Al-Talib News Magazine » Al-Murasalah http://al-talib.org Sun, 13 May 2012 04:48:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Al-Murasalah http://al-talib.org/2010/02/01/al-murasalah/ http://al-talib.org/2010/02/01/al-murasalah/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:36:10 +0000 Sabrin Said http://al-talib.org/?p=968 As Al-Murasalah takes a new direction, insha’Allah for the better, I would like to aid the effort and provide my own opinion to the prompt that has been presented to those that in the program and now to the general MSA population.  The prompt goes as such:

“Some have used the argument that if Allah (swt) existed, there would be no ills in this world. Why has Allah (swt) allowed for such evils to exist in this world?

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear this statement and any questioning of the coexistence of the All Mighty and struggle, hardship, murder all of which plague our society, I think of a verse in Surat Al-Baqara: “And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: “Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth.” They said: “Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, – while we glorify You with praises and thanks (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners) and sanctify You.” He (Allah) said: “I know that which you do not know.”-02:30.  Allah (swt) knows what is best and He knew exactly what he was doing when He made the world that we live in.  There is good and there is bad.  It all constitutes an environment in which we live in and sculpts the way that we live our lives.  What if we lived in a perfect world?  Would we worship Allah (swt) more or less than we do now?  Honestly, many of the reasons of why we turn to Allah (swt) can be attributed to ills that occur in our society.  If someone was to be killed in your neighborhood would you no turn to God for His protection?   Most certainly.  I am not saying that Allah (swt) put the bad in this world for us to remember Him, or trying to make Allah (swt) seem cruel in any way, but there is wisdom behind everything in this world.  This is a wisdom beyond our comprehension and maybe, just maybe, one of the many reasons is so that we as His servants can turn to Him.

]]> http://al-talib.org/2010/02/01/al-murasalah/feed/ 0 Balance – Al Murasalah http://al-talib.org/2009/12/26/balance-al-murasalah/ http://al-talib.org/2009/12/26/balance-al-murasalah/#comments Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:39:19 +0000 Al-Murasalah http://al-talib.org/?p=428 Balance

 suspended have we been
  since our brother Qabil (Cain)
   the dastardly deed did do
    between the vicissitude scales
     of war and peace
      a sinful legacy from him
       bequeathed to us unwittingly
        encouraging some to murder
         and some to peace attain
          misguided s/he who knows not
           this historical fact
            while riding thru life
             on steeds of love and hate
              struggle therefore daily for peace
               prepare diligently for war
                on the battlefield of patience
                 to capture the prize
                  of a balanced life
                   before are answered
                    the question marks
                     about the unseen life
                      in heaven or hell to abide
Abu Hassan, 2001

]]> http://al-talib.org/2009/12/26/balance-al-murasalah/feed/ 0 A letter from Al-Murasalah http://al-talib.org/2009/12/26/a-letter-from-al-murasalah/ http://al-talib.org/2009/12/26/a-letter-from-al-murasalah/#comments Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:36:51 +0000 Al-Murasalah http://al-talib.org/?p=426 As Salaamu Alaikum
I wrote to  you recently but briefly and I felt I should write and explain to you a little of what this experience is about. Surely most people here claim innocent many also become religious after they get here. That is not the cse with me. I backslid as a muslim and made decision that ultimately led to my coming here, now in the 9 years I have been in prison. Having aged, lost loved ones and having been a target by others due to 9-11, I have found a deeper place in myself that appreciated the love Allah swt has given me, in that I have survived many trials and my tests have made me stronger and wiser and more devoted. Truly had it not been for Islam I would have been dead.
I am very touched by your sincerity and willingness to try to help me in my difficulty and situation. I just don;t want you to see me as anything other than a muslim because that is who I am and many times, my being in prison overshadows everything else and people here adhere themselves to the stereotype without the benefit of knowing the person. I don’t blame anyone for my mistakes and I know right from wrong and also what is real.
Yes, I need the help I am asking for, because it is my opportunity to participate in educational activity that earns me time credits towards my parole (freedom) and while many people falsely accuse others of things, I speal in truth when I tell you that I am in a place that is very racist and unfavorable for muslims. We can’t receive used books, no hardcover books, any books from other countries, no donated books or materials at all,. They do this so that we are forced to use their procedures of seeking approval and so they can tax and monies that enter the prison. This also makes it harder for us to get any money, because people are more inclined to send food or materials, and they are less inclined to send money. I have had my Qur’an torn in half, my prayerbook was confiscated and other abuses and I have seen many abuses and heard untold amount of foul comments about muslim. I am not bitter, in fact I pray for these people and see them as ignorant and in need of Islam.
Your Brother in Islam,
Alvin Carraquillo
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