Adventist Muslim Fellowship Association

Moses (Musa) and Banu Israel (the Children of Israel)

2009-09-30T16:10:00.000-04:00

Greetings in the name of God!

Tomorrow is our next “signs” study from the Qur’an, inshallah. We’ve been following along as God brought Musa (Moses) and Banu Israel (the Children of Israel) triumphantly out of Egypt and safely through the Red Sea. Then we watched them struggle with idolatry—basically a crisis over Whom had their trust.

And now, this week, Moses and the Children of Israel arrive at the base of the mountain. What will happen there? How will they respond this time? Does Allah have their full attention and trust? Join us and see! We meet at 5:30 pm at the Somali Center, God willing (email me if you need directions).

May the blessings and mercy of God surround you today!

-Heidi
on behalf of Adventist Muslim Fellowship Association (AMFA)

Happy Eid!

2009-09-22T16:06:00.000-04:00

Eid Mubarak! We want to wish you a wonderful Eid al-Fitr, to mark the end of Ramadan! Hope you enjoyed some blessed time with your family and friends, celebrating together and thanking God for the gifts of life and family. He truly is a Generous, Merciful, and Compassionate Lord, is He not?

May you be reminded this week of the Majesty of our Lord, and may each of us submit more fully to Him, Who is the only One worthy of worship.

As-salaam aleikum! May you have peace!

-Heidi
Adventist Muslim Fellowship Association (AMFA)

2009-09-16T16:03:00.001-04:00

As-salaam aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu! Peace be upon you, and God’s mercy and His blessing!

I am SO pleased to be blogging again after being in the Middle East for 2 months! It’s good to be back, and I look forward to seeing many of you in the next few weeks in our Qur’an study group, inshallah/God willing.

These next few weeks promise to be interesting studies—we’re looking at one of the most amazing moments in history, the time when the Almighty not only spoke with a human being but actually gave His very words to him. In the Qur’an, Allah says to this special prophet, “I have chosen you above all people for My messages and to speak with Me” (Surah al-A’raf 7:144). Interestingly, the giving of these divine words is also associated with a month of fasting.

This all sounds very similar to something that is happening right now—the last ten days of fasting in the month of Ramadan and the elusive Laylat al-Qadr or Night of Power, the night in which the first words of the Qur’an are believed to be sent down.

Don’t we all desire a similar experience?—to sense the nearness and presence of God, to actually hear the Lord of the worlds? Glory be to God! Subhan’Allah!

Let’s discuss this hope together… and also see who was the prophet who was blessed to speak directly with God. Join us, God willing, tomorrow (Thursday) at 5:30 p.m. for our Qur’an study at the Somali Center. Email for directions if you need them. Hope to see you then!

Ramadan Mubarak! Have a blessed Ramadan!

-Heidi
on behalf of the Adventist Muslim Fellowship Association (AMFA)

A thought on Diversity...

2009-07-05T12:49:00.002-04:00

A quintessential symbol of diversity, I thought it was most fitting, of Friday's meeting, to discuss America from that quaint tapestry, and on the day before the Fourth of July. Diversity in America spans across an array of the very broad, such as gender and religion, to more diminitive subcultural divides like Emos and Trekkies. What is it, then, that we're suppose to learn from these differences. I'd like to think a sense of humor. Even so, it got me thinking... What if, hypothetically, diversity ceased to exist? Would that make us all the same? What if humanity, as we know it, is only as divided as the perception we have of it to be. (Star-spangled Banner theme music plays) What if every man, woman, and follower of leftist ideologies, alike, spoke the universal language of fellowship and we let those, seemingly different than ourselves, appeal to our human nature. Would we then let our fellow brother-from-another-mother suffer under the affliction of injustice and adversity. Independence Day is meant to commemorate the day American staked its claim of certain "unalienable rights", yet under the the same pretense didn't extend emancipation to slaves. Diversity, in this way, helps in realising our own prejudices and, ultimately, affords liberty and justice for all...

Summer Travels!

2009-07-04T18:05:00.000-04:00

God’s peace and blessings to all of you!

What a blessing these posts have been! And how sweet the fellowship is in our group—Adventists and Muslims together choosing to submit their lives to our amazing, glorious Creator God! That certainly goes against the general trends of this world—I mean both the submitting AND the fellowshipping of people from different faith traditions. Yet when the first step is in place—when we’re submitted to God—then and only then is the second step truly possible.

So, do you desire to truly submit every aspect of your life to Allah? Do you long for a safe place to learn and grow and be loved and known? Look no further than the “ayat” / “signs” in the Qur’an!

Blessings and mercy,

-Heidi
(for the Adventist Muslim Fellowship Association)

Note: I will be away for 2 months, so in the meantime, another group member will share their thoughts. I will miss you all greatly, but trust that Allah will be with you and me while we are apart.

A Constant Source of Peace

2009-07-03T17:46:00.004-04:00

As-salaam aleikum! May God’s PEACE surround us!

PEACE. That’s exactly what my friend needed yesterday. She had a job interview, and she had no peace of mind about the position. So I made du’ah (prayer) for her and asked Allah to make it clear if she were to take this job by giving her a profound sense of PEACE. (I have to admit, I was doubtful that this would happen, as she didn’t think this position would suit her). But after the interview, she told me that she had an incredible and overwhelming feeling of PEACE! The job position was far better than she expected—in fact, it’s just what she dreamed of! Alhamdulillah! Praise God! Allah—Subhanna wa Ta’ala (glorious is He)—is truly As-Salaam, the Source of PEACE!

And how about you? Do you have PEACE today? Are you able to go through the business, the crises, the ordinary parts of your day with a sense of peace?

You know, the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) was able to have a sense of PEACE despite some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable. Let’s see what secrets he shares with us as we look at his life.

Reading: Surah Yusuf (Surah 12)

Well, please feel free to comment about how Allah has given YOU peace!

Salaam!

-Heidi
(on behalf of the Adventist Muslim Fellowship Association)

Thoughts about Jihad (struggle)

2009-05-19T23:58:00.004-04:00

As-salaam aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu! Peace and blessings and the mercy of God upon all of you today!

God willing (inshallah), you’ve been experiencing a bit of jihad lately. What?? Yes, that’s what I said—jihad. As we’ve learned from the blessed Qur’an, we are part of a gigantic, cosmic jihad, with Iblis (Satan) blatantly challenging the authority of Allah, subhanna wa ta’ala (God, glorious is He). So, it shouldn’t surprise us if we are caught between two opposite extremes—the side of our Creator God or the side of His enemy, Satan. Every second of our day is an opportunity to choose whether we’ll submit to God or to our own desires or to the whispered suggestions of Satan. To submit to Allah or not—that is real jihad.

So, how are your jihad skills developing? Been practicing a lot? I hope so! I’ve been making du’ahs (prayers) for our group, that we may be constantly submitted to God, in this world of confusion and problems.

Ready for some more encouragement along the Straight Path? Then come join us this Thursday, inshallah, at this week’s “Signs” study group (halaqa). We’ll meet at 5:30 at the usual place—contact us here for directions if this is your first time visiting us.

Looking forward to seeing you, God willing!

Peace!

Heidi
(on behalf of the Adventist Muslim Fellowship Association)