Research conducted by the University of Michigan - Dearborn Pluralism Project.
History
The Islamic House of Wisdom was founded in 1995 by a small group of Muslims from the Middle East led by Imam Ali Elahi. Starting out in a moderate size building on Schafer Avenue in Dearborn, a working- and middle-class suburb of Detroit, the center now occupies a much larger structure that over the years had served as home to two Christian organizations, the Fairlane Assembly Church and Detroit World Outreach. In September 1996, the Islamic House of Wisdom purchased the facility, which sits on approximately four acres of wooded land in Dearborn Heights, a middle-class suburb of Detroit. Over the years, the Islamic House of Wisdom has become one of the largest and most influential religious centers in the Detroit metropolitan area. Although most of the regular participants are of Arab and Iranian descent, people from a variety of ethnic groups join in the prayers and other functions at the center.
Description
The Islamic House of Wisdom has a prayer hall, an auditorium for lectures that can seat 1000 people, a kitchen, social hall, a nursery that cares for approximately 40 children daily, a media center for live broadcasts to local audiences, offices, meeting rooms, bookstore and library, kitchen, and social hall. There is also a ten unit school that is currently being used for weekend classes, but plans are to convert it into a full-time Islamic educational institution. A guest house next to the main building provides housing for visiting religious leaders and scholars
Goals of the Center
One of the center's main goals is to be a base for interfaith dialogue and a resource center for journalists, researchers, and the general public on Islamic issues. To this end, the center, and especially Imam Elahi, have played a major role in local interfaith activities, including participation in the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Leadership Symposium organized by the National Conference for Community and Justice; attendance at the local Interfaith Thanksgiving service, which was hosted by the House of Wisdom in 1998; and organization of tours for students from area schools and Christian seminaries to give them a broader understanding of Islam.
In the Community
The Islamic House of Wisdom assists individuals from the metropolitan Detroit's Middle Eastern population to deal with a variety of issues, including counseling Muslim Americans who face problems dealing with American secular culture and aiding people who have legal and immigration problems. Imam Elahi was the first Muslim in Michigan to become a foster parent when three young Muslim girls were removed from their parents' home and put into foster care in a non-Muslim household. The center now encourages Muslims to become foster parents, and has held a seminar on foster parenting. It has also hosted a seminar on domestic violence. In local politics, the center took a lead in the opposition to legalized gambling in Detroit and in opposition to physician-assisted suicide. In addition, the center has taken stands against ethnic, racial, and religious discrimination.
Conferences
In order to build a stronger Muslim community, the center has hosted a number of conferences on an international scale. These include the Symposium of Islamic Scholars co-sponsored by the Ahul Bayt Assembly of America. Another important event was a series of seminars offered in association with the Organization of North American Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities (NASIMCO) focusing on the future of Shia Islam in the twenty-first century. Additionally, the first Sunni-Shi'a symposium discussing the need for a united Islamic faith, was held at the House of Wisdom.
Activities and Schedule
Regular scheduled worship services include Friday congregational prayer and sermon at noon, Friday evening prayer and lectures, and Thursday evening recitation of Du'a Kumail. Among its activities for young people are classes in Arabic language and Islamic law and history. On Friday evenings, there are youth discussion groups for those between the ages of 15-25. Candid discussions with experts and community leaders focus on topics including drug and alcohol abuse, smoking, and youth violence. In addition, there are youth retreats and instruction in Tae Kwon Do.
Check this out, very interesting findings of Dr. Tariq Al Swaidan might grasp your attention:
Dr.Tarig Al Swaidan discovered some verses in the Holy Qur'an that mention one thing is equal to another, i.e. men are equal to women.
Although this makes sense grammatically, the astonishing fact is that the number of times the word man appears in the Qur'an is 24 and number of times the word woman appears is also 24, therefore not only is this phrase correct in the grammatical sense but also true mathematically, i.e. 24 = 24.
