Month: April 2015

Sister Karen Brown’s journey to islam

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A blessed soul who found Islam.May Allaah ease all her affairs, keep her strong and guided on the deen, Aameen!

“Assalamu’alaykum.I am Karen Brown, new to Islam. I was raised in a strict Christian home. I am basically an orphan. I grew up hiding from my parents or being knocked around. Everyone thought we were the best family. I doubted Christianity all my life. How can parents call themselves Christians only to do what they were doing to me?

I started asking Muslims to expla…in there religion. Unfortunately, they didn’t think I was serious. I began studying on my own and finally went to my Muslim boss and begged for help. I wanted something more. All my family lives, but they don’t claim me and have robbed me. I had no hope or reason to live.

I only started getting help in learning in May last year. I started reading on my own in December. I was always attracted to Islam growing up. Females were always covered. My Muslim boss had helped me out a lot. I had lost a place to live and he made sure I had one.

I remember when I was younger, I asked about Islam. My father said he would kill his own than to see his daughter become Muslim. I was terrified to admit Islam was the true religion.

So, 3 months into it, I have had my tire slashed and a family member followed me home and knocked me around. My parents still have no clue. I am terrified of what my parents will do. They are not good people. I learn Islam through books, Facebook and basically that is all. I did Ramadan on my own. I changed my way of dressing by reading books on how Muslims dress. Sadly, I was told I can’t wear my hijab at work.

In all my life I wanted to know what real love felt like. No one cared if I lived or died. Now, I know Allah does. He claims me. I have much to learn and the trials are wearing me down. But, I have hope that Allah will help me.”

some billionaires are trying to make potions and working on different ways to live forever

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Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem, subhana’Allaah, recently I was reading how some billionaires are trying to make potions and working on different ways to live forever. I thought to myself, no amount of money or science will allow us to live forever. I remembered this ayat/verse. Rather we should be thinking of how to make the time we have here to be the best we can be, and to help as many people as we can for the sake of Allaah. Alhamdullilah.

Zohra Sarwari
2 hrs · Edited ·
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Hijjab story of a revert sister

11164823_1647325632163061_8136508448554541093_nI don’t feel lost anymore Lost My Story Of Hijjab By Anna

I am a born Muslim who never practiced Islam before even though
I still loved Allah more than anything!
I always had an urge to wear the hijab but was never strong enough to go with it. Alhamdulillah, …
I started reading the Quran and started to question my life style 24/7. It came to a point where I was listening to a lecture and this Sheikh (scholar of Islam) said if you were to die today and face Allah, what you got to present in front of Him saying here I did this for you?
I took a moment to think what I had to offer and honestly, I couldn’t think of one thing.

Yes, I’m a loving, caring, helpful person with a huge heart but I felt like this question had a deeper meaning.
So I said if I didn’t have anything ’till today to offer Allah, I’ll start by this, and I wore my hijab on January 26, 2015.
And I have never been happier in my life.
My life makes sense now. I don’t feel lost anymore.
I have a purpose now.
I see how different I get treated by the brothers -with so much more respect, even from strangers.
If someone offered me 50 million dollars to remove my hijab,
I would never in a million years take it off.
My hijab, my pride! Salam (peace) to every sister who is on the right path! May Allah be pleased with us. Ameen.

Indonesia’s National Team footballer of Dutch descent, Diego Michiels’s journey to islam

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Indonesia’s National Team footballer of Dutch descent, Diego Michiels had embraced Islam in 2013 and took the Islamic name Diego Muhammad bin Robbie Michiels. He had said:

“This is the call of my own heart and I feel happy. All praise to Allaah.”

May Allaah keep him steadfast and guided on Islam.Aameen!

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And We did not send any messenger except [speaking] in the language of his people to state clearly for them, and Allaah sends astray [thereby] whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.(Quran, [14:4])

A former Christian brother from Sweden embraced Islam

11100773_818301661552129_6586365754145360970_n 11116487_818301144885514_903022390941164172_nAllaah Guides Whom He Wills! Allaahu Akbar!
A former Christian brother from Sweden embraced Islam while being in Kashmir recently last month. He took his shahadah in Noor Masjid in Srinagar Kashmir.

He had been researching on all religions and did not get his answers untill finally he read the Noble Quran. He got his questions answered and knew that Islam was the true religion.May Allaah guide him and keep him steadfast upon the deen, Aameen!

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via brother Bhat Jahangeer

Family Fun Day to Fight Hunger

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Spring is here and it’s time again for our Annual Family Fun Day!

But this year we’re doing things differently – we’re not only coming together as a community to embrace our ties of family and friendship, but we’re also fighting hunger in our community.

Join us at Huset Park or FREE Food and BBQ. There will also be games, bouncy castles, children’s activities and much more! Please see the flier below for details.

At the event, we’ll also be collecting food as part of our food drive to help those in need in our community. Please bring a non-perishable item to donate inshaAllah.

Family, Friends, Food and You – Have Fun while also making a difference!

(And remember you don’t have to wait until the Fun Day to share the blessings. Our Food Drive is ongoing now and we have food bins at various locations. You can also donate funds online at our website www.thebuildingblocks.org).

A Roman Catholic US Marine Discovers Islam

11148617_816993581682937_399481769802431200_nA Roman Catholic US Marine Discovers Islam

“The Words of Shahadah Fit with My Beliefs.”
By Frank Estrada

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What finally brought me to my conversion though was the Shahadah.

My name is Frank Estrada. I was raised a Roman Catholic.

I was so devout, I even had hoped to one day serve in the priesthood.

I accepted the churches’ teachings even when I didn’t agree with them. I even took every chance I got to convert people in the hopes of bringing them to God.

While serving in the US Marines, I did two tours in the Middle East. In a short time, I developed a hatred for Arabs and Islam.

After I left active duty, I took a job with a company as a network administrator in Iraq. I worked with a man named Ahmed. In the beginning I didn’t trust him simply because of his background. I’m lucky that he was patient with me.

Slowly, due to my ignorance, he taught me about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Quran. He didn’t teach me with words. He showed me that Muslims are not evil by his actions. More than that, he taught me the truth of Allah’s message.

After I came home, I began to study Islam in earnest. I took a world religions course at Mesa Community College. Though I found the course prejudicial to Islam, it seemed to push me closer to it.

I met a young woman named Amal in the class. We would spend hours talking and debating Islam against Catholicism. I found her arguments both logical and reasonable.

I started taking Arabic courses, so I could learn to read and understand the Quran properly. I still have a long way to go.

I spoke to everyone I knew that was Muslim but, more than that, I watched them to see if their actions matched their words. I never saw any hypocrisy. I even went to the masjid in Tempe, Arizona, to talk to other Muslims and the imam.

What finally brought me to my conversion though, was the Shahadah. I read it and tried to see how it fit with my beliefs. I compared it to the first commandment and found them doubles of each other. It was at that point that I had an epiphany.

Catholicism, whatever else it was, was polytheistic. The realization was shattering to me. I knew at that point that I could not obey the laws of Allah and continue to praise Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) as His son.

I talked it over with my wife. She was concerned, to say the least. We spent hours discussing what it would do to our family. She went with me to the masjid where we spoke with a man named Muhammed. Not only was he able to sway her fears, she decided to convert as well.

Becoming Muslim was no doubt the right decision. My friends and family, save my parents, were very supportive. My father would not speak to me for the next three months. My wife’s family, to this day is still unsupportive. I have no doubt that Allah will soften their hearts in the future.

I thank Allah for all the people He has brought into my life to show me the truth. I thank Him for giving me a mind to understand the truth. More than that, I thank Allah for my loving and understanding wife who has come to the truth with me.

I shall end this paper as I began the day. There is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.

Kid’s Story Night: Meet Buzz! (Event for kids)

VRIC is happy to host the author of the children’s book, I Love to Be Me, Efdal Elferri, for a special Story Night for kids.

Children age 3 – 10 will enjoy the interactive story time, workshop, and book signing.

Date: Friday, May 1 at 6PM
Cost: FREE
Parking: Additional parking will be available in the overflow lot next to Walgreens.

more @ https://www.facebook.com/events/1434916240136895/

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An Inspiring Story How Brother Ismail Entered Islam (May Allah bless him)

An Inspiring Story How Brother Ismail Entered Islam (May Allah bless him)

Assalamualaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

My name is Ismail. I am Romanian and Hungarian and I live in California. I became a Muslim almost 5 years ago at the age of 17. For me it all started while playing basketball, where I met someone who is still one of my best friends to this day. He gave me dawah and we argued about religion back and forth for about 4 years. I was a Christian and he was a Muslim. He asked me questions I didn’t really have answers to, eventually all these questions started turning into doubts about Christianity. I always had a respect for Islam since I met him, and I actually thought it was very cool to see the Muslims take a break from playing and pray salah. Eventually I prayed and asked God, “If Christianity is the right religion, make all my friends Christian, if Islam is the right religion, then make me a Muslim.” About a week later I took my shahada at the very basketball court where it all started Alhamdulillah it was the best decision I ever made in my life.

