Who doesn’t have a smartphone/tablet/laptop/electronic gadget of some sort today?
In fact, many of us probably have one of these, or one of each, or even more than one of each…
Yes, so Alhamdulillah, we’re blessed with these fabulous gadgets that we use for hours on end.
We have all the time to use our digital darlings, but we’re deeply deprived.
Why?
Because which of us doesn’t have a Qur’an application on our devices, or a means to access it via WiFi or internet, but we chose to avoid it.
We have the time to make consecutive phone calls and messages. Minutes turn to hours. Granted, we’re busy- but we’ve got five, ten, fifteen minutes to spare to update our social media accounts, to browse the web, to take selfies…
When will we decide to read a verse or two of the Qur’an? It’s not that we don’t have time for it, it’s that we won’t make time for it…
Don’t we know what we’re missing out on? Our hearts are heavy, our minds are overwhelmed, our problems are many, yet we have the solutions, in the Qur’an. If only we would read.
The Qur’an is a healing, guidance and a mercy for the believers. Please read a few lines from Surah Ar-Rahman.
And observe the weight with equity and do not make the balance deficient.
10
وَالْأَرْضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلْأَنَامِ
And the earth: He has put down (laid) for the creatures.
11
فِيهَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَالنَّخْلُ ذَاتُ الْأَكْمَامِ
Therein are fruits and date-palms producing sheathed fruit-stalks (enclosing dates).
12
وَالْحَبُّ ذُو الْعَصْفِ وَالرَّيْحَانُ
And also corn, with (its) leaves and stalk for fodder, and sweet-scented plants.
13
فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny?
Allah grant us the tawfiq to read, ponder and act on His noble Book. May Allah save us from the devil’s plots. Allahumma salli alaa Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Ameen
Alhamdulillah for the blessed opportunity to meet the month of mercy once again, and Allah is the Most Generous.
May Allah grant us sincerity, tawheed, taqwa, dhikr, forgiveness, guidance, healing, purity, mercy, great characters, abundance provision, jannat al firdaus, and the best in this world and the next. May Allah grant us the opportunity to seize laylatul qadr in His obedience, with sincerity. May we become closer to the Qur’an and sunnah practices this month and beyond. Allahumma salli wasallim alaa nabiyina Muhammad! amin
Dear brothers and sisters, with Ramadan just round the corner, lets brush up our knowledge on the dos and donts of fasting, for the sake of Allah.
Here follows the fiqh of fasting regarding the nullifiers. May Allah help us to do that which He loves and is pleased with. May Allah help us to worship Him alone always and may He make us experience many Ramadans to come. ameen.
(Please do see the previous post for a summary on matters related to fasting, the wisdom behind it and much more, in sha Allah!)
DISCLAIMER: This is for educational purposes and serves as an introduction to the issues pertaining to fasting. Parents/guardians are advised to supervise the following read as some issues which pertain to married adults have been mentioned. Please consult a knowledgeable Islamic scholar for details, particularly for questions and advice related to individual circumstances. We are not scholars and thus cannot issue fatwa, however we endeavour to relate to you the words of the scholars who have studied the authentic teachings of Islam from the Qur’an and the Sunnah of prophet Muhammad upon him be peace. And ultimately, Allah knows best.
What breaks the fast? Can I have a blood test? How about other medical procedures? Am I allowed to apply moisturizers that penetrate the skin? What about eye drops or nasal spray or asthma puffer?
Imam Ibn Qudamah says in al Umdah: (Arabic omitted)
Things that Invalidate Fasting
[The Invalidators of Fasting] Whoever:- eats or drinks (1) or takes anything into his stomach through his nostrils (2)- or through any other route (3)- or intentionally vomit (4)– or masturbates (5)– or kissed or touched [the opposite sex] and subsequently ejaculated semen or had madh-ey (pre ejaculation) (6)– or had hijamah (cupping with bloodletting) (7)-or did it to someone else intentionally and while remembering [that he is fasting] his fast is nullified.
