For centuries, the vast majority of Muslims have gathered in celebration of one of the greatest events in the history of the entire universe, the Mawlid or the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (sal Allahu`alayhi wa sallam). Through the recitation of the Majestic Quran, readings from the Seerah (Prophet’s biography), and the recitation of the Qasidah Burdah (Poem of the Cloak) we have the opportunity to show our gratitude to Allah ta’ala for having sent amongst us His final and last Messenger.

Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says, “Verily Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet (sal Allahu`alayhi wa sallam). O, Believers! Send blessings upon him and salute him with a worthy salutation.” (33:56)

Taking heed of this incredible verse, Muslims send their blessings upon the Prophet (sal Allahu`alayhi wa sallam) every day. And each year, on this special day, communities in every corner of the world come together to commemorate the miracle of his birth, the legacy of his life, and the station of perfection that he alone occupies in this world and the next (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

So, join us in celebrating the Mawlid of our Prophet (sal Allahu`alayhi wa sallam) in renewal of our faith and commitment to the way of our beloved Prophet (sal Allahu`alayhi wa sallam) and his heirs, the rightly-guided scholars of the past and the present. We look forward to your presence with our scholars and friends in a night filled with inspiration and continuous praise!

Speakers
* Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

* Imam Zaid Shakir

* Imam Tahir Anwar

* Ustadh Abdullah Ali

 
An Evening of Celebration, with speeches, nasheeds, Quran and poetry recitation.

Featuring the Moroccan Burdah Munshid Abdul Karim Liousfi

Mawlid: Celebrating the Birth of the Prophet (pbuh) (Conference Ticket)

Good news, an aqidah seminar will be conducted at the MCA by well-respected Muslim scholars. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Imam Zaid Shakir, Imam Tahir Anwar and Ustadh Abdullah Ali discuss the foundation of Islam: creed. Using Imam al-Tahawi’s book on aqidah as a guide, these 4 scholars will educate the community on the importance of learning our aqidah, without controversy.

In an age of bewildering spiritual and intellectual confusion, aqidah or creed, the formal statement of religious belief, has never been more important. Every
Muslim is obliged to learn it and is promised protection from deviant beliefs by following the unassailable texts of the scholastic community of Islam.

Of them all, The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi is the simplest, most effective, and least controversial. It serves as a sound basis for Islamic faith and is the most reliable of the early articulations of Muslim belief. Because Imam al-Tahawi avoided convoluted theological issues and systematically presented the most fundamental aspects of dogmatic theology, his creed has achieved an unusual degree of acceptance in the Muslim milieu. In the thousand years since it was written, many great Muslim scholars have penned commentaries on it and today it is still studied throughout the Muslim world and increasingly in the West.

We invite you to join us for a day of intellectual thought and deep insight with our esteemed scholars as they journey into the core of the Islamic faith with Imam al-Tahawi’s remarkable text as the guide.

Aqidah: The Foundation of Our Deen (Seminar Tickets)

We are so glad that the MCA, one of our favorite Islamic centers in the Bay Area, is hosting this event. We had a wonderful time working there in 2004. May Allah s.w.t. send abundant blessings to the MCA community.

The obvious: The month of February is honored to be known a Black History Month in North America (October in the UK). February 2008 has 29 days. One extra day to commemorate an important sector of our population.

The hidden: Where is the daily celebration of the role African-Americans played in the development of the US? Why is Black History Month regulated to one month?

The very hidden: The importance of African Muslims in the early history of the USA.

What you can do: Read the autobiography of Brother Malcolm X (a must read for all Muslims).Listen to  Imam Zaid’s phenomenal African Muslims double CD set. If you have not done so already, reach out to Imam Warith Deen Mohammed‘s community. If Preacher Moss is speaking in your community, run to grab front row seats. Last and definitely not least… Imam Siraj Wahhaj, embrace him.

For US readers: Catch the premiere of Prince Among Slaves on PBS on February 4 at 10PM.

Prince Among Slaves, a one-hour documentary film on the inspiring story of an African prince who survived 40 years of enslavement in America before finally regaining his freedom and becoming one of the most famous men of his day.

