The Prophetic Model: Ali Shayan

1) School Newspapers
-Muslims should get mored involved with this.
-Contribute a variety of topics not just Islamic topics.

2) Peer Tutoring
-helping students in your school
-merge it with a Big Brother/Big Sister program

3) Be Aware of International Issues
-fundraise for them
-ex: sponsor students from the overseas
-collect and send medical and learning supplies to needy areas.
-Local issues: food for the homeless.
-If you have excess food for a huge engagment party or an event, don't throw it away. Take it to shelters. They appericate it.

4) Workshops on REAL issues
-Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, on-going violence
-Don't pretend all this isn't an issue within the muslim community because it is.

-We need to diversify and do, become involved in different things. Ex: Amnesty International.

Are We Violent People? - Yasser Haddara

-Is the Quran filled with violence? It's usually taken out of context.

-Violence: Unjustifiable violence

-What do you mean by violence?

-If we are on a battlefield and being attacked. Stand steadfast.
-Do not ever wish to meet your enemy but if you do meet them; stand steadfast.

-Violence/fighting is not something thats glorified or celebrated.

-Allah (swt) said: O my servants. I've made injustice forbidden upon you and onto you.

-Where do you think the largest number of suicide bombing take place? Palestine? Iraq? Nope.
The largest number of suicide bombings is the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanks.

-Suggestion: Don't respond without thinking. Ex: There's 1.3 billion of us in the world so don't mess with us!

-During the Genocide in Rwanda, many turned to Muslims for help. Watch it here: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2004/04/05/international/20040406_RWAN_AUDIOSS.html

Companions of the Prophet: Muhammad Al-Shareef

-Indeed you have a blessed example with Ibrahim and those with him.

-The Purpose is not to only tell the story but to LEARN from the story.

-If you are ever afflicted with a problem, look at the Prophet, they had it worse.

-Saad ibn Nusayb. A man complained that his son disobeys him. When asked if he cursed his son, he says yes. The way your son is treating you is the result of that curse.

-By not being in the rememberance of Allah, the heart becomes rusted by default.

-There is no murder that the son of doesn't get a portion of.

1) Take advantage of classes online. Ex: paltalk
2) Be friends with people of good character so that you may absorb it. You can get close to them by finding ways to benefit them.

Ummati, Ummati -Yasser Haddara

When you say "MY UMMAH" In what sense is it said?

-A sense of pride. "MY ummah"
-A sense of belonging.

-All the tribes and Muhajereen had banners= Belonging is a good thing.

1) Understannd how to put all your identites together

2) In a sense of grief & concern
-contribute to the society. Help out either that homeless person or the MSA.

-One who isn't concerened with matters of a muslim isn't one of them. Ex: Poverty, Politics, Learning of their deen etc.

-There will always be good in my ummah until the Day of Judgement.

-Ex: My ummah is like that rain. You don't know which is better. The first or the last. Allah will never abandon an ummah where I come first and Isa in the end.

3) In sense of responsibility.
-remind people what is good and bad.
-Believe in Allah.

-Allah is Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem. If you expect to disobey him and be rewarded on the Day of Judgement is simply insanity.

Our Future, Our Choice: Thinking Today for Tomorrow: Muhammad Al-Shareef & Munir El-Kassem

Muhammad Al-Shareef

-Allah will not change the future of a person until they make the changes.
-The Prophet (saw) said: Whoever sees a munkar, let him change it with his hand, if not then with his tongue, if not then to hate it in his heart
-You can't make a person make a choice but you can influence it.

1st circle: things you are in control of. Ex: Choice to pray or not to pray
2nd cirlce: things out of your contol. People sulking over things they have no control over.

-KNOW: know your destination. If you aim for nothing. Your destination is nothing.

-your heart will waken if you are not in the rememberance of Allah.Common complaint among the muslims: I pray but I just don't feel it (well who's fault is that?!)

-Be specific in the direction to your destination.
Ex: I want to be a good muslim. HOW?
-It needs to be measureable
-How much Quran do you know, tafseer etc.

