RIS Notes Page 1 RIS 2011 Notes 1. Wheres God in Our Lives?

Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali & Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury were created from dust and water, which makes mud theres an Ayah in the Quran which says that any sin you do excessively, you can still come back to Allah when people convert and say shahadah, all previous sins get wiped acknowledge your sins first, then make tobah Chapter 8 from Quran tells you what is going to happen on day of Judgment Book: A Brief History of Time, talks about science which relates to what is in the Quran Only way to make it to Allah is to follow the ways of the Prophet (pbuh) creations want to destroy humanity (the mountains, and oceans), but Allah tells them leave my slaves to me whoever thanks me, I am his friend, and who ever doesnt, I am his Doctor (I will save him) Allah says in the Quran Hadith by the Prophet: verily a slave does a sinso I have forgiven my slave God forgives since till DOJ Al-Wadud: the loving God, who loves his creations (this is an attribute of God) When Allah is mentioned, what emotions flow? Love? Fear? What drives you? The heart and soul of 3ebadah (worship) is love The believer is like a bird, the body is made of love, one wing is fear and the other is hope 1 billion go hungry (according to IMF) 250 orphans (UNESCO) If you lead a life without Allah as a vision, then the promise of Allah and Quran will come true No choice but to love Allah, no living or dying except for Allah How do we build love for Allah? (10 ways): 1. Reading the Quran and contemplate 2. Follow the obligatory deeds with another deed, be from the ahil of the Sunnah who meet the Prophet, so do sunnah 3. Continually remember Allah, book: 100 Benefits to Remembering Allah, by Ibn. Al-Tayyib 4. Build love for Allah in your heart; to prefer love for him over everything else 5. Learn Allahs names and attributes and think about them 6. Think about Allahs forgiveness, generosity and mercy. When he helped to save the ummah, fall in love with his actions 7. Have love that would make you tear in pieces when you think of Allah because of shame (that comes from sin), and be shy 8. To be alone with Allah on the last 1/3 of night, and he asks what you want, tip: wake up half an hour before fajer and ask for forgiveness

RIS Notes Page 2 9. Prphet said to be with people who love Allah, so be in companion with these people 10. Allah revealed a verse: if you truly love Allah. He will love you. Follow what the Prophet did to the bone

3. In the Spirit of Love Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury brotherhood and sisterhood: build stronger ties Why dont you meet enough people? Because its so difficult to leave them When this Imam would say bye to people, he would say his life ended (intahat el 7ayat) Omar (radiya Allahu 3anhu), wrote to Abu 3obaydah, and wanted to visit him, but he didnt want to see him sick, and his eyes were red This sahabah would emember every companion every night, and he would make dua for them Prefer your brother or sister over your self, even in time of difficulty Why do we need brotherhood and sisterhood? Verily Muslims are nothing but brothers and sisers, Allah wants us to

4. Celebrating our Heritage Ambassador Shabazz - shes the eldest daughter if Malcolm X! - love creates patience, and patience creates unity 5. Paradise Ours Unless we Refuse Habib Ali Al Jifri hadith: whoever obeys, paradise, and whoever disobeys, does not go there Prophet used to recite the Quran while weeping Sumaya (first martyr in the name of Allah) Dont look at prayer as if something heavy to remove, but as a sacred time to converse with your lord fear can keep you a prisoner, but hope can set you free quote by Malcolm X

6. Firefighters: Putting out the Fiery Rhetoric of Those Fanning the Flames of War Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson If you have a desire for a bad deed, but do not end up doing it, then Allah records it as a good deed If you have a desire to do a good deed, but do not end up doing it, then you are rewarded Most people reduces to paralysis, it is difficult to talk about Islam without taking the words out of context

RIS Notes Page 3 the one who is silent in the face of Zulm (injustice) is like a shaitan who cant speak to get out of this box, so we can speak, we need genuine communication, between Muslim and non-Muslim communities we as Muslims, are in a relationship with non-Muslims that we cant get out of 1. We have to WANT the relationship to work, so to value it. Eg. You can find 1000 reasons for something to not work, but if you want it to work, you can make it work 2. In a relationship, you dont get what you want all the time, it is about mutual empathy and understanding, needs compromise, issue: know our religion well, and to know what are the essentials and what are not. first rule of diplomacy: no matter how deeply you dont agree, you have to acknowledge it, and even if you dont acknowledge, then look at mutual interests counter-productive (this kind of rhetoric): alienating Muslims, which is the biggest promoter of violence among youth

