―I think this was amazing! It was such a

great cultural experience, and I was truly

enlightened...This was wonderful.‖ Such was

one of the many enthusiastic comments made by

non-Muslims who participated in this year’s

Ramadan Fast-a-Thon. A truly innovative idea,

the Fast-a-Thon encourages non-Muslims to

―Get Hungry for Change‖ by fasting one day in

the month of Ramadan. MSA’s across the

United States and Europe participate in this

event with the promise that, for every individual

who fasts, a certain number of homeless people

will be fed by the MSA.

On November 12, 2003, the MSA at UMCP

hosted their second annual Fast-a-Thon, which

turned out to be more successful than many of

its organizers had imagined. The UMCP-MSA

garnered the most number of Fast-a-Thon

participants and most money donated in the

entire country. The truly awe-inspiring success

of this event would have never taken place were

it not for the grace of Allah (SWT) and the hard

work of many dedicated individuals.

The arduous task of planning the Fast-a-

Thon and bringing it to life was taken on by

MSA’s Da’wah and Outreach committees,

headed by Sisters Jannah Yirka and Fasiha

Khan. Each committee assumed different jobs

in order to make the event a reality. The

Da’wah committee took on advertising; Yirka

commented that it was a very essential part of

the Fast-a-Thon: ―Without all of the brothers

and sisters who dedicated so much of their time

to advertising, the event would have been

unsuccessful.‖ Brothers and sisters posted fliers

all over campus, e-mailed list serves, and stood

long hours at the Da’wah Table, encouraging

non-Muslims to sign-up to fast on the 12th.

Sister Sommer Abdel-Wahhab, head of the

Da’wah Table committee commented that the

da’wah table advertised Fast-a-Thon every day

for a week prior to the event. She said that

brothers and sisters did not just stand behind the

table and wait for people to come; instead, many

volunteers walked around asking people

individually to sign up. The committee also

“ A L L A H I S T H E P R O T E C T O R O F T H O S E W H O B E L I E V E . H E B R I N G S T H E M O U T F R O M D A R K N E S S I N T O L I G H T . ” [ H O L Y Q U R ’ A N ]

Shawwal 1424 December 5, 2003

MSA Activities 2

MWM Updates 3

The Ummah is a Sign of Mercy

4

“Three Strikes” 5

Fast-a-thon cont’d 6

Winter Activities 7

Creative Writing 8

Fast-a-thon Pictures 9

Islamic Puzzles 10

Inside this issue:

utilized a unique advertising method that included

three stages of fliers. The first set of fliers was

meant to spark interest and only had the word

―Hungry?‖ on them. The next set of fliers was

distributed a week later and said, ―Get Hungry for

Change.‖ Those who advertised hoped that the

phrase ―Get Hungry for Change‖ would call to the

hearts of students and prepare them for the last flier,

which contained all of the information about the

Fast-a-Thon. All of the hard work truly paid off in

the end, resulting in 1,172 non-Muslims signing up

to participate in the Ramadan Fast-a-Thon, more

than triple the amount of people who signed up last

year. The University of Maryland, College Park got

more people to sign-up than any other campus in the

United States.

Sister Fasiha Khan and the Outreach committee

took on the task of calling businesses to sponsor this

event. It was decided that for every non-Muslim

who fasts, four homeless people would be fed at

S.O.M.E (So Others Might Eat), a food shelter in

Washington, D.C. In order to accomplish this, a

(Continued on page 6)

An-Nur The newsletter of the Muslim Students’ Association & the Muslim Women of Maryland Volume 5, Issue 2

MSA History

Founded in 1969, the Mus-

lim Students' Association is

an organization dedicated to

serving the Muslim students

on campus and educating

the campus community

about Islam and Muslims.

We carry out Islamic activi-

ties, sponsor social, commu-

nity service, and charity

events, and strengthens

relations and understanding

between Muslims and non-

Muslims.

“The Light”

MWM

Muslim Women of Maryland

Fast-A-Thon — Getting Hungry for Change by Chancey Gannett

Contact Us!

Please send your creative submsis-

sions, comments, and suggsestions

to nur@ureach.com

A glimpse of the Grand Ballroom of the Stamp Student Union on the evening of November 12,

with a full house of hungry students, faculty, staff, and outside guests who participated in this year’s Fast-a-Thon. Nearly 1200 non-Muslims participated this year, the most in North America.

