Interesting concept, I think this article written by a muslimah will shed some light. By: Fatima Asmal Many unmarried people these days search for “love†in a series of premarital relationships, which far from yielding happiness, lead to nothing but spiritual degeneration, loss of self-respect, heartache and misery. When the average girl reaches the age of ten or eleven, she - sometimes with the knowledge of her parents, sometimes without their knowledge - becomes engrossed in and obsessed with the teen romance novel: a blonde, blue-eyed girl, with a perfect size 10 figure, falls in love with the football hero of the school, a few complications on the way (nothing major, of course), but things end happily after. In these novels, girl and boy might hold hands, or there might even be a kiss, thrown in somewhere along the line. By the time the impressionable reader of these novels reaches her late teens, she is sick of these story lines...and is searching for more. And is most cases, “more†is usually available right there in her home, tucked away at the bottom of her mother’s cupboard, in the form of adult romance novels. The holding hands, and the kissing has now made way for much more, as details of pre-marital passion, and the fulfilment thereof are graphically spelt out on these pages. The reader is told what the “perfect body†is supposed to look like, the notion that sexual intercourse before marriage is sweet and romantic seeps through these pages...the feelings of degradation, and the many possible consequences thereof are conveniently left out. A fairy tale is a fairy tale, we tell ourselves, a book is a book...they have no implications on real life. Surely our daughters understand and accept this... But we are deluding ourselves. These same “harmless†fairytales and books, have a detrimental effect on the thinking, lifestyles and attitudes of our children. The first “crushâ€/infatuation our daughters experience in relation to members of the opposite sex, is often linked to false perceptions about “dating,†perceptions to which a wide variety of factors contribute. And one of the main factors painting a sugar and candy image of pre-marital romances, are these shallow bits of reading material that our daughters are exposed to. It is no strange co-incidence that girls grow up believing that a boyfriend is the key to happiness...after all they have barely started walking, when the stories of the poor ill-treated Cinderella, saved only by a dashing prince, and the beautiful Snow White woken up by a prince, and the doomed Rapunzel, saved from the tower by...who else - a dashing hero, are told to them. And when they read romance novels, this theory is further reinforced - for, in the classic teen romance novel, the girl without a boyfriend, or “sweet sixteen and never been kissed†is the poor, laughing stock, who doesn’t have a date to the “prom.†And on the pages of a typical adult romance novel, the heroine is always a successful, beautiful career woman, but, she feels, that “something†is lacking in her life...and that “something†is naturally a man. It is improbable that the average teenager, would just read these books, and that there would be no impact on her mind. It is usually exactly the opposite: she wishes she was the person on the pages of the book, and transfers her fantasies to her real life. She might see someone at school, who is popular, and good-looking [i.e. the football hero], and so begins her first painful crush, which is accompanied of course, by sending him anonymous ‘Valentine’s Day' cards, or calling him and playing songs over the phone. Shaitaan has set his trap, and the temptation to sin heightens, and each time the temptation is given in to, the girl becomes more daring. By the time the boy “asks her out,†her nafs has gotten the better of her, and her head filled with the notions of how sweet holding hands before that first kiss must be, she cannot resist. And so begins a “relationship.†But this has all the ingredients that a classic romance novel does not....for those candy-coated pages do not tell you about the heartbreak, the tears, the mood swings and the countless negative aspects that are the central to these relationships And they do not tell you about the degradation and the loss of self-respect, with which people, especially women, emerge, after these relationships. For there is no peace, no tranquillity in such relationships. The daily cycle, the moods, everything about the individual is affected. There is a certain sort of darkness, a restlessness which fills the heart, and this restlessness affects the rest of the family too. For it is now that all the arguments with the parents start: “Why can’t I go out tonight? All my friends are going?†And there are the mood swings, the fluctuating eating habits...if the phone doesn’t ring, then it’s a case of “I don’t feel like eating.