7. From Margin to Centre: Rethinking Gender Relations Sr. Tayyibah Taylor & Imam Yassir Fazaga example of bad treatment of women: allows men to use women as a retribution for law (in Afghanistand), eg. Women to marry a man so he can remove his debt, and this is justified as Islamic. 5 points to having practical gender relations (spells PEACE), identity: 1. P: purpose of our existence? It is to worship 2. E: follow examples of Rasul Allah, best among you are the best to your family Hadith by Prophet, shows his excellence in character. Women can be examples in Quran 3. A: ayat of a Sura, the believing men and women are awleyat of each other (supporters and helpers), NOT a partnership of possession but of appreciation. Surat Al-Bakarah (Chapter 1): describes men and women as garments for each other. Greatest love is between spouses, which is the greatest mercy to Allah 4. C: contribution; not about gain, but about contribution. Have a person where you can do good deed with them. 5. E: equality; inequality is a violation of tawhid misogyny spider silk is the strongest material, stronger than steel, can stretch 6 times its size Allah refers to the weakest to what is made is made by spider silk, but why? The inside of the web, so the spiders, are not strong (analogy of spiders, how the silk outside is strong but the inside is corrupt, because a spider mother eats her children, and other issues occur) Social construct is the issue, east versus west The four most populated Muslim countries, had women as leaders: Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India The value we assign to genders is the problem

RIS Notes Page 4 Women have the power in the beginning of a relationship (with a man), so #1, is to set boundaries (not ok to compromise). These protect us from potential wrong he may bring Do not be guilty of rewarding a negative action 3 things to keep in mind when youre getting to know someone: 1. Avoid being emotionally dependent: to be valued. We give up a lot of power as a result of being emotionally dependent, so be emotionally independent. 2. Always talk as if there is a third party with you 3. Avoid talking during the night, because of hormones Marriages do not work for three reasons: living and loving the wrong way (with the right person), marrying the wrong person (this is the most common!), and marrying someone for the wrong reason

Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi (VIDEO message) manners of spirit is what is most important My Message to Youth, book by Imam?

9. Collective Security: Prophetic Advice, Timeless Wisdom Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali Industry of Fatwa book, by Abdallah bin. Bayyah (look for other books by him) hadith by Prophet: onsor (support for) your brother and sister, thaleman aw mathlooma (oppressor or oppressed). (authentic hadith, look up?) if we subject our selves to oppression, we will be oppressed dont do injustice or let injustice follow you How do we deal with your brother being an oppressor? You stop them Ship analogy (making whole for water), about the deck and getting water and how it sunk the ship We have tendency to do good and bad Surat Noah (ends with fasekoon, a specific ayah mentioned), actions are punishable by authority Look up hadith about Prophet saying: when you see something wrong, you change it your self , then by words, then you keep it in your heart

11. Lateral Leadership: Abandoning the Control Model Imam Zaid Shakir & Shaykh Hamza Yusuf oriental despotism best time to be a Muslim, seize this moment no second round, we are given everything the 1st round the leader will be asked about his actions, a women is a leader in her house with her husband and will be asked about being responsible for him Kolokom ra3i w masalkom 3an ra3eyakom (look up, ayah in Quran)

