WEEK 23: THE GREEN SHOW – Everything you ever wanted (or didn’t want) to know about the colour and what it means

Host: Omar (GreenKufi) Quran ArRahmaan [ch. 55 | Recited by Abdullah Basfar -عبد الله بن علي بصفر ] Discussion GREEN: In England we painted the town Green on Eid. Most Muslim flags are either green or contain green in it. Many minarets and domes on mosques around the world are green. The pulpits are often coloured green. We wear green clothing, and green kufis. We bind our books, most notably the print of the Quran, in Green. Why is this? What is so special about this colour? Well, the colour itself is a one we see very often around us. Almost every plant is green or some shade of it. Green is restful to the eye. Studies show that a green environment can reduce fatigue. Green In the Quran: If we look up in the Quran (try Quran.com), you’ll find the prescription of green in many places. And I’m just talking about the colour. Not plants. Most importantly is that Allah subhanahu wa taala describes many of the blessing and rewards of paradise as green. HE says in Surat Al-Insaan: {Their garments will be of fine green silk, and gold embroidery. They will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a pure drink.} 76:21 and in Surat ArRahman He says: {Is there any reward for good other than good? [] Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? [] And besides these two, there are two other Gardens (i.e. in Paradise). [] Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? [] Dark green (in colour).} 55:60-64. And as I said, this in only referring to the colour green. Not to plantations, which are mentions many time more. Apparently, many Muslims nations choose green in their flags to represent the greenery of nature. Since it is a responsibility that Allah has entrusted us with, and He often commands us to ponder His creation. In fact, similar to many colours, that are given a distictive name, the green often used in Muslim symbols and the likes is referred to as Islamic Green. Abu Ramthah said: “I saw the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wearing two green garments.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, who said, this is a ghareeb hasan hadeeth, and by al-Nisaa’i, 5224). Green is definitely something we often dress in, but why must this symbol of green simply be a garment. Why can’t we BE GREEN, as opposed to simply wearing it. I would go as far as to say that we should be like nature. Be like a tree. And leave others business alone. Now, before you tune out saying, “Phtt. Look at this Muslim Hippie, go hug a tree bro.” Listen to this what the prophet peace and blessing of Allah be upon him Had to say about this. Narrated Ibn ‘Umar: The Prophet said, “The example of a believer is like a green tree, the leaves of which do not fall.” The people said. “It is such-and-such tree: It is such-and-such tree.” I intended to say that it was the datepalm tree, but I was a young boy and felt shy (to answer). The Prophet said, “It is the date-palm tree.” Ibn ‘Umar added, ” I told that to ‘Umar who said, ‘Had you said it, I would have preferred it to such-and such a thing.” (Book #73, Hadith #143) Always green. Why aren’t we always green. Why must our greenness be deciduous like our kufis and hijabs in the evening when we reach home. Why aren’t we like the date palm, giving shade, beauty, fruits, shelter to all of Allah’s creation all of the time. WHY MUST WE BE GREEN? 1- The environment, is Allah’s creation. The creation of this earth and all its natural resources is a sign of His wisdom, mercy, power and His other attributes and therefore serves to develop human awareness and understanding of this creator. (Ar-Ra`d, 13: 2-4; 21:79) 2- Muslims should seek to protect and preserve the environment because by so doing they protect Allah’s creatures which pray to Him and praise Him. Humankind might not be able to understand how these creatures praise Allah but this does not mean that they do not do so, Allah says: (The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: There is not a thing but celebrates His praise, and yet ye understand not how they declare His Glory!) (Al-Israa’ 17: 44) 3- The environment contains Allah’s creatures which the Muslim scholars consider to also deserve protection. 4- Also among the reasons why Islam seeks to protect and preserve the environment is that Islam, as a way of life, is established on the concept of good (khayr). Therefore it is expected that Islam will protect the environment once it is understood that such protection is good by itself. The Qur’an states: (He whoso do good an atom’s weight will see it. And whoso do ill an atom’s weight will see it.) (Az-Zalzalah 99: 7-8) In Islam, humans are expected to protect the environment since no other creature is able to perform this task. Humans are the only being that Allah has “entrusted” with the responsibility of looking after the earth. This trusteeship is seen by Islam to be so onerous and burdensome that no other creature would ‘accept’ it. Allah says: (Lo! We offered the trust unto the heavens and the earth and the hills, but they shrank from bearing it and were afraid of it and man assumed it Lo! he is a tyrant and fool.) (Al-Ahzab 33: 72) Community News Ottawa – A Muslim boy, Zaid, came in third place in the two kilometer race last weekend. He participated in the race from his school, from among over 1000 other runners from around Ottawa. We will be talking to him next week insh’Allah. The relationship between human beings and his environment – Yousuf Estes [IslamicTube.net Muslim News Omar Khadar’s hearing: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/643886 Nasheed How can you deny? – No Beats Necessary Hamza Robertson & Sami Yusuf – The Mountain Dawud Wharnsby – Alhamdulillah Our Creation – Hamza Robertson The Lord of the Worlds – Labbyk Upcoming Action Come and get inspired! Faith and the Common Good, in cooperation with local faith groups, invites you to a viewing of the environmental documentary  “Be the Change” The film, produced locally by David Chernushenko,shows us  how to live green and enjoy the journey.   Participants are invited for a post viewing discussion and refreshments –         an opportunity to share ideas and fellowship. David Chernushenko will be in attendance Doors open at 6:30pm Film Screens at 7:00pm JUNE 8th, 2009 at Temple Israel 1301 Prince of Wales Drive  Yasir Naqvi MPP (Ottawa Centre) and the Ontario Trillium Foundation will be special guests to present the Trillium Foundation Award and support the launching of the third phase of the program to help faith communities Green their Sacred Spaces. Go back to the top

