Surah Al-Ghashiyah is a very special surah. Allah had described Heaven and Hell in such great detail in this surah. Al-Ghashiyah means the Overwhelming Event, which is, of course, the Day of Judgment, when every human is raised out of their graves to be judged by Allah. Just read this:

1 Has there come to you the news of the Overwhelming Event?
2 Faces on that Day will be downcast; (disbeliever's faces)
3 laboring, weary;
4 undergo roasting in scorching Fire.
5 They will be made to drink of a boiling spring.
6 They will have no food but of thorny bush,—
7 it is neither nourishing nor satisfying from hunger.

Wow! Do you want to drink boiling hot water and eat thorny bushes? No? Then believe in Allah and do good deeds! Now read this:

8 Faces on that Day will be joyful, (believer's faces)
9 well-satisfied with their striving,
10 in a highly-placed Garden,
11 you will not hear in it any idle talk.
12 In it is a spring flowing.
13 In it are thrones raised high.
14 and drinking-cups ready-at-hand,
15 and cushions set in rows,
16 and carpets spread out.
17 Do they not then look at the camels how they are created;
18 and at the heaven how it is raised high,
19 and at the mountains how they are erected;
20 and at the earth how it is spread out?

Now you really want to go to Jannat! Allah describes it like it is a palace, with cushions and carpets and cups. And you will get a front-row seat to see how camels are created, how the heaven is raised, how the mountains are made, and how the earth is spread out. Cool, right?

Now here is the rest of the surah:

21 Therefore go on admonishing; you are certainly an admonisher.
22 You are not a warden over them;
23 but whoever turns back and disbelieves,
24 then Allah will punish him with a great punishment.
25 Surely towards Us is their return;
26 then it is for Us indeed to take their account.

From this day on, never forget this surah. You'll be living on Earth for a short time, but you will be living in the afterlife FOREVER! Remember to be a good Muslim, so you won't have to eat thorny bushes for a very long time!

I went to Southwestern South Dakota last month. It is full of fun places to go! Here is a short travel guide telling you where to go while you're in South Dakota.

1: Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore is currently the largest sculpture in North America. It is visited by millions of people a year. You can view the president's faces from the viewing decks, take a tour through the forest, or take a walk. At night they have a light show.

2: Custer State Park
Custer State Park is famous for it's rich wildlife...especially buffaloes! The steep mountain roads and the narrow tunnels surely spring excitement (and maybe even fear!). Needles Highway goes through Custer. It is called "Needles" because of the stone formations that surround it. They are straight and tall, just like needles!

3: Badlands National Park
Take a drive through this beautiful, out-of-this-world park full of amazing rock formations. You will see rock in the colors of brown, red, yellow, and tan. Adding green plant life makes one colorful sight! You will be amazed by the Badlands' sheer beauty.

4: Wind Cave National Park
The rangers at Wind Cave will take you down 20 stories into the cold and dark Wind Cave. That's 300 steep steps! You will see a rare cave formation, called boxwork, that is not found anywhere else in the world!

6: Corn Palace
This "palace" is the only building in the world covered with corn! Each year, people use ears of corn, wild grasses, and leaves of corn to decorate the exterior of the building. There are even artworks of corn inside! And you'll be amazed at how many different types of corn there are! They come all sorts of colors!

7: Wall Drug
Wall Drug is a store full of souveniers and fun things to do! Wall Drug spends $400,000 a year on ads, so don't be surprised there are billboards for Wall Drug lining the highway! Wall Drug has a cowboy/western theme.

8: Crazy Horse
This sculpture will not be finished in your grandchildren's lifetime. When it is finished, it will pass Mount Rushmore to be the biggest sculpture in the world. It is a model of Crazy Horse, a Native American chief. It was started in the 1940's and today only the face is finished! Still, there is a viewing center with a restaurant, a museum, a lake, and a smaller statue of Crazy Horse, which is 1/34 the size of the finished project.

Pictures by Shabnam M.

You are always working...it may be on a project or on a simple math sheet. It could be just for fun or a huge task. Whatever you do, Allah should always accept your work. Learn this dua to see why.

Rabbana taqabbal minna. Innaka anta-s samiu-l alim.

Our Rabb! accept from us. You indeed, You are the all-Hearing, the all-Knowing
(Al-Baqarah 2:127)

Ibrahim (A) and Isma'il (A) had just rebuilt the Kabah. They wanted Allah to accept their work, so they prayed to Him with this dua. Allah accepted their prayer...and made the Kabah the center of the Muslim world! Allah is surely the Most-Rewarding! Allah made the Kabah our Qiblah, and now more than a billion Muslims face the Kabah 5 times a day, every day, for their salat.

This dua is surely wonderful. Of course Allah won't turn your project into the Islamic Qiblah, but He will surely reward you.

If you learned to knit since the article in the July issue, or you knew how to knit before, this is a perfect project... for beginners and experts alike!

