The Muslim Voice: Petite Edition 2023

Note

The Muslim Voice (TMV) is a non-profit magazine published by the Muslim Students

This issue explores themes of patience, charity, and trust in Allah.The stories have been carefully selected to present these ideas to kids and nurture an environment of hope and love, giving them the courage to grow as Muslims. There are also various activities within the magazine designed to engage students in these concepts as they apply them to their daily interactions.We hope the children enjoy reading the magazine as much as the team enjoyed creating it.

With love, The Muslim Voice Magazine Team

The Muslim Students’ Association

The Muslim Students Association at the University of Toronto was found ed in 1965 and was the first MSA to be established in Canada. We serve and represent the Muslim students at the university. What started as a club to facilitate prayer for some 20 students has now grown to a club that is at the forefront of social justice, community service, faith practices, academic sup port and campus social life. One of the MSA’s community lead projects is the publishing of The Muslim Voice

More an One Way to Give Back e Autumn Walk

Chocolate Cupcakes

Patience

Crossword Puzzle

Colouring Page

David and Goliath Activity Scoop: Salat

Editor In Chief: Eesha Fahad

Associate Editor: Tasnim Dico

Editing Lead: Aia Jaber

Edited By:

Daniyah Asad

Alefiyah Bagasrawala

Rubin Beshi

Iman Ghazi

Sabahat Khan

Rania Rashid

Writing Lead: Shoaib Ahmed Shahid

Written By:

Jana Hamoud Ali

Tasnim Dico

Zoyeb Ehsan

Aia Jaber

Soundous Louardiane

Cover Artist: Ayse Kabaca

Illustrated by:

Maheen Alikhan

Ayse Kabaca

Saher Kamran

Raniyah Patel

More Than One Exploring the Meaning

As we transition from childhood to adulthood, we slowly internalize the practices of Islam into our daily habits. Our spiritual duties are usually the first, and the easiest to learn. We bow down before God in our five daily prayers, we challenge our minds and bodies through fasting during Ramadan, and as a result, every effort leads us closer on the path to God.

However, there is a visible gap in learning when it comes to charity in our younger years. We learn about charity as a concept fairly early on. We are taught, “your wealth is not your own, so use it in the service of God.” Charity helps increase barakah (blessings) in the wealth we have and teaches us to reject greed, as told to us often in the Quran and Hadith.

“For those who give in charity, men and women, and loan to Allah a beautiful loan, it shall be increased manifold (to their credit), and they shall have (besides) a liberal reward.” (57:18)

Way to Give Back: of Charity in Islam

Growing up, I used to watch my parents calculate their annual Zakat (charity) similarly to how I used to watch them pray and fast in the month of Ramadan. However, although prayer and fasting were easy to emulate as a kid, I felt removed from the processes of Zakat and Sadaqat, along with most kids my age.

Business opportunities were pretty limited in first grade, and no amount of lemonade stands could generate a taxable income. We understood that giving charity was a necessity, but only for later on, when we had actual money to spare.

Along with most things in Islam, however, the doors to blessings are always open to those who want to be closer to God. Charity is no exception. After all, Islam is meant for everyone: poor and rich, young and old. The guidance of the Quran and Hadith show us that there is more than one way to be generous, even with a light wallet.

If done right, our daily actions and the way we treat others can be a form of charity. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “A charity is due for every joint in each person on every day the sun comes up: to act justly between two people is a charity; to help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it, is a charity; a good word is a charity; and removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

As the Prophet (pbuh) taught us, as children, we have more to offer than we think. Our daily actions can be transformed into charity if we try to choose kindness. Simple things such as holding your tongue from insulting someone, helping two people after an argument to bring them back together, or going out of your way to help someone with their problems can be a way to give charity. By lending a hand or an ear to someone in need, we can commit

Through the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh), we learn more about how and why we should work hard to give any kind of charity in our lives. One hadith in Sahih Bukhari beautifully illustrates this point. The Prophet (pbuh) said, those who enter heaven will be “a person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given.”

