The Sisters Association For Dawah Arlington
From: Majdi Al-Nasr "malnasr@arlington.net"@startext.net
Subject: S.A.D.A.'S ARTICLES
The Sisters Association for Dawah Arlington P.O. Box 602 Arlington, TX.
76004-0602 (817) 941-1955
As-salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu Sisters! My name is
Michelle Al-Nasr, and I am with S.A.D.A. - The Sisters Association for
Dawah in Arlington. (Texas, that is!) I thought that I would send you
some of our articles that we have published in our local newsletter,
let me know, insha Allah t'ala, if you all can use anything! We've got
lots more where that came from, too!Jazakoom Allahu Khayrun!
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"thats enough already.txt"
"You're American? Oh, your husband must be
from the Middle East." "But you
weren't raised that way" "You better watch
out for those men, I saw that movie." "But
it's not you, I know you better" "Why are
you trying to look like an Arab?" "It's the
90's, you don't have to dress that way,
modernize." "Aren't you hot with all
those clothes on."
"THAT'S ENOUGH
ALREADY"
I am an American Christian raised woman. At the age of 23 I
started learning about Islam, and eventually became Muslim (All
thanks and praise to Allah). As a teenager and on into my 20's, I
always made sure I looked my best, and actually I was voted best
looking girl by my senior high school class. Full face of make-up,
perfect hair, and always the clothes in trend. I had the best
looking sports car, a great paying job as a hair designer, and I
was always looking to have a good time. I was an independent
woman, and was never questioned about any decisions I made, or
criticized about anything I did. When I became Muslim all that
changed. Suddenly every one had something to say, I heard it all.
I was no longer thought off as being able to use my adult mind the
same way again. I was brain-washed, or I was doing it to please my
husband. ("You can't change a person ." isn't that a common
saying?) As a Christian, I was religious on Sunday mornings for an
hour, or when the lottery numbers were being picked I would pray
-" please God let me win", or when a loved one was hurt I would
try to make a deal with God. And of coarse on holiday's. I am 28
now, and Islam is a way of life, my way of living. Everything I
do, every minute of my day is now done differently. Especially, I
pray 5 times a day . Believe me, you can not pretend to be a
Muslim. These days I live a simple, peaceful, very moral life. I
have no stress, no worries. My husbands' duty is to make sure I'm
well cared for, and to provide for me. I am able to stay home and
take care of my son according to my standards, not a
baby-sitters'. I couldn't trade in his smiles for a pay check, his
smiles are my pay. I read, I sew, I relax, and I have plenty of
time to prepare fresh home cooked meals for my family. Oppressed
? Yes, I was oppressed last week , when my cordless phone broke
and I had to use a regular one. I wouldn't change my life now for
anything. And if I was to divorce my husband, SURPRIZE, I'm still
going to practice Islam in the same manor I do now. So if you are
a friend or a family member of a convert to Islam, instead of
being negative or against it, try to understand and respect the
persons new way of life. And remember we are Islam. There is no
question that will embarrass nor offend us. These people who are
great scholars of Islam because they saw a movie, are not the
correct source of telling you about my life. I saw a few movies
about Italian's, so should I assume all Italian men are in the
Mafia, deal drugs, kill people, and have girl friends on the side?
NO! Believe me, I have a lot more to write about my hardships and
hassles of being a Muslim. None of which pertains to the religion
itself, but to what even perfect strangers have said or done to
me. Oh yeah, did I mention I was also voted MOST LIKELY TO
SUCCEED by my high school senior class. I feel as though I have.
Signed,
A
MUSLIM
SISTER
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"Hey, Look What's on T.V.!" By Umm Mahmod
According to the Nielson Index, children 2 to 12 years of age
watch an average of 25 hours of television a week,
approximately 3 and a half hours a day. These children will
have spent 15,000 hours glued to the set by the time they
graduate high school - about 4,000 hours more than time spent
in school. And if the viewing isn't carefully screened,
research suggests 18,000 murders will be witnessed, and
countless other crimes from robberies and rapes to bombings to
beatings. And about 14 suggestive moments an hour of casual
sex.
