May 2015

AL BAYYAN A UIC MSA PUBLICATION

ISSUE 5

Growth

“Don’t be in such a hurry to condemn a person because he doesn’t do what you do, or think as you think. There was a time when you didn’t know what you know today.” Malcolm X

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MAY 2015

Do you bro?

Footprints of Jannah

We probably all know of the story of how alcohol became prohibited in Islam.Originally, it was addressed as something harmful.

Over time it became prohibited to be drunk while salaah. Ultimately, a revelation came which completely banned its consumption.

Allah (SWT) understands human nature. We learn in stages. From checkpoint to checkpoint we take the skills and lessons we learn and apply them until we learn the next set.

This is the same way we mature and grow.

We learn little by little, piece by piece. As a species we learn from our mistakes. We make mistakes and we correct them. We make new mistakes and make new corrections. It is a cycle that continues until we die.

A close friend once told me that in order to mature you have to undergo three events in your lifetime: 1) Fail at something you love. The way you react will determine your strength 2) Fail again.Your reaction to this will determine if your mind and body has the patience to be true to yourself.

3) Heartbreak. This doesn’t have to be a relationship. (An example could be someone who loves basketball and tore his ACL and can't play anymore. This is extremely heartbreaking.)

It can be anything that you once loved and had a passion for betray you. The way you react to this will determine if you have the ability to forgive and move on to bigger and better things.

Growth occurs at its own pace for each individual. Live at your pace and go through life at the speed you want, not what you see around you.

Who cares if he graduates in four years and you graduate in five? Who cares if she gets married at 21 and you get married at 26?

Who cares if he is making money now and you have to wait until after graduate school?

We all grow at different paces and different ways. The only thing we have to remember is to never stop growing. Keep moving forward and God will take care of the rest.

Thabit ibn Nu’man-- the Father of Imam Abu Hanifa There lived a young pious man by the name of Thabit ibn Nu’man who constantly looked for knowledge and used to give all his time to this cause; but he was poor. Due to extreme hunger, Thabit left home one day and ended up heading towards one of the apple gardens on the roadside. One of the apple trees had a few branches hanging outside the fence. His inner self started whispering to him to eat an apple to remove his hunger and that no one would see him. After all, the apple garden wouldn't be affected by the absence of only one apple. In a fit of desperation, he took and apple and ate half of it.

Soon after, he became so overcome with guilt that he said to himself, “Woe unto me! How can I eat someone else’s fruits without his permission? I make it binding upon myself not to leave this place until I find the owner of this garden and ask him to forgive me for having eaten one of his apples.” So he went to go find the owner of the garden and when he found him, Thabit ibn Nu’man said, “I entered your garden that borders the river, and I took this apple and ate half of it.Then I remembered it does not belong to me, and so I ask you now to excuse me for having eaten it and to forgive me for my mistake.” To his surprise, the owner said “I will forgive you on one condition- that you marry my daughter.” Then the owner added, “But you must know that my daughter is deaf, dumb (unable to speak), and blind.” Thabit pondered upon this. How can he have relations with a woman who does not speak, see, or hear? After some thinking, Thabit realized that he had committed a great crime and reminded himself that accepting the condition and thereby absolving himself of the sin is far better than the foul

Adil M. Shoeb

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matters of the Hellfire. After all, the days in this world are limited and the Hereafter is everlasting. So he agreed to marry the man’s daughter. On the day of the marriage he saw her for the first time. When he saw her grace and beauty, he was reminded of what he would see when he would imagine the fair maidens of paradise. She stood up before him and said,“Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.”

After a brief pause he said, “What is this? She indeed speaks, hears and sees.”

He then told her what her father said earlier.

She said, “My father has spoken the truth. He said I was mute because I do not speak any forbidden word, and I have never spoken to any man who is not lawful to me! And I am indeed deaf in the sense that I have never sat in a gathering in which there is backbiting, slander, or false and vain speech! And I am indeed blind, in the sense that I have never looked upon a man who is not permissible for me!”

This beautiful story tells us the meaning of sincerity, honesty, and self-restraintbeautiful qualities that have become so scarce. If Thabit ibn Nu’man wanted, he could have eaten the apple and left.

No one saw Thabit ibn Nu’man eat the apple either; but he was so conscious of his actions and remembered that no matter where he went Allah was always looking over him. What would we have done if we were in his place? Would we feel guilty? If we did feel regret for taking the apple, would we go as far as to finding the owner of the garden and accepting any condition he had for forgiveness? SubhaanAllah!

Allah bestowed upon this pious couple a son who became known as the Imam of Imams, Lamp of the Ummah, one of the most prestigious, truthful, abstinent and wise- Imam Abu Hanifa (RA).

The Long Winding Road

The Raindrop

An overcast hangs over us Light always comes and goes On this long winding road The end of which only He knows

A raindrop glides its way down, from the Base of the leaf, all the way Down to the tip. It hangs on for dear life, But the situation is inevitable.

The leaf lets it go, dropping the drop Down to earth, regretting the decision To break the trust they formed with each other.

The drop braces itself for impact.

Musa Chaudhry

ABB

It has its twists and turns Sometimes smooth sometimes rough Ignoring the faults the path has In no way is that being tough Running through it all Feeling invincible at times Never do we stop and think None of this is mine Pictures in our heads Going to rise above the fray Do we ever stop and ponder About somehow losing our way The end is the real goal How are we going to ignore that?

Gonna lose sight of what matters Sometimes we are gonna fall flat Perfection we cannot attain Darkness can plague our hearts Place my faith in the Almighty Now we know where to start

Confession of a Deathbed

Ibrahiem Mohammad

Plop.

It crashes into the sidewalk, breaking form, Expanding and spreading, Creating a pool for ants to drown in.

The drop lies here, alone and lonely, Occasionally inviting more drops from the tree, Until the sun dries and absorbs its life, And it evaporates into nothingness.

In a dark corner of the room Lies a bed seldom remembered but often used It lays there silently, as the dying come and go Whispering to it their regrets— “If only I had made the right mistakes” “And learned from the wrong ones” “If only I had forgiven those who angered me” “And sought forgiveness from those I angered” As it listen to these words, it cannot help but wonder Why they waited till their last few seconds To say what they had known for all their lives

Grow Nuha Abdelrahim

One day I was born One day I was young One day I was old One day I died

There will always be hope nearby Don’t let the whispers cloud your view Falling off the path isn’t unheard of Get back on and begin anew On this long winding road Find yourself and define your name Look back at the end of it all Will you ever truly be the same?

ISSUE 5

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The Farewell Addresses Dear MSA Family,

I am not a fan of goodbyes and that is not what this is. This is a thank you letter. I have been at UIC for 4 years now, and MSA has played a huge part in my college experience. I never had a Muslim friend before I came to UIC. Although my first interaction with Muslims at UIC did not come from an official event that the MSA held, it really embodied what MSA is and what it has been for me these past 4 years. I was a lost freshman walking around Student Center East and that is when Ibrahim Afzal recognized me from a local masjid I used to attend.

