AL-HUDA NEWSLETTER FORTNIGHT PUBLICATION

7 TH AUGUST 2009 ISSUE 6

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Islam Awareness Month:

Letter from MUSA presedIrans Elections and the Third Wave of Cultural Imperialism
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MUSA organised many activities including

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requirements. We pray for him and ask Allah (SWT) to help him with all his affairs and make them easy. We also pray that Allah (SWT) will bring his wife close to him. And finally that Allah (SWT) grant him Rahma (mercy) in this life and Janah (paradise) in hereafter.

mosque open day, lectures by different Sheikhs , interfaith dialog ue, brothers

An Aya of Quran Understanding the concept of ERP Sisters page Wake the Night

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camp and so on for the purpose of IAM. Through the help of Allah (SWT) MUSA annual Islam awareness functions successfully

ended with Dr.Zachariah Matthews lectures

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and talks.

Brother Jonaid Alam leaving: Wedding of Hamid Hawwari:

Jonaid Alam has been working in enabling

Badminton tournament:
Badminton tournament is starting on the 15th of August the entry closes on the 13th August. Entry forms are available at the Mosque foyer. For more details contact Jonaid Alam on 021749337 or Faried on 0210765590.

IT company for the last year and half. He is departing due to his job transfer to Auckland in few days. He is also one of the very active members of MUSA club. He organised large number of sport activities for brothers during his work with MUSA since 2008 MUSA committee election. In his farewell he is yet again organising an other sport for brothers the badminton tournament details on the notice section of the news letter.

Brother Hamid Hawwari is getting married this Saturday 8th August . There will be a function held at the Mosque after Isha InshaALLAH all welcome.

Alwalas father diagnosed with cancer

Brother Alwala most of us may know him left Dunedin early this year shifting his university. His father is now diagnosed with cancer and he has asked all Muslims to make Dua (prayer) for him and his family back in Saudi Arabia.

Newsletter Quiz Draw:

In the future publications of this newsletter there would be quiz based on the newsletter. At the end of each week after the publication the winner of the draw will receive a $20 restaurant voucher.

He married in the beginning of this year in India, however, he could not accompany his wife to New Zealand due to immigration

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Assalamualikum WRB,

Welcome to another publication of Al-Huda newsletter for 2009. I hope you do enjoy reading the newsletter. Please let me know if you have any suggestions to improve our newsletter, by emailing me on: yasao@hotmail.com Alhamdullillah, we have been blessed to have completed our Islam Awareness Month (IAM) for this year. For our concluding activity, we welcomed Dr. Zacharia Matthews from Australia. He had a pretty full-on schedule for us. He started by giving the Friday khutba, in which he spoke about the power of supplication, and how potent a weapon it is for Muslim believers. Then, he gave a public lecture about Islams ethical system at the University. The lecture was very interesting, and I have received so much positive feedback about it, from Muslims and non-Muslims alike. On the next day, Dr. Zacharia started the day by giving us 2 workshops about leadership and etiquettes of disagreement. Alhamdullilah, they were both informing and fun. And last but not least, Dr. Zacharia gave a lecture about living ethical lives in the Mosque, after Maghrib prayer. Dr. Zacharia played volleyball with the brothers after Isha on Saturday, before flying back to Australia on Sunday morning. Anyone interested in listening to the lectures, please contact bro. Waseem on: w.alzaher@gmail.com for more information. New to this newsletter (and others to come) is a quiz section. Bro. Hikmat (Al-Huda newsletter editor) will include a simple question about one of the articles in the newsletter. Please cut off that section, answer the question correctly, and place it in the box provided before Juma prayer of the following week, to be in for a draw on $15 vouchers from different places in Dunedin. We came up with this idea to encourage more of our brothers and sisters to read our biweekly newsletter. With Ramadhan coming up, MUSA is still on the planning of more activities, including: the MUSA annual badminton tournament for singles and doubles, Ramadhan iftars, and Quran quiz competition. So please keep an eye on the notice boards to know more about those. May Allah grant us all al-Jannah, and bless us to fast another Ramadhan inshAllah. As always, if you have any question/suggestion/anything, please do email/text me. I am more than happy to listen to you. JAK all, Wassalamualikum Yassar Alamri

