يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسِ اتَّقَواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِن نَفْسٌ وَاحِدَةً وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيراً وَنِسَاء وَاتَّقُواْ اللهِ الَّذِي تَسَاءلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللهِ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيباً

He also said:

مِن عَمَلَ صَالِحاً مِن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُّؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةٍ طَيِّبَةً وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ بِأَحْسَنَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

And He also said:

وَمِنَ آيَاتِهِ أَنَّ خَلَقَ لَكُمُ مِن أَنفُسَكُمْ أَزْوَاجاً لِتَسْكُنُواْ إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَوَدَّةٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

It only takes few moments of reflection on the above verses from the Quran to realize how Islam focused on purifying the Muslim society of many of the diseases that attack the family and the community. These verses were revealed in the early stages of Islam to build a clean and a healthy community from day one- even before the birth of the “Islamic State”. These verses addressed the people, (Al-Nas), all the people regardless of their language, their color, or their race, to bring a change in their life that will secure their respect, dignity, honor, and peaceful lifestyle.

These verses stated simple facts, simple but important to the success of the family and the community in general…

The first verse above, from Surat Al-Nisa is sufficient to wipe off thousands of years of confusion, oppression, tyranny and cruelty that (Al-Nas) people caused to each other. It starts with building a fundamental understanding of the relationship between Man, the human being, and his Creator. Clarifying the question that many has asked and are still asking: Who am I, and Why I am here?

The verses addressed who we are: We are Al-Nas (the people), the creation of Allah, the creation of God, the creation of the Creator – and we are here to live on the path of Taqwa (reverence, fear and love) of the creator.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسِ اتَّقَواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِن نَفْسٌ وَاحِدَةً

It’s that simple, it’s that deep.

It’s the fact that when people understand it, they live to know Allah, live to love Allah, they live to fear Allah, and they live to be on the path of Allah.

It’s the fact that when people forget about it, they automatically forget about everything else that has value to in their life. If they fail to recognize who they are and why they are here, how can they succeed in building a family, or a community, or succeed in any other important aspect of life?
Allah states in the Quran:

وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ نَسُواْ اللهِ فَأَنسَاهُمْ أَنفُسَهُم أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمْ الْفَاسِقُونَ

Yes, they are indeed the transgressors; they have transgressed against the most valuable thing they own; their own soul. They forbade their soul from knowing its Creator. They stopped their soul from the achieving the tranquility of knowing God. They shortened themselves of the peace in their heart of the presence of God.

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبِهمْ بِذِكْرِ اللهِ أَلا بِذِكْرِ اللهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

And as fast as the verse addressed the first important fact in ones life; our relationship to the Creator; it moved to address another fact: How did we come here? And who are those people around me?

خَلَقَكُمْ مِن نَفْسٌ وَاحِدَةً وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيراً وَنِسَاء

We are here because of higher authority decreed for us to be here. We arrived here, not because of our will, but because the Creator, the All Mighty chose us to be here! How can we then live without His Path, without His guidance or without His laws? How can we be so ignorant about choosing a way of life other than Islam, and we had no will to be or not be here from the first place?

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمُ دِينِكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِيَ وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلاَمُ دِيناً

He is the one who created us from the Single Person, or single soul to start this journey of Mankind.
What a magnificent link is this! We are all connected to one creator, and we are all connected to one father! What an astonishing fact that could have saved humanity from all sorts of racism, or gender equity! How is it possible for any one who believes in these facts claim that he or she is “better” than another individual because of their gender, or skin color, or native language, or tribe, or country! If all people are created by one God, and from the same Soul, the how can these differences matter on who we are, or our value in the sight of God!
How many souls have been killed and are being killed in the name of racism?
How many souls have been tortured and are being tortured because of their gender?
How many souls have been robbed from living peacefully, with dignity, with honor because of their tribe, or skin color, or language?

How many souls, would have lived in peace and tranquility only if people applied Islam as a way of life – and as a source of guidance?

