THE RAJAB LETTER

This is an excerpt from the book Kanz Al-Najah wa As-Suroor (”The Treasures of Success and Happiness”), a book highlighting the special qualities of each month. As the blessed and holy month of Rajab approaches (please check your local sightings or mosques to know when the month of Rajab begins in your area - Rajab will most likely begin on Friday, July 4th), hopefully this information will be of use in allowing us all to appreciate it and benefit from it:

So, my dear friend, put forth a great effort in the month of Rajab, may Allah have mercy on you. It is the season of great profits, so take advantage of your time! Whoever is spiritually sick due to their sins - the medicine has come.

• Know that Rajab is a virtuous month in which worship is gloriously rewarded - especially fasting and seeking repentance (istighfar).
• Also, making dua during the fist night of Rajab is highly recommended. The Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him, said, “There are five nights in which du’a (supplication) is not rejected: the first night of Rajab, the 15th night of Sha’aban, the night before Friday, the night before Eid Al-Fitr, and the night before Eid Al-Adha.” [Al-Suyuti in his Al-Jami'].
• On the 27th night of Rajab, the Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him, was taken on the Isra wa Mi’raj (The Night Journey and Ascension to the Heavens). This was a great and glorious night, as is known to most Muslims, in which the Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him, met his Lord and was given the commandment to perform the 5 daily prayers.
• Rajab is one of the four sacred months mentioned in the Quran (the four months are : Rajab, Dhul Qi’da, Dhul Hijjah, and Muharram):
  ?? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ???
  {The number of months is twelve according to God, in the decree of God, on the day God created the heavens and the earth; and four of them are sacred} (9:36)
• Rajab is Allah’s month in which He pours His Mercy upon the penitent and He accepts the actions that people have done for His sake. The Prophet, peace and mercy be upon him, said, “Rajab is the month of Allah, and Sha’aban is my month, and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah.” (Imam Al-Suyuti in “Al-Jami”).
• Scholars say: Rajab is the month of repentance (istighfar), and Sha’aban is the month of sending peace and mercy (salawat/durood shareef) upon the Prophet, and Ramadan is the month of Quran.
• One highly recommended act to do is say 70 times after the ‘Isha prayer every night of Rajab:
  “????? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ?????”
  Transliteration: “Allahuma ighfir li wa Arhamni wa tub ‘alayya.”
  Translation: (Oh Allah forgive me, have mercy upon me, and grant me repentance)
• Sayyidna ‘Ali, may Allah be well pleased with him, used to allocate extra amounts of time for worship on four nights - the first night of Rajab, the nights before the two Eids, and the 15th night of Sha’aban.
• It is also highly recommended to say the following Prophetic prayer 3 times every morning and every evening in Rajab:
  ????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ???
  Transliteration: Allahuma anta rabi la ilaha illa ant, khalaqtani wa ana ‘abduk, wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa’adika ma astata’at, ‘authu bika min shar ma san’at, abu’u laka bi ni’matika ‘allaya wa abu’u bi dhanbi, faqhfir li fa’innahu la yaghfir al-dhunub ila anta.
  Translation: (O Allah, you are my Lord, and there is no god but you. You created me and I am your servant, and I am upon the convenant to the best of my ability. I seek refuge in you from the evil I have brought upon myself. I admit all the blessings you have given me and I admit my sins, so forgive me, for no one can forgive sins save You)

And Allah success is from Allah

Notes provided by Sidi Amjad Tarsin, a dear friend and beloved brother. Originally shared on Facebook.

By Ebadur Rahman

On March 24th 2008, SHURUQ, a New York University (NYU) club dedicated to “celebrating the many cultures represented in the Muslim world,” put together an event that served particular importance in our times of extreme tension and animosity between people of different views and beliefs. The second in a series of diverse events, this program was entitled “Crossroads of Islamic Divisions: A dialogue for Sunnis and Shi’as to discuss how to bridge divides within our communities and to examine the differences between these two branches and discover commonalities.”

This program brought together two very accomplished and respected speakers, one Shi’a and one Sunni. Sayed Ammar Nakshawani is a dynamic and popular speaker educated in psychology, law, and politics. In Islamic studies, he has completed his masters degree and will obtain his PhD from Exeter University this year. He came together with Dr. Muneer Fareed, the current secretary general for Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a professor of Islamic studies, and the co-founder of American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM).

The program started off with a recitation from the Qur’an and introductions by SHURUQ co-chairs, Shermeen Rahman and Sahal Kango, who expressed their hope that Muslims would find a window into different perspectives through this event. The program was moderated by Irfana Hashmi, a third year PhD candidate at NYU, who began by bringing the Amman Message to the attention of the audience as a historical landmark and beacon of hope for the future of Sunni-Shi’a relations. The Amman Message, signed by many of the world’s leading Muslim scholars, involved ”Three Points,” which included a push for recognition of the diverse schools of thought in Islam, a precise definition of who is a Muslim and a call to cease unwarranted declarations of apostasy and disbelief based on this definition, and an appreciation for the scholarly preconditions required for legal rulings.
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Hot off the press! Soon to be released. Watch this space to buy your copy.

