“O People !

Indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah. A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. A month which with Allah is the best of months. Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours, the best of hours. It is the month which invites you to be the guests of Allah and invites you to be one of those near to Him.

Each breath you take glorifies him; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered. So, ask Allah, your Lord; to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite his book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah’s forgiveness during this great month.

Remember the hunger and thirst of the day of Qiyamah (Judgement) with your hunger and thirst; give alms to the needy and poor, honor your old, show kindness to the young ones, maintain relations with your blood relations; guard your tongues, close your eyes to that which is not permissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of people so compassion may be shown to your orphans.

Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in dua during these times, for they are the best of times and Allah looks towards his creatures with kindness, replying to them during the hours and granting their needs if he is asked…

O People! Indeed your souls are dependant on your deeds, free it with Istighfar (repentance) lighten its loads by long prostrations; and know that Allah swears by his might: That there is no punishment for the one who prays and prostrates and he shall have no fear of the fire on the day when man stands before the Lord of the worlds.

O People! One who gives Iftaar to a fasting person during this month will be like one who has freed someone and his past sins will be forgiven.

Some of the people who were there then asked the Prophet (s): “Not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting?”

The Prophet (s) replied: “Allah gives this reward even if the Iftaar (meal) is a drink of water.

One who has good morals (Akhlaq) during this month will be able to pass the ‘Siraat’…on the day that feet will slip…

One who covers the faults of others will benefit in that Allah will curb His anger on the day of Judgement…

As for one who honours an orphan; Allah will honour him on the Day of Judgment,

And for the one who spreads his kindness, Allah will spread His mercy over him on the Day of Judgment.

As for the one who cuts the ties of relation; Allah will cut His mercy from him…

Whosoever performs a recommended prayer in this month Allah will keep the fire of Hell away from him…

Whoever performs an obligator prayer Allah will reward him with seventy prayers [worth] in this month.

And whosoever prays a lot during this month will have his load lightened on the day of measure.

He who recites one verse of the holy Quran will be given the rewards of reciting the Holy Qur’an during other months.

O People! Indeed during this month the doors of heaven are open, therefore ask Allah not to close them for you; The doors of hell are closed, so ask Allah to keep them closed for you. During this month Shaitan (Satan) is imprisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you.”

1. Earn some money

Maybe you’ve been overworked by Imperial for nine months and couldn’t stand the possibility of working some more, but a temporary job could be the perfect way to spend your summer and earn some money to lessen the blow of student debt. Ask around and you might be able to find something; although, if you are only considering this possibility now, it might be too late already! Which brings us on to the next option…

2. Volunteer

You may feel like you’re not earning anything, but you are. Not only are you earning an indispensible experience, but also an aura of satisfaction and wellbeing from volunteering. And you may not see any material reward from your work now, but you will receive a multi-magnified remuneration in the afterlife, rest assured!

3. Travel

Travelling is the perfect way to broaden your horizons, to experience different cultures and to appreciate God’s creation. The Holy Qur’an actually urges man to travel for this latter purpose: “Say: Travel in the earth and see how He makes the first creation, then Allah creates the latter creation; surely Allah has power over all things.” (29:20) Of course, we don’t need to remind one another that travelling does not count as justification for compromising Islamic duties!

4. Spiritualise!

I don’t actually think spiritualise is a word (spell-check says it isn’t), but it sounds pretty cool. Over the academic year, due to the pressures of work, it’s usually quite difficult to develop oneself spiritually, and the summer is the perfect time to do so! With the month of Ramadhan around the corner, now is the perfect opportunity to build yourself closer to God. Try and set yourself specific and realistic targets or new habits and stick to them!

5. Read

And I don’t mean The Sun, either. The Holy Qur’an is a much better alternative. Students hardly get a chance during the year to read the book and it gathers dust on our shelves, so the summer offers the perfect chance to do so. We have no problem in reading textbooks during the year to develop us academically, and so we should be pouncing at the opportunity at reading this infallible, perfectly written and preserved gem during the summer, especially with the month of the Qur’an swiftly approaching. As well as the Qur’an, reading other books is an excellent way to productively spend ones time and is a dying art.

6. Write

This is another dying art. If you are really up for it, you could write a short book about a topic you’re interested in, or alternatively start a blog or write individual articles. And if you’re stuck for things to write about, you could always help ABSoc by writing for us!

7. Exercise

The good weather provides a perfect opportunity for exercise, be it a daily jog in the park, engaging in sports with friends in your hometown, or even gardening or washing cars!

8. Learn a new skill

Maybe you’ve always wanted to know how to use Photoshop or how to sew. Or you’ve wished to learn Arabic, to recite a particular supplication fluently, or memorise a chapter from the Qur’an. Now is the time to pursue these goals, which will remain with you for life.

9. Contemplate

The Prophet (saw) said that an hour of contemplation is better than seventy years of worship. Pretty amazing when you think of how effortless contemplation can be. When you’re at home lying in bed, use it well. Think of your life, and what you feel you can change. Those few minutes of thinking could completely transform your outlook on life and revolutionise your actions. Making them better than all the worship in your life which didn’t change you a bit.