arly imperialism told us that the people of the East were too racially inferior to govern themselves. In this period, there was little hope for agency for the Muslim peoples so long as European armies possessed superior technology. Later, this form of imperialism was modified, moving from a racial basis to a civilisational basis. In this second state of affairs, the peoples of Muslim societies were in theory equal to their counterparts in Western countries. However, they were not yet able to be trusted to take control of their own societies. The desire for Islam to play the dominant role as it always had in society rendered these people as undesirables and necessitated their disenfranchisement. Today however, we are confronted with the third wave of imperialism, one which is far more subtle and insidious as it possesses a much greater potential to entice members of our Muslim ummah. This updated form of imperialism, rather than telling us we are too backward to have agency over our societies, tells us that we are advanced enough by asserting that we are just like the West. In this framework, it is now only those who refuse to accept this who must be excluded from the political process. This new waves primary attribute is of West and East finding themselves in the Other. While this may appear to lead to a process of cross-pollination and mutual exchanging of ideas, the vast differences in material well-being and power mean the exchange flows only from West to East (or North to South to place it in an economic context). For the Muslims, this process is reinforced by well-intentioned (inshaallaah) Muslims who seek to advocate the continued relevance of Islam in the era of modernity. These (overwhelmingly Western university educated) Muslims take great time and effort in order to show how the neoconservatives and other overtly anti-Islamic groups have got it wrong and that Islam shares a commitment to human rights (in a manner similar to the UNs Universal Declaration on Human Rights), democracy and even in some cases a separation between religion and state. On the other side of the divide, the process finds its partner in Western commentators, theorists and others who feel

sympathetic towards the low position in which Muslims find themselves in many regions of the world. In addition to assisting with the Western educated Muslims aforementioned projects, these commentators seek to portray any expression of public discord with their governments as a desire to travel down the European trodden path to liberalism, to arrive at Fukuyamas end of history and embrace their European brethren, forgetting their past squabbles. There is perhaps no more suitable example of this trend than the reaction to the recent unrest in Iran. In line with this agenda to show that we are all the same and we all desire to live a liberal, democratic existence, the protests in support of a key figure in Imam Khomeinis revolution is portrayed as a desire to be Western. The primary means of asserting this is to focus the media attention primarily on French manicured half-hijab wearing young women carrying designer handbags. While media reports from Iran are scarce at best (excluding that great bastion of knowledge Twitter) I think it would be fair to assume the majority of the protesters are not represented by this. The elements of technology are cited further as reflective of the desire to become Western, as if every person who has an internet account is a liberal. Last time I checked, Al Qaeda has been using the internet as its platform for years and most neo-nazi groups are based online. Furthermore, if the desire of the protesters really is to acquire nothing more than opulent forms of pointless distraction, is this really something we as Muslims want to be associated with? The media plays a significant role also through which issues it covers. We see that Irans protests are sensationalised and grossly over reported, whereas the larger scale and longer term protests by the hugely popular Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt are nearly unheard of in media circles. The media will focus its attention on what it wants us to focus on, and generally this is exactly the opposite to what is in our own interests and those at the bottom of the capitalist system. It is important for us as Muslims to be aware of imperialism in all its forms as we are a people under constant threat, economically, ideologically and militarily. We need to be aware of the perils and challenges facing our ummah in order to devise effective means of countering them.

By Muadh (taken from www.granadablog.wordpress.com)

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THOSE WHO REMEMBER ALLAH WHEN STANDING, SITTING AND LYING DOWN ON THEIR SIDES
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Narrated Anas Ibn Malik RAA, I was sitting with the Prophet SAWS while a man was standing in prayer. After he performed ruku, sujood and tashahud, he supplicated saying: O Allah, I ask You for all Praise is to You; there is nothing worthy of worship except You, You Alone without

an associate or partner, the Conferrer of favours; O the Originator of the Heavens and the Earth; O the One with All Majesty and Honour, O the Ever Living, O the Sustainer of all that exists; I ask You Paradise, and I seek refuge in You from the Hellfire. So the Prophet SAWS said to
his companions: Do you know what he supplicated with? They replied: Allah SWT and His Prophet SAWS Know best. He SAWS said: By Him in whose Hand my soul is, he has asked Allah with His High Name (and in another narration: with His Highest Name), which if He is Supplicated with, He Answers; and if He is Asked with, He Gives.

Provided by Mustafa Amir

ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. ERP is a way to integrate the data and processes of an organization into one single system. Usually ERP systems will have many components including hardware and software, in order to achieve integration, most ERP systems use a unified database to store data for various functions found throughout the organization. In order for a software system to be considered ERP, it must provide an organization with functionality for two or more systems.

