TheStar.com | Universities reject ex-judge’s request to exclude Muslims from scholarships

TheStar.com | GTA | Universities reject ex-judge’s request to limit scholarships: “Wanted Muslim students barred from awards named in his honour at York U., Windsor
“

Was Bridges TV Beheading An Honor Killing? : NPR

Was Bridges TV Beheading An Honor Killing? : NPR: ” The beheading of Aasiya Hassan allegedly by her husband, Muzzammil ‘Mo’ Hassan, the founder of Bridges TV has prompted American-Muslim leaders to criticize domestic violence. [Shaykh] Hamza Yusuf, founder of the Zaytuna Institute in California, says Muslims are being held to a different standard than Americans of other faiths.”

Is Obama an object lesson in bad grammar? - The Grammarphobia Blog

The Grammarphobia Blog: Grammar, Usage, Etymology, and More: Is Obama an object lesson in bad grammar?: ”
WHEN President Obama speaks before Congress and the nation tonight, he will be facing some of his toughest critics.

Grammar junkies.

Since his election, the president has been roundly criticized by bloggers for using ‘I’ instead of ‘me’ in phrases like ‘a very personal decision for Michelle and I’ or ‘the main disagreement with John and I’ or ‘graciously invited Michelle and I.’

The rule here, according to conventional wisdom, is that we use ‘I’ as a subject and ‘me’ as an object, whether the pronoun appears by itself or in a twosome. Thus every ‘I’ in those quotes ought to be a ‘me.’

So should the president go stand in a corner of the Oval Office (if he can find one) and contemplate the error of his ways? Not so fast….
“

YouTube - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf: Removing the Silence on Domestic Violence by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

YouTube - Sermon: Removing the Silence on Domestic Violence by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf: “The title says it all: Removing the Silence on Domestic Violence, a sermon by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. Recorded on February 20, 2009 in San Jose California. www.zaytuna.org”

Spring 2009 Registration is open. Don’t miss out.
www.SeekersGuidance.com
Learn to Live.

SunniPath Blog - » For Aasiya Zubair Hassan - Ustadha Zaynab Ansari

SunniPath Blog - » For Aasiya Zubair Hassan: “Nonetheless, my heart and mind have been reeling from news which has shocked the North American Muslim community and provided Islamophobia’s representatives with yet more cannon fodder for the vilification of our beautiful religion and its adherents.

Sister Aasiya Hassan, co-founder of the Bridges TV network, was brutally murdered by her husband on Thursday, February 12, 2009, Safar 16, 1430.

Together, Aasiya and her husband, Muzzammil, brought Muslim-oriented programming to Muslims and members of other faith communities across the United States. Their vision was to provide television audiences with a positive image of Islam and Muslim life.

I did not know Sister Aasiya, but I remember seeing her on the cover of Azizah Magazine some years ago, dressed in her bridal finery. She spoke of her enthusiasm for the Bridges TV project and talked of her husband and family. She wanted to counter the images of violent, angry Muslims that were widespread in mainstream American media, particularly after September 11, 2001.

Now Sister Aasiya is dead and all of us are asking why. “

Class for Advanced Seekers: Tanwir al-Absar of Imam Tumurtashi [Hanafi Fiqh, in Arabic] - with Faraz Rabbani

In the Name of Allah, the Benevolent, the Merciful

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

There is a closed class on Tanwir al-Absar of Imam Tumurtashi beginning in two weeks, with Faraz Rabbani, in Arabic, through SeekersGuidance (www.SeekersGuidance.com). This text is commented on by Imam Haskafi in his Durr al-Mukhtar, on which Imam Ibn Abidin wrote his Radd al-Muhtar (famous as Hashiyat Ibn Abidin, or just al-Hashiya).

The class has only limited spaces (most of which are taken already). It is open for both sisters and brothers. If interested, please email me directly (with a clear subject line, please) at faraz[at]seekersguidance[dot]com

Format of the Class

There will be two recorded (downloadable) lessons per week, and online forums for questions. While the lessons themselves will be in Arabic, questions can be asked both in English and Arabic (and in Urdu, though responses would be in Arabic or English).