An-Nur Volume 5, Issue 2

Page 2

English-speaking world do the same. Every

accomplishment—from the informational

material distributed on campus, to the weekly

discussion and learning gatherings, to the

newsletter that you hold in your hands is a

testament to the bounty of Allah and the

tireless efforts of those volunteering their

time, energy, and money, may Allah reward

them all abundantly. Indeed, all praise is due

to Allah and there is no change except by His

leave.

As we look back, however, we should be

humbled rather than proud. As we look back,

we should turn a critical eye to see how we

can improve and do even better in the future.

A critical step in this direction will be our

MSA/MWM meeting on December 5, to be

held at 2:30 p.m. in the Musallah. We are

always open to your suggestions in person or

i n w r i t i n g , d i r e c t e d t o

umcp_msa@yahoo.com. Remember,

however, that with every problem we are

looking for a solution; we hope that when you

bring forth a suggestion, you do so with your

sleeves rolled up ready to help us improve

rather than admonishing from a distance.

MSA Activities Looking to the Past and Planning for the Future by Mohamed Abutaleb

The fall semester of 2003 draws to a

close here at the University of Maryland,

gone and never to return until the Day of

Judgment. The angels have written the good

deeds we have put forth and the evil that has

come from us, the pens have been lifted, and

the pages have dried. We ask Allah the

Almighty that He may accept our good

deeds and pardon us our sins, and enter us

among His righteous servants through His

mercy and compassion.

At junctures such as this one, it is very

important to pause to look back at what we

have done, bring ourselves to account, and

extract lessons to guide our future actions.

This practice is critical on both the

individual and collective levels. As Umar

(ra) said, ―Bring yourselves to account

before you are brought to account (on the

Day of Judgment).‖

Of course, this newsletter is not the

appropriate mechanism for individual

accountability, but I do remind myself and

all of the readers of the importance of

ensuring that this is done.

In addition, please be aware that our

MSA is actively reviewing its progress and

making plans for the future by looking back

at the past. It is truly humbling to see how

much Allah the

A l m i g h t y h a s

h o n o r e d t h i s

organization by

blessing it with so

many opportunities

to serve Him, our community, and

ourselves. Through His blessings and the

hard work of many individuals, this MSA

held the largest Fast-a-Thon in the United

States and fed over 4,600 hungry people.

Through the mercy of Allah, our MSA

opened one of the first fully-functional

Islamic libraries in North America, with

automated circulation and querying

capabilities, and is now launching an

outreach component to help other masajid,

MSAs, and Islamic institutions in the

As the semester draws to a close, we also

direct our attention to the future. We ponder

over what this organization stands for and the

values it seeks to promote, and come to the

inevitable realization that our work is totally

and entirely too valuable to stop just because

school has. Thus, we firmly set our

intentions from now that this MSA will be a

vibrant and active organization through the

duration of the winter break to carry us right

into the spring semester.

Inevitably, the winter brings challenges

that were not present during the fall, but none

of these challenges are beyond our capability

to overcome. Some of us will be working,

some of us will be far from school, some of

us will be on trips or vacations that take us to

the other side of the planet – but that does not

mean that each of us can not still contribute

actively to the well-being of our organization.

Remember first and foremost that

anything you do to help yourself over winter

break will be invaluable to the MSA come

spring semester. When you promise to read

through the entire Qur’an during the winter,

in Arabic or English, that means that you are

going to return a more complete and powerful

person next semester. When you wake up a

few minutes before Fajr and pray night

p r a y e r s

regularly for

the first time in

your life, you

will come next

semester as a

person with more blessing in their time and

increased capacity to work for the

organization. Whether you are learning

calligraphy, purifying your soul, reading a

book, or working directly on MSA winter

initiatives, you can and will have a positive

impact on this organization if you firmly set

your intention to do so.

In addition, there are a number of MSA

projects, both new and existing, that will be

vibrant and fully active for the duration of the

(Continued on page 3)

Find more pictures of the Fast-A-Thon event on Page 9

Whether you are learning calligraphy, purifying your soul, reading a book,

or working directly on MSA winter initiatives, you can and will have a

positive impact on this organization if you firmly set your intention to do so.

MWM Updates by Sarah Boyle

An-Nur Volume 5, Issue 2

Page 3

MSA Activities

Subhan’Allah, the MWM events for this

fall semester have been great events and

learning experiences. We want to put this

new knowledge directly into action and

what better way to do this than to have

events for the upcoming winter and spring

semesters!

