Viewing Life through the Lens of Surat Al-Kahf
View, download, or print the whole lighthouse episode document
CreativeJuice Cave Lens
Surat al Kahf, the 18th surah found in the exact middle of the Qur’an, contains 110 ayaat rich with stories and parables that are constantly engaging the reader. It is a Meccan surah that is full of deep insights and tackles serious subjects that concern us both in this life and the hereafter. The surah gives us a perspective to examine life differently in pursuit of finding its reality. Surat Al-Kahf pertains to everyone, no matter his/her situation. If one is poor, weak, and oppressed, he will find the whole surah addressing his problems, giving him support, and suggesting solutions. If one is wealthy, healthy, and powerful, she will find it primarily speaking to her as well.
It was reported by the Prophet (pbuh) that “whoever reads Surat Al-Kahf on Friday, it lightens what is between the two Fridays.#” How can we best understand this light? This light is a guiding light throughout the week. Since we all face challenges that are both large and small, and we can very easily get confused as to how best to address our issues, we need a frequent reminder of the right perspective. Surat al-Kahf gives us a criterion to make decisions and form opinions. It helps us understand challenges and gives us the ability to deal with them, whether they involve our finances, our personal relationships, or our pursuit to seek knowledge. There is no doubt that this surah will, time and time again, be an indispensable gem in our lives if we use it in accordance with the sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh).
This episode is an invitation (more…)
100 Reflections on the Egyptian Uprising: A Lighthouse Episode
In this Lighthouse Episode, we will be sharing 100 Reflections on current events. Keep reading after the video for the first 10 opening reflections.
All of the world’s eyes are on Egypt and current events are, by all accounts, historic. Whatever our connection to the uprising, there is no doubt that as MAS members we are drawn to any call for liberation and every fight against oppression. The peaceful methods of change, the enterprise of people in gathering and protecting each other despite obstacles, the economic and social divides that have been crossed in the organic, grassroots mobilization for justice are all aspects that resound with us.
We invite you to participate in a reflection process to show our own people a different side of the Muslim world in this peaceful, organized movement for democracy. It can help us guide our families and friends to channel their energies into productive activism instead of being over-idealistic or apathetic. Finally, these reflections help us engage in an interactive, experiential tarbiya process, in which we are seeing the lessons in real life instead of through books and speeches.
The Lighthouse Team invites everyone to contribute to 100 REFLECTIONS on the current situation in the Middle East, which will be shared online on the MAS Tarbiya blog. Send your reflections on the comment section of the blog. Reflections can be any length and any style.
To get your ideas flowing, the Lighthouse team drafted 10 opening reflections. Read, reflect, learn, then give back by sending in your own!
1. From Hope to Belief
We all know that we should never lose hope in Allah and His support. However, this belief sometimes becomes a theory. The Egyptian uprising ignited this belief and made it real. Many of us were almost hopeless after many attempts to reform. This uprising removed the dust from our hearts and taught us to always believe that Allah will bring justice, even after a while. Allah gives people the chance to struggle, put effort, try possible means, and become almost desperate. Only then His support comes to revive our belief and comfort our hearts. In light of the events in Egypt, the verse “Until when the messenger almost gave up on their people and thought they are deemed liars, our victory comes to them…” takes on a completely different taste.
2. Power lies in the Hands of Allah (more…)
TAM Registration Now Open
The registration for TAM 2010 is NOW OPEN for all locations. Visit http://www.mastarbiya.org/tam2010 to register and for more information about the TAM, program, locations, and other details.
TAM West – San Diego – Oct. 8-10
TAM East I – Maryland – Oct. 15-17
TAM South – Houston – Oct. 22-24
TAM East II – Hartford, CT (hosted by NY) – Oct. 29-31
TAM Mid-West – Milwaukee, WI – Nov. 5-7
The 2010 TAM Team and the TAM host chapters are working hard throughout this Ramadan to create a memorable and powerful TAM experience that will equip MAS members with an invaluable set of skills. Stay tuned for many more details and sneak peeks into this year’s program and highlights.
Make the intention this Ramadan to attend TAM, deepen your commitment to the cause of Allah, and play an active role in this important national MAS event by registering TODAY!
A Special Ramadan Message
Dear MAS members,
MAS Tarbiya would like to congratulate you on the upcoming month of Ramadan. There is no time of year that is filled with the potential and opportunities as the days ahead. The Prophet (saw) said, “Ramadan has come upon you. It is a month of blessing, in which Allah covers you with blessing, for He sends down Mercy, decreases sins and answers prayers. In it, Allah looks at your competition in good deeds, and boasts about you to His angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves, for the unfortunate one is he who is deprived in this month of the mercy of Allah, the Mighty, the Exalted.” [Narrated by Tabarani]
For Ramadan-related inspiration and ideas on how to maximize self-development, don’t miss the Lighthouse Project episode from last year, “Flee to Allah”, which contains instructions on how to make Ramadan a turning point, combat inconsistency and laziness, increase our reward through charity, and become among the people of the Quran. You can view the pdf document here.
For MAS members, Ramadan should be much, much more than just a season in the conventional sense–when greetings are exchanged, fasts and prayers are performed collectively, and families and friends come together. Get ready from this very moment to take advantage of the enormous opportunity for self-development and purification before you. Stretch yourself and push yourself to the limit in charity, activism, and self-purification–we have the whole year to pace ourselves so this is not the time for rest and taking it easy. Do not allow Ramadan to come and go without achieving a breakthrough in your relationship with Allah (swt).
Let’s compete before Allah (swt) to take advantage of Ramadan, for we are coming upon a special time when rewards and forgiveness are given out left and right and there is an unbelievable discount on jannah itself. If we walk away empty-handed, we have only ourselves to blame. Remember MAS, your brothers and sisters, and the upcoming TAM 2010 in your supplications–ask that Allah (swt) forgives us all, bestows His guidance on us, and grants us the energy, time, and sincerity to carry His mission forward in America.
Yours sincerely,
The MAS Tarbiya National Team
Announcing TAM 2010 Cities
MAS Tarbiya is proud to announce the five locations of TAM 2010!
TAM East I: Maryland
TAM East II: New York
TAM Mid-West: Chicago Milwaukee
TAM South: Houston
TAM West: Phoenix San Diego (boycotting due to Arizona Immigration Law SB1070)
TAM 2010 will take place between the dates of Oct. 1 and Nov. 7. The exact dates for each location will be announced soon. Stay tuned for more details.
We hope that all chapters in every region will contact the host chapters to see how they can help and begin to plan to push registration in their localities to ensure that TAM ’10 is a positive opportunity for every MAS chapter.
Objective 2: Expand the Five Qualities – Tarbiya MindMap
The sharing of MAS Tarbiya objectives for the year continues with this post. Below is our second objective:
Objective 1: To increase the contribution of MAS members to the tarbiya effort and resources – Contribute over Consume
Objective 2: To further describe the five major tarbiya qualities
What is this objective?
When we started the term, our team came up with five major tarbiya qualities that we would like to achieve in MAS members individually and in MAS as a society to be able to carry out MAS mission. The qualities can actually be used to describe any American Muslim who wants to engage in a mission like ours. The five overarching qualities are: (more…)
Moderation Webinar Coming Up on Sunday
Mark your calendars for the first of two webinars in the Lighthouse Project’s Moderation episode. “Moderation Unleashed,” by Dr. Jamal Badawi will be on Sunday, May 9, from 8-10 p.m. EDT. Register for the webinar here.
Jamal A. Badawi is a Canadian-based professor and world-renowned speaker, author, and advocate of Islam and Muslims. He has authored several books and articles on Islam. He also researched, designed and presented a 352-segment television series on Islam, aired in Canada, the US and other countries. Audio and video copies of this series are widely available.
Episode III: “Moderation”
We know you’ve been waiting a long time, but it’s finally here! The MAS Tarbiya Lighthouse Project is excited to bring you its third episode on the challenging topic of Moderation in Islam.
This episode will inspire in-depth discussions and challenge you by exploring the issue of moderation and how we in MAS approach this key theme of Islam. Many questions will be raised, some will be answered, but more importantly, MAS members all over the country are invited to answer many of the crucial questions asked in this episode.
MAS members are encouraged to share this episode in all of their circles and throughout their communities. There are in-depth articles and reading lists, exciting case studies as well a chance to design your own, and two interactive webinars that you do not want to miss!
Check out the introduction for an overview of the episode and a suggested timeline on how to use the material.
The first beam “Moderation Unleashed” approaches moderation from a theoretical and scholarly perspective, also underlining some of the popular misinterpretations of moderation. “Moderation Applied” explores the theme in the daily lives of MAS members, taking a very practical, day-to-day approach. And finally, “Moderation in Society” raises questions about how we can create a message of moderation to be advocated by the greater society.
Click here to access the episode pdf! We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. A special thanks to the LHP team and all of the contributors to this episode.
MAS Tarbiya 2010 National Objectives – OBJECTIVE 1: C over C
Objective 1: To increase the contribution of MAS members to the tarbiya effort and resources – Contribute over Consume – C over C
What is this objective about?
This objective seeks to encourage MAS members to become contributors to tarbiya resources and programs rather than mere consumers of them. The national team has decided to leverage the power of the MAS membership and its experience to build a strong and relevant tarbiya offering on the local and national levels. This signifies a shift from programs and resources prepared by a central team to programs and resources prepared by a larger proportion of MAS’s membership. The shift aims at utilizing the power and talent of the membership to create, share, transcribe, translate, edit, publish, and filter tarbiya material. This effort utilizes the tremendous experience MAS members are gaining on a daily basis and makes it part of what MAS can offer to its members and community at large.
Why this objective?
- Leveraging the experience of MAS members. Tarbiya is mainly about sharing experience. People develop by interacting with others and learning about their experiences. MAS members, on the ground and active in many areas of Islamic work, are constantly exposed to opportunities for learning and development. They interact with great mentors, listen to lectures, engage in discussions, work in committees, and go through exciting life experiences within and outside MAS. This experience SHOULD NOT be kept to themselves. It must be shared. This model will make MAS members aware of the importance of sharing and contributing what they have gained to the tarbiya of others, both locally and nationally. (more…)
Introducing the MAS Tarbiya Mini Guides
In their quarterly meeting on April 1st, 2010, the local tarbiya directors requested that we share some of the projects we have help in accomplishing them. Our national team will start sharing some of the projects in the make and demand input and help on them isa. Let this email and post serve as the first. One of these projects is creating a set of practical guides to help all of us in our tarbiya work. Please read this long introduction below. We request you do the following.
- Read carefully and critically
- Think of any general feedback you would like to give our team
- Think of specific input you would like to see in EACH of these guides
- Share this post with your local team or anyone who can contribute to this project and encourage them to contribute
- Contact us to be part of the mt-guides team and we will use your help
As you will see below, the guides will serve all of us from individuals to the local and national leadership. We are sending this email to the tarbiya coordinators, chapter presidents, and my-directors to solicit input and recruit the team who will own this project with us isa.
Please sent an email to mt-guides@googlegr..com if you want to be part of this team, general feedback, or give specific input on what exactly you want to see on these guides
For those who will be part of the team we will send them more information on how to view the tarbiya guides wiki and we will get them in ISA
MAS National Tarbiya Team
Coming up next, MAS Tarbiya Standards Map (TSM) …Why this guide?
Tarbiya is an essential concept and a very important core value in the Muslim American Society, MAS. MAS believes that its success and the success of American Muslims rely on how effective we are in applying this concept in our lives. Developing ourselves in all aspects and enriching our skills and talents are key to our success. We also hold similar responsibility towards people around us and the society at large. Tarbiya can be viewed as the art of dealing with people and helping them to get better and closer to their creator, and to equip them with the needed physical, spiritual, and intellectual requirements to attain success in this life and the life after. “To move people to strive for God-consciousness, liberty and justice, and to convey Islam with utmost clarity,” is a mission that can only be held by people who are in a constant development effort and with an ability to change people around them.However, the concept of tarbiya is quite general and often misunderstood or partially understood to say the least. In addition to that, most of what is written about tarbiya addresses it from an intellectual/theoretical point of view and lacks the practical and the implementation aspect. MAS national tarbiya team believes there is a dire need for a practical guide that helps individuals and teams to incorporate tarbiya in their respective work and make the tarbiya effort more organized and effective. These simple guides are a living document that aims at incorporating people’s experience along time. It is by design that these guides change and grow based on the experience added to them by those who are involved with the tarbiya effort on the ground. As its initial version may be incomplete and lacks a lot of crucial components, it will grow into a very practical and very comprehensive set of guides in a relatively short period of time insha’Allah.
Who should read this guide?
Everyone should read this guide. This guide has tips and suggestions for all. It will guide you through your endeavor of developing your own self. It will also help you while developing a small number of people around you such as your family, your halaqah, your MAS Usra, your MY Connect. It will help you become people’s oriented while dealing with your youth committee or with your chapter council, and even with your colleagues at work. The guide will also focus on helping people who are in charge of providing tarbiya programs to others such as the local tarbiya committee members, the local tarbiya directors, and chapter presidents. It will also help people who will join the national tarbiya team and sub teams. It can even go as far as helping the national leadership of MAS to effectively incorporate this concept in the national MAS strategies and operation.
Therefore, our target audience are: (more…)
Recent Comments