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Week 19 – Is It Halal to catch the Swine Flu? + Fatwa on Swine Flu Safety + DALIA MOGAHED + Why Polls?

Host: Omar (GreenKufi)

Quran

Ar_Rahman [ch. 55 v. 1-16 | Recited by Abdullah Basfar -عبد الله بن علي بصفر ]  

Discussion

The month of May always seems to brighten up the city of Ottawa with its Tulip Festival. We find blooming Tulips all around the city. Various parks around Ottawa have gorgeous displays for you to come and see. This is one of those events around the city that you and your family can actually participate in and admire Allah’s creation.

For more information about what parks you can visit to view the Tulips displayed you can visit tulipfestival.ca. Event runs from May 1 to May 18th.

Fatwa on Swine Flu Safety

Swine Flu is spreading very fast and causing a lot of public concern in United States, [Canada] and other countries of the world. WHO (World Health Organization) and CDC (Center for Disease Control in US) have already issued advisories to general public. We urge Muslims to exercise necessary precautions in this matter. It is an Islamic teaching that in the situation of wide spread infections, people living in infected areas should be careful not to move around in order to avoid spreading infections. Similarly those who are healthy should avoid traveling to infested areas in order to protect themselves, unless they are needed as doctors or health workers. Allah says in the Qur’an, “Do not contribute to your destruction with your own hands…” (2:195) The Prophet –peace be upon him- said, “If you are in a land and plague breaks out there, then do not leave that place. If you are told that it is spreading in some land and you are not there, then do not go there.” (Muslim, Hadith no. 5731)

In the light of these instructions the Fiqh Council of North America emphasizes that Muslims should take CDC advisories seriously [or in our case in Canada the Health Canada advisory]. Those who are affected by any symptoms of this flu should avoid shaking hands and coming into close contacts with others. They are allowed in this situation to pray at home and do not go to the Masjid for congregational prayers, until they are healthy. The Prophet –peace be upon him- said, “A sick person (with contagious disease) must not be brought among the healthy.” (Abu Dau’ud, Hadith 3911)

In case there is a Swine Flu pandemic, public assemblies might be curtailed. In that situation it will be allowed for the Masajid to issue special instructions regarding Jama’ah (congregational) and Jumu’ah (Friday) prayers considering the general welfare of their communities and cooperating with local authorities to maintain public health and safety.

We must also make individual and collective du’a asking Allah to remove this affliction and bless us all.

From the Fiqh Council of North America

OBAMA’S MUSLIM ADVISOR

From Islam Online (Full Article) By Muhammed Qasim, IOL Correspondent

WASHINGTON – Dalia Mogahed, a hijab-clad American Muslim, has made history being the first Muslim woman appointed to a position in President Barack Obama’s administration.

She sets on a newly-formed interfaith advisory board the administration hopes will improve relations with Muslims in the US and across the globe.

The Egyptian-born American heads the Gallup American Center for Muslim Studies, a research center that produces studies on Muslim public opinion worldwide.

WHO IS DALIA MOGAHED?

From gallup.com Senior Analyst Executive Director, Gallup Center for Muslim Studies

Dalia Mogahed is a Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, a nonpartisan research center dedicated to providing data-driven analysis on the views of Muslim populations around the world. With John L. Esposito, Ph.D., she is coauthor of the book Who Speaks for Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think.

