September 2014 by Al-Bayyan

UIC Muslim Student Association Presents:

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AL BAYYAN

Ευτυχία

счастье

bonheur

‫אושר‬

September 2014

ુ સખ mutluluk

The Pursuit of Happiness ‫السعادة‬

sonas la felicità

Glück

खश ु ी

‫خوشی‬

felicidad

"Verily, my happiness is my Iman; and verily, my Iman is in my heart; and verily, my heart does not belong to anyone but A—-h."

- Asma bint Abi Bakr

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Footprints of Jannah

Pgs. 3-4

Are You Happy Now?

Pg. 4

By Sarah Basheer

Dhul-Hijjah: A Month Full of Blessings

Pg. 5

On Money

Pg. 6

By Shaista Sharf

Happiness is Not a Destination, It’s a Mentality

Pg. 7

By Imanie Eldably

The Content in Contentment: The Voice of a Muslim Woman

Pgs. 8-10

By Yasmeen Omar Pg. 10

Pursuit of Happiness By Nooriyah Baig

Pg. 11

I Digress By Sumaya Aman

What’s the Buzz?: In the Pursuit of Being “Happy Muslims” By Madihah Sharif & Azfar Sharif

Pgs. 12-13

Poetry

Pgs. 14-15

By Mariya Amiwala, Asif Mazhar, Alvena Jeffery, & Sabreen Arman “A boy said to a man "I want Happiness." The man said, Remove "I", that is your ego, then Remove "Want", that is you desire. What remains is Happiness.” Issue 1

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Footprints of Jannah The Story of the Prophet Ibrahim & His Wife Hajar Ibn Abbas, may A---h be pleased with him, narrated, ‘Prophet Ibrahim brought Isma’eel’s mother (his wife, Hajar) and Isma’eel, while she was still nursing him, and then camped with them next to (the area where) the House (the Kaa’bah) was to be built, next to a large tree just above (the area where now exists the well of) Zamzam and which is also above the Masjid (the Holy Masjid in Makkah). At that time, Makkah had neither inhabitants nor a known source of water. He left them there and left with them a bag full of dates and a Siqaa’ (a jug usually made of leather) full of water. When Ibrahim started to depart, Hajar followed him, saying, ‘O Ibrahim! Where are you going and leaving us in this valley that does not have any inhabitants or anything else?’ She repeated this several times, but he was not paying any attention to her. She then said to him, ‘Did A---h command you to do this?’ Ibrahim replied, ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘Then certainly, He will not abandon us.’ She went back, while Ibrahim kept on walking, until he was next to a hill where he could no longer be seen. He then faced the direction of the House and recited the following supplication, “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivated valley by Your Sacred House; in order, O our Lord, that they may perform prayer, so fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O A---h) provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks.” [Surah Ibrahim 14:37]. Afterwards, Isma’eel’s mother nursed nurse him and drank from the water (that Ibrahim left with them). When they ran out of water, she and her son became thirsty. She looked at Isma’eel and saw that he was turning around on the ground (out of thirst). She hated to see him like this, so she left and went up on Mount Safa, the nearest mountain to her, then looked down to the valley, trying to locate any person. She then descended down Mount Safa until she reached the valley, and then raised her sleeve (trying to protect her eyes from the sun). She walked just like an exhausted person would walk until she reached the end of the valley. She then went up on Mount Marwah and stood trying to locate anyone, but she did not see any person. She repeated this sequence seven times. Ibn Abbas then said, “The Prophet (S) said, ‘This is why people walk between them (between Mounts Safa and Marwah, while performing the rituals of Hajj).‘ When Hajar went up on Mount Marwah (for the fourth time, completing seven trips back and forth between Mounts Safa and Marwah), she heard a voice, and said to herself, ‘Shush,’ and tried hard to listen. She heard something again, and then said (aloud to whom she thought she heard), ‘I heard you! Do you have relief so that you will provide us with assistance?‘ She then saw an angel digging up the ground with his wing where Zamzam exists today, and water then started to flow. She then started to contain the water with her hand (trying to make a pool of mud to collect the water in it), and she was also cupping her hands to fell her Siqaa’ (water jug), yet the water was flowing as fastas she was filling.” Ibn Abbas then said, “The Prophet (S) said, ‘May A---h bestow His Mercy upon Isma’eel’s mother! If she had left Zamzam – or if she had not cupped her hand – Zamzam would have been a flowing spring.’ (Continued on page 4)

