2005-Issue 3 1 Letter from Al-Hilal Staff Assalāmu ‘alaikum! This issue of Al Hilal is dedicated to the beauty and importance of truthfulness. In this issue you will find articles, short stories, poetry and much more discussing this wonderful attribute. In the Holy Qur’an we are told of the importance of being counted among the Sadiqeen (the truthful) and we know through historical facts and present day examples, the benefits of being unafraid to tell the truth. So hold this close to your heart and know that in ALL matters and in ALL situations, honesty is proper and beautiful. No matter what may be at stake, we must always adhere to the truth. The world may desire to heap a thousand disgraces upon you, but your final reward and blessing lies with Allah. Inshā’allāh let us all strive to make honesty and truthfulness the guiding principles in every walk of our lives. Wassalām, Aliya Latif, Editor Quarterly Al-Hilāl. A magazine for children, by children, that provides them with a creative opportunity to learn about the world around them, and how to apply the teachings of Islam and Ahmadiyyat to their daily lives. Al-Hilāl (The New Moon) is published by the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, under the auspices of the Children’s Magazine Committee, and directed by Dr Ahsanullah Zafar, National Amīr, Jama‘at Ahmadiyya, USA. The publication of this magazine was launched by the late Hadrat Sahibzadah M. M. Ahmad (1913-2002). The members of the committee are Maulana Zafrullah Hanjra, Ahmadi Muslim Muballigh (Missionary) at Dayton, OH; Maulana Azhar Haneef, Ahmadi Muslim Muballigh (Missionary) in Philadelphia; Shanaz Butt, Sadr of Lajna Imaillah, USA; Naseem Waseem, Sadr Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya, USA; Tazeen Ahmad of Maryland; Musa Asad of Maryland; and Syed Sajid Ahmad of North Dakota acting as the secretary of the committee. Al-Hilal Editorial Staff: Lajna Ima’illah: Rabia Chaudhry, Aliya Latif, Sumera Choudhary Majlis Khuddamul-Ahmadiyya: Tahir Ahmed, Mahmood Kauser 2 Al-Hilāl In This Issue Truthfulness—Umara Vance—4 The Prophet—Yusuf Ahmad—6 The Childhood of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)—Ammad Bajwa —7 The Holy Prophet (peace be on him) Treatment to Children— Faraz Ahmed —8 The Holy Qur’an on Truth—9 The Holy Prophet Muhammad On Truth (peace be on him) —9 The Teachings of Islam on the Love of Allah—Mishal Akbar—10 Allah—Tasneem Waliullah—12 An Example of Truthfulness—Taimur Hamid—13 The Beauty of Truthfulness—Naila Ijaz—14 Truthfulness—Farah Azam—15 A Truthful Life—Massawar Ahmed—17 Hadhrat Abdul Qadir Jilani—Mir Zulqernain —18 The Vase—Mustafa Ollaye—19 Truthfulness—Sandeena Ahmed, —20 Truthfulness—Rizwan Jattala—21 Why should we be truthful—23 What would you do?—Jaffer Ahmad —24 The Exam—Shanawar Lune—25 Allah the Gracious—Mishal Akbar—26 An A Student—The Research Triangle North Carolina Nasirat —28 Honesty—Samia Arain—31 True Friendship—Bisola Kamara—32 Closeness to Allah—Yousef Malik —33 My Beloved God—Salma Azam—34 Glossary—35 Truthfulness—Hamza Ahmed —36 Front Cover Design Courtesy of Sumera Choudhary 2005-Issue 3 3 By Umara Vance, North Jersey Islam is the only universal religion that has provided complete guidance for all aspects of life through the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Allah, the Almighty, says in the Holy Qur’an, Chapter 5, Verse 120: Translation, “This is a day when only the truthful shall profit by their truthfulness. For them are the Gardens beneath which streams flow; therein shall they abide forever. Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him; that indeed is the great triumph.” Telling the truth is always good. Lying is bad and lying does not make anything better. Being honest is the best, and Allah likes honesty. When the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was breaking the idols in the Ka‘ba, he recited: Translation, Truth has come and falsehood has vanished away. Falsehood does indeed vanish fast. (The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 17, Verse 82) God named the religion brought by him, Islam and its followers, Muslims. Under Divine command the Holy Prophet went on top of Mount Safā and called the tribes one by one by their names. He said, “Quraish! Were I to tell you that behind this hill, a great and powerful army was preparing to attack you, would you believe me?” They all answered with one voice: “Of course, we will believe you, for you have always heard you speaking the truth.” This teaches us that the Holy Prophet 4 Al-Hilāl Muhammad (peace be upon him) always told the truth, and so he had gained the trust of many people. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) said, “One who practices untruthfulness and deception is not from with my community.” (Our Teachings) Our beloved Fourth Khalifa, Hadrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, rahimahullah, repeatedly advised us to be truthful in his Friday Sermons. On May 24th, 1996, he warned the Jama‘at in these words, “Lying is the root cause of all evils.” Then he advised us, “Tell the truth, and let truthfulness be the essence of your character.” May Allah enable us to act on these golden teachings, follow the example of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, and always tell the truth. Razzaq and Farida A story for children written by Dr. Yusef A. Lateef. Published by Majlis Ansarullah, U.S.A. Children and new Muslims, all can read and enjoy this story. It makes a great gift for the children of Ahmadi, Non- Ahmadi and Non-Muslim relatives, friends and acquaintances. Every page of the story is accompanied by a colorful drawing. Send $1.50 per copy to Chaudhary Mushtaq Ahmad, 15000 Good Hope Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20905 with your mailing address. 2005-Issue 3 5 By: Yusuf Ahmad, Age 8 York/Harrisburg Jamaat Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, was a very good man, He had a great stand His stand was, “La ilaha illallahu Muhammadur- Rasulullah” His nicknames were ‘al-Sādiq’ and ‘al-Amīn’ He was the most truthful boy anyone had ever seen That made him a very great being He worshipped in Hira, the cave He told the people how to behave And to be only Allah’s slave He was the best of the best I love him more than all the rest I pray I can succeed at this test (‘al-Sadiq’ is pronounced as-sā-diq) Religious Knowledge Workbook Compiled by Lajna Imaillah, U.S.A. Get Your Copy Today. 6 Al-Hilāl By: Ammad Bajwa Age 9 Los Angeles East he Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was born in T Mecca, a town in Arabia, on the 20th April, 571 C.E. His mother’s name was Hadrat Āmina. His father’s name was Abdullah, who died some months before his birth. So he was born an orphan. When he was six years old, his mother, too, passed away. Then, his grandfather also died. Now the child was placed under the care of his uncle, Abu Tālib. Unlike many of the youth of that time, the Holy Prophet did not indulge in idle pastimes and led a very moral life. At all times he was satisfied with whatever was given to him by way of food and clothing. He would often work to help those in need. Regarding education, he was not able to read or write as he never had the opportunity to go to any school and learn from any teacher. It was God who was his teacher. His life was basically an open book. He was known as ‘The Truthful’ and lived a pure life, far before his claim to prophethood. We want to hear from you! Children are encouraged to send their writings for publication in this magazine. Please mention your full name, age, city and state. If you want to send a picture or artwork, please send the original. If you want the original back, please write your address on the back of the artwork with the note: “Please send this back to” followed by your address. The Children’s Magazine Committee, under the supervision of the Amir, Jama‘at Ahmadiyya, U.S.A., will review and approve all submissions before publication. Atfal Contact: Tahir Ahmed, 951 Ellsworth Drive Grayslake, IL 60030. Ph: 847-548-4175. e-mail: [email protected] Nasirat Contact: Rabia Chaudhry, 500 Adeline Avenue, San Jose, CA 95136 email: [email protected] 2005-Issue 3 7 By: Faraz Ahmed - Age 9 - Los Angeles East The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a prophet of God. On his shoulders lay the heavy responsibility of the guidance of the world. He is the role model of the whole of mankind. The founder of Islam has told us the golden principle in the following words, “A person who does not deal with children with love and affection and does not respect the elders, does not belong to Islam.” (Tirmidhi) This means to treat children well is a part of religion. Whenever his daughter Fatima (May