Upon further analysis of various verses, he discovered that this is consistent throughout the whole Qur'an, where it says one thing is like another. See below for astonishing result of the words mentioned number of times in Arabic Qur'an:
Dunia (one name for life) 115. Aakhirat (one name for the life after this world) 115 Malaika (Angels) 88 . Shayteen (Satan) 88 Life 145 .... Death 145 Benefit 50 . Corrupt 50 People 50 .. Messengers 50 Eblees (king of devils) 11 . Seek refuge from Eblees 11 Museebah (calamity) 75 . Thanks 75 Spending (Sadaqah) 73 . Satisfaction 73 People who are mislead 17 . Dead people 17 Muslimeen 41 . Jihad 41 Gold 8 . Easy life 8 Magic 60 . Fitnah (dissuasion, misleading) 60 Zakat (Taxes Muslims pay to the poor) 32 . Barakah (Increasing or blessings of wealth) 32 Mind 49 . Noor 49 Tongue 25 . Sermon 25 Desite 8 . Fear 8 Speaking publicly 18 . Publicising 18 Hardship 114 .... Patience 114 Muhammed 4 . Sharee'ah (Muhammed's teachings) 4 Man 24. Woman 24
And amazingly enough have a look how many times the following words appear:
Salah 5, Month 12, Day 365, Sea 32, Land 13
Sea + land = 32+13= 45
Sea = 32/45*100=71.11111111% Land = 13/45*100 = 28.88888889% Sea + land =100.00%
Modern science has only recently proven that the water covers 71.111% of the earth, while the land covers 28.889%.
Is this a coincidence?
Question is that Who taught Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) all this?
Reply automatically comes in mind that ALMIGHTY ALLAH taught him this. As the Qur'an also tells us this.
Please pass this on to all your friend and Muslims you know.
Aayah 87 of Suraa (Chapter) Al-Anbia para 17: LA ILAHA ILA ANTA SUBHANAKA INI KUNTU MINA ZALIMEEN.
During the next 60 seconds, stop whatever you are doing, and take this opportunity. (Literally, it is only 1 minute).
All you have to do is the following:
PLEASE SEND THIS TO ALL PEOPLE THE YOU KNOW. ALLAH SUBHANA WA TAALA WILL SOLVE ALL YOUR PROBLEMS. PLEASE DO NOT FAIL TO DO THIS.
Hello my friend
Thanks for the blog entries you made public for all of us.
N by the way , if you need any help on designing a real website , i'm
ready to help u 4 free of course.
May allah bless u
salam
Illuminating Islam: A Guide for Better Understanding
Illuminating Islam was a semester long grant-funded project bringing Muslim students and community members from James Madison University, the public school system, and the larger community, into dialogue with one another. Funded from September of 2003 to June of 2004, the core purpose of the Illuminating Islam grant was to carry out an educational program which would augment understanding of the Islamic tradition. oIP staff recruited volunteers from the JMU Muslim student community, who presented introductory information in local high schools on Islamic doctrines, practices, history and art and then answered the high school students’ questions. This personal interaction of local high school students with international Muslim students produced a valuable opportunity for both parties to learn from and about each other. Presentations were also made to the Rotary Club and at JMU’s International Student Leadership Conference.
The second tier of programming took place on campus and utilized more sophisticated materials for JMU students and faculty. In conjunction with the Muslim Student Association, Grant Coordinators arranged for various activities during Islam Week, including talks on calligraphy, jihad, Sufism, and women in Islam, and co-hosted an Islamic Art Exhibit.
All of the presentations were filmed, and two were chosen to be produced as video programs by the JMU School of Media Arts & Design. Those presentations, entitled – Women in Islam and Jihad in Context – were donated to local libraries and schools where they will be available for personal checkout and use as teaching aids. In addition, texts discussing the Islamic tradition were donated to local county schools; high schools received two books and three videos (including a PBS production).
The Illuminating Islam Project was supported by the U.S. Department of State through a grant from the Cooperative Grants Program of NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the JMU Office of International Programs.
Miracle in the Sky: clouds spelling Allah, the word for The One and Only God: The Creator and Sustainer of the whole Universe. The Word Allah does not have a plural nor gender and it is used by the Arab Christians and Jews for the God (Eloh-im in Hebrew; 'Allaha' in Aramaic, the mother tongue of Jesus, alayhisalam).
