AN ISLAMIC CENTER OF NORTHLAND PUBLICATION Volume 4 Issue 4 Rajab 1438 April 2017

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1 AN ISLAMIC CENTER OF NORTHLAND PUBLICATION Volume 4 Issue 4 Rajab 1438 April 2017 The Countless Blessings of Allah swt (The blessings we enjoy are innumerable. This verse reminds us of that and makes us reflect as to what is the best way to express gratitude to those blessings. (*By Sheikh Salman al-oadah(islamtoday.net) [edited byislamreligion.com]published on 02 Nov 2015) And if you were to count God's favors, you would not be able to number them; most surely God is Forgiving, Merciful." (Quran 16:18) Our lives are a continuous succession of God s gifts. Many people, due to their outlook on life or their circumstances, fail to see that they are receiving God s bounty. God has made it clear that we will never be able to count all of His blessings upon us, since they are innumerable. This statement is found elsewhere in the Qur'an, emphasizing humanity's ungratefulness and heedlessness of God's blessings: "If you were to count God's favors, you would not be able to number them; most surely humanity is very unjust, very ungrateful." (Quran 14:34) Consider the human body. It is made up of one hundred trillion cells. Each cell is a blessing from God. But this does not mean that there are only one hundred trillion blessings in the human body. There are far more, since God s blessings manifest themselves within each one of those cells in innumerable ways. Moreover, each cell is exposed to an incalculable number of potential threats, from viruses to cancer to a variety of malfunctions, and God through His mercy protects the cells from all of these. Therefore, we can never begin to enumerate the blessings that God, at every moment, bestows upon us within our bodies. Even if we entertain the idea that the blessings God bestows upon any one of us is some finite number, that number would not take into account all of the misfortunes that God withholds from us, though He certainly tries some of His servants with those misfortunes. Then there are all the blessings God has bestowed upon our predecessors, our contemporaries, and our descendants and on the incalculable aspects of creation upon which our lives depend. Continued on page.5 1

2 Volume 4 Issue 4 2 April 2017 Construction update 1. Part of west wall removed to accommodate duct system. 2. Basement walls completed. 3. Plumbing work started. 4. Metallic fence of the retaining wall 80% complete. 5. City permit for land development renewed, work on sewer line will start soon. 6. Electric work of basement started. 7. Fire alarm system work started. 8. Insulation, Sheet rock, purchased work to start soon. 9. Security, audio bids have been obtained work to start soon. 10. Design for power supply is with KCP&L, it may take 3 to 4 weeks to hear back. Gas connection forms will be submitted to city soon. We are running out of money, still need about $250,000 more to get close to getting occupancy, fundraising planned for April 22 nd Please remember that every time a head bows in sajdah in this house of Allah, Allah swt will shower His blessings on you and your loved ones for posterity. Please do not loose this opportunity to earn everlasting blessings. Please donate generously, every dollar counts. Sadaq e Jariah does not depend upon the number of dollars but on your niyah.

3 Volume 4 Issue 4 3 April 2017 ONLY YOU CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN FRONT ELEVATION BASEMENT WORK

4 Volume 4 Issue 4 4 April 2017 Financial update March 2017 Financial Update. Current Balance as of 04/01/2017 Bank of America: $18653 Liberty Bank: $43225 Total: $61878 Balance of Feburary : $86379 Expenses: Monthly payment to storage and johny toilet $197 Loan installment (number 4) $5000 David Lacey (contractor) $5240 Platte Rental and supplies $550 Durantic Doors (Main floor inside Ist inst) $753 Electric material $3286 Metal by the foot(stair case material) $2391 Kansas city permit renewal $3618 Lawn sprinkler system (material) $2961 Lowes ( Plumbing material) $5572 Lowes (Dave material/walls) $1456 Doors (Brackets) $1304 Home Depot (Sheet Rock) $3643 Total: $35941 Loan/collections Loan Balance: $240,000. Loan Payment: $5000 Monthly contribution $9768