Allah be pleased with her) visited him, he would stand up to welcome her, show his affection and give her his own seat. Thus it is necessary to take care of children’s self respect. He always addressed children with love and honor. He treated them with justice and never preferred one over the other without any reason. Once the father of Nu‘man Bashir came to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked him about the gift he’d given his son. He asked have you given the same gifts to all your children? The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Fear Allah and apply justice among your children.” Whenever the founder of Islam passed by children he always said, “Assalamu Alaikum” to them. He dealt with children with utter affection. Sometimes he would ask his grandsons to stand on his feet and then he would ask them to rise and thus would indulge them in play. Sometimes when the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) offered his prayer, children would get on his back during sajdah (prostration) and he remained in sajdah till they got off by themselves. He taught manners with great kindness. I pray for all parents, “May Allah enable them to treat their children kindly and in the same way, according to the Holy Prophet’s teachings and may Allah shower his great blessings and peace upon them.” 8 Al-Hilāl The Holy Qur’an on Truth And whoso obeys Allah and this Messenger of His shall be among those on whom Allah has bestowed His blessings, namely, the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous. And excellent companions are these. (4[Al-Nisa]:70) O ye who believe! Fear Allah and be with the truthful. (9[Al- Taubah]:119) The believers are only those who truly believe in Allah and His Messenger, and then doubt not, but strive with their possessions and their persons in the cause of Allah. It is they who are truthful. (49[Al-Hujurat]:16) And those who believe in Allah and His Messengers and they are the Truthful and the Witnesses in the sight of their Lord. They will have their reward and their light… (57[Al-Hadid]:20) The Holy Prophet Muhammad on Truth, peace and blessings of Allah be on him Truth guides to virtue and virtue guides to Paradise. A person persists in telling the truth till in the sight of Allah he is named Truthful. (Bukhari and Muslim) Leave alone that which involves thee in doubt and adhere to that which is free from doubt, for truth is comforting, falsehood is disturbing. (Tirmidhi) It is enough to make a person a liar that he should go on repeating all that he might hear. (Muslim) Discalimer: The material presented herein reflects the original content of the authors. To the extent possible, Al Hilal staff have attempted to screen the material for accuracy and appropriateness but some oversights may have occurred. If the reader identifies a mistake and/or would like to comment on some of the material, please contact Al Hilal staff. 2005-Issue 3 9 By Mishal Akbar - Age: 13 - Northern Virginia Jamaat In order to love Allah, we must develop Taqwa in our hearts. Taqwa means righteousness and fear of Allah. This describes the kind of feeling you have when you love someone a lot and you want to please them. So, you try to make them happy all the time and are afraid to do anything to displease them. This is what Taqwa is like, which also makes you a righteous person. The love and worship of Allah is so important, that the Holy Qur’an says, I have created men high and low, that they may worship me. (5:57) So to worship in the way Islam teaches, such as through prayer, fasting, and the remembrance of Allah, is the way to love and worship Allah, and it is the purpose for which Allah created us. A Companion of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) relates that he said: Whoever possesses three qualities, tastes the sweetness of faith: 1. That he should love Allah and His Messenger above all else. 2. That he should love someone solely for the sake of Allah. 3. That he should abhor reverting to disbelief after Allah has rescued him from it, as he would abhor being thrown into the Fire. In the same way, the Promised Messiah, ’alaihissalam, has explained that the purpose of man’s life is to love and worship Allah. Although people give themselves various worldly purposes for their own lives, according to the Holy Qur’an, a person must devote his life to 10 Al-Hilāl