Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts

An Invitation to Iqra Academy’s Family Night

webmaster — Sun, 12 May 2013 02:34:44 +0000

Assalamu Alaikum,

Iqra Academy is pleased to invite you and your family to attend

“The Arabic & Islamic Studies Family Night”

أمسية عائلية برعاية قسم اللغة العربية والدراسات الإسلامية

On Saturday, May 18, 2013

At 5:30 – 8 PM

At the Community Hall of ISWM

377 Amostown Rd, West Springfield, MA, 01089

An evening where the students, parents and the community will celebrate the students’ achievements in learning Arabic, Islamic Studies & Quran.

Please join us for an exciting evening filled with activities presented by IQRA students.

Dinner will be served after the event.

Thank you.

Iqra Academy

Reminder about the weekly classes at the Masjid

webmaster — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:44:24 +0000

Assalamu Alaikum dear brother and sisters,

This is a reminder about the classes and programs that are taking place in the masjid during the week in the evenings.

Tuesday:

Arabic Language Class (Advanced Level)

Time: Tuesday 8:15-9:30 PM (Maghreb - Isha)

Instructor: Imam Wissam Abdul Baki

Location: Iqra Academy's classroom

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Wednesday:

"Torch Bearers" program, Biography of some of the great Muslim scholars.

Time: Wednesdays 8:15-9:30 PM (Maghreb - Isha)

Instructor: Brother Nadeem Sikandar

Location: at the Community Hall

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Thursday:

Womens' Tafseer & Basic Fiqh Class in URDU Language

Time: Thursday 6 - 7:30 PM

Instructor: Sister Badia Nadeem

Location: Iqra Academy's classroom

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Friday:

Womens' Fiqh & Seerah Class in Arabic Language

Time: Friday 5 - 7 PM

Instructor: Sister Nibal Zitoun

Location: Iqra Academy's classroom

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Boys' Youth Group

Time: Friday 8:15 - 9:30 PM

Instructor: Imam Wissam Abdul Baki

Location: Masjid

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Girls' Youth Group

Time: Friday 6 - 8 PM

Organizers: Sr. Zahra Chaudhry, Sr. Zainab Ahmad, Sr. Hader Abid

Location: Community Hall

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All these classes are at

The Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts

377 Amostown Road, West Springfield, MA, 01089

For more information:
Contact:
Khalid Elzamzamy

Jazakum Allah Khairan

--

Khalid Elzamzamy

Weekend Classes at ISWM: Course Listings

webmaster — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:55:55 +0000

Assalamu Alaikum dear brother and sisters,

This is a reminder about the classes and the programs that are taking place in the masjid every weekend.

Saturday:

Women's Class
Time: Saturday 3 - 5 PM
Instructor: Sister Zehra Hazratji
Location: Iqra Academy's classroom
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English Language for Beginners:
Time: Saturday 1:15 - 2:45 PM
Instructor: Sister Duaa Baghdadi
Location: Iqra Academy's classroom
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Sunday:
Tafseer Class
Time: Sunday 11AM -12 PM
Instructor: Imam Wissam Abul Baki
Location: Masjid
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Sister's Class
Time: Sunday 12 -1 PM
Instructor: Imam Wissam Abul Baki
Location: Library
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Arabic Language for Beginners
Time: Sunday 5 - 6:30
Instructor: Brother Marwan Al Masri
Location: Iqra Academy's classroom
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Tajweed Class (Rulings of reading the Quran)
Time: Sunday 8 - 9:15
Instructor: Imam Wissam Abul Baki
Location: Iqra Academy's classroom
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All these classes are at The Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts: 377 Amostown Road, West Springfield, MA, 01089

For more information:
Contact:
Khalid Elzamzamy

ISWM Muslimaat Group Event

webmaster — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 02:47:51 +0000

The Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts invites all sisters ages 13 and up to the kick off event of the Girls Youth Group on Friday, March 22, 2013 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM.

