Salams all,
Here's the link to the introduction to the Ramadan topic which was held yesterday for the discussion circle.
Showing posts with label Discussion Circle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Discussion Circle. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Heedlessness, June 24, 2008
Below is the 15 min introduction to the topic of heedlessness. There is some background noise however since we had the lecture outdoors.
I also wanted to add an afterthought that came to me. It was mentioned that getting out of a state of heedlessness requires that one may need to stand out against a crowd and thus may be humiliated. Compare however, the humiliation that one may experience in this world for standing up for what is right to that of the humiliation which one will face for not standing up to the truth on the Day of Judgment. Indeed the latter is much more severe.
Heedlessness, Bassem, June 24th, 2008
I also wanted to add an afterthought that came to me. It was mentioned that getting out of a state of heedlessness requires that one may need to stand out against a crowd and thus may be humiliated. Compare however, the humiliation that one may experience in this world for standing up for what is right to that of the humiliation which one will face for not standing up to the truth on the Day of Judgment. Indeed the latter is much more severe.
Heedlessness, Bassem, June 24th, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Editing our lives
Salams all,
I've finally managed to upload an audio recording of the discussion circle which took place on April 22nd, 2008. Click the link below!
The topic was "Editing our lives". The recording is a 23 min reminder on the topic. Alhamdullah those who attended really liked it, so I hope you do too, and don't be shy to share your comments.
http://www.msamcgill.com/msamcgill/TreeShadeBlog/Editing our lives, short reminder, Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008.WMA
I've finally managed to upload an audio recording of the discussion circle which took place on April 22nd, 2008. Click the link below!
The topic was "Editing our lives". The recording is a 23 min reminder on the topic. Alhamdullah those who attended really liked it, so I hope you do too, and don't be shy to share your comments.
http://www.msamcgill.com/msamcgill/TreeShadeBlog/Editing our lives, short reminder, Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008.WMA
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Remembering Remembrance
Tuesday, April 7th, 2008
Today our discussion topic title was "Remembering Remembrance" the third and last session of the "Islam as a core" series.
Recap
In the first session "A day in the life of the Prophet (S)" we reflected first on the importance of the Prophet (S) as a model and then discussed how the Prophet (S) divided his day and how he scheduled his different activities during a 24hour day.
In the second session "Intentions, actions and the sunnah", we discussed i) the importance of intentions being in line with the commands of Allah, ii) The importance of acting out actions in the right manner and iii) how the best actions are those which are in accordance to the sunnah.
In today's session be built upon the previous two sessions; we discussed how the Prophet (S) taught us to use remembrance as a way to state our intentions and examples of his (S) remembrance throughout the day.
Vereses
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me. 051.056
Some verses about remembrance to reflect on:
فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ
Therefore remember Me, I will remember you. Give thanks to Me, and reject not Me. 002.152
وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُواْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُواْ اللّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَى مَا فَعَلُواْ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
And those who, when they do an evil thing or wrong themselves, remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins - Who forgiveth sins save Allah only? - and will not knowingly repeat (the wrong) they did. 003.135
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي الألْبَابِ
190 الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىَ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذا بَاطِلاً سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ191
Such as remember Allah, standing, sitting, and reclining, and consider the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and say): Our Lord! Thou createdst not this in vain. Glory be to Thee! Preserve us from the doom of Fire. 191 Those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying on their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our Lord! Thou hast not created this in vain! Glory be to Thee; save us then from the chastisement of the fire. 003.190-1
Hadiths
We also mentioned the hadith mentioned in Imam Nawawi's book "al-adhkar", that (with the meaning of) 'the like of he who remembers his Lord and he who doesn't is like a living person and a dead person', Chapter 2 hadith 11. We also mentioned a hadith in the introduction of the adhkar, informing us (with the meaning of) that when 'a group of people sit down to remember Allah, the angels surround them, Mercy encompasses them, and serenity falls upon them and Allah remembers them in His gathering'.
Disucssion
The remaining of the discussion revolved around:
- stories from the sahaba showing how they integrated remembrance of Allah in their everyday lives.
- The best remembrance is that which the Prophet (S) taught us, yet if we don't have any of his teachings memorized then we can try our best to remember Allah in our own words.
Please add any stories/reflections that you would like to share about the topic
Today our discussion topic title was "Remembering Remembrance" the third and last session of the "Islam as a core" series.
Recap
In the first session "A day in the life of the Prophet (S)" we reflected first on the importance of the Prophet (S) as a model and then discussed how the Prophet (S) divided his day and how he scheduled his different activities during a 24hour day.