Winter Trips

MWM in conjunction with the MSA is

planning some outings during the winter

break. These could include ice skating,

winter trails, skiing, and more!

Black History Month

We have the capacity to have an event in

the month of February for Black History

Month. If you have any suggestions

email them to MWM email insh’Allah.

winter insha’Allah. We literally have

projects that can consume 10 minutes a day

or 8 hours a day from volunteers, and

everything in between. If you’ve been

looking for work and haven’t been able to

find it, you will find an array of unusual and

quite challenging tasks and projects

available at the MSA. Even if you need a

paid job over the winter, don’t leave the

MSA off the list – get in contact and perhaps

an arrangement can be worked out.

We are currently anticipating four major

projects to be in full swing during the winter

break, as follows:

(1) LIBRARY OUTREACH. A joint

initiative of the Library and Outreach

Committees, the Capital-Area Islamic

Library will be looking to take its

accomplishments to a national level starting

this winter, insha’Allah. The Library will be

seeking the publication of a book to assist

Islamic organizations throughout the

English-speaking world insha’Allah so that

others can benefit from the work that was

done in establishing this local library. In

addition, the Library will assemble an

outreach team to serve as consultants for

local masajid and MSAs desirous of starting

their own libraries. These volunteers will

help with planning, collection development,

(Continued from page 2) material acquisitions, training, and other tasks

associated with starting a new library

insha’Allah. Contact:

Jeav33@yahoo.com

(2) WINTER TRIPS SERIES. The MSA

in cooperation with area youth groups will

insha’Allah be pursuing a regular series of

trips throughout the winter for brothers and

sisters. These trips will seek to foster a

comprehensive understanding of Islam as a

way of life by bringing together youth from

throughout the area to learn, develop, grow,

and have fun in a halal environment. We

hope to have these trips include sports,

educational seminars and workshops, social

opportunities, and personal development

activities. Contact: hkhan@wam.umd.edu

(3) MUSALLAH IMPROVEMENTS.

The wonderful improvements made to the

Musallah in the summer and fall semester

will be intensified and continued in the

winter. Among existing plans are brothers’

and sisters’ reading/media rooms to couple

with the Capital-Area Islamic Library, new

shoe racks, a book return, and other structural

and organizat ional improvements.

Remember that the environment has a

massive impact on those using it. Contact:

hosamh@wam.umd.edu

(4) TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT.

In preparation for the spring semester, the

MSA will be seeking to train and develop

Women’s History Month:

Women in Islam Teach-In

This event will insh’Allah be during the

month of March. It will entail a panel of

diverse sisters and small, prepared talks on

topics pertaining to women in Islam. The

majority of the event is question and answer

with the audience.

Islam Awareness Month

This is our annual event, or sequence of

events. We are planning this event with the

MSA and insh’Allah hope to reach out to

many of the non-Muslims on campus.

Classroom Presentations

Insh’Allah the WMST teachers will be

asking MWM to come and talk to their

classes about women in Islam. This

usually

happens at the end of the semester. Also,

if you are in a class that could incorporate

such a presentation, talk to the professor

and let us know! Contact MWM if you

would like to participate and we will keep

you updated.

Graduation Dinner

This year we will be holding the

Graduation Dinner during the spring. All

Fall and Spring graduates are the guests

of honor. Keep posted for the details!

If you have ideas you would like to share

or would like to participate in planning

volunteers in an array of critical areas needed

to make the organization capable of taking on

new and more difficult projects. Areas of

training range from desktop publishing to

furniture construction to web design to library

cataloging automation. Participants will learn

skills that can benefit them for their entire

lives. Contact: abutaleb@wam.umd.edu

As you can see, our MSA is blessed to be

able to offer a wide array of opportunities for

individual development and community

service this winter for volunteers with any

imaginable skill or talent. The only

prerequisites you need in order to be able to

make a contribution are good intentions,

energy and motivation, and a willingness to

work hard while having fun. Remember that

one book you place on a library shelf could

be used by hundreds for years to come; one

nail that you drive into the wall might carry

the events calendar that the MSA will use for

the next three decades; and one call you make

might pave the way for a trip that over a

hundred people benefit from. With the right

intentions, you can get the rewards for all of

this and more. So set your intentions, roll up

your sleeves, lower your head, and get ready

to plunge into a winter full of service to the

Almighty with the Muslim Students’

Association. Please feel free to contact us at

umcp_msa@yahoo.com for more information.