For additional information please see the attached flyers or contact:Zahra Chaudhry and Zainab Ahmad, Phone #: 413-883-3543 and Email: muslimaatISWM@gmail.com.

MuslimaatEvent.pdf

MuslimaatFlyer.pdf

Member of anti-Islamic Dutch party converts to Islam

ISWM — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 05:15:19 +0000

Arnoud Van Doorn, a former member of the extreme right wing, and anti-Islamist Netherlands “Freedom Party,” was converted to Islam.

Geert Wilders is the head of the extreme right wing, and anti-Islamist, “Freedom Party” in Netherlands. Arnoud Van Doorn, a former member of Freedom party was converted to Islam.

It was very hard for the people in Belgium to believe the news that Arnoud Van Doorn, a former member of Freedom party was converted to Islam. But Van Doorn confirmed the authenticity of the news himself.

He announced the news on the social website of Twitter, under the title of “a new beginning” and displayed the Declaration of Faith on the website in Arabic language.

It is noteworthy that Geert Wilders, the leader of the extreme right wing Freedom Party in Netherlands, which Van Doorn was previously a member of, has announced the start of a new campaign against Islam in 2013, and he has said, he will continue his fight until his death.

source http://www.islamicinvitationturkey.com/2013/03/04/member-of-anti-islamic-dutch-party-converts-to-islam/

How did modern “Muslims” become so intolerant?

ISWM — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:30:47 +0000

In Allah’s name, what is wrong with us Muslims? And why do we find it so hard to ask that question of ourselves? What will it take to break the heavily curtained window of denial?

The beardy jihadists convicted in Birmingham last week were incompetents; hard to distinguish, for many Britons, from the hilarious boneheaded fantasists in Chris Morris’s Four Lions.

I don’t find them funny and nor do most British Muslims. The ringleader, Irfan Khalid, and his henchmen Irfan Naseer and Ashik Ali meant to cause bloody mayhem, as did all those previous bombers from Glasgow to London, some of whom succeeded while others were discovered before they could bomb themselves off to hell. Sexual permissiveness disgusted them, as did most values of the country they were born in.

Grievance

The gang frequented the Darul Ihsan gyms in Sparkhill, an inner city enclave in Birmingham. These “places of excellence” repudiated “inappropriate behaviour” and banned “non-Islamic” hairstyles and clothes. And it was in these enlightening joints that the thwarted three recruited others. Some went off to Pakistan and were made to come home by their families. There will be more and we can but hope they are stopped before they get the violent glory they crave.

I have met smart Muslim undergraduates and post-graduates at some of our top universities who offer perfectly honed theses to justify the actions of men like the Birmingham three. In sum, they give three key reasons: Palestinian rights denied by Israel, Islamaphobia, and Western interference in Muslim countries. These exact points were raised by a Muslim letter-writer to The Independent last week.

I sympathise with this position and have written with deep conviction on all those thorny issues. I am just reading Shadow Lives by the veteran journalist Victoria Brittain, on the unseen and unheard victims of our state’s iniquitous war on terror – the wives and children of men who have been incarcerated without charge for years.

I cry as I read – as many must when reminded of the chemical warfare used against Iraqis and the suffering of Palestinians. In Burma, Muslims are subjected to terrible persecution and Aung San Suu Kyi, now part of the establishment, expresses only tepid concern.

But no injustice can excuse or explain the rise of brutal Islamicists. Palestine is their cynical, moral pretence. Racism? Black Afro-Caribbean men who suffer the worst discrimination in this country don’t set up terrorist cells. Muslim foreign policy rage is questionable too. Over many decades, Western meddling in, say, Zimbabwe or Kenya has led to some of the intractable, current problems in those nations. Again, Kenyans and Zimbabwean migrants to the UK aren’t cooking carnage in pots in their kitchens.

