In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious The Most Merciful.
Peace y’all! Hope your all well.
It’s December.
You know what that means?
Think Britain, national holiday, Christmas, Jesus…
You can argue all you want that it’s been commercialised and it’s no longer a religious thing, but my friend, that’s not the point.
Christmas day, i.e 25th December is attributed to the Christian faith, yet did you know it has its roots in PAGANISM?
Let’s have a look at the history of Christmas:
According to Britannica Encyclopaedia, Christmas has become a Christian festival where Christians believe they are celebrating the birth of Christ, or Jesus. Historically, however, the date coincides with pagan Roman festivals which celebrated the winter solstice. It is believed that early Christians wanted to celebrate the 25th to coincide with the pagan festival. There is no clear statement in the New testament supporting the celebration of Jesus’ birth on the 25th. Nevertheless, it is still widely celebrated in that manner.
So basically in a nutshell, Christmas day has pagan origins!
Well, DO MUSLIMS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?
In all honesty and with due respect, the answer is -they don’t.
Choosing not to celebrate Christmas is NOT a personal attack on those who wish to celebrate it. It’s a personal decision deeply rooted in our internal religious beliefs.
As Muslims, we believe there’s no compulsion in religion. Just as you’re not compelled to believe, we aren’t compelled to disbelieve. : )
“There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in taghoot (false gods) and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break.” [QUR’AN CHAPTER 2:256]
“Say: ‘O you mankind! Now truth (i.e. the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad), has come to you from your Lord. So whosoever receives guidance, he does so for the good of his own self; and whosoever goes astray, he does so to his own loss; and I am not (set) over you as a Wakeel (disposer of affairs to oblige you for guidance).’”[QUR’AN CHAPTER 10:108]
“Whosoever does righteous good deeds, it is for (the benefit of) his ownself; and whosoever does evil, it is against his ownself. And your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves.”[QUR’AN CHAPTER 41:46]
We highly encourage you to look into Islam though, because we want you to share the delight and happiness, we want the best for all. : D
As Muslims, our life mission is to serve Allah (The One True God) without ascribing any partners/rivals to Him. We are completely MONOTHEISTIC. Anything that opposes the principles of Islamic monotheism is a no-go for us.
Islamic monotheism entails belief in and submission to Allah (The One True God), by attributing complete Oneness to Allah as He deserves in His Lordship, Names and Attributes and right to be worshipped alone.
And a Muslim, i.e. one who submits to Allah (The One True God), relentlessly steers away from anything that contradicts the principles of Islamic monotheism. Polytheism, idolatry and ascribing partners to Allah are MAJOR SINS! The biggest sin which Allah will not forgive, is ascribing partners to Him !
‘Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills; and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin.’ [Qur’an, chapter 4, verse 48- English interpretation]
Allah is so self-sufficient, it does not befit His Majesty to take a son or wife, or to beget or be begotten. He does not resemble His creation, for He is the uncreated Creator, and there is no similitude to Him.
In fact, a remarkably concise description of Allah can be found in chapter 112 of The Noble Qur’an, which is the verbatim words of Allah, and Allah’s final revealed book to mankind.
Have a listen to this chapter here:
Regarding Jesus (peace be upon him), in Islam we believe he was a mighty messenger of Allah. Jesus, or Isa in Arabic, was born a miraculous birth, from the virgin Mary. We refer to Jesus as ‘Isa ibnu Maryam, which means Jesus son of Mary. Jesus did not have a father, and he is not the son of God/Allah, because as we mentioned earlier, it does not befit the majesty of Allah to beget. Allah decreed that Jesus would be born miraculously without a father from the pure, chaste, virgin Mary. We respect them very much and we know that Jesus never claimed divinity, rather Jesus called his people to worship Allah alone, the same message each prophet and messenger of Allah called to. Jesus’ (peace be upon him) story can be found in the Qur’an in numerous places. (for more information, please see the post on chapter 19 of the Qur’an entitled Maryam!)
Incidentally, Paganism supports polytheism. Polytheism means worshipping multiple deities. Therefore, the Christian Trinity is essentially polytheism. And as previously mentioned in this blog, Islam means submission to the One True God, Allah, and our purpose in life is to acknowledge Allah’s complete Oneness, to uphold Islamic monotheism, and to attribute absolute Oneness to Allah in His Lordship, names and attributes and right to be worshipped alone.
Not celebrating Christmas, is not contrary to British values, it’s contrary to polytheistic & pagan values. That’s it.
It would be hypocritical and contradictory to be a monotheist, but continue to indulge in polytheistic & pagan traditions. Don’t you think?
I hope you understand now, why we don’t celebrate Christmas, why we don’t exchange Christmas greetings and why we don’t give or take cards and gifts on this occasion. It’s nothing to do with you personally, so please don’t take it personally! Because the truth is, as Muslims, the most important One to us is Allah, and the only reason we are alive is for Allah, to serve Him, to worship Him, because we need to worship Him and He doesn’t need us to do that. Whether or not we worship Him, it does not detract or add to His majesty at all. Rather He is The Self-Sufficient, The Majestic, The Rich, Free of all needs. The Lord of all that exists.
Besides, our kind behaviour and gifts to you is not supposed to be limited to a certain day of the year, as Muslims we are required to deal with everyone in a just manner at all times, exhibiting the best character. If we have fallen short in fulfilling our rights towards you as our neighbours, please do forgive us. We make mistakes, after all we are human. Although, we endeavour to follow the best example of excellent moral conduct,as taught to us by Allah’s final prophet and messenger, Muhammad peace be upon him.
I’ll leave you with a verse from the Qur’an to get you thinking.
‘Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): “I am only a man like you. It has been revealed to me that your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God – i.e. Allah). So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord.” ‘
[Qur’an, chapter 18: v110, english interpretation]
Thanks for reading.
Peace.
Thurrock Muslims
Dear Reader,
This is my second letter to you.
Hey I know its been a while! Thanks for your patience though.
So you tried getting rich, but failed… or maybe you made it.
So you tried fame, and maybe you got it, but at times, with fame, comes shame…some love you, some don’t…
So you tried getting a degree, but you didn’t quite hack it… or maybe you did, and then a bachelors wasn’t enough, so you got a masters, then a phd, and now you’re very intelligent… well at least you think you are… : )
So can you tell me why you were born the day you were? Can you tell the day you will pass away? Can you tell me what colour my bedroom floor is? Can you?
Nope. Because you can’t see it. But that doesn’t mean you were not born on the day you were, or that you won’t pass away one day, or that my bedroom floor is colourless…
Although you cannot be an eye-witness on many an occasion, nor can you physically witness everything that exists or happens, you do agree with me that these things are true because they have signs which point to their reality.
You know you were born that day, because you have a birth certificate to prove it. You know you will die one day, because you see people losing their lives everyday. You know my bedroom floor has a colour, otherwise it wouldn’t be a normal floor.
So I’m sure you’d agree, you don’t always have to see things plainly in order to ascertain their existence. Yet there are signs which indicate they exist.
The universe and all within it points to the existence of a Supreme Creator.
And the Supreme Creator,is unique, there is no similitude to Allah. Allah is The Supreme One True God, The Uncreated Lord of the universe and all within it, the One who created everything in pairs as a sign to remind us of His Oneness, and His right to be worshipped alone. He is The Rich, The Free of all needs, The Most High. The Self-Sustaining, The Self-Existing, The Universal Witness… The Ever-Living, The Eternal, The One who is not born, nor does He die. He is the First and the Last. The Originator..
And we will return to Him…everything will perish except Him…
Because man is a mere fragile created being…
And our purpose on earth is to establish the remembrance of The Creator, Allah.
Allah is our Provider, our Sustainer, our Helper, our Master, our Lord, our Protector.
We need Him. And we need to worship Him, to fulfil our purpose, because He deserves exclusive worship.
So then, we now know that the purpose in life is to worship Allah (The One True God), Alone.
You see, Allah doesn’t need us to worship Him. He is the Owner of power. Allah is forever Self-Sufficeint. He is not bound by time and location, for He created these. Allah tells us in the Qur’an that He is The Rich, Free of all needs and wants, The Praiseworthy.