He said Salaam and invited me to lunch that day. I will never forget this small act Ibrahim did for me. He did not have to go out of his way to invite a stranger to lunch, but he did anyway. Forget the events, halaqas and IAWs-- that all means nothing without sincerity. Through Ibrahim, I met so many Muslims at UIC and many of them quickly became some of my closest friends. I felt like I was part of a second family at UIC MSA. Although the faces have changed in the MSA during my time here, the spirit remains the same. The people here are special. It is pretty crazy if you think about it. People here do so

much for this community. They never do it for recognition. They hardly ever run for shura. But if you go to the Illinois Room two hours after the IAW dinner is over, you will see people cleaning. Anybody can be a shura member or president of the MSA, but it takes special people to go out of their way to take upon responsibility without getting even a simple thank you. The reason I love this MSA is that I can name about 100 people fit that description, and there are many more whose names I do not know. This MSA has an overabundance of generous, selfless people willing to go out of their way to serve. That is what makes this community special. The people who had the biggest impact on me during my time here were the ones who did priceless things for this MSA silently and humbly. You guys showed me that Islam is not just rhetoric speech and preaching. Through your guys’ actions I witnessed the beauty of Islam. Thank you.

I also cannot write this thank you letter without thanking everyone I served on shura with. Azfar Sharif, Imran Qasim, Saima Yaseen, Hassan Shamsuddin, Nayela Hoda, Muntaser Qutub, Umamah Fatima,

Ibrahim Afzal, Umair Haseeb, Medihah Syed, Wasia Hussain, Juvaria Shamsuddin, Sumaya Aman, Maaria Shamsuddin, Biann Abu Elreish, Aya Qutub, Mohammed Abuakar, Tul Elsiddig, Zamaan Sohel, Asal Wahdan, Maryam Muhammad, Wafa Yusuf, Hassan Natour, Saif Qutub, Saad Farooqui, Mohammed Kamran, Bilal Ghani, and Hossam El Shikh -- Thank you guys for remaining patient with me. Thank you for showing me what it means to serve with sincerity. Thank you for teaching me the values of teamwork. Thank you for being role models. Thank you for making the MSA awesome with your drive to serve.

Thank you UIC MSA. Thank you for showing me what it means to be Muslim through action. Thank you for overseeing my flaws. Thank you for being there for the past 4 years for me. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face after every bad exam.You guys have given me so much, but I still can’t help but ask for your forgiveness for all my shortcomings whether as a brother, a friend, or a leader.

Sincerely with love, Adil Qaisar

Shoutouts to Adil!

Adil Qaisar, I have been a part of this MSA for a long time. And I’ve known you for even a longer time.

I just want you to know that you were the best MSA president I have experienced in my years at UIC MSA.You weren’t afraid to listen to others.You grew into a mature, sincere, wise, and thoughtful human being mA. -Anonymous 4

Shoutout to Adil Qaisar for being Shoutout to Adil for being the perG.O.A.T. -Anonymous fect leader. Strict when he needed to be, easy going when it was approShoutout to Adil for using the MSA priate. office for doing homework in the -Anonymous dark -Twins Shoutout to Adil for being relentTHANK YOU ADIL AND UMA- less when it comes to Madden. Still YR FOR THE MSA SIDE VIDEOS waiting for a rematch.

-Farooq THEY KEPT US GOING. -I speak on behalf of us all

A Bit Of A Confession.

Rewind to April 2012. A senior in highschool, I had to decide where I’d spend the next couple of years of my life. I had three choices (that mattered to me): UCLA, NYU, and UIC. The fact that I’m writing for AlBayyan probably gives away what I had to choose. I know it’s a first-world-problem, but at the time, this decision was so important to me. I hated UIC. I didn’t know much about it and didn’t want to learn about anyway. I didn’t even know about UIC MSA and didn’t want to learn about it either cause I thought MSAs were just about people getting married or something. I was a naïve and unthankful freshie to say the least. I kept thinking of what could have been, where I could have been, and so on.

But boy was I wrong about pretty much everything. I’m about a week from graduating insha’Allah and now it’s so difficult saying goodbye. I had three choices again for graduate school: Texas A&M, IUPUI, and UIC (West campus), and this time I happily chose UIC because I don’t mind being walking distance from some of the best people and places, alhamdulillah.

I didn’t realize it then but I’ve realized with time that Allah(SWT) Knows what’s best for me, what’s best for us,

and His Plan is the best one.

UIC and UIC MSA have become a huge part of my life alhamdulillah. The sisterhood I’ve experienced here isn’t one I can be thankful enough for. I’m afraid there isn’t enough space in this newsletter to write down every loving name and every learning experience.

May Allah(SWT) Reward each and every one of you for all you have done for me, even if it was just giving me a fist bump. May He bless you all with even better company than mine. And may He Reunite us in Jannat’l Firdaws.

Ameen.Thank you all for every. single. thing. JazakumAllahu khairan.

I know I didn’t give 100% justice to my position on shura this year. I know I wasn’t the best leader UIC MSA might have had. I’m afraid the shoes were too big to fill in from the start. So I ask you all to forgive me for my shortcomings this year and the years before it. Forgive anything that may have hurt you or bothered you or annoyed you out of your mind, whether intentional or unintentional. And if you can’t remember anything, forgive me anyway.

And finally, some advice to myself first and my brothers and sisters at UIC: Cherish this sisterhood/brotherhood we have. Cherish and value every moment. Our MSA fam is unlike any other alhamdulillah, and we’re all so

blessed to be a part of it. To next year’s shura members, know that you all have a huge responsibility and amanah, and a great opportunity for khayr. Remember to try to please Him before anyone else. And to those of you who won’t be shura members next year, know that you can still contribute greatly to what we do as an MSA. Alhamdulillah I was able to begin a sisters Qur’an class my freshman year that has continued ever since; you all can do much more. To everyone: remember Rasulullah(S)’s advice to young ‘Abdullah ibn Abbas (R): “…Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you.

If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” [Tirmidhi] Alhamdulillah = All Praise and Thanks are to Allah.

Stay blessed fam, Your sister in Islam, Maryam B. Muhammad

Shoutouts to Maryam!

Shoutout to Maryam Muhammad.

Maryam you’re a very humble person. I admire your practice of the deen on the simplest of things such as mannerisms.You made me feel like a part of the community. Thank you and good luck for the future.

-Suman Maryam Muhammad, you're a G. -Maria Quadri ISSUE 5

Shoutout to Maryam for giving the me. Fikr not! XD. Love, Hiba best hugs and making my life better with her smiling face. -Nayela Hoda Shoutout to Maryam Muhammad for always reminding us that we have To My Beloved Maryam, you have a greater purpose in this world. I been such a blessing in my life since, am going to miss seeing you around I stepped into UIC. Mein tumhai kya on campus! May Allah SWT bring bataon.You are amongst the many nothing but great health, happiness, people here who remind me of my and success to you and your family.

Lord! Just because we are graduatI love you Maryam! <3. -Sabreen ing doesn't mean you will be rid of Arman 5

The Real Party Sana Thaseen

So, I guess I’m leaving.

Nearing graduation, in’sha’Allah.

Feelings? Bittersweet. My feelings last year? Absolute devastation.

