With the increase in affluence and advances in transport, long distance travel has become part and parcel of our modern lives. Whether we’re attempting to attend an Islamic conference in another city or pursuing an adventurous urge half way across the world, believe it or not there’s a whole chapter of Islamic jurisprudence dedicated to this aspect of our lives. But how many of us equip ourselves with the Islamic know how along with the lonely planet guide and our sun glasses to ensure our voyage truly meets both dunya and akhira travel regulations?

One particular issue pertinent to our times is the rise in the numbers of our sisters travelling without a mahram (male companion who’s prohibited for a sister to marry), even on the Islamic society scene e.g. organising sisters only camping trips outside their city of residence or attending Islamic conferences in other cities, without a mahram. What is most interesting is that many Islamic societies are usually not aware there’s a lengthy and important Islamic discourse on the matter.

Imaam Ash-Shafee (rah) and Imaam Malik (rah) were of the opinion that the only situation a woman can travel alone was in the case of Hajj so long as her path is safe and she is accompanied by a group of trustworthy individuals as mentioned by Imaam An-Nawawi in his famous sharih (commentary) of Sahih Muslim. While the opinion of the Hanafi and Hanbalimadh-hab is that a women cannot travel alone even for Hajj, the most auspicious of journeys, regardless of whether or not safety is guaranteed. The later opinion is further strengthened by the following authentic narration:

Ibn ‘Abbaas (ra) reported: The Prophet (SAW) said: “No woman should travel except with a mahram, and no man should enter upon her unless a mahram of hers is present.” A man said: “O Messenger of Allah, I want to go out with such and such an army and my wife wants to go for Hajj.” He said: “Go out (for Hajj) with her.” (Bukhari& Muslim)

It’s intriguing how the messenger of Allah (SAW) turned a man away from striving to fight in the path of Allah swt to what appears the greater personal priority of accompanying his wife who had embarked on Hajj. Clearly the female companion of the prophet (SAW) would’ve been just as safe (without the addition of one individual), travelling amidst a group of thesahaabah (ra) on a journey to hajj. However, her husband was commanded to accompany her by the messenger of Allah (SAW). Hence, the underlying reason (“illa”) for the prophet’s prohibition of travelling without a mahram appears not to be safety as some modern orientalist have purported.

Many classical scholars from varying schools of thought including Al Hafidh Ibn Hajar Al Asqalani (rah) quoted an ijma3 (consensus, which becomes binding on latter generations) of the scholars of the past on the topic of travelling with a mahram e.g. “al-Baghawi (rah) said: They did not differ concerning the fact that a woman may not travel for anything but the obligatory Hajj except with a husband or mahram, except a kaafir woman who becomes Muslim in daar al-harb (place of war) or a female captive who escapes. Others added: or a woman who becomes separated from her group and is found by a trustworthy man, in which case it is permissible for him to accompany her until he brings her back to her group.” (Fat-hulBaari (famous commentary of Saheeh Al-Bukhari) by IbnHajar Al Asqalani rah).

However, that which the greatest of scholars agreed upon seems to be up for questioning by some modern orientalists, who appear to have disregarded sciences involved with deriving rulings. There are also numerous authentic narrations on the matter:

1. Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) said: The Prophet (SAW) said: “No woman should travel except with a mahram.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
2. Abu Hurairah (ra) reported: The Messenger (SAW) of Allah said “It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last day to make a journey of one day and night unless she is accompanied by a Mahram” (Bukhari & Muslim)
3. Abd Allah ibn Umar (ra) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “A woman must not travel for three days except with a Mahram”. (Bukhari & Muslim).

WaAllahu 3lam what is clear from assessing the above narrations altogether is that there’s a general prohibition on anything classified as travel and the variation of dates in the narrations mentioned above could have arisen as a result of the different questioning styles the Prophet (SAW) entertained, according to Imaam An-Nawawi (rah). It’s worth mentioning that there’s a lengthy scholarly discourse with regards to the definition of travel itself. Hence, I will simply state the opinion of the majority (jumhoor) of scholars to avoid confusion, as this deserves a dedicated piece in its own right: The Maliki, Shafi and Hanbali school of thought regard travel to be regarded as approximately 89 km in modern terms (four burud).

The basis of travelling without a mahram is clearly not an evil assumption about women or safety concerns. Modern answers such as“transport is now safer, hence we can amend the rules” can be a dishonesty to classical Islamic jurisprudence and the teachings of the Prophet (SAW) as highlighted above show that the “illa” (underlying reason for the ruling) is not safety, hence any amendments on safety will bear no impact on prophet’s command. In the golden age of Islamic history where it is reported that a women could theoretically travel from head to toe covered in gold fearing Allahswt alone (due to safety), but yet the scholars then who were far greater in knowledge upheld the teachings of the Prophet (SAW)and did not stipulate such clauses.

Modern transport also no doubts presents its own arsenal of challenges and many a times planes make unscheduled stops in random cities or transits and within hours one is thousands of miles away from home forced for hours to days in unfamiliar terrain. Even many Muslim countries today which have lowest crime rates generally carry shameful warnings for foreign women e.g. as highlighted by the lonely planet guide for travellers: “Crime is negligible compared to western countries but unfortunately, the hassle factor often means that this isn’t quite the case for an unaccompanied foreign woman” (Egypt)or “women will save themselves a great deal of grief by avoiding eye contact, dressing modestly and refraining from walking around alone…” (Morocco). One only has to have a single sour or traumatic experience to appreciate the possible wisdom of safety from the prophet (SAW)’s command.

