ALHUDAALHUDAALHUDA Semester 1, 2012Semester 1, 2012Semester 1, 2012

south islandsouth islandsouth island

brothers’ campbrothers’ campbrothers’ camp

inside:

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contents from the president 3

your exec 5

regular & upcoming activities 6

brothers’ welcome gathering 7

dear youth! 8

reaping the benefits of ramadan 9

south island brothers’ camp 11

the true muslimah 14

published by

Muslim University Students’ Association (MUSA)

University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

contact details

cell: 022 islam 2 u

email: admin@otagomusa.com

web: http://otagomusa.com

written correspondence to

MUSA c/o OUSA

PO Box 1432

Dunedin 9054

alhudaalhudaalhuda semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012

page 2

cover: native bush, gunns bush, waimate

background: alhuda mosque, dunedin

from the president Assalam Alykum Wa RahmatAllah Wa Barakaatu everyone!

OOO n behalf of MUSA, I would like to welcome you to the AlHuda Magazine for Semester one,

2012. In this issue, we capture all the excitement of the first half of 2012, which has so far been busy but fulfilling alhamdulilah.

Creativity and imagination have been top on the agenda for the MUSA Executive commit-tee since election in October 2011. Firstly, we started with the successful purchase of our own domain, http://otagomusa.com, which is now up and running alhamdulilah, and is reg-

ularly

updated with our various activities – so

check out the above website and add it to your favourites! We also set about developing a new MUSA logo, and after several drafts and unanimous agreement on one design, we

finished with the stylish logo displayed on the front cover. Not only does it symbolize Islam and Muslims through the minaret and dome, but it also illustrates our connection to the University of Otago as a student association

through the University logo.

January 2012, and the dawn of the new aca-demic year was fast approaching. So, we con-

centrated our efforts on membership and strategies to attract new and returning Mus-lim students in Dunedin to sign up with MU-

SA. MashaAllah, introduction of membership cards with discounts at Halal outlets around town, free branded totes and Halal meat &

chicken discounts at the Mosque have all proven appealing initiatives, boosting our membership to record numbers – from a floundering 20 in 2011, to almost 70 brothers and sisters in 2012! So, a big jazakumAllah

khairan to all the brothers and sisters who helped with our stall during Clubs Day – your input and contribution is greatly appre-ciated.

Our first major event this year was the Broth-ers’ welcome gathering, held at the Mosque in early March. Secondly, a paintball event was also held in March, which was thoroughly en-

joyed by all the brothers attending. Our final highlight was the Brothers’ camp, held with great success in mid-April alhamdulilah. Read on to find out and enjoy the photo high-

lights and engaging recounts of the welcome gathering and camp.

In collaboration with our Sheikh, our Da’wah officer has also put together a weekly educa-

tional programme at the Mosque which in-corporates a range of activities, including See-rah (Biography) of the Prophet SAWS, Quran Halaqah (circle) and Saturday video lecture

screenings. Many brothers and sisters are fa-miliar with and attend these activities regu-larly alhamdulilah. The timetable is available in the Mosque foyer and can also be viewed

online, at http://otagomusa.com/regular-classes.

page 3

“introduction of membership cards, “introduction of membership cards, “introduction of membership cards,

... free branded totes and Halal ... free branded totes and Halal ... free branded totes and Halal

meat & chicken discounts... have all meat & chicken discounts... have all meat & chicken discounts... have all

proven appealing initiatives ... “proven appealing initiatives ... “proven appealing initiatives ... “

page 4

alhudaalhudaalhuda semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012

TTT o conclude, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all the brothers and sisters who have joined us this year, particularly those who are new to Dunedin. I would also like to take this opportunity to give some humble advice to myself and all the students, firstly by stressing the importance of staying close to the Mosque

and attending the daily prayers in congregation. As the semester unfolds and study becomes foremost in our minds, we may be inclined, for instance, to pray at home rather than at the Mosque to save ourselves more time. We must always try to avoid such habits, especially during this blessed month of Ramadan, and instead try to set aside whatever time we can

each day to recite some verses of the Quran, attend the daily prayers and Taraweeh at the Mosque, and make du’a to Allah SWT. Be sure that only Allah SWT will grant you success in your studies, and if you please Him by remembering Him in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet SAWS, praying at the Mosque, and fearing Him SWT, then He will answer your

prayers and supplication enshaAllah.