We may not be able to ―just get along‖,

as the saying goes, even among our own

Muslim brethren- in fact, it is impossible for

humans to remain in a state of perpetual

peace and contentment with anything in this

world. Allah says in the Qur’an, ―Verily,

We have created man

into toil and struggle.‖

(90:4). It is part of our

nature to disagree. But

as far as we can stretch

the sentiment of

c o m p a s s i o n a n d

forgiveness in our

hearts for each other,

the more worthy we

may be of Allah’s

Mercy, as the Prophet

(SAWS) said, ―Allah is

Kind and loves kindness, and grants to

kindness that which He does not grant to

harshness, nor to anything else other than

kindness and tenderness.‖ Kindness consists

of pure intent, pure intent lives as merciful

action, and merciful action results in ease of

difficulty. All of this was behind the rich

man’s forgiveness of his loans, and it saved

him from the Fire, by Allah’s Mercy.

How shall we save ourselves? When a

healthy human body comes under attack, the

affected part literally sends out a call for

help to the rest of the body, however remote

the rest of the body might seem in terms of

locale or function. And help always comes,

Self-Development and Purification The Ummah is a Sign of Mercy

By Taqiyyah Bint Dawud

There is a man who will be judged on the

Day of Accounting, who will have done

nothing to his credit in his life except that he

would always forgive his debtors, and say ―let

him off.‖ Because of this Allah will say, ―I am

more worthy of this (mercy) than he. Let him

off.‖ Another man to

be judged will have

been very righteous,

having done good

works all his life. He

will come to be

judged, and Allah will

say, ―Let him enter

Jannah (Paradise) by

My Mercy.‖ The man

w i l l b e c o m e

disappointed and ask,

―Lord, judge me by

my works.‖ Allah will dismiss his request,

saying, ―Let him go by My Mercy.‖

Still, the man will continue to ask, and

Allah will agree to his request and put the sum

of the man’s good works in his lifetime on a

scale and put the single blessing of sight that

He had given to that man on the other side of

the scale. The gift of sight will far outweigh all

that the man had ever done in his entire life,

well-meaning as it may have been, and Allah

will say, ―Let him enter the Fire.‖ The man will

plead and beg, ―by Your Mercy, my Lord, by

Your Mercy!‖ and Allah will forgive him and

allow him into the Jannah.

Such mercy is quite humbling, and to us

seems extreme. But we are limited and inept,

and Allah is unlimited and adept. Those men

will surely consider themselves of the Blessed,

and of the Forgiven. Brothers and sisters of this

Deen of Truth, Allah could forgive a man for

an entire life’s worth of wrongdoing, even if

He had given him the gift of sight- which

completely outbalanced the life's work of the

righteous man- because of his attribute of

mercy toward those at a disadvantage. The fact

that Allah's boundless Mercy is required in

order to grant a very righteous man entrance to

Jannah- that all the worship and sacrifice

performed for our Rabb was not even worth the

gift of sight- shows how extraordinarily,

infinitesimally minute we truly are relative to

anything. And yet, Allah can forgive us.

An-Nur Volume 5, Issue 2

Page 4

in such a swift and overwhelming force that

by the time our consciousness registers the

signs of illness we have already begun the

healing process.

Unfortunately we Muslims perceive

ourselves only as individuals, each affecting

only ourselves and our own aakhirah by our

actions. This nearsightedness is why our

brotherhood is now a wounded, distorted and

bleeding mass that cannot heal itself no

matter how loud the cries for help or how

near is aid to the various affected areas.

Muslim hearts have not heard those cries.

The reason is that a heart does not have ears.

It houses emotion and intent. If there is no

forgiveness, mercy, or sincerity at the heart

of the Ummah, aid will never come for the

Ummah, even for its own well-being.

Events are showing time and again that there

seems to be no such sincere love for the sake

of Allah. There are very few among us who

―…believe and put their trust in their Lord…

and those who, when an oppressive wrong is

inflicted on them, help and defend

themselves‖ (42:36-39).