Dear brothers and sisters it’s important that we explore the basic Islamic rulings pertaining to our daily livings and ignorance is not an excuse given the abundant availability of resources. It’s also important that where possible we abide to the teachings of the classical scholars and avoid the confusion introduced in our times. The Prophet (SAW) has brought timeless boundaries that grant harmonious solutions to build the most successful of societies. Subtle wisdoms behind the obligation for a sister to travel with a mahram (not the underlying reason for the ruling)could lie in safety, dignity, honour, reducing fitnah, strengthening precious family ties or simply another test to distinguish those who are faithful and true from those who are disobedient. Even men are encouraged in the sunnah to travel in groups as there are narrations that stipulate one who travels alone has shaytaan as their companion. From the example of thebest of creation we learn that men are also encouraged to travel with their (Islamically) close female companions and family as he (SAW) rarely travelled without his spouses and even on the most dangerous of missions, the seerah documents well that one of his wives would always accompany him (SAW) and often were sources of critical decisions, which shaped the course of history for good.

Dear sisters and brothers obeying Rasoolilah (SAW) and all the righteous scholars who followed in his path for centuries is the key to our past, present and future success. This not a ban on women travelling,but it’s a prophetic command to avoid the non-mahram classoption.“Say (Oh Muhammad to mankind): If ye do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins; for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (3:31)”

Speaking to family members, Muslims and non-Muslims there has been a mixed reaction about the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) latest production on Islam.

“Talk of the devil”

Review on the BBC2 documentary – TheLife of The Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

It’s worth noting that the broadcasters of this programme are the same BBC that has in the past had a poor track record on representing Muslim viewsand the very same BBC that broke away from the usual norm and refused to air a disaster emergency committee appeal for those whose lives were ruined by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza strip, in a pretext to appear “impartial”, alongside it’s unfair coverage of the Gaza war, which was entirely aired by journalists in Israel alone. Hence, it almost felt too good to be true when a programme was going to be aired about the life of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), that may do just that – depict his life (SAW) and what he (SAW) means to ¼ of the world’s population. What happened in reality?

Unfortunately the personalities used to construct this documentary did nothing more than confirm the culture of the BBC’s executive staff and in general the murky media barons that “call the shots”Unfortunately, the epistemological and ethical foundations of contemporary mass media in the west, has been exclusively rooted in perverted western ideologies about Islam and the prevailing modern philosophies of those who hold fiscal power and authority. Hence, no matter how much an image of good ethical practise and impartiality is portrayed, in reality only those that conform to these ideologies are the ones given exclusive access to present their narrative. It’s also short sighted on the part of the majority of orthodox Muslims to believe that it’s only due to a lack of qualified individuals that we lack a voice in the media, when in essence, it’s only those that are deemed progressive enough and in line with the “pre-set narrative”, that are given the opportunity to represent Muslims. I would like to briefly analyse some of the characters given the opportunity to air their views on the Prophet’s life in this latest BBC concoction:

1.       ZiauddinSardar – is the writer and editor of this documentary.ZiauddinSardar openly supportedthe idea of women Imams leading mixed prayer congregations in an article published in Emel magazine. He has authored books on “Islamic sciences”, where he describes such sciences as a “subjectively objective enterprise” and goes on to clarify what’s lawful and prohibited (halal and haram) should be based on theconsensus of the community and public benefit. Therefore, not on revelation, this is contrary to the basic concept of divine teachings. He’s also the editor of the journal “futures”, where he went on to conjure the discipline of “Islamic futures”, where Muslim Civilisation should stop looking at the past and should bereconstructed based on intellectuality. He’s also a firm critic of the concept of an Islamic state and this interestingly comes across subtly in the latest BBC programme, where the Prophet’s (SAW) state in Madinah is deliberately described as a non-religious one, where only constitution and laws prevail.  Of all the Muslims available in the United Kingdom those with “Islamic insecurities” and who representa fringe proportion of so called Muslims are once again given more than just airtime.

2.       Robert Spencer – A very active and aggressive critique of Islam, who makes a living out of defaming the Prophet (SAW)’s teachings, is bizarrely invited as a regular commentator on the programme. Robert Spencer founded and runs the website “Jihad Watch”, as well as writing well over one hundred articles on “Islamic” terrorism. At one point in the BBC program Robert Spencer’s own obsession with the importance of global Jihad comes through, where he comments on the ayah “fitnah (translated as persecution by him) is worth than killing”, hence he goes on to inaccurately elaborate that Islam as a whole advocates the mass slaughterof humans when it’s in anyway threatened.

3.       Nonie Darwish – is a director of “former United Muslims” (i.e. those who have left Islam) and “Arabs for Israel”. Staunch supporters for Israel, alongside Jewish academics were interestingly invited to comment on the situation where the Prophet (SAW), dealt with the Jewish tribe BanuQuraidah, as opposed to unbiased historians.

BanuQuraidah severed their peace and mutual cooperation agreement to side with the overwhelming attack of the confederation of Arabs, in a bidto support them to what on paper would have resulted in a blood bath to annihilate all Islamic elements within Madinah;  combatants and non-combatants, women and children, old and young.  So it was BanuQuraidah and the confederation of Arabs that were clearly religiously intolerant and sought mass slaughter of Muslims regardless of any crime. While the Muslims, who could have easily dealt with any surrounding non-Muslim tribes like BanuQuraidah much earlier, had opted not to in according to the teachings of Islam.BanuQuraidah began their traitorous actions by first attacking innocentwomen and children who were far behind the the Muslim army. Consequently, whenBanuQuraidah was intercepted by the Muslims, the Prophet (SAW) out of compassion gave them the option of nominating a person to judge their traitorous actions. Subsequently the Jews chose their business partners from the side of Muslim’s (SaadibnMuaad), who passed the judgement ofputting to death every potential combatant (not women or children), which was also in accordance with the teachings of the Torah for their heinous treachery. This in comparison is more compassionate thanthe modern war on terror venture strongly supported by Nonie Darwish in one of her books and Robert Spencer. The modern war on terror brutally punishes combatants and non-combatants, women and children, sympathisers and bystanders and those completely innocent, regardless of their proximity to any war zone.

4.       Michael Nizar Ali – is a former bishop and has on several occasions made outrageous public outbursts against Islam.

There were several other dubious characters and not to mention unfounded comments throughout the documentary. For example, the questioning of the authenticity of Ahadith without any appropriate alternative answer given by a knowledgeable orthodox Muslims on the intricacy of this scienceand the many principles of good journalism that can be extracted from it, which the BBC may have found useful. In summary, this is not an analysis of the effectiveness or truth-fullness of the BBC documentary, but rather a reflection on the way our media always operates with respects to covering Islam, the personalities that are allowed airtime and the deliberate exclusion of those with a genuine alternative narration.And all praise is due to God who we as believers know can bring forth some good, from what we perceive as evil.

O you who believe! If a Fasiq (liar — evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done. (49:6)

Do you find yourself feeling tired during Ramadan or even falling asleep in the middle of the day, just because you’re fasting, and your sleeping patterns are all messed up? Worse still, have you been seriously considering not fasting because you can’t hack the working day?

If you answered YES, then ProductiveMuslim.com is here to help you! Launching a brand new site THIS Ramadan called ProductiveRamadan.com. Our vision is to inspire the Ummah to be productive again during Ramadan and to fight the stereotypes of Muslims being lazy and unproductive during Ramadan. With Ramadan just around the corner, a question always arises as to how we can maintain our productivity during Ramadan. ProductiveMuslim.com is suggesting a 2 fold answer:

1. Time Management
2. Healthy Diet.

It’s funny how our day to day plans go haywire once Ramadan starts; we can’t do much during the day because we’re hungry or have spent the previous night in the shopping malls or with friends for one of those “Ramadan nights”. So we promise ourselves that we’ll work in the evening.

Evening comes, and we overkill it at iftar, that we can’t move for at least 2 hours, and thanks to our “well-targeted” media, our 2 hour lay in is encouraged with the 20 must-see Ramadan series on TV. Before we know it, we got to rush to the mosque, and after an hour or so of some spiritual food (or so we hope), some of us want to go shopping for next day’s iftar (or for Eid even). Then comes suhoor time, wait for Fajr; then get ready for work in the morning. And no work is done.

Sound familiar?

I know people who have a phobia against Ramadan, saying that during Ramadan they can’t do anything! And I’m amazed at how far from the Sunnah we’ve drifted and ended up in such a mess.

Brothers and sisters, it’s time for change. We’ve wasted enough opportunities in past Ramadans, continually repeating the above scenario on a daily basis, and it must stop this Ramadan! With only a few days to Ramadan, let us draw a schedule that will maintain our productivity and keep us up to speed with our day to day work, so we can ultimately combat unproductivity in this blessed month.

Steps to Prepare for Ramadan Physically & Spiritually

1. Time Management

§ -For most people, shopping is a great priority during Ramadan and can be a time killer. First step to take, do all your Ramadan & Eid shopping BEFORE Ramadan starts. That’s right, don’t do it during Ramadan when opportunities for Laylatul Qadr and extra ibaadah can be missed out. Ramadan Sales are tempting, but for the sake of sanity and maintaining the Ramadan spirit, finish up all your shopping for Ramadan and Eid before Ramadan starts. You’ll find that one day’s worth of trawling the shopping mall is better spent in fulfilling time with Allah swt.

§ -Plan your iftars well in advance, know what you’ll cook on each day and follow the health diet suggested below for a healthy and delicious Ramadan iftar experience. That doesn’t mean you spend hours each day thinking and planning what to eat! Rather taking into consideration what types of food will be better suited to help you maintain energy and spirit to perform your acts of worship with focus. Biryanis really ought to be banned at iftaar(!)

§ -Have suhoor before Fajr, NOT at mid-night. This will help you maintain your productivity levels throughout your working day, instead of your body craving for food by mid-afternoon. Choose a light but wholesome meal for suhoor for the Prophet (pbuh) advised us that there is blessing in the suhoor and having a light but carbohydrate filled foods will start your day off on the right foot!

§ -Start working after Fajr. Remember the post about waking up for Fajr and boosting productivity? Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) made dua that Allah blesses this Ummah in the early hours. So seize these early hours to get the most work done, especially as you’ll be energized with suhoor. (Your boss would be particularly impressed to see you achieve so much before the day even started! and perhaps he might offer you the opportunity to go home early when you’re hungry and feel less productive in the later part of the day).

§ -Don’t waste those 2 hours between iftar and taraweeh in front of the TV. Use them for reading, spending time with family, visiting anyone who is sick, following up important e-mails, listening to recitation, or any productive activity.

§ -Plan your day the night before, to ensure that you do at least 3 important tasks the next day. When you set yourself such goals, you’ll be geared towards maintaining them regardless of how hungry you are and it will become your habit to eat those 3 frogs each morning! [Not literally of course!]  

§ -At times when you feel particularly hungry or worn out, do mundane tasks that don’t require much thinking, e.g. administrative tasks, cleaning, typing up information.etc. Or focus on taking time to reflect, especially if you are at work in a busy office environment.  

-Finally, the MOST important Time Management advice for Ramadan is to make sure you schedule in time for Allah (SWT). Remember, Ramadan is a once a year bargain for attaining good deeds, a chance to have all our sins expiated and guaranteed Jannah with sincere faith. We sometimes forget in our day to day running of the virtues and benefits of this month. Don’t waste it for worldly deeds unless it’s crucial, I know of a brother who saves his holidays so that he gets all of Ramadan off and spend it in the mosque praying, reading Quran, and remembering Allah. Don’t be caught out at the end of Ramadan with regret that you haven’t done much during Ramadan, being able to accomplish your goals over 30 days will inshaAllah set you in for a productive year.