†And then there is dishonesty...unable to tell her parents where she really wants to go, she makes the excuse of having to go to the library to study for tomorrow’s test. The ending of each relationship is most often marked by a long periods of torture, in which the girl has to “get over†the boy. Everyday life becomes a misery...her marks drop, daily moods start to depend on the current state of her relationship with the boy and many girls, totally misled by Shaitaan, even make dua for a “reconciliation.†During this period the girl is ravaged by guilt, because deep down in her heart, she is aware that what she has done is haraam, and she also feels guilty about lying to her parents. If there was a physical aspect to her relationship, then these feelings of guilt are deeply accentuated and coupled with a total loss of self-respect. In the worst possible scenario, which is frequently happening, the girl, in an effort to improve her “self image,†may turn to various other ways...smoking, clubbing, drinking and drugs...or she may embark on a series of flings just to make herself feel “special†again. In short the “relationships†so sweetly portrayed in romance novels, which speak only of chocolates, flowers and happiness, end right there: on the pages of the novel. In real life, such relationships lead to nothing but unhappiness and heartache. For how can there be any real happiness in a “love†inspired by Shaitaan? This type of “love†far from being pure and sacred falls into the category of fornication. And regarding fornication, Allah Ta’ala says in the Holy Qur’aan: “The woman and man guilty of adultery of fornication, flog each of them with a hundred stripes: let not compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day: And let a party of the Believers witness their punishment.†[surah An-Nur: 2] How can there be any long term happiness in a sin for which the punishment prescribed is so severe? But while keeping in mind the above injunction, we should also not despair of the Mercy of Allah Ta’ala...for we cannot even comprehend the vastness of this Mercy. We need to realise and to tell ourselves that there is only temporary satisfaction of the nafs in a pre-marital relationship. And we need to terminate any such relationship which we might be involved in, and sincerely make taubah to Allah. As difficult as it might be to end such relationships, once we realise and acknowledge to ourselves that the novels to which we are exposed to from such an early age are totally based on a kuffaar way of life, which appears to be very appealing from the outside, but which bears no contentment, no real happiness, it will in sha Allah, be easy to do so. In addition to painting a rosy picture of dating, these books also create a very wrong concept of what the ideal partner should be like. It is obvious that since they are kuffaar publications, there is no stress on piety, good akhlaaq, honesty and all the other qualities people should be searching for in a potential marriage partner. Instead these books promote superficial thinking, with all their emphasis on “good looks,†“size 10 figures,†“star football players,†“smart cars,â€etc. Parents should closely monitor the reading material which their children bring home and should teach their children about the beauty of nikaah. We should realise, that while it is natural to be embarrassed to discuss such aspects of Islam with them, it is infinitely better for them, that we impart the correct knowledge of an Islamic way of life to them, than allow them to acquire the totally wrong concept of “love†from books, television, movies, and their friends and environment. It should be explained to each teenager that the pre-marital relationships, the engagements, etc to which we attach such a great deal of importance in this world have nothing but a negative bearing on our lives in the aakhirah. It should be time and time again instilled into their minds that pre-marital relationships are a sin...nikaah is an ibaadah. Allah Ta’ala has Created men and women with natural desires, and He has Created nikaah as an institution in which these desires maybe fulfilled. A nikaah in which both, husband and wife are striving to fulfill their obligations to Allah Ta’ala, such a nikaah will be filled with the mutual respect, love and inevitably, the contentment, which we hopelessly search for in pre-marital relationships. Within the sacred context of a nikaah, in which both parties are obedient to Allah Ta’ala, and adhere to His Commandments, there can be no room for the loss of respect, feelings of degradation, etc. which goes hand-in-hand with “going out†with or “dating†someone. We should always bear in mind that should we die in the company of a “boyfriend†or a “girlfriend†or even a “fiancé,†we will be leaving this world, having spent our last few moments of this life in the company of a non-Mahram

