My Experince at AWIS

-Farwa
Grade 2

I have had a good experince at AWIS. I learned many new things that I didn't know before like stories of the Phrophets, hadith, Qur'an, Ibadaat and Seerah. I have many new friends here and have had lots of fun. I had a great time working in Muslim Childrens Day. I also really liked the Halloween assembly. I will never go trick-or-treating or give candy. Also, I have improved my arabic reading tremendously as well as my calligraphy writing. My experince at AWIS was great and I hope on improving next year.
(p.s. The picnic was AWESOME!! :)

Children's and Youth Workshop

Character Reflection

The following are reflections of grade 5 students, parents and siblings with respect to their changed character after studying the personality, behavior and teachings of Muhammad (SAW) in Husna-e-Akhlaq.

From Sibling:

-Baji is now ignoring a little less than before. Before, after I asked her something she would never answer. Now most of the times she does. Also she is reading Salah slowly. Before just watching her read Salah made me dizzy. Now I can watch her without getting dizzy.

-There have been many changes in my sister, some of them are that she now prays 5 times a day and reminds me to pray if I forget, she also always reminds me to read the duas, such as the dua before eating, dua before sleeping. Also if I ever happen to get in a fight with my other sister, she tells me to stop before it gets worse.
I also think that my sister has gotten more responsible. She does more work even with all the work she has, but she manages to fit it in her schedule. Also whenever she comes back from Al-Huda she tells me what she learned. She also discusses with everyone, something she learned in Al-Huda and we all learn something new.

-I have noticed many changes in Aapa. Whenever me and my siblings start arguing, she tries to solve the problem by listening to both sides. She is very helpful to my mom whenever my mom asked her to clean the table, Aapa does. Sometimes when Aapa gets angry she used to yell at us but now she forgives us and is more calmer. On Saturday I was feeling very sick, Aapa was very understanding. She let me skip chores such as cleaning table and Aapa did it herself. I think Aapa did a very good job.

-I have noticed a lot of changes in my sister. For one thing her behavior changed towards her family. Any time someone is sick she will be the first person to come and help, no matter what she is doing. Whenever she comes home on the weekend she usually shares the knowledge learnt and wants others to benefit from it too.


From Parents:

Assalam Alalikum
My daughter has improved in her behavior with dealing with her siblings and she is more wise in understanding situations and behaving accordingly to Islamic guidelines.
We are very thankful and obliged to see how you are coaching our children to be on the right path. There has been a huge difference since the second term of AWIS.

-My daughter always talks about the education she got, and shares the knowledge she learnt. She is a kind of girl who always acts upon the ilm what she get, so that we can see her ilm in her amal, MashaAllah.


-ALHAMDULLILLAH. I am happy that my daughter is in such a great learning environment. Yes, I have seen lots of improvements in all areas of her moral values. I am feeling so lucky that she had the opportunity to learn with such loving, caring and great teachers.
I want her to stay in this circle forever in future to get good guidance for every aspect of her life and benefit others from that knowledge.
　

Student Reflection

 Last Day of 2010-2011 (Sunday June 12th, 2011)

My Experience at AWIS

Farwa
-Grade 2
I have had a good experience at AWIS. I learned many new things that I didn't know before like stories of the Prophets, hadith, Qur'an, Ibadaat and Seerah. I have many new friends here and have had lots of fun. I had a great time working in Muslim Children’s Day. I also really liked the Halloween assembly. I will never go trick-or-treating or give candy. Also, I have improved my Arabic reading tremendously as well as my calligraphy writing. My experience at AWIS was great and I hope on improving next year.
(p.s. The picnic was AWESOME!! :)

Asif
-Grade 2
Today is Sunday May 29th, 2011. Today is the last day of AWIS just before the exams. I have learned a lot of things from Al-Huda weekend Islamic school. I am very thankful to the staff members, teachers and the builders of Al-Huda weekend Islamic school. I had a great experience and my knowledge is growing in Islam. Al-Huda is a great place to learn Islam.

Mahum
-Grade 2
I had a lot of experiences in AWIS. I learned about Dua's, Hadith and Qur'an. I had a lot of fun. We had MCD and a picnic. They were both so fun! I met a lot of new friends. All of the teachers were very nice and helpful. I did a lot of projects, essays and lectures. I had improved in my reading and learning skills tremendously. AWIS had many different assemblies one of the assembly had taught me that trick-or-treating and Halloween is haraam and told me the real truth about it. Another assembly taught me about Valentines Day and how was it haraam and where did this tradition come from. This was the best year I ever had. Inshallah I will come next year and have another amazing year.

Affan
-Grade 2
It was fun learning with my Muslim friends and teachers. It was more fun with contests. I got news when we got tests and quizzes. The projects were hard to do like Hadith poster. I learned lots of knowledge in Grade 2. In AWIS the teachers wrote and talked so fast. I think AWIS was the best

Hamzah
-Grade 2
My experience at AWIS was I learned new things like new duas, new hadith, calligraphy and the best part was I learned how to sew. My favorite subject are sewing and Hadith. The best sewing accomplishment was making the pouch.

Al-Furqan

And servants of the Most Merciful those who they walk upon the earth humbly [25:63]

The servants of the Most Merciful walk humbly upon the earth. They do not drag their feet while walking. They do not stomp their feet either. They walk with tranquility and a normal speed. These days people don't have these qualities in them. People these days drag their feet when they're sad. People stomp their feet when they are mad. You will see many people with these qualities. Nobody these days cares about how they walk disrespectfully. How do we want to walk? Do we want to walk humbly or roughly? We should always see how we walk. We should be conscious of our actions. The Ebad-ur-Rahman walk humbly. Are we Ebad-ur-Rahman?

By: Areeb (grade 3)

Servants of the Most Merciful

And those who they spend night for their Rabb, prostrating and standing [25:64]

Ebad-ur-Rahman pray Tahajjd at the last third of the night. They pray nawafil as much as they can to please Allah. In this part of the night Allah comes very close to us and answers the righteous believers dua- is that cool or what.

Comparison:
Ebad-ur-Rahman: pray tahajjud, wake up and make dua; follow sunnah of the prophet
Muslims nowadays: sleep and keep sleeping; wake up late and miss fajr; start playing; miss the opportunity of getting good deeds.

Reflect: Which one are you?


by: Taha (grade 3)

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) Animated Movie

Surah Yaseen

Through Surah Yaseen I learned many things about Allah and some of His special qualities.

Allah says, إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا وَآثَارَهُمْ  وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَاهُ فِي إِمَامٍ مُّبِينٍ "Indeed it is We who bring the dead to life and record what they have put forth and what they left behind, and all things We have enumerated in a clear register." [Qur'an, 36:12]  Allah is just and fair in His treatment of all human beings. On the Day of Judgment, He will reckon and recompense us based on evidence. Every person will receive reward (Paradise) or punishment (Hellfire) based on his/her recorded words and actions. This shows that life should be lived for a purpose. We must be responsible because we are answerable to Allah for everything that we do.

Allah says, إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمُ اثْنَيْنِ فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَعَزَّزْنَا بِثَالِثٍ فَقَالُوا إِنَّا إِلَيْكُم مُّرْسَلُونَ "When We sent to them two but they denied them, so We strengthen them with a third, and they said, indeed, we are messengers to you." [Qur'an, 36:14] Allah is the Ultimate Guide. Allah sent Prophets and Messengers throughout history to inspire us to live pious and righteous lives. Finally, Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) as the last Prophet to complete and perfect His religion as a favour upon us. We are wretched that we continue to belie and betray the prophetic teachings when in fact they are for our benefit.

I find v. 33 the most fascinating. Allah says, وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمُ الْأَرْضُ الْمَيْتَةُ أَحْيَيْنَاهَا وَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهَا حَبًّا فَمِنْهُ يَأْكُلُونَ Initially the earth is barren and lifeless and from nothing Allah grows trees, flowers and fruits. This is such a tremendous miracle. Collect dirt in a corner of your room and see if you can do anything to cause a single leaf to grow from that pile. No amount of chemicals, electromagnetic waves or laser technology can spring a single leaf. Even if we plant a seed, some seeds germinate into plants while others remain dead. The entire natural world, the jungles and amazons, forests and woods are Allah's beautiful creation. Without oxygen and food which Allah produces from the natural world, we would die. So we are extensively needy of Allah. Not only this, but Allah says, وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا ذَ‌ٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ the sun and the moon are also in His control. Though these celestial entities are incomprehensively large, they are submissive to Allah. Allah determines their course of action and they comply. Just imagine the greatness of Allah. The sun which can fit in itself hundreds and thousands of planets like our earth, obeys Allah and does not deviate from the time and path Allah has ordained for it. We are so insignificant yet we are so arrogant. Is life even possible without the sun? We would all die if there was another ice age. How much we need to thank Allah for sustaining our life and guiding us to life a good life through the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhamma (s.a.w) and keeping a day for Judgment so the good and bad people get what they deserve.

In the last verse of Surah Yaseen, Allah says, فَسُبْحَانَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ "So exalted is He in Whose Hand is the realm of all things, and to Him you will be returned." SubhanAllah, Allah really is the King of king. He created and Owns everything. To Him we belong an to Him we shall return.
Afra, Grade 5

Allah created the earth and filled it with with gardens of delicious fruits and springs. He created everything in pairs so we would have a variety in everything. 

Allah is the source of all knowledge. He inspired Nuh (a.s) to construct the first naval fleet (ark). And He made the tree from which humans first kindled a fire. Allah is also the source of wealth, He distributes provision and knowledge to His creation according to His wisdom and a test.

Allah sent the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). 

Allah is the Owner of the Day of Judgment. 

Allah forgives, honours and rewards the believers who obey Him with Paradise. The people who disobey Him will be chained with fetters and collars in Hellfire. 

Huma, Grade 5

The first thing that i notice when reading about Allah in Surah Yaseen is His mercy. The level of mercy that Allah has, cannot just be covered by saying He is the Most Merciful. Wherever we look, Allah's mercy is evident. He gave us clear guidance over and over again, and emphasized on it. He told us and reminded us over and over again about what we used to be. Howe we used to be nothing, and even after we were something, we were a drop of fluid, then a clot of blood, and a an ugly leechlike thing. And Allah created what we are now out of that.
Allah puts us in our place, and tells us the true reason we are here. how we were made to worship HIm. That we made an oath not to worship anybody besides Him before we were even born. That we are made by him, for Him, and to Him is our return. He is constantly reminding us what we used to be, because He knows that we have forgotten. He reminds us of all the favours He has given us. He tell us that no matter how we ie, and no matter where we our remains end up, He will resurrect us.
Allah tell su about what He is capable of doign, so we understand Him, and become guided. He tell us about how He just says BE and it becomes. How He is flawless. He even gave us Prophets (s.a.w) who are fellow human beings to relate to us and be our role model.
Allah is Just, He made injustice haram on Himself. He oes not worng anyone,. Even against those who He is angry with, He is just. He has established court system for the Day of Judgement, where evidences and witnesses will be presented for each human being and they will be reckoned fairly.
Allah gave us food to eat, whtaer to drink, and animals that help us with our work. They are many times as as strong as us, but they are friends with us, and submit to our will, although they can eaisly injure, or eve kill us. This isa miracle, and a mercy from Allah.
Allah takes care of the believers especially well. We receive all of His guidance. Everything we do results in our benefit. He protects us from evils, and from the traps of shaytan. He gives us Jannah which itself is more than we deserve. He takes our side, personally takes our salah, raises our ranks, an brings us closer to Him. He gives us more than we deserve in reward, the best of companions and makes us always win against our enemies in the end. And Allah loves us more than 70 mothers.
Allah's greatest mercy is the Qur'an. He gave us a clear message from Himself, and reminded us of what is right. He protects us from all the bad influences through the Qur'an. He will make it become a live on the Day of Judgment, and it will intercede for us. It is through the Qur'an as well that Allah sends His peace upon people. Wherever the Qur'an is recited, that place is covered with angels who bring calmness and tranquility to that place from Allah. Allah tell us to take advantage of our time now, and amend ourselves so we are fit for His pleasure and meeting.
The very body Allah gave us is a mercy. If Allah wanted to, He could have frozen us on the spot like the people of Pompeii, but He allowed us to move, and function. Just imagine what will we will we do without the faculties which Allah gave us. Even if one limb or organ was missing or extra, life would be arduous.
All of this is given to us even though we disobey Allah and are ungrateful to Him.  Even though we are His creation and everything we have is a blessing from Him and a trust, we worship others besides Him. Everything in the universe praises Allah. The earth itself is an sign of Allah's existence. Sometimes we drop some seed, and it grows. Other time we carefully plant and nothing happens. It is all the power of Allah. We would never eat the earth, but what comes from it delicious. Every single cell of a plant is so incredibly complex, that it is like a factory. And again, it grows from dirt. How could this happen without Allah? These entire beautiful, complex, living things, that we cannot survive without could not have been made by accident. The same goes for animals, in fact for everything in the universe.
Usamah, Grade 5

