“If Allah helps you none can overcome you, and if He forsakes you, who is there, after Him, that can help you. And in Allah (alone) let believers
put their trust.”[3:160]

Hope everyone is doing great by the grace of the Almighty allah.

As most of you may know, our community in Markham Ontario has acquired a land for the Masjid and we have gotten the approval by the city for the site plan. A group of residents from this neighborhood don’t like the idea of a Mosque and have started a campaign to reverse the decision of the city by citing traffic, parking, against cultural heritage etc. They have petitioned the Mayor and the councilors to reverse their decision and there is a serious threat that they may be able to derail the project or delay it.

There is a petition that has been started to show our support, please sign it and forward to all your friends and families, also post in any social media websites that you can.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/say-yes-to-the-mosque-on-16th-avenue-no-to-bigotry.html

The people opposing it have started a petition and have already gotten over 3500 signatures and are presenting this to the city every week. They are spending their time, money and effort to oppose this project, lets us at least show our support by signing the petition.

The masjid will be built with or without our support, it is up to us to be counted among those that have done all that it takes to support it. Please sign and forward this to others. I have about 50 people on this list, if you can each send it to 50 other people inshallah in a few days we will be able to exceed the opposing petition and present it to the city.

Wassalam

“Do not withhold your money; or else Allah will withhold His blessings from you. Spend (in Allah’s Cause) as much as you can.” (Bukhari)

And were it not for Allah’s grace upon you and His mercy in this world and the hereafter, a grievous chastisement would certainly have touched you on account of the discourse which you entered into.

‘Abdullāh ibn Mas’ūd [رضي الله تعالى عنه] said:

“The Companions of Muhammad [صلى الله عليه وسلم] were the best of this Ummah, the most purest of heart, the least superficial and they had the deepest knowledge. Indeed, they were a people whom Allāh chose to establish His religion and accompany His Prophet. So recognize their virtues, follow in their footsteps and adhere as much as you can to their morals and religion, for they were following true guidance.”[عبد البر في الجامع]

O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, “Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent.”(66:8)

And We have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with stars and have made [from] them what is thrown at the devils and have prepared for them the punishment of the Blaze.(67:5)

Shaitaan sticks to the heart of the child of Adam. When he does Zikr of Allah, he (Shaitaan) runs away from him. And when the child of Adam becomes careless from the Zikr of Allah, the Shaitan begins to put was-wasah (evil suggestion​s) into his heart.” [Bukhari]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGishTiZ0d4&feature=player_embedded#!

Narrated ‘Aisha: Some people asked the Prophet regarding the soothsayers. He said, “They are nothing.” They said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Some of their talks come true.” The Prophet said, “That word which happens to be true is what a Jinn snatches away by stealth (from the heaven) and pours it in the ears of his friend (the foreteller) with a sound like the cackling of a hen. The soothsayers then mix with that word, one hundred lies.” ( Sahih Bukhari Book #93, Hadith #650)

Indeed Allah’s mercy has been upon him, from whom the punishment has been averted on that Day; and this is the clear success.[6:16]

“It is one of the greatest sins that a man should curse his parents.” It was asked (by the people), “O Allah’s Apostle! How does a man curse his parents?” The Prophet said, “‘The man abuses the father of another man and the latter abuses the father of the former and abuses his mother.” (Bukhari)

Besides the call for revolution, one common slogan in the recent Middle East uprisings is “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is the greatest.” Add to these chants the recent declaration by the Libyan national transition council that Libya will abide by Islamic law, and most recently the victory of the Islamist Ennahda party in Tunisia, and you can understand why many in the West are alarmed about the rise of Islam. Is this alarm a legitimate concern, or is it Islamophobia?

In a recent survey by Léger Marketing for the Association of Canadian Studies in Montreal, Canadians were asked how positive they feel about different groups. Muslims received the lowest ranking. The results echoed the findings of a previous survey for the association, this one marking 10 years since 9/11, which found that a majority of Canadians believe that conflicts between Western nations and the Muslim world are “irreconcilable.”

Muslims continue to struggle to integrate safely and openly into Canadian society. Even Canadian-born Muslims find it difficult to be Muslim; growing up as a Muslim here isn’t always easy. Most kids and teenagers are afraid of expressing their Islamic identity, and thus end up living a kind of doublestandard life filled with psychological dilemmas and religious and moral sacrifices.

Whether it’s a girl wearing a hijab, a guy praying during lunch hour at school, or simply having a name such as Osama or Jihad, Muslims are often intimidated about expressing themselves and the values they cherish. I remember as a student having to pray at the bottom end of stairwells during lunch hour, since the school wouldn’t provide space for this purpose for a few minutes, even when all the classrooms were free.

Intolerant attitudes don’t end when one becomes an adult. I was sitting in a public park in Montreal over the summer with my wife and two children, which was enough to attract the attention of a passerby who held a cellphone and pretended to speak to someone about the contamination of the park with Muslims. He spoke loudly enough that we could hear him. Finally, the language became so foul that we left.

In the last few years, Canadians have been exposed to a wide range of negativity about Islam. There was a proposal to bar public services being made available to anyone who wore a niqab in Quebec, bans on girls wearing the hijab while playing sports, and most notably, the passing of a “code of conduct” by the municipality of Hérouxville that prohibited the stoning of women! More recently, Ontario schools were under fire for allowing Muslims to pray at school.

Islamophobia is harmful to all Canadians, irrespective of their faith. Muslims form an integral and constructive part of Canadian society. Take a close look at your daily dealings and see how often they include interactions with Muslims: your visit to the hospital, meeting a professor at university or classmates in school, your ride in a taxicab, your order from the shawarma restaurant, or passing a local mosque as you’re driving.

Islam carries deeply rooted respect, understanding and love for others regardless of their faith or ideology. The Quran clearly states: “There’s no compulsion in religion.” Islam also makes it clear that “the best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.”

The rise of Islamophobia means immediate steps need to be taken to educate people about Islam and Muslims in Canada.

The causes of Islamophobia must be addressed, and clear guidelines formulated to identify and put an end to Islamophobic actions. Only when this happens will the fears and concerns that we manufacture fade away, replaced with the respect and freedom that we hope for.

Céline Cooper is a Montrealer and a PhD candidate in sociology and equity studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/welcome+Muslims+Canada/5672146/story.html#ixzz1dWui0Hkv

And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you – when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.[3:103].

There is a fantastic new iPhone app for performing Tasbeeh by Avenue Islam. It lets you keep a count of your daily duas and has over 50 dua’s. It also helps you plan and organise your daily zikr. Click here to download.  http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tasbeeh/id449671634?mt=8