As-salaamu alaikum!

JIMAS app form is now available! Check out the links below:

• Registration Form
• Programme
• A5 Flyer
• Conference Home page

O mankind! If you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then verily, We have created you (i.e. Adam) from dust, then from a Nutfah (mixed drops of male and female sexual discharge, i.e. the offspring of Adam), then from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood) then from a little lump of flesh - some formed and some unformed (as in the case of miscarriage) - that We may make (it) clear to you (i.e. to show you Our Power and Ability to do what We will). And We cause whom We will to remain in the wombs for a appointed term, then We bring you out as infants, (1) then (give you growth) that you may reach your age of full strength. And among you there is he who dies (young), and among you there is he who is brought back to the miserable old age, so that he knows nothing after having known. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down water (rain) on it, it is stirred (to life), and it swells and puts forth every lovely kind (of growth). [Surah Al-Hajj, 22:5]

(1) Narrated ‘Abdullah (ra) Allah’s Messenger (pbuh), the true and truly inspired, said: “(As regards your creation) every one of you is collected in the womb of his mother for the first forty days, and then he becomes a clot for another forty days, and then a piece of flesh for another forty days. Then Allah sends an angel to write four words: He writes his deeds, time of his death, means of his livelihood, and whether he will be wretched or blessed (in the Hereafter). Then the soul is breathed into his body. So a man may do deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses; and so he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise and enters Paradise. Similarly, a person may do deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and he starts doing deeds of the people of the (Hell) Fire and enters the (Hell) Fire.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3332)

Pregnancy Issues in Islam

When researching this topic, information from an Islamic perspective was suprisingly difficult to find. Especially when it came issues related to miscarriage, stillbirths, infertility etc. These are not topics that most people openly discuss and are obviously very sensitive issues.

I have listed some useful links on the web at the bottom of this post. I also asked various sheikhs, consulted various du’a books and most importantly, the Qur’an and Sunnah. With my extremely limited knowledge, I have listed below my findings. I hope it will be useful to people, inshaAllah.

When I bought my wife a subscription to Sisters magazine, what a coincidence that issue 4 (the first printed issue) featured several excellent articles on the topic, including the following:

• ‘Barren but blessed: After infertility, embracing motherhood of a different kind’
• ‘Muslimahs and Miscarriage: Exploring a painful subject with advice and hope’
• ‘The mothers of Bayt ul Hamd: The lessons in losing a child’

Prayers/Supplications from Qur’an & Sunnah:

Check out the references (see details of two pocket-sized books at the end of this post) and du’as below for what to read before you start trying and during the time you are trying for a baby:

• Surah Al-A’raf (7:189). Prophet Adam’s (as) offspring: “If You give us a Sâlih (good in every aspect) child, we shall indeed be among the grateful.” (transliteration: tba)
• Surah Al-Imran (3:38). Prophet Zakariyya’s (as) prayer: “Lord, from Your grace grant me virtuous offspring: You hear every Prayer” (transliteration: Rabbi habli milla dunka zurriyathan, tayyibathan, innaka samiuddu’a)
• Surah As-Saffat (37:100). Prophet Ibrahim’s (as) prayer: “Lord, grant me a righteous son” (transliteration: Rabbi habli minasswaliheen)
• Surah Al-Anbiya (21:89). Prophet Zakariyya’s (as) prayer: “My Lord, do not leave me childless, though You are the best of heirs” ( transliteration: Rabbi la tazarni, fardawwa antha khairul waaritheen)

Fear of miscarriage:

• Surah Ar-Ra’d (13:8). “God knows what every female bears and how much their wombs shrink or swell - everything has its measure with Him”

In addition to the above Qur’anic references, there are many things we can do to ask Allah for help and expedite our du’as:

1. Allah’s Names & Atrributes - choose qualities that fit your needs and recite them frequently, e.g. Al-Bariul Musawwiru - “The Shaper out of naught, The Fashioner”
2. Study tafseer and translation of the meaning of the Qur’an
3. Praying 5 daily salaat on time
4. Giving Charity (sadaqa)
5. Voluntary Fasting
6. Tahajjud (night prayer)
7. Durood (sending salaat and salam on the Prophet, saws)
8. Going on Umrah/Hajj
9. Ar-Ruqiya (remedy by recitation of invocations over a patient) e.g. in the case of interfility and miscarriage.
10. Most of all: PATIENCE (sabr).

IMPORTANT: Avoid: any kind of ‘taweez/tabeez’, talismans, amulets, etc. and only go to a qualified and genuine Raqi for advice on ruqiya..

Don’t Ever Lose Hope

If you are trying for a baby, like everything else you do, put your complete trust in Allah, as He also tells us in the Qur’an, in the very next verse of Surah al-Hajj, “That is because Allah: He is the Truth, and it is He Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who is Able to do all things”. [22:6]

Reward of Jannah - From “Paradise and Hell”, Sheikh Umar S. al-Ashqar’s chapter on “The Delights of the People of Paradise - The wishes of the People of Paradise”, p294:

Another will wish for a child and Allah (swt), will grant him his wish immediately, and the child will be conceived and born in a hour. Tirmidhi, Ahmad and Ibn Hibaan reported with a saheeh isnaad from Abu Sa’eed that the Prophet (pbuh) said:

“That the believer wish for a child in Paradise, it will be conceived and born and grow to the desired age in an instant” (Saheeh al-Jaami, 6/5. hadith no. 6525).

Dear brother/sister, if you are facing any of the issues mentioned in this post, I know it is so difficult, no words can explain how you feel and what you are going through… family, friends, colleagues, all having children. Although you are genuinely happy for them, it is extremely difficult, as you are reminded everytime you hear someone’s good news or see them, you are reminded yet again of what you don’t have. I tell you, inshaAllah when good news will come, you will never take it for granted.

Take comfort in the fact that Allah will reward you for your patience, your continued struggle. You’ll always be a better parent, as you’d be a better person through continuous self-development through salaat and other acts of ibaadah. You would be an excellent example and role model for your kids, inshaAllah.

References:

• Fortress of the Muslim (Invocations from the Qur’an & Sunnah), Darussalam
• Invocations from the Qur’an and Sunnah (followed by Ar-Ruqiya), Dar Al-Salam

On the web:

• http://www.angelfire.com/la/IslamicView/
• http://muttaqun.com/pregnancy.html
• http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/goto/pregnancy.html

“If you took an epic journey into the life of a man who transformed humanity, what would you discover? What would you unquestionably miss if you did not? Muhammad is not the father of any of you; He is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the Prophets – Qur’an…” Find out more…

AlMaghrib Seminar: Seerah: The Shepherd’s Path

Instructor: Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef

Price: £87

Date and Time: July 25-27 & August 2-3, 2008
Fridays: 7pm-10pm
Sat & Sun: 10am-7pm

Venue: TBA - London

Enroll online!

Moonsighting for Jumada-al-Awwal 1429

“The Astronomical New Moon is on May 5, 2008 (Monday) at 12:18 Universal Time or GMT (i.e., 8:18 am EDT, and 5:18 am PDT). It can only be seen with binoculars/telescope in North America, on May 5. It will be visible all over the world except Australia nad New Zealand on May 6, Insha-Allah. In Australia and New Zealand, it will be visible on May 7.”

Source: Moonsighting.com

Please try and observe the new crescent moon in the western sky after sunset on each of the three or four days following the instant of new moon given above. Observations, both positive and negative, can be submitted at CrescentMoonwatch.org.

Clarification on moonsighting (link courtesy of Masjid Tawhid):

“Shaikh Haitham addresses the issue of moon sighting indicating important events such as Ramadan and Eid. There has been much confusion surrounding the issue and he seeks to clarify the problem and offer advice by using Islamic juristic (fiqhi) and logical arguments.”

Watch the video here.

Abû Hurayrah relates that a man said to the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Counsel me.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Do not get angry.” The man repeated his request many times, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) kept saying: “Do not get angry.”

[ Sahîh al-Bukhârî ]

As-salaamu ‘alaikum!

Everyone gets vexed at some point. I mean everyone. You could say it’s normal human behaviour, given the type of context and situation a person may find themselves in, it’s natural to feel angry. But when does it become a problem? When we display angry behaviour, which can become violent/abusive. But how can we control it?

It is also important to note the severity of the anger; the type that is disproportionate to the issue at hand. For example, whether someone intentionally or unintentionally did/said something wrong to you, or something you didn’t like. So you retaliate with full force and might of your strength, whether verbally or physically - in defence or to punish.

Uncontrolled anger can be detrimental to family relationships, marriage etc. Anyone can get angry, but by displaying your anger outwardly doesn’t make one stronger or macho. It is a weak man/woman who has to resolve to physically and verbally display their anger and take out their frustrations on others, especially if they are innocent.

Generally you can put people under four categories:

1. Quick to anger, slow to recover

2. Slow to anger, slow to recover

3. Quick to anger, quick to recover

4. Slow to anger, quick to recover

As you can see, the worst type is the first one. The type we should build into our character or work towards is the fourth, inshaAllah.

