, philosophy, and all other such sciences.

And, ‘for the sake of Allah’ is no vague, general term. It is defined, at its core, as striving for justice, peace, excellence, and goodness in all its forms. It is working to uplift the condition of the poor, oppressed, and down trodden in society. It is striving to elevate good ethics and morals in our world.

And, in doing so, we must seek excellence in whatever it is that we do. If our field is medicine, then let us not be content with simply becoming a rich doctor, but let us seek something greater than that, for example building a free clinic in a part of the world that needs such assistance. If our field is economics or business, let us not be content with simply making a buck for some corporation, but rather striving to develop sound economic models that will help bring people out of poverty. If our field is teaching, let us not be content with just becoming another teacher, but actually developing theories that make education better and more accessible for everyone. And, the examples continue in whatever field we find ourselves in.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, as we begin this new semester at Trinity College, let us begin the pursuit of knowledge in all fields of science for the sake of Allah (swt) and in order to fulfill a fard kifayyah on behalf of our communities and societies. And if we do so, then every time we stay up late at night to study, every time we turn another page in our text books, every time we put ink to paper, every time we stand up to make a presentation, we will be devoting ourselves to Allah (swt) in a most beautiful manner, and the reward in return shall also be beautiful, as Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an, “What can the outcome of good be, other than good.”

May Allah (swt) increase us in good and wholesome knowledge that will be beneficial for us in this world and in the life to come.

Raabiee zhidnaa ‘ilman wa al hiknaa bi saliheen

Caregiving

* Introduction:

-It is an honor to be here
-You’re in the process of living Islam
-Reminder of the beautiful sayings of Allah and the Messenger of Allah on care

*Sometimes it becomes difficult to maintain high level of compassion and mercy, what is known as compassion fatigue or the like.

The remedies:
-Remind yourself that it is really you who are gaining by comforting the sick
-Remind yourself of the immense reward in giving care
-Remind yourself of the direct correlation between your treatment of Allah’s creation, and Allah’s treatment of you

Saying of the Qur’an
“Worship God, associate nothing with Him, behave with excellence toward parents, near relatives, orphans, the poor, the neighbor who is of kin, and the neighbor who is not.”

Sayings of Prophet Muhammad
“God is only Merciful to those of His servants who are merciful; those who show no mercy are shown no mercy.”

“A believer is friendly and easy to approach; there is no good in anyone who is neither friendly nor easy to approach.”

“God shall grant ease to him who eases the hardship of another, and shall conceal in this world and the hereafter, the sins of him who conceals the disgrace of a believer; and He shall relieve from him one of the hardships of the Day of Rising the one who relieves a Muslim from one of the hardships of this world; He shall fulfill the need of the man who fulfills his brother’s needs. He assists His servant for as long as he assists his brother.”

Saying of Imam Al-Haddad
“Comfort the broken-hearted, be gentle to the weak and the needy, console the poor, be lenient with the one in debt, and lend to those who ask you…Console those who are stricken by adversity, for the Prophet has said, may blessings and peace be upon him, “The one who consoles a man stricken by adversity, that is, helps him endure patiently, has a reward similar to his.”

Islam in Conversation Week 2007! @ Wesleyan Uni. (Nov 5-9th)

Wesleyan University | Middletown, CT

2nd Annual Islam in Conversation Week Presents

Islam & the Contemporary World November 5-9th, 2007

Monday Nov 5th, 7 pm, Public Affairs Center 001
Jihad, Terrorism, and Modern Violence
Dr. Sherman Jackson, University of Michigan

Tuesday Nov 6th, 5 pm, Russell House
Gender, Society, and Change: Ethics of Reform in Islamic Law
Dr. Ingrid Mattson, Hartford Seminary

Tuesday Nov 6th, 7:30 pm, Russell House
Imagining and Stereotyping Islam: Heresy, Sex, Violence
Dr. John Woods, University of Chicago

Wednesday Nov 7th, 4pm, Downey 113
Film & Discussion on Modern Muslim Society (Clay Bird)

Thursday Nov 8th, 7 pm, Usdan 108
Dialogue on Faith, Reason, and Revelation
Shaykh Yasir Qadhi of Yale & Imam Rumee Ahmed of Brown University

Friday Nov 9th, 5 pm, Usdan Daniel Family Commons and Lounge (3rd fl.)
Celebrating the Diversity of Islam
Turkish Sufi Music Concert

Sponsored by Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Muslim Students Association
Wesleyan University, Middletown CT 06459 | snsultan@wesleyan.edu