After I had taken my shahada, I had kept it a secret from my family. My family came to America in 1989 from Romania. During that time period Romania had been a communist country and my family being Pentecostal and the majority being orthodox, they were persecuted and went through a lot of hardship practising their religion. So the nature of my family was very tough and stubborn from the start and I knew that if I told them I became a Muslim, they would be very hard on me. So I kept it hidden for a couple of months and there were a lot of close calls where they almost found out. I first started to refrain from eating pork, which is what about 80% of Romanian dishes are made with. When my mom asked me why, I showed her in the Bible where it says we shouldn’t eat pork and she said okay that isn’t needed but go ahead. I also asked my mom if it’s okay to pray by prostrating and she had told me she had seen my grandmother pray this way so it’s okay.

From the beginning I prayed all of my prayers but out of fear of being seen, I would pray Fajr-Isha at night time when everyone was asleep so I wouldn’t be caught. I kept it up hiding it from my family until I felt I was strong enough to handle what was coming when they eventually found out. One day I got into an argument with my cousin on Facebook in which I was defending Muslims. After going back and forth for a few hours he eventually asked me sarcastically “Wait, you’re a Muslim right?” At that point I decided I could not lie and say I wasn’t but instead be firm in the truth and Allah will take care of me, so I told him “Yes I am”. After that my whole family found out and at first they didn’t want to believe it. Before Islam, I was the most favoured in the family. I was the favourite nephew, the favourite grandson, the favourite cousin etc. After Islam, I became the most disliked in the whole family. My grandma told me I’m not her grandson anymore, my cousins called me a devil worshipper, my aunts and uncles sent me hundreds of pages of their research and talked to me for hours on end trying to change my mind. They said the most hateful things you can think of about Islam and about my beloved Muhammad ﷺ that many nights I could not sleep because out of sadness I was crying so much. Before Islam family was everything to me I sacrificed a lot for them so for them to say these things to me really hurt me and affected me. I understand why they did it however, because they loved me and wanted the best for me. I could only imagine if my child were to change religions, it would be a very difficult thing to deal with so I don’t blame them, that was Allah’s test for me.

After that my mom placed restrictions on me, I was no longer allowed to go outside with my Muslim friends and be with them, I was only allowed at the basketball court and home, that’s it. I had surveillance on me at all times, so during these times I would pray at very late times around 2am. It went on like this for a few weeks; all the while I was still being forced to go to church with them. My mom got fed up after she saw I wasn’t changing and I was actually getting stronger in deen. So one night she told me “either you leave Islam and you can continue to live here or you can leave the house. The choice is yours, but you can not be a Muslim and continue to live here.” I said “Okay you’ve made the decision easy for me I will never leave Islam.” So this is how I was forced to leave the house.

When I left the house, immediately a Somali family took me in and I stayed with them. May Allah bless them, I will forever be indebted to them because they helped me in my time of need, and they became my family for me. Every night my mom was calling me and she would tell me how much she missed me and I should come back. But I would always tell her I would never leave this beautiful religion. My mother was stuck in a situation where she was getting pressured by my family to kick me out they were telling her that I would for sure leave Islam if I were to be kicked out of the house. So this was the reason otherwise she wouldn’t have done such a thing. All of her life she lived for her kids and we were her number one priority. She worked 2-3 jobs while going to school full time in order to provide for us because my father was not involved in our lives they had divorced when I was 3. Over time as my mom saw that I would not budge she told me “please come back” and I said I won’t leave Islam so let’s come to an agreement.” So she agreed and the deal became that I would go with them to church every Sunday and I was not allowed to pray in the house, and I could in turn live at home and she would cook halal for me. There were a couple of times after that where I had been praying outside and funny things had happened to me. Once I was praying Isha and in the 4th rakat, a sprinkler had gone off right onto me! Another time it was Fajr and my next-door neighbour saw me in sujood and thought I was unconscious so she rushed to call an ambulance. Thank God I had finished before she started to call to tell her I was just praying.

So ever since I came back home Alhamdulillah the situation has been gradually improving. Before I was not allowed to even have a small booklet or kufi in the house, now I have a whole closet full of different cultural clothes and a couple bookshelves with books in them. At the end of the day I love my mother with all my heart and Islam taught me how to be a better son to her and how to be a better brother to my sister and brother. May Allah guide them to Islam so they too can feel the peace and tranquillity of this beautiful deen.