End words of Imam Ibn Qudamah——-NOTES
1) Both these and sexual intercourse break one’s fast by consensus, for Allah the Almighty says: “…so now be in contact with them [your wives] and seek what Allah has ordained for you, and eat and drink until the whiteness of the day becomes distinct from the blackness of the night at dawn, then complete the fast till night…” (al-Baqarah 2:187)Eating (by mouth) non-food items invalidates fasting by consensus.
2) Due to the statement of the Prophet sala Allahu alihi wasSalaam “Sniff water far into your nostrils unless you are fasting.” abu Dawud Authentic
3) Medical Care and Fasting (Taken from Judgements of Senior Scholars at the Fiqh Assembly of the OIC Organisation of Islamic Conference):
-Injections (with the exception of nutritious ones), many contemporary scholars believe they do not invalidate the fast. That is the position of the Fiqh Assembly of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference).
-Nutritious injections: controversial, but the vast majority considers them to invalidate the fast. That is the position of the Fiqh Assembly.
– Enemas, many contemporary scholars allow them while fasting, because even though they reach the hollow interior of the body (al-Jawf), they do so from a route that is not natural for food or drink; it is not even close to this natural route.- Vaginal suppositories do not break the fast according to (Malikis & Hanbalis) and modern medicine supports that position because there is no connection between the vagina and the stomach. The same applies to the male and female urethra. That is the position of the Fiqh Assembly of the OIC.- Sublingual tablets: many allow them because they are completely absorbed by the mucous membranes of the mouth and do not reach the hollow interior of the body (al-Jawf).
The Fiqh Assembly of the OIC maintains that as long as the patient avoids swallowing it, there should be no harm.- Inhalers and nasal sprays were regarded by the Permanent Fatwa Committee in Saudi Arabia as non-invalidators of the fast.- Nasal drops: controversial, and the scholars who say it invalidates the fast support their view with the previous hadeeth about istinshaq.
The scholars who argue that they do not break the fast maintain that even if a minute amount made it to the stomach, it would still be negligible. The Fiqh Assembly of the OIC maintains that as long as the patient avoids swallowing it, there should be no harm.- Eye drops and eardrops do not invalidate one’s fasting according to many scholars, particularly eardrops because there is no connection between the external ear and the interior of the body except in the case of perforation of the eardrum, and then what may reach the hollow interior of the body (al-Jawf) would be extremely negligible. That is the position of the Fiqh Assembly of the OIC.- Endoscopes, even if they enter from the mouth, they would not break the fast according to many (including the Fiqh Assembly of the OIC) because, they are not nutritious and according to (Hanafis), they do not remain in the abdomen.
The majority of the earlier scholars would consider them invalidators because they enter the hollow interior of the body (al-Jawf). But that seems to not be the correct position.- Skin preparations that are absorbed into the body do not invalidate the fast according to the Fiqh Assembly of the OIC and the vast majority of contemporary scholars and that was the opinion of Imam Ibn Taymiyah.
4) The Prophet sala Allahu alihi wasSalaam said: “He who is overwhelmed by vomiting does not have to make up, but he who intentionally vomits must make up.” (Tirmithi, and authenticated by Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn Hibban and others)The one who intentionally vomits is the one who brings it on, not the one who vomits because he feels very nauseous.
5)That is the position of the four schools of Fiqh, for in the Divine hadeeth, Allah the Almighty in the hadith QUDSI says about the fasting person:“…he gives up his (sexual) desire, food and drink for Me…”(Agreed upon)And the one who masturbates does not give up his sexual desire.
6) Kissing one’s spouse while fasting with subsequent discharge
The position here above is the agreement of the four schools of Fiqh in the case of the ejaculation of semen, but it is controversial in the case of madhey (pre ejaculation). Many (Shafi’ee scholars and minority of hanbali) argue that it would not break the fast since the Prophet sala Allahu alihi wasSalaam allowed touching and kissing and that is not infrequently associated with madhey.