Website:
www.wesleyan.edu/chaplains/muslim/icw2007.html

Directions:
http://www.wesleyan.edu/virtualtour/

Parking:
http://www.wesleyan.edu/eventscheduling/offman/parking.htm

~~~~ Any questions: contact snsultan@wesleyan.edu ~~~~

Eid Mubarak!

As-salaamu 'alaikum,

Eid Mubarak! Eid Saeed wa kulla 'aam wa antum bi khair.
(May you be well with every coming year! )

We would like to wish you and your family a happy Eid with lots of joy for the coming year.

message to sender 'herb'

I accidentally deleted an email from 'herb' re: an islam and democracy article i had written on islamonline.com. Since the email subject line was left blank, i thought it was spam, and therefore deleted it without reading.

So if you are the sender (herb), please re-send the email, and accept my apologies.

A Night of Devotion

In the Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Most Kind

A Night of Devotion
September 21, 2007

“The only one who believe in Our Signs are those who when reminded of them fall down prostrating, extolling praise of their Lord, without conceit. Their limbs shun their beds as they pray to their Lord in fear and in hope, and they give in charity of what We have provided them” [Qur’an 32:15─16].

Program

9:30─10:00 pm	Getting ready, performing ablution, setting our intentions straight
10:00─10:30 pm	’Isha prayers and individual sunnah prayers
10:30─11:00 pm	Short talk: On Repentance, Hope and Fear with Sohaib
11:00─11:30 pm	4 Rakats of Taraweeh prayers
11:30─12:00 am	Break with snacks provided
12:00─12:30 am	Short talk: Building a loving relationship with Allah (swt)
12:30─1:30 am	Q & A with respected guests: Spiritual conversations on faith
1:30─2:00 am	4 Rakats of Taraweeh prayers
2:00─2:30 am	Break, time for individual reflection, etc.
2:30─3:00 am	Dhikr
3:00─4:00 am	8 Rakats of Taraweeh with Witr
4:00─4:20 am	Open time
4:20─5:20 am	pre-fasting breakfast [suhoor]
5:20 am	Fajr
6:00 am	Conclusion

New book release: The Qur’an and Sayings of Prophet Muhammad

Dear family, friends, and colleagues

Assalamu’alaykum,

Hope this note finds you and your family well. By the grace of God, I am happy to announce that my new book, “The Qur’an and Sayings of Prophet Muhammad: Selections Annotated & Explained,” has been released and is now available for purchase. I would like to thank all of you for your friendship and support as I wrote this book and hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

If you enjoy the read, please consider writing an amazon.com review and spreading the word among your friends. A full description follows below. Many thanks and peace, Sohaib.

…

The Qur’an and Sayings of Prophet Muhammad: Selections Annotated & Explained

Sohaib N. Sultan

http://www.skylightpaths.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SP&Product_Code=978-1-59473-222-5

Book Description
For many in the West, the teachings of the Qur'an often are enshrouded in mystery and fear. Yet Islam's holy book gave birth to one of the most powerful and enlightened civilizations the world has ever seen. By the sixteenth century, Muslim culture stretched from India to Africa to Europe , preserving with it the ancient learning that helped spawn the Renaissance. With its interwoven ideas of faith and reason, justice and mercy, the path of Islam--which literally means "surrendering to God's will"--offers a uniquely focused and balanced approach to living life with a profound awareness of God.

With gentleness and insight, Sohaib N. Sultan leads you through the central themes of both the Qur'an and the collected sayings of Prophet Muhammad, known as hadith. These teachings dispel common misconceptions about Muslim beliefs and offer practical guidance for your own spiritual journey, from understanding the merciful nature of God; to cultivating peace and justice in the self, family, and society; to answering questions about the afterlife and how to attain it.

Now you can experience the wisdom of Qur'anic teachings even if you have no previous knowledge of Islam or Muslim writings. Insightful yet unobtrusive facing-page commentary explains the texts for you, allowing you to enter into the path of surrender to God.


Scott C. Alexander, PhD, associate professor of Islam and director of Catholic-Muslim Studies, Catholic Theological Union
"A superb guide ... intelligently illuminates each thematically arranged passage and concisely summarizes centuries of Islamic interpretive wisdom."

Michael Wolfe, author of The Hadj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca
"Lays before us ... the insights and beauty of one of the world's great sacred texts. A valuable book for any reader who honestly wants to understand the Qur'an and what it teaches."

Rev. Steven Blackburn, PhD, Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations
"Takes complex, wide-ranging aspects of Islam and makes them clear and accessible for the non-Muslim and Muslim alike. Comes alive with thoughtfully presented insights and reflections. Whether you have a passing interest in Islam, or have serious questions about this community of faith, you will want to consult [this book]."

About the Author
Sohaib N. Sultan is the author of The Koran for Dummies. In 2005, he was appointed as the first-ever Muslim chaplain at Yale University , and now serves as a Muslim chaplain at Trinity College and Wesleyan University . He is a freelance journalist and public speaker.