2. Healthy Diet

Where should I start with the diet of Muslims today during Ramadan? My local Imam used to be bemused at watching families stock up for Ramadan, you would think a war or famine is coming and there’ll be no food for at least 6 months!

At home, a state of emergency is declared in the kitchen, and a long list of “Ramadan dishes” are drawn up for poor Mom to cook. It is sad for the burden mothers carry each Ramadan in hours of preparation for such dishes in Ramadan; instead of her spending time reading Quran, praying, she’s enslaved to cook for her ever-demanding husband and children. Be considerate of this throughout Ramadan.

What about those of us who have Iftar in the mosque? That’s another issue. For some reason, some brothers/sisters who organize collective Iftar (especially in Mosques) have this bad habit of laying out ALL the food before iftar time, hence in the 10 minutes between Adhan and Iqama of Maghreb, an unwritten food competition begins on who can swallow the most kebabs and samosas! That’s all well and good, until prayer time starts, and you hear a symphony of burping brothers during salah! On the other hand, for those organisors who are reasonable enough to delay the main meal till after Maghreb salah, I urge you to look into the Iftar you bring in daily to the brothers/sisters. Rice + Meat + Curry on a daily basis can get tiresome after a while, and you need to convince your donors not just to bring in variety, but to think of healthy alternatives as well.

Visit www.ProductiveRamadan.com for More Productivity Tips to ensure you get the best out of your Ramadan. Sign up to our mailing list for reminder articles, daily tips, and much more! At www.productiveramadan.com

Her eyes were burdened with a cry for help, and her mind fraught with fear. She feels weak and cries, standing in the hot shower; her sight is fixated on the dirty water was exiting through the drain. She thought to herself what has changed? How did it become like this? Is she to blame?

She struggles dressing into clean clothes with her bruised leg, suppressing a cry of pain not letting the scream escape. The pungent taste of blood fills her mouth, a tooth must have come loose.

Everything from her eyes to her ankles throbs, but slowly she inches down the stairs to see if he is anywhere in sight. Standing half way down the stairs she peers left and right, but all she hears is her own heavy breathing. As she calms down with the reassurance she is home alone her gaze falls across her wedding ring that she had so happily received some months before. Now, looking at it, the muscles of her face tighten, transforming her face into a frown, a frown of anger, betrayal and confusion. Trying to reason with her emotions; this must have been just an outburst, it won’t ever happen again, she should forgive him.

Surely, a person can only resort to violence if they share hatred for another human being. Did her own husband suddenly switch from love to hatred just because he wasn’t happy with what she had cooked? Losing his job must have made him depressed and he just had to let it out, so he took it out on her. But it was just a mistake, he will come back and apologise and everything will be better.

He brought her to a whole new country, where everything is different, strange. The neighbours were all English; she only knew the common ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. He was all she had here, she felt lonely when he was away at work or when he spent nights away with his friends. Without him, she wouldn’t cope; she had to be a good wife no matter what!

Upon entering her bedroom, she was startled when she saw him standing outside in the balcony from their bedroom watching her every move. She never felt so scared of another human being, he did not seem like the person she thought she knew, and she could not recognise the stranger. This stranger has replaced her husband; he is a darker, vicious and more aggressive person now. Little did she know this would be her reality for the next 5 months…

The ailment of domestic violence has reached an incredible level, it has been growing more and more especially for the Muslim women who do not know their rights here in England. It has become a taboo to openly discuss domestic violence, due to the old fashion culture of keeping it between the spouses only. Society is more tolerant now, and Muslims need to seek out their legal and Islamic rights on this matter. It cannot be silenced, as we come into terms with society always becoming more tolerant towards everything else, this taboo cannot stay a taboo any longer. If the Muslim community were not to address this social illness it would, to an extent, be allowing ignorance to become widespread.

Many emerging services are raising awareness to break the misinformed discernment of domestic violence being only a private matter. Society is either too afraid to admit it still exists in the twenty-first century or too voiceless to raise the issue, and so it seems to get sidelined. In contemporary society the Muslim community in the UK is more aware of what is and what isn’t acceptable, particularly concerning how the old fashioned spouse-beating is no longer tolerable.

It is vital that the Muslim community in the UK realize the severity of this issue. The Qur’an compels mankind to enjoin what is good, in this case to raise awareness and help the victim of Domestic Violence, and forbid the evil, try and eradicate this issue of domestic violence from the community by empowering the victims to stand up against their abusers and also making it aware to the police. This vile act is a result of many factors such as cultural norms, the mirrored behaviour of history, and the illiteracy of scriptural interpretation. Proof from the Qur’an and Sunnah convey that Islam not only condemns violence, but greatly emphasises the significance of living in harmony with the family. And you will find throughout the great Islamic history that women are highly valued in society.

NOUR is an organisation that wants to work in the direction of supporting the Muslim community, empowering the Muslim women and men, and ensuring that marriages are made in concrete unification rather than a result of oppression. The community may not seem concerned with another household’s trouble; however, every home has a child that will grow up to be the product of society. If the Muslim community comes together in eliminating domestic violence, they will be creating a nurturing surrounding for the children to grow up in. This becomes a religious obligation of a Muslim to help a fellow Muslim by enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. The ummah is like one body, if one part of the body is in pain, the rest feels the pain. Society is held together by the functions of families, and if the Muslim community can get more involved with tackling such an awful nature that takes place behind closed doors, they will be helping many vulnerable people out there.

Please support NOUR by visiting the website www.nour-dv.org.uk where you can find the latest on upcoming events, fundraisers and survival stories, inshaAllah also you can follow us on twitter and facebook.

Hafeeza Yasmin-Nour PR

How many years have we been fasting Ramadan? 10,15 or 20 years? Are we 10 or 15 or 20 times better? Or, does it seem like we have arrived back at the drawing board every time Ramadan comes around? Ramadan is not only a time for fasting and increasing our charity, the Prophet (SAW) and his companions would increase in their struggle for Allah SWT, read more to find out how.

