November 2014 / Muharram – Safar 1435 AH Volume 24, Issue 10 “Keeping the Kingston Muslim Community Bonded” The Bond IslamicSocietyofKingston 1477SydenhamRoad Kingston,ON K7L4V4 Phone:613-542-9000 Website:www.kingstonmuslims.ca ““Oyouwhohavebelieved,letnotapeople ridicule[another]people;perhapstheymay bebetterthanthem;norletwomenridicule [other]women;perhapstheymaybebetter thanthem.Anddonotinsultoneanotherand donotcalleachotherby[offensive] nicknames.Wretchedisthenameof disobedienceafter[one's]faith.Andwhoever doesnotrepent-thenitisthosewhoarethe wrongdoers. (Qur’an49:11) Inside This Issue President’sMessage 2 EducationCommittee 3, 4 CommunityVoice 5, 6 Announcements 7 ISKInformation 8 1 November 2014 / Muharram – Safar 1435 AH Volume 24, Issue 10 PRESIDENT’SMESSAGE Pursuit of knowledge and scholarship is a part of Muslims heritage it should be a way forward for Muslims all around the world. Books, monographs, articles and magazines are published by Muslim scholars from time to time, we would like to see same happening in Canada. Imam Dr. Zijad Delic, who is well known and respected in the Kingston community, has recently published his book “Canadian Islam: Belonging and Loyalty”. It is a blessing to see some scholarly work on Canadian Muslims by a Canadian Muslim; I hope it is the beginning and this quest will continue. After introduction the book starts with the chapter of Canada & Canadian Muslims. It provides brief historical review about the arrivals of Muslims in Canada and includes concise statistics about the Muslims in Canada. Graphical depiction clearly illustrates that from 1981-2011, Muslim population in Canada grew exponentially from about one hundred thousand to 1.1milions. Chapter two has detailed discussion on Canadian Muslim identity, and categorizes various factors which influences identity, how identity can be multiple in nature and evolves in second generation. This chapter concludes with “Muslims belong to Canada as much as Canada belong to Muslims”. Next chapter is on constructive integration. It appropriately starts with the other extreme “systematic exclusion “of Bosnian Muslims in Balkans and explains it succinctly for a new reader the ruthless suppression and aggression toward ethnic cleaning of the nineties. It also takes up the case of French strategy of “Assimilation” for its Muslim population. Captive mind syndrome is described as one of the obstacle to integration in Canada which is supposed to be related to thought process from the countries of origin and applying it to Canadian social context. Author describes Canadian multiculturalism and its merits and pleads Muslims to make a place for themselves with this cultural framework. It follows by explanation of the concept of multiculturalism through Qur’anic verse (49.13) where one human kind and multiple nations and tribes are mentioned so that they can know each other. There is no doubt that Canadian multiculturalism had played a useful role for various Canadian ethnic groups, but at present its future validity and worth is increasingly questioned by various multiethnic groups. Under faithful Citizenship section of this book, there is a lengthy discussion on Darul Islam (Territory of Islam) and Darul Harb (Territory of War) with various categorizations. This academic part makes an interesting reading on different views, however, one wonders if it has any practical application for majority of the Muslim who immigrated to Canada for economic reasons. Some people, both Muslims and Non-Muslims will find the last part of the books which includes sections on social contract, betrayal of social contract, and Islam facilitates citizenship in action, as debatable. For Muslims it will be informative to know if they are less loyal or less law abiding citizens than any other Canadian, and for Non-Muslims thinkers is the state loyalty is a must to establish a just society. Moreover, the books cover Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa, but for some reasons completely overlooks at our neighbor US. At the end Dr. Delic hopes that this work will, inject fresh air into current conversation and policy maker will have resource to turn to for accurate information. To be fair, I think the book meets both these expectations at least at Canadian level. The title of book of the “Canadian Islam” limits the universal nature of Islam to nationhood, and on personal level I could have been more comfortable with another title. The book is in ISK library and community members are encouraged to borrow. I am sure it should be also available in Canadian bookstores. Islam’s recent history knows scholarly name like Syed Qutub, Abul Aala Moudodi, Dr. Qardawi, and Taqqi Usmani to name only a few. Further names like Tariq Ramadan, Edward Said and Moustafa Bayoumi have been added to the list in Europe and North America respectively. In Canada Dr. Delic discourse