Fig leaf

Religion is another fig leaf used by millions of Prophet Mohamed’s followers. Islam, they rightly contend, does not sanction the killing of civilians by hobbyists or leaders. However, by focusing on what the good texts say, Muslims avoid the reality of what Muslims do. I doubt even the most virtuous imam can point this out without being subjected to threats. More at: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/how-did-modern-islam-become-so-intolerant-8508732.html

Survey Finds That Fish Are Often Not What Label Says

ISWM — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 05:16:11 +0000

By Mac William Bishop, Ben Werschkul, Channon Hodge, Pedro Rafael Rosado, Elaisha Stokes and Lisa Desai

Truth in Seafood Labeling: A senior scientist at Oceana discusses the group’s new study that found that about one-third of fish samples in 12 metropolitan areas were mislabeled.

By KIRK JOHNSON

That tempting seafood delight glistening on the ice at the market, or sizzling at the restaurant table in its aromatic jacket of garlic and ginger? It may not be at all what you think, or indeed even close, according to a big new study of fish bought and genetically tested in 12 parts of the country — in restaurants, markets and sushi bars — by a nonprofit ocean protection group, Oceana.

In the 120 samples labeled red snapper and bought for testing nationwide, for example, 28 different species of fish were found, including 17 that were not even in the snapper family, according to the study, more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/us/survey-finds-that-fish-are-often-not-what-label-says.html?ref=research&_r=0

The importance of salat (prayer) in the life of a Muslim

ISWM — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 12:59:43 +0000

The scrupulousness which a believer displays towards his religious observance makes his faith apparent. He enthusiastically establishes salat, fasts and performs ritual washing made compulsory by Allah throughout the course of his life. Allah has described sincere Muslims’ enthusiasm for religious observances in many verses. One of these reads:

Those who are steadfast in seeking the face of their Lord, and establish salat and give from the provision We have given them, secretly and openly, and stave off evil with good, it is they who will have the ultimate Abode. (Surat ar-Ra’d, 22)

The salat is a religious observance that believers are commanded to perform throughout the course of their lives, the times of which have been stipulated. Human beings are prone to forgetfulness and heedlessness. If they fail to use their will and become caught up in the flow of daily life, they move away from subjects to which they should actually turn their attention and cling to. They forget that Allah enfolds and surrounds them in all ways, that He sees and hears them at every moment, that they will have to account to Allah for all they do; they forget death, the existence of Paradise and Hell, that nothing can happen that is not destined, and that there is something auspicious in everything and every event. By falling into heedlessness they can forget the true purpose of life.

The salat performed five times a day eradicates that forgetfulness and heedlessness, and keeps the believer’s will and awareness alive. It ensures that the believer constantly turns to Allah and assists him in living in the light of our Lord’s commandments. The believer who stands in the presence of Allah in order to pray establishes a powerful spiritual bond with our Lord. It is revealed in one verse that the salat reminds people of Allah and keeps them from all forms of evil:

Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish salat. Salat precludes indecency and wrongdoing. And remembrance of Allah is greater still. Allah knows what you do.(Surat al-’Ankabut, 45)

Throughout history the prophets have communicated the salat made compulsory by Allah to their respective peoples, and have been role models for all believers by abiding by this observance in the best and most correct manner. Some verses on this subject read:

- For Prophet Ibrahim (as):

[Ibrahim said:] “My Lord! Make me and my descendants people who establish salat. My Lord! Accept my prayer.” (Surah Ibrahim, 40)

- For Prophet Isma’il (as):

Mention Isma’il in the Book. He was true to his promise and was a messenger and a prophet. He used to command his people to do salat and give the alms and he was pleasing to his Lord. (Surah Maryam, 54-55)

- For Prophet Musa (as):

I am Allah. There is no god but Me, so worship Me and establish salat to remember Me. (Surah Ta Ha, 14)

- For Prophet Isa (as):

He said: “I am the servant of Allah, He has given me the Book and made me a prophet. He has made me blessed wherever I am and directed me to do salat and give the alms as long as I live.” (Surah Maryam, 30-31)

- Maryam, depicted as a role model for all women, was also commanded to establish salat:

Maryam, obey your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow. (Surah al ‘Imran, 43)

At what times has the salat been made obligatory?