Most of us will have no answer for

Allah's interrogation as we continue to add to

our illness, because the ―waHn‖ the love of

this world and fear of death of which the

Prophet (SAWS) spoke drives away

sincerity, compassion, and forgiveness. All

become conditional to the access we have to

worldly things, and we are hesitant to walk a

(Continued on page 5)

Available in both English and Arabic, Islamway.com has a wealth of articles and audio

files. You can listen to Quranic recitation by a variety of recitors or hear a lecture by

speakers like Siraj Wahaj or Muhammad AlShareef. Islamway.com is an excellent source

for new-Muslims; it features a flash presentation on ―The Right Way to Pray‖ and has a

comprehensive section for non-Muslims.

porcelain faces and slender figures. They

were beautiful, they were wanted -- they

weren’t me. I envied their ability to

sprinkle laughter,

to command the

attention of those

a r o u n d t h e m

without effort, to

view the world

with an aura of

i n d i f f e r e n c e .

Because I didn’t

sprinkle laughter, I muffled it.

The attention I commanded

was altogether different from

that which the objects of my

envy commanded -- where

they got whistles and murmurs

of appreciation, I got growls of mockery

and disgust. Attacks on my culture and

religion made me wither inside. That’s

what made me shrink in a corner, what had

me hunching my shoulders. I probably had

the stiffest shoulder, you can’t imagine,

just walking to my next class. I felt overly

aware of eyes narrowed on my back,

whispers murmuring my name, bodies too

close behind me. My self-consciousness

fed my insecurities, and my insecurities

An-Nur Volume 5, Issue 2

Page 5

Student Advice and Perspectives “Three Strikes”

By Fasiha Khan

My teacher in high school was compiling

various and sundry written pieces on students’

experiences with stereotypes when he suggested

that I contribute. Taking on this task gave me a

rare opportunity to wrestle with, chew up and

spit out my mangled self-image and identity, to

reevaluate myself. Here is what I came out

with. I performed it at the Maryland State High

School Theatre competition. And won.

Three strikes and you’re out- that’s how the

game’s played.

I have often joked with my friends that in

the game of life I have three strikes against me.

One, I’m a Muslim-you know, one of those

―camel-riding, always fighting, crazy-type of

immigrant‖ as one Muslim so aptly put it. Two,

I’m a South Asian Muslim-the kind that comes

from dirt villages with half clad children and

works at 7 Eleven. Three, I’m a South Asian

Muslim woman-the one that cowers in her own

shadow, is subservient to any man and exists so

the whole world knows how oppressed she is.

Indeed, with three strikes against me, I was out

before I even tried to get in.

Not that I didn’t try -- I made myself out to

be the best ―average teenager‖ within my

limits. I made sure I had all the right labels with

all the right styles. I squeezed myself into

outfits one size too small. I spent too much time

agonizing over my figure, too much money on

accessories to adorn it, and too much energy

thinking on either. I made the premadonnas of

our age my idols, the celebrities my models,

and the glamorous my inspirations.

All those confidences I had built up for

myself, no one needed to cut down -- I did that

on my own. Why aren’t you thin enough?

Pretty enough? Cool enough? Why aren’t you

enough? I was ten feet above heaven the

moment someone ―cool‖ spoke to me. I shot

right back down the minute that same person

ignored me. What did you do wrong? What did

you say wrong? Why are you always wrong?

And like a tidal wave…an avalanche of

insecurities come hurtling down upon

me…faster and faster, more stinging than the

ones before -- the questions. I would then race

to tally in my mind all the friends I had, all the

acquaintances I’d made that would keep me in

the game. I viciously envied, you can’t

imagine, all those girls with the smooth,

shoved and then kept me on my knees.

Somehow trudging through the game on my

knees no longer seemed so rewarding.

The world is your oyster -- but I was

trapped in one. Speak your mind -- if it’s

what everyone else is thinking. Rebel -- by

dressing and being like every other ―rebel‖.

I felt this new sort of disgust of myself -- as

if I had stepped out and watched a replay of

my pathetic and embarrassing

endeavors to fit in. The hypocrisy

of my deeds seemed unnerving --

self-analysis was harsh and cruel. I

figured, better do it myself before

someone else decided to do charity

work.

I guess the build up of

my raw tension by me

against myself finally

let loose the day I was

flipping through my

scrapbook. Now, I

had originally made

this scrapbook to remember what I was like

as a teen when I got older. As I was turning,

only a few pages left to be filled up, I began

asking myself what amongst these pages

represents me? What I saw was clipping

(Continued on page 7)

Ummah (cont.)

path that is difficult, that will bring us out

of reach of this world. We are shy to give

anything of our lives to bring relief to a

single dying man. We refuse to forgive

each other’s faults. We disdain even to

wish one another peace on the street.

Some of us have animals whom we would

feed before we’d think to buy food for a

hungry child near or far away.