The statement is certainly not literal - no one walks to the mosque’s donation box, with one hand behind their back like a hieroglyph. Instead, the hadith chooses to express that no matter what you give, don’t do it for the sake of looking good in front of others. In fact, our best deeds will often be the ones that go unnoticed in this world. What is important is that Allah (swt) will see them. And while the reward for these deeds will not be immediate, it will help us in the life that truly matters.

So, in order to become the best Muslims we can be, adding charity into our daily routines is much advised. One person’s charity does not need to be the same as another’s, and there are always options to give back in our own way. The smallest gestures can continue to make our scale of good deeds heavy. And ultimately, this is worth more than any currency in the world.

The Autumn Walk

My walk through the autumn forest, Each crispy leaf so flawless. Falls with such grace, but it’s the breeze in which I embrace!

The red tip leaf flows upon one autumn gust, swirling and twirling in the blossom rust. Its nature though, no one truly can understand, the magic it carries from all around!

It triggers a memory, a feeling of relief. We used to rake up the leaves, adding to the pile until it was so high, it was like it touched the sky!

In the blue, warm sun reached to me through the branches. Pathways are cleared for me from the delicate tree arches, they brilliantly intertwined with each other, yet they don’t touch one another!

Trees rustled restless, feeling the urge to see more than the hills crest. Beyond the city and the people, to the river, that slowly ripples!

Close by the scurry creatures rustle to rest, starting the rhythm of the gradual breath. That soon flows into winter falls. Even after, you can still hear the silent calls!

Far above the earth into the clouds, where the phenomenal snow crystals are found. The decline will start with the bravest snowflake, who will begin the winter wake!

Down below, the last autumn wind blows, and the first flake lands on my nose. Autumn may be gone but winter just arose!

Chocolate Cupcakes - it’s all about hard work

Hi everyone! My name is Aia, and I have a really delicious cupcake recipe for us to make. I’m actually really bad at baking, so bad that I often ruin even chocolate chip cookies! But, when we make a mistake, we try again and again until we are happy with what we have made. Let’s get into it!

Today, we’re making chocolate cupcakes. There are three parts to our fun recipe: making the cupcakes, decorating them, and then of

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Ask a parent to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Celsius.

2. Line your cupcake baking tray with fun cupcake liners!

3. Put the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a big bowl and mix it all together.

4. Use an electric mixture to mix the butter and sugar in another big bowl. (You can also hand whisk if you have super strong arms!)

5. After the mixture is creamy, add the two large eggs.

6. Then add the flour mixture and milk slowly into the egg mixture in an A B pattern.

7. Pour equal parts of the mixture into each cupcake liner. (tip: an ice cream scoop or ladle makes this easier).

8. Ask a parent to carefully put the tray into the oven.

9. Bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes, poke them with a toothpick and if it comes out clean, they’re ready!

10. Take them out of the oven, let them cool down completely, and decorate! (Tip: if the cupcakes are warm the frosting will melt, so be patient and wait until they’re cool for the best-looking cupcakes).

your creations is seeing everything you made come together. Like anything in life, baking is hard work. It needs patience, and perseverance. Sometimes baking doesn’t go the best and we might end up making really salty cupcakes or rock-solid cookies, but we try again until we are happy with what we made.

This is like life. We try hard to make something like a painting, a good grade, or a happy relationship with a friend, and sometimes we do not feel happy with what we have made. But we try again, changing how we made it the first time, more careful than before. And once we are fully happy with what we have made, we make it pretty, and feel happy about it.

I hope you enjoy your cupcakes, and maybe make them with a friend, sibling, or parent. Put whatever you like on top of your cupcakes like a KitKat, sprinkles, or icing. They’re your cupcakes and you should feel proud of your hard work.

Recipe from: Miller, M. Ladan. “Chocolate Cupcakes.” AllRecipes. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17377/chocolate-cupcakes/.