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Ibn Abbas then said, ‘So she drank and nursed her son. The angel then said to her, ‘Do not fear abandonment, for a House for A---h (the Kaa’bah) will be built in this area by this boy and his father, and most certainly, A--h does not abandon His people.” [Al-Bukhari]. Prophet Ibrahim’s sincerity with A---h was evident in his leaving his wife and son in an uninhabited area, just as A---h commanded him. Also, his wife’s sincerity with A---h was evident by her attesting with certainty that A---h will not abandon her and her son, since it was A---h Who commanded Ibrahim to leave them in Makkah. Did A---h abandon them? No, indeed. Prophet Ibrahim and his wife had a type of sincerity that brings strong emotions to all those believers who hear their story. Because of sincerity, A---h made Zamzam flow with water, not only for Isma’eel and his mother, but also for the billions of Muslims throughout the ages, all drinking from it while visiting the House of A---h. Taken from ”The Muslim Creed” February 2005 Vol. 13 No. 2 Publisher: The Daar of Islamic Heritage

Are You Happy Now?

By Sarah Basheer

It just so happens that we've all probably spent a great deal of our lives thus far chasing what we believe to be happiness. Hopefully we have somewhat succeeded in this endeavor, by at least avoiding the pitfalls of depression. It's likely that many of us have not been so unfortunate. But those of us who have experienced some form of happiness are probably not much better off. Because we've experienced an evanescent and worldly depiction of happiness very different from the pure and eternal happiness that is attainable. Happiness is the feeling of pleasure and contentment, but what brings us happiness is a choice that sets a reality for our being. Being born and raised in the United States, the concept of the individual is an idea that has defined my personality and worldly perspective. I've been taught that I can be whatever I want to be, and do whatever I want to do. The individual has the ability and opportunity to succeed with a little hard work, and the same can be true for happiness. We can get the high paying jobs, get the beach mansion, buy the imported sport’s car, and fill our lives with worldly possessions that can supposedly give us the happiness we need and desire. But the idea concerning the individual that has resided in my mind is that we have the power beyond living a life of luxury and returning to dust, but to Issue 1

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reach a happiness that is very attainable and forever. Our happiness is mingled with the decrees of Islam. The holy verses of the Qur'an and the lifestyle of the blessed prophet, Muhammad (saw) are the best choices for us. We are told to stay away from the bad, sometimes as a test, but mostly because it is harmful to our wellbeing and our chances of happiness. And what is often deemed virtuous is a cleansing that will keep us serene. One of the most promising spiritual practices is in gratitude. Stop chasing happiness, it's tiring to keep running after things we think we need and only make us disconsolate. By appreciating the good in our lives, we open our hearts and eyes. We are content with our existence and the situation A---h (swt) has given to us and we grow closer to him in the process. We're satisfied, but when we want more, there is never enough. And by recognizing the struggles in our life we know that only A---h (swt) is there to relieve us. By A---h's master plan, I've been through a whirlwind of experiences and met many different people, and I'm thankful for everything. I'm by no means a scholar and it's through my limited scope of the world and life that I've learned, everything happens for a reason, and as an individual with my own choices I know it's my outlook that makes happiness achievable. 4

Dhul-Hjjah: A Month Full of Blessings Anonymous 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And just like that, Ramadan left. For many, the ending of the blessed month of Ramadan is a bittersweet time when hearts engaged in devotion to A---h for a month suddenly feel emptiness. An emptiness not due to the ending of all the delicious food everyday for iftar, but an emptiness that comes from the missing of the blessings of this sacred month. Ramadan either affects us and our lives in a good way, or doesn’t affect us to the extent that we carry on with our normal lives as soon as the Eid moon is sighted. However, we probably all feel a little regret that we didn’t fully take advantage of Ramadan as we should have.

