Ramadan 2013

[Zainab_M]

 


Ramadan 2013 expected to begin July 11, InshAllah. 

Thank Allah Almighty for giving us the opportunity to experience another blessed month of Ramadan.  May He accept our fasting, our prayers and our reading/understanding of the Noble Quran that began being revealed during this month.  Ameen ya Rab.

[muslima]

 ameen ameen 


sister zeynab how r u ? salam & peace to all


yeah Inshallah  Moth of uncontable blessing is on the way time to worship Allah more and more as a clear expression of sincere obedience, thankfulness and devotion to creator a very important month for believers it is opportunity bestowed to man to engage in good deeds and become one of those prospers with heavy scales in the Judgement Day, believer whose intention is to attain eternal salvation in the Hereafter looks forward to this blessed monthof Ramadan it's  time in which  believers have to be ready to be tested physically as well as being tested spiritually. Dear  (readers) brother and sister Dont forget fasting goes beyond mere abstinence from meals and  drinks It also includes fasting of the eyes, the ears and refraining from all acts such as visiting pornographic sites on the internet, reading profane messages ,dirty jokes so called sense of humor on the internet and on mobile phones and other acts that are potentially injurious to faith also one important point every believer has to keep in mind this high moral attitude is not something peculiar only to Ramadan believer should feel the same way everyday and every hour of his life this is surely the only way to become the type of believer depicted in the Noble Quran. A believer whose ultimate intention in this life is to attain the Will of Allah, would by no means limit himself to a month he would seek Allah’s guidance  and enlightenment at every moment of his life and feel close to Him. That is because Allah sees and hears man every moment He is with man all the time. Benefit the free best health plan designed by our creator. Earn the wealth of good deeds , work on re-construction of ur character ,avoid making gossip of other people , give up materialistic life ,stop running after this world learn to walk on smoothly towards the path of akhirah lets turn off earthly colourful lights of desires which is fading our sight to see akhirah the final destiny than we would be able to see into the light of Quran. Allah does not need our fasting. All the benefits of fasting is for us and for our sake and we should thank Allah Almighty for them displays ur gratefulness to The Creator, who is the one and only owner of everything around us. . We are fortunate that Allah once again favours us with this blessed month again  read more Quran ,understand  it is the best cure for soul get ready for treaning  remove all disease from ur heart  in this blessed month . we are responsible for our own soul it's all in our own hands how u want to treat ur life  ? think before it's too  late.


91 :7 - 10 ..... Surah Ash-Shams (The Sun) - سورة الشمس


 

And a soul and Him Who perfected it
And inspired it (with conscience of) what is wrong for it and (what is) right for it.
 He is indeed successful who causeth it to grow,
And he is indeed a failure who stunteth it

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Walaikum as-Salam and ameen sisters 

Thank you for the excellent reminders in your post Sister Muslima.  It was very refreshing to read that. 

We also have to stay ready to expect the influx of emails from different Muslim community centers & organizations asking for donations.  Last Ramadan my husband and I got over 65 such emails.  The masjids tell people to pay $10/per person at the start of Ramadan as fitrah, on Leila-tul-Qadr they ask for another chunk of money and again on Eid-al-Fitr $10/per person.  Most people give the money to the masjids. They make Ramadan so costly for the poor or fixed income group.  I never read or hear them say that they plan to give to the poor during Ramadan .. but always asking to donate to their masjids and community centers which are already well-equipped and well decorated as they're being funded all year round by Saudi Arabia and other gulf countries.   Ramadan for them becomes a money-making month.  For Leila-tul-Qadar, they ask for donations up to $100 per family .... as if one has to pay money to worship Allah.  Allah says to give charity whatever you can afford.  Allah never made any particular amount compulsory because Allah knows everyone cannot afford the same amount.  I don't know when our imams will learn to have some consideration and manners.   And of course, during Tarawi, they will dishonor the Glorious Quran by reading it in such a rush as if they are about to catch a train.   

[muslima]

thank u sis heba

yeah me too so fed up by these crooks i have already blocked such junks  i agree with u before Ramadan and during Ramadan these fraud groups become so active ! correct after all this is money making time for these robbers ,such fundraising ,donations and asking money to feeding poor people is religious and emotional trapping this is avocation of our masajids    we prefer to give money, charity or iftar arrangement to those whom we know that they really needy i have never trust them and  have never get trapped by them


in the matter of taraweeh imams should have to consider this verse !


And when the Qur'an is recited, give ear to it and pay heed, that ye may obtain mercy 7:204


Allah  has ordered us to pay attention when His words are recited allowing the mind and heart to receive mercy and wisdom of Quran from Allah but our imams would never understand the sensitivity of this matter offering taraweeh in such manners when tired folks Yawning is huge insult .unfortunately the knowledge and  education of our imams and ulma's is limited to focus on hadith prescription and the following of their godfather saudi practices as sunnah label .

[Ruhi_Rose]

Aw!  Ameen, ameen.   Salams and Allah Almighty bless all of you, my dear wonderful friends   Ramadan Kareem to all.  and yeah, thank Allah for the upcoming blessed month and for giving us another chance to experience it. 