Excessive TV viewing has other drawbacks also. It is linked to obesity
and poor school performance. And because it can reduce interaction
among family members, especially at dinner time, it can interfere with
family life. But perhaps worst of all, it creates a picture of the
world that is distorted and inaccurate. (And these are the words of the
Kufar, the disbelievers!)
As Muslims, we should keep our children far away from the TV.
For small children, shows like Barney and Sesame Street are 90%
music, and talk about birthdays and magic and other things that
are Haram. It is not justifiable to say, "But it teaches them
how to count!" How do you explain so that your children
understand, what is seen as fun and the "norm" on TV is
forbidden in our lives. Cartoons show violence, hitting and
kicking. Programs that older children watch show dating and the
need for dressing and looking your best to be accepted. We're
confusing our children's value system by establishing norms of
behavior and beliefs that are not accepted in Islam. The
temptation to use TV as a way to occupy our children's time
while we cook or clean is there for all of us, but it's not
worth what our children will learn from it.
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Great Dispenser of Grace
I am writing this for all my Muslim brothers and sisters who have
converted (or re-verted) to Islam, and have had the courage, against all odds,
to stand firm on their beliefs - no matter how great the cost. I want
to convey the sorrow I share with many of my fellow brothers and
sisters in Islam, th at have had to distance themselves from their
families, because of their ac ceptance of the religion of Islam. "A
Letter to my Family"
by Michelle Al-Nasr
I want to first tell you, "I love you", you are my family, I
have not forg otten you. It breaks my heart that if you do not
agree with my life choice,
that you have chosen to reject me. If you do not agree with me, then
at le ast try to respect my decision. If you only knew how difficult
this decisio n was for me, how difficult it is to be a Muslim.
Especially, a Muslim woma n. Did you ever try to imagine what kind of
commitment it takes to be a Mus lim? It is not as easy as you may
think. I want to let you into my mind. I want you to look through my
eyes, and just know - if only for a moment - ho w I have felt, what I
have dealt with and what it is like to for me. Then p erhaps, maybe you
can see what Islam means to me.
Think for one minute about something that means so much to you,
something that you feel so strongly about, that you are
willing to undergo losing yo ur entire family and friends as you know
it. Becoming estranged to the same
people that you have known all your living years. All of the sudden,
you a re the outcast, the lost soul who doesn't have enough sense to
know what y ou are doing, everyone is telling you that you are throwing
your entire lif e away. Think about how strong you must feel about the
actions you are taki ng. Not just any actions, mind you, but actions
that take sincerity and a f irm belief. Actions that are not to be
taken lightly. Actions with heavy co nsequences which include:
sacrifice, loss, humiliation, degradation and rac ism to name only a
few. Continue to think about something in your life that
means this much to you. Would you be willing to sacrifice you career?
Mone y? Your new car? Your house? Would it be easy for you to give up
many of th e pleasures that this life has to offer? Think about your
family. How woul d you handle losing your entire family for this
'something' that means so m uch to you? No longer are you wanted for
conversations anymore, not even to
talk for a while, for fear that you might mention this 'something'
that me ans so much to you. You mention it, why? Because it is the
'something' by w hich you base and dedicate your entire life to. Of
course, if talking means
to discuss the things that means so much to them, you should not be
offend ed, you should only be quiet and listen. After all, it is
important to them
2E Maybe they might bring up the something they heard on the news, the
'so mething' that you dedicate your entire life to, but do not
disagree - nor t ell them what you know from hands-on research and
personal experience - onl y listen, because the TV knows more, and so
do they. From 15 minutes of a T V news report, they have gained a
better understanding of the 'something' y ou have lived everyday for 6
years. You must realize, as well, that because
of this 'something' you have chosen, you know longer have a right to
discu ss or comment on any matter about the city, state or country you
have spent
your whole life in, if you do - you now are told (instead being
respected for an intelligent opinion) you should be expelled from the
country.