How ERP Improves Productivity Before ERP systems, each department in an organization would most likely have their own computer system, data and database. Unfortunately, many of these systems would not be able to communicate with one another or need to store or rewrite data to make it possible for cross computer system communication. For instance, the financials of a company were on a separate computer system than the HR system, making it more intensive and complicated to process certain functions. ERP System Once an ERP system is in place, usually all aspects An ideal ERP system is when a single database is of an organization can work in harmony instead of utilized and contains all data for various software every single system needing to be compatible with each other. For large organizations, increased promodules. These software modules can include: Manufacturing: Some of the functions include; ductivity and less types of software are a result. engineering, capacity, workflow management, quality control, bills of material, manufacturing process, Implementation of an ERP System etc. Implementing an ERP system is not an easy task to Financials: Accounts payable, accounts receivable, achieve, in fact it takes lots of planning, consulting fixed assets, general ledger and cash management, and in most cases 3 months to 1 year +. ERP sysetc. tems are extraordinary wide in scope and for many Human Resources: Benefits, training, payroll, time larger organizations can be extremely complex. Usually organizations use ERP vendors or consultand attendance, etc Supply Chain Management: Inventory, supply chain ing companies to implement their customized ERP planning, supplier scheduling, claim processing, system. There are three types of professional services that are provided when implementing an ERP order entry, purchasing, etc. system, they are Consulting, Customization and Projects: Costing, billing, activity management, time Support. and expense, etc. Customer Relationship Management: sales and marketing, service, commissions, customer contact, Consulting Services - usually consulting services are responsible for the initial stages of ERP implecalls center support, etc. mentation, they help an organization go live with Data Warehouse: Usually this is a module that can their new system, with product training, workflow, be accessed by an organizations customers, suppli- improve ERP's use in the specific organization, etc. ers and employees.

Customization Services - Customization services work by extending the use of the new ERP system or changing its use by creating customized interfaces and/or underlying application code. While ERP systems are made for many core routines, there are still some needs that need to be built or customized for an organization. Support Services- Support services include both support and maintenance of ERP systems. For instance, trouble shooting and assistance with ERP issues. Advantages of ERP Systems There are many advantages of implementing an ERP system; here are a few of them: A totally integrated system The ability to streamline different processes and workflows The ability to easily share data across various departments in an organization Improved efficiency and productivity levels Better tracking and forecasting Lower costs Improved customer service ERP Software in market There are several ERP software available in market which can cater small to larger companies depending on needs and budget. SAP, Microsoft Dynamics Ax and PeopleSoft are the major ERP systems with larger market share and bigger customer base.

By Jonaid Alam
Works for an IT company as a Technical Consultant (Microsoft Dynamics AX)