In case of an earthquake...

Natural disasters and calamities are common place around the world. We hear of earthquakes, tusnamis, floods and landslides almost every week but we take no lesson. As a Muslim, it is our duty to live a conscious life. The following is a reflection of a grade 5 student:

My whole body tremors with fear and sorrow. i have just experienced one of hte worse earthquakes in the country that has devastated everyone around me. Everyone I love, everyone I care about; they are just gone. Buried under the rubble or washed away into the lake nearby. I am the only one alive, who was able to survive from family. I know there must be some people, complete strangers, who are buried somewhre, probably more afraid than I. I have to somehow help them but my body is breaking and I just want to cry forever. But I must do something to help because I am alive. I have to stay strong . I have to go around and look for people who need more than than me. I will search everywhere to see if I can save someone's life and it is my responsibility to find food and a shelter. When a rescue team comes with goods, it will be my responsibility to give them to the other survivors equally and then eat in the end. Even though i have been emotionally hurt and not physically, as a Muslim, i have ot be thankful to Allah that He has protected and saved me and I must be patient as this could be a test from Allah an He is All-Knowing, All-Wise. In the shelter, it is also my responsibility that I talk to the survivors about Allah and the religion because there is no one else left in the city to talk about it and I am alone. I have to be kind to them and not show my own grief and sorrow. I should say Alhamdulillahi ala kuli haal. I know that life will go on but i have to reflect, what brought this punishment in this first place? What deed was Allah so angry with that he sent a powerful earthquake to warn our nation? Then I have to ponder and ask for Allah's forgiveness, His mercy and His kindness. I have to ask Allah to protect  me from the evil deeds that anger Him, and seek His bounties. I have to ask Allah for His guidance so that I can apply it and please Him. An i have to ask Allah to save my family from Hellfire and that we can meet again, in Jannah inshaAllah.

Huma, Grade 5

Sewing Class

In the light of Aisha's (r.a) narration about Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) mending his own clothes at home, AWIS staff conducted stitching and sewing classes for students so the students can learn this Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and take responsibility of their clothes and maintain optimum levels of decency and cleanliness inshaAllah. The students also learned how to make purses and bags and do basic embroidery.

Reading Log Reflection

Love Your Parents
-Aamna A
Grade 3

I learned that loving your parents, praying for them and never doing such acts that may displease them are basic moral teachings of the Qur'an. We should all apply/practise these acts in our life so that Allah may be pleased with us and grant His blessings in this world and the world to come. The Qur'an enjoins us to be thankful to our parents and obey them at ALL times. I also learned that after a persons duty of a person is towards his parents. The Qur'an urges us to pray for our parents. "Lord bestow your mercy on them, as they raised me up when I was little."

The Story of the Two Gardens
-Farheen
Grade 3

This story was really good. It teaches us that you should not have too much pride because Allah is the one who has gifted you with things you are proud of. If it weren't for Allah, then you wouldn't have anything.
But a lot of people (including me) have a lot of pride now days, an you can always find a person who will be bragging about their possessions instead of thanking Allah. I was also that way, until I started going to Al-Huda, but another thing that helped me resolve my ways, was a video I saw at school on Wednesday. it was about Malawi, Africa and how poor the country is. Kids don't have proper places to live and even going to school was a struggle because they don't have any pencils or papers available.
It made me really sad an frustrated to see those poor children struggling for things we all take for granted. Why is it fair that some people get to live the good life when for some people, surviving through a whole day is an accomplishment? but i also understood that those people thank Allah for everything they get and have no pride, where as people in richer countries take everything for granted and have pride big enough to fill the whole world.

Islamic Society
-Manal
Grade 3

An Islamic society is built on Islamic ideals and these ideals are based on the Qur'an. So to be living in a true Islamic society you would need to follow the principles of the Qur'an. And did you know the Qur'an is the greatest source of teachings for human beings? It offers us so many things such as guidance, righteousness. It's like a whole big test study book for the day of judgement. Anyways, back to Islamic ideals, since they are based on Qur'an and we follow them, we essentially have to have complete faith in everything the Qur'an says like faith in Allah, His messengers, His revelations, His angels, in life hereafter and in the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammed (SAW), And this is just the begining of Islamic ideals!

