Archive for the ‘Spirituality’ Category

 By: Eba Hathout

“In the Hands of the Prophet” is an Arabic poem written by Hassan Hathout in 1968 during a visit to Prophet Mohammed’s grave in Medina. In the poem, Hassan Hathout sheds tears of regret over a Nation that had lost its soul, and expresses guilt over his inability to heal it given his profession as physician and surgeon.  This poem contains many of Hassan Hathout’s aspirations regarding the medical profession and its constituents. From there, Hassan Hathout moves on pondering over many of his people who disregarded their creator and faith, and sees this as a pivotal cause of their physical and spiritual defeat. He aches over the political and social injustices that prevailed in the Middle East, and the multiple gods (ideologies) its people had been drawn to worship. He marvels at how the light of true religion is powerful and all encompassing. He reminds us that divine guidance helped the prophet overcome mighty powers. He concludes by praying for God to take over the ship (of humanity), and by describing how he personally found liberation in surrendering his own will to that of God.

We apologize to our friends who do not speak Arabic, there is no English translation available.

To listen to the original Arabic poem in the voice of Hassan Hathout, please click on the following link:

http://www.hassanhathoutlegacy.org/Poetry/poetryedited.mp3

By: Hassaan Shahawy

“O you who believe. Shall I lead you to a bargain which may deliver you from a painful chastisement? Believe in God and His Apostle and struggle hard in Allah’s cause with all your means and your soul. That is better for you, if you but knew.” (61:10-11)

This is one set of verses in the Quran that, ever since I learnt it, has stayed with me through every issue of every-day life that I deal with. The path to heaven is simple; something that I think is singularly unique about Islam in comparison to other religions. We have no trinity, nor reincarnations, nor any great paradox of faith. Rather we have, in this verse, one sole equation to lead us to our promised happiness. Easy as the concept may be to grasp, in application it can obviously prove extremely difficult. Our lives feel so long to us that the idea of having to guide every single decision we make with the goal of furthering Allah’s cause seems painstakingly difficult. However, the brevity of this verse expresses to me something that pulls me out of these times of frustration. The mere phrasing reminds me that our lives here are humble and so short compared to what is to come. Lying ahead of us we have the trials of death, of the wait in the grave, and of the Last Day, which to some of humanity will feel like 50,000 years on this Earth. Our current life is the deep breath before the plunge. If one prepares himself and breathe in air, then he will not flounder nor drown in the depths.

This life is brutally, utterly, and devastatingly short. All I need to do is meet every challenge, one by one, and in every challenge, pray and do what I know is right. Meanwhile, I get to enjoy the constant blessings that I’m given every day, not only happiness and sadness, but pure existence. What is the occasional sacrifice compared to being spared from the abyss of nothing? I’m truly and utterly happy, even when I am sad. And I know, insha’Allah, that it won’t be so long until the end.

By: Eba Hathout 

The Hassan Hathout Legacy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization whose mission is to spread the message of "Love in God". Learn more at www.HassanHathoutLegacy.org

On the occasion of the Abrahamic festival of pilgrimage (Eid ul Adha), we chose to share a Friday sermon titled ”Days of Abraham” in the voice of Hassan Hathout.  Although it was delivered to a Muslim audience in Los Angeles in 1993, you may find that much of its content is relevant to different faiths and times. The speech is 24 minutes long and is primarily in English.  Arabic supplications and Quranic quotations are followed by English translations.

To hear the speech now, please click on the following audio link: Days of Abraham

By: Khtija Khair 

By: Shireen Karoon

Last Sunday, Dr. Gasser Hathout presented a lecture on “Issues with Quranic Interpretation.”  He shed light on the meaning on “Muhkam” and “Mutashabih” verses as defined and agreed by the scholars.  He noted that most scholars agree that the “Muhkam” verses of the Quran are those that have a clear cut meaning and are action item verses whereas the “Mutashabih” verses are those that have more than one interpretation, are allegorical, have no actions attached to them and their meanings is open to wide speculation.

Dr. Gasser gave various examples from the Quran to further illustrate this concept.  Why he believes that it is so important to make this distinction and understand this concept is because:

1. It is the best antidote for authoritarianism and dogmatism in Islam

2. It is the source of continuing dynamism or “Ijtihad” that can evolve with time

3. For us to avoid the robotic execution of instructions, but rather to be an active participant who thinks, interprets, and understands the verses within the confinements of the Quran and Sunnah, and implements this understanding in his/her life.

This was a very important lecture for our community as many walked away enlightened with a new understanding of our holy revelation.

Click here to listen to the audio of Dr. Gasser’s lecture.

