ISSUE 5 ALHUDA

Friday 28th May 2010

13th Jumady AlThani 1431

It’s that time of the year again!

Exams have reared their ugly head once more : D !!! Study hard,
but remember that rest and reward are important in dealing with
stress. Above all, stay close to Allah SWT and the mosque,
read or listen to Quran, and make du’a to Allah SWT, that He
may grant you Tawfeeq (Success) in your efforts enshaAllah.
MUSA wish all students success in the coming exams, with the
will of Allah SWT. Read on to find out more great study tips!

T h e Powe r.. . of SILENCE

I n the famous had
heard before, the
eeth that we’ve all
Prophet SAWS sai
". ‫  ا أو‬ d:
‫" آن   وام ا‬ uent ly
“Whoever believes The se words are freq
in Allah and the ngeably, but the re is
Day, let him speak Last used inte rcha
good or remain sile betw een
AlBukhar i and Muslim).
nt, ”) a significant difference
From an Arabic per sukoot and samt.
spective, this hadee
th t but they still have the ability

S
is very powerful. Th
e first thing that
we
notice in the Arabic
narration is that th
e one is silent because they do
Prophet SAWS use
s what is known as
“laam al-amr”, the th e
laam of command in
words, Falyaqul (le the
t him speak) and
yasmit (remain sile li-
nt). He is not only
ad-
vising the believers
to speak good or
re-
main silent, but rat
her it is an order
and
a command to spe
ak what is good or
keep
silent.
ukoot is when someone is silen
use of their own choice. Samt,
to speak. They are silent beca
on the other hand, is when some
k, such as a mute person. This type
not have the ability to spea they do
free will, but rather it is as if
of silence is not from their own
their only option.
not have a tongue, and silence is
SAWS
narration, where the Prophet
So we see here in the first good to say
speak good, but if we have no
uses samt, we are ordered to y to spea k and
who does not have the abilit
then we should be like the one
do.
remaining silent is all that he can

“
The second power- ment this?
SubhanAllah, how many of us imple
ful aspect of this Sha rh (Exp lanation) of this
hadeeth from an If speech is silv Hadeeth:
er,
Arabic perspective
then silence is g
”
AlImam AshS hafi’ i RA state s that
is the choice
of old. the meaning of this hadeeth is
words. In this nar k, then
ra- that if someone desires to spea
tion, the Prophet spea k only that
SAWS says speak he should
or “li-yasmit”. Howe good
ver in another nar whic h is good . But, if it is clear to him that
tion, the Prophet ra-
he should refrain
SAWS says, speak
good his speech may cause harm, then
or “li-yaskut”.
Yasmit from speaking.
from samt and yas is
kut is from sukoot,
are translated as both

WELCOME to the last

Issue for Semester 1!
the se
silence, but what
difference between
tw
powerful?
o and which is more
is the

S haykh ibn Uthaymeen

“If you believe in All
be quiet.” He also sta
good in a person’s spe
ech.
ah
RA says it is as if the
and the last day, then
tes: “Silence is incumb
Prophet SAWS said,
spe ak what is good or
ent except if there
is
Speech is of three typ
es:
- Khayr (good): this is
what the hadeeth is ord
- Sharr (evil): this is ering.
forbidden type of spe
-La ghw ech that is evil and bad
(vain, idle): this is the .
Inside this issue: It is not forbidden for
type of speech that
is neither good nor evil
1 The Winner (and SOLE entrant) a per son to speak laghw but rat .
The Power of Silence of the last Trivia ‘l HUDA Quiz keep silent and refrain
from it.”
her it is better to
2
Allah’s Love was: It is said, “If speech
is silver, then silence
t 2 is gold.”
Letter from MUSA Presiden Farman Ali We also learn from thi
s hadeeth the import
2 The Prophet SAWS ance of guarding the
tongue.
Hot Exam Tips! Well done! shall I not tell you of
said to Mu’adh RA (as
part of a longer had
eet h) “And
3 the controlling of all
Surat Al-Asr that?”
3 I said: “Yes, O Messenge
A Secret Treasure r of Allah.” So he too
of Allah, will we be hel k hold of his tongue
d accountable for wha and said: “Restrain this
Trivia l’ HUD A: Quiz 5 3 t we say?” He said: “Ma .” I said: “O Prophet
anything that topples y your mother be ber
people on their faces eft of you! Is there
of their tongues?” (Tir (or he sai d, on their noses) into
Sisters: 4 mithi, Saheeh). the Hell-fire other tha
tima h” So be mindful and asp n the jests
“Barbie” becomes “Fa ire to speak only whe
tion for your tongue, n your words are goo
and more honourable d; for this is stronger
for you with your fell for your Iman, a protec
Provided by Abdullah A ow Muslims. -
Ali
 R O M TH E
A LETTER F
IDENT
MUSA PRES

