Basil's Family Blog

Bismillaah

Maa shaa Allaah, Q Game was really a fun game! I first played this game during the Torch Bearers Class. I don’t know any specific name of the game, but let just say Q Game. Q can be Qari or Qur’aan… you name it!

The game is very simple: One person plays some recitation from a Qari (Qur’aan recitor) and then, we have to guess who the qari is. It’s really wonderful game. I haven’t master the game yet. I’m still at the beginner level as I need to be more familiar with various Qurraa’ (plural form of Qari). As for now, the qurraa’ that I listen to maybe less than 5.

After playing the game in the class, I thought of another way to play this game, the more challenging one… An idea came to mind. Instead of guessing the name of Qari, you have to guess the surah of the aayaat that’s played. More challenging right? At least for me… It’s a good way to make me more familiar with the aayaat in the Qur’aan in shaa Allaah.

What a fun game to play with family members & friends =).

Bismillaah

Last night was the last day of Torch Bearers class. Maa shaa Allaah, the class was so wonderful. It was a motivational class for me, alhamdulillaah. Listening to the stories of all the scholars, made me feel nothing, so far behind, especially how they managed their time, and indeed Allaah blessed their lives, maa shaa Allaah, walhamdulillaah. The class reminded me to never stop asking Allaah to bless my time. Ya Allaah, put barakah in my time, aameen!

There’s a hadith narrated by Bukhari, I would like to remind myself with and share with people out there about time. When I first reading this hadith, it really struck me on how I should be more careful with my time and words.

It is authentically reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra ) that the Prophet (saas ) said: “Allah (swt ), Most Blessed, Most High, says: “The son of Adam wrongs Me: He curses time, though I am time: In My Hands are all things and I cause the night to follow the day.” [Bukhari] In another narration, He (saas ) says: “Do not curse time, for verily, time is Allah (swt ).”

Allah (swt ), Most Glorified, Most High informs us in this Hadith Qudsi, that man commits a great wrong against Allah (swt ) when he curses time and attributes the occurrence of events to it, for Allah (swt ) is the Rabb of time and the Disposer of affairs and it is by His Qadr that events take place. Therefore to curse time is to curse the Owner of time.

In the second narration, the Prophet (saas ) forbids us from cursing time, saying that Allah (swt ) is the Owner of time and the Disposer of it and all events and affairs, and this is confirmation of what was reported in the preceding Hadith Qudsi.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith

1. The forbiddance of cursing time.

2. That no actions may be attributed to time.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that to curse time is to commit a great wrong against Allah (swt ).

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That the Hadith proves that cursing time is a great wrong against Allah (swt ), because those who do so believe that it is time which causes events to take place and this is shirk in Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiyyah, for it is Allah (swt ), Alone Who determines events.

Reference: http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/tawheed/abdulwahab/KT1-chap-43.html

When I first read the hadith, before reading the tafseer of the hadith, what I understood by cursing time is not using the time properly, wasting your time, indulging in laghw, etc., I understood this from the line “He curses time, though I am time”. So, when Allaah is the Owner of the time, so how could I do something that’s displeasing to the Owner of the time. SubhaanAllaah, what a powerful hadith! May Allaah give barakah to the time that He grants me, aameen!

Bismillah
Assalaamu’alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh,

Allah ta’ala mentions and asks us four times in Suratul Qamar:

وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِنْ مُدَّكِرٍ
and indeed We have made this Qur’an an easy remembrance, so is there any to remember? (54:17, 22, 32, 36)

The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said:

خيركم من تعلم القرآن و علمه

The Best amongst you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it. (Saheeh Bukhari)

I have been taking the full-time Ta’leem al Qur’an course since September 2007 with Al-Huda Institute. I cannot put my experience into words, and we thank Allah for blessing us to learn the Qur’an, His Speech, while many of His slaves wander blindly in darkness. Indeed we can never thank Him as He Deserves.

Alhamdulillah it is with great pleasure that I spread the news to everyone that inshaAllah they will be starting two new Ta’leem al Qur’an courses in January and February inshaAllah.

