HISC is a family-focused weekly Islamic Study Group aimed at children and parents. Based in Harborne, Birmingham (UK) since early 2007. It covers Islamic and Muslim topics to engender
confidence in Islam. To enable children to positively interact with society as good ambassadors.
The Circle is organised and talks given weekly by Dr Naveed Syed.
The story of Prophet Yunus is mentioned in Surat As-Saaffaat, Surah Al Anbiya and Surah Yunus Prophet Jonah (Yunus) also known as Dhan-Nun. Allah said: Was there any town community that believed after seeing the punishment, and its Faith at that moment, saved it from the punishment? (the answer is none)--except the people of Jonah; when they believed, We removed from them the torment of disgrace in the life of the present world, and permitted them to enjoy for a while. (TMQ 10:98) Yunus preached to his people and they did not listen so he decided to leave to preach elsewhere and he went off in anger. The people saw the impending punishment and turned back to Allah. Meanwhile, Yunus was on a boat when they a storm hit and he jumped overboard after casting lots. Allah commanded a whale / big fish to swallow Yunus and take him to the bottom of the ocean where he finally made du’a to Allah – somewhere where no other human had done in the darkness of the belly of the whale, in depth of the ocean in the nightime. This is the Du’a of Distress: None has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) be You, Truly, I have been of the wrong doers." (TMQ 21:87) The creation of Allah and angels heard this du’a as our dhikr is like pillars of light that the angels recognise. The Quran says: “Had he not been of them who glorify Allah, He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.” The whale was then commanded to eject Yunus onto an island. His body was inflamed because of the acids inside the whale's stomach and he was exposed to the sun and wind but Allah commanded a tree to protect him. When recovered he went back to his town – who had accepted Islam.
Main Topic: Some of the Ghaib (Unseen dimensions)
Following on from the pillars of light that the angels see when we do dhikr we talked about the other dimensions of existence that we cannot comprehend. - the spinning and movement of the planet / solar system / Galaxy / Cosmos - radiowaves and subatomic particles penetrating through us - screaming of the soul in the grave - visions of heaven or hell in the grave - creation constantly doing dhikr of Allah - the existence of Jinn / Angels - giving charity to earn more from Allah - Elasticity of Time for Allah (visions of punishment in hell) - Isra and al-Mirage These are just some of the things we picked up upon to highlight the limitations of our senses and dimensions –so reinforcing the important of dhikr
Guest Speaker: Dr Naila Syed Feedback from her 2 weekend courses on Salah and how to have Khushu in Salah
Salaah
Salaah!
Said by
the Prophet (saw) on his death bed!
Importance Of Salaah
·QURAN – “….establish prayer for my remembrance” (Sura
TaHa v 15)
·HADITH – The Prophet (saw)’s final advice to his
Ummah was “Salaat, Salaat!”
·Al-Isra wal Mi’raj – Gift from Allah swt to the
Muslims (Reward of performing 5 prayers equivalent to 50)
·DIRECT LINK – 5 times a day we are in direct
communication with Allah swt
·RECOGNITION – on the Day of Judgement the Prophet
(saw) will be able to recognise his followers by the signs of their wadu.
(Bukhari)
·Most beloved act to Allah swt – “The thing that is
most beloved to Allah swt is to pray at the earliest possible time”. (Bukhari)
·Closest to Allah swt – “The closest a servant is to
his Rabb is while in sajood” (Muslim)
·Wipes out sins – “The prayer wipes out one’s bad
deeds just as if one were having a bath in a river in front of one’s house five
times a day” (Bukhari)
·Unity – “A family that prays together stays
together”
·Obligated even in battle
·Angels praying all the time – Not even 4 finger
breadth space in heavens without an angel praying (Tirmidhi)
·First thing to be judged on the Day of Judgement
·Controversy
Problem With Today’s Ummah
So How Can We Teach Others About The Importance Of
Prayer?
Possible
solutions
1.Lead
by example
2.Make
du’a
3.Consider
environment
4.Never
despair of Allah’s mercy
5.Give
info!
