AsSabiqoon!! بسم  اهلل  الرحمن  الرحيم   الحمدهلل  رب  العاملني      Beloved  Reader,    We  invite  you  to  join  us إن شاء اهلل   in  the  race  to  please  Rabbana,  our  Walyyi,  our  Khaleel.  We  are  your  sisters,  your  sisters  who  love  you  for  the  sake  of  Allah  and  ask  Allah  to  make  this  love  a  means  of  a?aining  His  shade  on  the  day  of  Qiyamah,  when  there  will  be  no  other  shade  but  Allah's  shade.  The Prophet (SAW) said:!There are seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a Just Ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; a man whose heart is attached to the masjid; two men who love each other for Allah's sake, meeting for that and parting upon that; a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position [for illegal intercourse], but e says: 'I fear Allah', a man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity; and a man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears.'  (Bukhaari & Muslim.)  !!

We have a dream... We want إن شاء اهللto be AsSabiqoon AsSabiqoon (the foremost of the foremost) as referred to by Allah Subhanahu wa T’ala in The Qur’an (Surah 56, Al-Waqui'ah-The Event,  Ayah 10 - 37) and we aim wholeheartedly to be dedicated seekers of knowledge and gain inheritance of Anbiya’a (Prophets) through righteous knowledge from Quran and Sunnah.! Through this monthly إن شاء اهللnewsletter we want to reach you. We want you to embrace with us the journey of the seeker of the knowledge and may we all support each other to be steadfast on the right path (AsSirrat elmostaqeem) Ameen.!!The Prophet (SAW) said:!“Allah makes the way to Paradise easy for him who pursues the path in search of knowledge” (Bukhaari & Muslim). !“Whoever treads on a path in search of Islamic knowledge, Allah will ease the way to Paradise for him. The angels will lower their wings, pleased with this seeker of knowledge, and everyone in the heavens and on earth will ask forgiveness for the knowledgeable person, even the fish in the deepest of waters will ask for his forgiveness” [Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi-Sahih Hadith]!

In this pursuit we take you إن شاء اهللto different journeys of a seeker of Knowledge. You will taste the sweetness behind the Most Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah Subhanahu wa T’ala. We will share with you the Gems from the learned ones. إن شاء اهلل You will be marvelled with the linguistic miracles of the Qur’an. In addition Qur’an is a solace, it is what gives peace to the heart that is in search of the truth…so we want you to find in the Qur’an the joy of your life and much more such as how to raise righteous children  who are the future of our ummah, beith’nil Allah Ta'aala.!!Let's hold each other’s hands and compete for the sake of Allah against our own low self, shaytan & dunya and aspire to become the AsSabiqoon AsSabiqoon….Ameen Ya Rabb al alameen! !

!الحمدهلل رب العاملنيPeace and Blessings of Allah be upon the Prophet, His family, companions and followers.  

A Monthly Newsletter by Masjid Bani Hashim Issue # 1

December 2013

AsSabiqoon? Page 1

Cheer up Page 2

The Gems Box Page 2

Tajweed Page 2

Linguistic Miracles of the Glorious Quran

Page 3

The Righteous Child Page 4

Learn, Live & Love the Names of Allah Azza Wajal

Page 5

Masjid Bani Hashim Page 6

A S S A B I Q O O N

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Cheer up!! بسم  اهلل  الرحمن  الرحيم   الحمدهلل  رب  العاملني  

Qur’an  is  not  a  novel!  !Qur’an  is  your  “story”  and  I  mean  it!  You  open  any  chapter  of  the  Qur’an  and  you  will  find  that  you  can  relate  to  it!  Qur’an  is  Allah  talking  to  you  personally,  on  a  one  to  one  basis!  Are  you  ready  to  hear      Allah,  Your  Rabb,  Your  Khaliq,  Your  Creator  talking  to  you?  !He  knows  exactly  what  you  are  going  through  at  each  and  every  split  second  of  your  life,  Subhanal  Allah.  !There  is  nothing  that  will  give  you  more  joy  than  reading  an  ayah  of  the  Qur’an,  understanding  it,  reflecRng  upon  it  and  then  acRng  upon  it,  beidhnil  Allah.  ! إن شاء اهلل  to  make  the  picture  complete,  we  will  be  reflecRng  also  in  the  life  and  examples  of  the  Prophet  SAW.  Aisha  RA  (May  Allah  be  pleased  with  her)  said:  "..  the  character  of  the  Messenger  of  Allah  (SAW)  was  the  Qur'an."  -­‐  Sahih  Muslim  !

