Shabaan 1429 AH - Islamic Education Center

August 08 (Shabaan 1429 AH) www.iec-houston.org info@iec-houston.org (Tel.) 713.787.5000THE MONTH OF THEPROPHET (SWAA)By. Br. Hadi ElmiThe Holy month of Shabaan is themonth of our Holy ProphetMohammad (pbuh). Our intentionsshould be that all of our good deedsare for the love of our Holy Prophet(pbuh). It has been reported that theHoly Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) usedto fast the entire month of Shabaan.Therefore, Imam Sajjad (as) instructedhis companions to fast the entiremonth. Imam Ali (as) has saidwhoever fasts the entire month for thelove of Holy Prophet (pbuh) wouldenter the heaven.Some of the recommended deeds forthis Holy Month:- Fasting- Seeking forgiveness of Allah (swt)- Helping the needy- Being kind to parents- Visiting the sick- Making peace among neighbors,friends, and family member- Encouraging people to do good, andabstain from evil- Reciting two Rakat prayers at night.Each Rakat recite once Sura Alhamdand eleven times Sura IkhlasImam Husein (as) was born onThursday the third day of Shabaan.Imam Askari (as) has instructed us tofast on this holy day.The night of fifteenth ofShabaan is the holiest night of ourcalendar year after the night Qadr inthe month of Ramadhan. The earlydawn of the fifteenth of Shabaan iswhen Imam Mahdi (as) was born. It isvery interesting that Imam Mahdi (as)recited the Sura Qadr while in thewomb of his Holy Mother Narges (as).Imam Mahdi (as) after birth went tosajda and bore witness to the unityof Allah (swt) and the prophethood ofMohammad and the eleven Imamsbefore him. This holy night is the nightof offering thanks to Allah (swt) andreconfirming our belief. It is highlyrecommended to stay awake offeringprayers, supplications and reciting theHoly Quran. On this holy night, weoffer our salams and greetings to thefourteen infallibles and all 124,000prophets (pbut).Our Holy Prophet (pbuh) hassaid when the first day of the Holymonth of Shabaan arrives the doors ofheaven will open and the Holy Tree ofTubaa lowers her branches to the earthvisiting the believers allowing them tosee her branch and raising them tothe heaven. This holy tree is alive, hasspeech, knows and greets the truebelievers.So all good deeds must becoupled with the pure intention ofpleasing Allah (swt). In conclusion,the Holy month of Shabaan is themonth that we should be quick indoing good deeds and setting aside allbad habits. It is the month of blessingsin preparation for welcoming the HolyMonth of Ramadhan and night ofQadr, at which time our shares ofsustenance and our destiny for thecoming year is determined. We shouldjoin the heavenly angels and The Spirit(pbut) by reciting greetings to ProphetMohammad (pbuh) and his purifiedfamily (pbut).IMAM ALI (A.S.)’s 12VALUE BASED POLICIESIEC was honored with the visit ofHujjat-al-Islam Maulana AbbasAyleya on the grand occasion of thebirth of Imam al-Muttaqeen, Ali ibnAbi Talib (A.S.), on the 13 th of Rajab.In his talk, Maulana Abbas Ayleyapresented 12 value-based policies ofImam Ali (A.S.) which aresummarized below.1. Everything should be sacrificedfor the hadaf (goal); the goal cannever be sacrificed2. Never care about what dunyaworshipperswould say; after youhave recognized Haqq, just besteadfast3. Avoid the gatherings of theexclusively-rich crowd4. Avoid debating with themisguided ignorants (who do falseta’weelat with Quraan)5. Eradicate simple-mindedness(ibadat without ma’refat of yourimam)6. Spend the Islamic finances onlyon those who deserve them7. Don’t let your relatives/childrendrag you to hell8. Remember that the yahood andnasara can’t be your friends9. Be on the alert for the enemies,even in peaceful times10. Don’t compromise on adalat(justice)11. Always support the oppressed andoppose the oppressor; don’t stayidle, don’t oppress and don’t getoppressed12. Always be brave and wise enoughto defend Islam and obey theleadershipBARBARIC INCIDENTS OFTALIBAN IN PARACHINAR AND D.I. KHANUnder the leadership of Hujjat al-Islam Maulana Ghulam Hur Shabbiri,representatives of Muslim Congressand 6 local organizations of Houston