Allah does not need even one of us to

worship Him. But we will be brought to

account. We must give a statement of our

potential as well as our fruits. Each of us

currently has over a billion and a half

Muslim kin. Even as individualistic as we

all are, every one of us does exist as part

(Continued from page 4) of an enormous body. And we will be

asked, the masses and masses of us, what

we did to heal ourselves. To heal

someone or something physically or

otherwise is a great form of mercy because

of the lengths and effort a person or

persons may need to go in order to ease a

difficulty as minor as a stick in the road or

as major as a war.

The Prophet (SAWS) has said, ―Be

merciful to others and Allah will be

merciful to you. Forgive when others

wrong you and Allah will forgive you

your sins.‖

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam,

how shall we save ourselves through this

Ummah? How shall we earn Allah’s

mercy?

Park’s Grand Ball Room in the Stamp

Student Union. The event was an immense

success; there was not an empty table in the

room, which seats 500 people. The majority

of people arrived right on time, even the

Muslims, who may have been motivated to be

punctual because they were fasting. All of

the attendees received a free CD of Qur’an

with translation as well as some information

about Islam, and the Da’wah table was set up

throughout the evening for anyone who was

interested. The dinner went extremely well,

and organizers only dealt with the usual

problems of food arriving late and last minute

program changes. Other minor problems

included oil-spills on clothing, unexpected

loss of voice, and rectangular tablecloths for

round tables. Next year organizers plan to

invest in aprons for food servers, back up

Qur’an readers, and round tablecloths.

Fortunately, none of these problems greatly

affected the flow of the evening. The

program began with the adhan by brother

Raef Haggag and the long-awaited breaking

of the fast. Any tense faces relaxed the

moment they got some sugar in their blood

system, and the entire room quieted as

Brother Raef recited Qur’an and Sister Sarah

Boyle read the translation. A short speech by

Jim Osteen, director of Stamp Student Union,

followed, in which he related to the audience

that he himself had participated in Fast-a-

Thon and that fasting was a real learning

experience for him. After Maghrib Prayer,

MSA Out and About

team of seven people from the Outreach

committee phoned Muslim businesses and

asked them to donate a dollar for every

individual who fasts. ―They called lengthy

lists of businesses for two weeks,‖ Khan said,

making sure to add that these dedicated

individuals called during school hours from

their cell phones, sacrificing daytime minutes

for the cause. A total of twelve businesses

agreed to sponsor the event, and all of them

gave generous donations. The Outreach

committee callers received small gifts for

their efforts, which were made possible by

individuals who donated funds for this

purpose.

A problem arose during the week prior to

the Fast-a-Thon, when more people signed up

than either committee anticipated. With the

final count being 1,172, that meant that 4,688

homeless people would need to be fed to

fulfill the promise of the four to one ratio.

The committees realized that feeding so many

people would cost more than the amount of

money collected from businesses. MSA

President, Brother Mohamed Abutaleb

commented, ―...the greatest problem by far

was raising enough money to feed the

staggering 4,688 people. With generous

donations of businesses and individuals, we

are overcoming this obstacle.‖ Although no

one planned on seeing such a great number of

participants and having to feed over four

thousand homeless people, there are certainly

no regrets. Abutaleb continued,

―Alhamdulillah, it was very encouraging to

see so many people from the university

community coming together to share in a

common sacrifice for the good.‖ Khan

acknowledges that they were not prepared for

such a turn out, but says that, ―The whole

purpose of the event was to raise awareness

and help those less fortunate. There is no

shame in reaching your goals above and

beyond your highest expectations.‖

Both the Da’wah and Outreach

committees helped in planning an Iftar dinner

for the Fast-a-Thon participants for

November 12th. It took place in College

(Continued from page 1)

dinner was served. It was catered by Al-

Huda International Taste and included a

menu of chicken, rice, vegetables, and salad.

The obstacle of serving food to such a large

number of people was made a great deal

easier by many volunteer hosts who were

assigned to each table and were responsible

for getting food for their group. They also

were able to answer questions and make

guests feel comfortable throughout the

evening. After dinner, Dr. Ali Darwish

spoke of the relevance of fasting in religions

throughout the world. The evening ended

with a few words from Michelle Maslov, a

representative from S.O.M.E who spoke

about the various programs her organization

has to offer, including help for battered

women, drug rehabilitation, clothing drives,

and more. Maslov was then presented with

a check for $6,150.