Belief in Messengers of Allah
Anyone who has faith in Allah must also believe in all the messengers sent by Him. Allah had sent down these messengers because Allah said to them to guide all of mankind to the right path. And there is also a verse in the Qur'an explaining how some people believe in some messengers and disbelieve in the others, it says : "those who deny Allah and His messengers, and those who draw a line between Allah and His messengers saying: we believe in some but deny others, thus seeking a middle way- These indeed are the unbelievers. And we have prepared for the unbelievers a humiliating torment" (4:150-151). Allah's messengers are like normal human beings, they eat, drink, sleep, and marry. But Allah gave them some qualities they are perfect at and we should try to attempt and develop some qualities of the Prophets such as: speaking the truth, having goo hygiene, and obeying what Allah has commmanded us to do. I forgot to mention that there is a verse in the Qur'an explaining more in depth why Allah sent down the messengers, it says : "We sent to you a messenger from among you to recite our revelations to you and to purify you of sins and to instruct you in the book and in wisdom and to teach you what you did not know" (2:151). So here are just some of the things, I hoped you enjoyed learning about the Messengers of Allah! 

The importance of Fasting

قال رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم من صام رمضان ايمانا و احتساب 

غفرله ما تقدم من ذنبه

The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "Whoever fasts during Ramadan with imaan and consciousness, keeping account of himself, his past sins will be forgiven". 

Fasting is an obligatory act of worship. It is to abstain from eating, drinking and all activities which Allah dislikes and He has forbidden.
Fasting requires faith and conviction in Allah. Simply not eating or drinking all day does not constitute as fasting. Fasting for the sake of Allah demands that Believers make the intention to fast to please Allah. This includes being extra careful and conscious of so as to only do good deeds which make Allah happy like,  pray Salah on time, recite lots of Qur'an, be respectful and dutiful to parents, help and accommodate everyone, give in charity etc.
Fasting with faith also demands that one keeps a check on themselves and get engaged in immoralities and sins. Even if other people prompt us to fight, do not raise voice, insult, curse or become physically aggressive, refrain from becoming angry and forgive. Leave all things which Allah dislikes like delaying Salah, listening to music and being disrespectful to parents.
When a Believer fasts deliberately for Allah, nothing stops him/her from eating and drinking and following vain desires except the love and fear of Allah. When a Believer is aware and humbled by the burden of his/her sins and sincerely asks for Allah's forgiveness whilst fasting then inshaAllah Allah will forgive their past sins.


Every day, consciously and many times unconsciously, we make numerous mistakes. Over the weeks and months, these mistakes accumulate and tar our soul until it is corrupt. It is like iron, if left outside, unprotected from the natural elements, it rusts and decay. Or like meat or milk left for too long on the kitchen counter, rots and smells. Similarly our souls, when exposed to profuse immoralities and left in the environment of sin, disintegrates and depletes. So just as we laundry our clothes, wash our dishes and clean our bathrooms it is necessary to clean and purify our souls at least once a year from all the corruption that soils it. Fasting in the month of Ramadan with faith and accountability expiates previous sins.


What do you prefer?

 Dirty dishes? or ...

 Clean dishes?

Dirty clothes? 

Clean clothes?

When we like clean things for ourselves, shouldn't we make our souls free from sin for Allah? Fast with imaan and consciousness this Ramadan inshaAllah.

5 Pillars of Islam

سال رجل رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم فقال: اخبرني عن الاسلام قال رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم: الاسلام ان تشهد ان لا اله الا الله و ان محمد رسول الله وتقيم الصلاة وتؤ تي الزكاة وتصوم رمضان وتحج البيت ان استطعت اليه سبيلا

A man came to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and said, "Inform me about Islam." The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "Islam is that you testify that there is no God worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad (s.a.w) is the Prophet of Allah and that you establish Salah, give Zakah, fast the month of Ramadan and make Hajj to the House (of Allah) when you are capable."

الاسلام - Islam means submissions. It is to surrender oneself to Allah and do everything that Allah has commanded. Islam is founded upon 5 pillars. People must satisfy all 5 pillars to become and remain Muslim.

ان لا اله الا الله   - The 1st pillar of Islam is to believe that there is no God worthy of worship expect. Allah is the Sovereign, One Who Owns and Controls the sky, the earth and everything in between them and beyond. Allah is Pure, Perfect and Holy. He is the Sacred, the Source of Peace, Security and Protection. Allah is the Al-Mighty, the All-Powerful. He is the Compeller, the One Who Subdues. He is Invincible, nothing can happen without His permission. He is the Creator, the Sustainer and the Planner. He fashioned and evolved everything that exists. Allah gave it shape, design and features. He is the Wise, the Best Judge, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, the Supreme and the Superb. Allah is One, there is no one even remotely similar to Him or equal. He is the Eternal, the Ever-Living, the Ever-Lasting. He is independent and free of want while all things are lying upon Him and in need of Him to exit. He does not have children, parents or any partners. He is Unique and Alone in His Divinity and Lordship.

Reference: Surah Hashr and Surah Ikhlaas

و ان محمد رسول الله -  It is also the 1st pillar of Islam to believe in Muhammad (s.a.w) as the Prophet of Allah.

About him Jesus (Esa a.s) said,

وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ

And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, "O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad." [Qur'an, 61:6]

Allah vouches for the Prophethood of Muhammad (s.a.w) with the words  إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ,  "Indeed you are surely from those who are sent [with Allah's Message to the people]. Allah also says Muhammad (s.a.w) is the Final Messenger, there will be no Prophets after him. 

مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن رَّسُولَ اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ

وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمً

Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets. And ever is Allah , of all things, Knowing. [Qur'an, 33:40]

Muhammad (s.a.w) is Allah's last and complete means of guidance. Anyone who wishes to know about Allah and worship Him in the best of ways must profess faith in the Prophethood of Muhammad (s.a.w) and follow his example.