In the second session "Intentions, actions and the sunnah", we discussed i) the importance of intentions being in line with the commands of Allah, ii) The importance of acting out actions in the right manner and iii) how the best actions are those which are in accordance to the sunnah.
In today's session be built upon the previous two sessions; we discussed how the Prophet (S) taught us to use remembrance as a way to state our intentions and examples of his (S) remembrance throughout the day.
Vereses
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me. 051.056
- Reflecting upon this, one might ask how can one make every waking moment of his life into worship. One activity that we can embark on to fill our lives with worship is remembrance (Dhikr).
Some verses about remembrance to reflect on:
فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ
Therefore remember Me, I will remember you. Give thanks to Me, and reject not Me. 002.152
وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُواْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُواْ اللّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَى مَا فَعَلُواْ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
And those who, when they do an evil thing or wrong themselves, remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins - Who forgiveth sins save Allah only? - and will not knowingly repeat (the wrong) they did. 003.135
- This verse is describing those who ward off (evil), or the Mutakeen.
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي الألْبَابِ
190 الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىَ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذا بَاطِلاً سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ191
Such as remember Allah, standing, sitting, and reclining, and consider the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and say): Our Lord! Thou createdst not this in vain. Glory be to Thee! Preserve us from the doom of Fire. 191 Those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying on their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our Lord! Thou hast not created this in vain! Glory be to Thee; save us then from the chastisement of the fire. 003.190-1
Hadiths
We also mentioned the hadith mentioned in Imam Nawawi's book "al-adhkar", that (with the meaning of) 'the like of he who remembers his Lord and he who doesn't is like a living person and a dead person', Chapter 2 hadith 11. We also mentioned a hadith in the introduction of the adhkar, informing us (with the meaning of) that when 'a group of people sit down to remember Allah, the angels surround them, Mercy encompasses them, and serenity falls upon them and Allah remembers them in His gathering'.
Disucssion
The remaining of the discussion revolved around:
- stories from the sahaba showing how they integrated remembrance of Allah in their everyday lives.
- The best remembrance is that which the Prophet (S) taught us, yet if we don't have any of his teachings memorized then we can try our best to remember Allah in our own words.
Please add any stories/reflections that you would like to share about the topic
Monday, April 7, 2008
Weekly Discussion Circle: purpose and structure
The purpose of the discussion circle is to provide a venue for us to present and share ideas and concerns which affect us on an individual level or as a society as a whole.
The structure of the sessions is a 15 min introduction of the topic by one of the members followed by 45-60min group discussion.
Last semester the discussion circle was characterized by having an open, respectful, non-judgmental and comfortable environment. Topics discussed last semester included: Problems faced by international and first-year students, culture shock, religious diversity, how Islam guides our relationship with our Lord and with people, backbiting, double standards among Muslims, gender interactions, handling stress, and dealing with different opinions.
Please spread this to those who you think will benefit.
If you have any questions please email me.
Salams
Bassem
ps. Below are some topic suggestions that we will be discussing this semester. Please respond to this message by selecting the one that most interests you or suggest a topic that you would like to be discussed and send it to bghamian@gmail.com
Balancing our lives: stories from the sahaba
Session about how to balance our spiritual lives with our professional lives.
The place of culture in Islam
A session explaining how Islam dealt with the different cultures of different nations and how it applies today.
Forgotten Manners
A session on Islam's emphasis on manners and the role of manners in an Islamic revival.
Dawah- two understandings
A session about the two different perceptions of what dawah is.
Islam as a core: a three part series
Part 1: A day in the life of the Prophet peace be upon him.
A session detailing how the Prophet divided his day and carried out his activities, a lifestyle which is followed till this day by the most productive individuals in society, both Muslim and non-Muslim.
Part 2: The components of good deeds: Action, Intention, and the Sunnah
Explaining the essentials of good deeds focusing on intentions and defining the sunnah.
The structure of the sessions is a 15 min introduction of the topic by one of the members followed by 45-60min group discussion.
Last semester the discussion circle was characterized by having an open, respectful, non-judgmental and comfortable environment. Topics discussed last semester included: Problems faced by international and first-year students, culture shock, religious diversity, how Islam guides our relationship with our Lord and with people, backbiting, double standards among Muslims, gender interactions, handling stress, and dealing with different opinions.
Please spread this to those who you think will benefit.
If you have any questions please email me.
Salams
Bassem
ps. Below are some topic suggestions that we will be discussing this semester. Please respond to this message by selecting the one that most interests you or suggest a topic that you would like to be discussed and send it to bghamian@gmail.com
Balancing our lives: stories from the sahaba
Session about how to balance our spiritual lives with our professional lives.