All praises to Allah, Lord of the worlds. He who revealed in His Glorious Quran, “Oh you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those who came before you that you may keep your duty to your Lord (having taqwa),” 2:185.

Oh you who believe, Ramadan is a sacred month wherein Almighty Allah is constantly testing His creation and giving humanity the opportunity to achieve infinite, endless Bliss. Fasting is a complete purification and a means to developing the consciousness of Allah’s presence. The consciousness of Allah, Taqwa, is a protection against the schemes of Shaitan, and the suffering of this world. Allah has informed us that, “Whoever keeps his duty to Allah (has taqwa), He ordains a way out for him and gives him sustenance from where he imagines not. And whoever trusts in Allah, He is sufficient for him. Surely Allah attains His purpose. Allah has appointed a measure for everything.” (65:2)

Many Muslims today have a misconception about fasting and the activities of a fasting person. They go into a state of semi-hibernation, spending most of their daylight hours in bed. If they fear Allah, they wake up for prayer, but then return to sleep immediately. This unnatural sleep makes them become lazy, dull witted and often cranky.

Ramadan is actually a time of increased activity wherein the believer, now lightened of the burdens of constant eating and drinking, should be more willing to strive and struggle for Allah. The Prophet passes through approximately nine Ramadan’s after the Hijrah. They were filled with decisive events and left us a shining example of sacrifice and submission to Allah.

In the first year after the Hijrah, the Prophet sent Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib with thirty Muslim riders to Saif al Bahr to investigate three hundred riders from Quraish who had camped auspiciously in that area. The Muslims were about to engage the disbelievers, but they were separated by Majdy ibn Umar al-Juhany. The Hypocrites of Al-Madinah, hoping to oppose the unity of the Muslims, built their own masjid (called Masjid al-Direr). The Prophet ordered this masjid to be destroyed in Ramadan.

On the seventeenth of Ramadan, 3 A.H., Almighty Allah separated truth from falsehood at the Great Battle of Badr. The Prophet and 313 of his companions set out to intercept a caravan of their own goods that had been left in Makkah. It was led by Abu Sufyan, himself, and estimated at 60,000 dinars. They were met, instead, by a well equipped army of the nobility of Quraish, intent on putting out the light of Islam. Despite being outnumbered three to one and appearing weak and unseasoned, the Muslims defended their faith with a burning desire to protected the Prophet and meet their Lord through martyrdom. Allah gave them a decisive victory on this day of Ramadan, that would never to be forgotten.

In 6 A.H., Zaid ibn Haritha was sent to Wadi al-Qura at the head of a detachment to confront Fatimah bint Rabiah, the queen of that area. Fatimah had previously attacked a caravan led by Zaid and had succeeded in plundering its wealth. She was known to be the most protected woman in Arabia, as she hung fifty swords of her close relatives in her home. Fatimah was equally renowned for showing open hostility to Islam. She was killed in a battle against these Muslims in the month of Ramadan.

By Ramadan of 8 A H., the treaty of Hudaibiyya had been broken and the Muslim armies had engaged the Byzantines in the North. Muhammad felt the need to strike a fatal blow to disbelief in the Arabian Peninsula and conquer the city of Mecca. Allah had declared His Sanctuary a place of peace, security and religious sanctity. Now the time had come to purify the Kaabah of nakedness and abomination. The Prophet set out with an army having more armed men than Al-Madinah had ever seen before. People were swelling the army’s ranks as it moved toward Makkah. The determination of the believers, guided by the Will of Allah, became so awesome that the city of Makkah was conquered without a battle, on – 20 Ramadan. This was one of the most important dates in Islamic history for after it, Islam was firmly entrenched in the Arabian Peninsula. During the same month and year, after smashing the idols of Makkah, detachments were sent to the major centers of polytheism and al-Lat, Manat and Suwa, some of the greatest idols of Arabia, were destroyed.

Such was the month of Ramadan in the time of the Prophet. It was a time of purification, enjoining the good, forbidding evil, and striving hard with one’s life and wealth. After the death of the Prophet, Muslims carried on this tradition and Allah used the true believers to affect the course of history. Ramadan continued to be a time of great trials and crucial events.

Ninety-two years after the Hujrah, Islam had spread across North Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria. Spain was under the tyrannical rule of King Roderic of the Visigoths. Roderic had forced his six million serfs and persecuted Jews to seek the aid of the Muslims of North Africa in order to be delivered. Musa ibn Husair, the Umayyad governor of North Africa, responded by sending his courageous general Tariq ibn Ziyad at the head of 12,000 Berber and Arab troops. In Ramadan of that year, they were confronted with a combined Visigoth army of 90,000 Christians led by Roderic, himself, who was seated on a throne of ivory silver, and precious gems and drawn by white mules. After burning his boats, Tariq preached to the Muslims warning them that and Paradise lay ahead of them and defeat and the sea to the rear. They burst with great enthusiasm and Allah manifested a clear victory over the forces of disbelief. Not only was Roderic and his forces completely annihilated, but Tariq and Musa succeeded in liberating whole of Spain, Sicily and of France. This was the beginning of the Golden Age of Al-Andalus where Muslims ruled for over 700 years.

In the year 682 A.H., Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, after battling with the Crusaders for years, finally drove them out of Syria and the whole of their occupied lands in the month of Ramadan. The Muslim world was then destined to meet one of its most frightening challenges.