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ  وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah , then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." [Qur'an, 3:31]

وتقيم الصلاة Establishing Salah is the 2nd pillar of Islam. The command to establish Salah was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) in Paradise. Allah especially ascended the Prophet (s.a.w) to Paradise and ordered him and all those who follow him to establish Salah 5 times a day. The command to establish Salah is mentioned in the Qur'an over 700 times. Salah offered at it's fixed time is most beloved to Allah. Salah means to connect with Allah. Believers are most closet to Allah when they are in state of prostration (sajdah). Salah is the greatest act of worship dedicated to Allah which proves our commitment to Him. Through Salah a Believer thanks and praises Allah, asks Allah for His mercy, guidance and mercy. Salah prevents the Believers from sin as it reminds people of Allah and the Day of Judgment.  The people who do not establish Salah are disbelievers and the people who are lazy and late in offering their Salah and do not remember Allah much when they pray are hypocrites. 

وتؤ تي الزكاة Zakah means to increase and purify. Zakah puries wealth and soul from sin, greed, stinginess and arrogance. Allah increases wealth and blesses it when zakah and charity is given to the poor and the needy from it. Zakah is the 3rd pillar and an obligation in Islam like Salah. Zakah promotes distribution of riches and resources in society, it establishes social justice, brotherhood and compassion.


وتصوم رمضان - Fasting in the month of Ramadan is the 4th pillar of Islam. It means to stop and abstain from eating, drinking and all things which displease Allah and Allah has forbidden. This month is about becoming a new person, overcoming bad habits and really trying hard to come close to Allah by worshiping Him more than other months and asking for His forgiveness and love. Ramadan is also the month of reading Qur'an and charity. Believers complete the recitation of the entire Qur'an at least once this month and pay Zakah.

وتحج البيت ان استطعت - The final and 5th pillar of Islam is to perform Hajj to the House of Allah. Hajj means to intend. Make the intention to spend some time with Allah. It is a journey of love that calls upon us to pause our lives with our families and friends, work and play to travel to Allah for the love of Allah and spend 5 days at His House in His worship and remembrance. Hajj is obligatory upon Believers at least once in their lifetime.

Our Goal is Paradise...inshaAllah!

Knowledge the way to Paradise

 قَالَ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلي الله عليه وسلم

وَمَن سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَلْتَمِسُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّل اللهُ لَهُ  طَرِيقًالِلجَنّهِ   

متفق عليه

The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), "Whoever treads a path in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him/her the path to Paradise." [Bukhari and Muslim]

Paradise is a great dominion of pleasure and delight which Allah created for His righteous servants out of His mercy in appreciation for their patience and good deeds they have done in this world.

Paradise is made of infinite lush dark green garden prettified with beautiful palaces, trees and rivers. The soil of Paradise is perfume. The stones and rocks of Paradise are precious jewels. The palaces of Paradise are made of gold and silver bricks. The tenets of Paradise are hollowed pearls. In the palaces and tents of Paradise there are fancy beds of silk brocade. The couches of Paradise are luxurious and raised high with decorated cushions lined up.
The people of Paradise will wear silk dresses and bracelets. Their faces will glimmer with gorgeous exquisiteness and allure. The Host in Paradise is Allah. Every time the people will see Allah time they will increase in beauty and glamour. The neighbours in Paradise will be the Prophets of Allah (a.s) and the Companions (r.a).
The trees of Paradise are massive with never-ending shading. Each tree is laden with plentiful fruits of every kind. The fruits of Paradise are softer than butter and sweeter than honey. Paradise has sweet, soothing, cold and refreshing rivers of water, milk and wine. Drinks in Paradise are served in crystal cups brimming to the top. The meat served in Paradise is tender and appetizing. In Paradise, people will have everything that they desire.

Reference: Surah Rahman, Surah Waqi'ah, Surah Insaan and Ibn Qayyim's description of Paradise.

Allah rewards Paradise to those of His servants who learn knowledge. Knowledge is the way to  Paradise.
Knowledge is acquiring facts, information, skills and experiences of a particular topic, subject and/or field. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "acquiring knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim" and he (s.a.w) encourage us to study beneficial knowledge; knowledge which is good, it brings us closer to Allah, improves our life and enables us to help other people.
Islamic knowledge is is a detailed familiarity with, and understanding of the Qur'an and ahadith. Although it is recommend to study all beneficial knowledge, learning Islamic knowledge is the best because Qur'an is the rope of Allah which connects us to Allah and ahadith are the statements of the Prophet (s.a.w) which help us understand and apply the Qur'an in our lives.
Mu'awiyah (r.a) reported, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him/her the understanding of Deen." [Bukhari and Muslim] From all the blessings which Allah has given us: health, wealth, food, family, friends, a house and a school, the knowledge of the religion of Islam is Allah's greatest blessing which He offers to only to special people.
Knowledge of Islam guides us to live the best life in this world and go to the best place (Paradise) after death. Ibn Mas'ud (r.a) reported, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "Envy is permitted only in two cases: a man upon whom Allah bestows wealth and he spends it in rightfully, and a man upon whom Allah has bestowed knowledge which he applies and teaches it." [Bukhari and Muslim] We often feel jealous when we see nice things that other people have and we wish we had them too. But in Islam, the nicest of things is money which is spent in the way of Allah (charity) and knowledge which is acted upon and shared with others.
Traveling to seek knowledge, that is leaving the house and all comforts to learn knowledge is especially beloved to Allah.  So the act of waking up in the morning, making preparations and then driving to school is so virtuous and pleasing to Allah that because of this, Allah makes the path to Paradise easy for students.


Targets:

• Sincerely pray to Allah that He allows you to enter Paradise.
• Make a firm intention in your heart that you want to learn the knowledge of Islam & act upon it.
•  Do all your homework on time and go to bed early on Friday. Wake up on your own on Saturday and Sunday, get read and come to Islamic class happily. 

