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Posted:9/24/06

Assalamu Alaikum Sisters!

The website has been finally updated! (Again) Insha'Allah this website will be updated every week or every other week, depending if there are any activities in the MSA and my work load. If you have any suggestions, just email me at mabdalla@ic.sunysb.edu. We have a wonderful sisters' representative who wants to give us some fun with all that studying. So why don't you sisters join in, whenever you can?? Email her at msasis@gmail.com. Yeah, the sisters' rep just couldn't take the funky SSH program anymore, so she had to change the email address. As for me, I have to be stuck with it- oh well. Otherwise, enjoy the website and it will be a pleasure meeting the new sisters. All that there is for the new ones to do is to come around the MSA often :)

Important Tentative Dates

Ramadan: 9/23/06- Well obviously that was yesterday and for that

Ramadan Mubarak!!!!!

Then we have

• Fast-A-Thon- 10/12/06 (Thursday, to be exact)
• Eid ul-Fitr- 10/23/06 (A Monday...maybe??)
• Dhul Hijah- 12/22/06 (A Friday...maybe??)
  So that would mean that 10 days after...
• Eid ul-Adha!!!- 12/31/06 (A Sunday...maybe??)

So that's that for this semester...next semester insha'Allah I'll put up the new Islamic dates, if there will be any. After this, will be the stuff Sisters' Rep sends us through email. Btw, if you find red fonts coming out of nowhere in the posted emails...that's me talking, b/c I feel that if I intervene, then that would mean I put something in someone's mouth, which was not true.

From Marwa:

Insha'Allah I will be planning Qiyam El-Lail for the sisters. Being aware that not all sisters are on Facebook, I chose to post it up here that I will be doing it the 19th might be a Laylatul-Qadr candidate b/c it will be the 27th of Ramadan. The sisters who know how to cook.....if you bring food or cook at my dorm.....that'll be awesome. Insha'Allah it will be a great night. :)

Posted:9/29/06

If anyone has a roomate that wants to move to scheik please let me know.  I really appreciate your help.

Thanks,

sumreen

Posted:9/29/06

Volunteers Needed for Humanitarian Day - New York, NY @ 10.14.06

Islamic Relief and MSA-NY are hosting a Humanitarian Day on Saturday, October 14.  We're putting together a plan to serve people who are homeless during Ramadan.  Humanitarian Day has been happening in Los Angeles, CA for the past four years; this year, it has been expanded to Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Newark, Washington DC, Dallas, Houston, and New York.  MSA-NY will be co-hosting Humanitarian Day this year in Brooklyn, NY.

The program includes distribution of food, clothing, hygiene packs and toys for the children.  We also plan to work with a local community clinic to provide basic health screenings- blood pressure, HIV/AIDS, blood sugar tests-with referrals to medical treatment if warranted.

We are recruiting volunteers from religious institutions, community organizations and schools (MSA's).  There is a variety of work to be done both to prepare for the day and to provide all the services of the day itself.  We NEED an estimate of 250-300 volunteers!!!!

The products we distribute are either provided in-kind by local corporations or are purchases with gifts and donations from individuals and foundations/corporations.

MSA-NY and Islamic Relief are calling on EVERYONE to please volunteer on October 14 and show support to Insha'Allah the first of many Humanitarian Days. If you would like to volunteer please email Br. Mohammed Qureshi at HumDay2006@gmail.com ASAP!!!!

Insha'Allah this will be a memorable and inspirational day for humanity.

When: Saturday, October 14
Where: Brooklyn, NY (By masjid Taqwa!!!!)
Time: 10 am-2 pm
Why: To help out the less fortunate during ramadan.

Posted:9/24/06

Salaam Alaikum:

ASMA Society, B'nai Jeshurun,
St. Paul and St. Andrews Church, and
Women In Islam Inc.
Cordially Invite You to the Second Interfaith Break of Fast Dinner.

In light of everything happening in the world today, it is essential to continue building bridges of understanding with our non-Muslim neighbors to exemplify that Islam is a religion of peace and goodwill. On October 2, Jews are fasting as required of them for Yom Kippur. On that day as well, Muslims are fasting the 9th day of Ramadan. Come join the Abrahamic Faiths break bread and count blessings.

Date:Oct. 2, 2006
Time: 6:00 pm
Place: Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew (in its Parlor Room and Chapel), on the northeast corner of 86th St. and West End Ave.
Trains: 1/ 9 to 86th St.

The Islamic breaking of the fast will take place at 6:37 pm followed by Maghrib prayer. Dates and light refreshments will be available for brothers and sisters. At 7:30, we will be joined by our Jewish and Christian brothers and sisters for the main course.

Imam Feisal will be attending this interfaith break of fast to lead Isha and Tarweeh prayers at the church after the interfaith dinner and program.

If you have any further questions, please call me at 917-559-8480.

Debbie Almontaser
Women In Islam Inc.

Debbie Almontaser
Cultural Diversity Consultant
719 Westminster Rd.
Brooklyn, New York
11230
Home: 718-421-6299
Mobile: 917-559-8480

Posted:9/24/06

salaam alaykum wa rahmatullah -

Ramadan is only a week away! Now that Ramadan is here...scratch that first sentence. Often times, it takes us a few weeks before we realize - oh shoot ramadan's almost done and i havent done any major improvements in myself other than fasting and some extra taraweeh

Part of the problem is that we often do not prepare in advance for ramadan (some ahadith mention the companions preparing for ramadan upto 6 months in advance).

Anyway, attached is a "ramadan planner" that MAS Tarbiya dept put together that we can use to set some goals in different categories for ourselves and then follow-up on it every day (ideally partnering with another person or persons to remind each other).

So we can aim for some very manageable yet somewhat ambitious goals and really use ramadan to improve ourselves. So for example, we may have the categories of: Quran, Prayer, Dua, Dawah, Character, Discipline, Charity. For those catagories we may pick the following goals (just examples - pick something that's do-able for you):

Quran
- Arabic 1 para/day (i.e. finish quran)
- 10 minutes with translation

Prayer
- Pray all sunnah muakkada prayers (2 before fajr), 2 before zuhr, 2 after zuhr, 2 before maghrib, 2 after isha

Dua
- at least 2 mins focused dua after each prayer, 10mins concentrated dua before breaking fast

Da'wah
- Invite two different neighbors to iftar
- Share Islam (whether indirectly or directly) with two co-workers (example, bring 'ramadan sweets' to work - creates opportunity to talk about ramadan and also Islam)

Character:
- will not raise voice
- will not make fun or criticize anyone
- will not lose temper Even if you feel that you will lose it, just pretend that you need to go to the bathroom so badly...dash out, and make wudu (it'll calm your anger...and running will appease the need for the adrenaline rush from anger :D )
- will not backbite

Discipline
- no TV all month
- will sleep by 11pm
- will schedule quran time after fajr
- will not have unscheduled, open-ended hangout with friends/cousins

Charity/generosity
- no matter who asks for whatever reason, will give some amount no matter how tiny
- will donate something at least everyday

So you would write these down in your Ramadan timetable worksheet (It's worksheet 3 of the Ramadan spreadsheet attached) and grade yourself on it everyday.

Inshallah we will find ourselves so motivated and so spirtually uplifted and Allah will bless this initative because Ramadan is such a blessed time when the Shayateen are locked up so we only have to struggle against our nafs.

salaaam,
- bilal

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