By: Nuor Shatila

“O ye who believe! What is the matter with you, That, when ye are asked To go forth in the Cause of Allah, Ye cling heavily to the earth? Do ye prefer the life Of this world to the Hereafter? But little is the comfort Of this life, as compared With the Hereafter.” (9: 38)

This verse in the Holy Qu’ran acts as a reminder to me, a reminder that this life is not forever but in fact this life is minuscule compared to the Hereafter. Instead of taking advantage of every second Allah has granted us, we spend hours on worldly desires. Allah has put upon us many obstacles to test our patience, to test our strengths, and to test our faith. How will we spend the few years Allah has granted us? The choice is between two courses: will we choose a noble adventure of following our Creator, or live life for some small worldly gain? The pleasures in this world are only simple so we must constantly remind ourselves that the comfort of this life is little compared with the Hereafter.

Everyday I am faced with challenges that push my patience to the edge or divert me from my faith. I must push myself to go through these tribulations with endurance and pray that Allah will guide me through each obstacle. When we hear the call of prayer, do we really listen or do the words simply become background noise? When we pray, do we do so with knowledge that Allah is before us, or do we speed through the action so that we can get back to our daily lives? Many people cling to the earth without the thorough understanding that our lives are not permanent, but our lives are fleeting moments. We must take advantage of each moment to show Allah our place in the Hereafter. Will we choose to make sacrifices in this limited world in order to obtain the highest place in the next, or will be become distracted and go astray? May Allah guide each of us so that we may spend eternity in Jannah, insha’Allah.

By: Wasi Momin 

Ramadan. I spend every year in anticipation for it, eager for it to arrive. And when it comes, it just seems to fly by. And when it has passed, I’m wondering where it went. They say that good things don’t last forever. I try to take with me for the rest of my life the little bit of goodness I take from it every year.

The Islamic Center hosts a pre-Ramadan banquet every year, which is titled, “Ramadan: A Time of Renewal.” The word, “renewal,” sums up Ramadan to me pretty well. Ramadan to me is a time of renewal of spirituality, family, a sense of community, belonging, and most importantly, of faith. Going through about our lives, we seem to compromise with our faith at times. This may mean to not do things that we know we’re supposed to and do some things that we know we’re not.

I feel sometimes that we neglect ourselves, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Ramadan is a perfect time for me to reconnect with myself and God. It’s a time of spiritual healing. It is also, however, a time to grow spiritually, to grow in faith, and to become a better person. The Quran says that the purpose of fasting is to attain taqwa, God-consciousness/awareness of God. That for me is the essence of faith. Muslims all over the world during this time of the month fast and pray diligently to grow in spirituality, in faith, to become better people, in the Cause of God. Ramadan for me is a blessing from God, Alhamdulillah.

The Islamic Center of Southern California celebrated Laylat al-Qadr at the Wilshire Grand Hotel on Friday, August 26, 2011. Approximately 3,000 – 4,000 community members attended.  The hall was filled with excitement in anticipation of this important and blessed night.  Dr. Saleh Kholaki and Shaikh Asim Byuksoy led the Quranic recitation. Next, Dr. Maher raised the crowd’s spirituality to a higher level with his commentary, prayers, and lengthy dua. As the crowd dispersed around midnight, they felt joyful that they were able to observe and participate in this unique event. Some people headed home while other met at the Islamic Center to continue their worship throughout the night until Fajr prayer. May Allah accept our prayers and duas and grant us the reward of those having observed Laylat al-Qadr .

Click here to view more of ICSC’s Ramadan photos.

By: Maha Kamel 

A quiet moment of reflection during the MYG Youth Night

I felt the tears fall upon my cheeks as I turned left and right to end my prayer. I had just finished a prayer that would not only change my entire mindset but that simply touched my soul. That blessed night I attended a youth group qiyam and as a part of the program Jihad Turk led us in a prayer in both Arabic and English. I entered the prayer like any other but left it with a determination to strengthen my relationship with Allah.

As the prayer began, I placed my hands over one another and listened to the Al-Fatiha being recited, but as the English translation began I felt something change in me. The words didn’t enter through my right ear out my left, rather they entered and touching my soul and sending tears down my cheeks.

I asked myself why was this prayer so special? But all I could think of was how I was standing amongst such a beautiful Umma pushing away all the opportunities God sent my way. I knew exiting that prayer that my priorities were set and my faith would be strengthened from that moment on.

I knew at that moment on my knees before Allah, amongst the members of my umma, tears down my face, with the words of salam in my ears that I was a Muslim.

This year’s Hajj with members of our mosque community was wonderful. As usual, the awesome feeling of bliss and the overwhelming presence of Allah’s mercy in every step and every ritual was more than sufficient, alhamdulillah.

Food and accommodation were great and the weather was very pleasant.

Fears of swine flue disappeared and we didn’t hear about flood casualties in Jeddah. A rain storm in Mina presented an excitement but no danger; we had to relocate to a hotel from the Mina camp to allow the water to dry up. Read the rest of this entry »