Let me explain why...You see, last year, I was on the Islam Awareness Week committee. Being on the IAW committee was something very different for me, something very new, something very exciting. The cherry on top was the absolutely amazing bunch of sisters we had on the committee. Preparing for everything in the weeks preceding Islam Awareness Week felt like riding a roller coaster that kept going up and up. It was too thrilling. Then came Islam Awareness Week and it was pure euphoria. The committee members were behind the scenes, in front of the scenes, left, right, taking care of everything small, big, expected, unexpected, it was all too fast-paced and insanely exhilarating. Life was amazing, life was exciting, life was just too much fun. I was literally on drugs that week (okay, not literally..).

But, then, guess what happened? Islam Awareness Week ended. (balloon deflates) Uh-oh.

It was... Over? The roller coaster ride came to an end. I was a little in disbelief at first; the week the committee’s been waiting for all year was actually... Over? Mad withdrawal symptoms overtook me. And, guess what? I cried. I know, pathetic, right? (She cried?)

Yes, guys, I cried. I felt like I had reached the peak of last year, maybe even of my undergraduate career here at UIC, and it was, just, over.

I know these feelings might sound a little extreme, they kind of do a 6

little to me too now... But it’s what I felt last year.You know what didn’t help? Knowing that I was graduating the next year and leaving UIC. You know what else didn’t help? A close friend of mine who was older than me sharing with me then that, yes, after undergrad, people go on to graduate school, begin their careers, get married, have children, and that’s all a lot of fun and stuff...

But there’s nothing like undergrad.

No matter how much fun you might have in life after undergrad, there’s simply nothing like your undergraduate years. Nothing.Yeah... That didn’t help.

So, before beginning this year, I was sick to my stomach thinking I was leaving UIC. And then I began this year and, I don’t know, did some thinking. Why exactly was I so sad, so depressed that I was leaving? I mean, at the end, we’re all just gonna die anyways, right? Okay.. Maybe I can rephrase that. I was sad because I thought the party was ending. But, I thought, in reality... Was this where we were meant to party? Yeah.. I went there.

What do my years here at UIC as an undergraduate student signify? In the grand scheme of things? Honestly, in the grand scheme of things, all that matters is any and every good I could have possibly done as an undergraduate student during my time here at UIC. That’s all. Any good that I could have possibly done in my role as a student, in my interactions with my professors, in my interactions with my peers... That’s all. This was my chapter, it’s coming to a close, my deeds as an undergraduate student here in this temporary life

will be sealed. In’sha’Allah. I was sad that I’m leaving the party? Honey, this was never my party. This was never our party.You see, life is just that. It’s a series of mini chapters.

One chapter ends, another begins.

And you are tested in each. and. every. single. chapter. Whether it be your academic career, professional career, marriage, parenthood...

Every chapter.

Instead of focusing on the fun I felt I was leaving behind, I should be focusing more on Allah (swt) accepting the good that I’ve done and could possibly still do in the remaining chapters of this temporary life. At the end, only our deeds are what truly matter. My overwhelming feelings of sadness were largely unnecessary realizing that the primary purpose of this dunya was not for us to have fun and party; we were sent here on a mission. It is crucial that we constantly remind ourselves of our mission here. Any fun and merriment Allah (swt) does grant us in this dunya is a blessing and we should be grateful for that. But we shouldn’t fall prey to believing that’s what we’re here for.

But, then, wait, where is my party? I still want a party. Well, our party was promised to us.

“Trays of gold and cups will be passed round them, (there will be) therein all that the one’s inner-selves could desire, all that the eyes could delight in, and you will abide therein forever.This is the Paradise which you have been made to inherit because of your deeds which you used to do (in the life of the world).”

(Qu’ran 43:71-72)

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in this land anyways. That is simply a false narrative, and untrue.

Let’s take a look around, and the proof is right in front of us. Why do we, as a society, care more about what Kim Kardashian tweeted, or Kanye West said, than the fact that the south side of Chicago, and the inner cities in general, is literally a war zone? If a child was murdered in a nice suburban town with a nice school and picket fences, then that story would be seen as a tragedy. I could see the headline now: A young child, full of potential, taken from us before he could fully blossom.

I have a question then. Why do we The Value of Life not treat the deaths and murders Musa Chaudhry of kids in more impoverished areas with the same weight and empathy?

Another unarmed African Let me answer my own question.

American, by the name of Freddie Because we do not see these kids as Gray, was killed, while in police custody, due to excessive force, and full of potential, but rather we see them as troubled youth, and their the officers will probably get off eventual death was inevitable. A kid scott-free. Now, I’m not trying to from the suburbs is worth more, turn this into another political and social rights article regarding police according to the world around us, than a kid from the “ghetto.” Why brutality, but I am rather using this latest instance as a jumping off point is this acceptable? Why do we look the other way? I thought we were all for a larger question, a larger discussion, if you will. The question we human. We are all people, and the should be asking is not why so many blood that runs through our veins is the same color. of these types of incidents seem to

Do you know the reason be happening, but rather why do why so many of these casualties at we find the need to assess individthe hands of police go unpunished? ual values to individual lives? Why, Because the people that are being as a society, do we hold one man’s murdered are seen as troubled worth above another? We live in a members of society, who did not country that preaches equality and deserve the air that they breathed. certain freedoms that other places in the world may never achieve, yet Isn’t that the reason why the news one thing has been made abundantly finds it necessary to bring up a clear as the years have gone by. None victim’s arrest record and personal history when they are gunned of us are equal, and we aren’t even down? Remember Tamir Rice, who necessarily free, not in this society,

A magnificent Promised Land where enjoyment and festivities are never ending. Now, that’s one party I don’t want to miss.

In’sha’Allah. So, I say, UIC, yes, you will be missed. But I will check you as a chapter complete and look forward to my next chapter, and the chapter after that. May Allah (swt) accept the good that we do and may we pass these mini tests with flying colors. Ameen.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m excited. I’m excited for our real party to begin.

ISSUE 5

THE BLOOD THAT RUNS THROUGH OUR VEINS IS THE SAME COLOR.

was 12 years old before police offers rolled up and gunned him down as if they were executing a drive by?

Remember him? Well, the news couldn’t find any criminal activity on hi to report, so they brought up his father’s domestic violence. Eric Garner was killed, and they said he was selling untaxed cigarettes. Trayvon was killed, and “he was high,” so he deserved it.

These people are painted as thugs, who, because of their past crimes and “accused” crimes, deserved what they got.

Let’s take a look at another example now, shall we? We live in a country whose government sends drones to the Middle East and delivers nothing but death and destruction.You know what the members of this country seem to be saying? That they deserve it. The civilians and children deserve an early death, paying for the sins of others. Islam, according to too many people, is a cancer and must be cured, thus there is no empathy for those being killed by the drones that this country is sending over.

If the value of our life was truly equal, then we would mourn those deaths like we mourned 9/11, except our mourning would never end. We would mourn forever, for the lives lost of the people who did not deserve it. But those kids and civilians killed are “savages” practicing a religion that preaches “hate and continued on page 8

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oppression,” thus they deserve to die. We are privileged to be living in a country where we are supposed to be free from oppression, yet we are also cursed and powerless against those in a position of power, those who preach violence and hate, not by their words but by their actions.