area met the council general ofIslamic Republic of Pakistan, Mr.Nadeem Aqil, to express their angerand grief at the inhumane andbarbaric killing by Taliban of the Shiaand Sunni Muslims in different partsof Pakistan, in particular Para Chinarand D.I. Khan of the NorthernRegion.On Friday, July 18 th 2008,after Juma prayers, representatives ofMuslim Congress, Islamic EducationCenter, Anjuman e Pasban e Aza,Markazi Imambargah Al Murtaza,Ahlul Bayt Foundation of America,Al Ghadeer Islamic Center and I.P.F.headed by Maulana Ghulam HurShabbiri went to the PakistaniConsulate in Houston to demand animmediate stop to the Talibanbrutality and arrest of all the culpritsof the massacres that have taken placein Para Chinar and D.I.Khan.H.I. Shabbiri stressed uponthe implementation of law and order,and deployment of force to stop theever-growing violence in Pakistan bythe Taliban insurgents. He alsoiterated the fact that if thegovernment of Pakistan did not showany heed, there will be a nationwideand worldwide awareness campaignfor the general public, and this issuewill be handled through thehumanitarian organizations of theworld. H.I. Shabbiri mentioned thatthe Taliban had created a similarsituation in our beloved Pakistan tothe one in Israel and Palestine. Hequoted a saying of Ameer alMomineen Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS),“A country can survive under a Kafirruler, but never under a Zalim ruler.”Maulana Shabbiri gave a writtenresolution to the Council General toforward it to the concerned authoritiesin Pakistan.Council General, Mr.Nadeem, listened to the entire addressvery patiently and humblyacknowledged the grief and angerover the incidents. He alsoacknowledged the fact that Pakistanis facing different challenges and is ina state of political turmoil because ofthe Taliban extremists. He said,“Taliban are not just targetinginnocent Muslim public, they are alsoattacking the authorities and theofficials killing over 5000 soldiers, 3attacks on President PervezMusharraf and killing of MuhtaramaBenazir is evident of Taliban’svicious aggression.” Mr. Nadeemassured the participants that thegovernment of Pakistan will nevertolerate this lawlessness and punishthe responsible individuals andgroups to the fullest capacity of lawand force. He mentioned that militaryaction has started in different areas touproot the enemies of peace andenemies of Islam.UPDATEOn Wednesday July 23 rd anemergency meeting was called byAhlulBayt Coordination Council ofHouston (A Unified Platform of ShiaMuslim organizations of Houston) atMarkazi Imambargah Al-Murtaza, todiscuss the heartless killings ofMuslims of Pakistan, particularly inParaChinar, D.I. Khan, Hangu andSwat areas, by notorious Taliban.A large number of MuslimOrganizations (including I.E.C, Al-Murtaza, Al-Ghadeer EducationFoundation, AhlulBayt Foundation,I.P.F, Anjuman Alamdar-e-Hussain ,Anjuman Pasban-e-Aza) and a vastnumber of people from all overHouston participated in the meetingwhich was presided by Hujjat-ul-Islam Maulana Ghulam Hur Shabbiri.The meeting started withrecitation of Quran and a telephoneaddress by Maulana Jawad Hadi (ExSenator, Pakistan Senate). He thankedthe participants for showing theircompassion & solidarity with thepeople of ParaChinar, and explainedthe devastating situation inParaChinar which has now bee undersiege by Taliban for the last 15months. Over 500 people have beenkilled with thousands injured in anarea which literally has no food ormedical supplies, as all roads toeffected areas are blocked by thecruel Taliban insurgents. Innocentpeople are being abducted and killedusing inhumane means; their headsand body parts are cut by knives andchain-saws and some were even burntalive. He said that the government ofPakistan has so far done nothing tostop the brutalities of Taliban. Heasked the participants of the meetingand the Muslims of America to helpthe people of ParaChinar and otherareas of Pakistan who are beingmassacred by Taliban forces and topressurize the Pakistan & U.Sgovernments to intervene in thesituation.After his speech, MaulanaHur Shabbiri advised the participantsto plan a coordinating effort to makeevery Muslim and non-Muslim awareof the massacres taking place inPakistan by the Taliban, who arekilling Muslims from all schools ofthoughts calling it Jihad. He furtherasked everyone to help the families ofthe martyred and to launch protestsagainst Taliban brutality in all newsmedia.The Participants and therepresentatives of Shi’a-Muslimorganizations of Houston decided tolaunch a unified news media &general awareness campaign againstthe oppression of Taliban in thenorthern areas of Pakistan. They alsoannounced a Majlis-e-Terheem forthe Eesale Sawab of the martyred &fundraising for food and medicalsupplies for the effected people ofParaChinar, on the evening of August2 nd, at Markazi Imambargah Al-Murtaza.HEADLINE STORIESFew article headlines from CrescentInternational June 2008 Edition.• Afghanistan’s occupiers hope for“grand reconciliation” asresistance increases• Barack Obama: a reality check• Ghazzah truce explains Israel’sbelligerence towards Iran• Turkey: Constitutional courtreverses government rulingpermitting hijab in universities• The Saudis’ relentless drive todestroy the historic sites of IslamAugust 2008Wahdat - Islamic Education Center of Houston Newsletter

HAQQAn IEC Al-Qasim Youth PublicationMuslim CongressBy: Shaan RizviAugust 2008Last weekend I wasblessed with the opportunity toattend the 4th annual MuslimCongress conference in Dallas.It was my first time at theconference, so insha'Allah Iwanted to share my experienceof the conference with you all.When I first arrived atthe airport in Dallas-ForthWorth International Airport, Iwent to the baggage claim andpicked up the bag that Ichecked in. As I turned thecorner and started to walk outof the baggage claim area, Ilooked outside the glasswindows and saw the MuslimCongress shuttle waiting outsideto transport me to the HyattRegency hotel, which was a halfhour drive away. MuslimCongress provided thiscomplimentary service at nocost to those attending theconference, and it set the toneof brotherhood and unity forthe rest of the conference.Throughout theconference there were variousspeeches and workshops, allgiven by the ulema. For myselfthe most memorable speechcame on Saturday morning byMaulana Muhammad Baig, whobrought down the house with aspeech titled, "Youth in Islam."Maulana Baig discussed howyouth are referred to as“quwwat,” or power, in theQur'an. Power is a type ofenergy, a force, but like anyforce it needs to be channeledin the right direction to beeffective. Unfortunately, in toomany of our communities theelders refuse to give up the reinsof power and have thus stifledthe energy of the youth, andthereby, of the community as awhole. He also made awonderful analogy to illustratehis point; if Islam as an ideologyis a handgun, the ulema are thegun itself whereas the youth arethe bullets that follow andobey the direction of the gun.Neither part is effective withoutthe other and each group needsthe other to be successful, onlythen can the gun be considereda powerful weapon. The speechwas memorable not only for itscontent, but moreso for thepassion and energy with whichMaulana Baig spoke. He riledup the entire audience, andthroughout his speech peopleresponded to his points byemphatically yelling out,"Labbayka," "Takbeer,""Subhan'Allah," and others yetencouraging him to "Teach us!"Masha'Allah, I have never heardsuch loud takbirs or salawats inmy life. In a nutshell it was aspeech that had the intellectualcaliber of an English majlis butwith the emotional response(from the audience) of anWahdat - Islamic Education Center of Houston NewsletterUrdu majlis. Another excellentspeech was given by ImamMuhammad al-Asi on ImamKhomeini's role in revivingPure Islam, as well as one byMaulana Abbas Ayleya onIjtehad and Taqleed.Workshops lead by the ulemacovered topics such as "IslamicSyllabus," "Racism vs. Islam,""Mental and Physical Wellbeing,"and "Youth andActivism." Throughout theconference, all the attendeesprayed together in jamaat, andvarious ulema gave shortkhutbas after fajr salaat, andbetween zuhr and asr as well asbetween maghrib and ishasalaat. Despite their effortsduring the daytime, the ulemaalso stayed up late at nights withthe youth throughout theconference and held informaldiscussion sessions on problemswithin our communities andother issues.The crowd at theconference was incrediblydiverse. There were Indian,Pakistani, American, Iranian,Arab and AfricanShias. However, despite thediversity everyone wasincredibly warm and welcoming,and there was a true sense ofbrotherhood in the air. So manypeople came up to me and gavetheir salaams, introducedthemselves, and asked how Iwas liking the conference.

An IEC Al-Qasim Youth PublicationConcentration in SalaatBy: Ailia Ahmed and Sara DhanjiImam al-Sadiq (AS) narrates that it is written in The Torah:“O’Son of Man, if you empty yourself, i.e. disengage yourself from all other preoccupationsto make yourself available for My worship, I will fill your heart withrichness and I will not abandon you to what you seek and long for. And it will be uponMe to close the door of poverty upon you and to fill your heart with awe for Me.And if you don’t empty yourself for My worship, I will fill your heart withpreoccupation with the world. I will not close upon you the door of poverty and willabandon you to what you seek.”(al-Kulayni (RA), Usul al-Kafi,2, "Kitab al-'Iman wa1-Kufr', "Bab al-‘Ibadah",Tradition number 1)Rajab is one of the four holiestmonths in the Islamic year duringwhich worship and prayer hasmany benefits and blessings. Also,the 13 th of Rajab is the wiladat ofour Imam Ali (as). Therefore, wehave taken this opportunity toexamine a story of Imam Ali andhow it relates to worship, not onlyin Rajab but in the months tocome, especially the holy monthof Ramadhan.We have all heard thestory of Imam Ali (as) when anarrow became lodged in his footduring battle. It was intolerablypainful for him when an effortwas made to remove it. However,while Imam was praying, thearrow was taken out while withoutImam Ali (as) even noticing.What this storyexemplifies is the concentrationand focus that Imam Ali (as) hadin his salaat. He was so completelyabsorbed in his worship andtherefore, didn’t feel any painwhen the arrow was removed.Consequently, one of the lessonswe can take from Imam Ali (as)and try to apply in our daily livesis concentration in salaat. Duringthese sacred months we shouldstrive towards attaining a higherlevel of focus in salaat.Further reading- Adabus Salat- Concentration in PrayerBoth at al-islam.orgAdvice from Imam Khomeini (r)I remember one day in Najaf, I wrote a letter to the Imamalong these lines: Please give us some advice; however itshould be general and complete piece of advice.In his reply, he said: “The best advise is that which Allah hasstated in the Quran:قُلْ‏ إِن َّمَا أَعِظُكُم بِوَاحِدَةٍ‏ أَن َّ تَقُومُواِالله ِ“Say: I exhort you only to one thing, that (you) rise up forAllah’s sake.”Ayatullah Mu’minAugust 2008Wahdat - Islamic Education Center of Houston Newsletter

START OF NEW SCHOOLYEARAl-Hadi:Parents/Students Orientation:Saturday, August 9thFirst day of School:Wednesday, August 13thSunday School:First day: Saturday, September 6thRamadan Schedule 5pm - 7pm.Farsi school:First day of classes: Friday, August29 th . Registration at 6:30pm, Classesstart at 7:30pm (same day)AL-HADI SCHOOLPREPARES FOR 2008-2009ACADEMIC YEARAl-Hadi School opens for its 13thyear of operation onWednesday, August 13, 2008,InshaAllah. Preparations areunderway to begin the schoolyear with approximately 340 studentson its roster and over 50 members onits teaching and support staff team, toprovide education and service inkeeping with the exemplarystatus awarded by theSouthern Association of Colleges andSchools in May 2006. AHS hasbeen accredited for over 7 years, andcontinues to work towardsachieving its mission to developstudents’ intellectual, spiritual,aesthetic and physical potential inan Islamic environment.Parent and Student orientationsare scheduled for Saturday,August 9th, 2008 at 10:30 am forfamilies with children ingrades Kindergarten through 12thgrade, and at 2:30 pm for familiesof preschoolers. New and returningfamilies will have the opportunity tomeet their children’s teachers, viewclassrooms, review handbooks andstudent schedules, buy uniforms,supplies, lunch couponsand promotional items from the Al-Hadi School bookstore etc.The Islamic Education Board andthe AHS Administration arefocused on implementing programenhancements for the new year in theareas of curriculum, instructionaltechnology, classroom learningcenters, Physical Education,August 2008extracurricular activities,career exploration and leadershipopportunities, to name a few. Withthe support of the community and theguidance of the Almighty, we willcontinue to work towards achievingthe full potential of our students, theschool and the community.ISLAMIC EDUCATIONRADIO COMPLETES ITSFIRST SEASON!I.E.C. launched an Islamic radioshow, Islamic Education Radio (IER)in February 2008 as an outreachservice for both Muslims and Non-Muslims of the Houston community.The mission of the show is topromote awareness about the trueMuhammadan Islam and to nurture adialog between communities basedon common values and understandingamong its English speaking audience.Br. Hadi Elmi, who has many yearsof experience in the field of Dawaservices and is a former Chairman ofthe IEC Board