The Convivencia

The Convivencia is a small organisation that undertakes dawah activity in various parts of Africa:

"Our vision is to deliver the message of Islam to millions of people in Africa and by doing so turn the Muslim minority areas into a peace loving progressive majority. We believe Islam is the solution to all the problems of Africa. Whether it is poverty, illiteracy, Corruption, HIV, disease or anything else, Islam will help solve some of these issues. Our method is based upon the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and we intend to deliver the message of Islam to every single house, village and city in southern Africa by 2060 inshAllah.­ Africa is one of the most receptive places to dawah in the World and the people are naturally inclined to Islam due to its simplicity and monotheistic beauty. l believe Allah will question us about Africa and the Convivencia Trust intends to help Muslims fulfill their obligation in the best way possible­." -  Adnan Rashid, Founder of Convivencia

They have a gallery of images and video's on their website including the following:

You can learn more at the website or  donate here.

Islam and Latina Converts

 World (18 July 2013) reports on the growing proportion of Latina women turning to Islam:

"The rate of Latinos converting to Islam in the United States has doubled since 2000, according to a report by the Cooperative Congregations Studies Partnership.

African-Americans still represent the largest group of converts—64 percent—but Latinos represent the greatest increase since 2000. Latinos are 17 percent of the American population, and American converts to Islam were only 6 percent Latino in 2000. But by 2010, that had grown to 12 percent. Among Latinos, female converts increased from 32 percent to 41 percent. And as the number of practising Muslims in the United States increases, so do the number of mosques—from 1,209 to 2,106 during the first decade of the 21st century."

The Prophet's Sermon on Ramadhan

I should have posted this at the beginning of Ramadan, but came across it at the weekend halaqah (study circle) I attend and was so moved it by it mash'Allah:

Baihaqi reported on the authority of Salman Al-Farsi (Radhi Allah ‘Anh) that Prophet (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasalaam) delivered a sermon on the last day of the month of Sha’ban. In it he (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasalaam) said,

“O People! The month of Allah (Ramadan) has come with its mercies, blessings and forgivenesses. Allah has decreed this month the best of all months. The days of this month are the best among the days and the nights are the best among the nights and the hours during Ramadan are the best among the hours. This is a month in which you have been invited by Him (to fast and pray). Allah has honoured you in it. In every breath you take is a reward of Allah, your sleep is worship, your good deeds are accepted and your invocations are answered.

Therefore, you must invoke your Lord in all earnestness with hearts free from sin and evil, and pray that Allah may help you to keep fast, and to recite the Holy Qur’an. Indeed!, miserable is the o­ne who is deprived of Allah’s forgiveness in this great month. While fasting remember the hunger and thirst o­n the Day of Judgement. Give alms to the poor and needy. Pay respect to your elders, have sympathy for your youngsters and be kind towards your relatives and kinsmen. Guard your tongue against unworthy words, and your eyes from scenes that are not worth seeing (forbidden) and your ears from sounds that should not be heard.

Be kind to orphans so that if your children may become orphans they will also be treated with kindness. Do repent to Allah for your sins and supplicate with raised hands at the times of prayer as these are the best times, during which Allah Almighty looks at His servants with mercy. Allah Answers if they supplicate, Responds if they call, Grants if He is asked, and Accepts if they entreat. O people! you have made your conscience the slave of your desires.

Make it free by invoking Allah for forgiveness. Your back may break from the heavy load of your sins, so prostrate yourself before Allah for long intervals, and make this load lighter. Understand fully that Allah has promised in His Honour and Majesty that, people who perform salat and sajda (prostration) will be guarded from Hell-fire o­n the Day of Judgement.

O people!, if anyone amongst you arranges for iftar (meal at sunset) for any believer, Allah will reward him as if he had freed a slave, and Allah will forgive him his sins. A companion asked: “but not all of us have the means to do so” The Prophet (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasalaam) replied: Keep yourself away from Hell-fire though it may consist of half a date or even some water if you have nothing else.