الحمدهلل  رب  العاملني  !Peace  and  blessings  of  Allah  be  upon  the  Prophet,  His  family,  companions  and  his  followers.  !I  leave  you  in  Allah’s  protecRon  unRl  I  see  you  next.  

!

The Gems Box!!

السالم  عليكم  و  رحمة  اهلل  وبركاته   بسم  اهلل  الرحمن  الرحيم  !

Suffering  from  a  lack  of  wisdom?  The  Gems  Box  is  for  you!  

The  Gems  Box  is  meant  to  be  a  collecRon  of  enlightening  quotes  extracted  from  “The  Love  of  Allah’s  Class”  held  every  Wednesday  evening  at  Masjid  Bani  Hashim  by  our  Ustadha  AwaRf  Al  Hashimi.  

It  addresses  parRcularly  the  readers  who  are  in  search  of  short  but  powerful  reminders  that  can  help  them  to  get  closer  to  Allah.  !Knowledge  is  by  far  the  most  precious  gem  granted  by  Allah,  it  is  then  expected  from  us  to  collect  it  and  preserve  it  in  the  most  valuable  box  that  is  our  heart.      !

جزاكم  اهلل  خيرا  !!

Tajweed!!What  is  Tajweed?  !From    Arabic  word    “Jawwada  “  or  “Jayed    “meaning  to  beauRfy,to    perfect,  to  make  be?er.”Jeed”  means  beauRful  neck.  So  tajweed  means  to  beauRfy  the  recitaRon  of  Quran.  !How  to  BeauRfy?  Taking  out  each  le?er[harf]  from  its  proper  place  of  arRculaRon  [makhraj]  +  [sifaat]  qualiRes  +applying  the  proper  rules  of  recitaRon.  !Why  learn  Tajweed?  To  recite  in  the  proper  way  is  a  must  for  everyone.  To  learn  the  science  of  tajweed  and  teach  others  is  great  ajar.  It  is  the  way  our  dearest  Prophet  s.a.w  use  to  recite.  It  is  Allah’s  kalam  so  we  have  to  give  its  haq  and  recite  in  the  way  Allah  s.w  wants  us  to.  !Daleel    from  Quran:    Sura  –Al  Muzzamil  aya  4  and  Sura  Al  Baqarah  121.  !Daleel    from  Hadith:  Abdullah  bin  Amr  bin  Al  Aas  r.a  reported  that  Prophet  s.a.w    said  “the  one  who  was  devoted  to  the  recitaRon  of  the  Holy  Quran,  will  be  told  on  the  Day  of  Qiyamah  to  go  on  reciRng  and  ascending  in  ranks,  and  recite  carefully  and  disRnctly  as  he  recited  carefully  and  disRnctly  when  he  was  in  dunia.  He  will  reach  his  abode  when  the  last  verse  of  his  recitaRon  will  come  to  an  end.    (  Abu  Dawud    and  Tirmidhi)

A S S A B I Q O O N

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!!“And  if  you  are  in  doubt  about  what  We  have  sent  down  upon  Our  Servant  [Muhammad],  then  produce  a  surah  the  like  thereof  and  call  upon  your  witnesses  other  than  Allah  ,  if  you  should  be  truthful.”  (2:23)  !Mankind  has  been  baffled  by  the  

extra  ordinary  eloquence  and  the  speech  of  The  Noble  Qura’an  today  as  much  as  they  were  taken  by  it  14  centuries  ago.  Its  revelaRon  upon  our  beloved  Prophet  Muhammed  (Peace  and  Blessings  be  upon  him)  who  could  not  read  nor  write  is  a  proof  in  its  own  that  the  grand  speech  of  this  Holy  Book  is  not  manmade,  nor  is  it  a  word  of  any  creaRon  but  the  Creator  Himself.  !“Or  do  they  say:  “He  (Prophet  Muhammad,  )  has  forged  it  (this  Qur’an)?”  Nay!  They  believe  not!  Let  them  then  produce  a  recitaRon  like  it  (the  Qur’an)  if  they  are  truthful.”  (52:  33-­‐34)  !