Think about going to the store just to pick up some bread. As
you get in y our car and drive down the road someone begins
screaming curse words at the
very sight of you, dressed according to this 'something' that you
believe so firmly about, probably they think that you don't understand
them - but y ou do, and all too well. Just get used to it, it happens
quite often. Also,
remember that you are regarded as oppressed and you are looked at with
pit y and contempt. To them, you are the epitome of 'The Oppressed
Woman', who , by the way, has no mind of her own. All this, even though
this 'something ' is what you chose, what you live everyday - not by
force, but simply beca use you believe it is right. But no one will
believe you, they think you ar e a hostage of your husband's
dictatorship and have been programmed to spea k about things only as
you have been commanded. Keep all of this in mind as
you are driving in your car. Walking into the store, you feel all eyes
are on you - all of the sudden you hear laughing - you think to
yourself, they aren't laughing at me, are they? But of course, you
know better, because e very time you leave your house people are
constantly either making fun of y ou or cursing you, one of the two.
All because of this 'something' you love
2E At the bread aisle, you notice the grocery store security guard
seems t o be following you up and down each aisle in the store, when
you look in hi s direction, he discreetly glares at the kitty litter
boxes on sale, not wa nting to give himself away. As you get to the
cash register, ready to check
out - you notice how courteous the cashier is to the woman in front of
you , smiling at her and what a kind tone of voice. Don't get your
hopes up, th ere will be none of that for you. When it is your turn,
they don't care, 'H ow are you doing, today?', they just take your
money and glare at you. Neve r mind, you are on your way home. In your
car you notice your gas gage and you begin to panic a little, it's on
empty, and you need some gas, but don' t chance it, do not stop - if
you were to try to pay for the gas, even thou gh you could be waving
your money in the air, but they will most likely ass ume that you are
there to rob them. It is better to go straight home, home is comfort.
By the time you get home, hoping for relief, you notice a crowd
of kids around your house, and wonder what they are up to. After you
get i n the house, someone starts knocking at your door. You answer
the door, but
no one is there. You walk outside to get the mail, and the kids run
from b ehind the corner of your house yelling, "You don't belong here!
Go away!" Y ou think to yourself, "I do belong here, I live here". A
while later, the t eenagers in the neighborhood decide to join in on
the fun by standing in y our driveway and cursing you, as you are
standing inside your own home. And
this is only the beginning of the days in your life as a Muslim woman,
but wait, there's so much more... Now stop and think. Is there
anything that y ou love so much?
Well, you may ask, ' Is it worth it?' I will tell you without
hesitation, Yes it is. All that and more. Because this
'something', Islam, is my way of
life, my love, my peacefulness, and my hope. You may think, "that
doesn't sound very peaceful, being harassed and all". But it is. Not
the harassment , of course, but the purpose behind it. The reasons that
I dress as I dress , and I live in the manner I have chosen. And I want
to say again, do not t hink for a second I take this lightly. I believe
and know this way of life to be right and true.
If you cannot be happy for me, at least be content to know that
you have r aised someone that stands firm in what she believes.
Not just a blind follo wer, not just one of the crowd, not someone who
will be swayed at the drop of a hat. If you cannot support me in my
decision , then be satisfied to re spect me for my convictions, morals
and values. Not an immoral, vulgar, and
dishonorable life. Know that what I believe in, Islam, is not
something I believe in because it's the popular thing to do, or that
it the best way to
'Gain Friends and Influence People'. Realize, this is not a faze I am
goin g through and I am not an over-zealous fanatic. I am striving to
be the bes t Muslim that I can be. That is something that is not easy,
but I believe t hat it will lead me to Paradise if I strive hard
enough, and stand firm on the beliefs that 'There is nothing worthy of
worship but God alone, associa ting no partner with Him'. Where was it
that I learned that I should strive
to be the best I can be, and to try my hardest to stand firm on the
things that I believe are just and truthful? Hey, wasn't that you?
Didn't you tea ch me that?
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"Long Before I Became A Muslim"
By Sundous Al-Asad
Long before I became Muslim, I wrote a small thought down on paper. I
remember one line - "You must have courage to have faith". This
thought came back to me recently when I was overwhelmed with mail order
catalogs. I noticed that a number of the catalogs dealt with the "new
spirituality". They offered everything from "healing" crystals,
guardian angels, Tibetan monk prayer bowls to statuesque Buddahs.