Abu Hurairah relates that the Messenger of A--h (S) said, "There are no days more loved to A--h for you to worship Him therein than the ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Fasting any day during it is equivalent to fasting one year and to offer salatul tahajjud (late-night prayer) during one of its nights is like performing the late night prayer on the night of power. [i.e., Laylatul Qadr]." [This is related by at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and alBaihaqi.]

These are the days when most of the pilgrims make a journey to Makkah and perform their tasks of Hajj. Just as they have a special chance to get extra reward, the ones who were not able to go to Hajj are also given a special chance to get extra reward during these So we are given another chance. Another chance from days. A---h amongst the many chances that He gives to cleanse and purify ourselves. Another chance from the What can I do in these days? many chances to gain from the immense blessings that  Dhikr (praise of A---h s.w.t) He bestows on us. The same way A---h s.w.t created  Seek forgiveness the months, he chose out of them Ramadan to give  Do not only do Istighfar for yourself but extra reward to his servants. By the same token, when also for the entire Ummah because the he created the days, he chose the first ten days of Dhul Prophet (S) taught us that when you do IsHijjah to be the best days. tighfar for the entire Ummah you will get the reward for each one of them. “A--The happy and successful believer is the one who hummaghfir lil mu'mineen walmu'minat." makes the most of these special months, days and  Make salah and salam on the Prophet (S) hours attempting to draw closer to A---h through acts  Every time you do salah and salam on the of worship; he will most likely be touched by the blessProphet (S) the angel do salah and salam ing of A---h and will feel the joy of knowing that he is upon you, their salah and salam on you is safe from the flames of Hell. asking A---h (s.w.t) to forgive you.  Fast in these days what you can: So what are the “first ten days of Dhul Hijjah?”  The Prophet (S) said that fasting on the day of Arafat "expiates the sins of the precedHe says: (interpretation of the meaning): "By the ing year and the coming year." (Muslim). dawn; by the 10 nights" [al-Fajr 89:1-2].  Make Continuous and Consistent Dua A---h s.w.t honored these days when he swears an oath by them in the Qur'an as well, and swearing an  Prayer of the night time oath by something is indicative of its importance and  Sacrificing and slaughter of an animal on the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah great benefit.  A---h (s.w.t) the creator of the sky and earth the day and night has chosen some days over others to gather deeds. Sacrifice is one of these deeds. Sacrifice on the 10th day has very great reward for those in Hajj and those not in Hajj as well. It is to declate one A---h and to thank him and follow Ibrahim (A.S). Issue 1

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“We put our values in the wrong things. And it leads to very disillusioned lives.” -Morrie Schwartz (from “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom)

On Money By Shaista Sharf

But it’s acceptable when we mostly spend our money on experiences instead of material things, right? True, if you have more money, you can spend more (on things that matter, like experiences). Just remember, it doesn’t have to be only through monetary means to acquire those “feel good” moments. I can’t help but to think of it as an equation of some sort, one where “x” represents our values. For the variable “x” you would plug in the value, with that value being anything your heart desires, and then that value equals everything your life should revolve around. In this case the value here would be money. So simply put, money=life. However, there are so many things missing from that “equation”. Even though it is unfortunately true (in my opinion at the very least) that money makes the world go round, it doesn’t necessarily correspond to everything in life. It’s like when Homer Simpson asked Mr. Burns the most remarkable question, “Does your money ever hug you when you come home at night? And does it say ‘I love you?’”. So it must mean that money is not the correct value to the equation. To elaborate on Homer’s question, Morrie Schwartz, a sociology professor from Brandeis University who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (better known as ALS thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge), gives us his answer: “…people [were] so hungry for love that they were accepting substitutes. They were embracing material things and expecting a sort of hug back. But it never works. You can’t substitute material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship. Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness. I can tell you, as I’m sitting here dying, when you most need it, neither money nor power will give you the feeling you’re looking for, no matter how much of them you have.” Money is indeed a necessary evil, in addition to being the root of all evil. It’s responsible for envy just as much as it’s responsible for greed. And when you are consumed by envy and greed, you live a life full of disillusion. The best we can do is to look beyond the purpose of having more, by re-evaluating our intentions and then acting on those improved intentions. It will be hard, but always bear in mind that money can’t buy happiness.

