 Eastern
Europe Department
Student Counsels
A monthly periodical bulletin – first year - issue no. 10 - October 2007
Question 1:
Student Camps… Ideas and Programs
A group of workers in an Islamic institution
wish to set up a camp for associate students, and they need advice and
suggestions regarding camp programs. We would like you to provide us with some
ideas and suggestions in this regard, may Allah bless you.
Answer 1:
Dear brother, let us reply to your question
by providing you with some suggestions regarding applicable ideas for the
student camp, which you intend to set up, through the following points:
General rules that should be observed
when camping:
First – dear brother - there are general
rules that should be observed when setting up a camp, which include the
following,
Drawing definite and clear-cut
objectives for the camp: in light of what we would like the campers to
acquire of knowledge, concepts, skills, values, morals and behaviors.
Designing the program:
through the sections of which the camp objectives could be achieved.
Choosing the suitable place:
for the execution of the laid down program in order to achieve the camp
objectives.
Assigning a budget for camp
expenditure: within the financial limits of the institution.
Preparing and arranging necessary
tools and equipment: in order to achieve these objectives, such as
sport utilities, kitchenware, tools of entertainment, first aid devices, etc.
Choosing the executive supervisors
in an accurate way: So, they should be endowed with the ability to achieve the
camp objectives.
Variation of the program sections
(activities): so that the daily program of the camp would not be fixed
and, in consequence, boring. Therefore, it should be observed that each day
(activity) is different from its yesterday.
Interest in kindling the spirit of
competition: among the teams by making a (notice) board in which
the results of the teams in all fields – including sportive, cultural, artistic,
disciplinary, etc. – are constantly registered.
Evaluating the extent of objectives
achievement following the end of the camp: and carefully listening to
the views and suggestions of the campers.
Important suggestions on the sections
of a successful camp
There are certain sections that could be
executed within the camp program, including,
Introductory speech:
It is necessary, in the beginning of the
camp, that there be an introductory address through which the objectives of the
camp are identified, the intention (behind the camp) renewed, and the required
manners during the camping period stipulated for the campers to observe.
Spiritual activities:
It is necessary to set up a number of
sections and activities that help in developing aspects of faith within the
campers, such as,
Performing prayers with all the campers
immediately at its exact time.
Giving the campers the opportunity to
meditate on the marvelous creation of Almighty Allah and, then, to talk about
the notions that cross their minds during such meditation.
Specifying definite times in the program for
daily recitation of the Glorious Qur’an. It is preferred to identify a certain
number of verses or Qur’anic Surahs to be memorized during the camping period.
Then, the campers should be tested and the
winners awarded with prizes.
Lectures should be organized on some topics
that soften the hearts, such as the favors granted to us by Almighty Allah,
Paradise and its bliss, the scenes of the Day of Resurrection, etc.
Recommending performance of night Prayers,
individually or in congregation.
Setting a daily section of dhikr
(remembrance of Allah) to be repeated by every individual at interims or even at
specified times.
Cultural sections: it is
necessary that the camp program includes some cultural episodes such as,
Lectures and symposiums.
Studying some booklets and opening the door
for discussion of its themes.
Bringing up some issues for argument and
holding discussions around them.
Organizing some cultural contests, oral or
printed, or setting up some cultural activities such as bulletin boards.
Presenting some issues on video, computer,
etc.
Sport sections: There are
some sport sections that could be included in the camp program such as,
Arrangement of a morning sport row that
involves running for a definite amount of time and practicing a variety of
exercises. It is preferred that an expert sportsperson manages these workouts.
Practicing an adequate number of training
activities, such as abdominal exercises, back exercises and pushups. All campers
should be required to practice such exercises at any time of the day, with the
exception of those suffering health problems.
Organizing some contests and tournaments in a
number of sports, such as football, basketball, handball, volleyball, table
tennis, track and field, etc.
Amusement Games:
Some amusement games could also be organized,
such as the “handkerchief” game, follow-the-leader, chair games, etc.
Journeys and free tours:
It would be interesting to organize some
journeys or free tours outside the camp that could help the campers learn about
the nature of the camping site and visit its famous sights.
Evening parties:
Evening parties could include a variety of
sections, such as introductory recitation of some Qur’anic verses, chanting some
lyrics, and performing short purposeful plays that provide the campers with
certain values and notions. It could also include cultural contests,
entertainment games, episodes for the display of the campers’ talents, etc. It
is important to discover the artistic potentials, powers and abilities of the
campers and to make use of it in preparing and performing evening parties.
Dear brother, such are some of the sections
that could generally be included in camp programs. We ask Almighty Allah –
Exalted be He – to make them of benefit to you.
