Ramadan 2017: The Introduction

Supplication: Our Lord! Accept this service from us: For You are the All-Hearing, the All-knowing
[Quran: 2:127]

During this month of Ramadan we will explore every day great Muslim lives over the last 1400 years. Read on to find out WHY.

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Salaam All...The whole progress of humanity is an eloquent sermon on the externalization of the thoughts of those gone before. An intelligent glance over the past reveals to us many secrets, and, contemplating the struggles which men have gone through, we perceive the process of development that has resulted in the advance of character from the purely physical plane to the moral and spiritual. 

The world, consisting of more than fifty-five Muslim majority countries and nearly two billion people today, Muslims have left their fingerprints on every field of human endeavour. It is not surprising, therefore, that some of history’s most influential men and women have been Muslims. 

In the words of George Sarton, the renowned historian of science and author of Introduction to the History of Science, ‘The main tasks of mankind were accomplished by Muslims. The greatest philosopher, al-Farabi, was a Muslim; the greatest mathematicians, Abu Kamil and Ibrahim ibn Sinan, were Muslims; the greatest geographer and encyclopaedist, al-Mas’udi, was a Muslim; the greatest historian, al-Tabari, was a Muslim.’

So if when Islam is mentioned you think only of Osama Bin Laden because of the American media propaganda then be prepared to be educated...You will come to understand why 1 in every 4 human beings on earth is MUSLIM. It's because of these great moral characters. 

These shining Muslim luminaries....if only modern day politicians could quell their arrogance and learn from them....O what a world, a grand world, we would occupy.

Shamal...The lessons start from the next email!!

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Note: The genesis of doing this Ramadan project on great Muslim thinkers is amazing. A dear friend of mine had an art class...and after it was closed he said he had a few pieces. And I asked him for them. It contained two pics of Ibn Sina & Qasim Zahrawi. They were framed and put in our home/office. And my God, have they generated conversation starting with "Who are those people?" Christians. Hindus, Muslims have all benefited from the dialogue. They leave enlightened when they hear of the greatness of these men. Here's hoping that our Islamic schools can display such luminaries in their hallways so that visitors can be educated about our history...a history that has been and continues to be...TRAILBLAZING!!!

Ramadan 2017: Welcome

Supplication 1: O Allah! Grant a good end in all our matters and save us from humiliation in this world and the torment of the Hereafter.

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Salaam All...The month of Ramadan is here in spectacular glory with the new moon hanging from the Throne of God by a golden thread...

The month of Ramadan is here...where human stamina can be tempered to meet all the vicissitudes of life. Fasting & lots of prayer hold the capacity for renewal and transcendence. In Ramadan's calm and tranquility the soul revives its strength, and is fitted to help the body to subdue self. lf we would but pause for a while each day and let our thoughts dwell for a space on the Unseen World—how much better would our daily lives become—how much the more would our lower self be subdued, and the higher self fitted for success. 

Ahhh...the first night of Ramadan. It is such a night as when the trustful and believing heart is filled like a holy chalice with the rich wine of joy and gratitude,--when the soul rises to an angel's stature within its fleshly tenement, and sings 'All Praises are For God!'--when nature wears her most serene and noble aspect,--when it seems good to live, good to work, good to hope, good to love,--good to be even the smallest portion of the divine and splendid order of the Universe.

This sacred month is meant to shape our experiences by turning adversity into advantage and obstacles into opportunities. It offers a resting point for reflection on where we wish to go from here so that we can live a life free of limiting beliefs.

Each of us needs tremendous courage to keep from being overwhelmed by our own troubles and the distrust and hostility afoot in our world today. This rejuvenating month will provide the resources, the practices, and the access to a global community we need to develop inner strength and resiliency for the journey down the shape-shifting road that lies ahead.

Quran: "Fast...if you only knew"...Better even than curing the body is to rise above it; to be its master, and not to be tyrannized over by it; not to abuse it, not to pander to it, never to put its claims before virtue; to discipline and moderate its pleasures, and not to be overcome by its pains—in a word, to live in the poise and strength of the moral powers, this, better than bodily cure, is yet a safe way to cure, and it is a permanent source of mental vigor and spiritual repose. 

Shamal...A Blessed & Pure Ramadan to all of you.