It seems that the Swiss Politician Daniel Streich actually converted to Islam two years ago.  Contrary to my previous blog post, I have been informed by my eagle eyed readers that brother Daniel kept his conversion a secret for these years and felt that the policies adopted by his political party in Switzerland were too anti Islamic.  He decided to go public and announce his Islam when the ban on building minarets became too much for him.

This information comes primarily from this Jewish blog and by brother Jason Hamza van Boom

When writing my previous post I did read as much as  I could about this subject but didn’t find anything relating to this, in fact there isn’t that much information about him at all so I relied on other peoples blogs and forums.

The internet is awash with false information and I should have been more careful when diving in. I should of heard alarm bells ringing when I saw that picture of him sporting a beard…oops, missed that

Daniel Streich has said before the referendum on the minarets

If the initiative passes, it will be an absolute deep blow for me. I would have to ask myself, why I applied myself professionally and politically for over 30 years for this political system. In contrast, Switzerland urgently needs more mosques. It is not worthy of Switzerland to force Muslims to practice their faith in back alleys.”

Topi tip to brothers Mas’ud Khan and Al Kanz , its good to know I have readers that can put me straight

My previous sources included IslamiCity.com , Nation.com.pk , and more

Abel Xavier, the former Liverpool and LA Galaxy football player has converted to Islam, may Allah increase him in iman, protect him, guide him and keep him on the straight path, amin.

I always love it when people who are known convert to Islam because of the dawah the conversion brings.  People start talking and begin to ask questions which can  lead to a better understanding and may also lead others to accept.

As a Liverpool fan (I’m forgetting he played for the other side) I even more happy because i watched him every week, marvelling at his crazy hair cuts and wondering what colour hair he would be sporting when he ran onto  pitch.

He has now quit playing football and has changed his name to Faisal Xavier, he talked about it in a recent interview, and said:

‘It’s an emotional goodbye and I hope to participate in something very satisfying in a new stage of my life.

‘In moments of grief, I have found comfort in Islam. Slowly, I learned a religion that professes peace, equality, freedom and hope. These are foundations with which I identify.’

Asalamu alaikum brother Faisal and welcome to the Ummah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad !

Read more here

2009 has been a very interesting year indeed and for me and my family the last three months of 2009 were filled with mixed emotions. Alhamdulilla, on October 27th, Allah blessed us with a baby girl and one week later, in His wisdom, He took the soul of my Grandad.

This blog has done quite well, mashallah. In 2009, over 425.000 unique visitors came this blog which is amazing and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I really enjoy blogging and to have visitors who regularly come and to have benefited in any way is a very satisfying feeling indeed.

I hope that I can continue to improve this blog in 2010/1431 and provide a better sevice for you by posting more things that matter and that can be of some benefit.

Thank YOU very much for coming and participating

May 1431 and 2009 bring success to all those who are blessed and honoured to be part of the Ummah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad . Amin

Alhamdulillah, Allah blessed us with our fourth child recently, a beautiful baby girl called Sophia.  As you can imagin we have been very busy which has meant that blogging has taken a back seat in recent weeks.  Inshallah I am ready to blog a little more now and seeing as we have entered the blessed month of Muharram I thought I would remind myself of the importance of this month.

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad informed us about four sacred months in the Islamic calendar. Imaam Bukhari (ra) in his sahih records that Abu Bakar (ra) said that the Prophet Muhammad addressed  them in his farewell sermon saying:

Indeed the year evolves as it was the day Allah created the heavens and the earth.  The year has 12 months, among them four are sacred, three are successive, Dhul Qi’dah, Dhul Hijjah, Muharram and Raj

Allah says in the glorious Qur’an

Indeed the number of months by Allah are twelve, so was it ordained by Allah on the day He created the heavens and earth, of them four are sacred.” Surah Taubah

Fasting in this month of Muharram

Abdullah Ibn Abbas (ra) relates:

“RasulAllah (saw) did hijrah from Makkah to Medina. At that time RasulAllah (saw) saw the Jews keeping fast on the day of Ash’ura (10th Muharram). He (saw) asked them: ‘is this a special day in your religion? ‘they said: ‘yes, this is a very important day for us, on this day Allah freed Prophet Musa (as) and bani Israel, and drowned the army of Firaun, as a means of thanking Allah Prophet Musa (as) fasted so we also fast on this day. Prophet Muhammad said: ‘we have more right to Musa (as) than you.’ Then Rasulallah (saw) himself would keep the fast of Ash’ura and ordered the Ummah to do the same. (Bukhari, Muslim)

When the Prophet Muhammad fasted the day of Ashura, the people told him that this day is a day that Jews and Christians honor. The Prophet said: “When the following year comes, Allah willing, we shall fast both the ninth and the tenth day of Muharram (that is to be different from the Jews and the Christians.)” The Prophet (SAW) died before the following year.”[Muslim]

Subhanallah, so many amazing events, here is a list of things that have happened on the day of Ashura

1. Repentance of Prophet Adam (as) was accepted by Allah

2. The ship of Prophet Nuh (as) came to rest on a mountain called Al-Judi.

3. Prophet Ibrahim (as) as born on this day.

4. He got the title Khalil-ullah (friend of Allah ) on this day.

5. The fire in which Prophet Ibrahim (as) was thrown by the king Namrud became cool and means of safety for Prophet Ibrahim, by the order of Allah .

6. Allah delivered Prophet Ayub (as) from distress and he was restored to prosperity.

7. By the Grace of Allah , Prophet Yunas (as), after being swallowed by a huge fish for forty days, was casted out on the shore.

8. Prophet Mussa (as) got victory over Pharaoh.

9. Prophet Suleman (as) was made a king to rule over mankind, Jins, Animals and the weather.

10. Prophet Idris (as) and Prophet Isa, son of Mary (as) were lifted up alive to the heavens.

11. Imam Hussain (ra), the grandson of our beloved Prophet, got martyred at Karbala in Iraq.

12. The day of resurrection and judgement will take place on this day (Ashura)

(Ghunia-Al-Talibeen & Tafseer-e-Sawi)

nb. I am not sure how authentic some of these are as I am unable to locate these books, that is not to say that they are not authentic, I am just personally ignorant of some of them.

Alhamdulillah, Shaikh Asif Hussain Farooqui has been released without charge from the prison cell where he was held over erroneous terrorism charges.   May Allah reward all of you who signed the petition.

As with all friends of Allah , help and assistance sometimes comes from places we least expect. Something very special happened on the morning of his release,  30 of his murids were keeping vigil outside the police station when they saw flocks of birds circling in the sky.  They seemed to be forming into organised words of dhikr.  The brothers all locked up and were shocked at what they saw but one quick thinking brother got out his camera phone and took a picture.

“When Allah loves someone he calls to Jibreel (as) saying, ‘O Jibreel, I love such and such a person, so love him.’ Then Jibreel will call to the (angels) of the heavens, ‘Allah loves such and such a person so love him.’ And the angels will love [that person]. And then Allah will place acceptance on earth for that believer.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

Subhanallah, the creation doing dhikr of Allah in honour of His friend.

lillahi

In the interest of further promotion, I have taken the following from the Freedom Bolton website

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AS THIS IS SOMEONE LIKE YOU – WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS AND THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.

This website petition has been setup with deep concern over the wrongful arrest in Bolton (UK) on 16th November 2009, of Asif Farooqui (who is known to the muslim community as Shaykh Asif Hussain Farooqui). The Muslim community in Bolton have expressed its outrage at the detention of a prominent and well respected Muslim figure by the North West Counter Terrorism Unit. Likewise Muslim scholars throughout the UK familiar with the peaceful character of Asif Farooqui are signing this petition as we speak.

It is understandable for the police to follow up lines of enquiry, however the error of a wrongful arrest and false accusation of Terrorism, as in this case, will damage the peaceful community spirit of Bolton which has been built over the years. This doesn’t just affect Muslims but people of all walks of life and respected faiths. This damage is compounded in a case such as this, when the individual arrested is known to diverse communities in the UK for his exceptional work, over many years, in teaching the peaceful message of Islam.

Shaykh Asif Hussain Farooqui is a recognised teacher of outstanding personal integrity, and the core of his teaching is that a Muslim should strive to perfect his or her character in both worldly and spiritual spheres. Due to his influence, generations of law-abiding, tax-paying, hard-working Muslims in the United Kingdom have, and continue to make, a positive contribution both to the communities in which they reside in and beyond.

The Terrorism act 2000, for people who are unaware, gives the police the unconditional right to investigate and detain without proof. Since the inauguration of this act, thousands of the arrests have been made in the UK that have not led to any charges being brought. As with the case of Asif Farooqui, this given power could be seen an exploitation of the public’s fear of terrorism and a stifling of civil liberties.

By continuing to hold an individual of this calibre and standing, the police are severely undermining the important work that honest, good Muslims are doing in combating terrorism in the UK.

We therefore urge the authorities to acknowledge their error and release Shaykh Asif Hussain Farooqui without further delay.

Please sign the petition today and forward to others.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN

Thank you – Jazakallahu khairan

www.freedombolton.co.uk

The Goldstone Report which was commissioned by the UN, was recently rejected by the US House of Representatives.  The USA is using its power to protect its baby, once more, knowing full well that it has been proven that Israeli soldiers acted like animals in their indiscriminate murder of innocent civilians in Gaza.

The United Kingdom, the nation that acted as the “Midwife” (As sh Imran Hosein put it) for the birth of unholy Israel, wimped out by abstaining from the vote on the report.  This was an unusually limp wristed action by Britain considering its long standing and sinister relationship with Israel.  Maybe the UK government felt too embarrassed to reject it because the world does know that the contents of the report are a true representation of the carnage Israel administered upon innocents in Gaza.

Please take a look at this interview with Norman Finkelstien on Democracy Now, Mr. Finkelstien explains what the Goldstone Report found and in doing  he shows how bad the Israeli offensive in Gaza was and equally, how bad the decision by the House of Representatives was to reject it.

Another very interesting interview with Norman Finkelstein

When I heard that a new film about the life of Prophet Muhammad is to be made by Barrie Osborne , the producer of the Lord of the Rings and The Matrix, I had mixed emotions.  My natural reaction was of excitement because of the real possibility of a greater understanding of Islam.  My apprehension, after some thought, stemmed from the logistical nightmare of creating such a film that pleases everyone.

We have assurances that the noble countenance of the blessed and holy Prophet Muhammad will not be shown and his voice will not be heard.  The same too of his close companions and I would have thought the same would be true of the Angel Gabriel who visited him on many, many occasions to deliver the Message of the Qur’an.

With this in mind,my thoughts swiftly move to the quality of the film in its portrayal of the greatest story and the greatest man ever in human history.  The Message, a film made in the 1970s about the rise of Islam, was a classic film, loved by many (mostly Muslims) but it never had the wider appeal of the non Muslims.

Today’s film buffs are used to visually spectacular epics, like the Lord of the Rings, and I think it will be very hard to match that if the main characters are never seen or heard.  I would think that the film would have to be seen through the eyes of a companion rather like Hamza (ra) was central to the story of The Message; I can’t think of another way the film would work – then again, I’m not a director!

The story of our beloved Prophet Muhammad can be told from so many different angles and contains so many events so it will be largely dependent on the producers’ intentions in what he wants to achieve through this.

Will he focus on Prophet Muhammad   “the statesman,” or “the commander,” will he focus on his miracles, the great battles he participated in, his relationships with the companions and his wives, his amazing character or will the film be an orientalists’ dream movie based upon weak narrations and the incorrect and unfounded opinion of certain non Muslims?

He told Reuters that it would be “an international epic production aimed at bridging cultures. The film will educate people about the true meaning of Islam”.

With a budget of £93.5 million he will certainly have the resources at his disposal to produce something fantastic, but I wonder who is advising him, we are told that Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi will be overseeing certain areas in order that the film is made in accordance with Islamic law.  If that is true, I hope he will also be ensuring that those topics which orientalist and Islamaphobes love to beat the Muslims with are dealt with wisdom, because there is potential to cause real offence.

I really hope that the film works and is a huge success because the story of our beloved Prophet Muhammad needs to be told, I just hope it’s made correctly, accurately and with lots of wisdom

I blog and tweet a lot about Israel and every now and again the odd Zionist supporter pops by and says hello.

Zionist guy, Brett Borders:

The Koran doesn’t mention the word Jerusalem once. No where. The life of Prophet Muhammad is incredibly well documented, as far as ancient religious leaders go, and there is no record of him ever having traveled outside the Arabian peninsula. (Dreams, interpretations, insinuations, wishful thinking and political powerball non-withstanding.) If you want to blasphemize your sacred texts for political purposes – go ahead. But even a non-Muslim knows that Mecca and Medina are the cities with authentic, unquestionable historical connections to Islam – Jerusalem is the ancient holy epicenter of the the Jews (it’s the Jewish ‘mecca’ if you will) – and there has been no urgent Arab interest or significant spiritual connection to Jerusalem until Israel reclaimed it from Jordan in 1967. This is evidenced by the fact that Arabs haven’t built anything meaningful there in the past 1,000 years, Arab leaders rarely visited it when in Jordanian hands, etc. “The fartherst mosque” has been conveniently interpreted to mean the holy areas in Jerusalem that Arabs have political interest conquering and barring non-Muslims from visiting.

My reply:

To the uneducated and to the blind the Qur’an makes no reference to the Jerusalem or the Holy Land but as Allah the Almighty and Wise says:

“Proofs have now come to you from your Lord. If any is capable of seeing (and recognizing them) it will be for (the good of) his own soul. And if any is blind (to them) it will be to his own harm. And I am not here to watch over you.” (Qur’an, al-An’am 6:104)

In the words of Shaykh Imran Hosein in his book “Jerusalem in the Qur’an“

It is strange, mysterious, and enigmatic … that the name of the city ‘Jerusalem’ (Arabic ‘Quds’ or ‘Bait al-Maqdis’) does not appear in the Qur’an! Yet so many of the Prophets mentioned in the Qur’an had links with that Holy City, and in it is located that only other House of Allah , apart from those built in Makkah and Madina, ever built by a Prophet of Allah , Most High. Not only is that House of Allah (Masjid al-Aqsa) mentioned in the Qur’an but so, also, is the miraculous night-time journey in which Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was taken from Makkah to Jerusalem and to that House of Allah . Perhaps the reason for this mysterious treatment of the subject is located in the Islamic view that Jerusalem is destined to play a central crucial role in the Last Age. Hence there was, perhaps, a divine need to cloud the name of the city, as well as its destiny, with a sacred cloud that would not be lifted until the appropriate time had come, and Jerusalem was poised and ready to play its role in the End of History.

It is fact, not fiction that Arabs have lived in Jerusalem for centuries and it is fact, not fiction that the Godless, Apartheid State of Un-Holy Israel was created by theft, by oppression, by murder, by injustice, and that Israel has continued to behave in such an immoral and wicked way ever since.

Only a blind man could fail see that the blatant and shameful oppressive regime of Israel is an imposter and a fraud and far from the state that will herald the return of the True Messiah.  The characteristics displayed by the State of Israel are the characteristics of the Anti Christ, the Dajjal or the Imposter Christ and are not the characteristics that meet with divine approval.

The Jews believed that they killed Jesus, Son of Mary but they were punished themselves by their evil deeds and Jesus, Son of Mary (pbuh) shall return and rule the world from the Holy Land – but only after the Imposter Christ fulfils and completes his mission to impersonate him and tests the whole world.

This Immoral and corrupt state that you are supporting is fooling you into believing that this is the state of the Golden Age that the Jews were promised when they were in Babylon.  Open your eyes and see what the rest of the world is seeing and do not be blinded by any false personal association that you think you have with it.  It is only a facade and an illusion, the Golden Age will return, so be joyful…and be patient because Jesus, son of Mary (pbuh) the True Messiah shall return and rule the world, as was the promise of Allah .

Our first job is to go through the trials and tests of the Anti Christ and those people that are paving the way for his appearance.  You’re on the wrong boat my friend, open your internal spiritual eye and you will see what we all see.

May Allah give success to the sincere

ps, if you want to watch a talk about the Anti christ and Israel from and Islamic perspective, look no further: The Dajjal