Please donate to this appeal. There have been many deaths in Kenya over recent time due to a virus called Rift Valley Fever. Donate £5 and you can purchase a couple of mosquito nets that will protect lives.

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Jazakamullah Khairun

The planned mosque in London is a great idea! Its surrounding buildings would hold a total of 70,000 people, only 10,000 fewer than the Olympic stadium. If The Mosque goes ahead inshallah it would benefit the Ummah greatly. The evening standard has a vote on its website and there has been substantial opposition to it.

The Ummah is in need of your vote! Please click onto the following link and place your vote here and here There is also another vote taking place where the paper is asking “Should veils be discouraged?”

Click onto the links to cast your vote

May Allah (swt) protect us all.

tag: islam, veil, mosque, religion, muslim, politics, london, vote

There is an independent, and quite amazing, historical corroboration of the event from an Indian king of the time of the splitting of the moon miracle.

Kerala is a state of India. The state stretches for 360 miles (580 kilometers) along the Malabar Coast on the southwestern side of the Indian peninsula. King Chakrawati Farmas of Malabar was a Chera king, Cheraman perumal of Kodungallure. He is recorded to have seen the moon split. The incident is documented in a manuscript kept at the India Office Library, London, reference number: Arabic, 2807, 152-173.A group of Muslim merchant’s passing by Malabar on their way to China spoke to the king about how God had supported the Arabian prophet with the miracle of splitting of the moon. The shocked king said he had seen it with his own eyes as well, deputized his son, and left for Arabia to meet the Prophet in person. The Malabari king met the Prophet, bore the two testimonies of faith, learned the basics of faith, but passed away on his way back and was buried in the port city of Zafar, Yemen.

It is said that the contingent was led by a Muslim, Malik bin Dinar, and continued to Kodungallure, the Chera capital, and built the first, and India’s oldest, mosque in the area in 629 CE which exists today.

A pre-renovation picture of the Cheraman Juma Masjid, India’s oldest mosque dating back to 629 CE. Image courtesy of www.islamicvoice.com.

The news of his accepting Islam reached Kerala where people accepted Islam. The people of Lakshadweep and the Moplas (Mapillais) from the Calicut province of Kerala are converts from those days.

The Indian sighting and the meeting of the Indian king with Prophet Muhammad is also reported by Muslim sources. The famous Muslim historian, Ibn Kahtir, mentions the splitting of the moon was reported in parts of India. Also, the books of hadith have documented the arrival of the Indian king and his meeting the Prophet of Allah Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, a companion of Prophet Muhammad (saw), states:

“The Indian king gifted the Prophet with a jar of ginger. The companions ate it piece by piece. I took a bite as well.”

The king was thus considered a ‘companion’ – a term used for a person who met the Prophet and died as a Muslim – his name registered in the mega-compendiums chronicling the state of Prophet Muhammad ’s companions

The world’s tallest skyscraper and the symbol of Dubai’s love of all that is ‘Dunya’

So, what do you think of this? Muslims are so proud - yet are undaunted at the knowledge that they are participating in one of the signs of Day of Judement.

The Holy Prophet (saw) has forbidden us from holding the mourning ceremonies on the death of any person. The people of jahiliyyah (ignorance) used to mourn over their deceased through loud lamentations, by tearing their clothes and by beating their cheeks and chests

The Holy Prophet (saw) stopped the Muslims from doing all this and directed them to observe patience by saying “Innaa lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon”. A number of authentic Ahaadith are available on the subject. To quote only one of them:

“He is not from our group who slaps his checks, tears his clothes and cries in the manner of the people of jahiliyyah”. (Sahih Bukhari)

All the authentic jurists are unanimous on the point that the mourning of this type is absolutely impermissible. Even Sayyidna Husain (ra) at shortly before his demise, had advised his beloved sister Sayyidah Zainab (ra) at not to mourn over his death in this manner. He said,

“My dear sister, I swear upon you that you, in case I die, shall not tear your clothes, nor scratch your face, nor curse anyone for me or pray for your death”. (Al-Kamil, ibn Kathir vol. 4 pg. 24)

It is evident from this advice of Sayyidna Husain, (ra) that this type of mourning is condemned even by the blessed person for the memory of whom these mourning ceremonies are held. Every Muslim should avoid this
practice and abide by the teachings of the Holy Prophet (saw) and his beloved grand child Sayyidna Husain (ra).