The Importance of Hadith

Ahadith are the statements of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w).
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) is Allah's last and final Messenger to humankind.
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) only spoke only from what Allah revealed to him, therefore, all his statements are founded upon divine instructions from Allah which we must follow as Muslims.
Affirming the authenticity of the Prophet's (s.a.w) speech, Allah says, "Your companion [Muhammad] has not strayed, nor has he erred,  nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed." [Qur'an, 53:2-4]

Allah has commanded the Muslims to obey the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and only in the obedience of the Prophet (s.a.w) is the verification of our faith and obedience of Allah. In other words, a person cannot be a Muslim until he/she obeys Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w).

• "And We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by permission of Allāh."[Qur'an, 4:64]
• "He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allāh" [Qur'an, 4:80]
• "But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muúammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission." [Qur'an, 4:65]

The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) was specifically appointed by Allah to explain the Qur'an and teach it's implementation in daily life. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) embodied all the lessons of Qur'an in his character such that he became the living Qur'an, a practical guide and demonstration of Qur'an's application. So anyone who wants to understand the Qur'an today, must learn about the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and study how he (s.a.w) lived and acted upon the Qur'an. Allah says,

"O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger to make clear to you [the religion] .... there has come to you a bringer of good tidings and a warner." [Qur'an, 5:19]
"Say, "What thing is greatest in testimony?" Say, "Allāh is witness between me and you. And this Qur’ān was revealed to me that I may warn you thereby and whomever it reaches."  [Qur'an, 6:19]

• Allah loves and forgives the Muslims who follow the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). "Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allāh, then follow me, [so] Allāh will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful." [Qur'an, 3:31]
• Allah has mercy and He increases in success and happiness the Muslims who follow the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). "And establish prayer and give zakāh and obey the Messenger – that you may receive mercy." [24:56]. "The only statement of the [true] believers when they are called to Allāh and His Messenger to judge between them is that they say, “We hear and we obey.” And those are the successful.And whoever obeys Allāh and His Messenger and fears Allāh and is conscious of Him – it is those who are the attainers." [24:51-52].
• Following the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) is proof that we are Muslims and we have imaan. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), "none of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his parents, children, wealth and even his own self." [Bukhari]
• Following the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) resolves conflict and brings people together. It is the method means of unifying the Muslims and promoting equality and justice, "O you who have believed, obey Allāh and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allāh and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allāh and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result." [4:59]
• Following the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) is guidance and protect against being led astray. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "I am leaving behind two things, whoever hold on to them firmly, will never be led astray: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)."
• Following the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) = Paradise in the Hereafter. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), "Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise." [Bukhari]

So studying ahadith (statements of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) help us learn and understand what the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) did and commanded us to do. So in other words, the more we study the ahadith of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), the better we can follow him and improve ourselfs in our beliefs and good deeds to receive guidance, love, mercy, forgiveness, success and Paradise from Allah.

Those who worship shaytan ...

• Based on the verses of Surah Yaseen

60) أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّيْطَانَ  إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ 
Did I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you not worship Satan – [for] indeed, he is to you a clear enemy .
أَعْهَدْ is a binding promise/oath, an agreement and contract.
All humans have solemnly pledged to Allah to devoutedly and committedly worship Allah.
Before the creation of the universe, Allah made human souls and in the valley of "alast", Allah asked our souls if we recognize Him as our Creator, Sustainer and Master. We replied in the affirmative. Although we do not recall this event but it resonates to day today in our souls. This is why whenever a person hears the Qur'an (speech of Allah), it touches and softens our heart. It's innate in our psyche to incline towards, find great solace and satisfaction in Allah and His Book (Qur'an).

تَعْبُدُوا is from عبادة, which means to worship. Worship is to obey unconditonally with love and humility, to dutifully submit with respect and adoration, to have utmost conviction and reliance. Allah is deserving of our worship because He is our Creator.
أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّيْطَانَ Allah has prohibited us from worshiping the Shaytan because Shaytan is our enemy. Shaytan encourages debauchery and  immorality. He plagues the mind withe fear, negative thoughts, depression, arrogance, greed and lust. He confuses us over the Divinity and Lordship of Allah. He makes all evil, sinister, vile and perverse practices, behaviour, clothes, words and food appealing to us. He wants to destroy and ruin us. 
To know more about the tricks and traps of of Shaytan, see: Exposing Shaytan

إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِي Shaytan is an open enemy. There is nothing covert about his hostility and hatred towards all human beings. He is adamant in ruining our lives by making us commit sins excessively and by dragging us to Hellfire with him.

بَنِي آدَمَ  Allah calls us the 'children of Adam'. We are the descendants of the first man on earth and a noble Prophet of Allah. Adam (a.s) received knowledge from Allah; he lived his life as the vicegerent of Allah. Angels and Shaytan were commanded to prostrate to him. So as his children, we must sustain his legacy and follow his good example.

61) وَأَنِ اعْبُدُونِي  هَـٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيم 

And that you worship [only] Me?  This is a straight path. 

صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ - the path of faith, righteousness, justice, compassion and Paradise. Worshiping Allah guides one to sound faith and prompts righteousness. Worshipping Allah generates justice and compassion in society and leads people to Paradise.

62) وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنكُمْ جِبِلًّا كَثِيرًا  أَفَلَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْقِلُونَ 
And he had already led astray from among you much of creation, so did you not use reason?
Shaytan has become successful in misleading a vast majority of the people into corruption, cruelty, delusion and destruction.
Check yourself: Do you worship Allah or is Shaytan always successful in getting you to delay and miss your Salah? Are your actions based upon the Sunnah or has Shaytan convinced you to do whatever you feel like doing or whatever your friends want to do? Do your actions bring a positive reaction or are you a trouble maker everywhere you go?
أَفَلَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْقِلُونَ  - so did you not use reason? Always use your common sense. Do my actions make any sense? Am I behaving reasonably? Am I pleasing Allah or Shaytan? Am I obeying Allah or Shaytan? Are my choices leading me to Paradise or Hellfire?