How simple these facts are…. How deep they are… and how valuable they are…

وَمِنَ يَبْتَغِ غَيرِ الإِسْلاَمُ دِيناً فَلَن يُقْبَلُ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الآَخِرَةُ مِن الْخَاسِرِينَ

Indeed, the creator only accepts righteous lifestyle to his creation. A life style that purifies the heart, cleanse it, secure its peace, and grant it it’s and honor! A life style that frees Man from being a servant to any one – and be a servant only to God. A life style that is not theoretical only, but an implantable one. A life style that was demonstrated by the prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, and his companions. Such a life style is a duty on each Muslim to strive to live by and adhere to. A life style that starts with the Shahadah (testimony to the ones of Allah) and ends with demonstrateable actions of faith based on the Sunnah (tradition) of the prophet, peace be upon him – that is ISLAM.

And yet the verses pack another fact that is no less important than the other ones – a fact that answers the question: What is the core building block of a community?
Islam’s answer to this is the Individual and the Family.

The verses from the Quran address every individual to elevate his faith – and at the same time they instruct the individual to guard the family.

Islam care about the family is unprecedented. Look at the first verse for example, it starts with defining the relationship between Man and God – that it must be built on Taqwa (obedience, love, and fear of Allah), then talks about the creation of Man, and his existence, and amazingly concludes with reminder of Taqwa and looking after the relationships that we have!

When we contemplate on this verse, and many others in the Quran and the Sunnah (tradition) of the prophet, we recognize that the family ties must be guarded by the Taqwa of Allah. Taqwa now becomes the circle that encapsulates the family relationship; it secures it, guards it, and protects it!

A secure family is a must for a successful society. To insure that security, Islam unquestionably tied it to God’s love and reverence!

How can a family be safe and secure and the female of the family is treated harshly or without equality?
How can a family be safe and secure and its members are degrading one another for any worldly reason like race, or color?
How can a family be safe when it feels left out in a community because it comes from a different ancestor!

All these diseases are cured by recognizing the ones of Allah, that he is the source, that he created every thing, and that he created our origin – from a single soul!

All these diseases are cured by recognizing that the actions of a male or a female are equally important and valuable in the sight of God!

مِن عَمَلَ صَالِحاً مِن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُّؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةٍ طَيِّبَةً وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ بِأَحْسَنَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

All these diseases are cured by living the deen of Allah!

Its no wonder then that the Islamic laws that govern the family are not in vacuum, they are in an atmosphere of Taqwa and in a space of God reverence. The laws are connected to the foundation of the deen (the religion) and that foundation is directly connected to the Creator.

How many families today are lost and their relationships are wasted because one or members did not implement the fundamental rule – Taqwa!

But for those, who fail to have Taqwa and guard the family, they need to pay attention to the verses! “إِنَّ اللهِ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبا” (for Allah ever watches over you) …

Our Families in America:

This is the reality for our families in North America. The challenge can only be described as the messenger, peace be upon him, described it before … that a time will come when One holds to Islam is as hard as holding a piece of coal on fire in his hand.

To succeed, we all must come together, as one big family, to support each other, offer help and to hold each other hand to crush that brining fire.
The Islamic Center is a valuable resource to you as an individual, and to your family as a whole. In the Islamic Center you can focus on building your own relationship with Allah, increase your Iman and faith – and at the same time, secure your family, and all its members with Taqwa –

Teach your children at an early age to keep the reverence to Allah, to have Taqwa, that will translate to being obedience to you and to be valuable and successful members of this community.

Use the Islamic Center as a median to facilitate the growth of your family, as a median to bring love to each member of your family, as a resource to meet others who work just like you to preserve this precious gift from Allah.

The Islamic Center resources are fully based on volunteers, who share with you this vision of protecting the family – hence, the more participation of the members of the community, the more resourceful the center can be and the more valuable to you and your family.

The more hands that we extend to each other, Insh-Allah (God willing), the easier our tasks will be.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسِ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوباً وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللهِ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

دَعْوَاهُمْ فِيهَا سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَتَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلاَمٌ وَآخَرَ دَعْوَاهُمْ أَنَّ الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