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Happiness is Not a Destination, It’s a Mentality By Imanie Eldably "I will not enjoy my weekend until I finish this paper!" "Ugh, I cannot wait until I finish this stupid class." "I will be SO HAPPY when this semester ends!"

So the semester ended. No more papers. No more annoying class. And just like you anticipated, you became happy. I mean how can you not? More sleeping in, catching up on your favorite shows, basically catching up on having a life again. But then, second semester starts; and the vicious cycle starts again. So now you're just like, "okay okay never mind, I will FOR SURE be happy after this school year. *school year finishes and you're happy*... But temporarily. And temporary happiness is what you will always experience if you define happiness as a lack of hardship and trials in your life. Seriously, if any of you actually sat down and tried foreshadowing you future (WARNING IF YOU HAVE NOT, DO NOT, I REPEAT: DO NOT because you will And temporary happiness is what have a mental breakdown after approximately 0.04 secyou will always experience if you onds).

define happiness as a lack of

But point is you will see how you keep associating hardship and trials in your life. when you're "supposed to happy" with certain milestones in your life instead of taking your current situation and allowing it to make you happy. Aka contentment with where A---h has placed you and has written for you to experience. Let's be real, right now our goal is our bachelors (God willing) but we’re trippin’ if we think that's where it ends. Nah you have to look for that job that hopefully has something to do with your major. Oh, congrats you got the job? Have fun using your paychecks to pay off college tuition or to provide for family that you make, etc. (which is what you're supposed to don't get me wrong). But why? Why are we leading ourselves on? Why are we searching for a stress-free life in a place that's specifically designed to break our backs and hearts? Bottom line is happiness should not be this bar that you're setting for yourself to achieve or a destination that you should arrive at. Because I will tell you now that a hardship-free life is one you will not attain and no I do not promise that someone greater than all of us does. Because this place is a deceivement and He warned us. But at the same time, He gave glad tidings to those who acknowledge it and stay patient. And patience is how you master the concept of contentment; understanding that this life is a test and that this hardship is decreed on you by The One who loves you most. But please don't mistaken these hardships as punishment but rather Him wanting you to earn "points" so then are truly are able to get you to the place where TRUE happiness resides.

“‫”الراحة في الجنة‬ Relaxation is only in Heaven". May we all meet there one day, insha A---h.

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The Content in Contentment: The Voice of a Muslim Woman By Yasmeen Omar I finally decided to actually write about this when I saw an image on my newsfeed posted by YouTuber Amenakin, owner of Pearl Daisy. The image was of her saying,

“Everybody will come and talk about how the Muslim woman feels: what position she’s in, what she’s going through, her opinions, her thoughts. Everybody is consulted about the Muslim woman. Except for...the Muslim woman. “ I can't even begin to describe how this image speaks so much to me. It seems obvious and basic that if you want to know about a subject, you try to get the insight of the person with the most experience pertaining to the subject. For example, if you want to know about a war, you try to find someone that lived in the time and area of the war (a primary source) or at least someone that studied that war (a secondary source) with the former obviously being preferred. It's easy. You want to know more about hummingbirds? You observe hummingbirds. You want to know what it's like to live in Japan? You go live in Japan. However, when it comes to women, this tends to be ignored. Why do we do this? Who better to ask about women's issues than a woman? This should be obvious. Moreover, when it comes to Muslims, this idea is also completely thrown out of the picture. How dare a person actually think to ask for about a Muslim's opinion when they want to learn something about Muslims. So by the time you get to Muslim women, the whole idea of asking for their opinion is so irrelevant. I don't mean this is something only non-Muslims just do, sometimes Muslims can be guilty of this as well. Unintentional or not, it really amazes me when people make the most common subject regarding Muslim women's issues about men alone. What is this subject you ask? It's none other than the hijab, the headscarf, the only piece of fabric that gets more media coverage than a dress on the red carpet. Let's get this straight, Muslim women don't pray to please men. We don't fast to please men. Muslims, men or women, only worship God alone and do these things to please God alone. So it should be safe to say, Muslim women don't wear hijab to please men, they wear it to please God. Yet some people have a problem understanding that. Yes, a Muslim woman wears her headscarf in the presence of other men. It's basic. What's even more basic, in fact, it's the most basic concept of Islam, is the belief that you believe in and worship God alone, and do these things for God alone. So even though a Muslim woman wears her headscarf in the presence of other men, it is (Continued on page 9)

