Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

“If moderation and gentleness were physical creations that could be perceived, there would be nothing more beautiful, out of all that Allah has created, than these two attributes.”

– “Jihad al-Nafs” (from Wasa’il al-Shi’a) by  Shaykh Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Hurr al-’Amili (#20482)

From OneUmmah.Net:

The New One Ummah Network 

by Tavis Adibudeen, Director of Publishing

“Verily, this community (ummah) of yours is one community (ummah), and I am your Lord, therefore, worship only Me.” (Qur’an 21:92)

For the past decade, One Ummah Network has striven to uphold this principle of unity (tawhid). As is narrated from the Messenger of Allah, the Muslim ummah is one body; whenever one part of the body hurts, the rest of it shares in that pain, and when one portion experiences felicity, the entire body shares in that joy.

Now, in a time when outside forces are consciously seeking to divide Muslims along political, ethnic, and even sectarian lines, One Ummah Network reaffirms our commitment to unity and peace. Our main principles have always and continue to be the following:

1. Educating Muslims about Islam is the best way to unite them.
2. All people who claim to be Muslim must be respected as such.
3. All people, Muslim and non-Muslim are welcome to contribute to this cause.

The World Wide Web has evolved rapidly over the years. OneUmmah.net began in 1999 as a small web site that mainly relied on rhetoric to promote unity. As I grew in my understanding, the site also grew, and I realized that unity would be achieved not through preaching but through active dialog and by educating each other about our similarities and differences.

In the 1990s, email mailing lists were extremely popular, and we employed that method to disseminate our message. At the turn of the century, discussion boards rose to popularity, and MuslimMessage.net succeeded our mailing list and became one of the premier forums for Muslim expression on the Internet. Now, as the popularity of discussion boards begins to wane and MuslimMessage.net seems to have run the course of its short life, community sites, portals, blogs, podcasts, and other open methods of content delivery and interaction seem to be riding the wave of the future.

In light of the above, we are reorganizing OneUmmah.net to suit the developing trends. Over the course the next few weeks, during this sacred month of Ramadan, you will notice the following improvements and changes:

1. MuslimMessage.net will be shut down. Most of the articles in the Question/Answer section will be archived in our FAQ section. The domain name will be allocated to other resources or organizations.

2. Registration is now open on the OneUmmah.net main site. Users will have their own profiles, can upload images, connect with other users, comment on articles, rate their favorite content, share content, post videos, and many more features.

3. We will have a full staff of writers as well as guest authors in order to keep a steady flow of knowledge on a weekly basis.

4. The Muslim Writers Society will become more of a standard publication. We have three editors who will more closely select content and also post stricter guidelines for submission.

5. One Ummah will establish an advisory board of intellectuals and scholars from various schools of thought to guide our staff in better serving the community.

This is an exciting time for us at One Ummah Network, and we hope that, insha`Allah, it will be an exciting time for our visitors and friends. As always, if you would like to contribute now, in the future, or on a regular basis, you can contact us at any time. I pray that Allah blesses this venture to be a successful one and that this Ramadan proves to be a fruitful month filled with blessings for us all. May Allah send his peace and blessings upon the last Prophet, upon his honorable family, upon his righteous companions, and upon all followers of truth and justice.

We just finished watching a film that is worth watching many times over, the story of the life, struggle, and eventual realization of Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali. Not only is the story one that anyone seeking spiritual awakening should consider deeply, but it is also an incredibly well produced film. The style is unique, mystical, and engrossing. You can watch a trailer and purchase the DVD here.

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Oh you who believe, remember Allah, remembering often.” (33:41)

Imam Ja’far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) reportedly said:

“There is a limit to everything, but there is no limit to the remembrance of Allah. Excess in anything is disliked by Allah, but Allah’s love increases proportionately to the degree of His remembrance a man commemorates in his thoughts and actions. Our true followers are those who, whenever free from their legitimate duties, remember Allah a great deal.”

As with every Ramadan, there are many lectures and lessons to hear. If you are unable (or even unwilling) to leave the house to hear them live, there are now many available avenues to you. I usually listen brother Hassanain Rajabali. His lectures as well as many other English-language programs can be accessed at the Islamic Society of Followers of Ahl-ul-Bayt. Just scroll down until you see “English Programs.”

It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (upon whom be peace and blessings) said,

“Everything has a pillar, and the pillar of this religion is understanding.”

and also:

“Everything has its own path, and the path to Paradise is knowledge.”

– Nahj Al-Fasahah, hadith no. 565 and 566