Question 2:
Sacrificing Either Study or Da`wah;
Problematic Choice Between a Mother and a Fetus!
I am a student who worked in the field of
da`wah for a long time under an Islamic student frame. Yet, I completely
neglected the field of da`wah because I got much lower grades. On the other
hand, a devout and benevolent colleague of mine prefers the field of da`wah to
anything else, and her work in the field of da`wah is broader than her
university studies.
My questions are as follows,
Does the da`wah work contradict with study?
What is your advice to me and to my
colleague?
Answer 2:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the
Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Almighty, and
may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad, his family,
companions, and followers until the Day of Judgment.
Dear sister, may Almighty Allah – Exalted be
He – bless you, grant us and you perseverance in working for His Way, and make
our work purely for His sake.
A smile, a handshake and a pen
We have detected many aspects through your
message and conceived of active and energetic youth who, like bees, work
persistently and, like sweet-smelling spring breeze, touch the swarming student
crowds, spread the scent of their da`wah among them through smile, handshake and
the pen.
Yes, dear sister, “knowledge” is the
unblunted weapon, second only to the weapon of faith, whose status is elevated
by Islam more than by any other civilization. Indeed, Islam has linked knowledge
to faith and also joined faith with knowledge, as the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever follows a path to seek knowledge,
Allah will show him the way to Paradise” (Reported be at-Tirmidhi
through authentic chain of narrators). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) also said, “The angels lower their wings being pleased with the one
who seeks knowledge” (Reported by at-Tirmidhi through an authentic
chain of narrators). It was mentioned to the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) two men, one of whom was a worshipper while the other was a scholar.
Thereupon, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The superiority
of a scholar over a worshipper is similar to my superiority over the lowest
among you.” Then, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) added,
“Verily, the angles and the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth,
even the ant in its nest and the whale, pray on the one who taught people
goodness” (Reported by at-Tirmidhi through a sound chain of narrators).
Dear sister, who is close to our hearts, it
is through your existence in this University and da`wah institution that you
engage in a group of overlapping field activities due to the student trends
among and around you. It is also due to the lack of understanding among students
of the idea to which you are calling and to the political situation that
constitutes a pivotal factor in the scenes of university students’ work.
Therefore, every activist in the university area should acknowledge these facts
and adjust himself to a certain performance within the atmosphere of these areas
without neglecting knowledge and learning in such an academic edifice, being in
the first instance a student whose main role is to honorifically excel in his
field of study. In addition, the field of Da`wah – dear sister – is not just a
field of work, but also of establishing fraternal ties and acquiring social and
administrative concepts through your work in your institution. So, by withdrawal
from it, you will lose much of the encompassing circumstances that would help
you to fulfill your study too.
Da`wah work is broader and more
spacious than responsibilities and tasks
The concept of Da`wah work, dear sister, is
not limited to responsibilities and tasks assigned by a Da`wah institution,
though such assignment helps in work perfection, concentration of efforts and
performance of work in a better creative manner. However, the concept of working
for the sake of Almighty Allah is broader and more spacious than these tasks.
Thus, when you become a role model for your colleagues, regarding adherence to
Allah’s Law, it represents a work of Da`wah or call to the Way of Allah. This
also applies when you excel in your study, when you show tolerance in dealing
with your colleagues, and when you help them fulfill their needs. In general,
every good deed you undertake, whose effect extends to those around you,
constitutes an act of da`wah to Almighty Allah, Exalted be He.
Hence, dear sister, you should meet the
chiefs of your institution and brief them about you desire to enhance your
academic performance, and there is no harm if you agree with them on decreasing
your da`wah responsibilities and undertaking the tasks that do not contradict
with your work to enhance your academic performance. Such a step would create
balance between your da`wah responsibilities and academic assignments, and
indeed it is better than avoiding the places where your da`wah fellows gather or
postponing da`wah work until you complete your study.
In case there are any other obstacles or
problems, other than study problems, that drive you towards abandoning da`wah
work, then – dear sister – you should meet your da`wah fellows, and cordially
and openly tell them of your problems so that you may work out solutions for
such problems that stand in the way of your da`wah work.
Da`wah or study; time obligation is
more deserving
Dear sister, how gracious is your description
of you mate as “devout” and “faithful”! Our guide and Prophet, Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him) truthfully said, “A person is judged
according to his/her friend, so let every one of you consider whom he
befriends.” (Reported by Ahmad, and deemed sound by Al-Albani) Abu Musa
Al-Ash`ari (may Allah be pleased with him) is also reported to have said that
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The example of a
good companion (who sits with you) in comparison with a bad one, is like that of
the musk seller and the blacksmith’s bellows (or furnace); from the first you
would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either
burn your clothes, or you get a bad nasty smell thereof.” (Agreed upon
hadith)
The value of a devout and faithful
friend
May all the youth appreciate the value of the
“devout” and “faithful” friend, and the merit of choosing and selecting friends
and fellows! May they also recognize its significance as is expressed through
the following lines of verse:
Ask not about a man, but about his mates
For a mate is the one he surely imitates.