Frwd email from [friendzforallah] Boys and Girls, Lets play a game called Who?...lol ------------------------------->Start What do you call someone who explodes a bomb and kills innocent people? - A terrorist. What do you call someone who drops a bomb from a plane and kills innocent people? - A brave American pilot. ------------------------------------------------------- What do you call it when a Palestinian uses violence against the Jews who have illegally occupied his land? - A terrorist attack. What do you call it when an Israeli helicopter fires rockets at Palestinian youths armed with stones? - Self-defense. --------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call it when someone gives money to a government official in return for favors? - Bribery. What do you call it when a large corporation gives money to a government official in return for favors? - A campaign contribution. ------------------------------------------------ What do you call the form of government where a small elite exploits and intimidates the citizens? - A dictatorship. What do you call the form of government where a small elite exploits and intimidates the citizens, and the citizens can choose every few years which part of the elite should occupy the government buildings? - A democracy. --------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call it when a group of people take the law into their own hands and kill people without a fair trial? - A lynching. What do you call it when the US takes the law into its own hands and kills people without a fair trial? - Operation Enduring Freedom. --------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call someone who steals from the rich and gives to the poor? - Robin Hood. What do you call someone who steals from the poor and gives to the rich? - The US government. --------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call a weapon that can kill thousands of people? - A weapon of mass destruction. What do you call a weapon that has killed 1.5 million Iraqis, including more than 500,000 children? - Sanctions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call an army that will fight for whoever pays the most money? - Mercenaries. What do you call an army in Afghanistan that will fight for whoever pays the most money? - The Northern Alliance (or United Front). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call an attack on the Pentagon, a command and control center in the US? - A cowardly attack on American freedom and democracy. What do you call the destruction of an Afghan village by US bombs? - An attack on a Taliban command and control center. ---------------------------------------------------------- What do you call it when just over 3 thousand people were killed in the September 11 attack on the US? - An atrocity. What do you call it when nearly 5 million people were killed in the Vietnam war? - A mistake. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call it when very rich people exploit poor people? - Greed and selfishness. What do you call it when very rich countries exploit poor countries? - Globalization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call a foreign oppressor in the last century that controlled the economical and social life of a country? - A colonialist power. What do you call a foreign oppressor in this century that controls the economical and social life of a country? - The International Monetary Fund. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call it when people are slaughtered? - A massacre. What do you call it when 100.000 to 200.000 Iraqi's are slaughtered by the US at a loss to American forces of 148 (46 of which were killed by friendly fire)? - The Gulf War. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call the extermination of a people? - Genocide. What do you call the extermination of native Americans in the US? - A glorious episode in American history. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call a US president who says, "Read my lips - no new taxes", and later breaks his promise? - George Bush. What do you call a US president who says, "No new taxes- over my dead body", and later ...? - George W. Bush. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call someone who stands up in front of a crowd and tells stories? - An entertainer. What do you call someone who stands up in front of a crowd at the Pentagon and tells stories? - Donald Rumsfeld. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call a television station that broadcasts only the government's views? - A propaganda station. What do you call the BBC when the World News consists solely of half an hour of a Pentagon briefing? - Fair and impartial. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call the 2002 presidential election in Zimbabwe where there are serious irregularities? - A flawed election. What do you call the presidential election in the US where there are serious irregularities? - A victory for democracy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you call it when American Whites advocate an exclusively White state and the expulsion of all non-Whites? - Racism. What do you call it when Israeli Jews advocate an exclusively Jewish state and the expulsion of all non-Jews? - Zionism. --------------------------------------------->End