He did not need us when we were non-existent, He doesn’t need us now, and He will never need us.
Allah doesn’t need us to worship Him, rather He deserves our worship… and we need Him.. we depend on Him.. He is our Provider, our Protector, our Creator, our Lord.
and we NEED to worship Him… because that is the purpose for which we were created.
Whether we worship Him or not, it does not detract or add to His Might and Power whatsoever, Allah is the All-Powerful, the unyielding in strength. Allah possesses the ultimate power, so what are we?… we have to inevitably submit to Him. We have no other refuge, only Allah grants true security.
So won’t we run back to Him?
and with that, I’m going to call it a day, my friend.
With love and peace,
Thurrock Muslims
p.s. guess you’re wondering, how do we worship Allah? Follow our blog, and you’ll find out, God willing : )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ybk3Txn3Ls
Sit alone, click play, shut your eyes, listen with your heart…
(Scroll down for English interpretation- I know you’re busy, but DON’T be lazy to read this!)
Read at QURAN KSU
In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
Oh My God! I’m lost for words…yet bursting to say something…
I keep clicking replay…
I can listen to this all day… I feel something in my heart when I read and listen to this. I see warnings, reminders, promises. I see truth. I see proof. I see meaning. I see no error. I feel a sense of emergency, of urgency. I feel I have to make a move. I have to act upon it. I feel I found the purpose in life.
I feel I need to run back to The One Who gave me life, The One Who will cause me to die, The One Who will resurrect me, and punish or reward me accordingly.
I need to run back to Allah alone.
So do you.
Be objective. Be sincere. Be open minded. I’m sure you’ll feel something too.
Oh Allaah the One Who changes the hearts, keep my heart firm upon Your religion! Guide us to preserve on Your straight path forever. Allahumma salli wasallim alaa nabiyinaa Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Ameen.
With love for the sake of The One.
Thurrock Muslims.
Bismillah
Asalamu alaykum
SubhanAllah, have you heard the story of the companion, Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq Radi Allahu anh…
He was the best friend of the best of creation, Rasoolullah Muhammad Sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
Abu Bakr’s friendship with the final messenger of Allah, was a true friendship based on love… on trust… on loyalty… on truthfulness.
What an amazing companion radi Allahu anh! There are accounts of his love for the messenger of Allah, narrations of how he stuck with the messenger peace be upon him, in his most testing times, when he was opposed by his people, when he was threatened by the idolators, when he was turned out from his birthtown, Abu Bakr stuck with him through thick and thin. He enthusiastically accompanied him on the migration to Madinah. He preferred the messenger Muhammad peace be upon him to himself, radi Allahu anh. Because he believed that Muhammad peace be upon truly was the messenger of Allah.
He loved the messenger dearly, for the sake of Allah.
And that’s what you call a true friendship.
Hear more about this truthful companion Radi Allahu anh!
Love and share!
May Allah grant us perfect love for Him alone, and love for His messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam, the way the companions like amazing Abu bakr Radi Allahu anh loved him.
ameen ya Rab al alameen.
With Love for the sake of Allah!
Thurrock Muslims.
Asalaamu alaykum
In the Name of Allah.
Dear readers, we entered the new Islamic year just last week, walhamdulillah.
We are now in the first month of Hijri year 1437, Muharram.
Muharram is a month of great virtue. It is of the four sacred months out of twelve months in the Islamic calendar.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein”
[al-Tawbah 9:36]
Allah, The Almighty, has made it a sacred month of great virtue. May He allow us to abstain from sins, to turn to Him in repentance, and to run back to Him with good deeds, for verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds.
And Allah is The Most Generous. Oh Allah we ask for Your peace and blessings upon The final prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Ameen ya Rabb al ‘aalameen.
It is encouraged to fast in Muharram, particularly the 10th (Ashoora’), and the preceding day with it (Tasooaa’). Let us take advantage of these beautiful autumn days, in sha Allah.
It was proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that the best fasting after Ramadaan is fasting in the month of Muharram.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best fasting after Ramadaan is the month of Allaah Muharram, and the best prayer after the obligatory prayer is prayer at night.” Narrated by Muslim, 1163.
Regarding the significance of fasting on Ashoora’ :
The reason why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) fasted on the day of ‘Ashoora’ and urged the people to do likewise is mentioned in the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (1865) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Ashoora’. He said, “What is this?” They said, “This is a good day, this is the day when Allaah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy and Moosa fasted on this day.” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “We are closer to Moosa than you.” So he fasted on this day and told the people to fast.
Fasting the day of ‘Ashoora’ does expiate (minor sins) for the past year, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fasting the day of ‘Arafah I hope Allaah will expiate thereby for the year before it and the year after it, and fasting the day of ‘Ashoora’ I hope Allaah will expiate thereby for the year that came before it.” Narrated by Muslim, 1162.
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) fasted on the day of ‘Ashoora and told the people to fast, they said, “O Messenger of Allaah, this is a day that is venerated by the Jews and Christians.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Next year, if Allaah wills, we will fast on the ninth day.” But by the time the following year came, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had passed away.
Narrated by Muslim, 1916.
It is expected that 9th Muharram 1437 will coincide with Friday 23rd October 2015, and Saturday 24th October 2015 will be the 10th, or Ashoora’. May Allah grant us sincerity and the ability to seize the opportunity this Ashoora’ by fasting to gain His reward, love and forgiveness, through implementing the Sunnah of His final messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. ameen
With love for the sake of Allah
Thurrock Muslims
Muharram 1437
Bismillah, walhamdulillah, wasalatu wassalaam alaa rasoolillah!
Asalamu alaykum!
Hey there, we’re back for part 2 of the second lesson.
Previously, we discussed the antithesis of Tawheed, namely ‘Shirk’ (see the previous lesson).
It’s really important to know what shirk is exactly, since it’s the biggest sin, we need to know what it is so we can avoid it!
Do you remember the categories of Tawheed (see part 2, part 3, part 4 of lesson 1) ? Well, here we will be discussing the categories of Shirk…
The Antithesis or Tawheed: ‘Shirk’ and its categories
Shirk means to ascribe a partner/partners to Allah (The One True God), in His Lordship and/or worship.
May Allah protect us! ameen
Let us stay away from these types and all types of Shirk!
May Allah protect us from all types of shirk! May Allah, The One, The Compeller, grant us perfect Tawheed for His sake alone forever! May Allah forgive us for any error. Allahumma salli alaa Muhammad Sallallahu alayhi wasallam. ameen!
Thurrock Muslims
Bismillah
Asalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh!
EID MUBARAK!
Taqaballallaahu minaa wa minkum!
We are still witnessing the best 10 days of the year, Alhamdulillah. Allah, The Self-Sufficient, The Most Generous, has honoured us with Islam and Iman, and before us we have a magnificent festival, Eid-ul-Adha, The festival of Sacrifice, on the 10th day of this sacred month of Dhul-Hijjah 1436. Let us congratulate one another on this joyous occasion.
May Allah accept (good deeds) from us and from you. ameen
Please take a few moments for the sake of Allah to discover the obligations, sunnahs and etiquettes of Eid-ul-adhaa:
The etiquettes of Eid, the takbeer etc.
Some top tips (see above links for references from Qur’an and sunnah):
1- Do make an arrangement immediately to offer the udhiyah, if you have not done so already. You can do it for as little as £30 or more with various Islamic charities in the UK, in sha Allah. Let us offer sacrificial animals in obedience to Allah, following the way of His final prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Let’s share this bounty with our brothers and sisters around the world, in sha Allah!
2- Keep pronouncing the Takbeer, this is a great Sunnah! Remind each other! (starts on 1st Dhul Hijjah until sunset on the last of the days of Tashreeq, i.e. 13th Dhul Hijjah. Also read the takbeer after the obligatory prayers, starting from after Fajr on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah to after Asr on 13th of Dhul Hijjah.)
The Takbeer is:
Allahu Akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu Akbar, laa ilaha illAllah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa lillaahilHamd. (Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, There is no true god worthy of worship, except Allah. Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great and all praise be to Allah.)
3-Have ghusl in the morning before going out to pray
4- If possible, make an effort to delay eating until after the Eid salah and eat from the udhiyah if you offered a sacrifice.
5- Men should go out wearing their finest clothes, perfume etc.When going out or in the presence of non-mahram men, women should avoid perfume. Women can wear their fine clothes so long as it is concealed by a full and complete, unadorned Hijab. When in female only environments, or among their mahram relatives, women may adorn themselves appropriately. My dear readers, let us remind ourselves that obedience to Allah takes precedence over all else.
6- Pray the Eid prayer in congregation
7- Congratulate one another! Taqabbal Allahu minnaa wa minkum (May Allah accept (the fast and worship) from us and from you)
8- Go out to pray one route, and return by another. Check out the links above for more!
IMPORTANT- EID PRAYER ANNOUNCEMENT 10 DHUL HIJJAH 1636/ THURSDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2015:
EID PRAYER TO BE HELD AT GRAYS MOSQUE- 9 AM, IN SHA ALLAH, MEN AND WOMEN INVITED, SEPARATE FACILITIES IN SHA ALLAH.
We are pleased to announce that Eid prayer jama’ah (congregation) will be held locally.
Provided that the weather is favourable, men and women facilities will be available, organised by Grays Mosque, Time: 9am
DIRECTIONS: Grays Mosque (Thurrock Islamic Education & Cultural Association), Park Way Centre, Park Road, Thurrock, Grays, Essex, RM17 6RB (minutes walk away from Morrisons shopping centre and Grays train/bus station.) Tel: 01375 376 823
If weather is not too favourable,then men only jama’ah at Grays Mosque at 830am,930am, 1030am.
Alternatively, men and women facilities at Thurrock Park Inn hotel, by Radisson, High Road, North Stifford, Grays, RM16 5UE, 845am, (Blenheim Suite)
Jazakallah everyone who helped organise, and those who informed us, May Allah elevate you and your families.
Pray for us and share for the sake of Allah!
May Allah forgive us, for He is the Perpetual Forgiver and may Allah guide us to unite upon belief in His Oneness. Allahumma salli wasallim alaa nabiyinaa muhammad salllallahu alayhi wasallam. ameen
Thurrock Muslims
Bismillah!
IMPORTANT NOTES:
‘It is Sunnah to recite takbeer at any time during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah and all the days of Tashreeq, starting from the beginning of the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah (i.e., from sunset on the last day of Dhu’l-Qa’dah) until the end of the days of al-Tashreeq, which is when the sun sets on the thirteenth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah).
With regard to at certain times, it starts from Fajr on the day of ‘Arafah and lasts until the sun sets on the last day of the days of Tashreeq, in addition to the takbeer that may be recited at any time. So when a person says the tasleem at the end of the obligatory prayer, he should pray for forgiveness (by saying Astaghfir-Allaah) three times, and say, “Allaahumma anta al-salaam wa minka al-salaam, tabaarakta yaa dhaa’l-jalaali wa’l-ikraam (“O Allaah, You are al-Salaam [the One Who is free from all defects and deficiencies), and from You is all peace, blessed are You, O possessor of majesty and honour)”, then start the takbeer.
{Takbeer: Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, wa lillaahi’l-hamd(Allaah is Most Great, Allaah is Most Great, there is no god but Allaah, Allaah is Most Great, Allaah is Most Great, and to Allaah be praise). }
This is for those who are not on Hajj. The pilgrims should start the takbeer recited after prayer from Zuhr on the Day of Sacrifice (the 10th of Dhu’l-Hijjah).
And Allaah knows best.
See Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), 13/17; al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him), 5/220-224.’ [see http://islamqa.info/en/36627]
Keep us in your prayers!
Alhamdulillah. May Allah have mercy on us all and forgive us,guide us and grant us jannat-al-firdaus, wasallallahu ala nabiyinaa Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam! ameen.
Thurrock Muslims
Thurrock Muslim Community 
