no compulsion !

18:29-30 Al-Kahf

Reminder

وَقُلِ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِن وَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ ۚ إِنَّا أَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ نَارًا أَحَاطَ بِهِمْ سُرَادِقُهَا ۚ وَإِن يَسْتَغِيثُوا يُغَاثُوا بِمَاءٍ كَالْمُهْلِ يَشْوِي الْوُجُوهَ ۚ بِئْسَ الشَّرَابُ وَسَاءَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ عَمَلًا

And say, “The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve.” Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose walls will surround them. And if they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like murky oil, which scalds [their] faces. Wretched is the drink, and evil is the resting place.

Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds – indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds.

Also,

2:256

There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.

Tarek Fatah, a Toronto Sun columnist and founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, complained about the mural to Councillor Paula Fletcher, sparking the review by city officials.

Pennachetti wrote to Fatah on Friday, saying that the city’s office of Equity, Diversity and Human Rights was involved in the review and that the mural’s creator and Islamic law expert Anver Emon, a professor at University of Toronto, were consulted.

“We are satisfied with the responses that have been provided during our preliminary inquiries into your concerns and do not believe that the mural is contrary to City policy or Canadian law,” writes Pennachetti.

“There are various ways by which to determine what these words mean,” wrote Emon in his assessment of the mural. “Can they be made to valorize militancy? Sure. Can they be a source of comfort for people suffering economic hardship as they struggle to feed their children? Sure.”

City of Toronto spokesman Jackie DeSouza said it was all about the interpretation of art.

“I think the people in the community, many of them were Muslim … nobody expressed concerns about the mural,” said DeSouza, suggesting that complainants could take the issue to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

Fatah points to the Tafsir Ibn Kthir, a commentary on the Qur’an that states the passage means “if you fight in Allah’s cause and support his religion, he will grant you victory.”

Fatah, who said the slogan is sometimes inscribed on weapons, calls the defense of the mural a smokescreen.

“This is not art at all,” insisted Fatah, adding nobody from the city consulted him or other moderate Muslims about the mural’s message. “If they are so confident that they are right, then why is there reluctance to meet with us?”

terry.davidson@sunmedia.ca

FULL ARTICLE ON TORONTOSUN.COM

The Hamilton Downtown Mosque hopes to raise $3 million by Thursday to buy new land for a larger mosque. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

Hamilton’s Downtown Mosque needs to raise $3 million in the next two days to close a land deal for a new mosque and community centre and it’s appealing to the city’s Muslim community to make it happen.

It is hoping 3,000 Muslim families will step forward with $1,000 each to help it close the deal by the Oct. 31 deadline.

The mosque, which has a dire lack of space for parking and prayer at its current location at 96 Wilson St., needs $4 million to buy land at the corner of York and Hess streets to serve its growing congregation. So far, it has $1 million.

The mosque needs to move, said Wahed Al-Jabry, a board member for the Downtown Mosque. The current building is in disrepair, and so small that Al-Jabry once arrived late for Friday worship and had to pray on the stairs. He has faith they can raise the money.

Future Mosque

Future plans for the Hamilton Downtown Mosque include an elementary school, day care centre, community hall and underground parking. (Hamilton Downtown Mosque)

“The biggest confidence I have is in God,” he said. “People say I’m crazy, but I know that God will help us get the money.”

The mosque has served the city’s central Muslim community since 1992 and boasts a membership of more than 5,000 people.

Space has been an issue for the mosque since at least 2004, when it began looking for alternate land. It hoped to reach a deal for land behind the mosque, but found itself in competition for the site with Hamilton Police which wanted it for a storage facility. The police service acquired that site in 2010, but it still sits vacant.

Now the mosque has its sights set on 221 York Blvd., former site of a fitness club and food store. Soil remediation is done, and the mosque has until Oct. 31 to finalize the deal.

The 0.6-hectare (1.56-acre) property has space for 110 parking spaces, compared to the 25 or so spots at the existing site. The existing building on the site is 35,000 square feet. Eventually, mosque officials plan to build a new facility with prayer space, a community centre, a daycare centre and an immigrant welcome centre that would include translation services.

The mosque’s move would be a loss for Beasley, said Sylvia Nickerson, past president of the Beasley Neighbourhood Association. For years, the association lobbied for the mosque to get the land now owned by the police.

“To displace a site where hundreds of people come and go all the time with windowless walls seems like a really bad idea,” Nickerson said.

“The human activity developed by the mosque and their community spirit has definitely been a positive influence.”

Mosque officials have been busy making presentations to members of the broader Muslim community to try to raise the money, Al-Jabry said. The downtown mosque congregation has high numbers of refugees and newcomers to Canada, many who move on to other communities to find work. So mosque officials are appealing to Muslims as far as Toronto and Alberta to help raise money.

“Everybody knows Hamilton’s downtown mosque,” Al-Jabry said.

The current building is leaking and in poor condition, and too small to hold the hundreds who show up for prayers. Al-Jabry hopes that combined with help from financial institutions, the community will provide.

“I’m going around every single corner to make sure we raise this money,” he said.

