We are now in the sacred month of Rajab walhamdulillah and we would like to remind ourselves about the importance of the four sacred months in Islam. Rajah is the 7th month of the Islamic calendar. They are Rajab, Dhul Qad’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). Hear Dr Muhammad Salah clarify things for us:
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 enable us to witness and observe many Ramadans in His obedience, with sincerity and strength. Allah bless His final messenger Muhammad ibn Abdillah in abundance. amin
The clothing should be free of symbols of other religions (such as crosses etc.) and should not contain images of animate beings.
The clothing must not be one of fame and vanity.
It’s worth noting that Muslim men also have to cover their bodies, but to a lesser extent, since males are physically different to women, and the women is adornment! People generally love to admire female beauty, studies and research point to that fact, so its more apt that women cover their bodies to a greater extent.
The intention behind observing Hijab, is an obedience to the command of the Supreme Creator, The One True God, Allah. Muslim men and Muslim women observe the etiquette of Hijab in clothing and conduct, out of faith and God-Consciousness,
Allah says in the Qur’an:
‘Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do. {30}
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed. {31}
[Qur’an, 24:30-31]
And Allah says in the Qur’an:
“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” [Qur’an 33:59]
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!
And did you know, there are many groups and sections of society who do not celebrate Christmas, such as Jewish people, some atheists, and even some Christians (trust me, I googled it…)!
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.
‘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
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In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
This presentation has been prepared for Thurrock Scouts group on behalf of the Thurrock Muslim community. We appreciate this opportunity and thank you for reaching out to us.
We are delighted to present our faith to you and hope this will be an opportunity to foster peace and prosperity in the community.
We’re going to start with a simple summary of our religion, Islam. Then we’ll talk about the relationship between Islam, Muslims and the wider community. And we’ll finish with a summary and an opportunity for you to ask any questions.
So what is Islam? Islam is a major world religion, practiced by an estimated 1.6bn people worldwide. Islam means submission to The One True God worthy of worship, called “Allah” in the Arabic language. Allah is The Creator and Lord of all that exists. A Muslim worships Allah.
Islam is the faith of absolute monotheism, meaning Muslims acknowledge the complete Oneness of God/Allah (see chapter 112 The Qur’an). Muslims believe that Allah (The One True God) is the only One worthy of worship. Allah has no partners, no children, no family and no need for anything, as He is Self-Sufficient.
Allah sent prophets and messengers and books of revelation to guide mankind. We believe in many prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the final prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all). We believe in the original versions of the previous scriptures revealed to the previous generations, such as the Torah, Psalms and Gospel. We believe in and implement the final revelation, The Qur’an.
Muslims believe the purpose in life is toworship Allah alone, by following the Qur’an (the final revealed book from Allah to mankind) and the Sunnah (the guidance of His final prophet and Messenger Muhammad peace be upon him.)
The Qur’an and the Sunnah teach us how to worship Allah, how to conduct ourselves, our rights and obligations, how to perfect our manners, how to eat, drink, dress, and how to conduct our relationships and interactions with others (including with humans, animals and the environment at large).
Unfortunately, Islam is regularly misrepresented in the mainstream media. A few criminals who commit acts of injustice, terror and oppression do not and cannot represent true Islam! Every human being makes mistakes, so we cannot judge Islam by Muslims.
It’s important to learn the true facts to dispel ignorance, stereotyping and discrimination. Knowledge about any topic is best obtained from the original source, in this case, for Islam the original source is the Qur’an and the collection of Hadith (narrations mentioning the ‘Sunnah’/traditions & teachings of the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him).
Islam teaches Muslims to perfect their characters and morals. For example, Islam emphasizes the spread of truth, peace, mercy, justice and security for every society. Islam promotes justice and good manners with everyone, irrespective of their backgrounds and beliefs.
In summary:
The main message of Islam is submission to the One True God,
Muslims worship Allah by implementing the Qur’an and following the traditions of the final prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The final prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught Muslims to perfect their manners and benefit their communities, and to spread truth, peace and justice, in obedience to Allah.
The prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said:
‘The merciful ones are granted mercy by the Most Merciful (Allah) . Show mercy to those who are on Earth, and the One above the heavens (Allah) will show mercy to you.’
Thank you for reading and we would love to hear from you! You can get back to us with any questions at our blog www.thurrockmuslims.wordpress.com
Sign up for free and stay in touch with us or contact us here.
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 1437. Let us congratulate one another on this joyous occasion.
May Allah accept (good deeds) from us and from you. ameen
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 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!
9-Keep up with the abundant dhikr, this last of the ten best days of the year!!!
say: Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, wa laa ilaha illAllah, wallahuakbar!
Let’s send salutations on the final prophet of Allah, Muhammad Sallallahu alayhi wasallam!
EID PRAYER TO BE HELD AT GRAYS MOSQUE- IN SHA ALLAH, MEN AND WOMEN INVITED, SEPARATE FACILITIES IN SHA ALLAH.
Assalaamualaikum all (unless advised otherwise) Grays Mosque plan for Eid Prayers and 4th Jamaat exclusive for Ladies only with Parda(veil/curtain) behind the Imaam. Prayers times are as follows :- 1st Prayer 8.00 am. MENonly 2nd Prayer 9.00 am.MEN only. 3rd Prayer 10.00 am. MEN only. 4th Prayer 11.00 am LADIES ONLY.
Please let all brothers and sisters aware of the prayers sessions. Eid Ul Adha Mubarak. Wasalam
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
(Please note, there will not be an Eid alAdha jamat at Park Inn this year)
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 Muslim Community 