ReflectOnThis

Khutbah: Self-Rectification and the Four Ways to Discover the Faults in One's Soul

Khutbah at Medina Center on July 3, 2009:

This week's Khutbah is entitled:

Self-Rectification and the Four Ways to Discover the Faults in One's Soul

Stream it online here:

Or download the MP3 file here:

Download MP3 of Khutbah (Approximately 30MB)

Khutbah: Rajab and Rehearsing for the Day of Standing

Khutbah at Medina Center on June 26, 2009:

This week's Khutbah is entitled:

RAJAB AND REHEARSING FOR THE DAY OF STANDING

Stream it online here:

Or download the MP3 file here:

Download MP3 of Khutbah (Approximately 25MB)

Khutbah: Change While You Still Have Time

Khutbah at Medina Center on June 12, 2009:

This week's Khutbah was entitled:

CHANGE WHILE YOU STILL HAVE TIME

Stream it online here:

Or download the MP3 file here:

Download MP3 of Khutbah (Approximately 27MB)

Khutbah: Understanding Divine Administration and Lordly Prevention

Khutbah at Medina Center on June 5, 2009:

This week's Khutbah was entitled:

UNDERSTANDING DIVINE ADMINISTRATION AND LORDLY PREVENTION

فهم التدبير الإلهي و المنع الرباني

Reference verses from the Majestic Quran: Surah al-Naml 27: 59-64

Stream it online here:

Or download the MP3 file here:

Download MP3 of Khutbah (Approximately 28MB)

Khutbah: Be Patient, Not Complacent

Khutbah at Medina Center on May 22, 2009:

This week's Khutbah was entitled:

BE PATIENT, NOT COMPLACENT

complacent (adjective): showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements: you can't afford to be complacent about security.

Stream it online here:

Or download the MP3 file here:

Download Khutbah (Approximately 26MB)

Khutbah: Caution: Avoid Suspicion, Spying, and Eating Dead Flesh

Khutbah at Medina Center on May 15, 2009:

This week's Khutbah was entitled:

CAUTION: AVOID SUSPICION, SPYING, AND EATING DEAD FLESH

This khutbah draws on verses 11-12 of Surah al-Hujurat (#49) of the Quran and a section of volume 3 (al-Muhlikat) of the Ihya 'Ulum al-Deen of Imam al-Ghazali that addresses the 11 main causes of backbiting (ghibah) and how they manifest. 

Note: There was a slight error in the citing of verse 4:54 in the middle of the khutbah, but the English translation of the meaning was sound, inshaAllah.

Stream it online here:

Or download the MP3 file here:

Download Khutbah (Approximately 32MB)

A.L.I.America Starts Classes in Maryland/Northern Virginia

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Medina Center (No-Reply)"

Date: May 11, 2009 11:00:52 AM EDT

To: Medina Center <MedinaCenter@googlegroups.com>

Subject: {Medina Center} 14-Week Arabic Course at Medina Center!

Bismillah.

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah!

Medina Center is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a 14-week Arabic Course starting this weekend (May 16-17, 2009). The courses will be conducted by our good friend and mentor Br. Khalil Abu Asmaa (Christopher J. Moore) of the Arabic Language Institute of America (www.ALIAmerica.com).

There will be two different levels:

1.)  Arabic 101 (for complete beginners) which will be held on Saturdays from 1:30pm - 4:30pm (which includes three 10-minute breaks), from May 16th - Aug. 15th, 2009.

2.)  Arabic 102 (for those who already know the alphabet well, know how to write, and have some basic vocabulary) which will be held on Sundays from 1:30pm - 4:30pm (which also includes three 10-minute breaks), from May 17th - Aug. 16th, 2009. 

Absentee Policy: You can miss a maximum of 4 classes during the 14 week course, although they cannot be in a row. Anything more than this will greatly effect your ability to keep up.

The course fee will be $270/month ($945 for the whole 14-weeks). 

Please register online by filling out the Registration Form at the bottom of this webpage: http://www.aliamerica.com/A.L.I.America/Local_Classes.html

* Please register ASAP as slots will surely fill up fast! 

For more information please visit the "Local Classes" page at: www.ALIAmerica.com

Sincerely, 

Medina Center Staff

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ARABIC 101 (14 weeks, May 16 - Aug. 15):

Course Duration:  14 Weeks

Class Time:  Saturdays from 1:30pm - 4:30pm (includes three 10-minute breaks)

Class Size:  5 - 14 adults

Course Description:

Arabic looks like chicken scratch to you. You might know the letters and how to read a little bit, but you don’t really understand much at all and your pronunciation is very poor. You certainly can’t hold a simple conversation in Arabic or maintain a brief exchange of pleasantries. 

