Most Important things to do in the Month of Ramadan

Doubt as a Virtue in Islamic Thought

http://nudba.com/wp/doubt-as-a-virtue-in-islamic-thought-ali-najaf/

Culture vs. Morality

http://nudba.com/wp/culture-vs-morality-in-islam-ali-najaf/

Maher Zain Ramadan

TED talk on fasting neurological benefits

Fiqh of Moonsighting - excellent short video series - highly recommended!

A little humor - what if you live at the North Pole, how do you fast?

Existence of God (excerpted from various places in Nahjul Balagha)

The Philosophy of Ramadan | Hajj Khalil Jaffer

Allahumma Adkhil - my favorite shahr Ramadan dua

Martyrdom of Imam Ali (as) - 21st Shahr Ramadan

Martyrdom of Imam Ali (as): The Last Will of Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) 

The Last Will of Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS)

Ibn Muljam about to assassinate Imam Ali (as)

Imam Ali's (AS) last will to his sons Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Hussain (AS) after the attempt on his life by a stab from Ibn Muljam:

My advice to you is to be conscious of Allah and steadfast in your religion. Do not yearn for the world, and do not be seduced by it. Do not resent anything you have missed in it. Proclaim the truth; work for the next world. Oppose the oppressor and support the oppressed.

I advise you, and all my children, my relatives, and whosoever receives this message, to be conscious of Allah, to remove your differences, and to strengthen your ties. I heard your grandfather (Prophet Muhammad), peace be upon him, say: 

"Reconciliation of your differences is more worthy than all prayers and all fasting."

Fear Allah in matters concerning orphans. Attend to their nutrition and do not forget their interests in the middle of yours.

Fear Allah in your relations with your neighbors. Your Prophet often recommended them to you, so much so that we thought he would give them a share in inheritance.

Remain attached to the Quran. Nobody should surpass you in being intent on it, or more sincere in implementing it.

Fear Allah in relation to your prayers. It is the pillar of your religion.

Fear Allah in relation to His House; do not abandon it as long as you live. It you should do that you would abandon your dignity.

Persist in jihad in the cause of Allah, with your money, your souls, and your tongue.

Maintain communication and exchange of opinion among yourselves. Beware of disunity and enmity. Do not desist from promoting good deeds and cautioning against bad ones. Should you do that,the worst among you would be your leaders, and you will call upon Allah without response.

O Children of Abdul Mattaleb! Do not shed the blood of Muslims under the banner: The Imam has been assassinated! Only the assassin should be condemned to death.

If I die of this stab of his, kill him with one similar stroke. Do not mutilate him! I have heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, say: "Mutilate not even a rabid dog."

Source: Najul Balagha

In the 40th year of Hijri, in the small hours of the morning of 19th Ramadan, Imam Ali (AS) was struck with a poisoned sword by the Kharijite Ibn Maljam while offering his prayers in the Masjid of Kufa. He died on the 21st day of Ramadan 40 A.H. and buried in Najaf-ul-Ashraf. He was born in the House of Allah, the Kaaba, and martryed in the House of Allah, Masjid-e-Kufa. The Lion of Allah, the most brave and gentle Muslim after the Prophet (PBUH&HF) himself, began his glorious life with devotion to Allah and His Messenger, and ended it in the service of Islam.

"And do not speak of those who are slain in the the Way of Allah as dead; nay, they are alive, but you perceive not." Quran 2:154

The above portion is from http://babakdarvish.blogspot.com/2012/08/martyrdom-of-imam-ali-as-last-will-of.html

Learn more here:  http://www.duas.org/ImamAli.htm

PDF of amaal for eve of 21st:  http://www.duas.org/Ramadhan_mth_pdfs/Laylatul%20Qadr%20Nights/Ramadhan_19_21_amal2.pdf


More amaal pdfs:  http://www.duas.org/Ramadhan_mth_pdfs.htm

Shahr Ramadan Headache? Brief Exercise Cure?

Sunnah fit video with neck exercises that may eliminate that fasting headache - give it a try and feel free to comment if it works or not.

Ramadan Spiritual Reform - continued

1.


Yep this stuff really happens, but there is hope.

2.
Also, a shocking, depressing article @ Mother Jones from one of the former Iran hostages talking about  the horrors of indefinite solitary confinement in American prisons.


Also on a personal note, just lost two people this week, a friend to suicide and a former teacher to illness. The month of Ramadan is of course, as always, a good time to reflect on death.  I went to visit my grandmother yesterday and I could clearly see what the Qur'an mentions about our spans of life and that if we live long we return to a dependent state.  I see it in my own parents, too, and it is scary because they're at the point where it is still a little subtle but real enough, and it affects how they relate to one another because it makes it difficult for them to communicate - one has trouble hearing, the other has trouble organizing thoughts the way the other wants when speaking, etc.  I think the Qur'an speaks clearly enough about aging and how to treat elders.

