Jan 8, 2012
A. Introduction:
There are many days set aside in non-Islamic societies to honour and appreciate special people; examples of these are Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and Labour Day. In Islam, however, respecting, honouring and appreciating parents is not just for a single day of the year, but rather for each and every day.
B. Parents in the Quran:
A Muslim child should respect and appreciate his or her parents on a daily basis. Allaah mentions that human beings must recognise their parents and that this is second only to the recognition of Allaah Himself. Throughout the Quran, we notice that parents are mentioned with appreciation and respect, even if they are senile. In the Quran, there is a very beautiful description of how parents are to be treated; Allaah Says (what means):”And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as] ‘uff’ [i.e., an expression of irritation or disapproval] and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say: ‘My Lord! Have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.‘” [Quran 17:23-24]
The recognition and respect of parents is mentioned in the Quran eleven times; in every instance, Allaah reminds children to recognise and to appreciate the love and care that they have received from their parents. One such example is when Allaah says what means: “And We have enjoined upon man goodness to parents…” [Quran 29:8 & 46:15]
1. The demand for recognising parents is made more emphatic when Allaah Says (what means): “And [recall] when We took the covenant from the Children of Israel, [enjoining upon them]: ‘Do not worship except Allaah; and to parents, do good…'” [Quran 2:83]
2. Allaah again emphasises in chapter An-Nisaa’ that children should be kind to their parents. He says what means: “Worship Allaah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good…” [Quran 4:36]
3. In Chapter Al-An’aam, Allaah reemphasises that people should be kind to their parents; He says what means: “Say: ‘Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. [He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment…'” [Quran 6:151]
C. Mothers:
Although Islam recognises both parents, mothers are given particular gratitude and respect. This can be appreciated if we reflect upon the hardships and suffering that mothers experience in their lives. In this regard, there is a Hadeeth of the Prophet : It was narrated by Abu Hurayrah that a man came to the Prophet and asked him: ‘Who is most deserving of my close companionship?’ He replied: “Your mother; your mother; your mother; then your father; then the next closest to you in kinship; then the one next closest.”
Islam has endorsed respect for parents by their children, even if the parents are non-Muslims. If parents strive to convert their children to non-Islamic beliefs, the children should not obey them, but must still maintain goodness towards them. In this regard, Allaah says what means: “And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is two years. Be grateful to Me and your parents; to Me is the [final] destination. But if they endeavour to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness and follow the way of those who turn back to Me [in repentance]. Then to Me will be your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do.” [Quran 31:14-15]
D. More Respect:
Islam teaches us that of the most beloved deeds to Allaah, having respect for one’s parents is second only to that of prayer and is greater than that of Jihaad (fighting in His cause). In this respect, Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ‘Abdullaah Ibn Mas’ood narrated the following: “I asked the Prophet : ‘Which deed is the most beloved to Allaah?’ He replied: “Prayers performed on time.” I then asked: ‘Which one is next?’ He replied: “Goodness to parents.” I then asked: ‘Which is next?’ He replied: “Jihaad in the path of Allaah.””
In Islam, respect for parents is so great that the child and his wealth are considered to be the property of the parents: `Aa’ishah narrated that a man came to the Prophet in order to resolve a dispute that he had with his father regarding a loan he had given him. The Prophet said to the man: “You and your wealth are to (i.e., the property of) your father.”
E. Final Remarks:
We hope and pray that all of us will respect our parents while they are alive and after their death. One can honour his parents after their death through the following methods:
- Performing daily Du’aa’ (supplication) for them.
- Giving charity on their behalf.
- Instituting a perpetual charity on their behalf, such as a mosque, an Islamic Centre, an Islamic library, an Islamic hospital, an orphanage, etc.
- Performing Hajj on their behalf, or asking someone to do so.
- Distributing Islamic literature on their behalf.
Let us pray to Allaah that we do our best to respect our parents, honour them, be kind to them, assist them, and please them so that we may attain the love of Allaah.
O Allaah! Accept our humble prayers and make us obedient slaves to You.
O Allaah! Help us to be respectful children to our parents. Aameen.
By: Dr Ahmad H. Sakr
Jan 7, 2012
Montreal, Quebec, January 6th, 2012- The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) expressed its alarm over the second attack of vandalism in one week at the Outaouais Islamic Centre in Gatineau, Quebec.
Graffiti containing anti-Islamic and anti-Arab messages were found on the walls of the mosque on Thursday. It is the third time in the last month and the fourth time in the last four months that the mosque has been a victim of vandalism. Earlier this week, vandals attempted to set fire to two cars in the mosque parking lot. Two windows of the mosque were also broken.
“The increasing number of attacks against Islamic institutions in Canada point towards the serious problem of Islamaphobia, racism and hate,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “There must be zero tolerance for such violent, hateful acts committed against any community and it must be made clear that such attacks go against the values of our charter and constitution. It is time for our government officials to also recognize the gravity of these attacks and to take concerted action to ensure that they do not happen again.”
“We call on all Canadians to speak out against such attacks and work together to promote peace and social harmony. There is also a need for increased training for the police departments to help recognize potential hate motivated crimes and to dedicate more resources to preventing such criminal acts. Religious institutions and other community organizations that are often targets for such crimes should also be helped to install adequate security systems to help deter such attacks.”
MCM calls on the Gatineau police department to thoroughly investigate the incident as a potential hate crime and to move quickly to bring the perpetrators of this criminal act to justice. MCM further urges all officials and members of the community to exercise increased caution and report any suspicious individuals or activity to the authorities immediately.
Jan 7, 2012
Bismillahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem
as-salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
Greif
The most difficult period in the life of the Prophet (s.a.a.w) was called the Year of Greif. In this year, his wife and soul-mate Khadijah (r.a) passed away and his protector and sponsor Abu Talib died while still a disbeliever. He (s.a.a.w) knew that he needed to seek new protection, so he travelled to Ta’if, but instead of finding protection, he was attacked, humiliated, and pelted with stones.After escaping the severe attack, the Prophet (s.a.a.w) made the following supplication:
اللَّهُمَّ إِلَيْكَ أَشْكُو ضَعْفَ قُوَّتِي وَقِلَّةَ حِيلَتِي وَهَوَانِي عَلَى النَّاسِ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
O Allah, I complain to You of my own weakness, and of my lack of resources / creativity, and of the lack of my respect in the eyes of the people, O Most Merciful of the merciful ones.1
أَنْتَ رَبُّ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ وَأَنْتَ رَبِّي إِلَى من تَكِلَنِي إِلَى بَعِيد يتجهمني أَوْ إِلَى عَدُوّ مَلَّكْتَهُ أَمْرِي إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِكَ غضب عَلَيَّ فَلاَ أُبَالِي غَيْرَ أَنْ عَافِيتَكَ هِيَ أَوْسَعُ لِي
You are the Lord of the weak ones, and You are my Lord. To whom will You entrust me? To a distant (stranger) who will show me an unwelcoming face? Or to an enemy whom You have given control over my situation? If You are not angry with me then I do not mind, though safety from You is easier for me.2
أَعُوذُ بِنُورِ وَجْهِكَ الَّذِي أَشْرَقَتْ لَهُ الظُّلُمَاتُ وَصَلُحَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ بِي غَضَبُكَ أَوْ تُحِلَّ عَلَيَّ سُخْطَكَ لَكَ الْعُتْبَى حَتَّى تَرْضَى وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِكَ
I take refuge with the Light of Your Face, which brings light to darkness, and upon which the affairs of the world and the Hereafter become right – from Your anger descending upon me, or Your displeasure befalling me. I will continue to seek Your Pleasure, until You become pleased (with me). And there is neither might nor power except with You.3
1.In this portion he places all the blame for his misfortune upon himself, not on Allah (swt), not on the people who are causing all of this hardship.
2.In this portion he affirms his acceptance of any and all hardships so long as it is not an indication of Allah’s displeasure.
3.Finally, he begs Allah to not be displeased with him as if his hardship was a punishment, and as if the people rejected him due to a deficiency in his da’wah. (both of which are obviously not the case)
Jan 6, 2012
The month went very fast. The coming week end if our reserved weekend for our Monthly event. Do not miss it.
* A delicious dinner
* Entertainment
* Prizes
All are welcome (but please inform us in order to arrange enough food). We are expecting 100 people but last time the crowd was larger.
Jan 3, 2012
Montreal, Quebec, January 3rd, 2012– The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) expressed its concern over an attack of vandalism at the Outaouais Islamic Centre in Gatineau this Monday.
The vandals attempted to set fire to two cars in the mosque parking lot, in addition to smashing the windows of the cars. Two windows of the mosque were also broken. It is the second time in the last month and the third time in the last four months that the mosque has been a victim of vandalism.
“Canada is a place of peace, tolerance, diversity and pluralism and such hateful actions go against all the values of our charter, constitution and country,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “It must be made clear that such violent acts of hate and racism that target religious institutions have no place in our country and will not be tolerated. We call on all Canadians to speak out against such attacks and work together to promote peace and social harmony.”
MCM asks the Gatineau police department to investigate the incident as a potential hate crime and to move quickly to bring the perpetrators to justice. MCM further urges all officials and members of the community to exercise increased caution and report any suspicious individuals or activity to the authorities immediately.