My Productive Ramadan Drive at Half Date

Ramadan is almost over but not over. So use these last few days and give sadaqa for the sake of Allah. Half Date has some awesome Sadaqa drive that you can contribute to.

DateDrive of Ramadan 1430/Sept 2009

Alhamdulillah, this is the 2nd Ramadan for HalfDate. Last year, HalfDaters helped to raise over $20,000 and have completed several projects, see this article. This year, we will have a productivity race among supporters of different projects, because Ramadan is a month of productivity, not laziness.

So, this drive will include:

1. A productivity training for you, click here
2. Volunteer for this drive, just pick the days you want to volunteer, click here
3. A productivity race among non-profit projects (each week only those projects that met certain goals will be advanced to the next round, the finalists will get special prize, inshaAllah)

GET INVOLVED: http://halfdate.com/2009/08/17/my-pro…

Napoleon from the Outlawz – Darkness2Light Event Video

asSalaam ‘alaykum wa Rahamtullah,

alhamdulillah

Mad props to Belal from LeechOn Films for recording and producing this and putting it up on YouTube. And not to forget the Rutgers MSA who put this event on back on March 24th. I don’t have to say much else but read this first and then of you haven’t watched the previous video, watch it. And then insha’Allah watch the following videos-

Part 1 -Opening Recittation

Part 2 – The Fitrah

Part 3 – Introduction

Part 4 – The Beginnings

Part 5 – Death Coming

Part 6 – Redemption

Part 7 – Sense

Part 8 – Destination

Ahmed Sidky: The Hereafter Workshop

asSalaam ‘alaykum wa Rahamtullah,

Masha’Allah this is an awesome workshop by Ahmed Sidky. The recording was done at UT Austin on Friday February 9th, 2007. The same workshop but a little bit more detailed and intensive one was done at Masjid alHamza – Mission Bend Masjid on Saturday, February 10th, 2007 from ‘Asr to Isha which was recorded by Muslim Audio, alhamdulillah! So look out for the professional and official recording of this product soon from Muslim Audio!

This is a decent quality recording of the workshop by a brother from the UT MSA. I have edited the tracks due to the enormous length and split them according to the stages that Ahmed Sidky talked about. The Hereafter which includes Death, the Grave, the Last Day, Hellfire and Paradise, are fundamental concepts that every Muslim should know about. The more one knows about these concepts the more he or she will find his/her eeman increasing. Other concepts from the Hereafter like the Signs of the Day of Judgment are not mentioned in this lecture. Ahmed Sidky also did this awesome talk at the ISNA Dallas Conference in the summer of 2006 about Paradise which literally had the entire crowd in tears. Insha’Allah once I get a hold of that I will try to upload it as well. Allah Knows Best. The Total Run time for the entire recording of this workshop is about 3 Hours and 4 Minutes! Enjoy!

The Hereafter
by Ahmed Sidky

Track 1 – Intro by UT MSA
3:35 Minutes

Download Track 1

 

Track 2 – Ahmed Sidky’s Introduction and Stage 1: The Journey to Death
24:29 Minutes

Download Track 2

 

Track 3 – Satge 2: The Grave
16:28 Minutes

Download Track 3

 

Track 4 – Stage 3: The Last Day Part 1
22:15 Minutes

Download Track 4

 

Track 5 – Stage 4: The Last Day Part 2
33:57 Minutes

Download Track 5

 

Track 6 – Stage 5: The Hell Fire
24:52 Minutes

Download Track 6

 

Track 7 – Stage 6: Paradise Part 1
29:21 Minutes

Download Track 7

 

Track 8 – Stage 6: Paradise Part 2 and Conclusion
29:42 Minutes

Download Track 8

Lyre Bird: One of Allah’s Most Interesting Creations!