Yet, we would like to consider your saying
about your colleague that “she prefers da`wah (call) to Islam than anything
else”. So, to be more specific, we will divide the phrase into two sections: as
for the first section, i.e. “that she prefers da`wah to Islam”, you – may Allah
bless you – should know that da`wah to Islam is an honor. Is there anything more
honorable than assuming the task of Prophets! Almighty Allah says, “Say:
This is my Way: I call on Allah with sure knowledge, I and whosoever followeth
me Glory be to Allah! and I am not of the idolaters.” (Yusuf 12: 108)
Is there – dear sister – any one who is better than the caller to Allah
(da`iyah)! Almighty Allah says, “And who is better in speech than him who
prayeth unto his Lord and doeth right, and saith: Lo! I am of those who
surrender (unto Him).” (Fussilat 41: 33)
Regarding the second section of your phrase,
i.e. that she prefers da`wah to “anything else”, what do you mean by “anything
else”? If you mean that she would put da`wah to Islam on top of her priorities
and prefer it to anything else, this is pretty good. Yet, if you mean that her
love of da`wah work has made her blind to anything else, leading her to neglect
her basic duties and abandon the rights of others, this would be a
misunderstanding, on her part, and an objectionable behavior. Of course, our
religion forbids us to assume such a behavior, which represents a pit in which
many students, newly approaching the field of da`wah, fall.
Balance in everything is the solution
Here, we should seize the opportunity to
explain that sound understanding of Islam obliges the da`iyah (caller to Islam)
to be well-balanced in all her affairs. Thus, she should not care about
something at the expense of other things, nor be preoccupied by an obligation to
the neglect of other obligations. Rather, it is the sound understanding of Islam
that obliges her to be just judicious in all her affairs as to set things in
their right place, at the right time and in due proportion. Consequently, she
should engage in da`wah to Allah, bearing in mind that she is a student and that
she has assignments that need to be done. She should also be aware that time
limits dictate that she focuses on her study in order to excel and, in turn, be
an honor to her religion, a brilliant symbol in her da`wah and a role model
worthy of imitation.
In conclusion, dear sister, it seems that
the colleague you informed us about has a certain flaw. Though it appears that,
like many fellow sisters, her love of da`wah dominates her life, which is
generally commendable, it is still objectionable that her love of da`wah leads
her to neglect her other duties, on top of which is her being a student on whom
her religion and family hang their big hopes. Indeed, she should neither
disappoint nor let them down.
Our advice to your colleague, whom we cherish
due to all that love you have for her, is that she should pause for a while and
reconsider her approach. She should ask herself: how much goodness will come to
me and my da`wah if I concentrate on my study, score a great success and thus
attain the post of an instructor in university, for example? Again, she should
consider the question the other way round: how much loss will befall me and my
da`wah if I neglect my study, flunk, get expelled from the university, or at
least get the minimum grades?
A brilliant model or a heavy burden
for da`wah
Then, she should consider the question: Shall
I then be a brilliant model for a da`iyah whom people view with appreciation and
respect, or a heavy burden and detestable pattern for a da`wah activist?
Indeed, she should review her attitude, and
if she refers to those more experienced than her among the wise mentors of
da`wah, they would give her advice on what she should do. Yet, it would be a
grave mistake if your colleague ignores the expertise of those who precede her
among the people of experience in this arena, and to rely on her own self and on
her own prejudice.
May Almighty Allah forgive us, you and your
colleague, and improve the conditions of us all, Amen.
Eastern Europe Department
Student Counsels
A monthly periodical bulletin – first year - issue no. 10 - October 2007
|
In
the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Sponsored
by the Federation of Social Organizations in Ukraine “Alraid”, in cooperation
with the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, held in the territory of Crimea
peninsula works of the round table attended by a number of scientists and men of
intellect and culture in Ukraine, and arrival of nine universities, in addition
to representing a presidential Ukrainian official interested in the activities
of the event.Inaugurated the table works Professor Alexander Lalić director
Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, and thanked in his opening remarks to the
establishment of such joint activities with the scientific, cultural, literary
competent in Ukraine which serve the community. 
Extremist parties in some European countries have recently intensified the
tone of their blatant offensive campaigns against the honorable Prophet,
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and against Islamic sanctities. They
also went on kindling instigation against the Muslim citizens in the European
societies and exciting hatred against them in a flagrant manner. 
