Wallpapers: Prayers prescribed by Khalifatul Masih V Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, may Allah be his helper

Wallpapers created by: Sidra Saeed

Ten desktop wallpapers of Prayers prescribed by Caliph and Head of Worldwide Ahmadiyya Jama'at, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, (may Allah be his helper) that we will take with us in 2017.

Happy New Year
from

Ahmadiyya Muslim Women's Association, Mississauga
May Allah bless the world with eternal peace and enable mankind to live in harmony. May Allah enable us to shed our shortcomings and reform ourselves spiritualy, so we can seek nearness and love of the creator of Heaven and Earth. May peace be upon you all.

_______________________________

The Solution to World Peace is True Islam

 By: Sidra Saeed

Islamophobia has drastically taken over the Western world and among the non-Muslim. There is no doubt about the fact that this state of fear has been fueled by the acts of atrocity caused by so-called Muslim groups. At the same time, there is no doubt that these very acts of terrorism and extremism have nothing to do with the true teachings of Islam- for the word ‘Islam’ means peace.  

             The Holy Quran speaks for all the Prophets of God and declares that this very teaching of peace was taught by all of the Prophets. Not only that, it also requires for all Muslims to abide by the teachings with the fundamental amongst them being that they must not only fulfil rights owed to God but just as importantly they must also fulfil the rights of God’s Creation. How then is it possible that on one hand God praised the qualities of all religions for urging mankind to fulfil rights of man but at the same time could enjoin Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to not establish peace in the world? 

Instead of making false assumptions and judging Islam based on hearsay, true justice and fairness requires for an individual to study the religion and try to develop and understanding of the teachings. To try to study the teachings in depth and strive to learn the truth to make an informed decision. The truth in case of Islam can only be learnt from those practicing the true and authentic teachings themselves.  

            Today, it is the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community that alone claims to follow the original and true teachings of Islam. The Ahmadis believe that the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian was the very person who was sent as the Promised Messiah according to the prophecies foretold by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). He came to revive the luminous teachings of Islam and unite mankind as one. 

            Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had so much respect for all mankind regardless of race or religion. One incident that highlights such compassion is when once a funeral possession passed by and out of respect he immediately stood up. When a companion of his saw this he said to him, 

“This procession is of a Jewish person.” To which Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “Was he not a soul? Respect for all humans is obligatory.” (Sahih Bukhari, 1250) 

           When permission for defensive war was given in Islam, it was given at a time where whilst Muslims desired peace, disbelievers wished to destroy it. Had the permission not be granted to the Muslims, all religions would have been in danger. God Almighty says in the Holy Quran,  

“Permission to fight is given to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged — and Allah indeed has power to help them — Those who have been driven out from their homes unjustly only because they said, ‘Our Lord is Allah’ — And if Allah did not repel some men by means of others, there would surely have been pulled down cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft commemorated. And Allah will surely help one who helps Him. Allah is indeed Powerful, Mighty” (Holy Quran Chapter 22, Verse 40-41)

This proves that Islam has made the utmost effort to establish peace and safeguard all other religions at the same time. Even with the permission of defensive war, strict guidelines and rules of engagement were given to Muslims which they were compelled to abide by. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught that no innocent person, nor woman, child or elderly was to ever be attacked. He taught that no religious leader or priest could be attacked and that those people who were directly engaged in war could be fought. He further taught that no person could be forced or compelled to convert to Islam and Muslims were forced to fight only for the cause of peace and that they must not create fear or terror amongst public. He taught that buildings should not be targeted and that trees should not be felled. 

             Bearing these teachings in mind, evil acts conducted by extremists claiming to be Muslims have nothing to do with teachings of Islam. Fearing Islam or any attempts will not achieve anything or lead to reconciliation or peace. Instead, the solution to global peace is to stop cruelty and oppression wherever it occurs with nothing but justice and equality for all. This can only happen when the world will recognize its Creator and treat His Creation with the rights it deserves. 

____________________________________________________

Ramadhan – A time of Sacrifice and Submission

By: Saadia Malik 

The blessed month of Ramadhan is a time for us to sacrifice our hunger and thirst for the sake of Allah. In order to attain nearness to Allah we resist our body’s natural urge for food and water and we instead enrich our spirituality by nourishing it with Zikr-e-Ilahi, prayers, and the recitation of the Holy Quran. There is another very important aspect of Ramadhan that we must be mindful of. This is the personal Jihad that we must undergo in order to better ourselves, not only for the month of Ramadhan, but forever InshAllah. Just as our physical bodies have a yearning for food and drink, our minds tend to be inclined towards getting easily angered, upset, and/or jealous.  We must strive to suppress these emotions, as they don’t harm anyone as much as their harm ourselves. 

Here is a “Ramadhan Checklist” of all the things that we can try to do in order to win the pleasure of Allah this Ramadhan. Take some time and go through the list, there will surely be some good reminders for us all as to how we can better ourselves InshAllah.

 Have I:

ü  Made intention to fast and ate Suhoor on time

ü  Prayed all 5 prayers on time

ü  Read Quran today

ü  Read a book/excerpt about Islam or Ahmadiyyat

ü  Read one hadith of the Holy Prophet pbuh

ü  Forgave somebody who made us angry or hurt us

ü  Smiled at someone

ü  Been kind to my family/spouse/friends

ü  Avoided gossip and idle talk

ü  Sacrificed a show/movie/other form of entertainment in order to pray/read Quran

ü  Did not argue or swear today

ü  Fed a hungry person or neighbor

ü  Made a charitable donation/Sadqa

ü  Did not waste food

ü  Prayed Taraveeh prayer

ü  Went to the Masjid for prayer

ü  Memorized a Surah that I do not know/may have forgotten

ü  Tried to end a fight between two people/family members

ü  Shared kind words/prayers with loved ones

May Allah enable us all to not only abstain from eating and drinking during our fasts, but also from negative mindsets and tendencies. May Allah give us the strength to make sacrifices for the sake of Allah. May Allah enable us all to shrink our egos, open our minds and soften our hearts during this blessed month of Ramadhan. Ameen

__________________________

Empowering Women

By: Saadia Malik

Letter to Editor written to Mississauga News

As I read the recent comments made by Laurence Rossignol, France’s Minister for Women’s Rights, about Muslim women who veil being likened to slaves; I was left heartbroken. Firstly, because she will never know the repercussions that her comment will have, on Muslim women all around the world, particularly in France. France has already made it seemingly impossible for Muslim women to practice their faith without the fear of being judged, mocked and even punished. Muslim women who choose to veil are doing so with the conscious intention of being judged based solely on her personality, character and contributions to society. If Laurence Rossignol would take a step back and appreciate this, she would realize that these goals aren’t unique to Muslim women; these are the goals that all women strive for. In a world where women are constantly objectified and made to feel that their worth is based on how they look, Laurence Rossignol, as a minister of women’s rights, should not be telling women what or what not to wear. If a woman is free to expose her body, why is she not free to cover it? If you ask me, or the thousands of Muslim women who choose to veil, refusing to fall victim to a society who time and again reaffirms that a woman’s value is based on her sexuality and physical appearance, is truly a thing of strength. #BraveNotSlave


Published by The Mississauga News on April 15, 2016:

____________________