But, I wish I had something profound to say about mental illness and suicide from an Islamic perspective.  What I will say is that linking someone's mental illness to deficiency in their faith and telling them to pray more or fix their practice and that will solve their problems is something I have big issues with.  First of all, I disagree with the premise that all mental illness or depression etc. is caused by someone's spiritual deficiencies.  There may be real medical/physical causes or manifestations from viruses to chemical imbalances to real life trauma and so on - for the problems being faced that could be helped through medical means, counseling/psychology, or any other number of ways.  Islam is not a religion that says not to use to your benefit what we gain from knowledge/science etc., so why should we deny these methods of help/treatment?  Secondly, even if we assume for a minute that all mental illnesses have a spiritual cause, telling a person that his mental/emotional struggles are his own fault and he just needs to have more faith is like telling someone without legs to just stand up  - while at the same time telling him if he can't just stand up, it is because he is deficient and he should just fix himself or just get over it.  It is not supportive, it is not constructive!  Yes, spirituality, religion and faith in the Islamic perspective are part of every cure, no matter what ails us, and perhaps even the whole cure in some cases, but healing one's spirit is the real jihad and our examples of how to do so come from the compassionate, invitational and Merciful aspects taught by Ahlulbayt (as) and our Creator.  Dealing with mental/emotional illnesses is perhaps more difficult in many respects than dealing with physical ones, and therefore we should be all the more patient and empathetic despite how challenging interactions with the ill can be.  May God have Mercy on us always and help us to be Merciful to others and may we learn in this month of fasting to increase our compassion and our utility to others.

"Food" for thought while you fast: Video - Judged

A beautiful hijabi can make herself ugly through her lack of akhlaq - be careful how you treat others, even those with whom you disagree or whom you don't think follow the religion correctly.  Allah swt will judge.

Fasting and Trayvon Martin

Yesterday George Zimmerman was found not-guilty for the murder of Trayvon Martin.
Regardless of the outcome of the case, do you think what happened to Trayvon would've happened if he weren't black?

Here's something to think about:



Even the young black actor is shocked and stunned (5:42) by the results of this experiment.  Those people did not think they were being racist.  They did not believe they would've behaved differently were the thief not a young black man.  But the experiment shows otherwise, to a shocking degree.

Sayyid Khumayni about the month of Ramadan said,

نكرديد يا معرفت شما زيادتر نشد، بدانيد در ضيافة اللّه درست وارد نشديد و حق ضيافت را به جا نياورديد...

“In this noble month, in which you have been invited to the divine banquet, if you do not gain insight (ma’rifah) about God the Almighty nor insight into yourself, it means that you have not properly participated in the feast of Allāh and failed to observe the etiquette of the feast..."

            Jihād-e-Akbar, pg. 45.

This month is a special opportunity to transform our characters.  One part of this could be the admission of our prejudices rather than denying them - and the realization/acknowledgement of privileges afforded to us or denied because of our color, gender, income, nationality, etc.  Yes, many of us are minorities and minorities within minorities.  The fact that we ourselves face prejudice and oppression, however, does not make us immune from prejudice and committing oppression ourselves.  It is only by opening our eyes to our own prejudices that we can begin to remove them and stop oppressing others.  Self-deception is no excuse to continue a moment longer in committing a wrong or allowing wrong to be done.  Muslims are not less racist or less ridden with numerous other prejudices merely by being born to Islam or choosing it as a faith.  Removing prejudice is a personal jihad - it won't just happen because you believe in God and try to be a nice person.

So perhaps this month we could "fast" from our prejudices  - struggle to actively remove them, refrain from our quick judgments of others, become more aware of our false assumptions, free ourselves from seeing the world in stereotypes, becoming aware of unjust privileges we receive, aware of our fears rooted in prejudice (like the lady gripping her purse tighter when a black man gets on the elevator with her), and transforming the way we see the world and the way we act in it.

I am not an expert on this topic nor am I free of prejudice, nor am I probably the best person to speak on this topic, but for some reason I was assigned this topic at a Revert Muslim Association conference several years ago.  I am sure the talk is fault-ridden, but hopefully it can give a decent overview of the Islamic concept of prejudice/'Asabiyyah in spite of that:

May God grant us Mercy - not only Mercy for ourselves on the Day of Judgment, but may He make our own hearts Merciful to all of humanity, all of life, all of God's Creation.  