Student Requirements

Students need to have covered at least a full text of Hanafi fiqh previously, and must be able to understand Arabic.

The students participating in the Tanwir al-Absar course can be divided into one of two types, with each division being characterized by distinct requirements. They are:

(1) Listeners

The ”Listener” is a student who wishes to fulfill the basic goals of the course, namely understanding the text itself. The requirements of the Listener, therefore, are as follows:

(a) Reading the text (matn) before every lesson.
(b) Listening to the recorded lessons.
It is also recommended for the Listener to read the Durr al-Mukhtar along with the text as regularly as possible.

(2) Seekers

The ”Seeker” is a student who wishes to go beyond the basics and attain mastery (itqan) of the material being studied. The requirements of the Seeker, therefore, are much more rigorous than the Listener, requiring more time, effort, and resolve. These requirements are as follows:

(a) Reading the text (matn) itself before every lesson.
(b) Reading the commentary of Imam Haskafi, Durr al-Mukhtar, with the text on a regular basis.
(c) Listening to the recorded lessons.
(d) Reading the relevant sections of the Radd al-Muhtar that the instructor advises the students to read, and understanding the discussions therein.
(e) Asking questions related to understanding the text and the underlying details and reasoning.

One of the goals of this course is guided reading of the Hashiyah, and this is key to attaining mastery of the text itself.

It is also recommended for the Seeker to read the Hashiyah as regularly as possible to deepen one’s understanding of the key issues, beyond what the instructor may advise one to read.

If interested, please email me directly (with a clear subject line, please) at faraz[at]seekersguidance[dot]com

And Allah alone gives success.

Destiny and Human Responsibility in Islam - Faraz Rabbani - Video

I answer a question on “Is Death Decreed by Allah?” in which he explains the Islamic understanding of decree and destiny (qada’ wa qadar) …

YouTube - Dalail al Khayrat Gathering :: Dua Nasri

YouTube - Dalail al Khayrat Gathering :: Dua Nasri: Beautiful, Masha’ Allah

Making Words Disappear - The Greatest Possible Merit of Style

Quotable: Words, thought, and style - Notebook - Writing, Clear and Simple: “The greatest possible merit of style is, of course, to make the words absolutely disappear into the thought.

—Nathaniel Hawthorne“

Pakistani Novelists & Writers Winning International Recognition as Nation Crumbles

As their country descends into chaos, Pakistani writers are winning acclaim | The Guardian: “Pakistani novelists writing in English - long overshadowed by literary giants from neighbouring India - are now winning attention and acclaim as their country sinks into violence and chaos.

Tales of religious extremism, class divides, dictators, war and love have come from writers who grew up largely in Pakistan and now move easily between London, Karachi, New York and Lahore. Since the publication of Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist two years ago, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, a new wave of Pakistani fiction is earning critical acclaim at home and around the world.

Read more

Fascinating: Old Economist Articles on President Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln | The Economist

A selection of past articles from The Economist to mark the bicentennial of the birth of the 16th president of the United States

The new president-elect

“THE success of the Republican candidate for the Presidency in the United States will prove one of the greatest events of modern times, if it indicates, as we trust, no mere accidental fluctuation of public opinion in the direction of the Anti- Slavery cause, but the commencement of a permanent and sustained movement.” See article: “The Republican President’s Creed”, November 24th 1860

The death of a president

“THE murder of Mr Lincoln is a very great and very lamentable event, perhaps the greatest and most lamentable which has occurred since the coup d’etat, if not since Waterloo. It affects directly and immensely the welfare of the three most powerful countries in the world, America, France, and England, and it affects them all for evil.” See article: “The Assassination of Mr Lincoln”, April 29th 1865

Looking back at Lincoln

“IT is yet too early to look for a full and satisfactory biography of one who in the pages of American history will occupy a place second only to Washington, both for services rendered to his country and for the integrity and simple-hearted devotion with which he served her.” See article: “The Life and Administration of Abraham Lincoln”, July 29th 1865

Islamophonic podcast: Converting to Islam

Islamophonic podcast: Converting to Islam | World news | guardian.co.uk

In this programme we talk to people who have converted to Islam. I am told that people don’t actually convert - that’s what happens with lofts, see – they embrace Islam, which makes it sound like a cuddly and warming experience.