Coming up in September is our annual Islam Awareness Week, where we will be organising an exhibition, mosque open days, a Muslim Food Fest, and other great activities enshaAllah. Please keep in touch as we will be needing plenty of volunteers.

I ask Allah SWT to help us remain steadfast on His straight path, to make all our studies smooth and easy, and to accept our fasting and good deeds in this blessed month – Aameen.

Here I leave you to ponder over the beautiful meanings of this hadith of the Prophet SAWS, provided firstly in Arabic, and translated into English thereafter:

عن بن عباس رضي هللا عنهما قال : كنت خلف النبي صلى هللا عليه وسلم يوما ، فقال : ) يا غالم ، إني أعلمك كلمات :

احفظ هللا يحفظك ، احفظ هللا تجده تجاهك ، إذا سألت فاسأل هللا ، وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله ، واعلم أن األمة لو

اجتمعت على أن ينفعـوك بشيء ، لم ينفعوك إال بشيء قد كتبه هللا لك ، وإن اجتمعوا على أن يضروك بشيء ، لم

يضروك إال بشيء قد كتبه هللا عليك، رفعت األقالم وجفت الصحف ] رواه الترمذي وقال : حديث حسن صحيح [

Ibn Abbas RAA narrates: One day I was [riding] behind the Prophet SAWS, and he said to me: Young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask Allah;

if you seek help, seek the help of Allah. Know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lift-ed and the pages have dried. [Al-Tirmidhi]

JazakumAllah khairan, and I wish you all the best for the second semester.

Wassalam

Mostafa Amer

MUSA President

page 5

coming up

your exec

ramadan

page 6

alhudaalhudaalhuda semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012

weekly activities

coming up quran competition * sat 11th aug, after asr

islam awareness week mon 3rd - sun 9th sept

annual MUSA AGM & elections sun 30th sept (T.B.C)

* see p. 15 for more info

ramadan daily ramadan quiz details in mosque foyer

musa fundraiser stalls large & small prayer halls

daily islamic talks after fajr prayer and iftaar

brothers’ welcome gathering

A classic Dunedin day: a cool southerly on its way, ready to unleash a deluge of rain; an icy wind that rattles your bones; dense, menacing clouds preparing to mask the warm rays of the sun. Needless to say, initial plans to hold the welcome gathering outdoors at Forrester Park were quickly abandoned.

So instead, the gathering was held at the Mosque after Dhuhr prayer, on Sunday

the 4th of March, with a fairly large at-

tendance (around 25 brothers) alham-dulilah. With everyone seated in a large circle in the small prayer hall, the gather-ing began with a welcome and introduc-tion by the MUSA President. Each broth-er was then invited to introduce himself to the rest of the group in turn, giving his name, country of origin, and area of study. Senior brothers also had the op-portunity to give advice to new students joining us in Dunedin this year.

Ok, enough formalities. Now it was time to involve everyone in some sports. With everyone in the large hall, Br Rajol took the helm and explained the rules of dodgeball. Everyone quickly got the gist

of the game and the pace began to pick up. To add flavour, Br Rajol also threw in some tricky rules like throwing the ball with your non-dominant hand and not being allowed to hold the ball more than 5 seconds. MashaAllah, it was easy to see everyone was enjoying themselves and getting involved.

In the meantime, a tantalizing whiff of the BBQ being prepared on the Mosque

doorstep had wormed its way into the hall, reminding brothers of their groaning stomachs. So with the BBQ ready, broth-ers settled in the foyer for lunch. Steam-

ing sausages and patties, onions, tomato sauce and mustard – this was definitely not the time to diet.

With tummies full and satisfied, some brothers filed back through into the large hall for volleyball, while others left to re-turn home. The volleyball continued for

about half an hour, after which the gath-ering concluded.

