The Paris shooting: 9 points to ponder

By: Omid Safi

Source: onbeing.org

As a person of faith, times like these try my soul. Times like these are precisely when we need to turn to our faith. We turn inward, not because the answers are easy, but because not turning inward is unthinkable in moments of crisis.

So let us begin, not with the cartoons at the center of the shootings at the office of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, but with the human beings. Let it always be about the human beings:

• Stéphane “Charb” Charbonnier, 47 (editor)
• Bernard Maris, 68 (economist)
• Georges Wolinski, 80 (cartoonist)
• Jean “Cabu” Cabut, 78 (cartoonist)
• Bernard “Tignous” Verlhac, 57 (cartoonist)
• Philippe Honoré, 73 (cartoonist)
• Elsa Cayat (columnist)
• Michel Renaud (a guest)
• Frederic Boisseau (building maintenance worker)
• Franck Brinsolaro, 49 (a police officer)
• Moustapha Ourrad (copy editor)… It’s not Muslims vs. cartoonists, as long as there are Muslim cartoonists.
• Ahmed Merabet, 42, (police officer)… A Muslim who died protecting the cartoonists from Muslim terrorists. Muslim vs. Muslim.

And brothers Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi, and Hamyd Mourad — the shooters, with a legacy of crime behind them.

I try to resist the urge to turn the victims into saintly beings, or the shooters into embodiments of evil. We are all imperfect beings, walking contradictions of selfishness and beauty. And sometimes, like the actions of the Kouachi brothers and Mourad, it results in acts of unspeakable atrocity.

Nouman Ali Khan talks to HOTD (Interview)

Source: http://hadithoftheday.com/nouman-ali-khan/

Nouman Ali Khan is a young, dynamic daee, who approaches Islam in a sympathetic, understandable and practical way. He moved to the United States at a young age, and rediscovered the beauty of Islam while in college, from which he was motivated to learn it in greater depth. After studying Arabic in Saudi Arabia and later in Pakistan, he founded the Bayyinah Institute, under which he has successfully trained thousands to master the Arabic language.

While his dakwah activities are centred in the United States, his lecture sessions, which cover a variety of topics, are available on You Tube. His appeal largely stems from his ability to put religion in the relevant social context – his realistic approach and acknowledgement of the social background in which most people live – has made him popular especially among the young adults.

HOTD: What is your favourite surah/hadith?

Nowadays it’s Surah al Qasas.

HOTD: Which of the Companions of the Prophet do you identify closest with or is your favourite?

Mus’ab Ibn Umar Embassador of the Qur’an!

HOTD: Who are your modern day role models?

People you guys don’t know. Friends that are much older and have raised great children and I only wish to accomplish what they have with their kids.

HOTD: Someone wants to come back to Islam but doesn’t know where to start. What would you tell him?

The fact that they’re reading this means they already started. Talk to Allah and tell Him your situation. Ask Him for counsel. He will bring people and opportunities into your life you couldn’t even have imagined.

HOTD: What makes you stand out from other prominent dae’es is your relatively young age. What made you decide to take this path so early in life?

I RESEARCHED EVERY RELIGION AND THEN REVERTED TO ISLAM!

Donna Lewis – now using Ayesha lea was brought up Jehovah Witness, but left that at 13 due to too many unanswered questions, and so often being told “don’t ask questions” She was an atheist for many years, and then became a Witch, worshiping Pagan gods and rituals for about 15 years. She also dabbled in Satanism, Hinduism and Buddhism, clearly trying to find what was right, but nothing ever fit. She reverted in January 2013, as she found all answers to her questions.

HOW AN ILLINOIS MOM CONVERTED TO ISLAM AND FOUND PEACE AND JOY

Source: huffingtonpost.com

Kristin Szremski is a 53-year-old mom from Palo Hills, Illinois. Born into a Missouri-Synod Lutheran family, she first converted to Catholicism before finding her place in Islam. This year, Szremski was one of the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who were drawn to Mecca between October 2 – 7 to complete the fifth pillar of Islam, the Hajj.

She tells Huffington Post about her experience below. Some answers have been edited for length and clarity.

DANISH SCHOLAR REVERTS TO ISLAM

Source: thedeenshow.com

As a Muslim of Scandinavian origin I am often met with the question of why I became a Muslim. Yes, I even ask myself from time to time, why Allah had picked me, out of the multitude of people, and brought me to this blessed path of Islam.

Imam Siraj Wahhaj: “Things Ain’t Good in the ‘Hood” (Video)

 United For Change 3rd Annual Conference: “United We Stand: One Nation, One Destiny”. In his bestselling book, Ill Fares the Land, Tony Judt passionately argues that individualism, egoism, greed and the politics they gave birth to are undermining the very basis of community, equality and social justice. In the ensuing social carnage no one suffers more than the poor and disenfranchised members of our society. What are the political foundations of community, equality and social justice? Can America be a great nation if it tramples on its poor and downtrodden? How can more affluent Muslims display more compassion for the less fortunate members of our society both Muslims and others? These are some of the questions Imam Siraj Wahhaj answers in this lecture.
More lectures…

Is Love A Crime?

Source: blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com

By: Zaynub Zafar

As innocent as this emotion sounds, love can sometimes prove truly fatal – both to our spiritual and physical well being. What exactly does it mean to be in love; where are we going wrong with it, what is it by definition and why are we confusing it with other emotions, what are its dangers and repercussions and how do we deal with them – find out the answers below.

The Deen Show: Can you see God in this life? (Video)

 Some people claim that God spoke to them, that they have conversations with God everyday, that God spoke to them directly or that they saw God in a Dream. We will be discussing this important topic on this weeks episode of TheDeenShow to see if this is true or not.
More episodes…

Q&A: Why Do We Need Islam? Aren’t We Better Off Without It?!

Source: onislam.net

Salam (Peace) Dear Brother,

Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.

It is my pleasure to correspond with you. Your question is rather more than one question, but if you permit me, I will try to answer you. Bear with me as my answer will, of necessity, be quite long. You say one thing but perhaps you really believe something else? Let me see if I can explain to you some of the benefits of Islam.