Well, how convenient I thought, I could be a Buddist one week and then
a witch the next. I would never have to commit to anything. Just
think how trendy I would be! Doing my yoga, consulting my crystals.
Then it hit me, religion has become a fad! It's hip to believe . . .
to believe, but in what?
It can't be anything too inconvenient. Nothing that would ask too
much of a person. Nothing that might cause a person to give up those
things they love - like movies, music, dancing, drinking, having sex
with whomever they may wish. Nothing that might make them too
different or make them actually examine their lives and themselves.
Nothing that would require some backbone - some courage. It is far
too easy to make a halfway commitment or to sit and convince yourself
that you are a good person already, better than most, you think. You
don't need faith.
Yet there are so many people looking, searching, needing to believe in
something. Especially in an age when murder, rape and crimes of all
types fill the newspapers and televisions. Especially in an age when
our ethical and moral behavior is on trial in one hour talk shows
hosted by people with more problems than the guests. WAKE UP! When
your house is robbed and you are stripped of all your possessions will
you turn to your crystals to sustain you? When your brother is
murdered for no reason, will your "guardian" angel console you? And
when you are faced by the mortality of your own life, will you turn to
Buddha, who was merely a man himself and who died a long time ago?
In a world full of harm and peril, don't you think you should be better
equipped to protect yourself from the harm and deal with the peril? If
we KNOW that nothing worthwhile comes easy - that there are certain
things worth fighting for - then live by it. Then have the courage to
have faith in a religion which will truly help you.
I guess I'm not very fashionable in my hijab (scarf) and jilbab (long
coat). And I guess I'm not very trendy when I leave conversations and
gatherings to do my prayers. But I have a faith which will truly
sustain me and help me in times of trouble. I've made a commitment. I
have the courage to believe that there is no God but Allah and that
Muhammad was His Messenger.
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"Is That Sahih?" by Michelle Al-Nasr
All praise is for Allah, we seek His aid and we ask his
forgiveness. We se ek Allah's refuge from the evil within
ourselves and from our own evil acti ons. Whomsoever Allah guides then
none can misguide him, and whomsoever All ah lets astray, then none can
guide him. We testify that none has the right
to be worshipped except Allah alone with no partner, and we testify
that M uhammed id His slave-servant and His messenger.
Unfortunately, now a days there are many Muslims writing about
Islam that are incessantly quoting Hadiths that are either (a)
Da'eef - meaning weak, or (b) Mau'du - meaning made up or fabricated.
Because of this epidemic, th ere has been an increase in the spreading
of inaccurate information among t he Muslim Ummah.
Many of us, when we were first Muslims (and many of us that
have been Musl ims for a life-time) are under the mistaken
assumption that just because so meone with a Muslim name writes a book
on Islam, and appears to have a list
of credentials on the back cover from somewhere in the world, then ALL
of the information inside the book MUST be correct! How can we make
such a gra ve mistake, brothers and sisters? If we take the time to
write something of
Islamic knowledge, we are at least obligated to spend the time to
research it carefully! It is our obligation, why? Because Allah (SWT)
will ask us a bout it on the Day of Judgment! Just think of the sin we
may commit if we s pread the incorrect information, and then someone
reads it and then acts on
it! Not only would we be responsible for ourselves, but also we will
be an swering for others that carry out the misinformation that we
have spread, a nd Allah (SWT) knows best!! And as the Prophet (saws)
has said in Khutba Al -Hajah, "...every stray path is in the
Hell-fire". May Allah (SWT) protect us all from that, ameen. You may
still ask , 'Why should we be so particula r about the accuracy of the
hadiths?' Very simply: * To guard against lies attributed to the
Prophet (saws) * To protect our own Emaan * Finally, to search for the
correct knowledge as taught by the Prophet (sa ws), which can only be
achieved through the authenticated sayings, actions and practices of
the Prophet (saws) and his companions (may Allah be please d with them
all). Who else could possibly be better teachers of Islam? As M uslims,
we are required to obey Allah (SWT) and the Prophet (saws), as Alla h
(SWT) has ordered us in the Quran, "And obey Allah and the Messenger
(Mu hammed [saws] ), so that you may attain mercy". Surah 3 Ali-Imran,
aya # 13 2. Again and again, Allah commands us to obey the Prophet
(saws) in the fol lowing: Surah 4 An-Nisa, aya # 59 & 80; Surah 64
At-Taghabun, aya # 72; and
again in Surah 77 Muhammed, aya # 33.