10. Get involved in ABSoc

We’ve got a lot of projects we’re working on to prepare for the new academic year, and all the help we can receive would be appreciated. Whether it be helping prepare for events, writing publications, designing posters or videos, you can help us in the field you’re interested in. Or, if you have projects or ideas for ABSoc, now is the best time to let us know and together we can work towards pursuing them. Remember, ABSoc is your society!

Do you have any other ideas for a productive summer? Please leave a comment with your top tips!

Imperial College AhlulBayt Society were deeply saddened by the news of the passing away of Grand Ayatollah Syed Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah on Sunday, at the age of 74, in Beirut, Lebanon.

Some people’s lives end when death overtakes them, but there are those who live their life in a way that death will never affect their presence in this world beyond physical death. Marhoom Syed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah is one of those, and was a father to those who followed him nurturing us through our lives with his concept of soundness of Islamic thought, love, obedience and Irfan of Our Master and Lord Allah (swt)

Syed Fadlallah was born on 16th November 1935 in Najaf, Iraq. He studied Islamic sciences in Najaf under some of the most revered authorities including Syed Al Khoei and Syed Mohsin al-Hakim before moving to Lebanon in 1952.
In the following decades, he gave many lectures, engaged in intense scholarship, wrote dozens of books, founded several Islamic religious schools, and established the Mabarrat Association. Through that association he established a public library, a women’s cultural center, and a medical clinic. The association which began its activities by building orphanages expanded and began to build social and medical centers as well as mosques.The Mabarrat has now nine orphanages, two medical centers, nine schools, one Vocational School, eight Islamic centers and other Media and Information centers.

Syed Fadllah worked tirelessly to oppose all falsehood and oppression that is affecting the Ummah and beyond, emphasising immensely on eradicating sectarianism between Muslims. He was a staunch supporter of the rights of the Palestinian people and as a result was the target of several foiled assassination attempts.

May Allah (swt) bless this Giant of Islam. Please recite a Sura Al-Fatiha for his blessed soul.

Imperial ABSoc 2009-2010 Yearbook from Imperial ABSoc on Vimeo.

Imperial College AhlulBayt Islamic Society presents its most awaited event of the year, for the 3rd year in succession:

>>>>> Qur’an My Beloved 2010<<<<<

Come and join us for an evening of heavenly Qur’an recitations as Students and a Professional of different backgrounds recite various passages from the Holy Qur’an with their own unique styles.
Powerpoint translations and a short synopsis of each recitation will give us an insight into what is being recited.

QMB 2010 promises to be better than ever with a probable Qur’an exhibition and an array of refreshments and traditional deserts to be enjoyed.

____________________
In 47:24 Allah (swt) says:
“Do they not then think deeply in the Qur’an, or are their hearts locked up?”

Open your heart and mind to the Qur’an and ponder over what you read. Allah often invites us to think and ponder over the contents of the Qur’an.

Video

Gaza Part 1 of 3 – Coming Soon

Gaza Part 2 of 3

Gaza Part 2 of 3 from Imperial ABSoc on Vimeo.

Gaza Part 3 of 3

Gaza Part 3 of 3 from Imperial ABSoc on Vimeo.

Pictures

[View with PicLens]

What can you do for Gaza?

This event will cover the events that occurred during the Gaza war, the progress over the past year and the humanitarian issues involved.

Speakers:

Mr Raza Kazim
Senior Spokesperson
Islamic Human Rights Commission

Mr Toufic Machnouk
Associate Director
Institute for Policy Research and Development

The event will also include a fundraiser for the charity, Medical Aid for Palestinians.

- By Allamah Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i [QS]

Read the rest article here

HAJJ EXHIBITION

What an amazing time! Hajj. The largest annual pilgrimage in the world! What is it all about?

Imperial College AhlulBayt Islamic Society with the help of the Iranian Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation would like to invite you to:

*******************************************
THE HAJJ EXHIBITION
“A glimpse into the experience of hajj”

*******************************************

PHOTO EXHIBITION
MODEL KA’BA
DOCUMENTARY SCREENING
EYE-OPENING LECTURE BY SHAIKH AHMED HANEEF
INSPIRATIONAL TALKS BY STUDENTS

*******************************************

EVENING PLAN:

5-8pm – PHOTO EXHIBITION and MODEL KA’BA (open for viewing all evening)

“The Iranian Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation has kindly provided us with high quality photos they have taken of the hajj journey Muslims go to every year. We have a PHOTO EXHIBITION of these on the evening. We also have a huge MODEL KA’BA set up during the exhibition.”

5:30pm – DOCUMENTARY SCREENING – (LT1 – 25 Minutes)

“In this exclusive ABC News Nightline program reporter Michael Wolfe takes viewers on his 1997 second Hajj to Mecca. Of the more than million Muslims in the U.S., Wolfe is a convert born the son of a Christian mother and a Jewish father. Wolfe describes how the Hajj creates unity among participants.”

6:00pm – SOCIO-POLITICAL HAJJ – SHAIKH AHMED HANEEF
6:40pm – THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY – BR ALI JOUDI
7:00pm – STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE OF HAJJ

“Shaikh Ahmed Haneef will be giving an eye-opening talk on the socio-political aspects of the Hajj pilgrimage. Also, come along and hear your fellow colleagues experience of the Hajj journey.”

FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE: