Abul Ala al-Moududi 25 September 1903 – 22 September 1979 Syed Maududi is not just the name of one Person. It is a mindset, approach, bravery, intellect, and a message of hope and light. Both Western and South Asian historians have described him as one of the most potent Islamic ideologues of the 20th century, whose ideas and writings went on to influence a vast number of Islamic movements in the world. Syed Maududi was able to do so much due to a few universal principles: Critical Lessons from his Life: He was a Focused person, and he knew his Road Map. He was well aware of the distractions of his time. He knew that he had minimal time and resources to achieve this monumental goal in front of him. He was a brave and fearless man who dared to think outside the box and challenge the status quo and all the obstacles between Humans and God Almighty. This Quality of Syedi had given him the courage to write the books like Khilafat o Malukiyat, and courage to take a stand and put his life on the line for Khatam E Naboat (Protection of the Finality of Prophet Mohammed as Last Messenger of Allah SWT), also confronting Munkreen Hadeeth, through his powerful writing like “Sunnat Ki Ayni Haysiat”. He was a man of vision, focus, and his foresightedness was not just limited to the audiences of his time but to future generations to come. He understood that history has proven that sometimes people have a better understanding of what is said today. Another quality of a true leader is knowing his time’s challenges, language, psyche, and potential. Having a hand on the pulse of society. Syedi had a complete understanding of his time and challenges as the Ummah was facing colonization and a slave mentality. Another quality we expect from everyone who is doing work of Allah SWT is sincerity, Ikhlas, which brings Barakah into the effort. Allah SWT has granted such a splendid acceptance of the work of Moulana that its impact can be seen worldwide. The impact of his writings is also visible in all of the revivalist movements of Islam across the world. It is mind-blowing that One Man has not only written Tafseer of Quran and many books but was able to raise an Islamic Movement, his movement is not just a Jamaat, group of few brothers, but it is a movement that happens once in hundreds of years. –  Dr. Shahif Rafiq

They are Honored, Women of Islam Women’s History Month March 2022 “She believed in me when the whole world refuted me and she attested to my trueness when the whole world accused me of falsehood. She offered me compassion and loyalty with her wealth when everyone else had forsaken me.” said the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ peace be upon him about his beloved wife Ummul Mo’mineen Khadija bint Khuwailyd ؓ. The contribution of Muslim women in the establishment of Islam started with our mother Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her and is still happening each and every day. Muslim women throughout the history played their role in the field of Dawah, education, government and were never afraid to shed their blood for the Deen of Allah, SWT. They were the first to shed their blood for Islam. They facilitated the migration of the Prophet ﷺ, peace be upon him, from Makkah to Madinah. They helped protect the city of Madinah from the invaders. They memorized the Quran and Hadith of the Prophet. They donated for the cause of Islam and did not fear poverty. They were scholars who taught the Quran and Hadith. They were not shy to challenge the Khalifa of the time or helped a Qadhi to correct his legal verdict. They were the first to start an Islamic University. They were the ones to send their husbands, brothers and sons to fight for Islam against the Mongols or Crusaders or others. And, they are the ones, as mothers and grandmothers teach Quran to their little ones and instill in them the love for Allah and His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, peace be upon him. They are the Jewels of Islam! Umme Salma ؓ (Radi Allah Annha) Umme Salma  ؓ, her name was Hind bint Abe Umayya, but she is very well known as Umm-e-Salma  ؓ. She belonged to a very respectable family and was famous for her knowledge of Islam and her wisdom. She was first married to Abdullah  ؓ bin Abdul Assad Makzoomi, who was known as “Abu-Salma Umm-e-Salma  ؓ had the honor to be the blessed woman who accepted Islam at its early stage. Her father Abe Umayya bin Abdullah  ؓ bin Umro bin Makzoom was very generous person. Her mother was Aatika binte Amer Rabiya bin Malik bin Khazima. She inherited this quality of generosity from her parents. She was very happy and enjoyed the life when she was married to the brave, wealthy and kindhearted Abdullah  ؓ bin Abdul Assad. The Holy Prophet ﷺ advised the Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia when the persecution became unbearable. Umm-e-Salma  ؓ and Abullah  ؓ were ready to undertake this immigration. This was the first batch of Immigrants to Abyssinia which consisted of 20 persons of whom 4 were women. Umm-e-Salma  ؓ and her husband were happy there in Abyssinia and they had a beautiful daughter Zainab and a son named Umar also second daughter Durra was born there. The king of Abyssinia extended all comforts and facilities to the immigrants. Umm-e-Salma   ؓ narrates that they came back to Makkah when they heard that Umer bin Khattab  ؓ embraced Islam and the atmosphere there was peaceful for the believers, but this was not so when they came to Makkah and they had to accept the prevailing situation. Umme Salamah  ؓ had vowed to delicate herself to Allah since she embraced Islam. She faced the most difficult and the most horrible situation, but Allah SWT was with her. She once made up her mind again to migrate to Abyssinia, but Prophet ﷺ asked them to migrate to Madinah. She prepared herself for migration to Madinah. Abu Salma  ؓ  brought a camel for this purpose. The family members of her objected for her departure and detained her at Makkah. Also the members of the family of Abu Salma  ؓ came there and snatch my children and said that they would look after the children at Makkah. Only Abu Salma ؓ left for Madinah and Umm-e-Salma  ؓ  and her children had to stay at Makkah. Umm-e-Salma  ؓ was very much upset and worried at this separation. At last, the family members of Umm-e-Salma  ؓ  took pity on her and the children were also brought by them and given to her. She was allowed to go to Madinah. She undertook the journey to Madinah all alone and reached Madinah. Uthman bin Talah  ؓ, who was also going to Madinah and helped her very nicely and accompanied her till she met Abu Salma. Abu Salam  ؓ participated in the battle of Uhad and he was among those who remained firm. He suffered a serious injury in that battle from which he was healed but not totally. For, after some time, the wound decayed and deteriorated until claimed his life. She was married to the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the year 4 Hijra. The prayer made by Abu Salma  ؓto Allah SWT to give her a better husband was thus accepted by Allah SWT. She was a very great scholar of Islam, sagacious and wise woman. When the Prophet ﷺ commanded the people to slaughter their sacrificial animals and get their heads shaved at the Hudaybiah. The people were suffering distress for nothing. He ﷺ came to his tent and feeling indignant. He told Umm-e-Salma  ؓ that he had commanded the people to slaughter their sacrificial animals and get their heads shaved but there is no response from them. Umm-e-Salma  ؓ said “O Prophet of Allah: You cannot make these 1500 people do what they don’t want, just do your own duty which Allah SWT has imposed on you. Go ahead and perform your own rites in an open place so that every one of them can see you..” The Holy Prophet ﷺ stepped out of the tent and offered the slaughter of the camel. The people immediately came forward and did the same as the Prophet ﷺ was doing. She was very pious and learned. She knew reading and writing. She had the

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated while addressing the Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City at 39 years old. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/malcolm-x-assassinated Malcolm X’s legacy is remembered by those in America for his fight for Black nationalism and Black liberation. He is remembered around the world by Muslims for his conversion to Sunni Islam after leaving the Nation of Islam. His words about Islam, peace, and race hold meaningful weight and perspective about being a Black man in America.   Malcom X, born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska was the son of a Baptist preacher. Facing threats from the white supremacist group, the Ku Klux Klan, his family was forced to flee to Lansing, Michigan. Malcolm’s father was murdered by a white supremacist, and Malcolm was taken from his family by welfare caseworkers. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/malcolm-x-assassinated Malcolm X – In remembrance When he was 21, Malcolm was sent to prison on a burglary conviction. In prison, he experienced Elijah Muhammad’s teachings. Muhammad was the leader of the Nation of Islam, which advocated for Black nationalism and racial separatism. Throughout his time in prison and after his release, Malcolm became involved in preaching self-defense and liberation of Black Americans. Through an incident where Malcolm X was suspended from the Nation of Islam, Malcolm formally left the NOI and made a pilgrimage to Mecca, Hajj. Through this experience, Malcolm converted to Sunni Islam – adopting the name el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz. After this, Malcolm shifted some of his views – rather than focusing on white people themselves, he was later advocating that racism was the larger issue.   Although some ascertain that Malcolm had a drastic shift after the conversion, it is apparent that Malcolm still held onto his Black nationalist and liberation views. Curtis argues in his book “Islam in Black America,” Malcolm defined Islam in universalistic ways. “Islam was no more relevant to ‘black’ people than it was to ‘white’ people; it was a ‘human’ tradition that applied equally to all human beings” (Curtis, 85).   Malcolm held onto his views on essentialist Black identity. At an address given to the Harvard Law School on December 16, 1964, Malcolm said, “Despite being a Muslim, I can’t overlook the fact that I’m an Afro-American in a country which practices racism against black people…whether I’m Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, or agnostic, I would still be in the front lines.” While some sanitize Malcom X’s views on race and religion after his conversion, it must be understood that his views on Black nationalism did not waver. His conversion allowed for him to utilize a different creed to understand the world, yet he still fought for Black liberation, and believed in pan-Africanism. Although mainstream society deems Malcolm’s words as too radical, too uncomfortable, his rhetoric, although at times at odds with others in the Civil Rights Movement (such as Martin Luther King Jr.), it is often forgotten that the sanitization of figures, leaders, and revolutionaries is created in order to detract from the impact that these figures had. We remember Malcolm X this month, and with this memory, hope to not just create a society that eradicates systemic oppression, but actively addresses it, gives reparations for it, and is equitable in this goal.   After his assassination, Malcolm X’s legacy lives on. Many are radicalized when they read the autobiography of his life. Realizing the ways racism has impacted every aspect of life in America today, Malcolm X was a revolutionary who advocated charismatically and profoundly the struggles of Black America. Through his experience converting to the Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam, Malcolm X symbolizes the longstanding history of not only Islam in America, but liberation and struggle for Black Americans. His legacy is one that impacts all that fight for liberation, his words heard from DC to Jerusalem to Srinagar. To celebrate the legacy of Malcolm X, read his autobiography (readily available online), and evaluate his words, interpret his legacy into how you can live a life that fights for the rights of Black people in America. Many of the problems that existed when Malcolm X was alive persist to this day – Black history is not just about remembrance, but about action. Fighting to end oppression and make an equitable society is necessary.

As Los Angeles prepared for the Super Bowl 2022, ICNA Southern California along with WhyIslam assembled an all-star super dawah team. Masha Allah, team held various dawah events entire weekend in Torrance, Hollywood, Long Beach and outside Stadium for Super Bowl. Our goal is to dispel misconceptions about Islam, tackle Islamophobia and to bridge the gap between Islam and America.Here are some highlights: 6 people accepted Islam, Alhamdulillah Dawah at 3 locations – Hollywood, Long Beach and Outside Stadium Jummah Khutbahs and Dawah workshops on Friday While Super Bowl is over, ICNA Dawah activities continues. Our vision is simple – Reach Every Household with the Message of Islam. Masha Allah, we get a new request for a free Quran every 14 minutes! Please join this campaign and donate today. All donations are tax-deductible and zakat-eligible.  Video Highlights from Super Bowl 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUGZl6b2Vr0 How can you help? Join and volunteer Start a dawah activity in city & we will support you Donate to strengthen “Reach Every Household” campaign Sponsor Quran distribution Join Dawah courses at the Dawah Academy   Check Out More Dawah Initiatives at ICNADawah.org