Mogahed leads the analysis of Gallup’s unprecedented survey representing the opinions of more than 1 billion Muslims worldwide, including Muslims in the West. She also directs the Muslim-West Facts Initiative (www.muslimwestfacts.com), through which Gallup, in collaboration with the Coexist Foundation, is disseminating the findings of the Gallup World Poll to key opinion leaders in the Muslim World and the West.

Mogahed travels the globe engaging diverse groups on what Muslims around the world really think. Her audiences have included a variety of people from American senators to British parliamentarians to the U.N. She has discussed her findings with all sorts of people like Madeline Albreight, Quincy Jones, Karen Armstrong the bestselling author and Dr. Ali Gomaa, Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, Amr Khaled and more.

HOW POLLING IS A GOOD IDEA TO GET OPINIONS ETC. This is FACTUAL information unlike over the top generalizations and people who consider to be representatives of the ENTIRE muslim population talking on their behalf..etc.

Short interview on a videoblog “Here on Earth” – at the beginning of last year

Community News

Success Tip

Brought to you by SuccessLiving.org

Green Kufi’s Greening Muslims Tip

The City of Ottawa will be having a one day collection depot of all your Household Hazardouse Waste (HHW) on Sunday May 10th from 9AM to 4PM.The depot will beat the Trail Waste Facility, 4475 Trail Road, off Moodie Drive, south of Fallowfield Road. Household Hazardouse Waste should not be thrown out with the rest of your garbage. You shouldn’t have bought it in the first place, but that’s another story. HHW consists of:

aerosol containers barbecue starters camping propane cylinders energy efficient light bulbs fluorescent light bulbs fire extinguishers furniture stripper

mercury switches mercury thermometers needles and syringes oil based paints pool chemicals window cleaner wood preservatives

disinfectants fungicides herbicides insecticides pesticides stains turpentine oven cleaner

For other waste products like some paints, motor oil, electronics, batteries can be taken to your nearest garage, electronics store or used goods store or a hardware store, or yours truly. If you can’t make it out to one of these depots and don’t want to pollute the very river we get our drinking water from head over to greenkufi.ca and contact us under local services about picking up your household waste and taking it to the depot.

Nasheed

Your Beauty by Hamza Robertson

Upcoming Action

ASSALAM MOSQUE Fundraiser

WORLD RENOWNED SPEAKER:

SHIEK ABDALLAH ALI IDRIS

and guest speakers:

Shiek Abdurrahman Al-Hejazy

Shiek Mohammad Al-Shareef

TIME: SAT MAY 16.09 @ 5:30PM

@ ASSALAM MOSQUE

TICKETS: PER PERSON: $20

Your moment of Zen Alhamdulillah for Islam!

see more Celeb Look-A-Likes

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Earth Day – Islam’s Perspective on the Environment and Things YOU Can Do

Host: Omar (Green Kufi)

Discussion

For Islam’s Perspective on the Environment read these posts by Green Kufi: http://greenkufienviro.wordpress.com/tag/islam/

How to green your life
News.com posted by Elsa Wenzel

What’s your footprint? http://www.myfootprint.org/
You can start off by finding out what your environmental footprint is from the environmental footprint calculator from the Earth Day Network. You may be quite surprised with the result.

Greener gadgets: Check the Energy rating of the products that you use, like EnergyStar certified appliances. Buy gadgets that don’t use PCPs, and toxic plastics, and metals. Like the MacBook Air for example.

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up.

Electronics waste:
Electronic waste is a huge problem. More than 3 million tons of e-waste wind up in landfills each year, according to the EPA. With the dawn of digital television, Americans will toss more than 80 million old TVs within the next two years, according Electronic Recyclers. If electronics aren’t properly disposed of, the Thousands of toxic chemicals used to make them can pollute natural resources and hurt people’s health.
What can you do? Hewlett-Packard and Dell have strong takeback programs. So does EcoNEW at Best Buy and Wal-Mart Stores, as well as TechForward. Also, “with a little creativity the life of old equipment can be extended. For example, an old desktop could serve as a music center to pipe MP3s throughout the house.”

Greener energy: Ottawa’s Alternative Energy Sources. For greener energy one easy way is to swap incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents and LEDs, which can drastically reduce electrical costs. However, CFLs, which contain mercury, shouldn’t mix with the rest of the trash. Sylvania sells CFLs with reduced mercury.

Greener homes: Avoid toxins in your home since indoor air can be more toxic than air outdoors with the number of cleaning products that are used. Try cleaning products with fewer fumes, such as from “green” companies like Seventh Generation. Or, you can make your own eco-cleaners. Vinegar, for instance, can polish windows. A lemon cut in half with salt poured on top can scrub a sink.