In the seventh century A.H., the Mongols were sweeping across Asia destroying everything that lay in their path Genghis Khan called himself “the scourge of God sent to punish humanity for their sins.” In 617 A.H. Samarkand, Ray, and Hamdan were put to the sword causing more than 700,000 people to be killed or made captive. In 656 A.H. Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, continued this destruction. Even Baghdad, the leading city of the Muslim world, was sacked. Some estimates say that as many as 1,800,000 Muslims were killed in this awesome carnage. The Christians were asked to eat pork and drink wine openly while the surviving Muslims were forced to participate in drinking bouts. Wine was sprinkled in the masjids and no Azan (call to prayer) was allowed. In the wake of such a horrible disaster and with the threat of the whole Muslim world; and then Europe being subjected to the same fate, Allah raised up from the Mamluks of Egypt, Saifuddin Qutz, who, united the Muslim army and met the Mongols at Ain Jalut on 26th Ramadan, 468 A.H. Although they were under great pressure, the Muslims with the help of Allah, cunning strategy and unflinching bravery, crushed the Mongol army and reversed this tidal wave of horror. The whole of the civilized world sighed in relief and stood in awe at the remarkable achievement of these noble sons of Islam.

This was the spirit of Ramadan that enabled our righteous forefathers to face seemingly impossible challenges. It was a time of intense activity, spending the day in the saddle and the night in prayer while calling upon Allah for His mercy and forgiveness.

Today, the Muslim world is faced with drought, military aggression, widespread corruption and tempting materialism. Surely we are in need of believers who can walk in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet, the illustrious Sahabah, Tariq ibn Ziyad, Qutuz, Salahuddin and the countless heroes of Islam. Surely we are in need of believers who are unafraid of the threats of the disbelievers, yet kind and humble to the believing people; Muslims whose fast is complete and not just a source of hunger and thirst.

May Allah raise up a generation of Muslims who can carry Islam to all corners of the globe in a manner that befits our age, and may He give us the strength and the success to lay the proper foundations for them. May Allah make us of those who carry out our Islam during Ramadan and after it, and may He not make us of those who say what they do not do. Surely Allah and His Angels invoke blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad. Oh you who believe send blessings and peace to him forever.

from www.lutonmuslims.com

I ran to my car as the rain poured. Minutes before, the sky was pregnant with the possibility of a thunderstorm. Within minutes, the promise had been fulfilled and the heavens had opened up to produce a non-stop barrage of water. I threw my umbrella in the back and sat in the car. Driving home, my thoughts turned once more to him.

I had never actually met him. I had passed by him dozens of times when we visited our grandparents in India, but never had the courage to stop and speak to him. In fact, if I am truthful, I was scared to talk to him. I was afraid that we would have nothing in common, that he would sneer and turn away from me. Who was this person? He was a beggar who sat at the foot of a dead leafless tree.

I don’t know his name, I don’t anything about him. All I know is that for year after year, this poor old man would sit under the tree. He had no possessions save the rags covering his nakedness. No slippers covered his feet, no glasses helped compensate for his obvious cataracts. He didn’t even have a bowl for people to throw in alms as they were passing by. I didn’t think it possible, but this man was too poor to even be a beggar.

Now, he must have received food from some source as he was clearly surviving, however his anorexic frame reassured all those that passed by that he wasn’t getting too much. He had no shelter from the elements. Even the branches of the tree he sat under were thin and clear of any leaves. When the sun was at its hottest, there was almost no shade for him. When it rained, not a hair on his head was dry.

He had no company, no friends and no relatives that anyone knew of. His condition meant that almost no one approached him and he approached no one. Even those few souls who would leave some food for him would do so from afar so as not to engage him in conversation. He spent years in crushing loneliness – it was written on his face.

As I have said, I don’t know what happened to put him in the situation he was in. All I know is that I doubt I would ever meet someone poorer than him in my life. All I know is that we should be eternally grateful for every blessing we have in our lives that this poor soul didn’t have. All I know is that we must work hard to change the situation of people like him, because they are humans too and we will be asked about it on the day of judgement.

You know what was the truly sad part about the man with no home, no family, no friends, no possessions and (almost) no food? There are many more like him.

I stood, completely frozen and speechless. I was in a grave, but I was still alive. How did this happen? Well, it started from a school trip that we took. We must have been in 7th or 8th grade. My school was not entirely normal as it had a very strong emphasis on Islamic education and many of the teachers were scholars from different parts of the Muslim world. So when it was announced that our class was going on a field visit, it was not surprising to anyone that instead of the Zoo or a museum, we were going to a graveyard.

After piling out of our school buses we walked into the relatively small graveyard. It was just a barren wasteland with a few rocks punctuating the monotonous desert floor. Each rock was a tombstone that had no name, no writing and no clue as to the occupant beneath. We walked into the graveyard a little more subdued than we were usually. A fresh grave had been dug near the front awaiting the next occupant – king, beggar or anything in between. We crowded around to have a look.

As we strained to have a look around the edge, I felt someone’s hand on my back and before I could turn around to see who it was – the hand pushed me. I fell in and immediately got up and turned around to see who had pushed me. To my amazement, it was my teacher standing there. Suddenly, I became intensely aware of where I was. I was standing in a grave. My friends who were standing and watching me seemed so far away. I felt claustrophobic and scared. I could not turn my head to look at the hollow in the corner made to rest the body in.

“Do you see where he is now?” the teachers asked our class. “You each have a portion of the Earth assigned to you as your grave. From the day you are born, every breath, every step, every second – is bringing you closer to that piece of Earth. You can take nothing with you into the grave. Not your family, not your friends, not your degree, not your wealth. Nothing. All that goes in there is the good deeds that you do in this world.”

My friends helped me out and dusted me off. Although it has been decades since that event, I have not forgotten it. For the few seconds I was in it, I felt alone, confused and scared. That may not have been my grave, but I know my grave is out there waiting for me like yours is waiting for you. So work for this life according to the amount of time you will spend in it, and work for the after-life according to the amount of time you will spend in it.