People
On Whom Prayer Is Obligated
1.Muslim
2.Adult
3.Sane
Perform
Salaah on Time!
·QUR’AN
– “Verily the prayer is enjoined upon the believers at the appointed times”
(Sura Nisa v103)
·HADITH
– “The thing most beloved to Allah swt is to pray at the earliest possible
time”. (Bukhari)
·Time
vs cleanliness
·If
catch even 1 sajood in prayer time then have caught the prayer.
Exception
Combining
prayers due to Travel, hajj or imminent and extreme difficulty
-Dhuhr
with Asr
-Magrib
with Isha
Qada
Only permissible:
·Forget
·Oversleep
PRIORITY - Doing Qada has more priority than doing other
voluntary prayers such as sunnah or nafil
FILL THE HOLES - Important to always do sunnah and nafil
prayers to compensate for any deficiencies in Fard prayers
Adhaan And Iqamah
One of
the greatest signs of Islam – done all over the Muslim world 5 times per day
Seen by
Abdullah ibn Zaid in a dream
(Abu Dawood)
Adhaan
done 15-20mins before prayer to CALL TO PRAY
Iqamah
done straight before prayer to
-
straighten lines
- fill
the gaps
-
Prepare To Go Before the Greatest Being Allah Swt
Benefits
-
Shaitan runs away on hearing it
- If
read following dua immediately after adhaan, Prophet (saw) will do intercession
for you on the Day of Judgement inshaAllah: “Oh Allah, the Lord of the perfect
call and the Prayer that will be established, give Mohammad the highest place
in jannnat and the highest station and give him the praiseworthy position that
You have promised him” (Bukhari)
Travelling
Recommended
to do adhaan and iqaamah even when travelling alone (This is not an obligation
on women)
If
Travel > 83km and < 4-15 Days Can Shorten Prayers
Six
Preconditions Of Prayer
1.SPIRITUAL PURITY – have wadu
2.PHYSICAL PURITY – wear clean clothes and place of prayer
3.COVER AWRAH
4.PRAY AT CORRECT TIME – avoid makroo times or
sunrise, zenith, sunset
5.FACE THE QIBLAH
6.INTENTION – does not need to be voiced
Walking To The Masjid
·Reward
for every step take to the masjid – Bukhari and Muslim (esp if have difficulty
but not if you create the difficulty yourself!)
·Etiquette
of walking to masjid
·Arrive
early – front row, teaches punctuality
·Enter
masjid with Right foot and do du’a of entering mosque
·Do
Tayatul Masjid but do not do sunnah for sake of Fard
·Benefit
of starting prayer with Imam and ending with him until he turns away.
12
Pillars Of Prayer
1.Standing
up
2.Takbir
utul ihram
3.Reciting
surah Fatiha
4.Ruku
– bowing
5.Standing
6.Prostration
on the 7 parts of the body
7.Sitting
up between prostrations
8.Possessing
tranquillity and calmness during the prayer
9.The
final Tashahud
10.The
final sitting
11.The
first Taslim
12.Praying
in the order recorded by the Prophet (saw)
When to offer prostration of forgetfulness?
OMISSION – Before Taslim
ADDITION – After Taslim
DOUBT – Before Taslim
Khushu
Defined
as intense concentration in prayer with fear and awe of Allah swt with no
distractions in worldly matters (Story of Sahaba and Lion)
Prophet
(saw) said the first thing to be lifted from the Ummah will be khushu (Tabarani)
If do
not have khushu – salaat will still be valid but may not get much reward
Reward
of 2 rakaat with full khushu – to have all sins forgiven (Bukhari)
Reality Check!
TEST – 5 x per day we are tested to see if our
hearts turn more to Allah swt or worldly matters.
DEATH – When die, body remains but soul taken by
angels
Your
family, who loves you the most, rush to place you in the ground.
You
leave all your worldly goods behind
The
only thing you can take with you is your good deeds
On the
Day of Judgement the first thing to be judged will be our salaat (Tirmidhi)
Means Of Developing Khushu – Top Ten Tips!