7) Bloodletting, Blood donation, and Blood tests
That is the correct position of the Hanbali school of thought. The majority (Shafiee,Malik, Abu Hanifa) does not consider hijamah to break one’s fast. The disagreement is because the Prophet sala Allahu alihi wasSalaam said: “Both the one doing bloodletting and the one having it done to him break their fast.” (abi Dawud; Authentic)Yet, many of the sahabah considered this to be abrogated and allowed bloodletting while fasting, and they include Anas Ibn Malik who indicated that it was initially forbidden out of fear that they may become weak.
(Bukhari reports that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:”The Prophet had hijamah done to him while he was between Makkah and al-Madeenah while he was fasting and in the state of Ihram.”
Blood donation and tests therefore are acceptable, if they weaken you they are Makrooh but the fast is valid and not broken.
And Allah knows best.
May Allah, Al-Ghaffaar (The Perpetual Forgiver) forgive all our sins, and may He erase them completely, for He is Al-‘Afuww, Ar-Raheem, (The Oft-Pardoning, The Most Merciful). Ameen
Welcome dear curious reader. 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!
Islam is one of the world’s major religions, followed by approximately 1.7 billion people and growing. About 1 in 5 people in the world follow Islam.
Islam, like other Abrahamic Faiths, teaches the belief in One God. However, Islam is 100% monotheistic, that is, we believe God is The One, The Eternal, The Creator, who doesn’t have any partners or family or children, and God alone deserves to be worshipped. We also believe that God (Allah) sent many prophets and messengers and revealed books to guide us. We also believe in Adam, Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (upon them be peace). Muhammad (upon him be peace) is the final Messenger of Allah, and the Qur’an (Koran) is the final revealed book of Guidance for all mankind.
All the prophets of Allah called to the same message: to worship The One True God (Allah) only, with sincerity and without making any partners, idols or rivals.
Islam means to submit your will to God (Allah), with sincerity, and in peace. Followers of Islam are called Muslims. Islam is a complete way of life. It influences everything including: worship, food, dress-code, relationships, interactions, business, health, money, law and order, life and death.
Muslims believe in an afterlife, that is, there will be a judgement, heaven and hell. We believe that our ancient enemy, Satan, is constantly plotting our downfall and encouraging disobedience to God. We can fight the Satan away by remembering Allah frequently. As humans, we make mistakes, so we always ask Allah to forgive us. We acknowledge we aren’t perfect, but have to try our best to do good and keep away from sins.
We believe our purpose in life is to worship Allah alone, following the example of the prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace).
The prophet Muhammad peace be upon him stressed the importance of excellent moral conduct and principles. Some of these key values are sincerity, patience, strength, dedication, cooperation in good, consideration, removal of evil, educating oneself and others, upholding the family, and establishing justice with EVERYONE, whoever they may be.
Here are some more details:
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.
Who doesn’t have a smartphone/tablet/laptop/electronic gadget of some sort today?
In fact, many of us probably have one of these, or one of each, or even more than one of each…
Yes, so Alhamdulillah, we’re blessed with these fabulous gadgets that we use for hours on end.
We have all the time to use our digital darlings, but we’re deeply deprived.
Why?
Because which of us doesn’t have a Qur’an application on our devices, or a means to access it via WiFi or internet, but we chose to avoid it.
We have the time to make consecutive phone calls and messages. Minutes turn to hours. Granted, we’re busy- but we’ve got five, ten, fifteen minutes to spare to update our social media accounts, to browse the web, to take selfies…
When will we decide to read a verse or two of the Qur’an? It’s not that we don’t have time for it, it’s that we won’t make time for it…
Don’t we know what we’re missing out on? Our hearts are heavy, our minds are overwhelmed, our problems are many, yet we have the solutions, in the Qur’an. If only we would read.
The Qur’an is a healing, guidance and a mercy for the believers. Please read a few lines from Surah Ar-Rahman.
And observe the weight with equity and do not make the balance deficient.
10
وَالْأَرْضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلْأَنَامِ
And the earth: He has put down (laid) for the creatures.
11
فِيهَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَالنَّخْلُ ذَاتُ الْأَكْمَامِ
Therein are fruits and date-palms producing sheathed fruit-stalks (enclosing dates).
12
وَالْحَبُّ ذُو الْعَصْفِ وَالرَّيْحَانُ
And also corn, with (its) leaves and stalk for fodder, and sweet-scented plants.
13
فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny?
Allah grant us the tawfiq to read, ponder and act on His noble Book. May Allah save us from the devil’s plots. Allahumma salli alaa Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Ameen
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]
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.
( 56 ) And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.
( 57 ) I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me.
( 58 ) Indeed, it is Allah who is the [continual] Provider, the firm possessor of strength.
( 59 ) And indeed, for those who have wronged is a portion [of punishment] like the portion of their predecessors, so let them not impatiently urge Me.
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 : )
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:
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!
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
One month and a few days post Ramadan, and we hope we have still been keen to increase our good deeds seeking Allah’s pleasure. We are now in the sacred month Dhul Qa’dah, check out the post on sacred months!
And guess what, good news walhamdulillah.
Our first Ramadan Muslim community event held in the last week of Ramadan 1436, on Saturday 11th July 2015, was a S U C C E S S ! walhamdulillah!
That sunny afternoon in Ramadan, it was the place to be. The atmosphere at Belmont Hall was quite special : )
It was tranquil and cosy in our gathering where Allah, Our Creator, Our Rabb, was remembered and exalted.
We had a good turnout and most of the programmes activities went as planned, not to mention the amazing lectures and iman-boosting reminders and top tips on making the most out of the last few days of Ramadan. ( : / We apologise for not being able to do all the planned activities on the day, we ran out of time due to late start as guest arrival was delayed and we had to clear up the hall before 6pm, we hope you’ll forgive us for the sake of Allah!)
Our first respected teacher who graduated from the Islamic University of Madinah, reminded us of the importance of making dua and its etiquettes. He also explained briefly the meaning of surah Al-Asr, which is such a short yet powerfully concise surah, that it is deserving of us that we learn it and strive to act upon it.
Our second respected lecturer, reminded us of the purpose of life, and the main aims of Ramadan, He gave us some practical examples of maintaining Taqwa, which is what we aim to achieve everyday, in Ramadan and beyond.
Our journey is to Allah, so let us run back to Him! Bismillah! Belmont hall entrance Packing the iftar goodies in the kitchen!
Alhamdulillah it was Allah who enabled us to gather to remember Him in a tiny hall in Grays, where the local muslims were able to get together and unite for His sake, and experience a Ramadan Revival.
Walhamdulillah Allah helped us through, the easy times and the hard times, and He deserves all praise no matter what, as He is the Most wise.
Cupcakes, puff-puff, pasties, dates, crisps and drinks where generously donated by our lovely organisers and volunteers.
A big jazakallah khair to every single one of the special amazing volunteers and our families, those whose names will be mentioned and those who wish to remain anonymous or have not been mentioned by name. Forgive me if I omitted anything, even if i haven’t mentioned it here, may Allah accept all your and our efforts and as long as Allah appreciates it, then that is sufficient walhamdulillah!
Jazakallah khair to ukhty Azeezah for pitching the idea and intention and communicating with co-leader and other volunteer sisters, and for leading the project, running around calling up people to attend. Also jazakAllah to her colleague for helping get our tafsir speaker last minute due to sudden unavailability of our previously scheduled speaker! JazakAllah khair to our lecturers and Sheikh’s, their presence was greatly appreciated.
Jazakallah khair to sister Shakirah for booking the hall and sorting out the catering and running around on the day, and for being so enthusiastic, and being a good example of time management.
Jazakallah khair to our sister who made the awesome posters and helping distribute them and the feedback forms and advertising the blog and helping out on the day throughout.
JazakAllah to the sister who kept the kids busy, and jazakAllah to her husband who hosted the speakers and the event.
And JazakAllah to everyone who helped on the day, and of course a big JazakAllah khair to all of our special attendees and their families, we appreciate your cooperation and hope you will collaborate with us to launch future amazing projects for the sake of Allah, to reunite the Muslim ummah in our town and beyond! JazakAllah those who helped market the event and our menfolk who patiently and tirelessly went to the mosque and dished out posters and informed the imam of the event and got his support and approval. Jazakallah to the sheikhs & lecturers who attended despite their busy Ramadan schedules, and for helping us to unite the local ummah and benefitting us with their erudition, Jazakallah for our families patience in allowing us to pursue this for the sake of Allah. And may Allah make us sincere and help us to remember Him always upon the Qur’an and Sunnah. Wasallallahu alaa nabiyinaa muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Ameen
So we’re halfway through Shawwal 1436, it’s been two weeks post Ramadan. How are you feeling iman-wise?
Perhaps we’ve slacked a little on our Qur’an recitation regime…
Perhaps we’re not praying much optional prayers…
Perhaps we’ve fallen into the same bad habits pre-Ramadan…
Feeling regretful? That’s the first step to change. Let us acknowledge our faults, and seek Allah’s forgiveness. Let us resolve to change for the better.
WE STILL HAVE A CHANCE!
Let’s revive the Ramadan atmosphere by increasing our ibadah, by quality and quantity in sha Allah!
We have around 15 days left to make a positive difference!
Top Tips to revive our iman (faith, in statement and action) after Ramadan
Let us make more istighfar, seek Allah’s forgiveness, saying Astaghfirullah, SubhanAllahi wabihamdi, Astaghfirullaha wa atoobo ilayhi, and this amazing dua called sayyid al istighfar you MUST learn (click here!)
Strive to pray the five prayers on time
Strive to spend in charity
Do good and remind others to do good and keep away from and forbid evil, trying hard to practice what we preach.
Read more Qur’an at least a page or so a day, try to read some tafsir or translation too.
Have good character/perfecting it
Make someone smile : )
More remembrance of Allah, subhanaAllah, walhamdulillah, wallahuakbar, wa la ilaha ilallah! Because it’s all about Allah Who is Al-Wahid, alone!
Do sunnah acts, optional prayers
Fast 6 days of Shawwal! Here’s an awesome opportunity…
Abu Ayyub (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “He who observes As-Saum (the fasts) in the month of Ramadan, and also observes As-Saum for six days in the month of Shawwal, it is as if he has observed As-Saum for the whole year.”
[Muslim].
Subhanallah, WOW! : o
Narrated Abu Ayyub:
The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone fasts during Ramadan, then follows it with six days in Shawwal, it will be like a perpetual fast.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 2433, sahih Al-Albani
ALLAHUAKBAR!
Don’t forget to make up what you owe of this Ramadan first (if any obligatory ones are outstanding e.g. ladies during their days off -menses etc.). We must complete Ramadan before following it with the Shawwal fasts, in sha Allah, as the Imam of Masjid an Nabawi reminded us in the Friday Sermon last week.
What an amazing sunnah, let’s try to fulfil this in sha Allah and tell others too, for the sake of Allah. Alhamdulillah. May Allah grant us the ability to serve Him according to Qur’an and Sunnah,with sincerity and sound intentions. wasallallahu ala nabiyinaa Muhammad. ameen ya Rab al alameen!
By the way this is a reminder to me before it is to you, so do comment below on anything you may want to add! May Allah forgive us for any errors! ameen
Perhaps we’ve slacked a little on our Qur’an recitation regime…
Thurrock Muslim Community 