Democracy is rule by majority.

The Qur’an Majeed says:

“If you follow the majority on earth, they will lead you astray, away from the Path of Allah . They (the majority of people) follow nothing but baseless conjecture, and they do nothing but plunge into guesswork.”

(Surah An’am, Aayat 116)

By Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat

Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is one of the four sacred months mentioned in the Glorious Qur’ãn:

Lo! The number of the months with Allah is twelve months by Allah ’s Ordinance in the day that He created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred: that is the right religion. So wrong not yourselves in them…(9:36)

The specification of these four sacred months is stated in a Hadeeth narrated by Aboo Bakrah t that Rasoolullah s said,

“Verily time has completed its cycle and returned to its original stage as it was on the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year consists of twelve months, four of which are sacred. Three of them occur consecutively; Zul Qa’dah, Zul Hijjah and Muharram, (the fourth being) Rajab of Mudhar (named after the tribe of Mudhar as they used to respect this month) which occurs between Jamãdiul Ãkhir and Sha’bãn.” (Bukhãri)

From out of the four sacred months, Muharram has been blessed with certain specific virtues. The noble Prophet s said, “The best of fasts besides the month of Ramadhãn is the fasting of Allah ’s Month of Muharram and the best of salãt besides the fardh (compulsory) salãt is the tahajjud salãt (performed after midnight before dawn).” (Muslim)

In another Hadeeth, Ibne ‘Abbãs t reports that the Messenger of Allah s said, “He who fasts on the day of Arafah (9th Zul Hijjah), his fast will be a compensation for the sins of two years and one who keeps a fast in the month of Muharram will receive the reward of thirty fasts for each fast.” (Tabrãni, at-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb)

THE DAY OF ÃSHOORÃ (10th MUHARRAM)
The tenth day of the month of Muharram is known as Ãshoorã. It is one of the most important and blessed days in the Islamic calendar. Some ‘ulãma (scholars) are of the opinion that before the fasts of Ramadhãn, the fast of the day of Ãshoorã was compulsory upon the Ummah. This is stated in a Hadeeth reported by ‘Ã’ishah t that the noble Prophet s ordered the observance of the fast of Ãshoorã. However, when the fast of Ramadhãn became compulsory, then whosoever wished, kept this fast and whosoever desired did not observe this fast. (Bukhãri)

But the Prophet s, nevertheless continued to fast this day and encouraged his companions to do the same. Ibne ‘Abbãs t says, “I did not see Rasoolullah s anxiously await the fast of any day, which he gave preference to over other days, but this day, the day of Ãshoorã.” (Bukhãri)

Humayd Ibne ‘Abdur Rahmãn t narrates that he heard Mu’ãwiyah Ibne Abee Sufyãn t on the day of Ãshoorã, during the year he performed Hajj, saying on the pulpit, “O the people of Madeenah! Where are your ‘ulãma? I heard Rasoolullah s saying, ‘This is the day of Ãshoorã. Allah has not enjoined its fasting on you, but I am fasting it. Whosoever wishes, keep (this) fast and whosoever desires do not observe (this fast).’” (Bukhãri)

In another Hadeeth, Ibne ‘Abbãs t narrates that the noble Prophet s came to Madeenah and found the Jews fasting on the day of Ãshoorã. Hence the noble Prophet s inquired of them, “What is (the significance of) this day on which you fast?” They replied, “This is a great day. On this day Allah saved Moosã u and his people and drowned Fir’awn and his nation. Thus Moosã u fasted on this day as a token of thanksgiving, therefore we too fast on this day.” The Messenger of Allah s said, “We are more worthy of Moosã and nearer to him than you.” Thereafter, the noble Prophet s fasted on this day and ordered (his companions y) that a fast be kept on this day. (Muslim)

RECOMMENDED DEEDS ON THE DAY OF ÃSHOORÃ
1. The noble Prophet s has exhorted and encouraged his Ummah to fast on this day. Aboo Qatãdah t narrates that the noble Prophet s was asked regarding the fast of the day of Ãshoorã. The noble Prophet s replied, “It is a compensation for the (minor) sins of the past year.” (Muslim)

NOTE: It must be borne in mind that wherever a promise of forgiveness of sins is made upon the fulfilment of some action, it is only the minor sins that are forgiven.

