Iqra

November 2012
The Ohio State Universitys
Assalamu Alaikum, My name is Shamiyan Hawramani and Im the director of Project Downtown. Im a 2nd year double majoring in Nursing and Human Development. Project Downtown is a program we have every Sunday. We get together and make 130-180 lunches, which include a pamphlet about a different aspect of Islam each week. On the third and fourth Sundays we also volunteer at the Trinity Lutheran Church serving lunches to the homeless. On October 28th, we gave a brief sermon about Islam as well. Project Downtown really helps me put things into perspective it's hard to imagine the difficult conditions others live in when were so blessed by Allahs bounties. Not only are we giving back to the community, we also get a chance to know one another better. We include a dorky question when we do introductions after the volunteers all arrive; it's one of my favorite parts. The last question we did (whats your favorite book?) was normal; I assure you, the answers were not!! I also really love how friendly the people are. Some of the people we serve now welcome us with Assalamu Alaikum and strike up conversations; I feel like were really giving Islam a positive image among people who havent had much direct exposure to it.

Issue 4: Are we there yet?

Inside this Issue

Istikharah How to Practice Gratitude The Mad Greek Review Two thirds of the worlds lawyers live in the United States You can overdose and die from coffee. The fastest two-legged creature on Earth is the ostrich, which can reach 45 mph over short distances.

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Interesting facts

Shamiyan Hawramani

Director of Project Downtown

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Lets talk about

Courtesy of islaam.net

We are humans, powerless in this sphere of life, knowledgeable only enough to survive. So why shouldn't we turn to Allah and seek Ask of his help whenever we require it? Allah responds to the call of His servant when he asks for guidance, and we are after all seeking to do something in order to please Him. Istikharah means to ask Allah to guide you to the path best for you concerning an affair with two halal options. In matters that are wajib (obligatory), haram (forbidden) or makruh (disliked) there is no need to pray Istikharah. Salaat-ul-Istikharah should only be used for matters that are mubah (allowed) or in matters that are mustahabb (liked or encouraged), in which there is a decision to be made as to which one should be given priority (i.e. get married or go to grad school). Many wrong notions exist concerning istikharah. Many Muslims will pray, read the dua, and run to bed expecting to see a dream showing them their future wife, what her favorite color is, and some other weird fantasy. That is not the purpose of this salat. The results of an istikharah can take many forms. Basically, you go by your feelings, whether you now feel more favorable or not. Also, you may notice events have changed, either for or against you. Note that you must follow the results of an istikharah, because not doing so is tantamount to rejecting Allah's guidance once you've asked for it. Also, you should firstly clear your mind, not have your mind already decided, and then afterwards follow the results willingly. Salat-ul-Istikharah is just two rakats of a non-obligatory prayer, prayed at anytime during the day, with a specific dua at the

end. While reciting the dua, you should be thinking about the situation you want to be advised about with pure intentions and from the bottom of your heart. And Allah says that whenever he guides a heart aright it can never be misguided. Afterwards, you should 'have a good feeling' about one of your options. Whatever option you feel is best right after you say the dua should be your decision. If you're still in doubt, you can repeat. Put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him). [Surah Al-Imran Ayah 159]

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Marketing Chair

This is what some of Basheers friends had to say:

He is one of those people with a presence. He commands the room with the subtly of his confidence and kindness. He is a real cool dude. Basheer is hardworking. Hes really revamped the MSA Website (msaohiostate.com) and is so passionate about everything and also of the Ummah. He is obsessed with Rick Ross and 2 Chainz and is always grunting like Rick Ross. When it comes to creating social awkwardnesshes your man. He says it how he sees it. No filter. He is hardworking Ambitious 6'5 Has a stable job Rocks the clean shave So yeah

Q&A with Basheer Q:What's your favorite movie/book line? A: "It smells like humus" (not sure which movie but Im sure someone said it) Q: Do you have any strange phobias? A: I feel like my mind tells me to jump off whenever I look down a tall building (I'm not suicidal which is why it's strange) Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? A: Successful in whatever I'm doing, and married with 2 kids Q: Do you have a favorite Surah? If so, what is it? Why? A: Al-Asr, because it describes life in a very succinct way.

