Salam Alaikum! Baymeadows Islamic Center, Inc.

Baymeadows Islamic Center, Inc.
www.bicjax.org
Monthly Newsletter
Issue I, Volume I - Safar 1435/January 2014
YOU ARE CORDIALLY
INVITED!
REGULAR 5 PRAYERS AT
BIC STARTED JANUARY
1, 2014
Mailing Address
12343 Sunchase Dr.,
Jacksonville, FL 32246
Masjid Location
8225 Dix Ellis Trail
Jacksonville, FL 32256
YOU ARE CORDIALLY
INVITED!
COMMUNITY DINNER ON
JANUARY 4TH, 2014
AFTER MAGHRIB
PRAYERS
Salam Alaikum!
Alhamdulillah! As of today, January 1st, we started praying in our new building and your
Baymeadows Islamic Center is a reality due to the untiring efforts of our entire community! By
the Grace of Allah (SWT), we have a permanent location and regular prayers have started. To
make it conducive to our needs, it is located very close to the Interstate 95 which is our major
transportation artery. It will facilitate a fast and easy access for the community - especially on
Fridays. With a minimal cost, we were able to convert the building for our use and now we have
a fully functioning Masjid. May Allah accept our efforts and use this place for spreading His great
religion of Islam for generations to come. The whole community thanks you all for making this
impossible looking task possible. Thank you very much!
Most people familiar with our community had seen us pray at the small apartments for many
years which we used as our musallah. It is truly His blessing that now we have this place to
worship, socialize and get our Islamic education. We urge you all to make full use of it and
volunteer your time and resources for its smooth functioning.
We assure you that we will keep the financial management and functioning of this mosque as
transparent as possible. There are few more things to be done in the short term including a play
area for the children and convenient bathrooms for both the sisters and brothers. As you
generously contributed to your community’s request, you now have a nice masjid to pray in as
well as you cashed in on the promise made by the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself who
said: “Whoever builds a mosque for Allah, Allah will build for him likewise in Paradise”, you
availed yourselves of this great opportunity to please Allah (SWT). Congratulations.
We started praying at our permanent location from today, January 1st, 2014. We also have a
community dinner planned for January 4th, 2014. You are cordially invited for both.
Management Muslim)
Baymeadows Islamic Center’s Monthly Newsletter
Safar 1435/January 2014
Signed, Sealed & Delivered!!!
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OUR DONORS & VOLUNTEERS
INSIDE ELECTRICALS & SOUND SYSTEM INSTALLED
NEW ROOF INSTALLED
INTERIOR REMODELLING COMPLETE
NEW CARPET INSTALLED
TEMPORARY PLUMBING & BATHROOM INSTALLED
LANDSCAPING COMPLETE
PRAYERS STARTED
APART FROM
THE PURCHASE
OF THE
BUILDING,
EVERYTHING
WAS
ACCOMPLISHED
WITHIN $100K.
ONLY OUTSTANDING WORK IS THE BATHROOM & WADOO AREA REMODELLING
Baymeadows Islamic Center’s Monthly Newsletter
Safar 1435/January 2014
Friendly Reminders: Avoid a Sin
What if someone guarantees you paradise will you believe that? What if Allah Himself or his Prophet (SAW) give you that
guarantee? Allah has guaranteed in the Quran (Al-Nisa 4:31 and Al-Najm 53:32) that if we avoid the major/heinous sins,
He will forgive and permit us into Paradise
Al-Nisa 4:31
‫ﺍ ِۡﻥ َﺗ ۡﺟ َﺗ ِﻧﺑ ُۡﻭﺍ َﻛ ٰ ٓﺑ ِٕﯩﺭَ ﻣَﺎ ُﺗ ۡﻧﻬ َۡﻭﻥَ ﻋ َۡﻧ ُﻪ ُﻧ َﻛ ﱢﻔ ۡﺭ َﻋ ۡﻧ ُﻛﻡۡ َﺳﻳ ٰﱢﺎ ِﺗ ُﻛﻡۡ َﻭ ُﻧ ۡﺩﺧ ِۡﻠـ ُﻛﻡۡ ﻣ ۡﱡﺩ َﺧ ًﻼ َﻛ ِﺭ ۡﻳﻣًﺎ‬
If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden to do, We shall expiate from you your (small) sins, and admit you to a
Noble Entrance (i.e. Paradise).
Al-Najm 53-32
ؕ‫ﻙ َﻭﺍﺳِ ُﻊ ۡﺍﻟﻣ َۡﻐﻔِﺭَ ِﺓ‬
َ ‫ﺍﻻ ۡﺛ ِﻡ َﻭ ۡﺍﻟ َﻔﻭﺍﺣِﺵَ ﺍ ﱠِﻻ ﺍﻟﻠﱠ َﻣ َؕﻡ ﺍِﻥﱠ ﺭَ ﱠﺑ‬
ِ ۡ َ‫ﺍَﻟﱠﺫ ِۡﻳﻥَ ﻳ َۡﺟ َﺗ ِﻧﺑ ُۡﻭﻥَ َﻛ ٰ ٓﺑ ِٕﯩﺭ‬
Those who avoid great sins and Al-Fawâhish except the small faults, verily, your Lord is of vast forgiveness.
Mu'adh bin Jabal narrates the Prophet (SAW) said, "O Mu'adh! Do you know what Allah's right upon His slaves is?" I said,
"Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet said, "To worship Him (Allah) alone and to join none in worship with Him
(Allah). Do you know what their right upon Him is?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know best." The Prophet said, "Not
to punish them (if they do so)”.