In  the  upcoming  arRcles,  we  will  explore  the  numerous  examples  illustrated  in  the  Qura’an  which  determine  its  linguisRc  beauty  and  miraculous  literature.  A  careful  study  of  these  examples  boosts  our  Iman  (Faith)  level,  let’s  us  marvel  Allah’s  impeccable  speech  and  leaves  a  lasRng  impression  of  awe  in  the  hearts  of  not  only  the  believers  but  disbelievers  as  well.    !Forster  Fitzgerald  Arbuthnot  a  notable  BriRsh  Orientalist  and  translator,  in  his  book  The  ConstrucRon  of  the  Bible  and  the  Koran  stated:  !“…and  that  though  several  a?empts  have  been  made  to  produce  a  work  equal  to  it  as  far  as  elegant  wriRng  is  concerned,  none  has  as  yet  succeeded.”2  !The  essence  of  this  elegant  speech  is  a  combinaRon  of  unique  placement  of  the  words,  astounding  numerical  structure,  phenomenal  style  and  a  sophisRcated  method  by  which  the  words  are  linked  together.  The  remarkable  presentaRon  of  The  Holy  Book  speaks  volumes  of  its  source:  Allah  (Subhana  Wata’Ala).  Indeed  only  our  Rabb  can  deliver  this  divine  speech  in  the  utmost  perfecRon  and  style.  “Say,  ’If  mankind  and  the  jinn  gathered  in  order  to  produce  the  like  of  this  Qur'an,  they  could  not  produce  the  like  of  it,  even  if  they  were  to  each  other  assistants.’’’  (17:88)  

2  F.  Arbuthnot,  The  ConstrucRon  of  the  Bible  and  the  Koran,  London,  1885,  p  5.  !

A S S A B I Q O O N

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Overview!!

!بسم اهلل الرحمن  الرحيم

!All the praises be to Allah, We thank Him, We seek His Help, and We ask for His Forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of ourselves and the bad consequences of our deeds, whoever Allah guides, so none can misguide him, and whoever Allah let to go astray, none can guide him. I bear witness that no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Mohammad is His servant and messenger!!Dear Parents,!In our first issue, we introduce briefly this section that aims to address Parents and educators who find difficulties in raising children islamically, and nurturing of their children with the challenges of everyday life in the type of modern society we live in.!!This section invites to reflect on practical solutions to support the parents and educators in helping

children to develop and attain a righteous and virtuous character, which will make them productive and helpful to society at large.!!Children are one of heritages we leave behind and our implication in their education will define their upbringing, so we ought to be concerned and correct how we handle them by practicing more of the Sunnah in their regards taught by our beloved Prophet

(Sallallahu alayhi wa salaam).!!May Allah grant us sincerity and success in achieving our goals, only for His Sake. Ameen.!

!The structure of these series:!

The upbringing of the righteous child is essentially based on 4 main aspects which the parents should focus on; therefore 4 topics will be addressed:!

1. Parents and Productivity: How can parent use longstanding values and equip themselves with the correct contemporary tools

available in our modern society for self-empowerment, which will help them raise their children in the light of the Sunnah and the Quran.!

2. Education: This part will focus on developing the Islamic exposure and education for our children. !

3. Health: In our fast-paced society, our children tend to eat less nutritional food, when they get sick, little do we rely on the approved Ruqya or prophetic medicine. This part aims at providing tips and advice to parents in order to encourage them utilize what is best.!

4. The Perfect way of Life: This part will focus on the essential values the family needs to adopt in accordance to what Allah and His Messenger have ordered, so that the children live their life in the obedience of Allah and became a sadaqah Jarriyyah for their parents. We aim to educate in helping children to develop and attain a righteous and virtuous character, which will make them productive and helpful to society at large.