b,
Assalam Alykum Wr let us all remember
har d ove r the next few weeks ds in
As we all stu dy our prayers and dee
a’ and perfection of st goal of
the importance of du ma tely our gre ate
By Ali Idris rldly goals and ulti we study we are all
order to fulfil our wo r. No matter how well
in the He rea fte
Paradise
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful needy of Allah SW T‘s
Tawfeeq . the
privileged to have
Praise be to Allah em ber that we are all slim
We should also rem lls to ben efi t ou r Mu
Blessings and Salutations on our beloved Messenger knowledge and ski . So let us
opportunity to gain be com e role models for others
Assalam Alaykum, ters and others do
brothers and sis tha t so ma ny
ke the mo st of this opportunity

A
use and ma
s Muslims living here in New Zealand - a non-Muslim coun- not have. ised a fun day
for the firs t time in years organ
try - we are often questioned about our faith. One of these For the kids, we have see pos ter in the Mosque
nday 30 of May –
th
at the mo sq ue on Su
questions addresses the issue of Allah’s love – where is
for details. ual Islam Awarene
ss
God’s love in Islam? People who have only been exposed to Islam ntly planning the ann and input at
We are also curre cia te you r ide as
through conventional television or radio shows would generally associ- Week in August and
would appre
pful volunteers as
ate it with dispute, affliction and violence, and unfortunately, as a ear ly sta ge. We will need plenty of hel
this
r enshaAllah.
result of this people’s understanding of the concept of God in Islam the event draws nea tournament for
is an indoor soccer
becomes linked, and indeed confined, to such features. Also on the agenda wa s a ver y successful
the Ed gar centre which
the bro the rs at n 60 participants.
duliAllah with more tha
is seek out the
event last year alham rd to seeing you
o SA and we look forwa
d s to d All the best from MU

“
...all on e n ee ne xt sem es ter enshaAllah.

r giv en e ss… to envision Wassalam Mahmoud Amer

”
verses on fo a h ’s Love is.
va st A ll
how incredibly
They often
think that Allah (SWT) is not a Loving
God, but a God who is here to punish. What they fail to understand, how-
ever, is that our very existence is a sign of Allah’s Love. One must recog- mentioning the na
me of
nize that the little things in life that we often don’t think about are also a
Mention the name of Allah befnin ore you start for act ion ; thi s bri ngs
e
wh en be gin g any permissibl ans of strength.
sign. Each and every breath we take, every beat of our hearts, every Allah is prescribeki ed
ng the help of All
ah is one of the me
movement of our limbs, and every other life-sustaining action we take are blessing, and se ibed in Is-
y way that is prescr
ah by making du’aa’ in an ri (O my Lord,
signs that Allah (SWT) truly Loves us. He has Bestowed us with the abilities
Tu rni ng to
as
All
say ing , “R abb iy ishrah li sadri wa
yas sir li am
, such for me).”
required to survive and He has Placed within this earth every amenity and lam d make things easy
expand my chest an
resource conceivable for our growth, development and progression as
Remembering Allah (dhikr) dispels anxiety and tension. If something is
humans. too difficult for you, then pray to Allah to make it easy for you. Whenever
Allah (SWT) chose to emphasise His Characteristics of Compassion, Grace, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) found
something too difficult to understand, he would say, “O You Who taught
and Mercy to every person that ever opened a page of His Book. Ibraaheem, teach me; O You Who caused Sulaymaan to understand,
As Allah (SWT) says in the Hadeeth Qudsi: "When Allah Decreed the Crea- cause me to understand.”
tion He Took a Pledge upon Himself by Writing in His Book which is laid
Take your time to answer, for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Al-
lah be upon him) said: “Deliberation is from Allah and haste is from the
down with Him: ‘My Mercy prevails over My Wrath.’" Shaytaan.” (A hasan hadeeth. Saheeh al-Jaami, 3011).
If we were to look in the Qur’an, we would find many examples of Allah's Visit http://www.islamhouse.com/p/52981 for more...
Love for His Creation. Numerous verses make direct reference to Allah's
Love for us, and provide guidance on how to receive that love. The list goes on and
enumerating and detaion. Allah Declares His Love for humanity
In Surat Al-Imran, Allah (SWT) says: "Say (O Muhammad SAWS): "If you us to Him, thereby pr ling to us the characteristics which endeby
love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will Love you and Forgive you your There are a plethora of oviding us with inspiration and guidancar
sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (3:31) To discover this treas indirect references to Allah's Love as we e.
In Surat Al-Baqara, Allah (SWT) says: "For Allah Loves those who turn to verses on forgiveness ure, all one needs to do is seek out ll.
Him constantly in repentance and He Loves those who keep themselves vast Allah’s Love is. and repentance to envision how incredibthe
pure and clean." (2:222) ly
Evidently, the God of
In Surat Al-Ma'idah, Allah (SWT) says: "Verily Allah Loves those who do gives people the op Is lam an d all Creation is a lov
ing God. Is
good." (5:13) Allah (SWT). We needportunity to form a direct relationship wilam
the way in which we tuto consider the five pillars and ponder ov th
the Lord of the World rn in prayer, every day, five times a day, er
should be honoured tos in love, reverence and awe. We Musli to
only in this relationsh be the slaves of Allah (SWT) because ms
we are able, enshaAllaip of absolute slavehood and obedience tha it is
unbounded love. h, to taste the sweetness of t
faith and feel
 From the Qur’an in Plain English for
children and young people, Part 30,
by Iman Torres
In every area of life it is essential to have faith and determination; we
must encourage each other – our family, friends and fellow Muslims

