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MUHARRAM 1, 1424. NEW
ISLAMIC
YEAR BEGINS: What
should be our role?
commentary by
Kaukab Siddique
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most
Merciful
Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion to His
servant, that it may be an
admonition to all creatures —He to whom belongs
the dominion of the heavens
and the earth: no son has He begotten, nor has he
a partner in His dominion:
It is He Who created all things, and ordered them
in due proportions. Yet
have they taken, besides Him, gods that can
create nothing but are themselves
created; that have no control of hurt or good to
themselves; nor can they
control death nor life nor resurrection.
[The Qur'an 25:1-3]
Dear friends: asalamu alaikum
The new Islamic year has begun and
promises to be a year of transformation,
cataclysm and struggle for Muslims.
Briefly, here are the points to remember about
the significance of the
Islamic new year:
1. Our calendar begins with the Hijra or movement
of the Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) from
Makka
to
Madina.
We must do the hijra
too, when necessary,
physically from the land of oppression and
tyranny to the land of wisdom and
justice, or spiritually within our souls from
self-hatred, egoism, fear,
false concepts, arrogance to compassion,
selflessness, courage, truth and
humility. In all matters, follow the life example
of the Prophet (pbuh) as
our model.
2. According to the
Hadith,
the 10th of Muharram
is the day of the defeat of
the Pharoah by Allah's command, the destruction
of the forces of the Pharoah
in the sea of Allah's punishment, and the victory
of Allah's people led by
Moses (Musa) pbuh. It is our faith that in spite
of his hosts and in spite of
his vast army, Pharoah will be defeated and Allah
will reveal his floating
corpse for all the world to see. We must wait for
that day when Allah's
retribution will descend on the Pharoah.
3. Mohurram 1 is the anniversary of the passing
of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab,
Allah be pleased with him, whose Caliphate is the
greatest example of a JUST
and BALANCED WAY of life actually attainable in
the real world.
4. Mohurram 10 is the anniversary of the
martyrdom of Husain (r.a.) the
grandson of the Prophet (pbuh), the son of Ali
(r.a.). In the blood soaked
sands of Kerbala, he wrote for ever the eternal
message of Islam that TYRANNY
must not be accepted. Even when outnumbered and
surrounded by the forces of
arrogance and hypocrisy, those on the path of
truth must not accept slavery.
We must rescue the memory of Husain (r.a.) from
the sectarianism of those who
use it to divide the ummah and to help the
enemies of Islam. Husain (r.a.) is
the beloved grandson of Muhammad (pbuh). He is not
the icon of a small group.
There is no point in mourning a
martyr.
We must
honor him and learn from him
and his family because these are the beloved of
the Prophet of Allah.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen is organized to work
peacefully under the law of the
land, trying somewhat like the Prophet (p) and
his sahaba were in Makka. We
work to give the true message of Islam to the
people of
America
and
overseas. Our tools are: Education,
Communication, Prayer, Trustworthiness,
and Compassion.
WE OPPOSE WAR.
We oppose the oppression, exploitation and
misdirection of the American
people.
We support the self-determination of all peoples.
We support freedom for
Palestine,
Afghanistan,
Kashmir and
Chechnya.
We condemn
Zionism,
Imperialism and brahminism.
A JUST SYSTEM can emerge only with the equality
of men and women.
Superiority, according to the Qur'an, should be
based on TAQWA
(Allah-oriented behavior and awareness), NOT ON
GENDER.
NATIONAL ASPIRATIONS are acceptable under Islam
as Allah has created the
nations and the tribes, but NATIONALISM is the
enemy of Islam. WE ARE ONE
UMMAH AROUND THE GLOBE, under one leader,
MUHAMMAD (pbuh), with one BOOK and
ONE QIBLA for prayer.
If the Muslims do not stop separating themselves
into nationalistic groups,
they will not be a global power. Muslims CANNOT
be a force IN AMERICA if they
continue to see themselves as Arabs,
African-Americans, Caucasians,
Pakistanis,
Africans
etc.
HELP US TO HELP AMERICA'S POLITICAL PRISONERS.
Help us to help the needy.
Help us to build mosques where the poor and the
oppressed can assemble with
honor.
Can you write, speak, call, email, mail letters,
distribute literature? Let
us hear from you with a firm commitment of time
or abilities or money:
Jamaat al-Muslimeen, P.O. Box 10881, Baltimore,
MD 21234
email:
motisola_3@hotmail.com
or
Ksidd37398@aol.com
Phone: 410-435-500 or 410-638-5965
Fax: Call 410-638-5965 and ask for the fax to be
turned on.
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
of Jamaat al-Muslimeen
will be held in June 2003.
Look for details in forthcoming month.
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2003-03-05 Wed 08:37ct