Perhaps those who spent weeks

organizing the Fast-a-Thon would be able to

judge its success best of all. Sister Fasiha

Khan remarked that, ―It was very

compelling to witness and be a part of an

event that was a product of the contribution

of so many individuals, masha Allah.‖

When sister Jannah Yirka was asked about

the event, she smiled, as if remembering

how well it went, and said, ―Alhamdulillah,

it was everything I expected it to be and

more. I only hope next year’s will be even

better.‖

An-Nur Volume 5, Issue 2

Page 6

Fast_a-Thon (cont.)

A special thanks to the countless individuals who each contributed in their own way to make this year’s Fast-a-Thon a reality - may Allah reward you.

Universal Heritage Conference ―Islam for Humanity‖

Campus of the Universal

Heritage Foundation:

Orlando, FL

Dec. 19th-21st, 2003

More Info: http://www.uheritage.org/conf_1203.html

An-Nur Volume 5, Issue 2

Page 7

Winter Activities

designer labels on my clothes now. They

aren’t even in the height of fashion.

They’re serviceable, both to cover and

leave my figure undefined. I don’t need

to worry about some dirty stranger

looking me up and down, because if he is,

he can’t see anything.

And I’m free. No longer a slave of

fashion, to the wants of a society that

demands that I wear clothing like a second

skin, spend hours biting my nails over my

figure, stand in front of a mirror every

morning making sure I was perfect. Not

knowing for who or what, always

knowing never for myself.

It was enough to be unobtrusive

because I wasn’t chained. And without

the shackles, it was enough to be Muslim,

to be South Asian, to be woman. It was

more than enough to be me.

Three Strikes (cont.)

after clipping of the rich, gluttonous, and

famous. Individuals with Prozac days and

whiskey nights. These were the people I

admired? There were clothing labels --

this defined me?

And as if overcome with madness, I

began snatching out glued pictures, tearing

out the flashing smiles of models with

empty eyes, ripping out the snapshots of

actors with sunken cheeks -- muttering

over and over again, ―What are you? What

are you to me? You don’t belong here,

you are nothing to me, nothing!‖

I had kept nothing that was me and

everything that wasn’t. I was a full-

fledged liar -- and the best part was,

everyone knew it but me.

Well, as you can see, there are no

(Continued from page 5)

MAS-ICNA Annual Convention

―Muslims Citizens of the West:

Rights, Duties, and Prospects‖

Wed. Dec. 24th to Sun. Dec. 28

Hyatt Regency: Chicago, IL

More Info: www.masnet.org or www.icna.org

ISNA's First Annual

West Zone Regional Conference ―Islam: Guidance and Compassion‖

Long Beach Convention Center:

Long Beach, CA

December 25-27, 2003

More Info: www.isna.net

Texas Dawah Annual Conference III ―Where Then, Are You Going?‖

Crowne Plaza Hotel: Houston, TX

Dec. 24th-27th, 2003

More Info: www.themasjid.org/conference

Reviving The Islamic

Spirit Conference ―We are coming back, bigger, better,

and stronger than before‖

Metro Toronto Convention Centre:

Toronto, Canada

Jan. 2nd – 4th, 2004

More Info: www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com/conference/

6th Annual National

Young Adult Conference ―Developing The Model Community

Envisioned By Our Forefathers‖

Atlanta, GA

Dec. 18th-21st, 2003

More Info:www.calltohumanity.org/

Al-Maghrib Institute Seminar

“Conquest: History of the Khulafaa”

Taught by:

Muhammad Al-Shareef

College Park, MD Dec. 5-

7/12-14; New Brunswick, NJ

Jan 9-11/16-18; Houston, TX

Feb 13-15/20-22; Fairfax, VA

Mar. 12-14/19-21

More Info: www.almaghrib.org

An-Nur Volume 5, Issue 2

Page 8

Creative Writing

An Ode to a Friend by Chancey Gannett

This fall semester, 2003

A friend was introduced to me

With open doors, I was greeted

A gesture that I truly needed

To this friend I always run

Uphill climbs from Math are fun

No matter how my day has been

She always seems to make me grin

Of Allah, she always reminds me

Praying or studying with her you’ll find me

I always meet her before my class

Go to lecture . . . I think I’ll pass

But toward good she always does lead

A good education is something you need!

So for a few moments I’m afraid we must part

But only until I can get out of art

I turn to my friend for a shoulder to cry on

And when I’m sleepy, a floor I can lie on

Pray your sunnah, and with her, your fard

Did my friend give you a library card?