of Directors, was oneof the visionaries of this project. Thegoal to take the message of Islam tothe English speaking radio audiencetook shape when a member of theIEC community donated a year'sexpense for the radio show. Sr.Saleha Hijazi hosted the first fewshows earlier in the year. The torchwas then passed to Br. Tansir Syed,the office administrator at the I.E.C.With the support of the PublicRelations Committee of the IEC anda team of dedicated presenters(including Sr. Masooma Razzak, Sr.Eram Raza, and Sr. Zainab Kazmi)Brother Tansir has aired over 20shows to date. The current format ofthe show offers multi-segmented,interactive and informativeprogramming and targets listeners ofall ages and from all walks of lifeThe IEC segment of the programoffers discourses on the Tafseer ofQuran, by H.I. Hurr Shabbiri on aregular basis, as well as lectures by avariety of renowned scholars. Theshow also features interviews in itsDawa segment. The IEC communityis blessed with many members whohave chosen to practice Islamalthough they were not born into it,and each week IER invites them toshare their personal experiencesabout their journey to Islam. AWahdat - Islamic Education Center of Houston Newslettercertain amount of show time is alsoallotted to discussions about thesalient features of the TrueMuhammadan Islam. These segmentsopen the doors of guidance for manylisteners as they bring to light someof the misconceptions about Islamthat are propagated in the media.Since every service provided by theIEC incurs some expenses, yourfinancial support always works as theback bone of all these endeavors.Your financial contribution will helpour ongoing effort to reach-out to theHouston community to spread theMessage of Almighty. You cansupport us by promoting yourbusinesses through our radio show, oryou can simply donate towards theIER. Just mention IER in the Memowhen writing checks. Needless to sayAlmighty will reward you for yourdeeds.Islamic Education Radio alsoshowcases a variety of professionalsin the community, who share theirareas of expertise. Its liveprogramming also features Islamicsongs and eulogies, local andcommunity events and internationalnews. Previously aired shows areavailable at www.iec-houston.org.Live listening is available on radio atKGOL 1180 am or on the computerat www.KGOL1180am.com onSunday mornings between 9:00 amand 10:00 am (the hour prior toAgahi Radio with Br. Hasan Syed).Tune in next week and join the IERlistener community! We look forwardto your feedback at ier@iechouston.org.List of IER Guests includeH.I. Ghulam Hur Shabbiri, H.I. SyedAbbas Ayleya, H.I. ShamshadHaider, Sheikh Farouk Abdul Ghani,Sr. Nessrein Abou Shahba, Br. HadiElmi, Br. Sami Hijazi, Sr. AminaMoreno, Sr. Sofia Baig, Sr. CynthiaKhan, Sr. Haleema Goense, Br. JavadMortazavi, Br. Haji Saleem (RonSmith), Sr. Fatima Abdu Sabour,Sister Zainab Abbasi, Br. KhalidAbdul Aleem, Br. Adam Kader, Dr.Qamber Jafri (G.I.), Dr. NadeemaAkhtar (Psych), Dr. Shabbir Syed,Sister Sukaina Jafri, Br. Vaqar Naqvi,Sr. Iman Zaveri, Br. Haji AbdurRaheem, Dr. Syed Ahmad (Raza),Dr. Surayya Saleem, Sr. SukainaNaqvi, Sr. Insiyah Mithani

IEC PROGRAMS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUSTWiladat of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS)3 rd Sha’baanWiladat of Hazrat Abbas Alamdar (AS)4 th Sha’baanSunday, August 3rdQuran RecitationKids QuizYouth PresentationQaseedas6:30 PM6:40 PM6:50 PM7:00 PMMartydom of Arif Hussaini (RA)Saturday, August 9thActual date: August 15 th , 1998Quran RecitationPresentation on current situation inParachinarSpeech by Maulana Hur ShabbiriMaghrib / Isha PrayersDinnerPresentation on Imam Hussain(AS) 7:30 PM Estimated cost of program/Dinner is $2000Speech by Maulana Mohammad Baig (Florida) 7:40 PM Birthday of Hazrat Imam Mehdi (AS)Maghrib Prayers8:33 PM 15 th Sha’baanFriday, August 15 th7:00 PM7:10 PM7:30 PM8:27 PM9:10 PMDinner8:45 PMIsha Prayers 9:30 PM Maghribain Prayers 8:22 PMClosing statement and Ziarat 9:40 PM Dinner 9:00 PMEstimated cost of program/Dinner $2500 Qaseedas (English, Urdu and Farsi) 9:45 PMBirthday of Hazrat Imam Ali bin HussainZain-ul-Abideen (AS) 5 th Sha’baanTuesday, August 5thQuran RecitationHadith-e-KisaQaseedas7:00 PM7:10 PM7:25 PMFund RaisingSpeech by Maulana Hur ShabbiriShort A’maalBreakAll night A’maalTwo days Qada salatMunajat-e-ShabaniyaBreakResume A’maalZiarat-e-Imam Hussain(AS)Ziarat-e-Alay YaseenNamaz-e-Shab10:00 PM10:30 PM10:45 PM11: 45AM12:00 AM2:15 AMSpeech by Br. Farooq Abdulghani7:45 PM2:45 AMMaghrib/Isha Prayers8:31 PM Suhoor4:30 AMDua-e-Tawassul 8:55 PM Fajr Prayers 5:21 AMEstimated cost of program is $2500NOTE: The night of 15 th of Shabaan will depend onEstimated cost of program/Tabarruk is $800moon sighting and it may change