A big jazakumAllah khairan to all those

who helped make the event a success, and I am sure all those who attended had a great time. I look forward to getting the new brothers involved in our activities this semester enshaAllah.

page 7

“MashaAllah, it was easy to see “MashaAllah, it was easy to see “MashaAllah, it was easy to see

everyone was enjoying themselves everyone was enjoying themselves everyone was enjoying themselves

and getting involved.“and getting involved.“and getting involved.“

by mostafa amer

alhuda mosque, 4th march

page 8

alhudaalhudaalhuda semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012

dear youth!

HHH ave you ever seen a man whose

back has become hunched, his hair grey, his steps heavy and his teeth lost? He has difficulty in

praying, fasting, eating and drinking. He was once a young man like you. He lived the life of young men. He walked, played and enter-tained himself as young men do. He thought that the days of young age will be long and

the strength of youth will last forever...

Today, after he has become old and weak, afflicted with many ailments, he cries over his past. He cries over the time he wasted in vain

play and worthless actions. He cries over the strength which has departed him and wishes to regain it so that he would utilize it in the obedience of Allah. But it is too late. Every

new day calls upon the son of Adam saying, ‘O son of Adam! I am a new day, and will be a witness to what you do, so take advantage of me, because once I leave I will never come back until the day of Resurrection’.

RememberRememberRemember the saying of the

Prophet SAWS, “There are two bounties to

which people do not give their due thanks (do not utilize properly): health and spare time” [Al-Bukhari]. You are in the age of strength and health, and have a lot of time to utilize, so why don’t you take advantage of

this time by using it to do what brings you closer to Allah and benefits you in the Hereaf-ter?

Abdullaah bin Mas’ood RAA said, ‘I hate to see a man not utilizing his time in something use-ful for his life in this world or the life in the

Hereafter’. Ibn Shaybaan, may Allah have mer-

cy on him, said, ‘He who preserves his time and, does not waste it in what displeases Al-lah; Allah will preserve for him his religion and worldly affairs.’

Dear youth! Remember the following:

Your life is a capital you possess, so do not waste it in unbeneficial things.

Be selective in the company you keep and do not befriend evil people.

Guard your prayers, because they are your rescuers. And do not sleep through the

dawn (Fajr) prayer.

Perform Wudhoo’ even when you find it hard to do so, attend the congregational prayer and spend time in the mosque wait-ing for the next prayer.

Get yourself used to spending in charity be-cause it relieves you from many hardships.

Recite a portion from the Quran daily.

Increase your remembrance of and suppli-cation to Allah, because Allah loves those who remember Him and supplicate to Him.

Attend sessions of knowledge, because

seeking knowledge is an obligation.

Be humble because arrogant people will not be admitted into Paradise.

Obey your parents, because rebellious peo-

ple will not enter Paradise.

Avoid music and singing, because their love and the love of the Quran can never be combined in one heart.

Lower your gaze, as it is the action of the pious.

adapted from “Young men be productive” www.islamweb.net

reaping the benefits of ramadan

It is very important that we spend a few moments to understand some of the wisdoms and lessons that we can learn from this blessed month of fasting. We should use this

month to reflect on and correct our behaviour, attitudes and intentions – whether in re-lation to acts of worship, or in relation to our day-to-day life. Ramadan is a month where

we should strive to move closer to Allah SWT, where we should ‘recharge’ our Imaan for the subsequent 11 months of the year. This is why we need to reflect on some of these les-

sons.

page 9

adapted from http://www.huda.tv/articles

LLL ESSON 1: ESSON 1: ESSON 1: GAINING TAQWAA

Allah SWT legislated fasting for gaining Taqwaa (piety). Allah says in the Quran:

يام كما تب عليكم الص ها الذين آمنوا ك يا أيم تتقون م لعلك تب على الذين من قبلك ك

]البقرة["O you who believe, fasting has been pre-scribed upon you as it has been prescribed upon those before you, so that you may at-tain Taqwaa." [Al-Baqarah V2:183]

Taqwaa in this case means to make a shield between oneself and Allah’s anger and Hell-

fire. So we should ask ourselves, when we break our fast, ‘Has this fasting day made us fear Allah more? Has it increased our deter-mination to protect ourselves from the hell-fire or not?