Holy Month

A daily program for the month of Ramadan from UMAA (Universal Muslim Association of America): http://www.holymonth.net/


 Organized like:
A Program for The Holy Month... Day by Day
Day 1 Article The Prophet of Allah’s (sawa) Speech
 Day 1 Event of the Day 1st of Ramadhan
Day 1 Health Tips Enjoy Ginger
 Day 1 Qur'an Recitation Qur'anic Recitation (Part 01)
 Day 2 Article The Merits of Fasting and the Month of Ramadan
Day 2 Event of the Day 2nd of Ramadhan
Day 2 Health Tips Embrace Bitters
Day 2 Qur'an Recitation Qur'anic Recitation (Part 02) etc.



 - from the linked web page above, you can click on a daily article, event calendar, health tip and video of qur'an recitation.

Get Excited for the month of Ramadan! (video - great for teens)

5 goals for Ramadan - great video for youth and everyone else too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gKOSIhcIkzA

Sighting of the Crescent - fiqh videos from I.M.A.M. (Arabic and English)

Very good set of short lectures about moon sighting - addressing in detail the matters of certainty and contentment in determining to accept information regarding the start/end of a month or not.  Can you accept the sighting of a woman?  What about astronomical data?  What if according to the fiqh of on marja it is Eid tomorrow but another it isn't - is it really necessary for communities and even families to have multiple Eids?  The answers may surprise you!

_________________________________________________________In the Name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful         The Crescent Presentations   _______________________________________________________________ by: Sayyid M. B. al-Kashmiri Please join us by Clicking Here (Arabic)   __________________________________________________________ by: Sheikh Aous Asfar Please join us by Clicking Here (English)   __________________________________________________________

I.M.A.M. | Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya | 835 Mason St. | Dearborn | MI | 48124

Youtube Videos of all 30 Juz Qur'an - one per day, longest 46 minutes

Do you find it difficult to find the time to read a Juz of Quran each day?
Below are Youtube video links of each individual Juz which lasts between 33 minutes to 46 minutes!!


Juz 1
38:44
http://youtu.be/MHcfs8F0Mmw

Juz 2 - Shaikh Saud Al Shuraim
36:23
http://youtu.be/rM12GoGuE3U

Juz - 3
43:15
http://youtu.be/toFDf9-8j34

Juz 4
40:11
http://youtu.be/yvSfA6FUlKE

Juz 5 - Sheikh As Sudais & Ash Shuraim
39:47
http://youtu.be/111SNYrL4z8

Juz - 6
40:59
http://youtu.be/OI4iHgr3pSc

Juz - 7
41:58
http://youtu.be/pwT1QnZRzXc

Juz 8
41:14
http://youtu.be/h-7XzGMAnkU

Juz - 9 - Shaikh Fares Abbad
44:05
http://youtu.be/m82nIWXcWaI

Juz 10 - Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Aziz Sudais
39:10
http://youtu.be/5N4O4ahBATg

Juz 11
44:03
http://youtu.be/pjUqJe-W_hU

Juz 12 - Ishak Danis
42:01
http://youtu.be/cM0YMZiFXN8

Juz 13
46:35
http://youtu.be/5-Ts5jIYxRo

Juz - 14
39:19
http://youtu.be/ld-DdriAq5s

Juz 15
43:03
http://youtu.be/0RSuTt7YCEQ

Juz - 16 - Shaikh Mohammed Saad Al Majid
39:52
http://youtu.be/3G1IquSEDAU

Juz 17 -Shaikh Saud Al Shuraim
33:25
http://youtu.be/0PAaMCkhehY

Juz 18 Shaikh Khalifa Al Tunaiji
36:53
http://youtu.be/OXSDCxeIajI

Juz 19 - Shaykh Shuraym and Shaykh Sudais
41:17
http://youtu.be/giqsln_N64s

Juz 20 - Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Aziz Sudais
37:16
http://youtu.be/sDPW9gzzWnA

Juz 21 - Sheikh As Sudais & Ash Shuraim
39:24
http://youtu.be/AAdqz3OlJUw

Juz 22
40:50
http://youtu.be/cAd7Vdbd_2o

Juz 23
43:35
http://youtu.be/SLdN0rmgBrk

Juz 24
42:01
http://youtu.be/oT9XFMygXaw

Juz 25
42:53
http://youtu.be/2V6lT2hObbM

Juz - 26 - Shaikh Fares Abbad
44:30
http://youtu.be/hkR-YtuNS18

Juz - 27 - Shaikh Saud Al Shuraim
38:27
http://youtu.be/y7wiqJjfjRY

Juz 28
40:24
http://youtu.be/ULucJpZoCZo

Juz 29
39:20
http://youtu.be/SJMvpTIw50o

Juz 30
44:20
http://youtu.be/XcMKugfDMzU