The Righteous ChildA S S A B I Q O O N

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!!بسم اهلل الرحمن الرحيمThe study of Allah’s Names is the most noble of all sciences. This is because the it is connected to the nobility of its subject, and there is no subject that one can study more noble knowing Allah, as indicated by some of His Names such as al-`Aziz and al-Majid. Because of the nobility and great importance of this subject, Allah’s Messenger (saws) gave greater attention to explaining it than he did any other matter. For this reason, we find that the Companions did not disagree concerning any of these matters while there was some disagreement amongst them concerning some of the legal ordinances (ahkam).!!Knowledge of the Names of Allah is the basis for all other knowledge. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Knowledge of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah is the basis of all other kinds of knowledge, for all of these other branches of knowledge are devoted to either a command or a creation of His.” ([Badaa'i' al-Fawaa'id (1/163)]. It is one of the purposes of our creation. Allah (Subhanau wa Ta’ala) says: ”It is Allah who has created seven heavens and of the earth, the like thereof. [His] command descends between them so you may know that Allah is Powerful over all things and that Allah has encompassed all things in (His) Knowledge.” [65:12] !!Enumeration (ihsah) of Allah’s Names is a means to enter Paradise, as mentioned in the Hadith of Abu Hurairah. “Indeed, Allah has Ninety-Nine Names,

one hundred less one, whoever enumerates (ahsaahah) them shall enter Paradise.” [Agreed Upon]!!Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “The key to the call of the Messengers, the

essence of their Message, is knowing Allah through His Names, His Attributes, and His Actions, because this is the foundation on which the rest of the Message, from beginning to end, is built.” [Al-Sawaa'iq al-Mursalah `Ala al-Jahmiyyah wa'l-Mu`attilah by Ibn al-Qayyim, (1/150-151)]. Therefore, when a person occupies himself with learning about Allah, he is fulfilling the purpose for which he was created, but if he ignores this matter, he is neglecting what he was created for. The meaning of faith is not merely to utter words without knowing Allah, because true faith in Allah means that the slave knows the Lord in Whom he believes, and he makes the effort to learn about Allah through His Names and Attributes. The more he learns about his Lord, the more he increases in faith. Thus it is that we have been commanded to know them. For example, Allah says: “Know that Allah is of all things Knowing (`Alim).” [2:231] “Know that Allah is severe in

punishment and that Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” [5:98]!!How can you love Allah if you do not know Him?!!A’ishah relates that the Prophet (saws) placed a man in command

of an expedition. Whenever he would lead his companions in prayer, he would finish his recitation with Surah AlIkhlas. When they returned, they mentioned this to the Prophet, so he said, “Ask him why he does that?” He said, “Because it is the Description of the Most Merciful (Siffat al-Rahman), and I love to recite it.” The Prophet (saws) said, “Inform him that Allah loves Him.” [Agreed

Upon]!!The focus of this series is to help the reader to understand and implement the famous Hadith of the 99 Names. For that reason, in this series, we shall endeavour to explain what is meant by this hadith as well as a brief overview of some of the fundamental principles of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah in understanding Allah’s Names. Then, a brief explanation will be given of the meanings of many of the Names of Allah that can be found in the Qur’an and in the Sunnah. The aim of the series is to help enable each one of us to live content, be thankful and grateful to Allah, to know that human capability is limited and the only one he can rely on is Allah and therefore seek help from Allah alone with sabr. !

Learn Live & Love Names of اهللA S S A B I Q O O N

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Masjid Bani Hashim!At Jumeirah Islands, Dubai

Blog :            http://www.masjidbanihashim.blogspot.ae/!Facebook:     https://www.facebook.com/masjidbanihashim!!!!

Masjid  Bani  Hashim  by  the  Grace  of  Allah,  opened  its  doors  2nd  Ramadan  1434/  July  10th,  2013  &  is  a  Non-­‐Profit  OrganisaRon.    It  envisions  to  offer  intensive  courses,  lectures,  workshops,  Quranic,  Seerah  of  the  Prophet  pbuh  &  major  Islamic  Studies  !

!!!!!

Our Mission!Masjid Bani Hashim’s mission is to provide authentic understanding of Islam based on Qur'an and Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Mohammed (saws). Masjid Bani Hashim welcomes all and provides a golden opportunity to access Islamic Courses to all seekers of Ilm. Without rushing back home, you can make a stop at Masjid Bani Hashim to nurture your soul, pray & recite Quran.!!

Location!It  is  located  in  the  Jumeirah  Islands.  From  Sheikh  Zayed  Road,  take  Exit  29  and  follow  Jumeirah  Islands  (Road  Signs)  &  it  will  take  you  to  the  Masjid.  “If  anyone  travels  in  search  of  knowledge,  Allah  will  ease  his  path  to  Paradise.”  Sahih  Jami  6298  !!!

A S S A B I Q O O N

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