Why do our differences lead us to hate and despise a complete stranger? Even in the Muslim community I have heard people claim and say that they, for example, “hate gays and hope they all die” and all of this other nonsense against complete strangers that we do not know, and do not understand, yet we are all surprised when strangers preach hate against us for what we believe. Again, in the instance I mentioned above, we use the differences between us and another as a reason to hate on an individual that we have never met, and we automatically assess their value as less than us.

And not to simply use members of our community as an example, because every single person who is alive has assessed somebody else’s worth based on some differences between them, even if they have never met, and this is complete nonsense. However, I have fallen into this trap as well, and that is exactly what it is, a trap. It is a trick that the devil plays on us, and we fall for it more often than not.

I have a theory which states that true equality is unattainable, because as long as we live in a society that judges the value of life on an individual basis, then inherently, we will have certain individuals worth more than others. It is simply a fact.

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However, that does not mean that we should completely give up on the dream, and maybe one day I will be proven wrong. But to truly be able to change where we live, and change the outlook of society as a whole, we must first look within ourselves. It sounds clichéd, I know, but as long as we feel hate or anger toward certain individuals and toward ourselves, then we should not expect society to change to a more accepting way of life.

We must be the change we wish to see in the world.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has an superiority over an Arab; nor a black has any superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over a whiteexcept by piety and good action.

Growth is...

Growth is maturing emotionally, cognitively, and socially.

-Suman Choudhry Growth is changing as a person for the better and learning from your mistakes.

-Wsmah Siddiqui Growth can be intellectually by learning to look at the world in multiple perspectives.

-Manar Ihmud Growth is realizing that how you are is not always how you should be.

-Asma Maghribi To more than merely look back at the past, but to learn and accept it as you work to move forward is growth.

-Nabeeha Hussain I never lose. When I win, I win. And when I lose I learn and grow from those mistakes. Changing to fit into life’s course and adapting to face the hardships through people and your past experiences.

-Sarah Basheer Growth is realizing that His Plan is better than ours and to put our trust in Him always.

-Maryam Muhammad Growth is when we realize our social, emotional and religious responsibilities and try to fulfill them.

-Heba Khaden Growth is forceful, yet natural.

-Sumaya Aman

Last Name

FR The day I find a man who will change his last name to mine I swear to you right then I will change mine to his but for a man who changes nothing about his life and asks of me to change my name to rip my heart out of the place I have always called home and to place it at his bedside table a man who then says to me home is where the heart is I say no.

And for those of you who say to me that my last name is a manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to begin with my name does not belong to any one man my name does not belong to any one woman my name belongs to every man and every woman in my family who identifies with my name every man and every woman who has worked night and day to keep this family going to keep this family together my name belongs to every man and every woman in my familywho identifies with this name And you can tell me that I am overreacting you can tell me that I am crazy but can you tell me how this began?

I want to know. Can you tell me why so many people believe that in order to prove to the world that she is committed that she is married ISSUE 5

that she is a perfectly normal individual a woman must change her last name when she decides to build a life together with another individual now the key word here is together she is not building a life for someone she is not building a life under someone she is not signing herself up for subordination and for those of you that tell me marriage is supposed to be a joyous event that marriage is supposed to be a journey that marriage means gaining a partner why do I feel so much loss why do I feel so much guilt why do I feel like the bones in my back are chipping away under the weight of this unknown burden why do I feel like I am selling myself like I am abandoning all of my desires my hopes for adventure why is it that when I say okra makes me queasy my mother says I should get in the habit of eating everything not because being wasteful is a sin not because Allah made okra and it is just as perfect as my favorite vegetable, the potato but because when I get married it is unacceptable

for a woman to tell her husband that just like him she has preferences to tell her husband that just like him she has dreams to tell her husband that just like him she makes mistakes but just like him they do not define her to tell her husband that just like him she is important and my mother has never said this but from the way she sacrifices even the smallest things every day from what her favorite color is to what she feels like wearing I can tell for reasons I do not understand that it is unacceptable for a woman to tell her husband that there are things in the world of which more than him, she is capable to tell her husband that more than him, she is strong So before you come and ask me to change my last name Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll tell you this The day I find a man who will change his last name to mine I swear to you right then I will change mine to his but for a man who changes nothing about his life and asks of me to change my name to rip my heart out of the place I have always called home and to place it at his bedside table a man who then says to me home is where the heart is I say no.

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•

• ••••••••••••• Name: Khalil Suliman Year: Senior Shura Position: Technology Chair Future Plans: America’s Next Top Model or Software Engineer Interesting Fact: I love Pokemon and Smash Bros.

Most used phrase: “Why not?”

•••••••••••••••••• Name: Asal Wahdan Year: Junior Shura Position: Sisters’ President Future Plans: To Travel.

Interesting Fact: I can rap, yes this is true.

Favorite Quote/Most used Phrase: "If you're feeling frightened about what comes next, don't be. Embrace the uncertainty. Allow it to lead you places. Be brave as it challenges you to excercise both your heart and your mind as you create your own path toward happiness; don't waste time with regret. Spin wildly into your next action. Enjoy the present, each moment, as it comes, because you'll never get another one quite like it. And if you should ever look up and find yourself lost, simply take a breathe and start over. Retrace your steps and go back to the purest place in your heart... Where you're hope lives, you'll find your way again." Oh and Peace and Love!

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Name: Abdul Basith Basheer aka ABB Year: Junior Shura Position:Brothers events coordinator Future Plans: to visit the place I've been apart from for so long, Hyderabad, after graduating and getting an engineering job. Also one day iA stay in the presence of the ulema in a capacity where I can truly appreciate their devotion and love of Allah and this beautiful religion. Provide for my parents what they have provided for me for so long: love, care, and security.

Interesting Fact: reigning MSA three-point champion Favorite Quote: “Although the road is never ending, take a step and keep walking, do not look fearfully into the distance...On this path let the heart be your guide for the body is hesitant and full of fear.”

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Name: Zeba Siddiqui Year: Senior Shura Position: Secretary Future Plans: Medicine (Pediatric Neonatology) iA Interesting Fact: I have a unique name that no one thus far has pronounced correctly on their first try.

Favorite Quote: “Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we don't have to say anything” - Khaled Hosseini

Name: Sarra Wahdan Year: Junior Shura Position: Sisters Public Outreach Future Plans: To either be the Princess of Genovia or to in’shaa’Allah find a math related career (like actuary or analyst).

Interesting Fact: I'm a proud sponsor of Starbucks. Alhamdulillah Starbucks will never go out of business thanks to yours truly. But just in case that wasn't interesting, I'm also a die hard Blackhawks fan.

Favorite Quote: "You have failed this city."-The Green Arrow aka Oliver Queen

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••••••••••••• Name: Imanie Eldably Year: Sophomore Shura Position: Sister’s Education Future Plans: Child Psychologist (in’sha’Allah) InterestingFact: Beauty marks in Arabi are also called hasanat (good deeds) and every time Mama told me to help her around the house I thought I was supposed to get one.

So I would literally wait for it to show up and cried for a good week before I knew that’s not exactly how it works.

