Amar Razali

As-salaam 'alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh,

Try to listen to this excellent lecture, given by Ahmad Jibril. The topic is 'Are You Ready for Ramadhan?' For me, this is one of the best lectures ever especially in this present context. I wish you will listen to it. 

Ahmad Jibril (may Allah hasten his release from prison, ameen) is a graduate from Islamic University of Madinah in the field of Shari'ah. He spent a portion of his life in Saudi Arabia and the remainder in the United States. He currently resides in the United States and has spent many years teaching classes to the community.

p/s: Please listen to this lecture, it's highly recommended. Again, here's the link to the audio lecture: http://www.kalamullah.com/Ahmad%20Jibril/ramadanprepare.wma

I love my brother AbdulRahman Chao! Listen to one of his lectures, Ramadhan Prep - Eman Tune Up.

p/s: You can visit at his imeem page for more of his audio lectures. 

Our visit to Synagogue of Micah on last Sunday was in the Tennessean. From left; Rizwan Rozlan, Amar Razali, Scott O'Neal

Straightly copied from The Tennessean. Tuesday, February 17 2009.

Young Muslims, Jews Work Toward Peace
Groups try to bridge gap between religions

By Bob Smietana
THE TENNESSEAN

Shoshana Jaffa sums up the conflict in the Middle East like this: "Everybody wants to meet halfway, but no one knows where halfway is."

Jaffa was one of about 45 Jewish and Muslim teens and young adults who met Sunday at Congregation Micah in Brentwood to discuss the recent fighting in Gaza.

It's part of a dialogue between local Jews and Muslims aimed at building understanding between young people of different faiths. Organizers hope that if young people can learn to discuss the Middle East civilly, perhaps their parents can, as well.

In fact, there was just one rule in place at Sunday morning's meeting — no parents allowed.

"Adults can't have this conversation," Michael Pote, a Sunday School teacher at Congregation Micah, said to the interfaith group meeting in a classroom at the Brentwood synagogue. "Things like this don't happen, and it's a shame."

Pote says that Jewish and Muslim adults rarely discuss the Middle East conflict without ending in a shouting match. He and other organizers hope that young people can show their parents and faith communities a better way.

Sunday's meeting was part of an ongoing dialogue between youth groups at the Islamic Center of Nashville and two local synagogues, Congregation Micah and West End Synagogue in Nashville.

In December, a group of Jewish high school juniors visited the Islamic center for a lesson on the basics of Islam taught by the Muslim youth group. On Sunday, the Jewish teens returned the favor, leading a class on the basics of Judaism.

After the class, Pote, along with Rabbi Flip Rice of Congregation Micah, and Rashed Fakhruddin of the Islamic Center, led an hour-long discussion of the Middle East conflict. The students quizzed one another on everything from the history of Zionism to whether a two-state solution would solve the current conflict.

Several of the Muslim students wanted to know how much Israel's claim to Palestine was religious, and how much was political.

"Most of the people in this room do not believe that Israel is mine because it says so in our sacred texts," Rice said. "That doesn't mean that we don't want Israel to be there, but it's not a deed to the land."

When Rice asked the Jewish youth if any believe that Israel belonged to the Jewish people because the Bible says so, only one student raised her hand. On the other hand, several students said that while Jews had a right to their own homeland, the country should not exclude people of other faiths.

That idea is actually found in the Israeli Declaration of Independence, says S. Ilan Troen, director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass.

Still, Troen says that the religious connection of Jews to Palestine remains strong.

Students discuss history

During Sunday's conversation, the students also discussed the history of Zionism, which dates back to the 1890s. Inspired by the writings of Theodor Herzl, Jews began to move back to Palestine and buy land.

At the time, Pote said, Palestine wasn't viewed as a paradise on Earth.

"At that time, it was either desert or swampland," Pote said. "This was not ground where you'd say, 'Oh I have to live there.' "

Complicating matters, both the Jewish and Muslim students admitted, is the fact that Palestine has been ruled by outside powers for more than 2,000 years. Jews were forced from the land by the Romans beginning in 70 A.D., after a failed uprising. When large groups began to return around 1900, Palestine was ruled by the Turks, and then the British after World War II, until Israel's independence in 1948.

Sabina Mohyuddin, who helps lead the Muslim youth group, said it was important for the students to get a bigger picture on the conflict on Middle East.

"In the nightly news, it's two minutes. It won't do any justice to the whole issue," she said. Mohyuddin said that she encourages her students to read news accounts and history from different perspectives.

After the meeting ended, the Muslim students took a tour of the synagogue.

Amar Razali, a 22-year-old Muslim student who spent the discussion seated in front of a stained-glass window of the Ten Commandments in Hebrew, said that he was surprised by how much Jews and Muslims have in common.

"We should focus on our similarities, and less on our differences."

It is Dr. Awadh's favourite surah. The same goes with my buddy Hasan. The meaning of the verses inside this surah are soo deep.

I am still learning and memorizing the surah. Currently I am listening to recitation from Shaykh Muhammad al Mohaisany. You can listen it too here.

Ali Jaber Sourate An-Najm
Uploaded by abderahim82

Aahh.. 'Abdullah Ali Jaber (may Allah be pleased with him). For the past few weeks (!), I have indulged myself with his beautiful recitation of Surah An Najm. As a result, Alhamdulillah I'm nearly memorized the surah. I want to go to Hajj (Oo Allah, please make it easy for me). I want to be in Masjid al Haraam again. I still remember the moment when I was sitting in Masjid al Haraam, have my sight fully filled with the Ka'abah, in the beautiful morning during Summer 2008 for my Umra. It was so beautiful, and I felt very peaceful.

Certainly, Quran is the only delight of the heart..

Every time when I went to Lessons in Islam Class, I thought, "Masha Allah, this class is awesome!" Then next time, the same thing again, "Wow, this time it's great!" It feels good every time when I stepped out from the class, a feeling of accomplishment, and feels like my burning desire has been fulfilled.

Anyway, this time we have Yasser Arafat as our Instructor. Masha Allah, Yasser Arafat, what can I say, he is a specialist when it comes to da'wah. He is a great da'ie masha Allah, and he has a lot of experiences in this field. By Allah mercy, Alhamdulillah, so far 25 non Muslims accepted the religion of Islam with his guidance. Yesterday he shared with us about some tips, importance, and guidelines on the topic of da'wah.

So here's the audio for you to hear. In sha Allah hopefully we can learn something from it, and act upon it as well.

Excellent lecture! Excellent quality! The Remedy for Whispering of Shaytan from Dr. Awadh Binhazim.