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.
The day began with Fajr salah. After breakfast, getting ready and packing our bags, we all met at Taleem Masjid before 8am. It was foggy.
After signing the register and getting our lunch packs, we boarded the coach, made duas and drove off. There was no going back…we hit the fast road. On the coach, some of us had a chat. Some of us fell asleep. And some of us were low-key panicking. The journey was smooth and we got there impressively soon, an hour and half or so.
Anxiety and Arrival
As soon as we arrived, the nerves died down and we were excited and ready for the mission. Our driver left us and we walked on. First stop was the cafe. Teas, coffees, toilets… you know the drill. Then we all stood in a uneven circle on the grass and introduced ourselves to each other. We barely remembered each other’s names, so we were assigned numbers instead. We slowly walked over to the viewpoint. At that moment, the selfie queens made themselves known. After the mandatory group photo, we began our hike. Bismillah.
Walk the Talk
We walked and talked, made dua and dhikr, stopped to take pictures, pick flowers and bluebells. It was actually not that bad…save our heavy backpacks. We forgot about the weight and distance as we busied ourselves enjoying good company. Eventually we made it to the big green hill, where we stopped for lunch. Legend has it, the brothers stopped at the exact same place for lunch on their hike a few years back.
After The Picnic
Thirty minutes later, we continued a long steep walk downhill. We stopped to capture the natural beauty in the woods, ginormous trees hundreds of years old. We were fascinated by the rows of bluebells. We watched the bumble bees who came to pollinate the colourful flowers. No doubt, Allah created these all for a purpose, so that we would know that He is The One and only who deserves to be worshipped. He is our Provider, Protector, Sustainer, The Eternal, Most-High, our Lord, The Most Merciful.
Reflection and Lessons
As we weaved between trees, treading through the leafy woods, we reflected on the life of Rasoolullah Muhammad peace be upon him. Recalling the battle of Badr in Ramadan 2AH, in the heat of the day, while fasting, the believers rushed to fulfill Allah’s command. The Muslims were an army of 300 or so, ill-equipped in weapons and cavalry. In contrast, the oppressive pagan Quraish army, topped more than 4x the Muslim army, well-equipped with a hundred horsemen and plentiful armed soldiers. Despite the military disadvantage, with firm faith in Allah the Muslims marched forward bravely, seeking to establish justice. Allah, Our Almighty Creator, supported the Muslims by sending thousands of angels who fought alongside them until they achieved success and victory.
Mission Successful
In the next hour, we marched on, past the lake and finally found ourselves on the level green plains. We laid our mats down and prayed Zuhr. We were soaked in sweat, but satisfied. Alhamdulillah we made it. It was time for a break. The main hike was complete.
After the 4 mile hike, some of us seemed to have lost our marbles…and decided to hike another 2 miles down the steep stairs. We even jumped over the stepping stones in our abayas and dresses, trying hard not to fall into the water. And no, there weren’t any crocodiles, except the angry lady who got annoyed waiting for our large group to pass by.
When we eventually made our way back up the gruelling steep incline, we got ice-cream and water. The clock hit 4pm, and our driver came back to take us home. After boarding the coach, we made duas and tried our best to stay awake for the party. We got to the masjid in ample time, bid the driver farewell and made our way to the top floor for the ceremonial dinner after Asr prayer.
There was chicken biryani, spicy egg curry and tomato salsa salad. It was finally time to go home for a good bath and a long rest. Alhamdulillah.
Thanks to Taleem Masjid, brother Fraz, all the organisers and volunteers behind it, our lovely hikers, our families, our donors, the coach driver, the kind sister who cooked us a meal and of course, everyone who supported the cause!
The sacred month of Dhul Qi’dah is due and we would like to remind ourselves about the importance of the four sacred months in Islam. Dhul Qi’dah is the 11th month of the Islamic calendar. The sacred months are Rajab, Dhul Qid’ah, Dhul Hijjah and Muharram, the 7th, 11th, 12th and 1st month of the Islamic Hijri calander respectively. (see Surah Tawbah, Qur’an chapter 9 verse 36). We should also prepare for the Hajj season, and endeavour to perform our obligatory Hajj for the sake of Allah, as soon as we have the means/ability.
(We should be extra careful not to sin, all the time, but particularly in the sacred months, and avoid aggression)
May Allah forgive us, be merciful to us and guide us, for He is the Most Gracious the Most Merciful, The Ever-Relenting. May Allah guide and forgive us and enable us to witness and observe many Hajj and Umrah in His obedience, with sincerity and strength and excellence. May Allah unite us in jannat al firdaus. Allah bless His final messenger Muhammad ibn Abdillah in abundance. Amin
TALEEM MASJID held a KIDS EID PARTY to inspire, connect and educate the local Muslim children during spring break. It was a morning of games, fun, quizzes, food, snacks and sports.
The event highlight included Qur’an recitation by some young students of Taleem Masjid Madrasa
Check out the gallery!
Quiz winners: TEAM B Ahmed, Abdul, Fahima, Nafiah, Amir, Zaid. Well done!
Team A runner up, thanks for playing!
Thanks for turning up and may Allah allow it to benefit us.
TALEEM MASJID held a women’s gathering, to inspire, connect and educate the local Muslim women. It was a night of socials, chill, pizza, biryani, cakes, tea, laughter, quizzes, and of course naseeha, dua, dhikr, salah in jamat and lots of smiles!
Check out the gallery!
Quiz winners: Zainab, Nafiah, Jidatu Nafi, auntie Maryam. Well done!
Thanks for turning up and may Allah allow it to benefit us.
In short, Easter is a Christian festival with remnants of Pagan traditions. Christians celebrate the alleged crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, this is the essence of Easter. The holiday has become rather commercial, with increase in sales of confectionary, chocolate and popular toys. (1)
Christians believe in the Trinity (father,son, holy spirit), which essentially means that they direct their worship to God, Jesus and the Holy spirit. So today, Christianity has polytheistic dimensions and is not a faith of complete monotheism.
Easter and Islam
Islam is absolutely Monotheistic. Muslims worship One God alone (Allah), without rivals. The Islamic narrative about prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is simple. Jesus is not the son of God (as mentioned above, Christianity purports him to be). Muslims believe that God (Allah) is The Supreme Creator of all, The Self-Sufficient Master, He does not have children or a wife, and He does not need these things. It makes perfect sense, we are servants of The One Supreme Master- Allah. We go to Allah for all our needs, we don’t need any intermediaries! We need Allah, but Allah does not need us. That is the truth. And the truth makes sense.
We believe Jesus (‘Eesa) (peace be upon him) was a mighty prophet of God (Allah), born from the virgin Mary, who was pure and chaste. God does not need children. It’s the creation, humans and animals who need children. If God can create Adam without a father and mother, Eve without a mother, than surely it is easy for God to create Jesus without a father. Jesus’ story is mentioned in detail in Chapter 19 of the Qur’an, called ‘Maryam’.
If you remember the Christmas post a few months back and a few other blogs on Islam Explained, you’ll remember that as Muslims, we MUST believe in Jesus in order for our faith to be complete. Jesus never claimed divinity. Rather, Jesus peace be upon him was a messenger and prophet of Allah.
Jesus was not crucified, rather Allah (The One True God) took Jesus up to Him, while he was still alive, and another man was made to resemble Jesus and that man was killed. Jesus will return to earth, under Allah’s command, during the end times to fight the Anti-Christ (The Dajjal).(2)
Conclusion- Why Muslims don’t celebrate Easter
The Islamic narrative on monotheism and beliefs about Jesus are so markedly different to the Christian narrative. Thus, it’s no surprise Muslims do not commemorate a Crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, as these didn’t happen in the first place!
Incidentally, there are various members of society and other faiths who do not partake in such festivals either, each with their own reasoning.
Be wise and kind, there’s no need to offend or be offended. Let your peers know gently and respectfully, it’s not the diet that makes you turn down their chocolate treats, it’s your freedom of personal choice and more importantly, your religious belief which you must hold onto with integrity, because a Muslim must be truthful, first and foremost to Allah. Being truthful in word and deed is important in Islam.
Islamic monotheism is our focus, we worship Allah alone.
Just as we cannot force others to believe, we cannot be forced to disbelieve.
The truth is apparent, falsehood is apparent. May Allah guide us all to the truth. Amin.
EID PRAYER GRAYS THURROCK UPDATE: Eid-ul-Fitr 1446 Sunday 30th March 2025- TALEEM MOSQUE , GRAYS MOSQUE, Thurrock, Tilbury, C100, Basildon, Stanford Le Hope, Purfleet, MEN and WOMEN invited & Children-
Asalamu alaykum.
By His Mercy, Allah (The Most Generous Al-Kareem) has gifted us with the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr following a month of fasting in obedience to His command, Exalted and Majestic is He. Subhanallah
It is with great joy that we announce that the first day of Shawwal will be 30 March 2025 which in sha Allah will console us for the departure of Ramadan- The Month of Mercy.
May Allah accept (good deeds) from us and from you. ameen
Taqabbal Allahu minnaa wa minkum
ANNOUNCEMENT- LOCAL EID PRAYER ARRANGEMENTS BELOW**
EID PRAYER AT TALEEM MASJID, THURROCK, GRAYS TOWN CENTRE, 21 CLARENCE ROAD RM17 6QA- MEN, WOMEN, KIDS WELCOME
Arrival at 630am , 730AM & 830am & 930am & 1030am – 5 jamat. MEN AND WOMEN AND KIDS
*Eid Prayers Times at Taleem Mosque*
Eid Ul-Fitr will be tomorrow Sunday 30 March 2025.
Let us work hard to maintain TAQWA of Allah and try our hardest not to undo all the good we done in Ramadan! Remember Ramadan is training for the year round, so we remind ourselves to keep onto the good habits of fasting and prayers including night prayer. Allah grant us tawfiq and jannat al firdaus! May Allah bless our beloved Rasool Muhammad peace be upon him, amin!
Some top tips (see above links for references from Qur’an and sunnah):
1- Make sure you’ve paid zakat-ul-fitr, before the Eid salat.
2- Keep pronouncing the takbeer (starts on night of Eid until the imam emerges to lead the Eid prayer.) The Takbeer is:
(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- Ensure you have eaten something before the prayer of Eid-ul-Fitr. Try eating an odd number of dates, as the prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam did.
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. We have just fasted Ramadan to gain Taqwa, let us keep working on it for Allah alone!
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!
May Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa grant us mercy from Him in this world and the next, may He accept our good deeds, expiate our sins and make us adhere to the Qur’an and sunnah of the beloved messenger Muhammad peace be upon him. May Allah unite us in jannat al firdaus. May Allah abundantly bless His final prophet Muhammad upon him be peace. ameen!
Remember us in your duas too in sha Allah!
MAY ALLAH HELP US REMEMBER HIM ALWAYS AND REMIND EACH OTHER, ALLAHUMMA SALLI ALAA MUHAMMAD! AMIN
Thurrock Muslim Community 