Favorite Quote: “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” C.S. Lewis

Name: Hassan Natour Year: Sophomore Shura Position: Brothers’ Education Chair Future Plans: Insha'Allah my ultimate goal is to be an Imam as well as an islamic teacher aiming to serve the servants of allah through a spiritualistic/I'lm aspect. With the will of Allah (swt) I plan on studying abroad in one of the muslim countries. In terms of secular knowledge, my goal is to pursue my PhD in Psychology with an emphasis on clinical/counseling psychology.

Interesting Facts: Doctors have diagnosed me with the disease known as netflixitis. Eating is a passion of mine. My all time favorite movie is and will always be Harry Potter. I failed my Drivers License test the first time. Due to my O.C.D., cleaning/organizing is an absolute obsession of mine.

Favorite Quote: "The sign of a beautiful person is that they always see beauty in others."

-Omar Suleiman​

Name: Zamaan Sayeed Sohel Year: Junior Shura Position: Brothers' President Future Plans: Practicing the Art and Science of Medicine Interesting Fact: I can play the trumpet Favorite Quote: "Be the change that you want to see. If there is a problem you want changed in the world, first fix that problem within yourself."

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Name: Aamna Ghafoor Year: Sophomore Shura Position: Sisters' Events Coordinator Future Plans: Be a better version of myself every day :)(inshaAllah) Interesting Fact: I have 2 obsessions: 1. caramel iced coffee and 2. the color yellow Most used phrase: "Bye, Felicia!"

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Name: Mohammed Kamran Year: Junior Shura Position: Treasurer/Food coordinator Future Plans: To achieve all of my goals Interesting Fact: I taught myself the piano Favorite Phrase: Patience, Prayer, Perseverance

••••••••••••••••••••• Name: Farooq Chaudhry Year: Freshman Shura Position: Brothers' Public Outreach Future Plans: lol Interesting Fact: My name isn't actually Farooq Favorite Quote: "If something disturbs the peace of your heart, give it up." -Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him.

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11

Sisters’ Crossword Puzzle

DOWN: 1) Rocks the scrubs and thobe look 3) Buff guy from Hassan Shamsudin 6) Drives a Mitsubishi Eclipse, GOAT butter chicken 8) Arab guy at Hassan Shamsuddin’s apartment

ACROSS: 5. Egyptian teacher 7. Lelas’s best friend 10. there are a lot of eyes in her future 11. a fish's best friend 12. cake 13. urdu-loving larki 15. Qur’an teacher 16. ___ is Bae 18. CatLady 19. BUDDDDYYY 21. find her at a SAFEHR bakesale DOWN 1. fish that can bake really good cupcakes 2. baker who skydives 3. off the market nutritionista 4. off the market Guatemalan 6. criminal j.k. criminology major 8. Amiga from Mexico 9. nicer than winter 14. ammu 17. future funny history teacher 20. TeaBags (chai ki pati)

Brothers’ Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS: 2) Loves biryani, Hassan Shamsuddin’s ex roommate, ECE major.

4) Either hating on Derrick Rose or studying 5) Psych major, Bilal Memon’s best friend, loves Ghareeb Nawaz 7) The brothers’ “Negative Nancy” but a very genuine, smart guy mA 9) GOAT shortstop for the upperclassmen softball team.

10) He will literally NEVER let someone else pay for food. His generosity is unparallelled.

11) Body builder, very social, hard working, graduated last semester.

Answers on Page 13 12

Shoutout to PD Crew- we did amazing, new ideas this year and iA looking forward to only better and further beneficial events for next year!

-Asma Maghribi Zara Raja, I rarely see you around, but when I do, my heart softens Alhamdulillah. Goes to show that even without seeing some of the closest people in your life, you know who you were divinely meant to always stay friends with. This is you. One of my first friends at UIC, literally the only first friend I had when I chose Aisha Mujtaba, you are my twin, you hijab. I will never forget that. Thank share my thoughts and feelings and I you, love. cannot be any more happier that you -Asma Maghribi are one of my closest, cutest friends.

To Ayman, Meri paindoo Irish dost Alhamdulillah for you. Can’t wait jis ko yeh msg samajh bhi naheen arfor next year iA! Huge shoutout to my role model and aha hoga! You have a beautiful heart brother from another mother, Sal- and your hard-work really inspires maan Azeem. Having recently just me (pshhh lol jk you lazy girl), but graduated this guy embodies what you still inspire me :P. I just want it means to be a man. I can guaran- you to know that iA you will become tee half of us wouldn’t be able to a fantastic optician, but more than overcome what he has gone through that you will become a beautiful wife these past few years. The way he did and mother one day. And know that it with such class and hard work is whatever obstacle comes your way in absolutely amazing. With a bright fu- life you will accomplish it for we are ture ahead at only 21 years old he is Team Jannat, we will overcome our a true role model for all brothers at difficulties iA. Love, Hiba UIC! -Adil Shoeb To Mustafa Jibawi: you’re one of the My baby Asal, because you are literally like a child it’s so precious.

“Asal jaan!” Counting the blessings that include you everyday, Alhamdulillah. Thank you for always making me smile. Literally went through everyday of this year with you. Thank you for all you’ve done, personally and for the MSA. If you ever felt any of your efforts went unappreciated, they didn’t- Allah SWT recorded every single one.

-Asma Maghribi

Shoutout to the most beautiful Felicias who challenge, inspire, and have good laughs with me. #FeliciasinIslam -Anonymous Shoutout to IAW Design Team- you are the reason dinner was beautiful.

I will always appreciate your great help and kindness -Asma Maghribi Imanie jaan, way too much to say! Alhamdulillah for our bond, the sweetness to my day comes from seeing you. You always bring up Allah SWT in every aspect of my life. So, one of His greatest gifts: when He brings me back to you.

-Asma Maghribi Power rangers: you all made coming to campus each day worth every second- you’re some of the best friend’s a guy can ask for, and thanks for all the love this year! -yellow

To Ronya Kawji: To friendships that will last a lifetime iA.You always find a way to brighten up my days. - Manar Ihmud

My roommates at #GOAT1418: you guys took in a confused little freshman, and gave me some direction and support. No telling where I’d being without you all. You’re all wonderful people, and thank you for this amazing freshman year! -Farooq

Shout out to my little freshies I will miss you guys so much <3.

-Shahina Khan Shoutout to the awesome Al Bayyan staff for doing a great job this year and especially to the EIC Fazila!

-Nayela Hoda

Shoutout to PD crew 2014-15.You guys are the best minus Bilal. #PDcrew5ever -Maheen

To Azhar Deeb: UIC won’t be the same without you next year. *tear tear* -Manar Ihmud

ISSUE 5

most kind people I have come across, and I consider it a blessing to be able to know you. Your silent greatness, humility, and beautiful character makes you one of the gems of this MSA. -Anonymous

Azfar Sharif: you’re by far one of the nicest, most sincere people I’ve ever met, and our entire MSA community looks up to you.Being in your company is a blessing, and I wish you nothing but the best.

-Anonymous 13

Shoutout to the Westside Hoodlums.

Junaid, Zain, Irfan, Nadeem, Zaid, Saad, Mir, Wasif, and Subhan are all amazing guys mA. And it was a pleasure to meet them and get to know them this year. They are the definition of what a squad really is.