If reading’s your thing, she can lend you a book

Her microwave’s yours, if you wanted to cook

In Ramadan if you’re on campus late

This friend of mine will make you a plate

And with all of her brothers and sisters you’ll find

Such a great feeling that’s one of a kind

Even if just for prayer in congregation

Come see my friend, it’s an open invitation

So when you meet her, leave your shoes at the door

She’s Cole Field house, 0204

All praise, all thanks are Yours

Open the mystery of Divine doors

Creator and Sustainer of everything

No greater sovereign, no greater King

Possessor of all mercy, Mercy-Giving

Master of the Day when believers rejoice

Granter of Wisdom, Giver of Choice

You alone we seek, a slavery of Love

Make easy for us total obedience

Like the innocent dove

We beg your assistance night and day

For those with Your displeasure

Will have all hell to pay

Protect us from going astray

O Beloved, envelop us in Your Mercy

Honor us with Your forgiveness

Let us be with those most beloved to You

Ya Wadood, Ya Wadood, Ya Wadood

In this life and the Life to Come

Shine though us Light and Wisdom

And protect us from becoming

Blind, deaf and dumb

Ameen, ya Allah, ya Rabb al Alameen

Allah, the Most High, the Most Near

by Omar Khan

An-Nur Volume 5, Issue 2

Page 9

Community Corner F-a-T was Phat

All photos by Muslim Students’ Association, http://www.msa-umd.org

A Birds-Eye View

Above left, members of University Administration, Muslim Chaplain Ali Darwish, seated with campus officials. Above right, So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.) representative Michelle Maslov discusses programs of the food shelter.

Left, Dr. James Osteen, Director of the Stamp Student Union and Campus Activities, speaks at the Fast-a-Thon. Dr. Osteen partici-

pated in the day-long fast and described his experience to atten-dees and media. Above, a number of University students who participated in the fast from a variety of religious backgrounds.

University of Maryland at College Park

P.O. Box 44, Stamp Student Union

College Park, MD 20742

Email: msa_umcp@yahoo.com

WWW.MSA-UMD.ORG

WWW.MWM-UMD.ORG

T H E M U S L I M S T U D E N T S ’ A S S O C I A T I O N

Islamic Puzzles

An-Nur Volume 5, Issue 2

Page 10

Islamic Vocabulary

by Sherihan Youssef

Across Down

3. Nation-Islam 1. Forenoon

5. House of Allah 2. Purification -$

10. Invitation- Islam 4. Migration - begins

11. Peace 6. 7th Month

12. Mountain located south-east of

Makkah

7. Proclamation of the

oneness of God - Arabic

15. Name of Allah - The Mighty 8. Leader

16. Holiday- the concluding act of

pilgrimage (3)

9. The religious law of Islam

17. The way of Prophet Muhammed 13. Prophet Muhammed (_ _ _ _)

19. Pillar 14. Akhlaq

21. Qadar 18. Covering- protection

22. One thousand months -

Ramadan (3)

20. Struggle in achieving

the ways of Allah

1

2 3 4

5

6 7 8 9

10 11

12

13

14 15

16

17

18 19 20

21

22

Created with EclipseCrossword — www.eclipsecrossword.com

MSA Officers

President: Mohamed Abutaleb

Vice-President: Raef Haggag

VP Sister’s Affairs: Sali Mahmoud

VP Masjid Aff.: Abdullah Valanzola

Public Relations: Haris Khan

Secretary: Sommer Abdel-Wahab

Treasurer: Farhat Noor

MSA Chaplain: Ali Darwish

MWM Officers

President: Sarah Boyle

Vice-President: Sali Mahmoud

Secretary: Saman Ahmed

Treasurer: Asfa Lohani

Public Relations: Uzma Faridi

SGA Liaison: Aisha Hyder

Newsletter Staff

Co-Editors-in-Chief:

Mohamed Abutaleb (Reporters)

Saman Ahmed (Copy Editors)

Asfa Lohani (Layout)

Staff Writers:

Mohamed Abutaleb

Sarah Boyle

Taqiyyah bint Dawud

Chancy Gannett

Fasiha Khan

Omar Nawaz Khan

Sherihan Youssef

Copy Editors:

Saman Ahmed (Lead)

Chancey Gannett

Fasiha Khan

Page Editors:

Asfa Lohani (Lead)

Uzma Faridi

Kausar Sajjad