In this class, we will start from the very beginning, right from the letters all the way up to words, phrases, and sentences, and then finally, to real communication and deeper understanding!

Prerequisites: Simply a desire to learn and improve.

What you will take away from this course:

•   Greater love and appreciation for the pursuit of knowledge
•   Significant insights into the inner workings and subtle beauty of the Arabic language
•   Proper pronunciation of the Arabic alphabet and key vocabulary
•   At least 100 word working vocabulary
•   Beginning fundamentals of Arabic grammar and morphology
•   Increased comprehension of Quran and Hadith

Required Course Materials:

1.   Alif Baa: Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds (ISBN: 1589011023)  
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1589011023/reflectonthis-20
2.   Arabic Course for English-Speaking Students (only Volume 1 is needed)
   http://islamicbookstore.com/b5324.html

Monthly Course Fee:  $270/person

Absentee Policy: You can miss a maximum of 4 classes during the 14 week course, although they cannot be in a row. Anything more than this will greatly effect your ability to keep up.

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ARABIC 102  (14 weeks, May 17 - Aug. 16):

Course Duration:  14 Weeks

Class Time:  Sundays from 1:30pm - 4:30pm (includes three 10-minute breaks)

Class Size:  5 - 14 adults

Course Description:

You know the alphabet, your pronunciation is decent, and you have had some kind of Arabic class before. You can read elementary texts with a decent speed and have at least a basic understanding of what you are reading. 

Prerequisites:

•   Know the entire Arabic alphabet well
•   Read and write Arabic at a basic level  
•   Have basic vocabulary (100 words)
•   Have about 30% comprehension of Quran and Hadith

What you will take away from this course:

•   Greater love and appreciation for the pursuit of knowledge
•   Significant insights into the inner workings and subtle beauty of the Arabic language
•   Beginning-Intermediate vocabulary
•   Beginning-Intermediate essentials of Arabic grammar and morphology
•   Increased comprehension of Quran and Hadith

Required Course Materials:

1.   Arabic Course for English-Speaking Students (only Volumes 2 & 3 are needed) 
   http://islamicbookstore.com/b6067.html
2.   Arabic-English Dictionary: The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (ISBN: 0879500034)  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0879500034/reflectonthis-20

Monthly Course Fee:  $270/person

Absentee Policy: You can miss a maximum of 4 classes during the 14 week course, although they cannot be in a row. Anything more than this will greatly effect your ability to keep up.

Poem: Far Away

FAR AWAY

By Aaron Sellars, aka SonOfAdam 06/27/05 © 2005

Excuse me sister

Can I whisper

A little truth in your ear?

It’s no mystery

Through history

All the signs are clear

Times are so whack

Dogs on Prozac

Everyone feels under

False depression

Learn a lesson

The devil’s got your number

The war’s adjacent

But you’re complacent

It’s just another channel

So just turn the station

And keep erasin’

Pain you can’t dismantle

Sometimes I wanna fly,

Far away!

And then I pray

Oh let me stay! 

Another day (2x)

Excuse me Mister

Can I whisper

A little truth in your ear?

It’s no mystery

Through history

All the signs are clear

More energy drinks

To speed the jinx

Of a life you can’t control

Going to and from

While you feel so numb

But you think you’re on a roll

A brand new diet

You got to try it

Cuz everyone’s so thin

Put down that mag

And grab a rag

And wipe this mess you’re in!

Sometimes I wanna fly,

Far away!

And then I pray

Oh let me stay! 

Another day (2x)

Excuse me people

There’s no sequel

We’ve only got one chance

To get it right

And win this fight

So check your circumstance!

You got internet

And a cell phone pet

But we’re all disconnected

You hear the preachers

And sacred teachers

But no one gets affected

Don’t let terrorism

Be the schism

For all humanity

Bring the proofs

When you report the “truth”

And restore the sanity

Sometimes I wanna fly,

Far away!

And then I pray

Oh let me stay! 

Another day (2x)

Singapore Calls Again

Bismillah.

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

Al-hamdu lillah, there are some great programs coming up in Singapore this month and something is indeed in the air. Can you feel it?

