The challenges at Home (the upbringing of youth, internet use, and pop culture) during downturn economy.
Life Cycle in the Quran:
Here is one aya in the Quran explaining away the challenges of life for all ages. The stages in one's life are the following:
childhood - play and amusement youth - beautification adult - mutual boasting elder - increase in wealth and children
Quran Al-Hadid - 57:20 YUSUF ALI translation: "Know ye (all), that the life of this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and children.
Here is a similitude: How rain and the growth which it brings forth, delight (the hearts of) the tillers; soon it withers; thou wilt see it grow yellow; then it becomes dry and crumbles away.
But in the Hereafter is a Penalty severe (for the devotees of wrong). And Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the devotees of Allah). And what is the life of this world, but goods and chattels of deception?"
Love is a human experience that touches the heart of every human being.
People either love themselves by fulfilling their own desires, or they love others
Two Important Components in Life:
1. sustenance- provision à the best of provision is taqwa of Allah
2. companion – a good husband/wife
A companion in life is a good spouse, husband and wife are trusts for each other.
We control everything by mathematics…”My spouse must have 1, 2, 3”….everything is based on a calculation yet the spiritual dimension is absent
The word “love” is the most abused word in the world; it is limited and subjugated to so many different meanings.
For example, Love for Rasul (saw) – Do we prioritize hi sunnah over our sunnah or do we prioritize over what he says?
Some people reduce love to external beauty so that a person becomes obsessed with the external image. When falling in love, we tend to become a slave of this state in the beginning….remember that beauty will eventually fade
Others are enslaved to social status, education and wealth. At the end we are all children of Adam (as)
Marriage is NOT the goal – it is a MEANS to a goal which is to get closer to Allah (swt)
Objective is to please the Creator in the marriage & to perform worship with correct niyah
What do we look for in a spouse?
Deen and morality of an individual & their upbringing
The best amongst you is one who is most pious. Taqwa is found in the heart, in cannot be calculatedand nobody knows one’s true piety except Allah (swt)
Three Things We Should Treasure:
1. a heart thankful to Allah
2. a tongue that does dhikr of Allah
3. a spouse who is pious- helping to be successful in the akhira
Quran states in a meaning, if there is an ugly slave and a beautiful woman, marry the first if she is a believer over the second.
A spouse is your garment- gives you comfort, protection, warmth
A spouse is your home – The one who is happy is the one who is happy at home even if the rest of the world is against you. It is your comfort zone.
Smile at your spouse à it is a sign of sadaqa, Prophet (s) was always seen smiling
Marriage is what you put into it – that is what you reap.
MashAllah, it was a great event. Shaykh M. Ninowy gave a great lecture and he handled many questions after his speech. There were around 300 to 400 people and ISCJ was packed. I will ask individuals to share their thoughts on "Love Takes Time".
Special Thanks to:
- Social Activities Committee (ISCJ) - for providing snacks and tea for the event and all the logistical support (esp. Br. Akm, Dilawar, Zubair, Sr. Azra.
- Br. Arif Patel, Wajed Syed, Ali Mobarak.
- ISCJ Youth - esp. Kholoud, Mona, Adnan, Housien, Abdullah, Saadia, Anum, Sohaib, Ahmed, Ismaeel, Youssef, and many others.
- Al-Mishkat Instituteand Al-Medina Institute for sharing their resources with ISCJ Youth. Special thanks to Br. Ghuydar and Anwar for their tireless effort in promoting the program.
Here's the next ISCJ Youth event...spread the word!
Al-Mishkat Institute, in collaboration with Al-Madinah Institute and ISCJ Youth Presents....
Love Takes Time
A lecture by Dr. Muhammad Al-Ninowy
A look at the concept of love in Islam and how to start, build, and maintain strong marital relationships. A lecture for both youth and adults, married, unmarried, in love, out of love, and all in between.
Venue: Islamic Society of Central Jersey 4145 Route 1 South and Promenade Blvd Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852 Date: Friday, February 13, 2009 Time: 8:00pm FREE ADMISSION
Let me know what you Loved, hated, found interesting. What did you expect and were your expectations met? What you thought of the questions, etc.
Comments:
Rutgers University student (NUI alumnus):
I loved that fact that the students of Noor-Ul-Iman came to an event that they felt really comfortable in. I really believe that it's important that we start teaching children that they are integral parts of the community regardless of what any uncle/'amoo may say. From the type of event that it was--engaging on so many levels, children will feel comfortable setting foot in the masjid.
At times i felt that it got too loud, and the room was just a big mess. It got really crowded at points. I think that some rules/etiquettes should be gone over before the game.
I thought the questions were very age-appropriate. Maybe the next game could be a follow-up to an engaging lecture/Islamic History seminar of some sort. So that kids can feel obligated to attend the lecture to rack up the points/prepare for the next jeopardy game.
Those are my two cents!
ISCJ Youth:
I really thought the jeopardy worked out really nice. I did come towards the end but from what i saw it was a great success.
Noor-Ul-Iman School Teacher:
I thought Friday night Jeopardy at ISCJ was a time well spent with both the adults and students. Everyone seemed to have a fun time in the masjid playing and answering some challenging questions. I enjoyed and would suggest having more events like this where the community gets together. I definitely came out learning some interesting Islamic facts that I didn't know before. The best part of the game was the realistic Jeopardy game board and the candy. So, when's the next game?!
For the very first time the categories for tonight's (Jan. 23, 2009) program has been revealed. Contestant are asked to review their Islamic Studies notes and be prepared for some tough questions. Program Host, Basem Hassan is very optimistic and is hoping for a large youth turn out. South Brunswick High School students and Noor-Ul-Iman School students are going to be the integral part of this youth initiative. Organizer and youth coordinator Faraz Khan simply said "I can't wait for that candy shower during Jeopardy." Rumor has it that the games will be played between Parents and students OR Boys Vs Girls. But again, who know Alex Trebek may show up for the game too!
What is Jeopardy?
hmm! Where have you been? (see below)
Jeopardy! is a popular quiz show featuring trivia in topics such as history, literature, pop culture, and science. The show has a decades-long broadcast history in the United States since its creation by Merv Griffin in the early 1960s. It first ran on NBC from March 30, 1964 until January 3, 1975; concurrently ran in a weekly syndicated version from September 9, 1974 to September 7, 1975; and subsequently ran in a revival from October 2, 1978 to March 2, 1979. Its most successful incarnation is the Alex Trebek-hosted syndicated version, which has aired continuously since September 10, 1984. It has also been adapted internationally.