We all must be careful that we do not make the mistake the
disbelievers ha ve made, by following their rabbis, monks and
priests blindly. We must alwa ys ask our shiekhs, our imams and our
teachers of Islam where their Islamic
information originates from, and then we should check the source
ourselves - making sure that it is from the authentic sayings of the
Prophet (saws) and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them all)
who were taught Isl am directly from the Prophet (saws).
Finally, and most importantly, we all need to ask Allah (SWT)
to guide us all to the Siratul Mustaqeem (The Straight Path),
and when we are shown the
authentic evidence - we should not be so arrogant as to turn away from
it out of our own pride and our own desires. May Allah (SWT) out His
Infinite Mercy protect us all from that fate, ameen.
" The only saying of the faithful believers, when they are called to
Allah
(His words, the Quran) and His Messenger to judge between them, is
that t hey say: "We hear and we obey." And such are the prosperous
ones (who will live forever in Paradise). And whosoever obeys Allah and
His Messenger, fea rs Allah, and keeps his duty (to Him), such are the
successful ones". Surah
24 An-Nur, aya # 51-52. May Allah (SWT) make among those who are
obedient to Him and His Messenger, ameen. This has been a reminder
for all of us from the sisters at: S.A.D.A.
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Great Dispenser of Grace
"Put That on My Mastercard, Please"
All praise is for Allah, we praise Him, we seek His aid, and we ask His
forgiveness. We seek Allah's refuge from the evil within ourselves and
from our evil actions. Whomsoever Allah guides then none can misguide
him, and whomsoever Allah lets astray then none can guide him. We
testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah alone,
with no partner; and we testify that Muhammed is His slave-servant and
His messenger.
"I think I'll put that on my Mastercard!" That's the thought
that many Muslims may have had at recent Islamic fund-raiser
dinners. 'Why?', you might ask, 'Why would a Muslim, who knows
that interest (Riba) is haram, have thoughts about charging
ANYTHING on a credit card?' Well read on... I recently
attended a fund-raiser dinner, at which many Muslims from the D/FW area
were attending. The dinner was held in a grand and quite beautiful
hotel. As I entered the hotel, I noticed there were signs for various
fund-raiser dinners for the evening. There were two large signs
standing side by side; one for an Islamic fund-raiser, the other dinner
was a fund-raiser for teen crisis pregnancy. 'Alhamdulillah', I
thought, 'Muslims do not need the other type of fund-raiser.
Alhamdulillah, Muslims do not act like non-Muslims, and Alhamdulillah,
we do not have the multitude of problems that go along with it either.'
Upon entering the dinner hall, I began looking for a place to sit down.
I couldn't help but take notice while glancing through the women's
section, the large number of uncovered heads among the Muslim women. I
soon found myself a seat, surrounded by the nine women sitting at my
table, only myself and a close friend were wearing hijab. I thought to
myself, 'Don't these women know that the hijab is obligatory and it
distinguishes them from the non-Muslims?' The dinner program began. The
guest speaker was announced and he began his energetic speech. After a
short while, as the task of raising money was underway, the guest
speaker began shouting at the crowd of Muslims, "Put it on your credit
card! Have something concrete to present to Allah on the Day of
Judgment!" I thought to myself, 'What? What is he saying? That's like
gambling in Las Vegas and using your winnings to go to hajj!' A short
while ago, I discovered that charging sadaqah on credit cards is the
new trend, not just at the dinner I was attending, but all over the
D/FW area! I was sickened to find out that many of the Islamic
communities in the D/FW area are planning to accept credit cards to
build their masjids and Islamic schools!