"Soon will We show them Our signs in the furthest regions (of the Earth) and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth."(~41:53 the Holy Qur'an)
Islam or Submission is the authentic position of the entire Creation before its Creator, The One God. The Universe and all it contains willingly or unwillingly exists in Islam.
Islam is derived from the Arabic word salam, meaning peace. All atoms of existence know that state of peace as they exist in harmony with the Divine Law and Order established by The Creator.
Knowledge of this state of submission or Islam to only Him has been instilled in each soul before the bodily form's creation:
"And remember when thy Lord brought forth from Children of Adam, from their reins, their seed, and made them testify of themselves, ( saying): 'Am I not your Lord?' They said: 'Yea, verily. We testify...' That was lest ye should say at the day of resurrection: 'Lo! Of this we were unaware'." 7:172 ~Qur'an
Man, endowed with an individuality, tends to be dominated by the ego-conciousness therefore he is inclined to be forgetful of this state of surrender to his Creator and thinks himself independent and in control whereas all his ego-driven life and actions are shackled by the Law of Nature as he opposes not only his soul's innate Islam to her Creator but also his own grace. Such is the condition of those who reside in the confining region of the ego, and who omit their complete dependency upon The All-Encompassing for sustenance.
All the created who strive to be in accordance with the Divine Order behind all manifestation are called Muslims (submitters). The greatest freedom is appointed through that universal position of Islam or submission to The Most High as Nature is Muslim, the Sun is Muslim, the Moon is Muslim, the planetary system is Muslim; all these celestial bodies, the elements it contains, which honor the Divine System are Muslims. Each new born child enters the world as a Muslim. The higher spheres relentlessly express their Islam to Allah (swt) with immense beauty and we would have much to learn from these subtle signs if only we had the humility and took the time to contemplate on their perfect activities.
December 26th 2004: image overview of Tsunami Waves whose motions clearly resemble the spelling of Allah (swt) on the southern coast of Sri-Lanka (Image source: DigitalGlobe)
"Soon will We show them Our signs in the furthest regions (of the Earth) and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth."(~41:53 the Holy Qur'an)
The Prophets (alayhumsalam) and Messengers of Allah (swt) embodied on Earth to remind us of that innate, soul state of Islam to The Creator. All the Prophets from Adam (alayhisalam) including Abraham (alayhisalam), Moses (alayhisalam), Noah (alayhisalam), Solomon (alayhisalam), David (alayhisalam), Joseph (alayhisalam), Jacob (alayhisalam), Jesus Christ (alayhisalam) to the last one Muhammad (alayhisalam) were but Prophets of Islam as the essence of their teachings was to show us how to attain peace in our lives through submission to The Unique God.
"The prophets are brothers of different mothers but their religion is One. Of all prophets I am the most deserving of being the brother of Jesus Son of Mary for there was no prophet between me and him." ~Prophet Muhammad (alayhisalam).
Furthermore, the Holy Qur'an reveals more about the Prophets (alayhumsalam) and the unique Source of their Inspiration and their Islam:
"Lo! We inspire thee as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him, as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as We imparted unto David the Psalms." 4:163 ~Qur'an
The Qur'an as well verifies:
"Say, We believe in Allah and in that which has been revealed to us, and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Tribes, and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and other Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit." 3:84 ~Qur'an
"The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah, that which We have sent by inspiration to you and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: namely, that you should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein ... " 42:13 ~Qur'an
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (alayhisalam) taught that the divine revelation of Islam completes the message of former Prophets (alayhumsalam) and that therefore it reposes upon principles of Universal Brotherhood and equality of all humanity.
With its multidimensional profundity, Islam continues to be the fastest growing religion in the world as well as the most misunderstood and dreaded one.