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Wake the Night

AlhamduliALLAH we have indeed reached the second week of Shabaan, henceforth this means, we have about less then two weeks before the onset of Ramadhan al Kareem, insyaALLAH. Lets take a step back and muhasabah (reflect) upon our actions, what have we achieved since the last time we met Ramadhan? Have we felt closer to Allah SWT after each Ramadhan? If yes, is this closeness that we claim still presence in our qalb (heart)? Ya ukhtee habibti, indeed each of us will only encounter so-many-numbers of Ramadhan during our life time, (that is if we are truly embracing the month with amaliyah Ibadah (acts of worshiping Allah)). So how can we really utilize this coming Syahrul Barakah (month of blessing) to itsbest? I-wa Ukhtee, Qiam ul Lail! (Yes Sister, Wake the Night!) Qiam ul Lail is one of the most persistently amal ibadah done by Rasulullah SAW, his wives (Ummul Muminoon) and his Sahabah (companions). And some of the amal ibadah that are performed during Qiam ul Lail are as-Solatul Tahajud (The Night Prayer) and Tadarus (melodious recitation) al Qur'an as instructed by Allah SWT in Surah al Muzzammil, ayah 16. Verily Allah SWT says: O you wrapped in garments! (Quran 73:1 ) Stand (to pray) all night, except a little (Quran 73:2 ) Half of it, or a little less than that, (Quran 73:3 ) Or a little more; and recite the Quran (aloud) in a slow, (pleasant tone and) style (Quran 73:4 ) Verily, We shall send down to you a weighty Word (Quran 73:5) (i.e. obligations, legal laws, etc.). Verily, the rising by night (for Tahajjud prayer) is very hard and most potent and good for governing (the soul), and most suitable for (understanding) the Word (of Allah) ( Quran 73:6) . Muhasabah again, when was the last time we performed Qiam ul Lail? If never, insyaALLAH this Ramadhan could be our first one, as it is sunnah to do so, even if it is once in our life time. So how can we put this amal ibadah Qiam ul Lail into a good use during this coming Ramadhan? The answer is: amal (act of) Itikaf. Itikaf means: retreat to the masjid (mosque)/seclusion in the masjid. According to the Saheeh Hadith Bukhari & Muslim below: Retiring to a Mosque for Remembrance of Allah (I'tikaf) Bukhari :: Book 3 :: Volume 33 :: Hadith 243 Narrated 'Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet) The Prophet used to practice Itikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan till he died and then his wives used to practice Itikaf after him and used to say, "Look for the Night of Qadr in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. The Book of Menstruation (Kitab Al-Haid) Muslim :: Book 3 : Hadith 583 'Amra daughter of 'Abd al-Rahman reported: 'A'isha, wife of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: When I was (in I'tikaf), I entered the house for the call of nature, and while passing I inquired after the health of the sick (in the. family), and when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was (in I'tikaf), he put out his head towards me, while he himself was in the mosque, and I combed his hair; and he did not enter the house except for the call of nature so long as he was In I'tikaf; and Ibn Rumh stated: As long as they (the Prophet and his wives) were among the observers of I'tikaf. Ya ukhtee, indeed it is permissible for a woman to perform her amal ibadah in the masjid (even when she is in holiday), however, only when it does not cause any fitnah upon her and negligence to her family duties and other responsibilities as stated in Saheeh Hadith Bukhari and Muslim. Follow up to such hadith, our Imam Hanafi and Maliki opinionated that it is much more recommended for women to designate a place in their houses as their 'masjid'. They can do i`tikaf there at any time, even for a brief period of time, [Radd al-Muhtar] and attain the great rewards mentioned in the hadiths for i`tikaf (as long as they fulfill their other worldly and religious duties, as is the case for men), insyaALLAH. If we take a deeper closer insight, in the days of Rasulullah SAW where Masjidil an Nabawi was just tents made of palm trees, and the tents for women were distanced apart from men. In addition, they were separated by many hijabs (first there is the space, then there is material tents and then there is huge open space, the desert open space) in between both genders. So, if we compare this to our masjid, considering that our masjid is less spacious and large, and the hijab between the ikhawat (brothers) and akhawat (sisters) is just a piece of fine blue thin material, it may cause awkwardness and thus disturbance in khusyoo of those who perform ibadah during their Itikaf be it on ukhtee(sister) side or akhee(brother) side. This awkwardness arises just simply because of the presence of both genders in one prayer room in the middle of the night. Ya ukhtee, when the presence of a woman causes fitnah in masjid, therefore it is best for her to retreat to her home and have her Itikaf done there. For it is much more rewarding for her to do so and protect herself from fitnah. La tahzan (do not be sad), if we cannot fulfill our i'tikaf at our beloved Masjidil al Huda, we must see this retreat to our home as an act of compassion for our ikhawat (brothers) who are trying to fulfill their amanah to the sunnah Rasulullah SAW in amal i'tikaf at the masjid with khusyoo' (concentration) and tawadoq (humbleness). After all we do this for Allah SWT sake, to gain His Redha (acceptance) and nothing else, insyaALLAH. May Allah SWT give what is best for us all and compensate each limitation in our amal ibadah with goodness, AMEEN YA RABBAL ALAMEEN. So, i-wa ukhtee, this Shabaan lets practice Qiam ul Lail with our family members and sahabah in amal Itikaf jamaei (congregation) at our beloved home where we still can care for our children and be close to our ummi or ikhawat (sisters) who share the same home, as Rasulullah SAW said "May Allah grant mercy to a man who gets up at night and prays, and wakes up his wife, and if she refuses, he sprinkles water in her face; may Allah grant mercy to a woman who gets up at night and prays, and wakes up her husband, and if he refuses, she sprinkles water in his face." [Saheeh Bukhari & Muslim] Allahu Alam (Allah knows best).

By: Umm Hurairah

Muslim Students Association (MUSA)

Otago Muslim Association (OMA)

0481 774 :xaF 8381 774 :e nohP .nidenuD ,tS edylC 12 , e u q s o M a d u H -l A nidenuD ,8826 xoB.O.P

moc.sserpdrow.asumogato//:ptth zn.gro.asuo.milsum@nimda:liamE nidenuD ,6341 xoB .O.P ,ASUO O/C

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