1.Prepare
– wudu, clothes (Remember going in front of Allah swt)
2.Time
– do at earliest times
3.Clear
mind of worldly matters
4.Remember
in direct communication with Allah swt 5x per day
5.Remember
death and can only take good deeds with you on day of judgement
6.Think
of the giants of Islam – Khushu they had in their prayers
7.Make
du’a before start to have khushu in salaat
8.Recite
different surahs from Qur’an – hadith on the 3 quls
9.Remove
all distractions
10.Remember
2 rakaat with complete khushu will wash away all your sins inshaAllah.
Remember
Only Approx ½ Hr In Salaat A Day Will Grant You Admission Into Paradise InshaAllah!!!
·Imagine
on Day of Judgement your balance of Good and Bad deeds are completely balanced
and just need one more salaat to avoid Hell fire and enter jannat forever!
Story:
He
remembered his grandmother’s warning about praying on time: “My son, you
shouldn’t leave prayer to this late time.” His grandmother’s age was 70 but
whenever she heard the Adhan, she got up like an arrow and performed
Salah/Namaz/prayer. He, however could never win over his ego to get up and
pray. Whatever he did, his Salah was always the last to be offered and he
prayed it quickly to get it in on time. Thinking of this, he got up and
realized that there were only 15 minutes left before Salat-ul Isha. He quickly
made Wudhu and performed Salat-ul Maghrib. While making Tasbih, he again
remembered his grandmother and was embarrassed by how he had prayed. His
grandmother prayed with such tranquility and peace. He began making Dua and
went down to make Sajdah and stayed like that for a while.
He had
been at school all day and was tired, so tired. He awoke abruptly to the sound
of noise and shouting. He was sweating profusely. He looked around. It was very
crowded. Every direction he looked in was filled with people. Some stood frozen
looking around, some were running left and right and some were on their knees
with their heads in their hands just waiting. Pure fear and apprehension filled
him as he realized where he was.
His
heart was about to burst. It was the Day of Judgment. When he was alive, he had
heard many things about the questioning on the Day of Judgment, but that seemed
so long ago. Could this be something his mind made up? No, the wait and the
fear were so great that he could not have imagined this. The interrogation was
still going on. He began moving frantically from people to people to ask if his
name had been called. No one could answer him. All of a sudden his name was
called and the crowd split into two and made a passageway for him. Two people
grabbed his arms and led him forward. He walked with unknowing eyes through the
crowd. The angels brought him to the center and left him there. His head was
bent down and his whole life was passing in front of his eyes like a movie. He
opened his eyes but saw only another world. The people were all helping others.
He saw his father running from one lecture to the other, spending his wealth in
the way of Islam. His mother invited guests to their house and one table was
being set while the other was being cleared.
He
pleaded his case; “I too was always on this path. I helped others. I spread the
word of Allah. I performed my Salah. I fasted in the month of Ramadan. Whatever
Allah ordered us to do, I did. Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did not.” He
began to cry and think about how much he loved Allah. He knew that whatever he
had done in life would be less than what Allah deserved and his only protector
was Allah. He was sweating like never before and was shaking all over. His eyes
were fixed on the scale, waiting for the final decision. At last, the decision
was made. The two angels with sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the
crowd. His legs felt like they were going to collapse. He closed his eyes as they
began to read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam/Hell. His
name was read first. He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn’t be,
“How could I go to Jahannam? I served others all my life, I spread the word of
Allah to others.” His eyes had become blurry and he was shaking with sweat. The
two angels took him by the arms. As his feet dragged, they went through the
crowd and advanced toward the blazing flames of Jahannam. He was yelling and
wondered if there was any person who was going to help him. He was yelling of
all the good deeds he had done, how he had helped his father, his fasts,
prayers, the Qur’an that he read, he was asking if none of them would help him.
The Jahannam angels continued to drag him. They had gotten closer to the
Hellfire. He looked back and these were his last pleas. Had not Rasulullah
[saw] said, “How clean would a person be who bathes in a river five times a
day, so too does the Salah performed five times cleanse someone of their sins?”
He began yelling, “My prayers? My prayers? My prayers?”