As our world is dominated by the reign of self-appointed authorities who seek to perpetuate unlawful systems, it is no wonder Islam represents such a threat to their usurpation which supports the expansion of an elite at the expense of the collectivity, of the masses. These practices of exclusion reflect a total disregard for the Divine Principles taught by the Prophets (alayhumsalam) as inequality, divisiveness, discrimination, oppression, and ignorance are ills that Islam does defeat.
Humanity's submission to The Unique only and observance of the Divine Principles all the Messengers (alayhumsalam) of Allah (swt) revealed would restore peace, freedom, equality and prosperity amongst the whole and that occurrence is the greatest threat to a reign based upon corruption, greed, control, usury, exploitation, prejudice, subjugation, injustice, disunity and falsehood.
A wise quote of Mahatma Gandhi illustrated well the sentiment of paranoia that seems to exist in the mind of oppressors in regard to Islam:
"Someone has said that Europeans in South Africa dread the advent of Islam -- Islam that civilized Spain, Islam that took the torch light to Morocco and preached to the world the Gospel of brotherhood. The Europeans of South Africa dread the Advent of Islam. They may claim equality with the white races. They may well dread it, if brotherhood is a sin. If it is equality of colored races then their dread is well founded." ~Mahatma Gandhi.
Islam is the highest mercy ever bestowed upon mankind as it advocates love, equality, peace, unity and authentic freedom which honor the soul's disposition to express her divine purpose; this sacred work unfolds as her complete surrender to the Will of Allah (swt) is attained.
The Last Prophet: Holy Prophet Muhammad (alayhisalam)
Prophet Jesus Christ (alayhisalam) had prophesied the coming of Prophet Muhammad (alayhisalam) as the Qur'an reveals:
"And remember when Jesus, son of Mary, said, `O children of Israel, surely I am Allah's Messenger unto you, fulfilling that which is before me of the Torah, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger who will come after me. His name will be Ahmad.' And when he came to them with clear proofs, they said, `This is clear enchantment.' " 61:6 ~Qur'an
As prophesied by Prophet Jesus Christ (alayhisalam), Prophet Muhammad (alayhisalam) graced the Earth. On April 20th 571, in the night the Last Prophet was born, the whole of East and West got illuminated.
From childhood, Muhammad (alayhisalam) whose name means "Highly Praised", displayed a virtuous character with special visible traits such as the illumination of his forehead. His father Abdullah (alayhisalam), had died before Muhammad (alayhisalam) was born and his mother Amina (alayhisalam) died when he was six years-old so he was brought up by his paternal uncle Abu Talib.
As a young man, Muhammad (alayhisalam) was distressed about the moral evils that were rampant amongst his people. When the time for Revelation came, Muhammad (alayhisalam) now forty years-old was contemplating in solitude in the cave of Hira when the angel Gabriel (alayhisalam) appeared to him and requested him to recite the following verse in spite of his illiteracy:
"Recite in the name of thy Lord Who created man from a clot of blood, for thy Lord is Beneficent, He who taught by the pen, taught men that which he knew not." 96:1-5, ~Qur'an
Thus began the revelation of Muhammad's (alayhisalam) prophethood. The Holy Qur'an is replete with references to the long line of Apostles (alayhumsalam) of Allah (swt) and the seal of that line of prophethood who was prophet Muhammad (alayhisalam):
"Surely, We have sent revelation to thee, as We sent revelation to Noah and the Prophets after him; and We sent revelation to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and his children and to Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and We gave David the Psalms." 4:163 ~Qur'an
"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah has full knowledge of all things." 33:40 ~Qur'an
The Five Pillars of Islam
Satellite picture of the City of Makkah (pilgrimage site for Muslims) here miraculously shining from space.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (alayhisalam) has compared Islam to a structure which reposes on five pillars which Muslim must observe:
1. testify to the Oneness of God and that Muhammad is His Messenger 2. establishment of prayer 3. payment of Zakat (poor due) 4. fasting of Ramadan 5. pilgrimage to Makkah which is the city where the Holy Kabbah was initially built by Prophets Abraham (alayhisalam) and his son Ismael (alayhisalam). Kabbah can be seen in the center on the satellite picture of Makkah (right).