Flier here for the full-time course: Ta’leem al Qur’an 2009 Course flier.
To Register, please click HERE
About Dr. Farhat Hashimi HERE
About AlHuda Institute, Canada HERE
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Here are some FAQs about this course:

1. What exactly is Ta’leem al Qur’an?

• Ta’leem literally means to learn something in a gradual and steady manner so this course is a teaching of the Qur’an over time in a steady manner. This course is a classical way of studying the Qur’an, where students are taught word for word, in the context of Arabic words (root words, grammar) as well as tafseer. There are two main components of the Ta’leem class which is word analysis and tafseer. Word analysis is where the teacher translates each word of the lesson word for word, discusses the root words, literal meanings, and meaning in the context of the ayah. Tafseer covers any ahadeeth, rulings, and more indepth meanings of the ayaat in detail. How many courses out there offer tafseer of the whole Qur’an in English? Gradually over time, students will begin grasping more Arabic and learn new vocabulary and inshaAllah when they are a few juz into the course, should be able to translate the Qur’an word for word in a fluent manner inshaAllah.

• Furthermore, this course not only covers tafseer and translation, you will be learning fiqh, uloom al Qur’an (sciences of the Qur’an), seerah, lives of the companions, duaas, Arabic grammar and more! MashaAllah it’s a very well rounded course that teaches its students many aspects of our deen.

2. Do I have to travel to Canada to take the course?

• Alhamdulillah you do not have to travel to Canada to take the course! Alhamdulillah, in keeping with Al-Huda’s goal of spreading the Qur’an to all, they offer these awesome courses online via paltalk and inspeak. Students who do not live in Canada, or even the US are able to take these courses from the comfort of their own home. SubhanAllah, what excuse is there to NOT learn the Qur’an? Allah ta’ala is bringing it RIGHT to your doorstep. I even have a classmate who takes this course from Malaysia! What a huge blessing this is for us, as the students of knowledge of the past traveled miles and miles for knowledge, and nowadays we can access it with a click of a button.

3. I cannot commit the full-time schedule, are there any other options?

• Alhamdulillah yes there are other options! Although I would recommend students to take the full-time course, for those who are not able to commit to the time schedule there is a part time/evening course which starts in February inshaAllah. It will be twice a week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5:30-9:30pm inshaAllah. Info is available HERE. The full time course is Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 3:30pm inshaAllah.

4. I don’t know Arabic, will I be lost in class?

• NO! You will not be lost in class! Remember I said that ta’leem is a gradual and steady teaching? Alhamdulillah this course caters to everyone’s level of knowledge: the sister who doesn’t know Arabic will not be lost and the sister who has previous knowledge will not be bored. This course actually enhances your Arabic and you will definitely increase in vocabulary by the ending inshaAllah.

5. Is this course only for sisters?

• Yes this course is only for sisters, but inshaAllah I pray that a brother’s class is started soon! So if you are a brother reading this, pass this information on to your female relatives, inshaAllah all the reward will be yours!

• This course caters to sisters of all ages! I have classmates who are 12-15 years old, college students, mothers and even sisters who are grandmothers alhamdulillah. So do not make your age an excuse for you to not take this course, for indeed the Qur’an was revealed to all of mankind to learn.

I sincerely ask you: do you want to be a companion of the Qur’an? Do you want to understand the words of your Rabb without using a translation? Have you ever wonder what the Imam recite (especially in Ramadan) that made him wept while recite the Words of Allaah?  Do you want to have more khushoo’ in prayer? Do you want to be a life long student of the Qur’an?

Indeed we cannot do anything without the guidance, help and success from Allah and we ask Him for this, but if you would like to do these things, then register for this course and I promise you: bi’ithnillah you will not regret it.

We ask Allah ta’ala to make us all companions of the Qur’an, and to grant us beneficial knowledge and to accept our deeds with a goodly acceptance. Ameen.