Basheers Bio and Plan as Marketing Chair I plan to improve the website as much as I can and I plan to market our events to the largest number of people that's possible. It's difficult for me to talk about myself, because it's not something I do on a regular basis. I am a private person, event though that may not seem to be the case, and I like to be direct with people in general, and I only "insult" people I consider to be good friends of mine, which isn't always a good idea. I am Syrian, and I plan to help rebuild Syria after the revolution is triumphant god willing. 3

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How to Practice Gratitude in Islam

Dua of the Week

Dua for thankfulness

Be grateful morning and evening Practice taking a brief moment first thing in the morning when you wake and last thing at night when you sleep to simply say and experience, Thank You. Be grateful when you pray. Make it a practice to consciously take a moment to say Thank You while feeling and experiencing gratitude after your prayers. In fact, the best way to ensure your prayers are answered is to be grateful! Be grateful when you eat and drink. By taking a little extra time to experience gratitude when you eat and drink, you become more present, and in Islam, eating is meant to be a spiritual experience. Gently and consciously say Thank You as you eat, and you will find the entire experience more joyful and healthy. Give Charity. By consciously giving charity in Islam, you not only affirm that you are blessed, but you attract greater abundance to yourself as you strengthen your belief and trust in God, become less dependent upon dunya. Tasbih. Tasbih, one of the forms of Islamic Meditation, is a powerful spiritual exercise to strengthen ones mind and soul on haq, truth. Make it a daily practice so recite 100 times, Ya Rabbi Shukr, which means, O My Lord, Thank You.
Courtesy of islamicmeditation.com

O my Lord, all praises be to You as it should be due to Your Might and the Greatness of Your Power.

Thankfulness Hadith
[Sunan Abu Dawud, Book of Manners, Number 4 811, Sahih]

Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, He has not thanked Allah who has not thanked people.

Secretary When I think leader, Sanas image pops into my mind. She is charismatic and considerate but above all else she takes herself and her responsibilities seriously. Shes a great person and is admired by everyone on the board. If I were a boy, Sana would have already rejected my marriage proposal. So Ill try again. Sanawill you marry me? Sana is by far one of my most favorite people. We love to clean together! I respect Sana a lot since she is so much older than me. Thats why I call her Auntie Gee. Sana always does her job professionally and on time. Sana is a really nice person. She is easy to talk to and gives great advice. And she a cutie foreal doe.

Sana the Giraffe.

Q&A with Sana

What do you do in your spare time? Honestly, this year is the first year I actually have spare time and I dont know how to go about using it If anyone has any suggestions please contact me. But Ive been trying to figure out what Im doing next year since Im graduating. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Although I am the type of person to plan things out, this is just too far for me to even consider. Insha'Allah I will be an architect by then and designing a masjid somewhere in the U.S. But I also do want to have a family at some point so whatever Allah (SWT) has planned for me I will be happy inshaAllah. Do you have a favorite Surah? If so, what is it? Why? My favorite Surah is As-Shams because it is really enlightening. In that we need to fear Allah (SWT)s wrath and that there will be consequences of our sinful actions.

Sanas Bio and Plan as Secretary Alhamdulillah, this year has started off wonderfully. Coming in we had finished last year on a great note. But with anything we must always stride for better and we have several things we would like to see improved this year. The first one is to organize our office a little more efficiently and in a manner where things that the board require will be easy to find (the men are kinda slow to finding stuff). Also we would like to add more books to our Islamic library and make it more open for our members to access these books. We would like to have underclassmen come to our office hours and if they need to talk to someone in confidence we can be there for them. After four long wonderful years as an undergraduate student I will be graduating and moving on with my slow life. Inshallah I will be applying for graduate schools and Interchip (internship in English, mind me, gheehheheh). #CheeseheadforLife

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4210 East Broad Street Whitehall, OH 43213

Usually when people think of Greek food, they think of Greek salad, gyros, kebobs, and lots of feta cheese. But what I tried first was actually a pasta dish. Probably one of the best pasta dishes Ive ever had. The pasta dish is called pasticcio, a lasagna like dish with layers of a hallow pasta like ziti or penne, a beef or lamb meat mixture, tomato sauce, and creamy Bchamel sauce. Bchamel is a white sauce that is made with cream, milk, butter, and flour. Yes it is probably not very good for your health, but its delicious. This dish is unique because of the addition of nutmeg and cinnamon, something you dont usually find in pasta. Paired with the bchamel sauce, it makes for a wonderful combination. The Greek are also known for their fish. Since Greece is scattered among many islands, seafood is a staple. Lemon sole is one of my favorite ways to eat fish. It was crispy, creamy, and light all at the same time. Sole fish is lightly coated with breadcrumbs and cooked in butter and/or olive oil, then topped with lemon juice, oil, and Parmesan. Its usually served with rice and vegetables. In this case we skipped the vegetables and got Cajun fries instead. These were normal crispy fries topped with Cajun spices, a hot Cajun sauce, and crumbled feta cheese. It was glorious. For desert, we ordered tiramisu. I know, this isn't a typically Greek dessert, but Italy and Greece are neighbors, so good enough. Tiramisu is layers of espresso soaked ladyfinger cookies, topped with a sweet, creamy mascarpone cheese mixture, then topped with coco powder, a dark chocolate sauce, and cinnamon.

