Reciting Takbeer: Let us not forget to make the Takbeer following the obligatory prayers, starting after Fajr on Arafat day, till when the sun sets on the 13th of Dhul Hijjah. (see below for details).
‘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]
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.
In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious The Most Merciful.
‘And We have sent you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): not but as a mercy for the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists).'[Qur’an 21: 107]
The final messenger of Allah, Muhammad ibn Abdillah, peace be upon him, the best man who ever lived and walked on the face of this earth. With no comparison, he is known as the most successful man in history and beyond, the best leader, the best warrior, the best businessman, the best husband, the best father, the best companion, the trustworthy, the dignified, the chaste, the modest, the courageous, the morally upright, the epitome of exemplary character…The prophet of Allah, Muhammad, upon him be peace.
Allah says in the Qur’an, (English interpretation) :
‘And Verily, you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) are on an exalted (standard of) character.’ (Qur’an, 68:4)
Muhammad, peace be upon him, had great concern for his nation- he was swift to help those in need, he was gentle and mild tempered, patient and forbearing.
He was ready… ready to listen to the unheard, ready to defend the weak and oppressed, ready to advise sincerely those seeking advice… ready to convey the truth.
He strove through periods of great difficulty to convey the lofty message- a message conveyed by all prophets and messengers, upon them be peace- a message which resonates with the natural disposition of mankind, the message ‘laa ilaha ilallah ‘ – There is no true god worthy of worship except Allah alone.
The final messenger of Allah, Muhammad peace be upon him, did not fail in his task in the least bit. He succeeded. Far and wide, the mesage is known, and the message is followed.
I bear witness that there is no true god worthy of worship except Allah who is alone without partners or associates, and I bear witness that Muhammad peace be upon him is the servant and messenger of Allah.
His teachings, actions, descriptions, sayings and instructions are revered and adhered to, cherished and conveyed. Muhammad peace be upon him taught us to have high moral character and good manners with The Creator (Allah) and the creation. He taught us how to conduct ourselves in the best and most decent manner. He, upon him be peace, said (English interpretation): I have only been sent (by Allah) to complete the good manners [Al-Hakim].
He was a mercy for mankind. He peace be upon him taught us (English interpretation): The merciful ones are granted mercy by the Most Merciful . Show mercy to those who are on earth, and the One above the heavens will show mercy to you. [Ahmad]
Muhammad peace be upon him conveyed the message which would lead to our peace and salvation in this world and for the life to come. Our purpose in life is clear, to worship exclusively The Supreme Self-Sufficient Creator, Allah, and this is the only way to attain peace and eternal bliss.
Only the fair-minded will emancipate themselves from bigotry and ignorance. Those who mock this mighty messenger, are full of hate today, but tomorrow, will be full of regret. This occurred at the time of the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, he had enemies, mockers and haters. They intended by their vicious, slanderous profanity and abuse to dissuade the messenger from conveying the message, whilst they knew that all they attributed to him were but fabrications. In the end, these haters failed. They were surely humilated, and what’s to come in the hereafter of humiliation is an unimaginable and inevitable reality. Haters will be haters, but they’ll also be losers. Their true colours have shown, they are what they say, uncivlised, bigoted, hateful, anarchist, slanderous, wretched… deluded…and confused. Drawing from the wisdom exhibited by the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him throughout his lifetime, we learn that we must deal with all people justly. These people, i.e. the mockers, need help and guidance. Let’s keep unsolicited violence out of the equation. Pity is little we can offer them, but education is far more powerful. May Allah guide us all, ameen.
Isn’t it time we educated ourselves about this remarkable man whose call to Islamic monotheism has been received and accepted by discerning people from all walks of life? Isn’t it time we searched for the real, unadultered truth? Isn’t it about time we learnt who he was, what he stood for, and Whom he called to…
Oh Allah may Your peace and blessings be upon Your final prophet muhammad peace be upon him in great abundance, upon his family and companions and those who follow them in righteousness! Ameen! May Allah make us of Muhammad’s followers, peace be upon him, for indeed Allah commanded us to obey and follow the messenger, and this is the only way to true success.
“Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad [sal-Allâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam]) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day, and remembers Allâh much.” {Al Ahzaab: 21}
Want resources? Start to read the book entitled ‘The Sealed Nectar’ (Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum), a biography of the Final messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, by Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri.
Embark on this journey to discover #WhoIsMuhammad (peace be upon him), with the following series:
May Allah forgive us, for He is the Oft-Forgiving, The Most Merciful. And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. ameen
In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious The Most Merciful.
Peace people!
Guess what, it’s December again and we’re fast approaching the holiday period.
So we’re all dazzled by the funky lights, surrounded by lofty pine trees, bombarded with special offers and advertisements and perhaps even, confronted by some big old man in a red hat and suit… and ho, ho, how has this got anything to do with this post? Well, I’m getting to it : ]
Now since we are in Britain, and it has traditionally been known as a Christian country, Christmas day, i.e. 25 December is considered a national holiday. You can argue all you want that its been commercialised and it’s no longer a religious thing, but my friend, that’s not the point.
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!
Now I’m going to tell you WHY MUSLIMS DON’T CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS, with due respect and no offence intended my friend. : )
In Islam, the MOST IMPORTANT belief is that of Islamic monotheism. That is, we are commanded to submit to and believe in Allah (The One True God), and attribute complete Oneness to Allah as He deserves in His Lordship, Names and Attributes and right to be worshipped alone.
Consequently, as a Muslim, i.e. one who submits to Allah (The One True God), we believe that we must abandon and turn 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 upcoming 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.
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, He is Allah.
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]
In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
Peace be upon you respected readers!
So, you’ve been watching the news, and hearing things, and seeing things, and subsequently believing things.
And sure enough, Islam and Muslims are, once again, under the spotlight.
Now, irrespective of who you are, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you will approach this objectively, with an open mind, and a willingness to genuinely ascertain the truth.
I sympathise with you, that in this day and age, we are constantly being told, this, that and the other, and the result is, we don’t know who to believe. We’re confused, frustrated, perhaps even angry and resentful.
As a Muslim, I want you to know that Islam is not what many sections of the media and certain individuals are portraying it be to the masses. Islam is NOT about unjustly killing people!
If you believe that it does advocate unjust killing and oppression, then I am afraid you have fallen prey to the slander and lies of the ignorant and hate-mongerers.
It’s about time, we stopped being so naive, and believing everything we’re told, by some stranger on TV.
It’s about time, we thought twice before accepting the deductions made by columnists and editors of various newspapers.
It’s about time, we open our eyes, get back our dignity and start to do some research for ourselves, and stop believing everything we’re told without valid proof!
As a Muslim, I believe I have a right to tell you what Islam is really about, since I follow it.
Firstly, I need you to forget everything you’ve been told about Islam, any judgements, stereotypes and preconceptions you may have. Just cast them aside for a moment.
Now, any intelligent person would agree with me, that if you want to know about a matter, you start with its basic principles, the foundations, its building blocks. So let’s go back to square one.
Islam means, submission to the will of the Almighty, Supreme, uncreated Creator of the universe and all within it, Whom you may know as The Lord or God.
A Muslim is one who submits to the Supreme Creator. Muslims worship The One True God, referred to in Arabic as ‘Allah‘.
The most important principle in Islam is to uphold Islamic Monotheism, that is to attribute complete Oneness to Allah as He deserves, in His Lordship, His names and attributes and His right to be worshipped exclusively and alone. Allah has no partners, no rivals, no children, no son. He is Self-Sufficient, The All-Powerful, The Ever-Living, The One Who sustains all that exists, The Lord of all creation. There is no similitude to Allah.
This is the purity of the message of Islam.
Please do not be diverted from it by what you see, hear and read on the TV, or the Radio or the newspapers.
We appreciate your willingness to engage in a positive dialogue, as it’s about time we broke those barriers.
Please do check out the following pages for a better understanding:
In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
All praise be to Allah, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His final messenger Muhammad peace be upon him.
Asalamu alaykum, dear respected readers, we hope you are well!
Today, in sha Allah, we will take a glimpse at the Islamic Creed, or ‘Aqidah studies.
Let’s get started with the topic entitled TAWHID – Islamic Monotheism
Tawhid – Islamic monotheism
In Islam, we are required to uphold Tawhid.
Tawhid is an Arabic verbal noun, coming from the verb wahhada, which means to unify.
However, when we use it in an Islamic sense, we understand that Allah is already One! He is Al-Waahid, Al-Ahad (The One), Al-Witr (The Indivisible).
What is meant by upholding Tawhid, is that we must affirm and maintain our understanding of the complete Oneness of Allah, in His Lordship, His names and attributes, and His right to be worshipped alone.
Following the spread of Islam, the scholars of Islam deduced three categories of analysis regarding Tawhid, in order to combat the deviations people began to develop. The categories are:
1- Tawhid Ar-rububiyyah (Oneness of Allah in His Lordship)
2-Tawhid- asmaa -wa-sifaat (Oneness of Allah in His Names and Attributes)
3-Tawhid- Al-‘ibaadah (Oneness of Allah in His worship)
In sha Allah, we will take a closer look at these.
Stay tuned!
May Allah forgive our errors for He is The Forbearing. ameen
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
Welcome dear curious reader. We’ll be giving you a brief introduction to Islam.
Whether you’re a Muslim or not, it is anticipated that you will learn much from this endeavour.
Sadly, Islam is still largely misunderstood by much of the population.
Thus, we took the initiative to tell you the TRUTH about Islam.
Let’s begin!
1.Allah-The Supreme Creator and Lord of all creation. The One True God worthy of worship. Allah is the Eternal, uncreated Creator. He is One, Self-sufficient, independent from and separate from His creation. Allah does not have any partners or children. There is nothing like Allah. Allah is the All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Hearing, Provider, Cherisher, Sustainer and Originator of the universe. It is essential to affirm the Oneness of Allah in His Lordship, His names and attributes and His exclusive right to be worshipped without partners or associates.
You can find a superb description of Allah in chapter 112 of the Qur’an:
2.Islam– Means submission to the will of the One Supreme Creator of the universe known as ‘Allah’ or The One True God.
3.Muslim- One who submits his/her will to the Will of Allah. The purpose in life is to worship Allah, not because He needs us (remember He is Self-Sufficient, Self-Subsisting) but because we need Him. It is in everyone’s natural disposition to recognise Allah’s Lordship and His right to be worshipped exclusively.
4.Messengers and prophets– Allah did not leave creation without guidance. He sent prophets and messengers, who were human beings, to warn their nations and remind them to worship Allah alone. We believe in Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus among others, peace be upon them all. Incidentally, we believe Jesus was born from the virgin Mary, miraculously without a father. Jesus is not the son of God, because God (Allah) is One, without partners, associates or children. Humans and created beings have children, and God is unlike His creation! Therefore, we respect and believe in Jesus peace be upon him as a messenger of God who never claimed divinity, but rather, he called to the worship of The One True God (Allah) alone without partners.
5. Scriptures and revealed books– Allah sent the messengers with scriptures to guide the people to come back to the worship of One True God alone. We believe in the original scriptures, such as the Torah, Psalms and Gospel (the current day versions have been altered by man over time and are thus no longer in the original form). All the messengers and prophets (peace be upon them all) professed Islamic Monotheism. The previous messengers were sent with revelations for their people at their times. Thereafter, Allah sent a final messenger to guide,remind and warn us.
6. The Final prophet and messenger and final book of revelation– Allah sent the final prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the last messenger after whom no new messenger will be sent to mankind. Allah revealed the final book of revelation,The Qur’an, to the prophet Muhammad, who conveyed this to his people. The Qur’an is the verbatim words of Allah.
The miracle is that the Qur’an has been preserved from change since its revelation over 1400 years ago, as Allah guaranteed to guard it from corruption.
Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’an) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption) .
[Qur’an, 15:9- English interpretation]
The message Muhammad was sent with and the final revealed book (The Qur’an) abrogates all other books and laws before it. Muhammad peace be upon him also called to the Oneness of God and called people to worship Allah alone without partners (Islamic Monotheism), the same message of the previous prophets. The prophet Muhammad came with Islam, and the Qur’an, and this is the message all nations after him are to follow, as commanded by Allah. Indeed, it is through obeying God (Allah) that we hope to attain eternal bliss in the afterlife.
In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
Dear brothers and sisters in Islam and Thurrock residents, welcome to Thurrock Muslims blog!
This is your space- Your place to learn about Islam from the authentic sources of the Islamic deen (religion/way of life). In sha Allah, we will endeavour to inspire you with reminders from the Noble book of Allah,Al-Qur’an, and from the Sunnah (practices and teachings of Allah’s final Messenger and Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.)
With Ramadaan approaching fast, we would like to remind ourselves and you to remember our purpose in life:
Allah The Exalted said in surah Az-zariyaat (English interpretation):
“And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship me (alone).”
[Qur’an, chapter 51 verse 56]
This is our noble purpose in life, to worship Allah alone. Therefore, let us serve the Ever-Living Creator of the universe, Allah. We need to worship Him and He doesn’t need us. Through obeying Allah we can attain happiness, for ultimately, we are preparing for the meeting with Him on the day of Judgement.
Let us strive for Allah’s pleasure, for the everlasting bliss in paradise, in sha Allah.
Moreover, the Final messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said:
“Actions are but by intentions, and each person will have but that which he intended.”
(Bukhari and Muslim)
Therefore dear brothers and sisters, let us strive to keep our intentions purely and sincerely for the sake of Allah alone, seeking reward from Him. Let us also perform the actions according to the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, for Allah commands us to obey him.
So, when we fast- we fast for the sake of Allah, when we pray- we pray for the sake of Allah, when we spend in charity, it is for His sake alone, and in accordance with the Sunnah.
May Allah bless you and us all with a prosperous Ramadaan and may He make us of those who sincerely submit to Him alone, in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah. May Allah abundantly bless His final prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Aameen.
We leave with you a powerful reminder from surah Al-Asr (Chapter 103 of Al-Qur’an):
Thurrock Muslim Community 