As soon as I learnt that my dear friend and brother on the spiritual path, Sidi Yahya Rhodus (may Allah bless and preserve him), was going to be in Singapore for a wonderful series of programs, my heart immediately yearned to witness such a great occasion and to participate with an attentive ear and a positively engaged mind and heart. So I made my initial intention to be there and I prayed to Allah to facilitate the way... 

At first it was a bit of wishful thinking (due to limited resources and even more limited time), but when I then learnt that Sayyidi al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz would be there right after Sidi Yahya's programs, I knew what needed to be done. I made my intention even more firm, prayed a serious istikharah, and then the pieces began to fall into place, al-hamdu lillah wahdah...

So.... By the permission, grace, and mercy of Allah, this faqir (poor and needy servant of Allah) will be in Singapore from Friday, April 17th up until Sayyidi al-Habib Umar and Sidi Yahya finish their programs there, inshaAllah. May Allah help us to benefit from such a momentous occasion and may He guide our steps, speech, actions, states, and hearts... Amin.

There is also a chance that I will have the honor of engaging in da'wah in the great country of Sri Lanka sometime around the weekend of April 30th, inshaAllah. May Allah reward all those who seek to arrange this part of the trip and may Allah place blessings in it all, whether it happens or not... Amin.

 

As with everything, this is all in the hands of Allah, but we have made our intention and we humbly ask Allah to accept, for He is powerful over all things.

Sincerely looking forward to seeing and hearing from all of the wonderful and beloved brothers and sisters of Singapore once again! This time we will be joining you with some truly incredible company!!! Ya Allah, accept us amongst them and help us to benefit from them... Amin.

Sidi Yahya's Program Details: http://simplyislam.com.sg/new/lectures-programs-with-shaykh-yahya-rhodus

And: http://simplyislam.com.sg/new/the-search-for-beauty-in-islam/

Sincerely your brother, 

khalil abu asmaa

Khutbah: Stop Invalidating Your Deeds!

Khutbah at Medina Center on April 10, 2009:

This week's Khutbah is entitled:

STOP INVALIDATING YOUR DEEDS: MAKE IT ALL FOR ALLAH

Stream it online here:

Or download the MP3 file here:

Download Khutbah_Medina_Center_Apr-10-2009.mp3 Approximately 28MB

Khutbah: The Address of Success: Adab, Taqwa, Tawbah, and Dhikr

Khutbah at Medina Center on March 27, 2009:

It was wonderful to see the blessed souls of Medina Center again today. May Allah bless you all! May Allah make this reunion one of blessings, goodness, true success, and acceptance from the Divine... Amin!

This week's Khutbah is entitled:

THE ADDRESS OF SUCCESS: ADAB, TAQWA, TAWBAH, AND DHIKR

"Address" as in street address or location...

Adab: Proper comportment, good manners

Taqwa: God-consciousness

Tawbah: Repentance, returning back to God

Dhikr: Remembrance and invocation of God

One of the scholars said: "Whoever lacks adab, doesn't really have sharī'ah (sacred law), imān (faith), or tawhīd (unification of God)..."

Stream it online here:

Or download the MP3 file here:

Download Khutbah_Medina_Center_March-27-2009.mp3 Approximately 32MB

New Site Features: Updates by Email and RSS & Sharing with ShareThis

Bismillah.

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

Dear Noble Readers (may God bless you with all things good in this life and the next):

I just wanted to take a few moments to alert you to some new features that I have added to this site. These features will help you to keep up with the content found on this site as well as provide you with convenient and dynamic ways to share content with friends, family, and colleagues via Facebook and other social networking sites and via emails sent directly from the site here. 

Here's what's new:

In the righthand sidebar you will find two things:

• A link that says "Subscribe in a reader". This link will allow you to subscribe to all recent and future posts from this site in your favorite web-based or software-based RSS reader (such as Apple's Mail, NetNewsWire (Mac), FeedDemon (PC), NewsFire (Mac), RSSOwl (Mac/PC), etc.)
• A small box to enter your email address in which will send you an email every time something is added to this site (and don't worry there aren't that many posts, and besides, you can unsubscribe anytime you choose).

At the end of each post you will now find the following sharing option:

•  ShareThis: ShareThis is a really great service which allows you to share content directly from this website on Facebook and other social networking sites as well as give you the option to send it as an email to anyone you choose. Just click on the ShareThis link and you will find options to Post or Send Email, etc.

I really hope that everyone enjoys these new features and makes good use of them. The purpose of this site has always been to contribute to the benefit and betterment of mankind and I hope that this purpose is furthered by these new features... More to come, inshaAllah (God-willing)!!!