opens up the door for Muslims social scientists to work on what Canadian Muslims offer to Canada socially, economically and in political terms; and what they get in return. May Allah SWT increase our knowledge. Mohammad Saleem President ISK [email protected] 2 November 2014 / Muharram – Safar 1435 AH Volume 24, Issue 10 EDUCATIONCOMMITTEE Understanding Islam: Beliefs and Teachings There are so many claims about who Muslims are and what they believe in that it can be confusing at times to know what’s real and what’s not. One of the most difficult things to do is to separate the religion from the politics, especially since the two seem to be intertwined so much, but they’re really not. In this guide we will look at the religion of Islam—what it is, and what it isn’t. The Foundation for Islamic Beliefs Muslims have an organized religion with clear cut teachings drawn from two primary sources. These sources are the Qur’an—which Muslims believe is the revealed word of God—and the hadith, or personal sayings of the Prophet on various topics and issues. Muslims believe that the two sources compliment each other, but also that only the Qur’an is holy and infallible. The Main Teachings of Islam Muslims have seven main beliefs. These are as follows: • • • • • • • A belief in a single, unitary God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and without any children or family of any kind. A belief in angels who are made of light and who can assume any form they wish, much like a hologram. A belief in revealed scriptures (oral or written) that are given to prophets. These include the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, the Gospel of Jesus, and the Qur’an of Muhammad. A belief in the concept of prophets, or chosen guides who are contacted by God and given a mission to teach and/or lead. A belief in a last day for the earth, when it will all end and then all souls will be brought back to God for a review of their record of beliefs and actions. A belief in the foreknowledge of God regarding the future. A belief in a next life. The soul will live on after judgment day and exist in either Paradise or Hellfire. Some souls, whose sins are minor, will be allowed to leave Hellfire and enter Paradise after their punishment has been served. The Islamic Way of Life The Islamic way of life encompasses acts of worship, the doing of good deeds to all living things and the opposition to injustice and evil. Here is a partial list of some of the practices that Muslims are supposed to make a part of their lives: Declaring faith in God. Muslims must remind themselves daily about their beliefs to reinforce for themselves their purpose in life and whose example they must follow. They do this by repeating a simple phrase that says, “I declare God is one, and I declare Muhammad is His messenger.” • They must pray five times a day at fixed points. This serves to remind them who they are supposed to live for, and what is most important in life. • Muslims must fast for an entire month, neither eating nor drinking from sunrise to sunset, but more importantly, also refraining from telling any lies, getting angry, or doing any bad deeds, in an exercise designed to help them avoid sins throughout the rest of the year. • Finally, Muslims are obligated to struggle for the good and to oppose evil. This struggling is called “Jihad” which in our modern times is a loaded word, but it doesn’t mean what you may think. • 3 November 2014 / Muharram – Safar 1435 AH Volume 24, Issue 10 EDUCATIONCOMMITTEE Understanding Islam: Beliefs and Teachings (Continued) Do Muslims Believe in Violence? One of the most damaging claims against the Islamic religion is that it promotes or somelerates the use of violence in the promotion of its goals. This claim is bolstered by those who lift a handful of verses from the Qur’an out of their context and present that as proof. In context, however, those verses talk about specific situations that faced the Muslim community of the time, and involved vastly superior forces that were seeking to vanquish the small monotheistic movement known as Islam. The Qur’an puts it this way: And why shouldn’t you fight in the cause of God and in the cause of those who, being weak, are mistreated: the men, women and children whose only cry is, “Our Lord! Deliver us from this land whose people are oppressors. Send us someone from You who will protect us, and send us someone from You who will help!” [4:75] Any battles fought under the leadership of Muhammad were defensive in nature and occurred only after hostilities were already declared against the Muslims. The Qur’an and the policies of Muhammad delineated the proper justifications for war, and also imposed rules for its humane conduct. These rules include such things as non-combatants are not to be harmed, wanton destruction is forbidden, quarter must be given to surrendering troops, and peace negotiations when offered must be accepted. When critics of Islam use the few verses of the Qur’an that talk about war out of context, they are just as dishonest as the few our midst who also twist the meanings and give them an interpretation that is unknown in traditional Islam. The truth of the matter is that the turmoil you see emanating from the Muslim world is not based on religion, but rather on serious political grievances and issues of social justice. Sometimes religion is used as a cloak for this or that cause, but the underlying factors that fuel the conflicts are no different than those that cause upheaval and revolution in any other part of the world. This quick guide only scratches the surface of Islam, a religion that is as rich and varied as the Muslim culture itself. Reference: hp://www.idiotsguides.com/sta"c/quickguides/religionspirituality/understanding-islam-beliefs-andteachings.html" 4 November 2014 / Muharram – Safar 1435 AH Volume 24, Issue 10 COMMUNITYVOICE Ten Principles of Success in the Light of Sirah By Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah. (Al-Ahzab 33:21) Prophet Muhammad -peace and blessings of Allah be upon him- was Allah's messenger. He came to guide all humanity to the right path. His mission was to show the way of success in this world and salvation in the hereafter. He gave us the best example in his own life and those who followed him truly and sincerely they were the most successful people. By studying his life (Sirah) we can learn many important principles for living a successful life here and achieving the eternal success in the life to come. Few years ago in one of our Sirah Conferences Maulana Waheeduddin Khan, a prominent Muslim thinker and writer from India, spoke and gave us ten principles of success in the light of Sirah. Today I would like to remind us these principles. They are useful in all situations and should be kept in mind always. 1. First Principle: To begin from the possible This principle is well explained in a saying of Sayyidah A'ishah -may Allah be pleased with her. She said: "Whenever the Prophet had to choose between two options, he always opted for the easier choice." (AlBukhari) To choose the easiest option means to begin from the possible; and one who begins from the possible will surely reach his goal. 2. Second Principle: To see advantage in disadvantage In the early days of Mecca, there were many problems and difficulties. At that time, a guiding verse in the Qur'an was revealed. It said: "With every hardship there is ease, with every hardship there is ease." (94:5-6). This means that if there are some problems, there are also opportunities at the same time. And the way to success is to know the problems but also to avail the opportunities. 3. Third Principle: To change the place of action This principle is derived from the Hijrah. Hijrah was not just a migration from Mecca to Medina. It was to find a more suitable place for Islamic work, as history proved later on. 4. Fourth Principle: To make a friend out of an enemy The Prophet -peace be upon him- was repeatedly subjected to practices of antagonism by the unbelievers. At that time the Qur'an enjoined upon him the return of good for evil. And then, as the Qur'an added, "You will see your direst enemy has become your closest friend" (41:34).It means that a good deed in return of a bad deed has a conquering effect over your enemies. And the life of the Prophet is a historical proof of this principle. 5. Fifth Principle: To turn minus into plus After the Battle of Badr, about 70 of the unbelievers were taken as the prisoners of war. Some of them were educated people. The Prophet (saw) announced that if any one of them would teach ten Muslim children how to read and write he would be freed. This was the first school in the history of Islam in which all of the students were Muslims, and all of the teachers were from the enemy rank. A British Orientalist remarked about the Prophet, "He faced adversity with the determination to wring success out of failure." 5 November 2014 / Muharram – Safar 1435 AH Volume 24, Issue 10 COMMUNITYVOICE Ten Principles of Success in the Light of Sirah (cont’d) By Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi 6. Sixth Principle: The power of peace is stronger than the power of violence When Mecca was conquered, all of the Prophet's direst opponents were brought before him. They were war criminals, in every sense of the word. But the Prophet did not order to kill them. He simply said: "Go, you are free." The result of this kind behavior was miraculous.They immediately accepted Islam. 7. Seventh Principle: Not to be a dichotomous thinker In the famous Ghazwa of Mu'ta, Khalid ibn al-Walid decided to withdraw Muslim forces from the battlefield because he discovered that his army was disproportionately outnumbered. When they reached Medina, some of the Muslims received them by the word " Furrarun (O deserters!)" The Prophet said "No. They are Kurrarun (those who will return and advance)." Those people of Madinah were thinking dichotomously, either fighting or retreating. The Prophet said no. There is also a third option, and that is to avoid war and find a time to strengthen yourself. Now history tells us that the Muslims, after three years of preparation, advanced again towards the Roman border and this time they won a resounding victory. 8. Eighth Principle: To bring the battle in one's own favorable field This principle is derived from the incident of Hudaibiyya. At that time, the unbelievers were determined to engage Muslims in fighting, because obviously they were in an advantageous position. But the Prophet, by accepting their conditions unilaterally, entered into a pact. It was a ten-year peace treaty. Until then, the meeting ground between Muslims and non- Muslims had been on the battlefield. Now the area of conflict became that of ideological debate. Within two years, Islam emerged as victorious because of the simple reason of its ideological superiority. 9. Ninth Principle: Gradualism instead of radicalism This principle is well established by a Hadith of Al-Bukhari. Sayyidah Aishah -may Allah be pleased with her- says that the first verses of the Qur'an were related mostly to faith, to heaven and hell. And then after a long time when people's hearts had softened, the specific commands to desist from adultery and drinking were revealed in the Qur'an. This is a clear proof that for social changes, Islam advocates the evolutionary method, rather than the revolutionary method. 10. Tenth Principle: To be pragmatic in controversial matters During the writing of Hudaibiyya treaty, the Prophet -peace be upon him- dictated these words: "This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God." The Quraysh delegate raised objections over these words. The Prophet promptly changed the word and ordered to write simply Muhammad, son of Abdullah. These were the principles through which the Prophet -peace be upon him- gained success and if we follow them today seriously and sincerely, we can also achieve success. 6 November 2014 / Muharram – Safar 1435 AH Volume 24, Issue 10 ANNOUNCEMENTS Advertise Your Business Free at ISK Display Special Limited Time Offer Only few slots are available for the advertisement and it will be on "first come first served" basis Send your adversement in Power Point Format (single slide) to November is ISK Internaonal Bazaar Month. 2014 Bazaar is scheduled on Saturday November 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It’s ISK major Public Event and a fundraiser. Its success depends upon all of us. Once again, we need your presence at the Bazaar, your generosity and assistance with the following: 1. Cras and miscellaneous new items • Handicras from your country of origin. • Cras made as a hobby. • Clothes, jewelry, kni%ed items, painngs and or any new items. 2. Food items (Savory and/or Desserts) 3. Time from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and/or 1:00 to 4:00 Jazak Allah Khairan for your help. May Allah reward you abundantly P.S. We have placed boxes in the Community Hall. Please drop oﬀ stuﬀ [item 1(a, b and c)] in these boxes at your earliest convenience. This would assist the organizers to prepare items for sale. 7 When: Saturday, November 22, 2014 Where: Islamic Center of Kingston (1477 Sydenham Rd) Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Exotic International Foods International Hot and Cold Beverages Henna Hand Painting Exquisite Crafts Boutiques from Around the World And much, much more.... For more info call: (613) 531- 8340 - (613)389-9731 Or Visit: www.kingstonmuslims.ca November 2014 / Muharram – Safar 1435 AH Volume 24, Issue 10 ISKINFORMATION PRAYERTIMESATTHEICK DATES FAJR ZUHR ASR MAGHRIB ISHA Nov 10-16 6:40 12:30 3:10 Sunset+5 7:40 Nov 17-23 6:40 12:30 3:10 Sunset+5 7:40 Nov 24-30 6:40 12:30 3:05 Sunset+5 740 Dec 1-7 6:40 12:30 3:00 Sunset+5 7:40 Dec 8-14 6:40 12:30 2:55 Sunset+5 7:40 Dec 15-21 6:40 12:30 2:55 Sunset+5 7:40 PrayerNotes: • Jum’akhutbastartsat12:40 • TimesshownareforIqamah,Adhanwillbecalled10minutesearlier. • Duringcommunityevents,Asrmaybeprayedearlier WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BOND? Next Submission Due Date: Friday December 5th, 2014 The Bond will accept arcles from individuals on any given topic if the editors consider them useful informaon for the whole community. Please consider subming 1 or 2 column arcle for consideraon Submit to: [email protected] Next Publicaon Date (Inshallah): Friday, December 12th, 2014 Disclaimer The views and/or assertions expressed in THE BOND are the sole responsibility of their author(s) and do not necessarily reﬂect those of the newsletter committee, nor of the Islamic Society of Kingston and its oﬃcer. 8