63) هَـٰذِهِ جَهَنَّمُ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ 
This is the Hellfire which you were promised.
 Those who worship and obey Shaytan are promised Hellfire. Instead of loving Allah and taking Him as their God, they followed Shaytan who corrupted them so there is no other recourse for them except Hellfire.

64) اصْلَوْهَا الْيَوْمَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ 
[Enter to] burn therein today for what you used to deny.
تَكْفُرُونَ - The people who disbelieved in Allah and refused to worship him
اصْلَوْهَا - The disbelievers will enter to burn and roast in Hellfire. Imagine an oven that heats and cooks food thoroughly. Imagine when potatoes are boiled/baked, they become soft until their skin peels off easily like wet/light paper or tissue.
In hellfire, people will burn until their skins peel off from their flesh. Then new skins will be given to them and they will be roasted until that skin become brittle and it sheds. Again they will receive new skins which will burn so severely that it too peels off. This process of the skin searing and intensely baking in the igneous fire of Hell will persist for all eternity. Just look at the intensity and ferocity with which fire of this world burns. Can any person survive the excruciating agony and shooting pain of Hellfire which is 69 times more dreadful than the blazing fire of Hell?

65) الْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ - That Day, We will seal over their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify about what they used to earn.
Allah will seal our mouth on the Day of Judgment. The sinners and the disobedient of Allah will be hushed from wrongfully giving excuses and and lies in their defense. Our hands and feet will speak to Allah, and give truthful evidence of our actions.
Our body and our limbs are the property of Allah. He trusted us with hands and feet temporarily and on the Day of Judgment, He will question us regarding their use. Every thing we do in our life, has a positive or negative value and a price. With our hands and feet we can either worship of Allah and earn reward or worship Shaytan and earn sins. Whatever we choose to do with our body, which a trust from Allah, Allah will see it and recompense us for it.

66) وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَطَمَسْنَا عَلَىٰ أَعْيُنِهِمْ فَاسْتَبَقُوا الصِّرَاطَ فَأَنَّىٰ يُبْصِرُونَ - And if We willed, We could have obliterated their eyes, and they would race to [find] the path, and how could they see?
Like all our other faculties, our eyes are a blessing from Allah. To use any of our sense to disobey Allah is a betrayal and treachery of the worst kind. How can we disobey Allah using the very limbs and senses which Allah gave us? How can we disobey Allah when we receive nourishment and health from the food that He has created? How can we disobey Allah when we live in His lands and breathe His air?
Just as Allah has enabled us to see from our eyes, Allah has also guided us to see things from our heart, that is, to obtain a deeper and wiser understanding of things. There is more to life and the world around us than what meets the eyes at surface level. Through the Qur'an, Allah has guided us to decipher many realities and shown us the straight path.

67) وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَمَسَخْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِهِمْ فَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا مُضِيًّا وَلَا يَرْجِعُونَ -  And if We willed, We could have deformed them, [paralyzing them] in their places so they would not be able to proceed, nor could they return.
Before commiting any sin, just imagine if Allah deformed you or paralyzed you in the state. As you sneaked out of the house to smoke, or entered an online chat room to date, Allah deformed your hands so you could not hold the cigarette or type. What if our faces were disfigured every time we lied, backbit or listened to music? What if we were crippled every time we hit someone or transfixed as we ate unlawful foods? Youth, health, strength, intellect and spare time are some of the greatest blessings of Allah. Don't think that because you are young, brave and beautiful you can do anything you want. Or that so long as you can hide your sins from your parents, it's okay. Really think about the control and authority Allah has on you and use all the blessings Allah gave you to do good deeds. Take lesson from the people around you lest you sin and suffer terminally as they do without any cure or relief in sight. How many people smoked and now are going to several heart surgeries and lung transplants. How many people develop illicit relations with non-mahram only to be afflicted with the angst of AIDS and HIV. So be very careful and remain obedient to Allah. Worship Allah and avoid the whispers of Shaytan and inshaAllah this is best for you in both worlds.

68) وَمَن نُّعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِي الْخَلْقِ أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ - And he to whom We grant long life We reverse in creation; so will they not understand?
Don't wait for old age till you change. Make an effort now and come close to Allah immediately. Old age is filled with many hardships. A elderly person looses all his physical strength and beauty, his intellect and even his temper. In old age, a person is like a young child - very feeble, insensible and insecure. Avail all your time and energies now, don't sell yourself to Shaytan because he will never let you free when you are old. If your habits are immoral today, there is no guarantee, you will be able to reform yourself in old age. Understand that life is not forever. Humans exist for a very limited time on earth so don't postpone the worship of Allah, dedicate every second of your life now and till death in the worship of Allah.

Muslim Children Day Videos [Parts 7-11]

Muslim Children's Day Videos [Part 1-6]

Islamic Values for Children -

The signs of creation are all around us! We cant deny holy creation when we look at the stars, the planets, the order of night and day, the passage of time, the mountains and the sky. God repeatedly tells us in the Qur'an to look at and ponder upon the creation. This brings us closer to Allah, as we understand Him in His splendour. We learn to live a life which obeys Allah's will and which is full of inner meaning and is not materialistic in nature. This is how one becomes a spiritual person. This is what the true worship of Allah is about.  
Yamna Gr. 3 

Muslim Children's Day Pictures

 

Quiz Competition

Quiz Competition

Quiz Competition

Nasheed: Allah is the Creator

Games: Nasheed Chair

 

Quiz Competition

Quiz Competition

 

Speech: Dr. Idrees Zubair

Host Team

Qur'an Stories - Suleiman (a.s)

Host Team 

Stage Performance: Qur'an Stories, Suleiman (a.s) and the Ants

Nasheed: Allah is the Creator (of Flower and Honey Bee)