RIS Notes Page 5 there is no irresponsible Muslim, it is contradictory, because we are all responsible strong believer is more beloved to Allah than a weak believer if something conflicts, do not stay what if (hadith?), emphasizes that we should be strong, empower your self to be more beneficial leader might make people weak to appear strong (of a country) Nothing you seek relaying on God will be difficult, and nothing you seek relying on your self will be easy (hadith, look up?) lead, follow, or get out of the way! (dont be an obstacle for the potential of our youth) most destructive thing in society has to do with racial issues alchemist: ancient alchemy: the lead of soul to gold of the soul, book: The Alchemy of Happiness by AlGhazali Angels and Marx wrote the communist manifesto Governance theory: Tyrannical social schools, they replicate these systems, and the results are the brutality in these social societies. Tyrannical teachers that dictate their students, and students are scared to ask questions. The way the government works, no democracy, and the units in society reflect how the big unit is working (the government) In the past: it was easier to control than kill people, but now it is the opposite, leaders are killing their people rather than controlling them Homogenous culture (eg. Syria), versus heterogeneous culture (eg. Toronto), this is important in terms of leadership Sun Tzu: throw enemies (double check?) Two types of leadership: laissez-faire, and autocratic John Kahule: society cant exist without government. Its mans political nature to want government. Even a worst form of government is better than no government (anarchy), individual liberty to protect society from anarchy. (quote he says? Look up) Power versus authority, power is seized and authority is given. Prophet loves soft power, better than harsness Egoism= causing problems, obsessions with the nafs (self) Under threat, because we have a whole bunch of almost-failed states, eg. Egypt, Algeria, etc. Currency collapse (pentagon) interdependence and fragile (our $ system). It can collapse quick (societies) Look up turbulence Leaders have to take responsibility (eg. Syrias Bashar) People cannot be crushed, it has become meaningless to hear about suicide bombers, we need to come up with creative solutions to these problems Book: by Imam Ghazali, qualities to Inculcate (look up?) Monarchs cant be corrupted from the outside, only from the inside, so no one from outside can corrupt them because they have everything (zuhud)

RIS Notes Page 6 Never seek the pleasure of people by displeasing God (Prophet, advice from a woman hadith?) Emotional intelligence: self-awareness and regulation, passion beyond $ or status, empathy, social skills

12. My People Yusuf Islam Quran verse: between beginning and the end is our purpose of existence, Ina lellah w ena elayhi raje3oon (look up?) Book: Animal Farm (read!!) Freedom: idea about it Before a test, be educated (basic), no key to eternal bliss other than knowledge

13. Changing the Present, Dreaming the Future Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr & Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson & Prof. Tariq Ramadan first sedentary population produced by Muslims (in Iran) Islamic civilizations Quran doesnt take life out of anything, like zaytun and teen (given life in Quran, and other creations) Has cosmology (nature participates in our life spiritually) Jalal Al-Ahmad: West struckness= Muslim world became struck by anything with Western signature to it Culture nativism Culture promiscuity: fads, wanting to be up to date Primary reaction of Americans to Muslims culturally, so they dont get to know our religion. Because they are caught up with our cultural issues We have to go back to our religion, ignore cultural differences in order to overcome cultural nativisim Most common issue in marriage is difference in culture (eg. How Arabs are racist towards black people) converting your understanding; changing the way you look at the world with knowledge: which is the basis for Islam you re-experience every time you read the Quran (every time its different) Islam has to do with: meaning, science, and way To see God is to mean I found a way Knowledge of the heart is to look at Islam Intellectual humility, with God, you know he is your strength I might not be able to make it, but with God I will (la hawla wala quwat ela billah) Questioning goals and ends: no Islamic capitalism Awareness of practical Muslim; having idea of doing good

RIS Notes Page 7 To worship, is to respect ourselves and around us: by reconciling ourselves with daily life, aware of objectives in loving Him and His creations Ya Kawmy: belong to society, al-bir (affection towards people), found in Quran (way to worship Allah), its a state of heart Convert way of thinking about yourself, in order to change the world Fe re3ayet Allah (in Gods protection) Importance of taking care of yourself because in the end you will be judged as YOU, with no roles (mother, father, etc.) Al-Kafir: one that KNOWS about the truth, and said NO to the truth, so do not judge people! Connect economics with the environment Talk about God without talking about Him, let people wonder who we are and what drives us to do certain actions voice for voiceless, local commitment with global understanding

14. Real, Lasting Wealth Shaykh Abdall Idris Ali Ista5laf: wealth in our hands Things that destroy a Muslim: stinginess, people who follow desires (people with lots of $) Things that save a Muslim: 5ashyat Allah (fear), moderate (if youre rich or poor) Surat Al-Bakarah (Ch. 1 of Quran, read and go over!) 1:77: before you leave a house: mashallah, la kuwat ela billah. Allah may give me more than what you have