Bismillaah

Maa shaa Allaah, it’s such a long time I haven’t updated this blog. I really miss writing on this blog. Alhamdulillaah, a lot of things happened around. Alhamdulillaah, among the best thing is, I’m with hubby now! Alhamdulillaah, since his last visit to Malaysia in June, he is still allowed to work through online, alhamdulillah. Thus, no matter where he is, as long as there’s reliable internet connection, then he can work, alhamdulillah (same to me, I need internet too to attend my class ) . Indeed, that’s a great blessing from Allaah, walhamdulillaah!

As for my Ta’leem al-Qur’an class, it’s close to the end now :(. Alhamdulillaah, I really enjoy the class so much. Anyhow, I really need to catch up with a lot of lessons as I missed tooo many classes due to some problems.

And now, me and hubby are in Alexandria, Egypt with FIL and MIL, alhamdulillaah. We came here last October and will be here until mid January next year, in shaa Allaah. Currently, I’m attending Torch Bearers: Scholars of Islam by Shaykh Waleed Basyouni. I’m listening it online, LIVE from Toronto, alhamdulillaah!

Okay the class just started, so it’s time to focus now :). The class is really wonderful, maa shaa Allaah! We just learned about the life of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Azeez before the break. I’ll share more about the class later, in shaa Allaah.

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem

New theme - Tarski

Alhamdulillaah, we have a new theme after it became apparent to me that the old one wasn’t really working-out.  I am pleased to present to you Tarski, which I found through the new, official WordPress theme directory.

As always, comments are more than welcome!  Tell us what you think - love it, hate it, don’t really care…

This also coincides with an upgrade to WordPress 2.6.

Alhamdulillaah, we have a new visual theme for our family blog.  It was about time we had a chance, and it’s reflects the change of us no longer being apart, alhamdulillaah.  Comments are most welcome!

Bismillaah

Alhamdulillaah, it’s about one more week before I’ll see hubby again, in shaa Allaah, after about 6 months of being apart. Alhamdulillaah, this time will be the longest time we’ll be together since we have been married. After the ‘aqd we were together for about 2 weeks, then hubby had to fly back to the US. Then last November he flew to Malaysia again for about 3 weeks. And this time, we’ll be together for about 2 months, in shaa Allaah, walhamdulillaah! Indeed it’s really a mercy from Allaah, walhamdulillaah!

Regarding the visa, there’s no updates yet. We are still under the security check, walhamdulillaah ‘alaa kulli haal. The age of our petition in USCIS is a year minus 22 days. May Allaah grant us the approval before it reaches a year, aameen! Then, in shaa Allaah, we can move to the next step, i.e. in NVC, in shaa Allaah.

Hopefully the visa will be approved soon and hubby won’t fly back to the US alone this time, in shaa Allaah!

May Allaah reunite us permanently soon, aameen!

Bismillaah

And untie the knot from my tongue [Isra' 20:27]

Alhamdulillaah, yesterday I had a class with HH. After reciting the assigned surah, we went over makhaarij for letter that’s at the of the tongue, i.e. ‘noon’ and ‘raa’. SubhaanAllaah, walhamdulillaah, after about 20 years reciting the Qur’an, yesterday I learned that I hadn’t pronounced letter ‘raa’ correctly. SubhaanAllaah, walhamdulillaah, Allaah guided me the proper way of pronouncing the letter. SubhaanAllaah, before I’ve taken TQ course and class with HH, I never thought that I would have trouble in pronouncing each arabic letters. I thought I could pronounce them all correctly. What an ignorance! Alhamdulillaah, Allaah guided me and showed me the right way pronounce it.

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I first saw this video in ‘Uloom al-Qur’an: Route 114 seminar. It’s really a good reminder, subhaanAllaah. Why are we crying?

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Alhamdulillaah, life is one continuous opportunity for learning after another. The catch is, we have to realize that when it’s happening. Lessons learned after-the-fact tend to leave in their wake damage, sometimes irreversible, whether it is to ourselves, to the ones we love, or to less important things, such as physical possessions or inanimate objects.

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