Nasheed: Allah is hte Creator (of Sun and Honey Bee)

Nasheed: Allah is the Creator (of Stars)

Nasheed: Animals love to hear Qur'an (hoopoe bird listening to the Qur'an)

Nasheed Group

al Asma al Husa [Muslim Children's Day]

The beautiful Qualities of Qur'an

We have all heard of the Qur'an. Either we heard our parents reading it, or heard the Imaam in the Masjid or on tapes and Capes. We know that the Qur'an is the Word of Allah, then why don't we read it for ourselves and make an effort to understand its message? Out of all the books we have, why do we read Qur'an the least? Maybe because it is boring, or you're never in the mood for it, or you would rather play video games instead. But the Quran isn't a boring book as a lot of you may think. At every page, every verse, it engages you, and you feel like it was made especially for you by Allah. If you read the Qur'an, and understand what it is saying, you will know that it talks about a wide range of topics. It talks about the universe, how human beings were created, plants, Jinns, what will happen to us when we die, reward and punishment. So it defenitly isn't just a Book of rules. Qur'an leads to scientific discovery, geographic research, history, society and human relations. Qur'an is a brilliant Book of life and guide to live in the best way.

Did you know that when a good person is going to heaven, Allah will ask him or her to read and ascend his level in Paradise. That is, the more Qur'an we learn and apply, the higher is our rank and closeness to Allah in Heaven. That is how  importent learning the Qur'an is.

You've probably heard that the Qur'an has scientific proofs in it. On that topic alone, I could give ant entire  speech, but for the sake of time, I'll just say one scientific proof of the Quran. Have any of you ever heard of the big bang?For those of you who havn't, the big bang is a widly popular theory of the universes creation, that states that the universe was created out of nothingness. And then there was a huge explosion, and from the remains of the explosion, the entire universe was created. This theory was make sometime in the 20th century. Yet the Quran stated this 1400 years ago.

So after hearing all of this, you are probably wondering,"if all of this is true, than why am I always bored when I read the Quran?" Well how many of you know the meaning of what you are reading when you read the quran. If you read and don't understand, than how can you expect to enjoy it? If you read the Quran and know the meaning, and beauty of what you're reading, I garuntee you ,you will enjoy reading it, and want to read it more and more.


(Muslim Children's Day Speech)

Why don't you pray?

Lecture by Shaykh Yusuf Idrees

Why Study and go to School?

The archives of knowledge is as old as the human being himself. The first gift ever bestowed to the first human being after he breathed his first breath, was knowledge. From the very onset of his creation, from the moment of his birth, he was taught so he could understand all things. Allah says, “And we taught Aadam, the names of everything.” And it was because of knowledge that Allah commanded the angels to bow down to Adam in Allah has preferred education with really prestigious and elevated ranks. Allah says, “And those who have been given knowledge, have darajaat – high levels.” Educated people are respected people, they are closer to Allah. It is with knowledge that we learn more about Allah. Knowledge tells us what is right and wrong, good and bad. Every successful nation in the world today spent a great deal of its time and money to study, research and develop information and technology. Allah says in the Qur’an, “Can the blind and the seeing be the same? Can darkness and light be the same?” So similarly, those kids who have knowledge and those who do not, are not the same.

Seeking knowledge, learning and pursuing education is an obligation of the Prophet (s.a.w). A lot of children think of it as a chore but really, its what we know, the information that we have, which makes our personalities, our character, our entire life. Those kids who have little knowledge, you’ll see they misbehave, use bad language.No one really likes them and they don’t have a good future ahead of them either. No great job prospects, no proper standing in the community. They just live a very ordinary life and are forgetton. But the people who have knowledge, they are the heroes of our world. They are the people who matter, they make a difference in the community. They are admired for the intelligence, appreciated for their eloquence. They are trusted and respected. Everyone is looking to hire them. They go about doing great things in the world and everyone remembers them and wishes to be just like them.

Islam gives tremendous importance to knowledge. And Muslims of the past make up the brightest and proudest pages intellectual advancement and achievements in human history. For example,

(a) Al Zahrawi was 10th century Muslim surgeon who invented many tools and instruments for surgery, which are still used in hospitals in the 21st century. He is also famous for developing the stitching wounds and cuts after injury.

(b) A Muslim scholar and astronomer, Maria Al Aastrulabi pioneered astrolabes, or GPS. Her research led to the development of compass.

(c) Jazari was a Muslim engineer and inventor of the 13th century, he created a time telling device, which we now call watch and clock. His ground breaking research led into the development of the steam engine which caused the entire industrial revolution. Without him, machines, trains and cars were not possible.

(d) Ibn al Haitham was a Muslim Scientist, Physicist and mathematician of the 11th century. He wrote a book on optics. His findings led to the creation of cameras.

(f) Zheng He was a Chinese Admiral who build the largest wooden ships in the world and traveled the world seven times in the 15th century.

And these are just the tip of the iceberg. Muslims of the past changed world history and caused the Enlightenment Age and the Renaissance. So just imagine, what every Muslim child today is capable of. You all are talented, you all are very skilled and brilliant young people. You all can become so much: scientists, doctors, astronomers, engineers, physicist. Build new ships, planes. Becomes teachers, imaams and scholars and change the world, help people, tell everyone about Islam. And this all begins with knowledge. The more you study and concentrate on your subjects at school, do your homework, go to the library, read extra.

And if you ever need motivation just remember your reward is Paradise.

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, “If anyone proceeds on his way in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him the way to Paradise; and he said, “The superiority of the learned over the mere pious is like the superiority of the moon when it is full over all the stars; and that The ink of the scholar is more precious than the blood of the martyrs.

May Allah teach us that which is beneficial, guide us to the truth and the take the best work from us, with which He is pleased aameen.

(Muslim Children's Day Speech)