The major sins are not forgiven without true tawbah (repentance).

2. One should also observe the fast of the 9th or 11th Muharram to safeguard his deed from resemblance with the non-Muslims who fast only on the 10th Muharram. Ibne ‘Abbãs t said, “When Rasoolullah s observed the fast of the day of Ãshoorã and ordered (his companions y) to fast, they said, ‘O Rasoolullah! s It is a day revered by the Jews and Christians.’ Rasoolullah s said, ‘The coming year, if Allah wills, we will fast on the ninth (also).” (Muslim)

Ibne ‘Abbãs t reports that Rasoolullah s said, “Should I live until the coming year, I will definitely fast on the ninth (also).” (Muslim)

The noble Prophet s said, “Observe the fast of Ãshoorã and oppose the Jews. Fast a day before it or a day after.” (Bayhaqi)

Hence, it is important to either fast on the

ninth and tenth of Muharram or the tenth and eleventh. To fast only on the day of Ãshoorã is makroohe tanzeehi as stated by ‘allãmah Ibne Ãbideen Shãmi rahmatullãhi alayh.

3. One should be generous on one’s family and dependants and spend more on them than what is normally spent. Aboo Hurayrah t reports that Rasoolullah s said, “One who generously spends on his family on the day of Ãshoorã, Allah will increase (his provision) for the whole year.” (Bayhaqi, at-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb)

This Hadeeth is not very authentic according to the science of Hadeeth. However, scholars of Hadeeth like Bayhaqi and Ibne Hibbãn have accepted it as reliable.

These are the only actions supported by Ahãdeeth.

ACTS TO REFRAIN FROM
1. It is absolutely clear that the significance of the day of Ãshoorã is from the time of the noble Prophet s. However, many people regard this day as the day of mourning the martyrdom of Husayn t. The martyrdom of Husayn t was indeed a great tragedy, but Islãm is not a religion of perpetual mourning. Aboo Sa’eed t relates that Rasoolullah s has cursed mourners and those who listen to them. (Aboo Dãwood)

The pages of Islamic History are filled with the blood of the martyrs. Should we begin to mourn the martyrdom of the Sahãbah y alone, every other day would be a day of mourning. Thus, to attribute the significance of Ãshoorã to the martyrdom of Husayn t is baseless. Therefore, the host of baseless customs with regard to his martyrdom – mourning, lamenting and displaying grief – must be discarded. If mourning was permissible, then the day of the demise of Rasoolullah s would have been more worthy for mourning and lamenting.

2. The following misconceptions with regard to Ãshoorã are baseless:

This is the day in which Ãdam alayhis salaam was created.

This is the day in which Ibrãheem alayhis salaam was born.

This is the day on which Qiyãmah will take place.

Whoever takes bath on the day of Ãshoorã will never get ill.

3. Some regard the tenth of Muharram as the day of ‘Eed. They indulge in adornment, applying surmah (collyrium), wearing new clothes, spending lavishly and cooking a particular type of meal which is not generally prepared. All these actions are regarded as sunnah according to their belief, whereas no authentic narration sanctioning and permitting such actions can be found.

4. Another misconception is that the month of Muharram is an unlucky month; hence marriage ceremonies should be avoided in this month. This concept is again contrary to the teachings of Rasoolullah (saw).

Let us observe this great day according to the way of Rasoolullah (saw) and the Sahãbah and refrain from all innovations which deprive us of the blessings from Allah (swt). May Allah (swt).guide us all upon the Straight Path and save us from every act which brings His Displeasure. Ãmeen

63-year-old man finishes 10-week trip of nearly 12,000 kilometres on rusting bike from village in Chechnya to Mecca.

URUS-MARTAN, Russia – Cycling across continents in search of inner fulfilment has become commonplace for young adventure-seekers from developed countries.

But Dzhanar-Aliev Magomed-Ali is not young, his bike is old and rickety and he lives in Chechnya, a republic in southern Russia where separatists and Russians have fought two wars since 1994.

Last week, however, the 63-year-old finished a 10-week trip of nearly 12,000 kilometres (7,456 miles) on a rusting bike from his village in Chechnya via Iraq and Iran to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

“It was a very tough route, I wouldn’t allow anybody else to do it,” Magomed-Ali said at his home in Urus-Martan, 30 kilometres outside the destroyed Chechen capital of Grozny.