The two
angels did not stop, and they came to the edge of the abyss of Jahannam. The
flames of the fire were burning his face. He looked back one last time, but his
eyes were dry of hope and he had nothing left in him. One of the angels pushed
him in. He found himself in the air and falling towards the flames. He had just
fallen five or six feet when a hand grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.
He lifted his head and saw an old man with a long white beard. He wiped some
dust off himself and asked him, “Who are you?” The old man replied, “I am your
prayers.”
“Why
are you so late! I was almost in the Fire! You rescued me at the last minute
before I fell in.” The old man smiled and shook his head. “You always performed
me at the last minute, and did you forget?” At that instant, he blinked and
lifted his head from Sajdah. He was in a sweat. He listened to the voices
coming from outside. He heard the adhan for Salat-ul Isha. He got up quickly
and went to perform Wudhu.
QUIZ: Boys/Men Vs Girls/Women
Get designing those Harborne Islamic Study Circle logos:
See last week's logos on the blog (no new ones submitted)
Monday, 11 February 2013
10 January 2013
Summary Lives of the Prophets: We study the Lives of the Prophets because: - Allah commanded the Prophet* to tell these stories - So we can reflect on these - We should follow their advice (as role models) - So we learn to love them Nabi (plural Ambiya) are Prophets from Allah (124,000) Rasool (plural Musul) are special Prophets that have also been given a Law for people to follow Everything was written down by Allah 50,000 years before the creation of the Heavens and Earth
Main Topic: Short video reminder on Surah al-Asr Allah says: - Time is Running Out - Man is in Drowned in Deep Loss - Except: - Those who Believe - (that they are in Loss, hence they try to reconcile the situation by swimming = DOING GOOD DEEDS to correct the situation) - And Tell Others the Truth (over and over again) - And keep Persistently doing these with Patience (Sabr) Hence all 4 conditions required to SURVIVE! LOGO Don’t forget to design a LOGO for the Harborne Islamic Study Circle Something that will go on all handouts and the website….Get designing. Winning entries to be chosen by the group!! Lives of the Prophets: Lives of the Prophets: Introduction Why should we talk about the Lives of the Prophets? It’s not just history….Benefits of Talking about the Prophets include: 1. Because Prophet Muhammed* was commanded to do so. Allah says “relate unto them the stories.” This is a command from Allah to the Prophet*. It becomes a duty upon us to convey the message of the Prophets of Allah and their stories. So this is first an ‘ibaadah – a worship. 2. “Relate and convey to them so that they may reflect.” (TMQ 7:176) These stories are not for entertainment; they are to derive lessons, deeply reflect and contemplate. At the time of the Prophet* the Quraish would try to distract the people with other ‘stories’ from Persia. These stories do not have the details you will find in JKRowling or Tolkien books! 3. Allah says: “They are those whom Allah had guided. So follow their guidance.” (TMQ 6:90) Allah is instructing the Prophet*. It is very important to have role models. You find that every human being has role models. If they aren’t good, they are going to be bad. It is our make up as human beings – we have to have people that we look up to. If we don’t provide our children and youth with the role models of the sahabah and Prophets, they will find role models somewhere else. If Allah is telling the Prophet* to follow the example of the Prophets, then what about us? We need to study the lives of the Prophets so that they become our role models. 4. To love them – if you do not know someone, you cannot love them. We all claim that we love the Prophets of Allah. If we do not know them, what they went through, how could we have respect for them? Terminology: Nabi (Prophet) vs. Rasool (Messenger) Abu Dharr came to the Prophet* and asked him, “What is the total number of Prophets?” The Prophet* said, “The number of ambiya (Prophets) is 124,000 and the Rusul (Messengers) among them are 315.” We are translating Nabiy as Prophet and Rasool as Messenger. They are two different things: nabiy and rasool. The plural of nabiy is ambiya. The plural of rasool is rusul. So what is the difference between the Prophet (nabiy) and Messenger (rasool)? There are a few opinions about this: the rasool is the nabiy that is given a law. But the nabiy, who is not a rasool, is following the law of another rasool. So every rasool is a nabiy, but not every nabiy is a rasool. If a Prophet is given a new law, he is a rasool and a nabiy. If he is not given a new law, he is just a nabiy. An example of this: Musa (Moses) is a Rasool – a Prophet – because he was given the Taurah. Haroon is just a Nabi, because he is following the law of his brother.