asSalaam ‘alaykum wa rahamtullah,

SUBHANALLAH!!! I actually saw this video about a year ago, and thought about putting it on my blog but totally forgot. But this has got to be the most amazing and interesting of creatures, that Allah has put upon this earth. The first time I saw this I had just finished a course in Evolutionary Biology. I was actually with a group of friends studying for the MCAT. And my first reaction after watching the video was a verbal outburst that came to me without any thought, and I said “Let evolution try to explain that!”. And I thought about what i had said and tried a little bit to look for an evolutionary explanation, I haven’t found one yet. But I was able to see that other’s have brought this example as a point of weakness for certain aspects of the theory of evolution. I keep saying SubhanAllah over and over and over again watching this video. And after this I think David Attenborough is one of my favorite show hosts/shows! May Allah Guide this man to Islam! When you get a chance try to watch this other videos online, insha’Allah. SubhanAllah! Allah’s Creation is so expansive and perfect. I can’t even begin to fathom the magnanimity of the number of species of living things on earth there are estimates around 14 million species in the world, and only about 2 million of them have been named. And the estimates I have read are even higher as to how many of them we have discovered. I remember reading in a textbook that it is very likely that we have only discovered about 5% of the species on earth. Can you Imagine that?? Well what I feel when I watch this video can not be put in word entirely, so just watch it! I just lock my eyes and drop my jaw every time!!!

SubhanAllah!!! Alhamdulillah!!! Wa Allahu Akbar!!!

Three wishes…..

asSalaam ‘alaykum wa Rahamtullah,

A dear brother (AbdulHasib) forwarded me this video and translation which was first found on IslamLife.com, Shaykh Jalal Abu alrub’s website. Masha’Allah, it is really deep.

Interviewer: Of course this is Qadr from Allah; we do not object to it. Allah says, “Perhaps you would dislike something and yet it is better for you.” However, Abdullah, tell me about the most important things that you used to have and now you don’t and wish you would have again after you have been paralyzed.

Abdullah: Three wishes??!!! I have three wishes that concern me. I am grieved by the fact that I can’t have them. The first is to be able to prostrate even one “sajdah” to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’aala). I wish I could prostrate to Allah one sajdah only to never rise from it inshaAllah. There is fear inside me. There is an ayah in the Quran that says, “…on the day when a shin will be uncovered and they will be invited to prostrate [to Allah] but they will not be able to.” (surat Noon) Today I can’t prostrate; but when I was able to walk, I had neglected many prayers. Some people may feel sad for me when they see me now. Those people were not sad when I neglected my prayers.
The second wish is to be able to turn one page of the Quran. This is something you (ie: healthy people) never think of. But for me it is like a mountain.
The third is that in a day of “Eid” or happiness or any occasion, I wish I were able enter house and give my mother a hug……(long pause).

Thank Allah!

A Meeting with Allaah…

Masha’Allah I thought this was a pretty moving video on the People of Paradise meeting with Allah. The text mentioned below is from Ibn al Qayyim’s Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad il-Afraah. The text is slightly different than the video but majority of it is the same.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukBX2TvfyQE]

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face – free from any resemblance or likeness to anything – as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: ‘O People of Paradise! Your Lord – Blessed and Exalted – requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!’ So they will say: ‘We hear and obey!’

Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet – and none of them will turn down the request of the caller – the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will order His Chair to be brought there. Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: ‘O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to reward you!’ So they will say: ‘And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?’

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller – Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names – has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: ‘O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!’ So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: ‘O Allaah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!’ So the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will laugh to them and say: ‘O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!’

So, they will all give the same response: ‘We are pleased, so be pleased with us!’ So, He will say: ‘O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!’ So, they will all give the same response: ‘Show us your Face so that we may look at it!’ So, the Lord – Mighty and Majestic – will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allaah – the Exalted – had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord – the Exalted – will speak to him and say: ‘Do you remember the day that you did this and that?’ and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: ‘O Lord! Will you not forgive me?’ So, He will say: ‘Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.’

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife…

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, l ooking at their Lord…} (al-Qiyaamah:22-3)

[from the amazing and beautiful book Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad il-Afraah by Ibn al-Qayyim, pg. 193]