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not for those men. It is for God. Some people believe Muslim women wear the hijab to please men or make it easier on men to lower their gaze (something both sexes must do), or the most ridiculous of all, to prevent rape. To my Muslim brothers, or any man at all, if a woman is wearing a tank top and booty shorts, is completely covered or is completely naked, that does not make it okay for you to no longer lower your gaze and it most definitely does not make it okay for you to rape her. So why do we wear hijab, (other than to please God)? Honestly, I don’t believe hijab is to hide “beauty.” I don’t believe that modesty is a synonym for “not beautiful.” I believe hijab is to hide vanity and a very shallow form of beauty. I don't just mean pounds of makeup and skin tight clothes. I'm talking about a definition of beauty that can lead to much deeper, psychological issues. Women are always referred to as the "fairer sex" and always used for their beauty to market just about everything. Young girls are given Barbie dolls and makeup kits. Many women have eating disorders or a negative body image. You might have heard of the ever popular opinion that a woman's beauty is her power over man. Nothing frustrates me more than this statement. As a little girl, I loved watching the Power Puff Girls and I never understood the episode of the girls beating the Rowdy Ruff Boys with their beauty. Now, as a grown young lady, I still don’t understand this episode. Why? If a woman's greatest power and strength is her beauty, shouldn't her aspiration's then be to become Miss America, whereas a boy strive to become CEO of a major company or President?

(Plus, am I seriously supposed to believe that three kindergarteners with superpowers saved the world from three boys and an evil monkey with their sparkly eye shadow? Come on, now.) Now, the problem shouldn't be that women are beautiful and surely, the solution isn't to make them ugly. The problem is when women are only referred to as beautiful and only one type of beautiful, skin deep. You could try referring to beauty as being pretty without makeup but that is still just as shallow. It’s still looking at women at face value alone and doesn't resolve the issue. Actually it might just worsen the issue. So, where can you find a woman’s true beauty or her worth/power, if they’re not in her looks? Her soul. (Continued on page 10)

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Hijab reminds us of this beauty. A beauty that comes from the soul being at peace. A beauty that is made up of the beauty of worshiping God, being confident, gaining knowledge, being modest, and really appreciating life. Beauty isn’t about having perfect, white teeth and clear skin. Remember that that’s all temporary, just like this Dunya (world). The only real beauty that could last comes from real happiness and the only real happiness that lasts is from God. So to my fellow sisters, remember God is all you need and God is the purest and truest source of happiness. When you wear hijab, know that God is with you and watching over you. No matter what anyone says, your worth, your contribution to the world and your happiness do not lie in your looks alone. Be at peace with who you are and how you look because in the end, all these trifles don’t matter. You really don’t need to have a thigh gap or great toes, or whatever the new trend is to be happy. All you need is faith in God.

Pursuit of Happiness By Nooriyah Baig For every person these exact three words have a different meaning; for me they mean pursuing a goal of getting a great education, becoming something in order to make my parents happy, and taking care of them when they are old. I grew up seeing and still see my parents work very hard to get where they are today and to get me and my siblings to this point in our lives. I want to be there when they are old and do anything and everything that I can to make them happy. This education, this future that I want insha’A---h, it’s not for myself; I am only doing this for my Mamma and Baba. They are my world, and I want them to rest when they are old, not work as they always have. Just the thought that, insha’A---h, I can take care of my parents when they are old, is truly a blessing Alhamdulillah. Five years ago I sat and thought, “What do I want to do in life?” And the only thing that stuck to me was “Make Mamma and Baba proud and just take care of them in their old age as they took care of you.” Keeping this goal in mind, I took on high school, and came to college. Finally decided what I wanted to do and Alhamdulillah getting closer and closer to my goal. I truly cannot wait until the day I graduate and walk across that stage to see the smiles on their faces. If they are happy then that means I have accomplished my goal in life and that is my pursuit of happiness.