O people!, anyone who during this month cultivates good manners, will walk over the Sirat (bridge to Paradise) o­n the day when feet will tend to slip. For anyone who during this month eases the workload of his servants, Allah will make easy his accounting, and for anyone who doesn’t hurt others during this month, Allah will safeguard him from His Wrath o­n the Day of Judgement. Anyone who respects and treats an orphan with kindness during this month, Allah shall look at him with kindness o­n that Day. Anyone who treats his kinsmen well during this month, Allah will bestow His Mercy o­n him o­n that Day, while anyone who mistreats his kinsmen during this month, Allah will keep away from His Mercy.

Whomever offers the recommended prayers during this month, Allah will save him from Hell, and whomever observes his obligations during this month, his reward will be seventy times the reward during other months. Whomever repeatedly invokes Allah’s blessings o­n me, Allah will keep his scale of good deeds heavy, while the scales of others will be tending to lightness. Whomever recites during this month an ayat (verse) of the Holy Qur’an, will get the reward of reciting the whole Qur’an in other months.

O people!, the gates of Paradise remain open during this month. Pray to your Lord that they may not be closed for you. While the gates of Hell are closed, pray to your Lord that they never open for you. Satan has been chained, invoke your Lord not to let him dominate you.”

Ali ibn Talib (Radhi Allah ‘Anh) said: “I asked, ‘O messenger of Allah, what are the best deeds during this month’?” ‘He replied: ‘O Abu-Hassan, the best of deeds during this month is to be far from what Allah has forbidden’.”

Malcolm X: I am and Always Will Be a Muslim. My Religion is Islam.

"I am not a racist in any form whatsoever. I don't believe in any form of discrimination or segregation. I believe in Islam. I am a Muslim and there is nothing wrong with being a Muslim, nothing wrong with the religion of Islam. It just teaches us to believe in Allah as the God. Those of you who are Christian probably believe in the same God, because I think you believe in the God Who created the universe. That's the One we believe in, the One Who created universe--the only difference being you call Him God and we call Him Allah. The Jews call Him Jehovah. If you could understand Hebrew, you would probably call Him Jehovah too. If you could understand Arabic, you would probably call Him Allah...."

- Malcolm X

Hadith on Dawah: Bukhari 2783/Muslim 2406

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to ‘Ali (RA):

“If Allah guides a person through you, it is better for you than all that is on the earth.”

Bukhari No. 2783 & Muslim No. 2406)

Journey to Islam: Latino Muslims Share Their Story

Brother Mujahid Fletcher & Brother Isa Parada share their stories.

Why Would I Leave Islam? by Nancy Shehata

Nancy Shehat's beautiful blog post discusses some of the issues that reverts to Islam face (actually which all Muslims can face) and why she would make the choice to stay with or leave Islam:

Fast forward eighteen years and here I am, older, maybe wiser, maybe not, married for twelve years with five kids, living in suburbia and trying to help others have a bit of an easier time traveling the path I and so many other reverts have trod.  I’ve been through the many phases of Islam.  The “SuperConvertitis” phase, where I tried to out Islam everyone else.  The burnout phase, where I just wanted to not think about Islam at all, the barely doing the minimum phase where only guilt and fear of Hellfire kept me going, and the phase I’m in now.  It’s kind of a comfortable phase.  I’m steadfast in  my faith, I know where my weaknesses are and I don’t beat myself up for them anymore, and I try to maximize my strong points.  I’m not a “haraam alaik-er” and I’m not so easygoing that I’ll simply smile and nod if I see a Muslim eating a ham sandwich and drinking a beer outside the masjid on Friday.  I think I’ve found my niche as a Muslim and it is in writing and trying to be an uplifting presence – not a role model, I’m not good enough for that – for my brothers and sisters in Islam.  I also make it a point to occasionally poke the hornet’s nest of problems in the Ummah so that people realize that we have to be more proactive in living and teaching Islam.  I’m not Super Muslimah, and I’m okay with that.

I just read on one of my Facebook groups that one of our sisters has left Islam, and it got me to thinking.  Here I am, Muslim for eighteen years, well settled in my faith, knowledgeable to a degree, not prone to histrionics.  What could motivate a person, once guided, to abandon the faith?  What could make me consider leaving Islam, even for a moment?

Read the original post and her answer to the questions she asks here.