5 Volume 4, Issue 4 5 April 2017 Continued from page..1 God reminds us: "And whatever good thing you enjoy, it is from God. Then, when misfortune reaches you, you cry out to Him for help." (Quran 16:53) We should look at ourselves and the way we behave towards God s blessings. Do we use them in obedience to His commands? Do we realize that God has a right over us in everything that He gives us? If we are blessed with wealth, the poor have a right in it. If we areblessed with health and strength, the weak and the infirm have a right in it. If we are blessed with knowledge, then those who are in want of knowledge have a right in it. For every ability that we are blessed with, those who are unable have some right in it. We must praise God for empowering us to do that which others are incapable of doing. Part of the thanks we owe God is to give something of whatever we are blessed with to those who cannot do for themselves. We should remember that every blessing we enjoy will inevitably come to an end. Either we will lose the blessing some day in our lives, or we will depart this life and leave that blessing behind. Another part of our gratitude to God is to serve Him with what He gives us and to use what we have in ways that are lawful and pleasing to Him. We should not be like Qarun (Korah). Some wise people advised him: "Do not exult. Surely God does not love the exultant." (Quran 28:76) Qarun (Korah) replied: "I have been given this only on account of the knowledge I have." So God tells us: "Did he not know that God had destroyed of the generations before him those who were mightier in strength than he and greater in assemblage? And the guilty need not be asked about their sins." (Quran 28:78) We often do not notice a blessing that we have until we lose that blessing or are threatened with its loss. How many of our faculties, our limbs, and our talents do we take for granted? These are but some of the blessings in our own bodies. How many blessings surround us, in our families, our friends, our work, the status we enjoy, the connections we have, even our hopes and our dreams? Even the world on which we live is a blessing, how it possesses everything needed for life to thrive. How many other worlds do we see and are still discovering in the heavens, some approximating our Earth in size, some smaller, some many times larger, but we find them to be sterile, hostile, unaccommodating worlds. Praise be to God, who possesses all things and who gives without measure.

6 Volume 4 Issue 4 6 April 2017 Women in Islam (Reproduced from islamswomen.com) At a time when the rest of the world, from Greece and Rome to India and China, considered women as no better than children or even slaves, with no rights whatsoever, Islam acknowledged women's equality with men in many respects. The Quran states: "And among His signs is this: that He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest and peace of mind in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Certainly, herein indeed are signs for people who reflect." [Noble Quran 30:21] Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manners and kindest to his wife." [Abu Dawud] Muslims believe that Adam and Eve were created from the same soul. Both were equally guilty of their sin and fall from grace, and Allah forgave both. Many women in Islam have had high status; consider the fact that the first person to convert to Islam was Khadijah, the wife of Muhammad (saw), whom he both loved and respected. His favorite wife after Khadijah's death, Ayshah, became renowned as a scholar and one of the greatest sources of Hadith literature. Many of the female Companions accomplished great deeds and achieved fame, and throughout Islamic history there have been famous and influential female scholars and jurists. We might also mention that while many in the West criticize Islam with regard to the treatment of women, in fact a number of Muslim countries have had women rulers and presidents. To name a few: Turkey; Bangladesh and Pakistan. With regard to education, both women and men have the same rights and obligations. This is clear in Prophet Muhammad's saying: "Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every believer." [Ibn Majah] This implies men and women. A woman is to be treated as God has endowed her, with rights, such as to be treated as an individual, with the right to own and dispose of her own property and earnings, Continued on page...7

7 Volume 4, Issue 4 7 April 2017 Continued from page..6 enter into contracts, even after marriage. She has the right to be educated and to work outside the home if she so chooses. She has the right to inherit from her father, mother, and husband. A very interesting point to note is that in Islam, unlike any other religion, a woman can be an imam, a leader of communal prayer, for a group of women. A Muslim woman also has obligations. All the laws and regulations pertaining to prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, doing good deeds, etc., apply to women also, albeit with minor differences having mainly to do with female physiology. Before marriage, a woman has the right to choose her husband. Islamic law is very strict regarding the necessity of having the woman's consent for marriage. The groom gives a marriage dowry to the bride for her own personal use. She keeps her own family name, rather than taking her husband's. As a wife, a woman has the right to be supported by her husband even if she is already rich. She also has the right to seek divorce and custody of young children. She does not return the dowry, except in a few unusual situations. Despite the fact that in many places and times Muslim communities have not always adhered to all or many of the foregoing in practice, though the ideal has been there for 1,400 years, while virtually all other major civilizations did not begin to address these issues or change their negative attitudes until the 19th and 20th centuries, and there are still many contemporary civilizations which have yet to do so.

8 The Islamic Center of Northland, Kansas City, MO.. Our Board members 1. Br. Shahbaz Sikander President (816) Br. Khalid Hussain Vice President (816) Dr. Laeeq Azmath Tahirkheli Secretary (908) Br. Ashar Charolia Treasurer (361) Br. Arfan Paroya Director (816) Br. Mohammed Mohsin Khan Director (816) Our address: P.O.Box Kansas City, MO USA. Website: 7. Br. Nisar Sheriff Director (816) The Islamic Center of Northland, Inc. P.O. Box 28476, Kansas City, MO DONATION / PLEDGE CARD Name:.. Address:.... Phone No: ( Home )..( Work )... ( Cell ) ... One time donation: Cash [ ] Check Enclosed [ ] Charge Credit Card/Bank [ ] Contact me [ ] Amount: $. Monthly pledge: Amount per Month: $. Number of Months: Starting From:.././ Payment Method: Credit Card [ ] Bank withdrawal [ ] Checking A/C #...Routing #... CC #...Exp. Dt. Signature:..Date:...