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I Digress By Sumaya Aman Happiness is hurt. It is flowing pain. It is the burden of this life. It is finding that something to be happy for. Even, and perhaps especially, when you are surrounded by darkness. Happiness will not come knocking on your door. You will have to search and search for it. Now do not misinterpret my words. You will search, but you may never find it. Rather, it will find you. One of the wonders of this life is that we feel. Our bodies must feel. We must hurt, we must love, we must grieve…or else, we’ll explode. But it is in those journeys that you find out who you really are. If you are doing it right, then you will certainly experience some form of heartache in your life. Some form of emotional, mental, or physical pain. Maybe you get laid off as soon as you have your first child. Or you realize that you are disposable to someone you considered a dear friend. Maybe you exhausted all of your effort and tried your absolute hardest to succeed at something and failed entirely. Or maybe you lost someone. Maybe you are the target of cruel taunting. Or you want so badly to be the perfect Muslim, but you let your failures and mistakes define you. Maybe every time you wake up you are afraid to hear of another cousin who has lost their life overseas. But… In those moments, if you can possibly open your eyes a little wider to see the good things that you may have missed. Your baby nephew, taking his first breath, curling his beautiful pink fist around your pinky, his hand seeming so tiny, so fragile. If you can…if you can just take a deep breath and open your ears. You might hear the welcoming chirp of the blue jay off in the distance, as if it’s calling directly to you. Just try, try to clear your heart of impurities. So you can then let in the joy that comes from the unmistakable grimace when you beat your older brother in chess, again. When he gets so angry that he gets up and leaves the room, but before he goes, you can see this hint of respect in his eyes, and maybe even a little smile. Life wasn’t meant to be full of unicorns and candy. But for some glorious reason, we’ve been blessed with a lot of little things. Little things…that aren’t so little. A couple in their 90s, on a swinging bench sharing a kind gaze as their kids, grandchildren, and great grandchildren enjoy the barbecue in their backyard. A stranger holding open a door for you. A random, but sweet conversation with the woman who drives your bus to school every morning. A smile from a stranger. Laughing. Even a couple of deep breaths. Maybe you can’t find happiness. But allow yourself the recognition of these beautiful, yet simple moments that life is full of and allow your happiness to find you. But I digress. I’m in my early twenties, what do I know about life?

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What’s the Buzz? In the Pursuit of Being “Happy Muslims” By Madihah Sharif & Azfar Sharif I solved the mystery about Pharell’s hat-- it is full of…lies. Oh, I guess that explains why his hat is so big. I feel like Pharell (and others like him) are misconstruing the concept of happiness for the masses. It’s almost like he is oversimplifying what it means to be a happy individual. We as Muslims should not just be concerned with convincing others of our own happiness. Rather, we should be more concerned with how that true happiness stems from within. Yup. Its almost like a distribution, a dissemination, of a certain notion of happy. I’m sure the jolly tune appeased someone on a cloudy day, but I wonder how long the charm lasted. I mean after all it is just a song, a mere four minutes, and then what? We’re back to the reality of things, back to the doldrums we live in. I think it’s important to realize that we are real people, that go through real problems, and some phony synthetic sounds aren’t really going to help much. Real people with real problems need real solutions. I think we have to ask ourselves, “What is it in life that I truly cannot live without?” If the answer is trivial, materialistic parts of life, then happiness will always seem far out of reach. It becomes a sort of facade, that will never be truly achieved. A catchy song eventually gets annoying, and you move on to the next one. Muslims should try and commit to something greater and more meaningful. And what is that, exactly? Muslims. That’s the word right there. Muslim comes from the verb “ aslama” which means “ to submit” , to wholeheartedly commit. Hence, a Muslim, in the truest sense is one that submits his faculties to something beyond the temporalities around us. The Muslim channels his energies, his focus above and beyond the trivial matters others may be concerned with. Interestingly enough, the verb “aslama” mentioned also is derived from the same root as “salaam” which means peace. The Muslim, through his submission, will reach the true levels of inner peace and contentment. As humans we have this need to latch on to things, it is embedded in our nature to do so. But the question is, what are we allowing our heart, our beings to latch on to?