This verse of the Holy Qur'an elaborates on the proper duties and the disposition of a Muslim:
"It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the prophets; and giveth wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor-due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the Allah-fearing." - Qur'an 2:177
Prophet Muhammad (alayhisalam) was illiterate, he never learnt how to read nor write when suddenly at 40 years old he miraculously began to recite the Qur'an marvelous Revelation which descended over a period of 23 years:
"Read, in the Name of your Lord and Cherisher, who created man out of a leech-like clot of congealed blood. Read and your Lord is Most Bountiful, He Who taught the use of the pen, taught men that which he knew not." ~Qur'an 96:1-5
"They ask: ?Why has no sign been given him by his Lord?? Say: 'Signs are in the hands of God. My mission is only to give plain warning.' Is it not enough for them that We have revealed to you the Book which is recited to them? Surely in this there is a blessing and an admonition to true believers." ~Qur?an, 29:50-51
The Holy Qur'an meaning "the Recitation" was revealed by Allah (swt) to Prophet Muhammad (alayhisalam) through Angel Gabriel (alayhisalam):
"Say: whoever is an enemy to Gabriel, he has brought down the revelation to your heart by Allah's will, a confirmation of what went before, and a guidance and glad tidings for those who believe " ~Qur'an, 2:97
"Do they not consider the Qur'an with care? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy." ~Qur'an, 4:82
"Say: If the ocean were ink wherewith to write out the words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted than would the words of my Lord, even if We added another ocean like it, for its aid." ~Qur'an, 18:109
The Glorious Qur'an is addressed to all of mankind and was revealed in Arabic, the language of Prophet Muhammad (alayhisalam) and his people.
Each year the Prophet (alayhisalam) reviewed the Holy Scriptures with Angel Gabriel (alayhisalam) and during the last year of his life, he and angel Gabriel (alayhisalam) reviewed it twice.
Ever since its revelation, not one word of the Holy Qur'an has been changed as Allah (swt) promised: "...there is none that can alter the words and decrees of Allah" ~Qur'an 6:34
"To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety..." ~Qur'an 5:48
The Holy Quran is the only Scripture revealed by Allah (swt) that has not undergone any alterations as hundred of thousands of Muslim devotees have memorised the 6246 verses of the Sacred Book throughout the centuries.
The Grace of Islam
Sign on Water: an aquatic rock in the Islamic prayer position of prostration.
All the experiences we encounter as human souls are meant to stir anew the remembrance of The Creator in us and our Islam (submission) to Him as He is our Source and to Him is our return.
The light of Islam resides in the fact that it naturally draws out our deepest potential and invites it out to the surface of our being: progressively the soul rejoices in this opportunity to at last externalize her true disposition, her happiness, her love, her gratitude to The Most Wise for all the mercy He has bestowed upon her. That sacred moment when we consciously live acknowledging His Grace is a sign of Islam.
When the awareness of our surrender to The Most High becomes our reality, all our movements become purposeful and they mirror the benefits of righteous living to the material dimension, to the world. These movements manifest themselves in us through gestures of selflessness, truth, peace, wisdom and love: in Islam, our whole being compares to a musical notation which contributes its own unique tone to the collective, sublime symphony of existence. When all we do becomes an act of worship of Allah (swt) and we humbly participate to the waltz of the entire Universe, then we exist in the grace of Islam ... Allahu Akbar!
Islamic House of Wisdom (CJ)
Illuminating Islam was a semester long grant-funded project bringing Muslim students and community members from James Madison University, the public school system, and the larger community, into dialogue with one another. Funded from September of 2003 to June of 2004, the core purpose of the Illuminating Islam grant was to carry out an educational program which would augment understanding of the Islamic tradition. oIP staff recruited volunteers from the JMU Muslim student community, who presented introductory information in local high schools on Islamic doctrines, practices, history and art and then answered the high school students’ questions. This personal interaction of local high school students with international Muslim students produced a valuable opportunity for both parties to learn from and about each other. Presentations were also made to the Rotary Club and at JMU’s International Student Leadership Conference.