15. Faith in Citizenship: Ummah or Nation Dr. Jamal Badawi & Imam Zaid Shakir fulfilling duties before rights ummah? Small group of people (eg. Sayedna Musa), all humanity at the beginning basis for Islamic citizenship: dignity of human beings, joint trusteeship positive civic engagement: cooperation with all righteous deeds, Abyssinia (city, relevance?) Loyalty: ultimate authority, all loyalties are not exclusive Aya 5:2: loyalty to Muslims is not absolute and unqualified Conflicts with core values to be resolved lawfully Citizenship is a contract Allah commands us to fulfill our contracts Contract includes legitimate defence of ones country Peace and justice exist side by side Betrayel is unislamic with the right intentions, ordinary actions can be acts of worship

RIS Notes Page 8 our dress and cuisine=cultural manifestations cultural level: we share many features

16. The God of the Tsunami: A Muslim Reflection on the Problem of Evil Dr. Umar F. Abd Allah what is beautiful and what is good Shari3a (outward prophetic law), & 7akika (inward prophetic truth) We look at good and evil from outward prophetic law Woman giving births is a form of jihad When we look at the world from 7akika, we see wisdom. Evil is never absolute Evil to be good, its like coal being rubbed on you. Coal is put under pressure and extreme conditions and becomes a diamond (analogy of coal and diamond to the soul) God: creator of evil (to test us), but does not acquire it, and it is not an attribute of Him Greatest wonder of God is that he shows us His signs Belief of hereafter should be out highest belief Hadith: the best of people are with a key to open up good and a lock to lock up evil. (look up?) Islm always grows in periphery countries

17. Sharing Success: Fair Trade Commerce for a Better World Shaykh Hamza Yusuf sleep: God showing his over-power over his servants, given us sleep times tip scale so buyer gets more than merchants (Morocco, they put a date on the buyers side to tip the scale) Tariffs (from the Muslims) Why was the Prophet a merchant before he was a prophet? Shepard- youth, merchant- prophetic life. Because they can guard a group and keep it away from the wolves Merchants are the most beneficial to human society (comes from commerce, teaches you good character) you go back to people who treat you well Myasar (makes things easy) CNN: average American has 59 slaves working for them 70% of coco is harvested from child labour http://moveyourmoneyproject.org/ bankers want to eliminate cash, and to increase use of credit cards wizard of Oz is based on a huge metaphor of banks (eg. The tin man, is about people who use silver and lost their hearts), look up!! China study by Dr. Campbell: meat and diary products, science was serving the corporate industry, so U.S. had to adjust its food pyramid to meet these needs Animals have rights Our prophet spoke to animals and theyd respond back

RIS Notes Page 9 Animals are intuitive, they know when something is wrong (eg. This dog was depressed because he lived with a family who was depressed, can sense) Ibno Abo La7im (a companion) was a vegetarian Beware of met, because it has an addiction of wine! Book: Fat, Sick and nearly dead , by Joe Cross Dont eat meat more than once a week Prophet was a semi-vegetarian, dates are one of the wealthiest foods Eat once a day: like the sahabah (companions), eat twice a day: like the righteous people http://www.betterworldshopper.com/idea.html : rates how socially responsible grocery stores are

18. Springtime in Arabia: Dj Vu All Over Again? Prof. Tariq Ramadan to not be emotionally driven, especially about problems in the middle east not a dominos game, but rather a game of chess, where there is play (geo-graphic interests) our awareness can help remove our emotions and to not be nave resist our sense of retaliation and revenge, and treat people with dignity best way to control is the army

19. A Shining City on a Hill Shaykh Sulaiman Mulla & Imam Zaid Shakir embrace your own change if you fail to plan, then you effectively planned your failure do not fear anything except consequences from your sin three harms to sin: 1. Disobeys Allah, you become lethargic in doing good, and you have no drive to do good 2. Economic conditions narrow upon him 3. He will suffer difficulty in pleasure, because of unlawful pleasure. And when you do it lawfully then Allah does not make it as pleasurable wealth was never made to bond people engage in forbidden, denied pleasure of the lawful, because of lack of RESPECT for the angels is worse than the crime you commit your self Joy over accomplishment of the sin is worse than the actual sin Language, unkind, and leaves marks on childrens minds (refers to what children hear) Aim is to conclude your service to the Quran, and NOT conclude the Quran

RIS Notes Page 10 Closing All Speakers Jackson: do not be prisoners of your past, Allah loves tobah. Turn the corner and take what you have learned and implement it! Ramadan: take care of your self Hamza Yusuf: good people outnumber the bad people but the bad people flourish because good people do not speak.