But is it? I find out why people chose the faith and what effect its had on their lives. I also discover what challenges they face once they’ve said the shahada.

Download mp3

Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Over-Prescribing Goal Setting — HBS Working Knowledge

For decades, goal setting has been promoted as a halcyon pill for improving employee motivation and performance in organizations. Advocates of goal setting argue that for goals to be successful, they should be specific and challenging, and countless studies find that specific, challenging goals motivate performance far better than “do your best” exhortations. The authors of this article, however, argue that it is often these same characteristics of goals that cause them to “go wild.” Key concepts include:

* The harmful side effects of goal setting are far more serious and systematic than prior work has acknowledged.
* Goal setting harms organizations in systematic and predictable ways.
* The use of goal setting can degrade employee performance, shift focus away from important but non-specified goals, harm interpersonal relationships, corrode organizational culture, and motivate risky and unethical behaviors.
* In many situations, the damaging effects of goal setting outweigh its benefits.
* Managers should ask specific questions to ascertain whether the harmful effects of goal setting outweigh the potential benefits.

Full Working Paper Text

Absolute Essentials of Islam: Beliefs & Worship - SeekersGuidance Online Course

Absolute Essentials of Islam: Beliefs & Worship - SeekersGuidance Online Course

Seeking clarity in your faith and worship? This course is based on Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s The Absolute Essentials of Islam: A Basic Hanafi Manual of Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation. It covers what you absolutely must know to have sound beliefs; to make you purification and prayer valid and proper; and key principles on how to walk uprightly on the straight path-the path of salvation.

Understand the Sunna: Gardens of the Righteous: the Sunnah of the Sunnah - SeekersGuidance Online Course

Gardens of the Righteous: the Sunnah of the Sunnah - SeekersGuidance Online Course

This course explains chapters 1-24 of Riyadh al Salihin. It is unique in that Imam Nawawi gathers the Qur’anic verses and hadiths that define for us how to approach, adopt, and uphold the Prophetic example; how to make one’s following the Prophetic sunna meaningful, beautiful, and transformative.
 

SeekersGuidance has launched a free Islamic Knowledge Podcast

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

SeekersGuidance has launched a free Islamic Knowledge Podcast. Check it out, insha’Allah, and share with others. “Whoever points to the good has the reward of those who act on it,” said the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).

wassalam,

Faraz Rabbani
Educational Director, SeekersGuidance
(www.SeekersGuidance.com)

SeekersGuidance Islamic Knowledge Podcast SeekersGuidance Genre: Islam

Are America’s Jews are growing tired of Israel’s wars?

It may not seem like it, but America’s Jews are growing tired of Israel’s wars. And now they have a new lobby to voice their dissent

Web exclusive: ‘J Street’s moment’ by Antony Lerman | Prospect Magazine February 2009 issue 155

TVO.ORG | Video | Big Ideas - Lewis Lapham

Drawing from his online essay, “Playing with Fire”, Lewis Lapham laments the state of the American education system wherein schools are producing a generation of young people incapable of asking questions or assuming the basic obligations of citizenship.

TVO.ORG | Video | Big Ideas - Lewis Lapham

Many killed in Pakistan bombing at religious procession

More than 30 people have been killed and dozens injured in a bomb attack on a religious procession in Pakistan’s Punjab province, officials say.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Many killed in Pakistan bombing

La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. Innaa li’llahi wa innaa ilayhi raji`un.

TheStar.com | sciencetech | Shining a light on Islam’s hidden scientific treasure

‘Sultans of Science’ exhibit aims to teach Canada about little-known discoveries made centuries ago

TheStar.com | sciencetech | Shining a light on Islam’s hidden scientific treasure

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