LOL ,, the scammers have already started to unleash their money-making project in the name of fitrah and zakah, not just demanding donations by pestering everyone but also fixing the amounts.  We've already received 6 emails between yesterday and today from nearby centers we visit from time to time, so I wouldn't call them spam, yet they love to spam     When will they realize that we know whom to pay charity and how much?  and I would never give charity to those who run our multi-million dollar masjids & community centers and drive fancy SUVs and live in half million dollar homes purchased on total cash.  LOL     Thank Allah for giving me the sense to discern that charity is for the needy, not the greedy.

[N. Truth Seeker]

Subhan'Allah.  Ramadan mubarak to everyone and their families.  It seems this will be a busy Ramadan for us.  Might be moving out from one place to another after Ramadan.   Thankful to Allah, The Greatest, for granting all of us another chance to fast during the month of the Glorious Quran.  Shukriya dearest Allah.

lol ,, you guys are right.  The money making imams have started to oil their money machines.  Never have I received a message from them that's been selfless enough only for the purpose of asking how we are doing .. but always followed by some multi-million dollar Ramadan "project" that needs money from donors.  I ask them, who told you to build up these projects when the poor & needy Muslims living on welfare get nothing from your donations?

[abbottonian]

Assalam Alaikum all
Ramadhan Karim
Traweeh is dishonor to the  Holy Quraan as Sis Heba had rightly mentioned"And of course, during Tarawi, they will dishonor the Glorious Quran by reading it in such a rush as if they are about to catch a train." More over Traweeh is an innovation .The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not offer Traweeh nor did the 4 Khulafa. People with drooping heads will be standing and some will be waiting that Imam should go in Rakoo and join.What kind of devotion is this towards prayers.This nothing more than an exercise for  digesting the over eaten food .May Allah guide us and shower his mercies and becoming sincerely obedient to Allah Almighty.

[N. Truth Seeker]

Walaykum Salam.  I agree with you brother.  Tarawi is an innovation or bid'ah.  Ramadan is the month of the Quran.  So the mainstream interpretation is to finish the Quran every Ramadan as obligatory even if they don't understand a word of what they're reading.  They read it too fast,and in most masjids they read without having any translation or tafsir sessions after the Tarawi.  As soon as the Tarawi race is over, everyone rushes to go home.  After they reach home if anyone asks them what they learned in the Quran that evening, they will have no answer because they didn't understand a word of the Tarawi session.  This is not what Allah means when He commands us to read the Quran.  But woe unto the so-called Muslims.  I don't know when they will realize the true purpose of reading the Quran.   Even if they read 2 pages of the Quran a day by understanding it properly is far more useful in the Sight of Allah than finishing a whole Surah or juz like a parrot without understanding a word.  But no one agrees with this. 

[Zainab_M]

As-Salaam Alaikum:
Ramadan Kareem and Mubarak to all sisters and brothers.  May Allah accept our efforts.  Let us make sure that however many pages of the Quran we read throughout Ramadan, we read it with full attention and understanding .. not the hurried rush as practiced in Tarawi. 

Brother Thinker-Truth-Seeker, I realize it can be difficult to manage when one has plans to move with family and it coincides with the month of Ramadan.  I too might need to make a move after Ramadan and the thoughts are already taking up much time.  But InshAllah, may Allah grant strength & courage to concentrate fully on this beautiful month with prayers for future success in both worlds.  Ameen ya Allah.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Salaams sister Zeynab and Br.Thinker Truth-Seeker.   Will you folks be moving homes or relocating altogether?  I understand both are a hassle particular the latter.  I pray the month of Ramadan passes with the minimal of interruption, and after Ramadan everything goes through smoothly.

[MurtezaAFG]

It saddens me to hear such talk about Masjids.
I know of some Masjids that charge it's member actual members fees and those who do not pay are not allowed inside the Masjid. This is absolutely wrong, so much so it's an abomination to Islam. One should never have to pay to pray inside the house of Allah, if it truly is the house of Allah.

There is a Masjid that I go to called the Abu Huraira center. It's primarily Sunni Muslims but they allow anyone to enter the Masjid, they give out free Qurans, they even have programs for young muslim boys and girls to participate in (sports, Quran lessons etc.). Essentially they create a Muslim community which I believe is needed, especially in a Western society; Muslims have to stick together and help one another out. In order to have a small community and to keep it going, of course the Masjid will need donations.
Now of course there will always be some who ask for donation for the poor only to keep it for themselves, but Allah with deal with them accordingly.
I don't see the Imams at my Masjid using the donations for their own gain, they fear Allah (SAW) too much.
Every night they have Khutbas and they read from the Quran; it's free to come to and dozens of people always show if not close to a hundred or so on some nights (friday/toward the end of Ramadan)

But yes, I agree many use Ramadan as a chance to make money, may Allah have mercy on their souls and guide them to the right path.