So, what are these major sins? These are acts which have been forbidden by Allah in the Quran, or by the Prophet (SAW)
in his Sunnah; or which the first righteous generation of his companions has made clear based on their knowledge of the
Quran and Hadith. To categorize the major sins we will follow the same sequence that was followed by the great scholar
Shamsuddin Muhammad bin Usman popularly known as Ad’Dhahabi in his famous book Al’Kabair. He lists more than
1300 scholars from whom he benefitted directly or through their work in his books.
The first major sin - Shirk
Shirk as a sin refers to associating someone or something with Allah. You can rate the importance of this sin, which we
may prefer to call the ‘mother of all sins’, by understanding how it is mentioned in the Quran and the Hadith. Allah
mentions the word Shirk and its derivatives about 165 times in the holy Quran and there are many other verses which
have similar meanings. Similarly, there are numerous quotes in the Hadiths specifically dealing with this.
Shirk is of three types: In the first instance, called Ash-Shirk-al-Akbar or the major Shirk, there are four subcategories.
Shirk-ad-Dua: We are doing these if we are invoking, supplicating, prostrating or praying to other deities other than
Allah. Shirk-al-Niyyah wal-Iradah wal-Qasd: We are doing this if we have intentions, purpose and determination in our
acts of worship or religious deeds not for the sake of Allah but directed towards others). Shirk-at-Ta’a: We are doing this
if we are rendering obedience to any authority against the order of Allah, and Shirk-al-Mahabbah: We are doing this if
we are showing the love which is due to Allah alone to some others than Allah.
In the second instance, Ash-Shirk-al-Asghar, or the minor Shirk, is about acts performed to show off and deals with any
act of worship or religious deed done to gain fame, praise, or worldly purpose.
The third, Ash-Shirk-al-Khafi, or the unobvious Shirk, implies to being inwardly dissatisfied with the inevitable condition
that has been ordained for us by Allah. An example of this could be lamenting that had we done such a thing or
approached such and such, we could have had a better status. (cont..)
Baymeadows Islamic Center’s Monthly Newsletter
Things to Remember
Safar 1435/January 2014
Friendly Reminders: Avoid a Sin (..cont)
Allah says in Surah al-Nisa (4-48): ‘Surely Allah does not forgive Shirk, and may forgive sins other than that if He so
pleases. This is because one who commits Shirk with Allah, does indeed invent a great sinful lie’.
In Surah al-Maidah (5:72) He says: ‘Whoever commits Shirk, Allah will deny him the Paradise, and Jahanum will be his
home.’
Also, in Surah Luqman (31:13) He says: ‘….surely committing Shirk is the worst inequity’.
Bottom-line: Let us not associate anyone or anything as partner with Allah, don’t show off when we do any good deed,
always remember what we do is for the sake of Allah, avoid the other forms of Shirk mentioned above, pray for
forgiveness about sins committed unknowingly -- and Inshallah all of us will meet again in Jannah once we depart from
this temporary earthly abode.
Baymeadows Islamic Center’s Monthly Newsletter
Safar 1435/January 2014
Kids Corner
Kids Challenge
Kids Challenge
Seerah Contest
Write an essay in which you either
‘compare and contrast Prophet
Muhammad’s (pbuh) childhood with yours’
or write ‘How has Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) influenced your life’.
First Prize $100
Second Prize $50
Third Prize $25
Do a good deed, collect money from your
family and friends for the new Masjid. The
kid that raises the largest amount for
purchasing the mosque will receive a
laptop or $500 as a gift. Collect all your
checks payable to: “Baymeadows Islamic
Center” and bring them to Br. Moin along
with your name/parents name, address,
phone number, email & consent from your
parents for you to do so.
DUE February 15th, 2014
DUE January 31st, 2014
Email your responses to
[email protected]
Send in your articles for next
month’s newsletter. The best
articles will be published and
you will receive a small gift
from BIC.
DUE January 31st, 2014
Email your responses to
[email protected]
Baymeadows Islamic Center’s Monthly Newsletter
Safar 1435/January 2014
ADVERTISE YOUR BUISNESS AND
REACH A LARGE MUSLIM
COMMUNITY
FULL PAGE: $100
HALF PAGE: $50
QUARTER PAGE: $35
CONTACT
[email protected] FOR MORE
DETAILS
Baymeadows Islamic Center’s Monthly Newsletter
The building of a Masjid is one of the only few
ways for a person to continue earning Allah’s
blessings after death. There is great reward in
building a mosque for Allah’s sake. A Masjid is
the best of places and is more blessed and
virtuous than all other places. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said: “The most beloved of
places to Allah is the Masjid, … ” (Sahih Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever
builds a Masjid for Allah, Allah will build for him
likewise in Paradise.” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih
Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Among
what continues to accrue for a believer of his
good works after death are the following:
knowledge that he learned and then imparted to
others, a pious child whom he left behind, a copy
of the Quran that he bequeathed, a Masjid that
he built, a guest house he built for travelers, a
river that he made to flow, and charity he spends
from his wealth when he is in good health – all of
this continues to avail him after his death.”
(Sunan Ibn Majah and Sunan al-Bayhaqi)
Safar 1435/January 2014
Donations
Please pay CONTRIBUTE
ONLINE AT BICJAX.ORG
OR
make checks payable to:
“Baymeadows Islamic
Center”
mail them to
12343 SUNCHASE DR,
JACKSONVILLE, FL
32246.