In the Qur’an it is revealed that the times of the salat have been set out for believers as a religious observance:

When you have finished salat remember Allah standing, sitting and lying on your sides. When you are safe again do salat in the normal way. The salat is prescribed for the believers at specific times. (Surat an-Nisa’, 103)

The timings of the salat are “dawn,” “noon,” “afternoon,” “evening,” and “late evening.” The salat timings are clearly set out in several verses of the Qur’an. Some of these verses read:

So be steadfast in the face of what they say and glorify your Lord with praise before the rising of the Sun and before its setting. And glorify Him during part of the night and at both ends of the day, so that hopefully you will be pleased. (Surah Ta Ha, 130)

So glory be to Allah when you start the night and when you greet the day. Praise be to Him in the heavens and the Earth, in the afternoon and when you reach midday. (Surat ar-Rum, 17-18)

Our Prophet (saas) who, by the revelation and inspiration of Allah, best understood and interpreted the Qur’an, described for believers the times of day when the five salat prayers begin and finish. One of the best known hadith in which the timings of the salat are set out is that narrated by Jarir ibn ‘Abdullah:

The angel Gabriel came to the Messenger of Allah and said to him, “Stand and pray,” and they prayed the noon prayer when the sun had passed its meridian. He then came to him for the afternoon prayer and said, “Stand and pray,” and they prayed the afternoon prayer while the length of a shadow of something was similar to the length of the object. Then he came at sunset and said, “Stand and pray,” and they prayed the sunset prayer when the sun had just disappeared. Then he came at night and said, “Stand and pray,” and they prayed the night prayer when the twilight had disappeared. He came again when dawn broke (and they prayed the morning prayer). Then Gabriel came on the next day at noon and said (to the Messenger of Allah), “Stand and pray,” and they prayed the noon prayer when the length of the shadow of something was close to the length of the object. Then he came for the afternoon prayer and said, “Stand and pray,” and they prayed when the shadow of something was twice as long as the length of the object. Then he came at the same time (as the previous day) for the sunset prayer, without any change. Then he came for the night prayer after half of the night had passed (“or,” he said, “one-third of the night”). Then he came when the sky was very yellow and said, “Stand and pray,” and they prayed the morning prayer. Then Gabriel said, “Between these times are the times for the prayers.”

Establishing salat in awe means performing this religious observance in the presence of our Almighty Lord by feeling His might and grandeur, with fear and respect. A believer who wishes to properly fulfill this obligation must take measures against everything that might prevent this awed awareness and display the maximum scrupulousness to ensure the concentration and attention required in salat.

The correct performance of these prayers is a great opportunity to remember our Lord, praise Him, and worship Him as one god in the knowledge He is free of all imperfections. Indeed, in one verse Allah commands to do salat in order to remember Him:

I am Allah. There is no god but Me, so worship Me and establish salat to remember Me. (Surah Ta Ha, 14)

http://harunyahya.com/en/Articles/4343/the-importance-of-salat-(prayer)

Anti-Muslim Wants to Make Adherence to Islam Punishable…?

ISWM — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:16:31 +0000

Laila Abdelaziz testify today before the House Judiciary Committee on behalf of Emerge, CAIR-FL, and the ILS to oppose HB 351. Watch the video to the end to see the ACLU’s opposition, and Rep. Schwartz call the bill out for its “Bigotry!”:

HB 351 is legislation which harms our religious freedom and limits our ability to contract.

It is based on the model piece of legislation written by anti-Muslim extremist David Yerushalmi, a man who is on the Southern Poverty Law center’s list of the “Anti-Muslim Inner Circle,” and who wants to make adherence to Islam punishable by a 20 year jail sentence.

more: cairflorida.org

Syria; The City of Aleppo

ISWM — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 02:38:04 +0000