What do you guys do for zakat? Do you donate to an organization? Do you go out and help people 1 on 1 (handing out money/food)?
With all these organizations asking for money and pocketing 70%+ of it, one is left to wonder how he/she can give zakat properly knowing it will indeed help someone.

[Zainab_M]

Salaam brother Murteza.  Ramadan mubarak.

You're fortunate to have found a masjid where you can trust the imam as being selfless.  I have so far failed in my search.  Greed of the majority nauseates me.  Not just the imams, but almost everyone who claims to be working for Allah eventually reveals their yellow streak.   I learned this lesson over a period of over 14 years, therefore it's a long story. 

Briefly put, here are a few examples.  A little-known Muslim lady by the name of Zakia something once caught me at Facebook with the request to follow her page and allow her to send her video & audio lectures though email. Very soon she announced an upcoming one-hour lecture on an important Islamic topic.  The viewer had to register online.  Then came the payment options though I expected it to be free, of course.  The cost of that lecture was $199.99.  How on earth can Muslims of fixed income groups afford $200 for a one-hour online lecture they'll be watching sitting in their living rooms or bedrooms?  I surely cannot afford that kind of money.  It became obvious where she was coming from.  I deleted her.

In another webnar lecture, the presenter - a colleague of some imam - talked much on charity.  Of course I already know the importance of charity, not from the imams but from the Quran.   He then told the listeners to send their feedback.  I sent him a message saying I've heard so many of our imams demanding donations to renovate or build masjids but never on donations for establishing a private welfare system for low income and elderly Muslims .. and believe me, low income and elderly Muslims are many more in number than the well-to-do ones.  The lecturer seemed to agree with me and said he would send my message & suggestion to his imam who would later contact me.  But it was followed by silence.  Never heard from him nor his imam. 

Five years ago a well-known Calgary imam duped the entire Muslim community of Canada with his "million dollar walk."  Read our detailed thread unveiling his polite robbery at the following link:

Calgary Imam's multi-faith walk against violence

These few examples are only a drop in the ocean.  The complete collection of facts are infinite and a lot more astounding.  Not taking into consideration the freak exceptions, by and large they've been awfully disappointing.   At least 90% aren't trustworthy.  They have stooped as low as commercializing the worship of Allah.  The more you donate, the more they respect you at masjids, even if the big donars are fornicators and drinkers.  Whereas the principles of the Noble Quran make it ample clear that it's not the amount a rich man gives that matters but it's the intention within your heart that determines your righteousness, even if you are able to afford a single dollar.  Of course, that's too difficult for the corrupt Ummah to understand any longer.

Another problem is their meddling in clerical right-wing politics which has been responsible for plenty of obnoxious fatwas, promoting sectarianism through khutbas, and in the process introduction of greater interpolations and deliberate distortion of Islam.   The reason being that majority of masjids in North America and Europe are being heavily funded by countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, mostly Saudi Arabia.  Thus, the authorities running these masjids are obligated to strictly cater to the policies of these governments.  No wonder I've seen so many imams living in plush homes, driving classy cars, their kids studying in private Muslim schools (where the fee of a single child is around $500) without doing a stroke of work.  Their work is simply running their respective masjids.  The statement, "running a masjid" sounds awesome but only if it conforms with the values of the Sole Criterion - The Noble Quran.  Needless to say, by far the majority of present masjids are far from it.  Though the Abu Huraira Masjid might consist of better people as you say, in that case I don't understand why they have named that masjid after a man who was very definitely an enemy of Allah and an enemy of the Prophet.  Abu Huraira is known as the "Paul" of Islam.  Plenty of his ahadith are among the most offensive of all that are retained in the collections dubbed as "sahih" by the imams.  Yet, the fact that masjids are still been named after him, only proves how superficial and self-righteous most Muslims in authority are today.

As for paying zakat, I don't give anything directly to any masjid.  I may drop in a few cents or a dollar or two in donation boxes which the masjids put up in Muslim grocery stores, but no more.  I send my actual zakat annually to Pakistan where a close personal family friend of ours runs a charity distributing household essentials to the poor, with the request to spend it on some poor and needy family.  Additionally I also send occasional donations to local hospitals in North America with the intent to help the suffering.  May Allah Almighty accept it as zakat.  I feel it's certainly better than blindly giving it to imams who are least concerned with the poor and the sick. 

[Zainab_M]

Salaams sister Zeynab and Br.Thinker Truth-Seeker.   Will you folks be moving homes or relocating altogether?  I understand both are a hassle particular the latter.  I pray the month of Ramadan passes with the minimal of interruption, and after Ramadan everything goes through smoothly.

Yeah sis, in my case, might be relocating .. though absolutely sure yet .... matters being worked out.  Thus having a not too peaceful Ramadan because of all these decision making hassles.  May Allah grant whatever is best.  Will keep you informed InshAllah.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Yeah sis, in my case, might be relocating .. though absolutely sure yet .... matters being worked out.  Thus having a not too peaceful Ramadan because of all these decision making works.  May Allah grant whatever is best.  Will keep you informed InshAllah.

I absolutely understand sis.  Yes, InshAllah will be in touch.