Winner of the Best Documentary at the 2007 American Black Film Festival, this true story is told through feature-film styled reenactments directed by Andrea Kalin* and Emmy® Award-winner, Bill Duke, through contemporary artworks, archival letters and diaries, as well as through on-camera interviews with distinguished scholars and experts. Artfully narrated by actor and hip-hop Mos Def, Prince Among Slaves is based on Dr. Terry Alford’s biography of the same name.

Prince Among Slaves tells the compelling true story of Abdul-Rahman, an African Muslim Prince who was captured in 1788 and sold into slavery in the American South. He endured the horrific Middle Passage, and ended up the “property” of a poor and nearly illiterate planter named Thomas Foster from Natchez Mississippi. He remained enslaved for 40 years before finally regaining his freedom under dramatic circumstances, becoming one of the most famous men of his day, and returning back to Africa with his royal status acknowledged. The film ends with a family reunion between Abdul-Rahman’s African and American descendents in Natchez, Mississippi.

Click here for more info. Watch the trailer below:

Black History Month should be of interest to every Muslim, especially in America.

As Muslims, our story in this country did not begin with the coming of Syrians, Lebanese, Albanians, or Yemenis at the turn of the 20th Century and later. It began with the lives of those courageous African Muslim slaves whose blood, sweat, and tears were instrumental in building this country. Their struggle is our struggle, and our struggle should be viewed as a continuation of theirs.

- Imam Zaid Shakir

Source: Reflections of Black History Month

* Andrea Kalin is also involved with the upcoming Allah Made Me Funny movie featuring Preacher Moss.

Recently, a dear friend shared some of the tribulations and tests he was facing in his life. I offered some advice that I felt would inspire him and uplift his spirits. I would like to share this with you as I am hoping you will benefit from it as well.

Celebrate the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
In whatever way you can: Mawlid, Salawat, Nasheed
Being close to his Family
Embrace the Prophet

The mawlid offers tranquility and relief

Why wouldn’t Allah not love those that love the Prophet?
Have ikhlas in your intentions

Serve the scholars and the shurafa
And remove any worries
Have rida’, acceptance of Allah’s tests
Smile, knowing that Allah chose you to overcome these tests

There are unseen levels where help arrives
Satan works hard to destroy us
However, we have Allah who protects us

Oh, one more advice…
TALK to Allah, really talk.

That was the title for Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah’s last session at the recent ALIM Winter Program. This was going to happen in the Muslim Community Association of the San Francisco Bay Area (MCA). Historically, this lecture had many ramifications. It is well-known that the MCA has had issues with tasawwuf being talked about, practiced or even mentioned in the halls of the mighty MCA.

With the graciousness of the ALIM staff, we were invited to listen to Dr. Umar and Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson’s lectures on the 3rd day of their weekend program. With ultimate Grace of Allah, we were treated to a different topic then what we expected. Dr. Umar continued his topic from the day before, Modernity.

Here are some notes:

• Dr. Umar’s definition of modernity: based on 3 elements – an economic system, a political/legal system and a culture system.
• Solo problem solving vs. Group problem solving = Groups are always more successful
• Working with others, listening to them, learning from them allows us to establish an improved idea/system
• Muslims have to be future-oriented
• Most people cannot deal with being future-oriented: have to ‘move’, have to innovate, have to change to be future-oriented
• As Muslims, we should not have this problem as we have a sophisticated economic, political/legal sytem
• A religion cannot flourish without: Identity, Community, Continuity
• Spirituality is VERY IMPORTANT, it is EVERYTHING, however, it is very difficult to achieve. If you can achieve spirituality, then you have a connection with the vertical, then you are ‘home safe’ (Baseball fans can ponder on this)
• Spirituality: you have to drink it, eat it and imbibe it.
• Dr. Umar’s prediction about the 21st century: a century about rivalries and religious battles
• Knowledge cannot just be ‘horizontal’, then it becomes metaphorical. Knowledge needs to have vertical connection.
• Infinite infinite multiplicities – each moment in time is infinitely different than the moment before it or after it. This is the creative magnificence of our Creator.
• The world around us is beautiful but it is fading. To put the color back into the world we need to put more color into ourselves.
• Secret cure: when nothing can cure you, go home.

So what is the lesson from this? Sufism is real and necessary. It is so real, a wonderful scholar like Dr. Umar does not need to discuss sufism to discuss sufism. As for the hidden men (and women)… they will continue to remain hidden.