You will need:
Yarn: Bernat Baby Coordinates Sweet Stripes (see below) (I used Melon Stripes)
Needles: US size 6 (4.25 mm)
Yarn needle
Gauge: 5 stiches x 5 rows in 1 square inch

What to Do:

BAG-
1) Cast on 60 stitches
2) Knit every row until it is 21 inches long.
3) Bind off
4) Fold the bag in half so the edges meet.
5) Sew the sides together with a flat seam
6) Turn the bag inside out.

HANDLE-
1) Cast on 10 stitches
2) Knit for desired length (I knit about 42 inches)
3) Bind off
4) Sew onto the inside of the bag with a flat seam.

Now this cute and ultra-soft bag is ready to wear! It is not very strong, so please don’t try to carry heavy things like books or cameras in it. This can be just for show or you can carry it around. Below are some of the Bernat Baby Coordinates Sweet Stripes Colors.

Blue and White: Sailor Stripes
Blue and Green: Splash Stripes
Purple and White: Grape Stripes
Pink and White: Strawberry Stripes
Pink and Purple: Candy Stripes
Yellowand White: Sunny Stripes
Green and White: Sprite Stripes
Salmon and White: Melon Stripes

Prepare for Eid with this checklist!

- Make a list of Eid presents for your family members and friends. Make sure to find out the prices and write them down! Then you can start saving your money.

- Make Eid cards for everyone you are giving a gift to. You can use the computer, buy a card, or make a handmade card! Look in the October 2006 issue for instructions for an Eid card.

- Get ready to prepare an Eid snack to share with your loved ones! Make sure you can SAFELY make it. You may use a recipe from a MAG article.

- Get an Eid outift! It must be clean!

- On Eid day, get together with your friends and read the October issue of MAG!

Make sure you do everything on this list to have a happy and fun Eid!

Dear MAG,
I’m going to move to a different state soon, and I’m having a hard time saying goodbye to everybody. Can you give me some ideas to get over it? -Sad Mover
Dear Sad Mover,
It is hard when you have to move far away. First of all, you can buy a small gift and a card for anybody who was really special to you. When you give them the present, ask them for their phone number, email address, address, and any other way you can contact them. When you move away, stay in touch by talking or writing.

Dear MAG,
I’m not very good at math, but I want to be. I’m getting bad grades in the subject. How can I become a better math student? -Bad at Math
Dear Bad at Math,
Don't think you're bad at math! With a little practice, you'll be much better! What you can do is get a math workbook from a store, and do at least 2 pages a day. Pay attention in class, and write notes and examples so you can look at them later on. And finally, make a math dictionary. Whenever you learn a new math term, write it down! Put down the definition and an example too. There are many ways to be creative in learning math! Insha-allah, you will be better in math.

Need advice? Send your question to muslimag@gmail.com, with the subject titled “Ask MAG”.

Everyone knows about the five pillars of Islam. If you were a pillar, what would you be? Find out by taking this quiz!

1. Your friends describe you as…
a) confident
b) thankful
c) determined
d) generous
e) strong

2. Your hobbies include…
a) speaking your mind
b) reading Qur’an
c) doing things with a reward at the end
d) making things for others
e) traveling

3. Your favorite color is…
a) vivid red
b) lavender purple
c) lime green
d) light pink
e) blue

4. If you wrote an article for MAG, it would most likely be…
a) Why being Muslim is Great!
b) The Importance of Prayer
c) History of Fasting and Ramadan
d) Great things to Give
e) Makkah: The Holy City

5. Your favorite book genre is…
a) realistic fiction
b) informational
c) biography/ autobiography
d) fable/ fantasy
e) historical fiction

6. Your favorite subject in school is…
a) Language Arts
b) Science
c) Math
d) Social Studies
e) Phy. Ed

ANSWERS

Mostly A’s: Shahadah!
You are most like the first pillar of Islam, Shahadah! You love to be a Muslim and you love to declare that you believe Allah is the only God and Muhammad (S) was his messenger.

Mostly B’s: Salat (Prayer)
You are most like the second pillar of Islam, Salat! Allah has given us so many things, and you are very thankful to Him. Anyway, Allah is ar-Rahim, the most Merciful!

Mostly C’s: Sawm (Fasting)
You are most like the third pillar of Islam, Sawm! Ramadan is your favorite month! Fasting is a way to clear your mind (and stomach!) from all the bad things!

Mostly D’s: Zakat (Charity)
You are most like the fourth pillar of Islam, Zakat! You are kind, generous, and caring. Everyone likes you! Zakat is a way you help the people of the world that are less fortunate that you. Good job!

Mostly E’s: Hajj (Pilgrimage)
You are the fifth pillar of Islam, Hajj! But last isn’t least… Hajj is required for all Muslims! If you have or haven’t been to Makkah yet, you still love Hajj as you love Islam!