LESSON 2: DRAWING CLOSER TO

ALLAH SWT

This is achieved by reciting and reflecting on the Quran, attending the Ta-raweeh prayers, remem-bering Allah, and sitting in circles of knowledge. Also, making I`tikaaf in

the Mosque in the last ten nights of Ramadan, so as to leave all worldly pursuits and seclude one-self in an effort to bring one-self closer to Allah SWT. When one sins, one feels distant from Allah due to the burden of his sins, and loses the sweetness of Imaan and obe-dience. On the other hand, the obedient wor-shipper does not carry the shame of his sins and hence feels the happiness of worshipping Allah SWT and wants to do more good deeds

to draw closer and closer to Him.

LESSON 3: ACQUIRING PATIENCE AND STRONG WILL

Allah has mentioned patience more than sev-enty times in the Quran and has commanded patience in more than sixteen ways in His

“Ramadan is a month where we “Ramadan is a month where we “Ramadan is a month where we

should... ‘recharge’ our Imaan for the should... ‘recharge’ our Imaan for the should... ‘recharge’ our Imaan for the

subsequent 11 months of the year.”subsequent 11 months of the year.”subsequent 11 months of the year.”

page 10

Book. So when one fasts, and gives up one’s food and drink, and all worldly pleasures for those hours, one learns restraint and pa-tience. This Ummah needs men and women

who are strong willed, who can stand behind the Sunnah and the Book of Allah and not waver in front of the enemies of Allah.

LESSON 4: LESSON 4: LESSON 4: STRIVING FOR IHSAAN (RIGHTEOUSNESS AND SINCERITY) AND

STAYING AWAY FROM RIYAA’ (SHOWING OFF)

Ihsaan means to worship Al-lah as if one sees Him, and

even though one does not see Him, He sees all.

Hasan al-Basree said, "By Allah, in the last twenty years, I have not said a word or taken something with

my hand or refrained to take something

with my hand or stepped forth or

stepped back, except that I have thought before I have

done any action, ‘Does Allah love this action? Is Allah pleased

with this action?' So when one is fasting, one should gain this quality of watching one-self and also staying away from ri-yaa’ (showing off). This is why Allah SWT said in the Qudsee (Divine) hadeeth, "Fasting is for Me and I reward it." [Al-Bukhari]

Allah singles out fasting from all other types of worship saying, "Fasting is for Me", be-cause no one knows whether you are fasting

or not, except Allah. For example, when one is praying or giving charity, one can be seen

by the people, so one might do the action seeking the praise of the people. Sufyaan ath-Thawree used to cry day and night, and the people used to ask him, "Why do you cry, is

it due to the fear of Allah? He said, ‘No.’ They said, "Is it due to the fear of the Hellfire?" He said, ‘No. It is not the fear of Hellfire that makes me cry, what makes me cry is that I

have been worshipping Allah all these years and doing scholarly teaching, and I am not certain that my intentions are purely for Al-lah.’"

LESSON 5: REFINEMENT OF MANNERS, ESPECIALLY TRUTHFULNESS

The Prophet SAWS said, "Whoever does not

abandon falsehood in word and action, then Allah SWT has no need that he should leave his food and drink." [Al-Bukhari]

Thus, we must pay attention to the purifica-

tion of our manners. The Prophet SAWS said, "I was sent to perfect good man-ners." [Malik]

LESSON 6: RECOGNIZING THAT ONE CAN

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER

The Prophet SAWS said, "Every son of Adam sins and the best of the sinners are those who repent." [Ibn Maajah]

Allah provides many opportunities for us to repent to Him and seek His forgiveness. If one is disobedient he can become obedient.