-Anonymous

To the upperclassmen Brothers: Thank you for treating us all with respect, and as equals, and welcoming us all into this excellent MSA community as well as you have. The year wouldn’t have been the same without you all. -Underclassmen Shout out to Hossam for not only Shoutout to the real MSA poster being a GOAT Technology chair, children bc they diverse af. #Nige- but also for being the most loveable rian #Bangladeshi #Ethiopian #Pa- guy around! -Anonymous kistani #Palestinian Shoutout to Nayela. You’re now -Anonymous stuck with me for life.

Being part of this MSA has been a life-changing experience. So shoutout to every single one of you for making this MSA as amazing as it is!

- Farhan Khan

-Your Mahi for life and Jannah iA

Asal you’re one of my favorite people to be around. Sometimes you think your laugh is obnoxious or that Shoutout to the Felicias in Islam for you overreact or have irrational exkeepin it real 24/7. #squad #mon- citement over things, but those all have to be what I love most about eyteam -Anonymous you. Keep doing you girl!

Shoutout to Hiba Khaden. JazakAllah Wafa you just need to know that you for being a very nice person, influhave the ability to make a person hapence, and guide. My sophomore py from the inside and if that’s not an year the year I met you, you became ability an educator should possess, a pillar for my faith not only in the idk what is. - Anonymous Almighty but also in myself. I pray that wherever you go after UIC and Maryooma, you’re masri talkin, mawhatever you plan to do, you gain karuna bashamil lovin’ self will althe utmost success in this world and ways have a special place in my heart bc you have awaken a special part in the hereafter. -Suman it. - Jelly Cola Girl Shoutout to Urooba Nizami. You are Shoutout to my two best friends who an amazing person. The first girl I bring balance into my life. You guys ever met at UIC, and the most down are bae. -Shehzadi to earth. Good luck for the future.

Farhan Khan, you are a special soul.

-Suman Seeing you brings certain serenity to Raja, there is so much more to you my heart and all of my worries seem than what meets the eye. Alhamto leave me.You’re kind, sincere, and dulillah, I’ve been blessed to get a tad bit goofy (like me). Looking to know you this year. The world forward to our next butter chicken could use some more of people date. -Anonymous like you. We love you Raja! -Anonymous The MSA website is dope! You make Shout out to Junaid Khazi for helping us look as awesome as we are mA! anyone and everyone! -Anonymous Lol Good job Hossam! -Anonymous 14

Mohammed Mirza, congrats on doing Undergrad in like a year. And for being a G when it comes to having things down pat in terms of your Arabic/Deeni studies. Good luck at the seminary, and med school thereafter.

You are a genius in the truest sense.

-Anonymous Nour Asfour, your presence is always craved, don't know what we'll do in your absence. Thanks for being awesome fam. - shagara Thank you cheesecake for always putting a smile on my face. Ayesha Farooqui Shoutout to Raja Umayr-Amjad for making every time we hang out a memorable experience. I’ll never forget that elevator incident with you, me, Aaqib, Dan and Hatib.

That was pure gold! - Farhan Khan Hunain, you are one of the most genuine people I’ve ever come across.

May Allah swt preserve all of the wonderful qualities you possess and increase you in them. You are truly one of a kind. -Anonymous ABBG! Shoutout to my girl Saleha squared. Choti si munni is not so choti anymore! -Saleha #1 Shoutout to my roomies for being the best daratches in the world.

Love you! I’ll miss you guys so much! -Saleha Amreen Farooq, you are by far the coolest freshman I’ve come across in my years at UIC. As your older brother, I see in you immense potential.

You’re gonna do great things. May Allah swt continue to allow you to grow spiritually, intellectually, and morally. Ameen. -Anonymous Shoutout to the MSA for coming out to my Baba's janazah and always being there for me. -Ayesha Farooqui

Saleha, my cookie! One of my closest This is just one of your typical shout outs friends, you know every word that It’s for the seniors who made this semesI would say to describe our friend- ter splendid without a doubt ship, and it’s too much to fit in a To Apa for being a friend, a guide, and sentence. Thank you for every single the best of twin sisters thing you’ve done for me. You are To Maria baji from whom warmth and one of the greatest blessings I have compassion shimmers in this dunya, may Allah bring us To Ayman baji who made me laugh and back together in Jannah. And may He gave me advice bring us lots of cookies there, too. To Maryam baji whose company alone in -Asma Maghribi this world would suffice Saleha Amreen: Tusi ja rahe ho? Tus- To Sana baji for being sisterly and calling si na jao! :(. Ayman Tabani: Thanks me munna for putting up with me! #​Roti​And​ To Saleha baji who helped me win a Goshe​4Lyfe. TeaBags: Hey, remem- phone and does beautiful henna ber that one time? Khaden​Sisters:​ To Sumaya baji who is oh so affectionate Can you please adopt me? Sana and welcoming Khan: fyi, we’re soulmates, aH. Nada​ To Lina baji who has a heart both pure Abdelrahim:You ​got ​so much ​#​swag and loving that I can’t even handle it. FunSized:​ To Ayesha baji from whom sweetness P​lz teach me how to be beautiful. glows Nayela Hoda: you’re a good soul To all the seniors who I left out or don’t mA. Maheen Ahmed: I suspect that know you’re a superhero. Can I be your May Allah bless you all and keep you sidekick? Fazila Vhora: You define happy the strength, wisdom, and modesty In Shaa Allah may the gates of Jannah althat every girl should have mA. Sha- low you entry hina Khan: You’re a cool cat. #Ath -Maha K. #DatesAreLegit #TheFruit. Huma MADEAAAAA. DUDE, your exisQuadri: Floor directory tence makes me so happy.You keep do**All of the above shoutouts are by ing you girl! - Anonymous Maria Quadri Shoutout to WE DEM BOYZ, an unShoutout to the senior who’s been claiming to be a senior since fresh- forgettable group of guys that never cease to make me smile. -ABB man year. - Your freshies To Rowida Zatar: The most well put Owais, I remember when we first together freshmen out there.You are met; I was struck by how real of a person you were.You have rare qualilike a little sister to me! ties Owais that set you apart.You are -Manar Ihmud a gem of the UIC community. You’ve Congrats to Zubair V (The Jokhelped me more than you know, and er and my brother from another for that I thank you. Proud of you mother). Turn up at Midwestern. beta. -Anonymous -Batman Shoutout to the shura for being Shoutout to all my non-Mozlem great! -Nayela Hoda peeps who never judged when I had Shoutout to Ume, I love you. my foot in the sink.

-Anonymous -Senior with toes ISSUE 5

Shoutout to Ahlena, Asal, Annesti, and Turtle for being the best freshies.

-Nayela Hoda Amnah Mohammed, to a very sweet girl with a gentle heart, who is always busy yet somehow I see you quite often. Never once have you greeted me without a smile, or haven’t brought one to my face. I love our little talks and you. Stayed blessed.

Junaid Khazi: your incredible kindness, and the example you set for everyone has left an enormous impact on me, and I can’t thank you enough for it. May you be rewarded for all you’ve done for UIC and those who are lucky enough to know you.

-Anonymous Shoutout to...

Sumaya Aman for being the realest.