So where do I begin? It’s been three days since my mother passed away, and one day since we buried her. I’ve finally got a chance to collect my thoughts so I want to get them written down, I’ll make a start now and keep adding to it and send it out later. In some ways this is probably going to be one of the most difficult things I will write in my life, but in others, it’s all coming so easily.

“So celebrate Allaah’s glory in the evening, in the morning – praise is due to Him in the heavens and the earth – in the late afternoon and at midday. He brings the living out of the dead and the dead out of the living. He gives life to the earth after death and you will be brought out in the same way. One of His signs is that He created you from dust and – lo and behold! – you became human and scattered far and wide. Another of His signs is that He created spouses from among yourselves for you to live with in tranquility : He ordained love and kindness between you. There are truly signs in this for those who reflect. Another of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and colours. There truly are signs in this for those who know….” [Surah Al-Rum verses 17 – 22]

While the list of signs that point towards God and his limitless glory are endless, I wanted to talk about one in particular – my mother.  Allah (SWT) shows us miracles each and every day, from the ayats in the Quran, to sunrise and sunset, and infinite other miracles which we may not see. To me, my mother was one of them.

Although there are countless proofs of Allah’s existence, the only one I need, was my mother. My mother was the sign that I saw with my own two eyes. If ever I needed a constant reminder of His compassion and mercy, I don’t need to look any further than her. She was my shining example, my inspiration, my motivation and my love – all in one. Not only were her illnesses and recoveries miraculous, but it’s who she was that stood out as a light in my life.  She was the central pillar of my family, everything was looked after by her. She had the biggest heart, no one who ever visited my house would leave empty handed. She would always think of others first, and put herself second, never letting it show.

She would eat old, stale, rotten food herself, so that she could save money to give to the poor. “Why waste money, when that could go to feed 10 widows?” she would say. Even though we argued with her, she would have none of it. She would not accept wastage of money if it could be used to help someone needy. To her, those in need were more important – placing their needs before hers. She put up with a lot in her life, from people to illnesses, but she never let it show. I have never seen someone so caring, enduring and strong, she had her faith in Allah and that’s all she needed, his reward was better than anything that anyone could ever give her.

My mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when I was around four years old, Doctors gave her six months to live. That was sixteen years ago. Alhumdulillah, she had faith that Allah would do what’s best. I’m grateful that Allah blessed me with those sixteen extra years with my mother. It truly was a miracle.

In those years as I grew up, all my ideals and morals came from my mother and of course my father. They would work together to try to help those in need, even starting up charities to make sure money would go directly to those who deserved it and not just the pocket of middle men. Even if they didn’t really deserve it and she was being taken advantage of, she would turn a blind eye. She wanted to help everyone, no matter who it was. She helped people make livings for themselves, helped feed the needy, and even bought houses for those who didn’t have a place of their own. Whether they were grateful or not she didn’t care, she wasn’t seeking reward from them; she was seeking it from Allah (SWT). She may have upset a few people with her actions, but they still would never be able to fault her. She never advertised anything, to the extent that even I don’t know how much she did. I’m only putting down the things that I know about subhanAllah.

Although she lived to the age of 60, she always suffered from her illnesses, she would get fatigued easily, have a very little appetite, would be in pain, and in general would be very weak. However this didn’t stop anything, she would still do everything, from helping others, to the housework. She never complained, and she never showed that she was ill. Whenever I asked her how she was, she would say “Alhumdulillah”. InshAllah her suffering will be expiation for all her sins.

Around 2 years ago she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, and offered a transplant. She refused it, saying she had had enough operations in her life, so once again she put her faith in Allah, as always. I have no regrets for her not taking the transplant, because it was Allah’s will that she would be taken now, and who are we to complain about that. Whether she had taken the transplant or not, it was written that her time had come now, and nothing would have changed that. Alhumdulillah, at least this way we got to spend her last month by her side.

Every few months she would have a “decompensating event” – where she would have to be taken to hospital, toxins having built up to critical levels in her bloodstream as a result of her liver not functioning properly. This would cause her to become very confused but Alhumdulillah she recovered each time, and she never gave up hope.

One month ago, she showed signs of another episode, and so we took her to hospital, little did we know this would be the last time. Doctors did what little supportive things they could, but there was nothing more they could do. Slowly her condition kept deteriorating, and during this month there were days where we thought we had already lost her, as sometimes she would become confused, and even completely unresponsive. Alhumdulillah she recovered from each small event each time, but overall she was slowly deteriorating, speaking less and less and her time was nearing. I remember telling her how everyone at university was making dua for her, giving me dates and zamzam for her, and her eyes welled up with tears, saying “Everyone loves me so much?”

As she got worse, we knew we couldn’t leave her alone, so one of us had to stay with her at night in the hospital, my brother stayed with her first, then I decided to stay the next night. This was the last time I would ever see her alive.

All night she was awake, I’m sure she wasn’t confused, as she was understanding everything I said to her, but all night she kept repeating the same words “Allah’s forgiven my sins, Alhumdulillah”. I kept asking her how she was, and was she in any pain, she would reply “Alhumdulillah”. I kept telling her not to worry, that she would get better and she would say “inshAllah”. I kept trying to make her comfortable by repositioning her bed, but she probably got around 2 hours of sleep that night, that was all.

I spent the night and most of the next day with her, my family arrived in the morning but I stayed with them until the afternoon, since the palliative care doctors wanted to speak to us. I don’t blame the doctors at all, I’m grateful for all they did, but there was nothing they could do, in the meeting they told us that and they had pretty much given up on her, they had already expected her to die 2 days before. I didn’t talk much in the meeting, just made a few suggestions, but the doctors explained that they were all too risky, as she was just so extremely weak, and wouldn’t be able to survive anything. However we still didn’t give up hope, we had faith in Allah, inshAllah she would get better.