To A---h (s.w.t). That is the ultimate truth of the matter. It’s hard to explain in words, but its like the feeling you get when you are walking outside alone at the crack of dawn. The air is still, and you feel an overwhelming sensation of peace and contentment- despite the fact that nothing or no one is around you. But you are alone with God, and therefore in sheer bliss. This is the epitome of true happiness. When you “latch on”, as you say, to your Creator, you will never feel that emptiness or dissatisfaction. It is impossible. Emptiness. Dissatisfaction. Robin Williams? Robin Williams was a talented actor. He really was. I grew up watching his films. I absolutely loved him as Genie in Aladdin. What’s interesting about Robin Williams was that he was the one actor that could make me laugh instantaneously. Just the way he manipulated his voice was enough to make me giggle. Interestingly enough, while making others laugh, he was battling a constant inner turmoil. Imagine that, the man who brought happiness to millions was not happy himself. That’s some(Continued on page 13)

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thing to think about. See the heart can’t latch itself to money or fame; that isn’t healthy for the heart. The heart needs more. The heat needs be nurtured and nourished from an entity above and beyond all else. A---h (s.w.t) says in the Quran: “Verily in the remembrance of A---h do hearts find rest”. Let us grant our hearts a resting place of comfort and serenity. Remember God always and ponder His signs, in that you WILL be a happy Muslim.

Attention All Sisters! Here’s a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the Quran! On Mondays from 12:00-12:50 PM at Taft Hall 204 and Wednesdays from 3:00-3:50 PM at Lincoln Hall 320, Understand the Quran 101 will be taught. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Poetry The Search By Mariya Amiwala Tough life may have its ups and downs, We shouldn’t have to fear. As long as we search for the peace of God His comfort will be near. The true search for happiness won’t be found, It won’t be found on earth. But rather, it lies in the search for our lord Our lord, who cannot bear to see us hurt. We call out His name once, And he will be at our doorstep, in a blink of an eye So now tell me this: why have we fallen in love with this world? …This world which is nothing, but a lie?

By Asif Mazhar Ribbons of light, ribbons of white Lace around grey clouds. The sun hides behind a woven quilt And the trees stand tall and proud.

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Watching You—Over Looking Authority As You Touch the Ground & Crawl By Alvena Jeffery Scratching the floor as the last scraps remain Thirsty, hungry, needy…. Longing for more, gazing in pain Now there is little left, the mere minimum to survive He wants you to do well, until He sees you thrive After the endured wait, I’m standing with my hands dangling in mid air Lips quivering, heart longing Drops of sweat trickling down the side of my face I extend my arms & see nothing coming to me Bowing down on my knees, a tear falls Realizing the many times I denied his calls It was all a test, For in this materialistic world I failed Forgetting His existence, denying His presence Years passed, the clouds began to clear & the rainbow began to shine Stretching from one coast to the other. It’s like I could spread my wings and take everything in I didn't believe in second chances but change in character resulted in a new opportunity Reflecting back I realized what I had changed For the good & for the bad, Alhamdullilah Praise be to A—-h || The Beneficent & Merciful ||

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A Little Village in Palestine Sabreen Arman My pursuit ended this summer In a little village in Palestine Where peace and safety, Finally exists

Where a clock is not needed, Dates forgotten Where a call to prayer, Rings the village five times a day Where there are hot days, But always cool nights And where the days feel long, But somehow, time flies Where the people are always ready, To defend their precious land Where night strolls heal the soul, On the lovely nights of Ramadan Where takbeer on Eid, Can be heard from your own home Where they know your name and where you live, And that is actually OK My pursuit ended this summer, In the beloved village of Ein Yabrud, Palestine

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Al Bayyan Staff Fazila Vhora Editor-in-chief Maryam Raja Layout Designer Asif Mazhar & Lelas Shamaileh Copy Editors Azfar Sharif & Madihah Sharif News Editors

The topic for our next issue is UNITY. The deadline is October 24th, 2014. Please send all submissions to albayyanuic@gmail.com. THANK YOU!

Are you interested in writing, drawing, or contributing to AlBayyan in any other way? FOLLOW us on Twitter @albayyanuic LIKE us on Facebook www.facebook.com/albayyanuic Email us at albayyanuic@gmail.com. Issue 1

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