May Allah bless you with the best of this life and the next. Ameen.

The UIC MSA Sisters for being one of my main sources of joy, comfort, food, and love for all of my undergrad, Alhamdulillah for y’all.

The students of the sisters Qur’an class, may Allah Reward you and increase you in knowledge. Ameen The shura this year, the dream team, for all of your efforts and for putting up with me.

The unsung heroes, the volunteers, at every MSA event this year. May Allah(SWT) Reward you all for always helping out and offering a hand.

-Maryam Muhammad Big shoutout to those who have time to listen, even if the proper advice can't come right away. Hope I can be half the role model y’all have been to me.

-ABB Shout out to Zain Khazi for being the most consistently reliable Khateeb. -Anonymous 15

The Value of Life Musa Chaudhry

Another man dead, unarmed, In the hands of authority; Three students murdered, Point blank to the head One for his complexion The others for the way they pray Executed all the same A woman raped and killed, Burned alive For critiquing a religion They themselves fail to follow They hear them coming, A whistle in the distance Before a thundering entrance Dropping death as they pass Courtesy of a man in a room No connection to those He kills.

Once full of life, Now ash in the sand The inner city; A war zone.

Kill or be killed, The country looks away More concerned with celebrity life Than another son’s funeral.

Another school Riddled with bullets, Blood soaked floors Echoing screams Cursed memories.

Tragedy today Forgotten tomorrow.

If life is so valuable, Why do we act as if It’s worthless Until that worth is Attributed to us

Maturity & Growth LM

Growing up is hard to do! We are in and out of different phases and always feeling unstable. As we grow, we all formulate our own thoughts and outlooks on life. We are able to choose a religion or even make a decision to practice a religion. When a person starts college, one would assume that they would be mature about situations or properly handle a disagreement. I quickly learned that this is solely an assumption.

Some people really don’t leave their high school acts behind, them.

When two people disagree, they should follow the Islamic thought on how to handle an argument.

As your faith in A—h (swt) grows you will find yourself not getting bothered or showing attention to gossip.

When you grow in your religion, you also grow in other aspects of life, or, at least this is how it should be. Finding A—h (swt) and growing in your religion enhances your maturity. When one begins to focus on the real things in life, they will no longer be side tracked with the little problems that arise. Once you begin to behave at a more mature level, you’ll notice that your perspective and take on situations will be very different.

A Letter From the Editors Alhamdulillah another great year of AlBayyan has come to an end!

It’s always a great feeling to see people immediately flipping through the pages of Al Bayyan right after jumu’ah. We hope that Al Bayyan remains a highlight in every UIC student's time here.Thank you to everyone who contributed to Al Bayyan in any way this year. We hope that AlBayyan has inspired to write about topics that you are passionate about.

Enjoy your summer and in shaa’Allah our new group of editors hope to have a great year with even more entries from you all.

Sincerely your editors, Fazila, Maryam, Azfar, Madihah, Lelas, and Asif Congrats to the 2015-2016 AlBayyan Staff: Editors in Chief: Farooq Chaudhry and Nuha Abdelrahim Staff Writers: Abdul Basith Basheer and Ayah Chehade Copy Editors: Asif Mazhar and Lilian Maali

The Council on American-Islamic Relations

(CAIR)-Chicago is now hiring Interns and Volunteers for Summer and Fall 2015! There are available internships in a Communications & Media, Operations & Administrative Duties, Outreach and Government Affairs.

Visit the online Intern Center: http://www.cairchicago.org/intern-center to see how you can join our efforts.

Any questions? Contact Gerald Hankerson, Outreach Coordinator, at ghankerson@cair.com or call 312-212-1520.

16

The Rat Race As my freshman year is coming to a close, there are tons of topics I can reflect on, but one in particular has been especially eye opening to me: the rat race.

As students, I’ve noticed we spend so much of our time planning, mapping out, and worrying about the future that it gets to the point where it consumes our being. We get sucked in this cycle of life that consists of worrying about school, doing schoolwork, worrying about life after school, and not much else. We know exactly what loops we need to fit through, what route we’re supposed to take, and what obstacles we need to clear in order to get to the end; however, often times that’s all we know. That’s all we think about, and it becomes who we are. Essentially, we get caught up in the rat race.

Ustadh Hisham Mahmoud, when talking of this monotonous way of life we get caught up in us as students, said, “If you get caught up in the rat race, what does that make you? A rat.”

And that’s essentially what it boils down to: the rat race isn’t human. It’s not what we’re made for. It’s not what we should settle for.

The problem with being a rat is that

it strips us from the beautiful qualities that make us human. Rather than being happy for a classmate who did well on an exam, being caught up in the rat race leads to feelings of envy and jealousy. One sees a classmate as competition, and an enemy, rather than a peer, and human being. Instead of taking time out of our days to check up on loved ones, send a text, or sit down with people to enjoy their company, the rat race tells us that people aren’t important; we don’t have time, we’re too busy chasing dreams to “waste” our time saying Salaam to each other and spend a few minutes out of our day sharing laughs and good vibes.

The worst consequence of being caught up in the rat race, however, is that it makes us forget Allah. The rat race will tell us we “don’t have time” to prostrate in front of Allah because we’re too busy studying. The rat race will make us forget to make dua for our salvation, and for the purification of our hearts, substituting it strictly for duas regarding matters of this world, like exams, and internships, if we even have the time to make dua after praying.

This destructive way of life darkens and plagues our hearts, and that’s not the way we were meant to live. Our hearts aren’t supposed to be filled

Sisters’ Crossword Answers

Brother’s Crossword Answers

Mobeen Chaudhry

Across 5.Yosra 7. Aneesa 10. Ayman 11. Jenean 12. Maria 13. Heba 15. Maryam 16. Nayela 18. Lelas 19. Afra 21. Ayesha ISSUE 5

Down 1. Maheen 2. Kinza 3. Aya 4. Sara 6. Shahina 8. America 9. Summer 14. Saleha 17. Saarah 20. Sana

Horizontal: 2) Syed Aijaz 4) Zubair Vhora 5) Usman Ashraf 7) Nakid Mansuri 9) Bilal Ghani 10) Junaid Khazi 11) Bilal Memon

with jealousy and envy, and when it is, we are hurting nobody but ourselves.

Regardless of how well one does in school, a heart filled with envy will never find joy and peace in life. Rather, its blackness will cast a shadow on any good tidings one receives in this world. However, the heart of a human—one filled with love for one another, love for Allah, and peace—will find joy and bliss, undoubtedly.

Now, I’m not saying ditch your school work and spend 100% of your time in the lounge. School is important, obviously. It’s the reason we’re all here. We came to get an education, and move on to the phase of our lives.

But while we’re wrapped up in chasing dreams, it’s important we don’t lose ourselves in the process.

Say salaam to your brothers and sisters, and value the precious time you have with each other. Spend time with Allah, in prayer, prostration, and in your hearts. Do these things, and watch your hearts fill with peace and love, and watch your exam scores shoot up too, because you will have Allah with you. And then, pursue your dreams relentlessly; study tirelessly; and work tenaciously. But don’t lose sight of yourself.

Don’t be a rat. Be courageous. Be ambitious. Be a friend. Be loving.

