Tadris Parents' Connect | 10/24/2024

Adhan & Opening

الله أكبر، الله أكبر، الله أكبر، الله أكبر
I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to Prayer. Come to success. Allah is the Greatest. There is none worthy of worship except Allah.

Recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help. Guide us to the straight path — the path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, not of those who have incurred Thy Wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.

Quranic Recitation

On the Day when their faces will be white and their faces will be black — as for those whose faces will be black: "Will you disbelieve after your faith? Then taste the punishment for what you used to disbelieve." As for those whose faces will be white, then in the mercy of Allah they will abide eternally. These are the verses of Allah which We recite to you in truth. And Allah desires not wrong for the worlds. And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. And to Allah are all matters returned.

And those who believe — respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life. And know that Allah moves between man and his heart and that to Him you will be gathered. And fear a trial which will not afflict the wrongdoers among you especially. And know that Allah is severe in punishment.

Announcements

There will be a youth night program, insha'Allah, for kids from the ages of 5 through 17. You can register at our website — masjidds.org/youth-night. Additionally, insha'Allah, we will be continuing with the team Fajr program tomorrow after Salatul Fajr. We humbly request everyone to join. Jazakumullahu Khayran.

Welcome of Distinguished Guests

Bismillah ir-rahman ir-rahim. Alhamdulillah, we are very honored — there are, masha'Allah, different guests that are coming to Darussalam all the time. This is a blessing from Allah.

Earlier today, from the government of Indonesia, with the different organizations here in cooperation, there was a group of 14 scholars that came — 14 men and 6 women — alhamdulillah, they were all PhDs and scholars in different universities of tafsir, hadith, and fiqh. So they came on a tour of different institutions of America, and they have different projects they're working on. Alhamdulillah, they took a tour of Darus Salaam Seminary; it was very encouraging to see, and they were happy to see us, and we were happy to host them.

Likewise, right now, insha'Allah, there is a scholar from Senegal — who is a well-known personality in Senegal — who has, masha'Allah, tafsir programs on television and radio there, and his question-and-answer sessions and fiqh classes are well attended. Alhamdulillah, there is a sizeable Muslim community here in America, so he was traveling across America to different masajid and doing programs.

So I asked him if he wanted to give a few words now, but he is saying insha'Allah after the Witr. So Sheikh Ali is here from Senegal, and insha'Allah we will have translation available — he will be speaking in Arabic, and insha'Allah Mawlana Zahid — a scholar from Tampa, Qari Zahid — will be doing side-by-side translation insha'Allah.

Address by Sheikh Ali (Senegal) — with Translation

Opening Du'a of Musa (alayhi salam)

The respected scholar is mentioning that he will begin with that which he begins when he gives speeches in Senegal — taking from the du'a of Musa (alayhi salam) in the Qur'an, asking Allah to expand his chest and make his speech easy. The Sheikh mentions that he opens all his speeches with these respected verses and this du'a of Musa (alayhi salam).

The Verse of Unity — Surah Al-Hujurat

Allah mentions in the verses of Surah Al-Hujurat that O mankind, We have created you into different tribes and nations so that you may know one another. Verily, the most righteous, the most pious among you, are those who are the most God-fearing.

Introduction of Sheikh Ali

The Sheikh is introducing himself. His name is Ali, his laqab is Sal, and he is from Senegal. He mentions that his work is to help the Islamic da'wah there according to his abilities. He said your masjid is Dar Es Salaam and their masjid is Al-Imran — but he says your masjid is bigger than their masjid. However, the purpose is the same, insha'Allah.

This is the Sheikh's first time coming to Chicago. In the previous year he was in New York for around 15 days. The purpose of visiting America in these different places was to visit the different Senegalese communities — he was in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and wherever there are various Senegalese communities.

Tomorrow's Lecture: The Unity of Muslims

The Sheikh is mentioning that tomorrow, insha'Allah, he will be giving a speech under the title of the Unity of Muslims, because the unity of Muslims is among the various goals of Islam. So when the Prophet migrated to Medina, his method was to create good relationships between the Muhajirun and the Ansar. And the Qur'an in various places commands the Muslims and encourages the Muslims to have unity.

The Sheikh is mentioning that if the Muslims become united, they will gain various powers and strengths — among them financial strength, economic strength, intellectual capabilities and strength, and other such abilities.

Insha'Allah, the lecture will revolve around the following points:

• The meaning of unity
• The difference between unity and similarity — did Allah command us to have similarity or unity?
• How do we know that we are in an Islamic unity?
• The harms of sectarianism — if we are divided, what are the consequences?

He is saying that tomorrow he will give the same speech, but it will not be in the Arabic language — it will be in the local Senegalese language.

Words of Encouragement for Darussalam

The Sheikh is saying that he has visited different cities in Europe — France and other countries in Europe. But he is saying that in this masjid, there is something special. This is a husn al-bina' — may Allah put barakah in this place and grant us more strength. He is saying that, insha'Allah, when he returns to his country, he will see how he can organize his own masjid similarly to this one.

He has five Islamic centers — three in the capital, one in the Jais area, and one in the Jorbel area. The number of Muslims in his congregation is between 600 and 700 approximately. He is saying, insha'Allah, he plans to run things according to the way things are run here.

His Programs in Senegal

He is saying that he has a speech program on a radio station that is very famous in Senegal. He is on air daily after Fajr, every day. Some of the programs are about tafsir — the exegesis of the Qur'an. He said usually the tafsir program is on the day of Jumu'ah, but in Ramadan he has it daily. He also has a program on television called RTS.

Shared Purpose

He is saying that when he came here, he found that your purpose and our purpose — your work and our work — is one and the same. And this has entered a lot of happiness into his heart.

He said when he came and visited some of the classes in the Maktab, he asked one of the students, "Can I take some of your books and take them with me?" And the student said "No." For this reason, he didn't even take one book. He said if it were possible to take the whole masjid to Senegal, he would take the whole masjid to Senegal.

He is mentioning that in these classes they have the study of hadith, the study of fiqh, the study of Arabic, and other various Islamic sciences. He said he saw a madrasa in Canada that is similar to this madrasa, but this madrasa is bigger.

An Invitation and a Story

He said: "I invite you to my program tomorrow — if you understand the Wolof language. And if not, then insha'Allah Hussain Paul's father will translate for all of you, insha'Allah." He said when he goes to Senegal, he will begin teaching in English — that is what he wishes, insha'Allah.

He said the imam asked him, "Where did you pray Jumu'ah?" He said, "In the masjid." He said, "Where exactly?" He said, "In the playground." He said, "What?!" He said, "Yes — because I found the masjid was full, so I prayed here." He said, "I prayed in the basketball court because the whole masjid was full."

Closing Words

The Sheikh mentioned that the Senegalese government had appointed him as an advisor for the leader. He is saying that he does not want to lengthen the speech — insha'Allah he is going to spend the night here at Hussain Paul's family's house, insha'Allah, and then he will return to New York, and from there back to his home country, Senegal.

Du'a

He is making du'a that may Allah make us among the true believers and the true Muslims — those who hold on to the Sunnah and those who love each other for the sake of Allah. He is making du'a for the teachers and the students here that may Allah grant us all beneficial knowledge and abundance.

He said: "May Allah rectify all your affairs and put something in your pockets" — and he said this is the du'a. He said the old man can sit for a long time — he came from New York, from the house to here and back to the house and back to here again — so the Sheikh is tired, insha'Allah. Insha'Allah we will finish with the du'a. May Allah bless you.