Dear brothers and sisters, How many times do we rush when we hear there is a BARGAIN! SALE! COME SAVE $$$$. In these mentioned verses Allah subhana watacala is giving us a BARGAIN! to save our souls from the fire of HELL. and Allah even tells us how we can get the best deal, to strive for the sake of allah with our wealth, time, energy, mind, health family ties and everything Allah gave u towards the deen of allah subhana watacala. سورة الص٠يَا أَيّÙهَا الَّذÙينَ Ø¢ÙŽÙ…ÙŽÙ†Ùوا هَلْ أَدÙلّÙÙƒÙمْ عَلَى تÙجَارَة٠تÙنجÙيكÙÙ… مّÙنْ عَذَاب٠أَلÙيم٠(10) O ye who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous Penalty?- تÙؤْمÙÙ†Ùونَ بÙاللَّه٠وَرَسÙولÙه٠وَتÙجَاهÙدÙونَ ÙÙÙŠ سَبÙيل٠اللَّه٠بÙأَمْوَالÙÙƒÙمْ ÙˆÙŽØ£ÙŽÙ†ÙÙسÙÙƒÙمْ Ø°ÙŽÙ„ÙÙƒÙمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكÙمْ Ø¥ÙÙ† ÙƒÙنتÙمْ تَعْلَمÙونَ (11) You shall believe in Allah and His Messenger, and struggle hard in Allah's way with your property and your lives; that is better for you, did you but know!