The place of culture in Islam
A session explaining how Islam dealt with the different cultures of different nations and how it applies today.
Forgotten Manners
A session on Islam's emphasis on manners and the role of manners in an Islamic revival.
Dawah- two understandings
A session about the two different perceptions of what dawah is.
Islam as a core: a three part series
Part 1: A day in the life of the Prophet peace be upon him.
A session detailing how the Prophet divided his day and carried out his activities, a lifestyle which is followed till this day by the most productive individuals in society, both Muslim and non-Muslim.
Part 2: The components of good deeds: Action, Intention, and the Sunnah
Explaining the essentials of good deeds focusing on intentions and defining the sunnah.
Part 3: Remembering remembrance.
A session on remembrance as a worship and how to implement it in our every living second.
A session on remembrance as a worship and how to implement it in our every living second.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Islam as a core: Part 1: A day in the life of the Prophet peace be upon him.
Salams,
So we resumed our discussion circle on Tuesday, March 25th, 2008. The topic was: A day in the life of the Prophet peace be upon him.
Here's a short summary my notes which the discussion evolved around and some references. It should talk about 3 min to read.
-We started by mentioning a few verses from the Quran to discuss the importance of the Prophet and why we follow him. here are the ones we discussed.
- لقد جاءكم رسول من أنفسكم عزيز عليه ما عنتم حريص عليكم بالمؤمنين رؤوف رحيم [ سورة التوبة /9 : الآية 128 ]
There hath come unto you a messenger, (one) of yourselves, unto whom aught that ye are overburdened is grievous, full of concern for you, for the believers full of pity, merciful.
- كما أرسلنا فيكم رسولا منكم يتلو عليكم آياتنا ويزكيكم ويعلمكم الكتاب والحكمة ويعلمكم ما لم تكونوا تعلمون [ سورة البقرة /2 : الآية 151 ]
Even as We have sent unto you a messenger from among you, who reciteth unto you Our revelations and causeth you to grow, and teacheth you the Scripture and wisdom, and teacheth you that which ye knew not.
- من يطع الرسول فقد أطاع الله [ سورة النساء / 4 : الآية 80
Whoso obeyeth the messenger hath obeyed Allah
- قل إن كنتم تحبون الله فاتبعوني يحببكم الله ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم والله غفور رحيم * قل أطيعوا الله والرسول فإن تولوا فإن الله لا يحب الكافرين [سورة آل عمران / 3 : الآية31 ـ 32 ]
31. Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
32. Say: Obey Allah and the messenger. But if they turn away, lo! Allah loveth not the disbelievers (in His guidance).
-We then got into the core of the topic.
· Night time is from maghrib till farj. So usually between 9-12 hours
· The Prophet (S) would divide up the nights into thirds.
· He (S) would postpone praying Isha until after the first third of the night
· After Isha he (S) did not interact with people and encouraged the sahabah not to do so too.
· He (S) would then sleep and wake up before fajr for tahajud.
· Then pray fajr and stay in worship till Duha time (15min after sunrise)
· From Fajr to Duhur he (S) would go on with his daily affairs
· Depending on the season he (S) would take a 10-15 min before or after Duhur (power nap)
· Between Duhur and Asr he (S) would continue his affairs
· Between Asr and Maghrib was a time when he (S) ate and spent time with the family
· Between Maghrib and Isha was a time of worship
· As we can see the Prophet (S) established his schedule around the 5 daily prayers.
· For the geeky ones out there I strongly suggest you research Circadian Rhythm or the internal body clock and you will see how modern research actually advises to follow the sleeping pattern of the Prophet (S)!
· The remaining of the session revolved around the experiences we each have and the difficulties encountered when trying to follow such an example.
· We didn’t discuss much from the Sleep etiquettes lecture below but I’d strongly recommend you listen to it.
· Please share additional references or ideas on topic
· Next weeks topic: Balancing Dunya and Akira/ professional/academic life with spiritual life
References:
· Sleep etiquettes (Sh. Husain Abdul Sattar) ~1hr
http://www.sacredlearning.org/audio/general/2007/etiquettes_sleep.m3u
· Scheduling our day (Sh. Husain Abdul Sattar) ~28min
http://www.sacredlearning.org/audio/general/2005/scheduling_day.m3u
· Al-Shifa. Qadi Ayad (Arabic) book one chapter one.
· Muhamad Alghazali. The art of Dhkir and Supplication. (Arabic) Dar Al-KalamP19-24
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