Patience

Long ago, there was a boy who found a chrysalis hanging from a tree near his home. He looked at it every day on his way to school, waiting for the butterfly to come out. One day, he noticed that there was a tiny opening in the chrysalis. He sat and watched it, waiting for a beautiful butterfly to fly into the sky. He watched as the butterfly struggled to force its body through the little hole, but after a few hours, the butterfly stopped moving. The boy thought that the butterfly had given up and that it couldn’t get out any further than it already has.

ended up spending the rest of its short life not being able to fly like it was supposed to.

So, he went into his home and came back out with a pair of scissors. He wanted to help the butterfly, so he cut the opening and made it big enough for the butterfly to fly out. It worked, and the butterfly was able to come out of the chrysalis easily. However, the butterfly’s wings were too small for its body. They were too thin and shriveled. The boy was waiting for the butterfly to open its wings and fly, but nothing happened. The butterfly couldn’t move. The next day, on his way to school, he checked on the butterfly and it still couldn’t fly. The butterfly

The boy cut the chrysalis because he was being kind and wanted to help the butterfly, but what did he do wrong here? He wanted to see the butterfly so badly that he became impatient. He didn’t realize that the butterfly was supposed to stay in the chrysalis long enough for its wings to grow strong, so that when it finally breaks free, it’s able to fly into the sky. If the boy had been patient, then the butterfly would’ve been able to fly.

Whenever we are struggling or going through a difficult time, it’s easy to think that Allah (swt) is not being fair or is punishing us. Think about the butterfly’s story. Was the struggle a punishment? No, the butterfly’s struggle was never a punishment. It was a blessing from Allah (swt). It may have seemed like the butterfly was struggling to come out and was trapped inside the chrysalis, but it needed to struggle in order for it to fly.

Just like the butterfly, we will all face challenges and struggles in our own lives. What should you do in those cases? Trust Allah (swt) and be patient.

Allah (swt) tells us in the Quran [8:46] “... And be patient. Surely, Allah is with those who are patient.” As long as you remain patient during hard times, Allah (swt) will always be with you, He will always guide and support you. And at the end of the day, He will grant you victory.

Yes, it’s difficult to understand and accept that your struggles are actually a blessing from Allah (swt), and we all know that being patient isn’t always the easiest thing to do. But no one loves you more than Allah (swt), and no one knows your future other than Allah (swt). If someone loves you, do you think that they would want to put you through hardship and hurt you? Or do you think that they would want to help you and make things easier for you? Allah (swt) will never put us through hardships and difficulties to hurt us. He does so because he loves us, and like the butterfly, he wants us to fly.

Crossword

1. Charity is one of the main pillars of

2. Patience in Islam is also known as

3. A prophet who taught us to be patient

4. Patience is talked about in many verses

6. Standing strong when faced with

7. In times of difficulty, Muslims rely on _ _ _ _ _ (SWT).

8. The prophet who bravely faced the fearsome Goliath was prophet _ _ _ _ _ (AS).

9. A form of charity is to offer someone a _ _ _ _ _.

10. By developing the virtues of charity, patience, and courage, Muslims follow the prophet Muhammad’s _ _ _ _ _ _.

David & Goliath

ZOYEB EHSAN

After the time of Moses (as), the Children of Israel said to one of their prophets that they wanted a king to lead them. They promised to fight for the sake of Allah (swt) and never flee from battle.

Prophet Samuel (as) told them that Allah (swt) chose a man named Saul to be the king, and the people protested. They claimed that they preceded him in many ways, including wealth. However, Allah (swt) looked beyond that and chose Saul for his blessed knowledge and stature.

When Saul marched with his army, they came across a river. This was one of Allah (swt)’s tests. The men were all thirsty and Saul told them that whoever drank an excessive amount of water

would not be considered part of the army, but those who had not tasted it would be among Saul’s men.

A large part of the army drank more water than was permitted, leaving only a few to fight with Saul, showing the men’s insincerity in their promise. Saul and his army, now very few, crossed the river and said, “We are no match for Goliath and his warriors.” Goliath was a very tall man, and his army was large especially when compared to Saul’s army.

Yet, the steadfast believers in the army said, “How many times has a small force vanquished

They came face-to-face with Goliath and his army, and prayed to Allah (swt) to shower them with perseverance, to make their steps firm, and to give them victory. They didn’t just ask Allah (swt) for victory or for it to be made easy. They asked Allah (swt) for the strength needed to win, so that they may earn it. They asked Allah (swt) for bravery and courage.

In these times, before a battle between two armies, each side would send a champion for a one-on-one duel. In this case, the enemy army had sent Goliath, of course.

As mentioned, Goliath was a giant man. He was without a doubt quite intimidating, so imagine fighting him alone! There needed to be a champion from Saul’s army, but who would want to go up against Goliath?

Saul, even with his noteworthy stature, wasn’t the one to do so. Instead, it was a younger, smaller man named David (as) that volunteered. He was so small that fellow warriors would even make fun of him, but he was not afraid. The other warriors in the army even wanted to put armour on David (as) before he went out to fight, but David (as) refused. Going out to battle with no armour? What was David (as) thinking?

David (as) took only his slingshot, but he was smart, and he had the wisdom to know that was all he needed. The battle started and David (as) placed a rock into his slingshot and launched it. Goliath was struck and David (as) emerged victorious.

Consider for a moment, how could such a small man like David (as) possibly beat a giant like Goliath? Perhaps because, even though Goliath’s

strength was great, his heart was impure and weak. And though David (as)’s stature was small, his courage, bravery, and heart were powerful and rich. We should note that it’s not that David (as) was unprepared for the fight. He was a warrior after all. However, what allowed him to overcome this big test was his faith in Allah (swt), and his lack of fear for Goliath.

David (as) is a great inspiration. In our own lives, we have our own tests. Maybe we are in sports tournaments, or we have to write exams for school, and so we feel worried. Whatever it may be, no test is too large for Allah (swt) to help us with. If David (as) could go against a giant like Goliath, couldn’t we succeed against our own trials through faith in The Most Merciful?

When we are faced with a trial, we must make choices on how to deal with it. The trial is not something we decide to happen, but how we choose to respond is within our power. David (as) didn’t cower, but instead was filled with bravery and spirit. He was ready to face the challenge and he trusted God to help him. He didn’t quit.

I want to end with a powerful verse from the Quran that reflects the moral of this story. In this verse, it is now talking about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his army.

“When the believers saw the enemy alliance, they said, ‘This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us. The promise of Allah and His Messenger has come true.’ And this only increased them in faith and submission.” (33:22)

And this only increased them in faith and submission.

Activity Scoop

Salat is one of the five pillars of Islam. Prophet Muhammad (as) once said, “Verily, the one in prayer is in an intimate conversation with his Lord Almighty, so let one look at how he converses with Him” (Musnad Ahmad, 19022). We have seen our elders perform salat. When we see them deep in prayer, bowing or prostrating, they are in conversation with Allah (swt). Everyone prays in a similar fashion. We repeat motions of standing straight, bowing, prostrating, and sitting up, all the while, we recite the same verses in remembrance of Allah (swt). Although the way we pray is similar, our reason for praying can be different.

To learn more, it is time to ask one of your elders some questions about Salat! Below are a few questions that will help you understand the importance of the pillar. When the elder you have asked has finished speaking, write down their answers in your own words. Let’s get started!

Why do you pray?

Is prayer the most important part of being a Muslim to you?

Is it sometimes difficult to get up and pray?

What do you do then?

Now that we have some helpful answers, it is time to share them with others! Type up your/the answers into a computer, then send them to The Muslim Voice Magazine (ask an elder for help if you need it). All answers can be shared by emailing to tmv@ uoftmsa.com so that everyone can benefit from them! In the end, don’t forget to thank your elders for their help!

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