َ‫(إِ ُنۡٱۡ َر ُة ا‬١) َِۡۡ‫وَٱ‬

– to strive for what is good and true and to have patience even in
trying circumstances, in order to be successful enshaAllah.

A
َِ َٰ‫َِـ‬ llah SWT begins the surah swearing by ‘passing time’, and
(٢) ُۡ  'ِ(‫إِ) ٱ‬
َ"َ‫ُ ْا و‬$َ%‫َ ءَا‬
there happens to be a very interesting story* which estab-

ِ ‫ـ‬
ٰ 
 ‫ٱ‬ ‫ا‬ 
ُ !
ِ
ِٰ‫َـ‬ ‫َ ۡ ْا‬-‫َ َا‬.َ‫و‬
lishes a clear connection between time and the underlying
*
ۡ 
 ‫ﭑ‬ ,
ِ ْ
‫ا‬ ۡ -
َ ‫َ َا‬.َ‫ و‬/0َۡ‫ِﭑ‬, topic of this surah.
(٣) ِ
Before the age of refrigerators and freezers, storing ice for use in
sr (103)
Surat Al-A state of the summer was a difficult and delicate affair. Around
y, (1) Lo ! man is a a thousand years ago, residents of warm Muslim
clinin g da d
By the de believe an
) Sa ve those who one e s p a s si n g lands would transport huge blocks of snow and
loss, (2
do good
anot he r
w
to
orks , and exho
truth and
er to endur
an ce.
rt
exhort
(3 )
Ar“ e n
away wit
’t o u
h
r
e a
liv
c h se
ice from neighbouring mountain peaks or bring
cond, them by camel and ship from special ‘ice houses’
one anoth
t o r e tu r n ? ”where ice had been saved and insulated with salt

T
n e ve r and straw for use in the market (along with other
his is a very important surah; goods for sale). One scholar reported that he under-
Imam Shaf’i said that if people stood the meaning of ‘Wal-‘Asr, innal-insana lafi
thought carefully about it, it would be enough for their guid- khusr’ (the first 2 verses of the surah) when he heard an ice-seller in
ance. It is reported that when the Companions met, they would the market place calling out, ‘Have mercy on a man whose
recite it before parting each other’s company. (Tabarani) wealth is melting away!’ meaning; ‘please buy my ice
But what makes this surah so special? Well, it summarises in a few before it melts, or I will lose all my investment and
words a few of the main themes of the Qur’an, namely, that those have no money with which to feed my family!’ Of
who do not believe in Allah SWT or do good deeds, or who spend course, on a very hot day, even with the best of insula-
their lives in hypocrisy will one day lose all that they had worked tion the ice would melt away with every passing sec-
for; their entire lives will have been wasted and it will be too late to ond.
do anything about it. We also learn that those who do not struggle The scholar thought about this. Is it not true that our lives are like
to establish and understand the truth in their lives and societies, or the blocks of ice? Aren’t our lives passing away with each second,
who give up their hopes or struggles too easily will end up being never to return? Just as this ice-seller is a loser if he does not sell his
losers. merchandise before it melts, so are we losers if we do not make the
most of our time by filling it with good deeds, and seeking the pleas-
ure of Allah SWT, all of which will culminate in reward and enshaAl-
lah Paradise in the Hereafter, with the Mercy of Allah SWT.
*Reported by Imam Razi
Provided by Abdullah Ali