One of the hardest legs was in Iraq where, he said, US soldiers stopped him because he did not have an Iraqi entry visa. He said they threw his bicycle to the ground in an argument.

Magomed-Ali, like the vast majority of ethnic Chechens, is Muslim. The haj is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and every able-bodied Muslim is supposed to make the journey once in their lifetime.

Inspiration came to Magomed-Ali from his mother who, he said, told him in a dream to make the haj.

“I replied that I couldn’t do this as I didn’t have any way of getting there,” he said. “She replied that I had a bike and I should use it.”

Mogomed-Ali wore a traditional sheepskin hat and a woollen jumper as he posed next to his purple, mud splattered bike.

He had made two modifications: A thick cloth had been wrapped around the saddle for comfort and a green metal sign hung under the main frame, mapping out his route.

“Urus-Matan – Grozny – Khasavyurt – Makhachkala – Baku – Tehran – Baghdad – Damascus – Mecca – Medina – Jerusalem – Urus-Matan,” it read in printed white Russian Cyrillic letters.

As the crow flies Grozny and Mecca are a 5,000-kilometre round trip apart, but Magomed-Ali said he clocked up nearly 12,000 kilometres because of his circuitous route.

By George Galloway

I happened to be in Syria this week on the day Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez visited Damascus on the last leg of his world tour. Tehran was among the previous capitals he’d visited, and his presence in the Middle East was a physical symbol of the deeper connection being forged between the resurgent radical left in Latin America and the renewed popular spirit of resistance in the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Mention of the name Chávez elicited thunderous cheers and applause at the huge demonstration against Israel‘s invasion of Lebanon in London last month. In taking a stand by withdrawing his ambassador to Israel in protest at the assault, Chávez won the hearts of millions of Arabs and, in equal measure, exposed the craven capitulation of the vast majority of Arab leaders. His government has followed that up with a campaign to raise money through public donation to fund the reconstruction of Lebanon.

Lest anyone think these are mere gestures, Duncan Campbell reported in the Guardian this week that the US government is taking the Chávez government very seriously:

“Millions of dollars have been provided in a ‘pro-democracy programme’ that Chávez supporters claim is a covert attempt to bankroll an opposition to defeat the government. The money is being provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Office of Transition Initiatives. The row follows the recent announcement that the US had made $80m (£42m) available for groups seeking to bring about change in Cuba, whose leader, Fidel Castro, is a close ally of Mr Chávez.”

There are echoes here of the aid provided for the so-called cedar revolution in Lebanon in March of last year. But, for the White House, isn’t that the rub? What happened to the cedar revolution, which was supposed to usher in a pro-US administration in Beirut and make Lebanon compliant with multinational corporations? Well, the answer lies in the tens of thousands of unexploded cluster-bomblets left by the Israelis. What we are witnessing are the limitations of US power. It would be light-minded in the extreme to imagine that that power has evaporated, certainly. But there can be little doubt – notwithstanding the odd rant posted under my previous comment – that the US and its close allies (essentially Israel and Blair’s government) are coming up against the cruel reality of a shifting balance of forces.

Alarm bells are already ringing in Washington. The US government accountability office recently warned the Senate foreign relations committee of the devastating consequences of Venezuela cutting oil exports to America.

It estimated it would hit US GDP by $23bn. And Chávez is very much looking to diversify Venezuela‘s trading arrangements. China has just agreed $5bn of investments in Venezuela‘s oil industry (having already cut a similar deal with Iran). In return, Chávez is re-equipping the Venezuelan armed forces with largely Chinese materiel.

I suggested this week that Israel‘s defeat in Lebanon (if anyone doubts it, read the Israeli press) might lead to a de Klerk moment. I say might, not will. It’s certainly what those who say they are supporters of Israel should advocate. But there is another possibility. The frustration of US interests in the Middle East and in its “own” hemisphere might well lead it, and Israel, to lash out even more desperately.

Yesterday Bush said there would be “consequences” for Iran refusing to give up its civil nuclear programme. Well, increasing numbers of people across the globe are realising that there are consequences for neo-conservative bombast. One is that what has been termed US “soft power” – broadly ideological support internationally – is at historic lows. The Chávez government, whose achievements will be celebrated in Trafalgar Square tonight, is a critical element in deflating it. I see that some liberal commentators who miss no opportunity to castigate Hizbullah and Hamas nevertheless regard Chávez as an honest, reforming social democrat. It is for those commentators to square away why Chávez has expressed unflinching solidarity with the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance forces.

It’s an alliance – an axis of good – which will be further cemented in two weeks’ time at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana, and again at a proposed conference in Beirut later this year. The radical left in Britain and Europe should see itself as part of that alliance.

Astaghfirullah! I hope this is not true! This article comes from the “BBC Newsnight Bog” and it is very worrying. I was sent this article by a concerned brother and I thought you should be aware of it too.

Ethical Man has discovered a whole range of food additives don’t even get listed on the ingredients.

I’m spending a month as vegan to see how cutting animal products out of my diet will affect my environmental footprint. It is surpisingly difficult to avoid animals; you’d be amazed how many foods contain animal products in some form or other.

There was a huge response when I wrote about my concerns that an amino acid used as an additive in bread is sometimes manufactured from human hair. I was reassured to discover that it is possible to avoid the substance – called L-Cysteine or E920 – because it is listed on the ingredients.

Then last week Britain’s leading organic baker, Andrew Whitely, wrote to me to warn of what he calls of “baking’s big secret” – the use of enzymes.

Andrew describes the use of these enzymes as secret because they do not appear on the label. Industrial bakers use a loophole to classify them as “processing aids”. The problem for a vegan like me – or for that matter for Jews, Muslims and vegetarians – is that some of these enzymes are manufactured from animals, including pigs.

These enzymes are one reason modern bread stays so light and soft for so long. Under the UK’s food labelling rules they don’t need to appear on the label because they are broken down in the manufacturing process and therefore they are not considered to be present in the final product.

Andrew describes this as: “a deception that allows the food industry to manipulate what we eat without telling us.”

Andrew’s got a whole list of enzymes he’s concerned about but – as a vegan – a particularly worrying one is phospholipase. That’s because phospholipase was originally derived from pigs’ pancreas.

He concedes that there are probably not infinitesimal amounts of pig guts in most people’s breads because of the way enzymes are synthesised from original organisms. However he believes many vegans and vegetarians, not to mention Muslims and Jews, would be revolted by the idea that pig husbandry has any part at all in baking or the development of bakery additives.

Is he is right?

And if you were thinking that by buying an organic loaf you might escape these “aids”, think again. Food enzymes are allowed in organic products so long as they are not derived from GM or GM methods have not been used at any stage in their manufacture.

The only way to be certain is to contact whoever baked your bread and ask them what processing aids they have used.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t gone to those lengths. I have been very scrupulous about avoiding animal products but bread has stayed on the menu – enzymes from pigs stomachs or not. Life as a vegan is hard enough already.

Take Saturday night. My wife and I took our three daughters out to our favourite local Italian restaurant – Marine Ices in Camden Town. I thought at the very least I’d be able to a pizza without mozzarella. No such luck. I was told they use eggs in the pizza base.

My courgette linguini was tasty – glistening with olive oil and packing a hefty punch of garlic – but three weeks into my animal-free existence and the sight of my family tucking into crusty pizzas covered in wonderful stringy cheese made me feel faint. As Bee, Eva and Zola ate ice-creams, I sipped a black coffee.

I was a smoker for many years. The deep urge I felt that night to reach over a grab one of those slices of pizza or to elbow a daughter aside and feast on mint-choc-chip reminded me of the powerful physical yearning I used to feel for a cigarette.

But the sensation that has surprised me most has been a powerful desire for a Big Mac. I am not a big hamburger eater but last week I found myself immobile outside McDonald’s as my body was gripped with lust for the fleshy delights within.

The only way to deal with these yearnings is to cook myself up wonderful vegan treats. And vegans can eat very well. I’ve sampled a few delicious recipes from my blog appeal. The aubergine curry is excellent and for a hearty family supper the shepherd’s pie is hard to beat. If you are still hungry (and I usually am) the vegan brownies are great.

But we vegans need diversity so any other animal-free recipes will be gratefully received.

by Ethical Man – Justin Rowlatt