The Story of Creation Before we start talking about Adam, let’s look at the story of creation. Narrated in Bukhari, ‘Imran ibn Hussain said, people from Yemen came to the Prophet* and said, “We have come to you to learn our religion and ask how all of this started.” The Prophet* said, “There was Allah, and nothing before Him and His Throne was on water. And He wrote everything in the tablet, and He created the heavens and the earth.” [Also see Bukhaari, 9/93/514] The Prophet* says, “The first thing Allah created was the pen, then Allah ordered it to write. So it wrote everything that will happen until the day of judgment.” We worry about our rizq – our sustenance. We have a problem of paranoia of rizq. We are always in a state of despair, when it comes to wealth. The Prophet* says, in a hadith narrated by Muslim, “Allah wrote down the sustenance of the creation 50,000 years before He created the heavens and the earth.” Everything that you will get is already written down – not 50,000 year before this day – but 50,000 years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. What you will get is already written down as well as how long you will live. Time, after all, is your currency of life and we need to spend it wisely. Hence, we will have a reminder about Surah al-Asr… Surah al-Asr (Reminder Video) by Nouman Ali Khan (click on the link below or click HERE)
Highlights
from the short clip:
You are Drowning and you are Unconscious
Time is running out
Asr literally means time that is running out
last part of the day when the day is running out , or like when juice they
squeezed out - time that's being
squeezed out like a cloth drenched in water and to squeeze it out.
4 parts to Survival:
1. What do you need to do to survive = WAKE
UP. (Even if your having a great dream!)
If you go back to sleep you would be insane!
Only blame yourself!
2. Hence – you would SWIM (or try to!)
Pulled back down by a sleeping cousin
chained to you!
You try to wake him up (for yourself) but he
wants to stay asleep. So both try to swim…
3. TELL OTHERS THE TRUTH
4. Have Patience and Persevere
Allah says:
-Time is Running Out
-Man is in Drowned in Deep Loss
-Except:
-Those who Believe
-(that they are in Loss, hence they try to
reconcile the situation by swimming = DOING GOOD DEEDS to correct the situation)
-And Tell Others the Truth (over and over
again)
-And keep Persistently doing these with
Patience (Sabr)
Hence all 4 conditions required to SURVIVE!
Children's Feedback How to start doing Dawah Study Circle history What I have leaned from the Study Circle Hoe the Study Circle has helped me Information about the London Trip to British Library Mughal Exhibition
Also, we are looking for interest in this Spring’s Study
Circle trip. It has been suggested we go to London again for a short exhibition
on Mughal India at the British Library.
This is titled ‘Mughal
India: Art, Culture and Empire’ and the Exhibition runs until 2 April
2013. We would like, if possible, to take a coach with children & adults to
London for the day where we would see the Library Exhibition in the morning,
have lunch or a picnic, then do some other activity before returning to
Birmingham in the evening. For last year’s trip see the photos on the following
link: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150650782640938.388706.666745937&type=1&l=5e6185db67
Prices = Adults £9; Under
18s FREE; Over 60s £7; Students £5
We haven’t booked the
coach but that could cost about £10-£15 per person.
If you are interested – please:
Check the British Library website
to more information (http://www.bl.uk/mughalindia/). The exhibition usually takes 2 hours or so.
Also, let us know if you
want to take your own sandwiches/picnic or would prefer us to organise
catering for food.
Tell us what dates you
would like to go: Saturday Saturday 23 March
Finally, suggestions for
what to do / where to go after lunch. Such as Kew Gardens, or a local
mosque or other attraction...
Homework: - Lives of the Prophets: What was Adam made from? What are the different terms used in the Quran to describe what Adam (mankind) is made from? - Any questions on Evolution?