BAL EEGA MEESHAY XAALADU MAREYSO WALAALAYAAL... ------------------------------------------------ SomServ reaches out to largest Somali community in U.S. by Dan Olson Relationships between Somali Muslims and American Christians are becoming more common as Somalis begin to fully integrate into the fabric of the Twin Cities. Somalis and Christians pass on the sidewalk, work side by side and shop in the same stores. Muslim faith understandably remains central - even essential - to the cultural identity of many Somalis here. One notable exception is the Rev. Yaqub Mohamed, his organization SomServ and the United Somali Fellowship (USF). Mohamed is a native-born Somali living in Minneapolis. What makes him unique, however, is that he is also an ordained Christian minister. He came to Christ in 1986 through German missionaries in Djibouti, a small country north of Somalia, and has since desired to bring the Gospel to his fellow Somalians. For years he and his wife believed their ministry would be in Somalia. Little did he know that it would happen in Minneapolis, Minn. During the Somali civil war Mohamed came to America as a refugee, arriving in Dallas, Texas, in 1990. After moving around, he eventually graduated from Princeton Seminary and has served parishes in New Jersey and Florida. Since arriving, he has always seen the Twin Cities, with its large Somali population, as the perfect place to start SomServ. The opportunity to move came in 2000 at a missions conference in California. There he met Jon Good, then pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina, who offered him some support. With support from a number of local churches, SomServ began operating in 2000, being granted nonprofit status in February 2003. Unlike other churches and mission groups who focus on social justice and de-emphasize sharing their convictions, Mohamed and SomServ are focused on holistic ministry, including a religious dialogue component. "We respect the people and we respect the culture," he said about his fellow Somalis, but, "We are willing to just share who we are." Instead of simply serving Somali immigrants and refugees, he said, "We would rather be open to loving and serving and sharing the Gospel." In other words, the approach of SomServ is to offer the same assistance that other groups offer - ESL, mentoring, employment assistance - but to be direct about the reasons behind its ministry. In response to those Christians who might suggest that serving needs is enough, Mohamed feels it would be dishonest not to fully disclose the reason behind their service. He says that their goal is to be "honestly and truthfully and lovingly direct." According to Mohamed, SomServ's most active ministry thus far is Somali Adult Literacy Training (SALT), serving 120 Somali adults at five sites around the Twin Cities. With over 100 volunteers from surrounding churches, Mohamed hopes that bringing together American Christians and Somali Muslims will lead to mutual understanding and respect for one another's convictions. During the month of Ramadan, for example, Somali students share about the meaning of Ramadan, while Christian teachers will share about biblical teaching on fasting. In time, Mohamed believes some Somalis will choose to follow Christ. He remains very sensitive, however, to the difficulties of being an immigrant/refugee community. Here in America, Somalis straddle two cultures and are often part of families torn apart by civil war. Along with clan tensions within the community, Somali youth face the pressures that come with high school and the temptations of secular culture. It can be a tumultuous time. SomServ has begun a program geared toward youth called Somali Youth Reach (SYR) for those looking for guidance in America. According to Mohamed, "We want to provide a bridge whereby we can work alongside them ... just guide them to right decisions and right opportunities." Other SomServ ministry programs include Safe Home, which focuses on assisting Somali women adjust to American life, and Somali Christian Project, which focuses on microeconomic empowerment. Besides the work of SomServ, Mohamed dedicates much time to discipling the USF, the largest community of Somali Christians in America. This fellowship, a Christian community of Somalis, is the only known Somali Christian community in the U.S. While some local church leaders are reluctant to draw Somalis away from their immigrant communities and the religious teachings that hold them together, Mohamed sees an implicit stereotype in their concern. "One of the issues we have is that a lot of church leaders basically have this one stereotype of the Somali community," he said, "Just as much as there is diversity in the American community, so there is diversity in the Somali community. There are fanatics, there are liberals, there are feminists, there are communists, there are good people - it's all there. And you will find all people where they stand." For Mohamed, the USF is a place where Somali Christians can gather and find community and be discipled. "It is interdenominational as a mission but united in teaching." Noting the theological confusion among many Christians today, Mohamed stresses that "it is good for the Muslims to see that we are united as Christians." While many Somalis remain leery about Christian churches in general, Mohamed sees the Gospel as potentially transformative for the Somali community in the Twin Cities, who have experienced wars and for whom clan identity is so important. "The name United Somali Fellowship has meaning behind it: We come as people who come from a civil war that had interclan wars and fights. In Christ we see ourselves as new creatures, and as new creatures we are one body - the body of Jesus Christ. And so whatever the clan, in Christ we are united." According to Mohamed, those Somalis who have joined the USF have experienced this transformation and hope others will experience the same. Mohamed's vision for his fellow Somalis is a boldly Christian one, and he invites other local Christians to join in supporting the work of SomServ and the USF. According to the Rev. Peter Della Santina, head pastor of Knox Presbyterian Church, a church that supports the work of SomServ, "It's an unreached people group in our own back yard." Somali statistics for the Twin Cities - At 55,000, the Cities have the largest Somali population in the world, outside of Somalia. - 40 percent of Roosevelt H. S. is comprised of Somali youth Somalis are concentrated in the Phillips and Powderhorn neighborhoods in Mpls. and the West Bank area of the University of Minnesota and Elliot Park neighborhood. Many live in the suburbs and St. Paul, as well as moving out to more rural areas. There are over 200 Somali businesses in the Twin Cities, including a Somali mall at Pillsbury and Lake Street. There are around 450 Somali cab drivers in the Twin Cities. (information taken from CityScope Report 2004, RIR) ----------------------------------------------- Ilaahay dadka ha ka qabto dadkaan, who would choose misguidance over guidance. falsehood over Truth, Confusion over clarity.. yes.. it is innocent ignorant victims that will be misled...People learn your religion and your history, and dont be misguided by these people, who are trained in the art of "DECEPTION".. that is all they have.