Sitting at the dinner, I wondered if the speaker who said,
"Bring something concrete to Allah on the Day of Judgment!"
would be able to answer my questions: * What will you bring, O
speaker? * Will you be waving your Mastercard or Visa for evidence of
your sadaqah payments? * Is the action of charging on credit cards,
the 'concrete action' that you plan to present to Allah (SWT) on the
Day of Judgment? * Will you be ready to be leading the crowds that
will follow you with their credit cards in hand?
I wanted to remind him and the others that feel this action is
acceptable: Allah (SWT) has told us in the Quran [2:279] if we don't
give up interest, we must take notice of a war from Allah! * Are you
ready to go into battle against Allah (SWT)? * Will you and your army
of feeble credit card holders be sufficient to do battle with Allah
(SWT)? * How can you justify doing something haram? There is no
justification for doing something haram, even if it is for sadaqah.
You cannot make something halal out of something haram. These dinners
also handed out pledge forms to enable donations to be paid off in
interest-free monthly installments. Why then, are these Muslims who
organize these dinners pushing the use of credit-cards? By promoting
the use of credit cards at these fundraising dinners, you are saying to
Muslims (including new Muslims) and non-Muslims alike, "Credit cards
are okay! Use them!" Have we all forgotten what Allah (SWT) has taught
us? 'Allah will destroy interest (riba) and will give increase for
sadaqah (deeds of charity, alms, etc.) and Allah likes not the
disbelieves, sinners. ' [2:76] 'O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah
and give up what remains (due to you) from interest (riba) (from now
onwards) if you are (really) believers. And if you do not do it, then
take notice of war from Allah and His messenger ...' [2:278-279]
As the dinner ended, a ill feeling came over me. I kept seeing
the women with their heads uncovered, and I kept hearing the
speaker shouting, "Charge it in your credit card!" I thought
about the dinner that had been going on downstairs for the teen
crisis pregnancy center. I thought about the multitudes of
problems that the non-Muslims face because of their lifestyle
and their disobedience to Allah. Then like a knife in my heart,
a final thought came to my mind: 'Are the Muslims of today
really so different than the non-Muslims? 'No', I thought to
myself sadly, 'I guess not'.
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"Webs of Deceit" By Michelle Al-Nasr
In the age of computers and the world wide web, many Muslims are now
surfing the Internet and sailing through cyberspace. There are many
good Islamic web sites ) few of our favorites are listed below)!
However, there are some other web sites that we prefer to refer as 'The
Webs of Deceit'. These are web sites dedicated to Islam posted by none
other than Christian fundamentalists that are posing as Muslims on the
Internet! These are the 'Weavers of Webs of Deceit', the deceitful ones
writing foul things about Muslim women and posting over the world wide
web! Writing books claiming the Quran is contradictory!
Some sites, such as 'Sheik Abdullah's Home Page' even have lessons on
Islam called, "Allahu-Akbar Lessons 1-7"! You can even take the
"Allahu-Akbar Lesson Quiz" either via the internet or send it in
through the good old United States postal service. And just to make a
bad situation worse, these weavers of deceitful webs try to get your
e-mail addresses and continually ask for your home addresses! Why, do
they want your home address so badly? They want to put you on their
mailing list. In other words, brothers and sisters, they are wanting
to give you their own form of 'dawah', in Christian forms of course!
This only proves just how important it really is for all Muslims to be
aware of these 'Webs of Deceit', whether they are on the Internet, or
in a book! It is our obligation to always ask for references on all of
the information we are given about Islam, and not to simply follow
anything or anyone blindly! Stay alert and watch out, brothers and
sisters! Do you know who wrote that Islamic book you are reading?
Check it out! Here are some of our favorite 'Sites to See': 1-
www.qss.org 2- www.iananet.org 3- www.wamy.com/home.html 4-
cswww2.essex.ac.uk/users/rafiam And now, our own! (it is under heavy
construction, so please bear with us!!) 6-
www.startext.net/homes/malnasr