Donations can be made at HSBC Canada at 40 King St. E. The bank code is 016, the transit number 10322, the swift code HKBC CATT. The bank account is #322-077397-080.

FULL ARTICLE ON CBC.CA

ACTIONS UPON HEARING ATHAAN – CALL FOR A PRAYER

There are five Sunnah actions (i.e. Prophetic actions) recommended by the Prophet Peace be upon him – Upon hearing the call for the prayer, as mentioned in Zad Al Ma’ad Book, by Ibn Al Qayyem:

1 ➲ The hearer should repeat after the Mo’athen (The one who calls for prayer) all words except when the Mo’athen says:

“حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلاَةِ وَحَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ”
Hayya ‘alas-Salaah (come to prayer) and Hayya ‘alal-Falaah (come to prosperity).

Here you should say:

“لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ”
Laa hawla wa laa quwwata ‘illaa billaah (There is no might, or power, except with Allah)

Al-Bukhari, The Book of Prayer, Hadith 613;
Muslim, The Book of Prayer, Hadith 385. The wording is according to Muslim

The benefit of this Sunnah: You will be rewarded with Paradise as stipulated in Sahih Muslim.

2 ➲ The hearer should say:

“وَأَنَا أَشَْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، رَضِيتُ بِاللهِ رَبَّاً وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ رِسُولاً وَبِالإِْسلاَمِ دِيناً”.

Wa ‘anaa ‘ash-hadu ‘an laa ‘ilaaha ‘illallaahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu wa ‘anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa Rasooluhu, radheetu billaahi Rabban, wa bi-Muhammadin Rasoolan wa bil’islaami deenan.

(And I also bear witness that there is no deity has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, Who has no partner, and that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. I am pleased with Allah as my Lord, with Muhammad as my Messenger and with Islam as my religion.)

To be recited in Arabic after the Mu’aththin’s Tashahhud or the words of affirmation of Faith

Muslim, The Book of Prayer, Hadith 386

The benefit of this Sunnah: Allah will forgive your sins, as stipulated in the same prophetic tradition.

3 ➲ After the Mo’athen finishes the Athan (The call for prayer), you should ask Allah’s blessings upon the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and the best supplication which can be said in this regard is the “As-Salawat Al Ibrahimiah” – as mentioned below.

The Prophet – Peace be upon him – said:
“When you hear the Mo’athen calling for the prayer, repeat his words then ask Allah’s blessings upon me, because the one who asks Allah’s blessings upon me once will be rewarded ten blessings by Allah.”

Muslim, The Book of Prayer, Hadith 384

The benefit of this Sunnah: Allah will send ten blessings to the believer i.e. Allah will praise such person at heaven.

The text of As-Salawat Al-Ibrahimiah is:

(Allaahumma salli alaa Muhammadin wa alaa aali Muhammadin, kamaa sallayta alaa Ibraaheema wa alaa aali Ibraaheema innaka Hameedun Majeed. Allahumma Baarik alaa Muhammadin wa alaa aali Mohammadin kamaa baarakta alaa Ibraaheema wa alaa aali Ibraaheema innaka Hameedun Majeed – i.e. O Allah, bestow your favor on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad as You have bestowed Your favor on Ibrahim and on the family of Ibrahim, You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Mohammad as You have blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious)

Al-Bukhari, The Book of Stories of the Prophet, Hadith 3370

4 ➲ After asking Allah’s blessings upon the Prophet – Peace be upon him – you should say:

“اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ هَذِهِ الدَّعْوَةِ التَّامَّةِ، وَالصَّلَاةِ الْقَائِمَةِ، آتِ مُحَمَّداً الْوَسِيلَةَ وَالْفَضِيلَةَ، وَابْعَثْهُ مَقَاماً مَحْمُوداً الَّذِي وَعَدْتَهُ، [إَنَّكَ لَا تُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ].

(Allaahumma Rabba haathihid-da ‘watit-taammati wassalaatil-qaa’imati, ‘aati Muhammadanil-waseelata walfadheelata, wab ‘ath-hu maqaamam-mahmoodanil-lathee wa’adtahu, [‘innaka laa tukhliful-mee’aad])

After replying to the call of Mu’aththin. you should recite in Arabic Allah’s blessings on the Prophet.

(O Allah, Lord of this Perfect Call and Owner of this Prayer to be performed, bestow on Muhammad Al-Waseelah and Al-Fadeelah that You promised him)

Al-Bukhari, The Book of Al-Adhaan, Hadith 614

The benefit of this supplication: The one who says this supplication will deserve the intercession of the Prophet – Peace be upon him.

5 ➲ Finally, you can ask Allah The Almighty anything for yourself and ask the grace of Allah because your supplication will be answered this time.

The Prophet – Peace be upon him – said:
“Repeat the words of the Mo’athen and when you finish, ask Allah what you want and you will get it)

Aboo Daawood, The Book of Prayer, Hadith 524. Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar graded the Hadeeth as Hasan and Ibn Hibbaan gave it a grading of authentic

➲ The total number of such Sunnah actions if applied upon hearing the Athan (The call for prayer) is ➲ (25) actions of Sunnah.