Munir El-Kassem

-The nature of Islam is that you are working towards your Ultimate Future- Jannah (Paradise)
-Part of that Ultimate Future Plan: you need to plan for this world as well.
-The GPS for Rasuallah (saw) was a divine GPS
-The Prophet Muhammad (saw) recieved the relevation he had to plan to protect the early muslims. After 3 years they declared Islam publicly.
-Another plan: Migrate to Abyssinia and stay there.

-10th Year planned to reach out of Makkah--> to Taif.
-Another plan: Continue to talk to people who come to the pilgrimge.

-Surah Yunus, Hud & Yusuy all hold the name of messengers. In the end the lessons are summarized.

*Thinking today, for tomorrow*

-Nuh preached Islam for 900 years+. About 85 became muslim and he didn't give up.

1) Be steadfast, direct, don't turn around and say I can't do it.
2) Don't start now to transgress the limit of goodness. Ex: revenge to his enemies.
3) Don't be dependant on the wrong-doers. Ex: I need the enemies to help us. Donations from America to help Palestinians, Iraqis, Because we were dependent on transgressers. This is due failure to plan for the future.

Practical Tips

1) Define our identity.
-Keep Going and strengthn your Iman
-Don't lost Hope in Allah (swt)
- The future is with Islam

2) You need to be independent!
-Stop being dependent on transgressors
-No more fundraising dinners. Instead use the fundraising to have a base and invest.

3) Reach out and stop thinking of "going back home"

4) Become more active on the communial level.
-Ex: enviorment issues, same-sex marriages, CSIS--> security certificates.

Survey Says...Top 10 Challenges Facing Muslim Youth: Hamzah Moin

#10 Leadership is corrupted/lacking

-Not always the right people taking leadership in mosques and Islamic centre's who represent the youth well.
-Micro Level: in muslim country
-Micro Level: in our mosques
-Lack of Leadership
-People have forgotten how to follow & lead

#9 Extermism

-Either extremely on the conservative side or extremely on the liberal side.
-Extremely conservative side. Neglects tradition to conform with "bedouin" society
-Extremely libearl side. Neglects tradition to conform with modern society
-The spotlight is on the 2 extremes of Islam.

#8 Alienation of Muslim Youth

-The elders in the community aren't in touch with the needs of the Muslim Youth and their mentality and many times they find themselves alienated and not understood.
-At the same time, a community that doesn't listen to the elders is destined to failure.

#7 Lack of Faith

-Questions to ask regarding the upbringing of the youth:
-Were they brought up by good parents with proper Islamic teaching?
-How was the community they lived in?

#6 Gender Relations

-2 categories:
- General day to day interaction such as people you might have to work with at school, the workplace etc
-and the other category where you simply cross the line. Ex: msn.

#5 Westernization

-How far do you go with acting as a "Canadian"?

#4 Too Cultural...and Racism

-The division among the Muslims due to culture such as the arab mosque or the desi mosque.
-Internal clashing

#3 Bad Image

-Islam has a bad Public Relations campaign. Whenever visiting places on the internet such as the forums you find avatars of a Quran with an AK-47 beside it. What image of Islam does this give a non-muslim who might visit that specific forum?

-The Danish cartoons: The actions of the 100,000 or so muslims out of the 1.2 billion who reacted with burning flags and embassies reflected negatively on the muslims especially when we speak about Muslims not being violent. One community turned the lemons into lemonade by using it as a chance to clear up misconceptions about Rasuallah (saw). They created an outdoor bazaar like structure and each section showed and explained an aspect of Rasuallah's life.

#2 Lack of Knowledge

-If this problem is worked on thene verything else falls into place. -Act upon it so people see that this knowledge truly DOES work.

#1 Unity

-Muslims need to differentiate unity and uniformity (being the same)
-Imagine Islam as a tree. The Quran and Sunnah are the roots. The branches grow in different direction, they're never the same (symbolizing difference of opinion) If people keep cutting out the branches, in the end we'll all have only a dying stump. We need to be able to foster differences of opinion.