Recycling: Don’t forget to Recycle. Glass bottles, aluminum cans, and newspapers are obvious recycling-ready items. As for questionable items, you’ll need to read the local rules to find out what’s landfill-bound or not. For example, narrow-necked plastic bottles labeled #1 or #2 are usually safe to toss in a recycling bin, while yogurt tubs are not accepted. And #7 labels both plant-based plastics that you could bury in the garden as well as less green, petroleum-based polycarbonate.
Food scraps can also be recycled. Composting fruit, vegetable, and yard waste makes powerful garden fertilizer. Tidy composting kits–including some with worms–can fit beneath a kitchen table without causing a stink.
In addition to nearby thrift stores such as Salvation Army, Internet operations like Craigslist, Freecycle, eBay, and SwapThing facilitate offloading other old stuff. Yahoo maps more reuse groups. What to do with dubious junk, like packing peanuts? Lookups at Lime and Earth 911 should help to recycle almost anything.

Greener transportation: For car owners: Car pool, plan routes for more efficient driving, consider fuel efficient cars over gas guzzlers, research fuel efficient cars, use your car less take public transportation, bike, or walk. Live near the places you will frequent in order to reduce driving time. Avoid ideling, it burs gas and spews emissions. Also, regular maintenance and oil changes also help, and “green” motor oil is a new product.

Green food: Buy local produce rather than imported goods. Try organic products, but if you don’t buy that, then consider growing your own produce. Especially the foods you use the most often, and are usually imported at your grocery.

For green food use you can use an interactive “Eat low carbon guide” from eatlowcarbon.org, which gives a sense of how much your meal could be warming the planet. Eat organic meat. A blooming Muslim business called Blossom Pure provide organic meat and dairy products along with other organic grocery for Muslims and anyone else. You can visit their website at www.blossompure.com. Also, when grocery shopping, take your own bags instead of using the plastic bags at the store. With regards to bottled water. Well, a tremendous amount of energy is used in transporting bottled water. Just use tap water since bottled water is likely no safer or tastier.

Green your body:

Avoid bad personal health habits like smoking, bad eating, and consumption of toxins. Taking an extra step of ensuring the things you eat and drink, and apply to your body will be a practice that your body will repay you for in your older age.

Use beauty and cosmetic products that, if not organic, are at least biodegradable and from sustainable sources. Your grand children will thank you when they grow up and are able to enjoy the various water habitat wildlife that would have been wiped out had you used those serious chemicals.

Green your mail:
You can also green your mail. If only two percent of households switched to electronic from snail mail billing, more than 180,000 trees would be saved and more than 10 million gallons of gasoline wouldn’t need to be used, according to the PayItGreen Aliance of banks. If you have documents to send, try scanning them and sending them online instead of mailing them.
Sign up for electronic billing. Most companies offer it, and you can sign up with Canada Post to get e-post.

Green your reading:
How about green reading? Services built to make newspapers or magazines easier to read online, saving trees in the process, include Zinio, Zimbio, NewspaperDirect, and qMags–not to mention the Amazon Kindle. Bookworms can trade books with each other via BookMooch, Novel Action, Bookswap, and Swaptree. Sales of used books through Better World Books help to fund literacy programs. You can also go to your local library and read the newspaper there instead of getting a subscription yourself.

Just Plain Greening: Actually green some place by planting something. This time of the year is perfect for this kind of greening practice. You can join an organization that commits to planting trees and srubs to maintain the integrity of Green Spaces in your city, as well as rehabilitation of stream banks, etc. If you aren’t of the outdoors type of person you can have someone plant a tree for you in the rain forest for under CND$6. Through MyBabyTree.org You will then get the coordinates for where your tree was planted, possibly some photos, and when it’s big enough you could probably see it on Google Earth.

Here is my baby tree.

For life-greening guides that delve into more detail than this story, check out those from the Green Guide, Treehugger, NRDC, and GreenYour.com.

Nasheed

Your Beauty – Hamza Robertson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7OuQv98oIE

The Everything Song – Dawud Wharnsby Ali
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF5oJiskvRo

The Mountain – Hamza Robertson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Oh5PCNfXE

Life Returns – Dawud Wharnsby
http://www.imeem.com/alonqexe/music/MRlVe9vW/dawud_wharnsby_ali_life_returns/

Sunshine, Dust, and the Messenger (Peace be upon him) – Dawud Ali Wharnsby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv0nDSjgLBo

Give thanks to Allah – Zain Bhikha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIYFg41bp1w

How can you deny – NBN group
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6c2JiaF_gU

Silent Sunlight- Written by Yusuf Islam and sung by Dawud Ali Wharnsby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2pHE6fDMFM

What did I do today – Dawud Ali Wharnsby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRLDqkbU0qw

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