List of articles after the jump.

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The San Francisco Bay Area Muslim community is one of the most diverse and most blessed communities in the USA. We are also not shy of controversy….

Open Forum: Should Muslims use the N word? Finding balance between being Muslim and being cool

The Lighthouse Mosque is pleased to announce its first community forum. This program is designed to elicit a frank and open discussion of a pertinent issue vexing the Muslim community. This first discussion will discuss the limits of cultural assimilation for a Muslim. Imam Zaid Shakir, Shaykh Abdullah Ali and Brother Adisa Banjoko amongst others will be in attendance. All are invited.

For background reading we suggest:
Randall Kennedy’s concise book, Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word and A.A. Akom’s article, The House that Race Built: Some Observations on the Use of the Word Nigga, Popular Culture, and Urban Adolescent Behavior.

Date: Sunday, February 10, 2008

Time: 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Location: Lighthouse Mosque, 4606 Martin Luther King Blvd, Oakland, CA

Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10178390406

To supplement today’s announcement about Muslim scholars reaching out to the Pope, we would like to share a recent paper that was published. Titled “New Paths in Interfaith Dialog : Understanding Islam from the Light of Earliest Jewish Christianity“, this paper was presented at the Conference on Muslim Peace, Justice and Interfaith Dialog in Washington, DC in May 2007. The event was hosted by the Salam Institute and ISNA.

Author Rodney Cardoza writes:

“Recent developments in the study of earliest Christianity provide great opportunity for interfaith dialog, enabling us to see there is far more common ground between Islam and Christianity than has been previously assumed. New perspectives afforded by these developments are also opening a growing number of Christians to consider the prophethood of Muhammad in ways they never before imagined. Unfortunately, most Christians and Muslims are unfamiliar with these developments and their theological implications. Therefore, most Christians continue to believe medieval assessments of Muhammad and the Qur’an, thereby erecting enormous barriers to interfaith dialog and peacebuilding. Similarly, while the Qur’an certainly brings correction and warning to Christians who persist in excessive doctrines not taught by Christ, many Muslims believe that various titles of Jesus found in the Bible constitute clear evidence of its corruption, further complicating interfaith dialog and understanding. This paper will examine one significant development in the study of earliest Jewish Christianity, show how worldview and translation complicated later developments in Christian theology, then propose a cooperative effort between Muslim and Christian peacebuilders to gently and respectfully expose both Christians and Muslims to these matters in order to build genuine understanding and greater peace between these communities.”

To read the complete the whole article: New Paths in Interfaith Dialog (Scribd)

Cardoza is a cultural, theological and linguistic anthropologist. He has published ethnographic research on Muslim ritual and lectures internationally on Muslim-Christian dialog. He is presently working to form an international organization uniting Jews, Christians and Muslims to work together for peacebuilding, relief of extreme poverty, and sustainable development.

And presented here is the introductory paragraphs of the letter issued by more than 130 Muslim scholars from all over the world to many Christian leaders. To read the complete letter, click here: Muslim scholars reaching out to the Pope (PDF).

A Common Word between Us and You
(Summary and Abridgement)

Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world’s population.
Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no
meaningful peace in the world. The future of the world depends on peace between
Muslims and Christians.

The basis for this peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very
foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour.
These principles are found over and over again in the sacred texts of Islam and
Christianity. The Unity of God, the necessity of love for Him, and the necessity of love of the neighbour is thus the common ground between Islam and Christianity. The following are only a few examples:

Of God’s Unity, God says in the Holy Qur’an: Say: He is God, the One! / God, the Self-
Sufficient Besought of all! (Al-Ikhlas, 112:1-2). Of the necessity of love for God, God
says in the Holy Qur’an: So invoke the Name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him with a complete devotion (Al-Muzzammil, 73:8).

Of the necessity of love for the neighbour, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)  said: “None of you has faith until you love for your neighbour what you love for yourself.”

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ (peace be with him) said: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. / And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)

In the Holy Qur’an, God Most High enjoins Muslims to issue the following call to
Christians (and Jews—the People of the Scripture):

Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to a common word between us and
you: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no
partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside
God. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who
have surrendered (unto Him). (Aal ‘Imran 3:64)

The words: we shall ascribe no partner unto Him relate to the Unity of God, and
the words: worship none but God, relate to being totally devoted to God. Hence they all relate to the First and Greatest Commandment. According to one of the oldest and most authoritative commentaries on the Holy Qur’an the words: that none of us shall take others for lords beside God, mean ‘that none of us should obey the other in disobedience to what God has commanded’. This relates to the Second Commandment because justice and freedom of religion are a crucial part of love of the neighbour.
Thus in obedience to the Holy Qur’an, we as Muslims invite Christians to come
together with us on the basis of what is common to us, which is also what is most
essential to our faith and practice: the Two Commandments of love.

Credits: Thanks to Sidi Tariq Subhani for the BBC link and to the Sherfy family for the Interfaith article.

UPDATE: