Ramadhaan 2012: Juz 2 Questions

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh.

Here are the questions for Juz 2. To ensure the children read the whole Qur'an this year, their daily assignment will be to write a one page summary of the Juz and write what they found most interesting.

Juz 2 Questions

1. Put these subjects in the order they come in the juz.

- Rules of Divorce

- Rules for Fasting

- Rules for fighting/war

- The change of the Qibla

- Rules of Inheritance (what share relatives get when you die)

- Rules for Hajj

2. What is beautified for those who disbelieve? Who do they ridicule (make fun of)? Who will be in the higher place on the Day of Resurrection?

3. What dua' do the patient say when disaster strikes them?

Ramadhaan 2012: Juz 1 Questions

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh.

We still don't know here is Saudi Arabia whether Ramadhaan starts tomorrow or the next day, but I will start posting the Qur'an questions from today, bi ithn Illah.

I take this opportunity to wish you all a blessed and productive Ramadhaan. May your days and nights be filled with worship (and remember, worship comes in many different forms) - ameen!

Juz 1

1. Put these events in the correct order.  Either number them correctly or move them to their right places.

- The Children of Israel gave Moosa a hard time about slaughtering a cow.

- Allah told the angels to prostrate before Adan, but Iblees refused.

- Allah sent the Children of Israel manna and quails to eat.

- Allah isn't shy to give us examples, even of a mosquito or smaller than that. The believers know it is the truth, but the disbelievers say they don't understand.

- The Allah belongs the East and the West. Wherever you turn, there is Allah - all encompassing and knowing.

- Allah created all that is on earth and the seven heavens.

- Moses prayed for water for his people and 12 springs gushed forth, one for each tribe.

- Allah sent Adam, Hawa, and Iblees down to earth to live for a time.

- Allah made the Ka'bah (House) a place of return (visit) and safety.

- The Children of Israel threw the Torah behind their backs and followed what the devils taught during the time of Solomon (Suleiman).

- The believers from the Jews, Christians, and Sabeans before Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) will have their reward with Allah.

2. What is the full dua' that Abraham (Ibrahim) and Ishmael (Ismail) made to Allah when they were raising the Ka'bah?

Ramadhaan Programme 2012: Part 2

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh.

Here are the second set of questions for pre-Ramadhaan preparation, inshaa'Allah.

Merits (Good Qualities) of Particular Surahs and Verses

• Name two benefits of the last two verses of Surah al Baqarah.
• Name three benefits of reciting all of Surah al Baqarah.
• What is the reward for reciting Surah al Baqarah and Surah Aali Imran?
• Which did the angel tell the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, about Surah al Fatiha and the last two ayaat of Surah al Baqarah?
• Which is the greatest verse of the Qur'an?
• What are the two special benefits from Surah al Kahf?
• Which surah protects the one who recites it from the punishment of the grave?
• What is Surah al Ikhlaas equal to and what is the reward for reciting it ten times?
• What did the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, recite before he slept? What did he do while reciting?
• What did the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, recite when he was sick? 

Barak Allahu feekum!

Ramadhaan Programme 2012: Part 1

Bism Illah wa as salaamu alaykum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh.

This year I am sharing something with you all that I used last year for my children - daily juz Qur'an questions. In addition, for the two days leading up to Ramadhaan, I gave them questions to research, to give them preparatory knowledge of our Book of Guidance - the Qur'an. All this was based on the Sahih International Qur'an translation, which we since learned was not an accurate representation of Allah's words. We therefore have switched to The Noble Qur'an by Hilali-Khan.

So, with Ramadhaan just a couple of days away, I'm giving you my first set of questions for the pre-Ramadhaan preparation. These questions are taken from the section of the Qur'an translation titled, "History of Qur'an Compilation."

History of Qur'an Compilation

• Did they start making written records of the Qur'an after the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa salaam, died?
• In the beginning, was the whole Qur'an put together (compiled) in one big book?
• Who brought all the Qur'an together onto written sheets (suhuf)? Who ordered him to do that?
• How did they make sure that the Qur'an was correctly recorded on paper?
• Which of the Prophet's wives held the complete Qur'an?
• Who was the caliph that standardised the Qur'an and had copies made for each of the Islamic territories?
• Why didn't the first Qur'ans have any dots or vowel marks?
• Why did they add the dots and vowel marks?
• What are the three stages in which the various marks were added?

I hope this will encourage some of you to take up the challenge and read to seek the answers to these questions and/or use them for your own children. In doing so, you will have accomplished and learned a great deal by the end of this precious and beloved month, all qualifying as a most beautiful worship bi ithn Illah.

For those of you wondering what I will be doing this year, considering I've given different questions on the daily Qur'an juz for two years in a row now, I'm going to use the book, "Fasting from Alif to Yaa" with the family, inshaa'Allah. Of course we will read the complete Qur'an as well, bi ithn Illah, but rather than do Shk. Uthaymeen's Daily Sittings again, we will move on to a fresh program with more hands-on activities for the children.

Don't wait till the night Ramadhaan is announced to focus yourself on this month...focus your heart, your mind, and your body on doing your very best for Allah this year and may Allah make us all successful in our fasting, our worship, and our dua' - AMEEN!

Mai in June 2012

BismIllah wa as salaamu alaykum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh.

What's Up:

We have finished another school year here, exams are over and I'm getting ready to change focus for the summer, inshaa'Allah. Hubby and I will be doing a Permaculture Design Certification course starting in the coming days inshaa'Allah. This is all in preparation for our design, planning, development, and living on our land in New Mexico, now officially named, "Healing Earth," mashaa'Allah. June 13th marks our departure to England for a month to visit with my parents, breathe fresh air, and see lots of GREENERY and fat woolly sheep, mashaa'Allah. We are booked to attend a private Cob House Natural Building course designed for our family while we are there inshaa'Allah. All this so that we can live as naturally and as close to the Sunnah as possible on our land and teach other Muslims how to do the same, bi ithn Illah ta'ala.

I look forward to posting about our vision and goals for Healing Earth, but will give you a taster here. We plan to build cob cottages for Muslim retreats, inshaa'Allah. We also plan to have a Muslim family campground to accommodate around 125 people, with cob pizza ovens, inshaa'Allah. We will make a natural playground, a track, obstacle course, and archery area bi ithn Illah. There will be courses on making your own pizza ovens, rocket stoves, cob and strawbale homes, Permaculture design and practice for living sustainably, and lessons in green and deen by teaching Qur'an and Islamic Sciences in a setting conducive to living Islam and the Sunnah, inshaa'Allah.  May Allah give us success in serving Him and spreading His Perfected Religion through emulating the ideal example of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam - ameen!

Just to say:

There is a dua' that has served me well and done so much for the development of my taqwa and and lifestyle. Many of you have figured it out by now, because you've seen it in other posts on this blog, but the reminder always benefits the believer. It is simply this:

"Oh Allah, let me love all that You love and make clear to me what You love, and let me hate all that you hate and make clear to me what you hate."

I make this dua' for others as well; those near and dear to me and those who are not, because if we all unite on what Allah loves and avoid what He hates, we will be the best of our generation.

Tested:

It is important to know that you if welcome Allah's tests and handle them well, He will send harder ones to you. This is not to punish you, but simply to move you to greater depths of faith and heights of emaan. Our family is being tested with a force that we never would have imagined possible, wa al hamdul'Illah 'ala kully haal, and what I found is this. When the test becomes so great that you are rendered totally helpless and speechless at its magnitude, you finally realize to a depth never reached before, that Allah is the only place to turn. At the onset of the whole ordeal, I simply stood with my hands held up in supplication and said, "Allahumma, alayka ______________!" three times. This is in line with the Sunnah of our Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, when he faced such a situation with Abu Jahl and his consorts. Although I have to have great patience while relying on Allah, I have the absolute knowledge that, although I cannot imagine how this will be resolved, it most certainly will be. Allahu musta'an.

Failings:

There are times when my failings overwhelm me. Times when I am so sick of my inability to control my emotions or reactions that I just want to run away and never deal with another person again as long as I live. What an amazing concept. Of course, that would not be convenient for my family or friends. Even more, that would totally defy what Allah meant for me, which is to worship Him alone through all the fitan of life that He presents me with.

So, I cry in misery and disappointment in myself to Allah and then try to find a balance between humility (dragging my self-esteem out of the drain) and acceptance. Acceptance of what? That Allah has made us imperfect, it is part of the design. If we were perfect, there would be no test. In fact, we would be the same as the rest of His creation...without free will. Allah tells us that it is us erring and then turning to Him in repentance - sincere repentance - that is the key to our growth and success.

It is reported that Talq b. Habîb – Allâh have mercy on him – said, “The right of Allâh is too great and heavy for the creation to fulfill and the blessings of Allâh are too many to enumerate, but you should remain repentant, morning and evening.”
Ibn Abî Al-Dunyâ, Al-Tawbah article 62.

What I'm reading:


My Home, My Path (this gem is my new, all day, every day handbook, and is top of my reading list for my Ramadhaan preparation, mashaa'Allah)


My Cyber-focus:


Following the Sunnah

taalib.com

islaam4kids.com
 

Stay tuned for my upcoming "heavyweight" post on amanah, sin, and istighfar....and barak Allahu feekum all my dear readers!

Are you a doormat?

BismIllah wa as salaamu alaykum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh.

It is very common in the Western world to hear women complain that they are treated like doormats by their husbands and families. This attitude has also been adopted by some Muslims, especially women with large families and husbands who are busy working and do not help around the house. They raise the children, prepare the meals, keep the house, and welcome their husband home with service and a smile. So, how can you feel good in a relationship where you are an 'open all hours' one-stop shop?

Remember that it is shaytaan telling you that you're a doormat, used and abused. Allah tells you that you are the "home," the essential foundation for the future of our Ummah, in a place of honor and great importance. shaytaan tells us that we are like 24 hour maids for working hard to please our families. However, Allah tells you that you are an obedient, faithful servant who is fulfilling her duty to Him by serving her family. shaytaan  whispers in our ears that we are taken for granted, unappreciated. Allah tells us that every sincere effort to make and preserve the home and family is part of worship.    

Allah tells us that for every minute we strive to please Him through our appointed duties to please and support our husbands, raise our children upon the Qur'an and Sunnah, and perform our own Islamic responsibilities, we are in a state of ibadah. So tell me, which one do you want to listen to, the rejected outcast or your Creator?