I said goodbye to my mother, and my brother took me home, he would go back to stay the night with her when the rest of the family came back. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically, so I decided to go lie down in my garden since it was a beautiful summer’s day. As soon as I laid on the grass, it started raining. My brother said even the skies were crying, but that’s not the way I saw it. It was the most gentle, refreshing rain I had ever felt in my life. All I was thinking was the way Allah had sent down rain before the battle of Badr to strengthen the Muslims hearts:

“When He made the slumber fall upon you as a reassurance from him and sent down water from the sky upon you, that thereby He might purify you, and remove from you the fear of Satan, and make strong your hearts and firm (your) feet thereby.” [Surah Al-Anfal: Verse 11]

Alhumdulillah it made me calm and at peace. After a bit the skies got dark and the wind picked up, I was just thinking of the power of Allah. As it got a bit colder I thought it would start chucking it down soon, so I decided to go inside and went to the bathroom. As soon as I got out I looked outside, subhanAllah it was bright and sunny again. SubhanAllah, He had transformed the skies and sent down rain just for me, to put me at ease and to strengthen my heart. The next morning my mother died.

Death, an eventuality no one can deny. Regardless of gender, age, race, religion, everyone agrees that we all one day die. It is something we will all one day face, whether it is those around us, or us ourselves. Today it’s them, tomorrow it’ll be us.

“Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon” “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” [Surah Al-Baqara: Verse 156]

Words that will stay with me for the rest of my life. The miracle of life given by Allah, it’s his right to take it away when he pleases.

That morning, I woke up to my sister on the phone being told our mum’s condition was getting worse. I ran into the car still half asleep. We had just reached the end of my road when my brother called me. Two words: she’s gone.

I was in shock, it hadn’t sunk in yet (it still hasn’t, and I don’t think it ever will). We continued our way to the hospital, it was the longest journey of my life. When we got there, my brother and father were there, she had died in my brother’s arms. Seeing my father say goodbye to her was the most heartbreaking thing in my life. He had married her because she was a hafidha and they had built their lives together; over 40 years of companionship, gone just like that.

The loss of my mother was and is difficult to get through. I’ve read articles saying we feel pain because we have attachment to this dunya, but that’s not how I saw this pain. They say jannah lies at your mother’s feet, when we lose this, we lose what small glimpse of jannah we had, and that is what causes such pain.

We tried to bury her as soon as possible, but unfortunately we had to wait for the paperwork, and the burial space. So 2 days later we prayed her janazah and buried her. It was the most difficult day of my life, but Alhumdulillah, Allah helped me before, during and after. I didn’t place any cut flowers on her grave; my mother would never have wanted me to waste money on such things when it could go to help others, so instead I planted a rose, which inshAllah will grow to keep her grave beautiful.

The next day (three days since she died) was jummah. My brother and I went to the masjid, but since it was halfterm it was full, we walked to the next masjid, but that was full too. So we walked back to the first masjid for the second jummah salaah. Guess what the khutbah was? Mothers.

SubhanAllah, Allah works in amazing ways, he meant for my brother and me to listen to that khutbah, so he made sure we didn’t get a place in the first two. Allah puts us all through hardships but not more than we can bear, even through such hardships he will help us. We have to be patient in times of hardship and grateful in times of ease.

Allah supports us throughout our lives, but we fail to realise it, and we fail to be grateful, however he still doesn’t stop helping us. Unfortunately it took me such an event to truly appreciate this. MashAllah, he has given me such great brother and sisters, who supported me throughout all of this, ones I spoke to, ones I didn’t, people who I didn’t even know. People who were willing to give up everything, simply to help me when I needed it most. Alhumdulillah I’m grateful for such support Allah gave me, and for such great brothers and sisters, and such a strong family with such sabr.

So that’s it. I’m sure I could go on and on, but this is enough for now. Obviously the loss of my mother is still causing me great pain, and nothing will ever be able to fill that void, but inshAllah you won’t see me moping around, that’s not what my mother taught me and not what she would have wanted. So to conclude, please remember your mother and mine in your duas, may Allah give her a place in Jannatul Firdaus. Because not only is my mother a miracle, but so is each and every one of yours.

Alhumdulillah, I’m grateful he gave me such a mother, one I will never forget, my proof, my miracle, my mother: Shahjahan Shah.

“O assembly of jinns and men! If you have power to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass (them)! But you will never be able to pass them, except with authority (from Allah)!” [Quran. Surah Rahman Ayah 33]

I remember reading this ayah in the Quran, Surah Rahman, for the first time. It’s not often that you can pinpoint reading a specific ayah, but the reason it stood out was due to how puzzled I was by it.

As I was very young at the time, I remember thinking to myself that now mankind had managed to conquer air and even space travel. At any given moment we could fly off to some exotic destination like Disney World or Universal Studios (remember, I was only a kid!) I filed my perplexed look in a dark corner of my brain… along with GCSE Maths, the rules of Cricket and level 3 of Pac Man. It festered there until a moment this time last year when a volcano blew and shone a light directly on the issue I had all those years ago.

Eyjafjallajokull was as powerful as it was difficult to pronounce. Spewing tonnes of ash across the continent it managed to shut off the airspace for long periods of time. People were stranded in different countries, airports were shut and some areas were covered in a fine black soot. After weeks of problems, the air finally cleared and we all breathed a huge sigh of relief. Then it happened again.

This year it was nowhere near as big an eruption and we were much more prepared for it, but I did notice that President Obama had to cut short his visit to Ireland and fly to England early to avoid being grounded by the ash from the volcano. Even though he is one of the most powerful and influential men in the world, even he could not control the forces of nature unleashed by Allah.

In this day and age of technological advancement, of space shuttles and capsule cameras, we need to be reminded more than ever that true power still lies in the Hands of Allah. An MSN volunteer will consistently remind him or herself of the bigger picture and will never let their ego delude them. An MSN volunteer will appear humble and modest to all because they know that nothing they do has happened except “with the authority of Allah.”