Be human.

Down: 1) Zain Khazi 3) Abdul Waheed 6) Harris Bhatti 8) Abdul Hameed

17

Relationships

Reflection

Nooriyah Baig

Relationships... When we hear this word, what mainly comes to mind is the relationship we share with our parents, our siblings, our friends, the relationship between a husband and wife, etc. There are many important relationships in our life, but I do want to refer to the ones I believe many of us take for granted; the first one being the MOST important relationship, that we share with Allah (swt) and the other being the relationship we share with our parents.

Allah (swt) says, "Take one step towards me, I will take ten steps towards you.

Walk towards me, I will run towards you.”

SubhanAllah what a beautiful relationship that is. We have been so immensely blessed to have been granted this relationship with the Creator; whereas we are getting closer to Him, He is coming towards us, the way we should be going to Him. We read posts and tweets asking us, “Did you say Alhamdulillah today?” Well, have you? Have you thanked your Creator? Thanking Allah (swt) and remembering Him is huge in this relationship, which makes the relationship stronger.

He is always there with you, just call out to Him, make dua, thank Him for giving you all that you have and for the things He has saved you from. This way you start to remember Allah (swt) little by little and that leads you to start building a stronger relationship with Him insha’Allah.

“When we repair our relationship with Allah, Allah will repair everything else for us.”

Alhamdulillah, I can say that the

18

Owais Aslam closer I got to Allah (swt), the harder I tried to make this relationship, this bond STRONGER, the better things got for me and my life. So make this relationship your priority and do all to please Him, you will see how beautifully your life changes, and how things become easier for you insha’Allah.

“And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.” (Surat Al-Isra [17:23]) It is said in the Quran that we shouldn’t say uff to our parents. Let alone saying uff, we all are guilty of talking back to our parents, rebelling against what they tell us we shouldn’t do, etc.

That is shaytaan’s works, he wants us to rebel against our parents so he tempts us to get upset with our parents.

Whatever the reason may be, shaytaan waits for the moment that we have a disagreement with our parents so he can tempt us to go against our parents.

In this moment you have to fight backshaytaan,notbeupsetthatyour parents won’t let you go out; but no, instead we yell and argue with our parents saying we want to go out, we did everything they asked us to, and/or just leave.

Have you thought, by doing this you have weakened the relationship you share with your parents?

We have not only hurt our parents but now we have hurt the relationship we share with Allah (swt), the One who had told us not to say even an uff to our parents.

Coming to UIC was undoubtedly the best decision I’ve ever made; however at first it didn’t seem so. My freshmen year was full of regrets, primarily because I wasn’t attending a big 10 institution. But Allah SWT reminds us that he is Al Alim; The All Knowing, the Omniscient – and although my journey started off negative, it led up to be one of the most knowledgeable and memorable experiences I’ve ever had. The credit goes to Allah SWT first and foremost, and then to the MSA here at UIC. The brothers I’ve met, have reminded me over and over again of what really matters; to strengthen our Deen and remember God before anything else; by doing so success will follow. It is one thing to make life-long friends, but a whole different story to make life-long brothers.

I am proud to say that I am a part of this MSA, and look forward to what embarks in the future.

So You Want to be a Doctor

Sabreen Arman Ever since I was a little girl who had to witness my dad deal with a heart problem (Alhamduillah, he's all better now), I have always wanted to be the one thing many Muslims desire to be: a doctor.

Of course, such an aspiration got my parents excited for my future and resorted to calling me "al doctora" which means "the female doctor"in Arabic. I was pleased that they were proud of my goals, but I knew that if I ever changed my mind, they'd most likely be disappointed, and this scared me.

However, as Muslim students, we have to remember that we cannot expect to succeed in any aspiration that we have if we don't do it for the sake of Allah SWT first. It's always

nice to please your parents and have the means to give back to them for all that they have done for us, but we must remember that we will never succeed unless we go to school every day saying "Bismillah" before we divest our efforts in our schoolwork.

We cannot solely base what we want to do in our lives on what our parents prefer from us, or on the comforting paycheck a respected profession may have The number one thing I can advise for anyone who wants to become a doctor, is to learn as much as you can about the job before you invest time and money into medical school.

Shadow as many doctors as you can, get as much clinical and non clinical volunteering opportunities as you

can, and speak to as many upperclassmen who are on a similar track as you.

And before you do each of these things, don't forget to say Bismillah and renew your intentions so that your main reason for becoming a doctor is for the sake of Allah. Many of us want to save lives, but our main reason why we want to do so should be to please Allah. If we renew our intentions this way, everything else will fall into Allah SWT's hands.

Alhamduillah, we have the potential to do so much good in this world but often times, we struggle getting there because we forget what our main purpose in this Dunya is: to please Him. A reminder to myself first.

Our Relationship With Our Fallibility

Ayah Chehade We underestimate authenticity. microscopes, try to convince our- honest about this- to ourselves and to There is something so vulnerable selves we aren’t human, deluded into our peers. I don’t see sense in acting and raw and intuitively lovable about thinking we’re undoubtedly perfect- a certain way, talking a certain way peeling off the social curtain that we ible creatures- that we’re not trying to simply paint an image of ourselves wrap ourselves in. We feel insecure hard enough, that if we did try hard that doesn’t actually exist to people so we take the words of others and enough we’d learn to stop tripping we wish to impress. sew them onto our thin, drabby garb. over our own steps on whatever path What if we could just be humble We are mathematicians of human we tread. and down to earth and real? How expression, carefully calculating then would our relationships glances and hand movements and Scare the world: Be exactly who progress? Our relationships with eye twitches and turns and sighs families would be more you say you are and tell the our and we subtract- we subtract our open, our relationships with worth from the worth of others. truth. our friends would be more sin-Iain S. Thomas We try with all our might to cere, and our relationships with justify the nonexistent hierarchy that Well, humans are not perfectible. strangers would unite on the rope of only exists within the folds of this Humans are fallible. Humans are “we are both human.” cyst we call expectations and me- sometimes sinful. Humans are forLove yourself, forgive yourself, dia and paintings growing on us by getful. fix yourself but remember all these others of what they think we are and In essence, we are imperfect. We attributes of yours are not abnorwhat we should be. are imperfect by nature and yet God mal. We all trip; and the moment Suddenly we are all scientists of instilled this nature in us and He told we begin to admit and acknowledge whether or not we deserve whatever us He created us in the best of forms. this fact, is the moment the walls of has been given to us. We use a scalWe fall; we sin, we forget yet we, pride and anxiety finally come crashpel called comparison to carve out again and again, redeem ourselves. ing down to reveal the souls beneath little bits of us to scrutinize under The important thing is that we are flesh.

ISSUE 5

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AL BAYYAN Staff Editors in Chief

Fazila Vhora Farooq Chaudhry Nuha Abdelrahim Editors

Asif Mazhar Lillian Maali Lelas Shamaileh Staff Writers

Abdul Basith Basheer Ayah Chehade Special Thanks

Azfar Sharif Madihah Sharif Maryam Raja Are you interested in writing, drawing or contributing to AL BAYYAN in any other way? email albayyanuic@gmail.com

albayyanuic @albayyanuic