o
Answers t
Quiz 4:
1. How many times is the Basmalah an ayah in the Quran?
.4 C
1) Rangiora, 42aktoom
° 2. Who was the first female martyr in Islam?
2) Ibn Umm Maadalah 3. Who was the son of Abu Jahl who embraced Islam after Fath Makkah?
3) Surat AlMujr own throne
4) Brought he ce 4. The Tropic of Capricorn passes through more countries than the
into his residen
5) Tropic of Cancer; True/False?
5. Complete the following (easy) Suduko number square:
(every row, column and square minigrid; there are 9 minigrids—shown in RED;
must contain the numbers 1 through 9)
Answers can be emailed directly to: the_tiny_teddy@hotmail.com or written on a separate
paper (Suduko square must be copied and completed), along with Name, Contact Number,
and Email Address, into the labelled box in the mosque foyer; no later than Thursday 3rd
June. Winners will be notified by email/text and announced after Juma’a on Friday 4th June.
The Winner* receives a $20 Whitcoulls Gift Voucher, along with a Certificate.
*ALL Questions must be answered correctly
 B e co m e s “ F A T IM A H ”
“BARBIE”
s a child, I never had a
Barbie Doll and I have
A never considered buying
one for my three year old daugh-
ter. It is just something that I have
not thought about...until recently,
that is, when my parents bought a
Barbie as a gift for my daughter;
not just any Barbie
but a Princess Bar-
bie, complete with a “
...suddenly, B
arbie had a
pink sequinned ball- completely different
look.
room gown, shiny jew-
ellery and all the trimmings. Needless to say, my
daughter loved it.
Within seconds, however, the questions started
about the doll's low-cut, sleeveless dress. Why is
her chest showing? Why aren't her arms covered?
As Muslims, we have always taken care to teach
our children about modest dress for both men
and women and I could see the wheels spinning
in my daughter's head as she began to suspect
that this doll did not reflect a proper image of
Islamic modesty. She herself does not wear short
sleeves so I was hardly surprised to see her con-
cerned about her new doll. Not exactly sure how
to react without over-reacting, my son saved me
with a question of his own: “Where's this doll's
hijab?”
And that's what gave me the idea to transform
Barbie into a ‘Muslim woman’.
Within minutes, I found a piece of material which I
sewed in order to make a long, free-flowing hijab
which served to conceal the doll's hair as well as
her shapely figure. Her chest was no longer ex-
posed and suddenly Barbie had a completely dif-
ferent look. My daughter really loved this and said
we should name this new ‘Muslimah’ Fatimah –
her best friend’s name. She then took Fatimah and
began playing with her, taking care to keep her
hijab in place as she introduced her new
friend to her other toys and dolls.
”
I
have always
thought of Barbie
as just another doll
and I was not of-
fended at all by this gift from my parents which
was, on the contrary, a kind gesture on their part.
At the same time, however, I think it is important
to make sure that a girl's dolls reflect the values
and etiquettes that are being taught in the home
because these dolls are used in intense pretend-
play, including role playing: this Barbie doll, for
example, is likely to be all of a mother, a sister and
a peer to my daughter as she thinks up different
games to play with her. Moreover, it gives her a
sense of security to have a doll which can be all of
these things without having to reconcile the un-
settling fact that her attire is different from the
Islamic dress code she had been raised to value
and appreciate.
Source: http://www.islamicgarden.com

Forward a
ny commen
ts to The
the_tiny_te Editor:
dents’ Association
ddy@hotm
Muslim University Stu ail.com
Zea lan d
Dunedin, New May Allah SWT help
AlHuda Mosque
21 Clyde St, Dunedin
me and all Muslim
Phone: (03) 477 1838 students in their en-
Fax: (03) 477 1840
deavours
deavours——especially
Contact through OUSA: Otago Mu
MUSA C/O OUSA, P.O
. Box 1436, Dunedin poor chaps like me! Dunedin
slim Assoc
iation
ousa.org.nz
E-mail: admin@muslim. , New Zea
land
Website: P.O Box
ress.com 6288 Dune
http://otagomusa.wordp din