Ina lillahi wa ina ilahi rajiun Ilaahay ha u naxariisto muslimiinta geeriyootay oo idil.

Salama aleykum All praises due to allah, the creator, sustainer, benefactor, the king of all kings, the merciful, the helper of the masakiin, the protector of all that is good, O allah we love you and we obey you, we seek your forgiveness and mercy, O allah make us the people of jannah, the people that earn your pleasure, the ones who stay away from all that is evil, the ones who order all that is good, O allah give us iiman and taqwa and bless all the muslims around the world. And may peace and blessings be upon our prophet muhammad salalahu calayhi *****aa ahlihi wasaxbihi waman tabicahum bi ixsaanihi ilaa yawmu diin. Walaalayaal, my dear brothers and sisters, lets fear allah and fear allah witht he taqwa that he deserves and lets try not depart from this temporary life with out being in the state of Submission to allah subhana watacalaa (Islam). This is just a reminder for myself and for my dear brothers and sisters in islam, To remind ourselves of all the mercy, nimcah blessings that allah has given us, Please lets not forget to thank allah everytime we get a chance. allah says: Say: He it is Who brought you into being and made for you the ears and the eyes and the hearts: little is it that you give thanks. Today we are worried about little things, we never think about all those other muslim brothers and sisters who are less fortunate than us, those who dont have eyes, ears, those who have heart problems, or their brain cant function right. Do we make dua for them or do we even thank allah for given us this...??? May allah make us part of the shakiriin. Allah says " wadakir fa ina dikraa tan fa'ul mu'miniin" So i hope this was a beneficial reminder, For me and for you. and insha allah..lets try to ponder about even One verse of the quran Daily! Salama aleykum

masha allah, that is beautiful.

Foxy...all of a sudden you are saying there is mullahs around..why? because i posted this verse to remind you to fear allah because the verse tells you to prepare for your death and akhirah. Maybe i give you an impression that i am a FUNDUMENTALIST..as they put it because...or just because please sister, go back and ask yourself, why is that you call your muslim brothers a MULLAHs (assuming that you are a muslim) and who is a MULLAH to you, (is it anyone that doesnt accept and act upon the western culture) I think that is enough homework for you today, ps. I didnt judge anyone...salama aleykum sister Forgive me, and May allah guide us in the right path.

"O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah, and let every soul consider what it has sent on for the morrow, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely Allah is Aware of what you do".

Ramadan kariim, and make sure you read alot of quran. salama aleykum

Thanks brothers and sisters, Even though i would love to live in medinah, i heard the saudi government is very strict about immigration laws. And i hate to cause mischief and be chased around in the city of the prophet s.c.w. So Any other suggestions, I mean if I had to move tommorow with my American passport, would things be hard or easy..please just answer in a sincere way, I know there are people who might make jokes in threads like this, But i am really and truly serious. I am tired of living in this western culture full of fitnah. salama aleykum.

Salama aleykum I was just wondering if brothers and sisters her in SOL could be kind enough to tell me which is the best muslim country to live in. I know this will confuse some of you, But I just want to know which country or location in the world is best to live in that you can practice Islam fully with out any hassle. Please let me know, mahadsanidiin. jazakumulaha kheyran.

I wont even bother.... It has kufr and shirk all over it. salama aleykum

By the way, being muslim and all, shyness is part of our iman PEOPLE!, It was one of the qualities of our prophet s.c.w, so brother please dont see it as a down fall, I am actually proud to see one of our sisters with this quality in a time where most of sisters take the western approach of dating and doing what EVER they like. walcayaadubilaah. say alhamdulilah you have a good sister there, DO NOT! try to get rid off her shyness, actually encourage it it is a sign of MODESTY and treat her with atmost respect and fairness. Also, please treat this matter in accordance to the shariah, meaning follow the guidelines of Islam in finding a suitable partner for you to Marry (if that is your intention of course). Word of advice to all my muslim brothers and sister, Please let us not forget we are part of the muslim ummah, and when we give advice, let's try to be islamicly correct. Please forgive me, If i said anything that was offending to anyone, I didnt mean to interrupt your interesting posts .. jazakumulaha kheyran. salama aleykum

I see alot of transistors lol you might just be the conductor we need Nur. jazakumulaha kheyran that was a refresher.

Just wondering, How come you didnt invite any of the Muslim Scholars or elites. Why only singers , rappers and money hungry business people? Or are you avoiding that... Please brothers and sisters...dont ever run away from your religion, because you are scared of humanbeings pointing the finger at you. no offense..please forgive me salama aleykum

jazakumulaha kheyran sister. That was both beneficial and a refresher. may allah reward you insha allah.