Hours of Operation: Monday-Thurs 11:00 am to 9:00 pm Friday- Sat 11:00 am to 10:00 pm Sunday 11:00 am to 9:00 pm

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said, Whoever keeps on performing the prescribed Prayer, Allah will grant him five honorable rewards: he will lead a happy life, avoid the torment in the grave, receive his record by his right hand, cross Sirat (the bridge on Fire) as swift as lightening and enter Paradise without being reckoned. But who is remiss in performing the Prayer, Allah will make him suffer fifteen kinds of punishments, five in this world, three when dying, three in the grave, and three when being resurrected.

The worldly punishments are: He loses the glamour (the blessing) of his life span, the righteous appearance diminishes from his face, he works in vain, he will not have his supplications answered and he will not make use of the righteous people's supplications. When dying: He dies humiliated, hungry and thirsty even if he drinks all the rivers of the world. In the grave: He will be compressed so tightly that his ribs permute, blazing in fire day and night and will face a bald-headed poisonous male serpent with two black spots over its eyes, which are created of Fire and the fingernails of iron; each fingernail is equal to the distance covered in a day. It will address the deceased in a very roaring sound like thunder saying, "I am the bald-headed poisonous male serpent, My Lord commanded me to beat you for missing the Fajr Prayer until sunrise, the Dhuhr until Asr, Asr Prayer until Maghrib, Maghrib Prayer until 'Isha' and Ish until Fajr." Whoever he strikes him, he sinks in the earth for seventy arms deep and he will keep sinking therein until the Day of Judgment. Eventually, when being resurrected from his grave, he will be risen up with three lines written on his face: 1) You neglect Allah's right 2) You got Allah's wrath 3) As you have neglected Allah's right in the world, you should despair His Mercy on this Day. 7

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11/6
The Muslim Students Association is collaborating with UNICEF and other organizations on campus to host a Beat Michigan Week Fast-A-Thon. The main purpose of the Fast-A-Thon is to raise money for the United Nations' Syrian Fund to aid those affected by the atrocities in Syria. In order to raise money, we are asking individuals and organizations to participate in the event by buying tickets and/or donating. Dinner will be catered by Lavash Caf. Doctor Iyad Azrak will be relaying his first hand experience with the Syrian refugees, and the dire situation that the people of Syria are currently in. Performance Hall at The Ohio Union 4:30pm until 7:30pm Admission: $13 for MSA and UNICEF members $15 for students $20 general admission

11/9 11/16
a lecture on the importance of modesty

11/30
Who was the first Khalifah? Which prophet was known as dunoon? Brush up on your Islamic knowledge and be a part of MSAs annual game of Islamic Jeopardy! Who will win this year? 8

The Four Hundred

You would never let me out of your sight until I finished four hundred sums. I sat cross-legged, and you would watch me fight the problems till the very last one. I remember vividly Monday morns with the breakdowns, tears and nervous vomit. But you stood right by while I was being torn by the universe, meteors, crashing comets. Like oaks with open arms, you accepted zany ideas, like a treehouse science lab, robotic wife, Sufi dance - you protected my inner child from conventional drab. Now in the newfound suburban perfection when I yearn for my abandoned land I turn to you in worried reflection praying on rosary beads, four hundred in hand. Books are repugnant when all is uncommon but all is well when I turn to you. With your hands in prayer my soil is summoned and the world is no longer new. I recall finishing four hundred sums but now I take away your four hundred beads and say it's all going to be okay. By: Bassam Sidiki, MSA Georgetown

Pencil 17" by 20" on Canson All art by Sabeen Sidiki

my Lord, they bury my heart from this world have they forgotten? a caged heart martyrs the soul to love You

my Lord, temptation whispers in my ear let deafness touch me forever but spare my eyes for our imminent meet

my Lord, why do You prolong my death? I wish to meet You more than a mother her child carried a thousand months

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ARE YOU A WRITER, AN ARTIST, A COMEDIAN?

Iqra is accepting artwork and poetry for the Creative Corner feature page! Got Stories, Articles, OpEds, Photos? Send them in! To get involved in the newsletter contact the Editor, Mushtaq Dualeh, at dualeh.2@osu.edu.

The Ohio State Universitys

Iqra Newsletter 2012

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