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‎[New Jersey] ‘Portrait of a Prophet’ Weekend Course

11052405_10152689930517167_1399436493815025258_nAlhamdulillah, we just confirmed that Shaykh Yahya Rhodus will also be joining as a guest teacher at this weekend’s “Portrait of a Prophet” class (se…e his biography below). To learn more about the weekend course, see videos about it, and register, visit this link: CelebrateMercy.com/Portrait. We’ll be updating the official program and flyer shortly to reflect this honored new guest.

more about the event, https://www.facebook.com/events/463738057111395/permalink/470112896473911/

Shaykh Yahya Rhodus’s Journey to Islam

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Shaykh Yahya Rhodus was born in Kansas City, Missouri. At the age of 19, he embraced Islam in Santa Clara, California. He began his study of Islam with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and visiting Mauritanian scholars.

In 1998, Shaykh Yahya traveled to Mauritania to pursue a full-time course of study, where he learned from some of Mauritania’s greatest scholars, including the distinguished, Murabit al-Hajj. He also spent an interim period in Damascus, Syria where he received formal education in the Arabic language, grammar, and Qur’anic recitation.

In 2000, Shaykh Yahya moved to Tarim, Yemen to continue his studies at the prestigious learning institute, Dar al-Mustafa. There, he spent his formative years studying foundational Islamic sciences with the renowned scholar Habib ‘Umar bin Hafiz along with other local scholars.

In the latter part of 2005, Shaykh Yahya returned to the U.S. and served as a full-time teacher at Zaytuna Institute. He subsequently returned overseas in 2007 to further his studies while he also participated in religious programs worldwide, lecturing, teaching, and translating. He has translated for Habib ‘Umar bin Hafiz at speaking engagements internationally.

In 2010, Shaykh Yahya completed his Bachelor of Arts in Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He finished his Masters Degree in Islamic Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley in 2012, and during this period, he was a full-time instructor at Zaytuna College.

He travels regularly teaching, lecturing, and conducting weekend seminars and also offers on-line instruction through SeekersGuidance. Shaykh Yahya has been accepted to the University of Cambridge for a PhD program in the Department of Divinity and began his program in April 2013. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three children.

Brother Papayaw Niyanin took shahadah

11096503_877114868997074_7386415001916313611_nSHAHADAH AT ISLAMIC FORUM OF CANADA.
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Alhamdulillah, today after Salatul Jumu`ah another Brother accepted Islam at the hands of Shaykh Faisal.
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Brother Papayaw Niyanin.
Born in Canada, and spent his entire life in Canada.
He is a wonderful Brother with a soft heart.
Some of his Muslim friends introduced him to Islam, and brought him to the Islamic Forum of Canada.
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And by the Grace and Mercy of Almighty Allah, he decided to accept Islam on this Blessed Day – Good Friday.
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May Almighty Allah bless him and keep him on the Straight Path, and guide him to be an Ambassador of Islam.

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www.Facebook.com/ShaykhFaisalPage

Candice Vancraenenbroek from Europe

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I reverted to Islam just over one year ago. I’m from Slovakia (Europe), but I lived in England for 2 two years and also in …Holland. I never really cared about any religion. I didn’t have religious friends or anything like that. I was a usual teenager. Then I left home when I was 18 and went to work in England as an au-pair. I loved it. And of course I went really wild.

When I was 2, I came to Holland. I was unhappy for a long time.
I met my husband just 2 weeks after my arrival. We fell head over heels in love and he introduced me to Islam. I needed it. I have a very strong personality and say what I want. It brought me trouble sometimes. I have a diploma from Commercial College, two certificates for English (one for tourism and business) and know a lot about the world of economy and politics.

But I needed some spirituality. I found it in God. It might seem I did it for my husband, but it is not true. He said it was my own decision whether I do it or not. Since I did I feel very happy. Somehow complete and fulfilled. It is difficult at times to explain to my parents or friends, but they try to understand.

I know I did some bad things in my life, but I also believe that our Creator is the Most-forgiving, Most-merciful. I’m trying to be as good as I can. Islam brought me my freedom and happiness. It’s hard to explain how I feel, but I know that my fellow sisters and brothers will understand how it is to stand alone. My home country is very intolerant against Muslims, so I’ll have a hard time when I go and see my parents. But God will help me to go through it.

There are still things I need to find out and I cannot wait to know them all. I realised one thing since I became a Muslimah and started wearing Hijab. Fellow Muslims smile at me and say Inshaalah or Alhamdulillah. It’s a great feeling.