Page 2 The Islamic Bulletin Issue 7 Page 3 The Islamic Bulletin Issue 7 Dear Editor: TRIP TO BRAZIL Five brothers and I had the chance, with the mercy of God, to visit the Muslim community in Brazil. There are about 4-6 million Muslims living in Brazil consisting mostly of descendants from Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. To give a brief history of the migration movement of Muslims in Brazil, it started around the year 1880, when the occupation and economical hardship was due on Muslims in Great Syria. Immigration was at its peak in the 1950’s when the economy of Brazil was at its best. Today, there are first, second, third, and even fourth generation of Muslims living there. The good news, thanks to God, is that Islam and Muslims are well and sound. There are hundreds of well built mosques everywhere and thousands of good practicing Muslims. There are also Islamic schools and community centers. This is all due to the mercy of God and the effort which was put by hundreds of Dawa jamat who spent their times there teaching Islam since the 1950’s. When we arrived at Sao Pablo Airport, we had no names, addresses, or phone numbers of Muslims to contact. The leader of our group suggested that we look through the phone book for Muslim “sounding” names and give them a call. To our surprise, the second person we called was the Amir (leader) of the entire Islamic Centers in Brazil. 46 people accepted Islam while we were in Brazil. Among them was a general in the army, a state person, 7 engineers, a rock singer, a drummer and even a preacher. Letters To The Editor I met the preacher in the street while he was preaching Christianity. He would not allow me to leave until I explained Islam to him. This preacher became very interested in Islam and accompanied me to the Masjid. He then declared his Shahadah and proceeded to trade in his Holy Bible, full of 12 years worth of notes, for a Glorious Quran in Portuguese. JAMAAT TO BRAZIL - by Mohammed Asan Khan, Daly City “As for those who strive for Us, We surely guide them to Our paths, and Lo! God is with the good”. (Quran 29:69) For this “call” the Muslims are required to spare their time for traveling in groups, from house to house, street to street, village to village, town to town, and country to country extorting the people to lead their life according to the Principles mentioned above. No amount of opposition, threat, or persecution should defer them from carrying out this job which has, in fact, been the life mission of all the prophets in general and that of Muhammad (pbuh) in particular. Thanks to God, a Jamaat from San Francisco left on November 10, 1991 to Brazil to fulfill the commandment of Allah, Subhana Wa Tala and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). The Jamaat stayed in two major cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Having worked in so many Masjids and meeting Muslim brothers from different countries, mainly the Middle East (as the majority of the population is from the Middle East) many brothers made intention to go to Pakistan for 4 months and others made their intentions for 40 days. Since the Jamaat (Group) from other countries are also visiting this country (Brazil) the work of Dawa (invitation to Islam) has started and lot of changes are taking place. Still much effort is needed. 46 people embraced Islam. On our way back to San Francisco, Jamaats from New York, Portugal, and South Africa were in the neighboring cities of Brazil. Need to contact us? Web Address: www.islamicbulletin.org E-Mail: info@islamicbulletin.org Editor, Islamic Bulletin P.O. Box 410186 San Francisco, CA 94141-0186, USA Ruins of Lost City Uncovered in Arabian Desert Guided by ancient maps and sharp-eyed surveys from space, archaeologists and explorers have discovered a lost city deep in the sands of Arabia, and they are virtually sure it is Ubar, the fabled center of the rich frankincense trade thousands of years ago. Leaders of the expedition reported that excavations so far have uncovered the ruins of eight towers and adjoining walls and deposits of pottery dating to Roman times and as far back as 2000 B.C., perhaps earlier. They said the location and size of the site and evidence of a violent destruction appeared to match historical accounts of Ubar’s rise and fall. Ubar was called the “the Atlantis of the sands” by T.E. Lawrence--Lawrence of Arabia--who had planned to look for the site. The ruins are on the edge of the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Peninsula in the Dhofar region of Southern Oman. Much research has tied Ubar to the city Iram in the Quran and to Omanum Emporium on the maps of Claudius Ptolemy, the Alexandrian geographer of the second century A.D. He referred to the people of the region as Ubarites. But it was not until scientists began painstaking analysis of satellite images that they spotted geological traces that led them to the site. Images made with invisible, near-infrared light showed evidence of ancient caravan routes, undetectable on the ground, leading to and from one particular area. In the Quran, the city of Iram, possibly Ubar, is described as the “many columned city...whose like has not been built in the entire land.” Condemned for their sinful and unrepentant lives, the Quran relates, the people in Iram were destroyed by God. The expedition found evidence of its cause. The site’s buildings were built over a large limestone cavern, which at some point in the distant past collapsed, plunging much of the city into a gaping hole. The ruins were eventually buried in drifting sand. (See also San Francisco Chronicle, Feb.5, 1992) Editor’s Comments The archaeologists and explorers had no books or other source of information to refer to except that of the Holy Quran. Passages from the Holy Quran were even being quoted on the nightly news and the major talk shows. It should come as no surprise to us Muslims that the accuracy of the Quran has once again been proved to be true. We Muslims should not be surprised of the passages in the Quran and their truthfulness. Muslims should also beware and take notice of how God creates and also destroys. The people of Ad had disobeyed God and as a result, God punished them by destroying an entire city. Do we think that because we live in such modern times that we are immune to such punishment? Remember the earthquake in October 1989? This was just a small reminder of how powerless man really is. If we had been destroyed, were we prepared to meet our Creator? What good were our money, wealth, and power at such a time? Only our good deeds will be of value in such a time. Let us all repent to The Almighty in this blessed month of Ramadan from this moment. For more about the people of Ad, please click here and refer also to the Quran 7:65-72; 11:50-60; 25:38; 26:123-140; 29:38; 41:15-16; 46:21-26; 51:41-42; 54:18-21; 69:4-8; 89:6-14. Muslim Inmates Observe Ramadan San Francisco: Thanks to God and to the kind assistance of a reverend, for the first time the 23 inmates at the S.F. County jail will be allowed to gather in one room for the entire Ramadan. They will be able to have their meals before Sunrise and at Sunset. Dates will be provided for the break of fast. Birth of the Kosher Steel Industry Shocked to discover that most tin cans contain traces of animal fat; an improbable coalition of Jews, Muslims and Seventh-day Adventists has persuaded major steel-makers to start manufacturing kosher steel. The U.S. Steel-POSCO joint venture in Pittsburgh recently became one of the first steel factories in the country to qualify for kosher certification. Steel made in the plant for use in food and beverage cans and steel drums now is guaranteed to meet strict Jewish kosher, Muslim halal-haram and Seventh-day Adventist requirements. Religious dietary laws, which date from biblical times, regulate what foods observant Jews, Muslims and Seventh-day Adventists may eat or drink. Muslims and Jews may not consume pork or any animal products that come from meat not slaughtered in accordance with religious ritual. 7th-day Adventists do not eat meat. The idea that food laws could affect steel sales seemed far- fetched until someone discovered that steel used to make cans routinely is coated during processing with lubricants containing animal fats. Analysis showed that even after cleaning, steel retained some of the lubricating oil. (See also San Francisco Chronicle, Feb.14, 1992)
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