LESSON 7: BEING MORE CHARITABLE

Ibn Abbas said, "The Prophet SAWS was the most charitable amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan

when Jibreel used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month…" [Al-Bukhari]

alhudaalhudaalhuda semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012

south island brothers’ camp

OneOneOne might expect that a camp held 180 km away from Dunedin would not be received with much enthusiasm. Well, perhaps. But now looking back, I can

say that this year’s camp was – on the contrary – a tremendous success alhamdulilah.

page 11

by shakeel mirza

gunns bush, 14th –15th april

feature feature feature

Firstly, a massive thank you to all brothers (and their families) involved in the 2012 South Island Brother's Camp. It was inspir-ing and humbling to see all the brothers working together, putting in that extra effort that was needed to carry the various respon-

sibilities to completion – from extreme mar-athon driving (Brs Hamza, Iqbal and others), to cooking for 30 – 40 people, to seeing

what a Spartan is made of (Brs Rajol Kochlashvili, Aimal Barekzai and a few very bruised others ; p ) – everyone, those I have mentioned and those I have not, rose tre-mendously to the occasion.

This year we were privileged to have Sheikh

Munir from Christchurch as a guest speaker, as well as Sheikh Asrarul Haque from

group photo

page 12

alhudaalhudaalhuda semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012

Dunedin; a big thank you to them for donat-ing their time and knowledge to help in-crease our Imaan and understanding about our Priorities, Rights and Responsibilities as

Muslims. I would also like to extend a whole-hearted thank you to our brothers from Christchurch for coming and supporting our event – it would not have been the same

without you – your youth and exuberance (most brothers from Christchurch were un-der 15) were appreciated, and your willing-ness and good cheer in the clean-up was

MOST welcome!!!

So, Day 1. The majority of broth-ers from Dunedin, up since Fajr prayer, arrived at the

campsite towards Saturday noon, where-upon they unpacked and received their free branded MUSA camp t-shirts, which proved very appealing alhamdulilah – hint: look at the photos : )

Needless to say stomachs were growling by this time, so a tasty BBQ lunch was prompt-ly served. Group photos, Dhuhr and Asr prayers then followed. The rest of the after-noon was sport-focused, with the traditional

football, cricket and volleyball trio, as well as some creative additions from Br Rajol, namely ball-rush and octopus.

The Christchurch brothers arrived in the

evening, and having completed registration formalities, all the brothers got together for a formal welcome and an ice-breaking ses-sion. After Maghrib and Isha prayers, our

Sheikh and Sheikh Munir delivered a tazkirah and an Islamic lecture respectively.

Our experienced Pakistani chefs, who had been hard at work during this time, then served an appetising dinner – a delicious

curry with steaming rice and salad.

Next, the brothers took part in a quiz with multiple rounds. From the excitement and competitive atmosphere, it was certainly one of the highlights of the camp mashaAllah.

Finally, at around 11 pm, a video lecture was screened – entitled “First things first” by Sheikh Bilal Phillips – but with a contagious yawning outbreak, sleep quickly became foremost in everyone’s mind.

Day 2. Fajr prayer and a tazkirah, followed by a Quran Halaqah (circle), with all the brothers huddled around the cosy fireplace.

Towards 7.30 am, with the warm rays of the sun crawling over the hills, brothers went outside for an invigorating morning walk. An All Black breakfast was then served: left-over

sausages, egg omelette, cereals, and peanut butter and jam on toast.

Well, now it was time to digest. The broth-ers were organised into groups for Islamic

charades, where each group acted out then explained a skit in front of the rest of the

“... everyone... rose tremendously “... everyone... rose tremendously “... everyone... rose tremendously

to the occasion.”to the occasion.”to the occasion.”

brothers gather in the main hall

brothers. By the time this finished the sun was high in the sky, pumping energy into our aching bodies. The brothers were led out to a lovely 1.5 hr loop track abutting the campsite, with magical scenery – native

bushes and trees, fresh mountain streams, and elegantly dressed fantails tailgating in a whimsical fashion – coupled with a crisp

morning breeze.

The rest of the morning, which involved cas-ual indoor (table tennis and pool) and out-door sports, was equally enjoyable.

Dhuhr and Asr prayers, a lecture, and lunch then followed. With the day drawing to a close, the arduous task of clean-up began, but with a united effort, everything was fin-

ished quickly alhamdulilah. Finally, refresh-ing ice-cream was served to everyone before departure.

Every year a South Island Brother's Camp is held by MUSA with the aim of pleasing Al-lah SWT – our Creator, the Magnificent, the

All-Knowing – and increasing our love and respect for one another for the sake of Allah SWT. It was a great privilege to be part of this event, and I sincerely thank all my brothers for encouraging me to overcome my scheduling difficulties with my studies, and thereby allowing me not only to witness the brothers’ strengths and humour, but al-

so to benefit from their company. Please ac-cept my apologies for any shortcomings on my part as Camp Leader as well.

On the menu for this semester are Ramadan

activities – including a Quran competition – and Islam Awareness Week in September, enshaAllah. Please do come and support MUSA, your Muslim Student Association.

Brothers are also encouraged to provide ad-vice, suggestions and improvements for fur-ther development of future camps – please do so by either sending an email to myself

or any of the brothers in the MUSA execu-tive committee, or by arranging to see us in person. We are here to serve you.

JazakumAllah khairan!

Shakeel Mirza

Camp Leader 2012

page 13

“It was a great privilege to be part “It was a great privilege to be part “It was a great privilege to be part

of this event, and I sincerely thank of this event, and I sincerely thank of this event, and I sincerely thank

all my brothers for... allowing me... all my brothers for... allowing me... all my brothers for... allowing me...

to benefit from their company.”to benefit from their company.”to benefit from their company.”

rise and shine: morning rays flood the hall gunns bush loop track

feature feature feature

page 14

alhudaalhudaalhuda semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012semester 1, 2012

When news of the Roman army that had prepared on the horizons to wipe out Islam reached

him, Abu Qudaamah Al-Shaamee moved quickly to the Mimbar of the Masjid. In a powerful and emotional speech, Abu Qudaamah ignited the desire of the community to defend their land, Ji-

had for the sake of Allah.

As he left the Masjid, walking down a dark and secluded alley, a women stopped him and said,

"As salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullaah!"

Abu Qudaamah stopped and did not answer. She repeated her salam again, adding "this is not

how pious people should act." She stepped forward from the shadows. "I heard you in the Masjid

encouraging the believers to go for Jihad and all I have is this" She handed him two long braids. "It can be used for a horse rein. Perhaps Allah may write me as one of those who went for Jihad."

The next day as that Muslim village set out to confront the crusader army, a young boy ran through the gathering and stood at the hooves of Abu Qudaamah's horse. "I ask you by Allah to

allow me to join the army."

Some of the elder fighters laughed at the boy. "The horses will trample you," they said. But Abu

Qudaamah looked down into his eyes as he asked again, "I ask you by Allah, let me join." Abu

Qudaamah then said, "On one condition, if you are killed you will take me with you to Jannah amongst those you will be allowed to intercede for." That young boy smiled. "It's a promise."

When the two armies met and the fighting intensified, the young boy on the back of Abu Qudaamah's horse asked, "I ask you by Allah to give me 3 arrows." "You'll lose them!" The boy

repeated, "I ask you by Allah to give me them." Abu Qudaamah gave him the arrows and the boy

took aim.

"Bismillaah!" The arrow flew and killed a Roman. "Bismillaah!"

The second arrow flew, killing a second Roman. "Bismillaah!" The third arrow flew, killing a third Roman. An arrow then struck the boy

in the chest - knocking him off the horse. Abu Qudaamah jumped down to his side, reminding

the boy in his final breaths, "Don't forget the promise!" The boy reached into his pocket, extract-

ed a pouch and said, "Please return this to my mother."

"Who's your mother?" asked Abu Qudaamah.

"The woman who gave you the braids yesterday."

Think about this Muslimah. How did she reach this level of Taqwa where she would sacrifice her

hair for the sake of Allah - when today some women are prepared to spend their wealth to do

the same to imitate non-Muslim icons. What is even more remarkable is her willingness to sacri-fice her son for the sake of Allah - when women nowadays would die so long as their son stayed

home, in some cases preventing them from joining the congregational prayers at the Mosque.

the true muslimah