Don’t Lose Hope!

It is human nature to get angry. To get irritated and frustrated. It’s OK to feel what you like, but don’t express it. Don’t outwardly show it, control it, keep it in your heart, then work on removing it completely. Do dhikr, remember Allah, that’s the best thing to do. And don’t forget to breathe! Breathing is important when you’re angry. I watched an episode of Supernanny, and was amazed to see how a simple thing such as breathing can quickly defuse and calm the kids down. Same can be applied to kids and adults alike.

A quick search on the net shows there is a lot of help available, from self-help to professional sessions. Aa’oodhubillaah!, may Allah protect us before it ever gets to that level. There’s actually a lot that can be done through jihad-ul-nafs. Self-help through salaat (prayer) and dhikr (remembrance of Allah). I have listed below links to the best articles I’ve found on the web (in a short space of time).

I have tried to gather some information from an Islamic perspective and the results are below. My intention was not to simply copy and paste into this page, but you provide a list of resources where further information can be obtained.

As a bare minimum, a Muslim should do the following in order to deal anger within oneself, to help keep it under control.

Prayers (Du’a)/Positive actions:

a) Seeking refuge with Allah against Shaitan the accursed (try it several times)

b) Wudhu and/or ghusl (ritual ablution/purification)

c) Nafl (voluntary) salaat (at least 2 rakat)

d) Dhikr (remembrance of Allah), acts as a faith-reinforcement exercise.

e) Keeping silent (time-out!)

It is said that we only hurt the one’s we love most. In reality you are hurting your own soul. Think about what you’re doing, think about the consequences of your actions. Ask Allah for forgiveness, and make peace with the people you’re angry with as soon as possible - even if it’s one-sided.

Check out the links below for details on prayer, techniques and references from Qur’an and Sunnah. Don’t be put off by the number of links/articles and the amount of information. Have a quick browse first, then pick and read the bits that are relevant/interesting to you. Life is too short to be spent in anger, instead, remember Allah and smile

Sources, references and tips to control anger

Islamic links:

• Islam Awareness: some really good articles on the subject
• Anger Management in Islam: Excellent analysis of the problem and its cures
• Anger and Dejection: ends with: We Muslims believe that all our suffering, failures and adversities are nothing but a test from God, who has said that “You will not enter Paradise until you are tested. ” He has also said, “Be sure we will test you with something of fear and hunger, a small loss in wealth and lives and the fruits (of your labours), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere, when afflicted with calamities, to God we belong and to Him shall we return.” (Chapter 2:15, 5-157).
• Anger Management
• IslamOnline.net:
  • Anger: Its Danger and Remedy
  • Tips to Control Anger
  • Anger Management for Families
• Islam QA:
  • How can one avoid getting angry quickly?
  • Dealing with a bad temper
• Controlling Anger, Forgiving Others

Secular links:

• Controlling Anger — Before It Controls You
• Anger Management Online: where there’s a great quote: “Anyone can become angry - that is so easy. But to become angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not so easy.” Aristotle
• Supernanny: When your child is aggressive
  

An Islamic History of Europe -التاريخ الإسلامي في أوروبا

A documentary about the Islamic history in Europe and the effect of the Islamic civilization and sciences on the western civilization.

I watched most of it when it was first shown on BBC (I think it was shown in 3 separate episodes). But I’ve always wanted to watch it from beginning to end, and wondered whether the BBC would sell it on DVD. You can watch it either on YouTube or GoogleVideo (see below).

Running time: 1 hour 28 minutes.

If you enjoyed that or interested in finding out more, check out the 1001 Inventions and Muslim Heritage.

School/madrasa and education projects in need of donations:

• Eden High School
• Books for schools
• Al-Ameen Foundation
• Darul Uloom Islamic High School & College
• More to be added… in the meantime, check out Muslim Directory for a comprehensive list of Muslim Schools. Why not support your local school?

For more info, check out these links:

• Association of Muslim Schools (AMS)
  
• UK Islamic Education WAQF (UKIEW)

BBC NEWS RICE DAY

• A BBC News focus on the impact of steep rises in the price of rice, staple food of 3bn people

• Coverage on radio, TV and online from Bangladesh, India, Philippines, West Africa and California

“Asian countries have been struggling to cope as the cost of rice has reached record levels.” Read more…

“From Ghana in west Africa to the west coast of the US, BBC correspondents around the world examine the impact of steep rises in the price of rice.” Read more…

“Explore the facts and figures behind the rising price of food across the globe.” Read more…

Source: BBC

Other links:

• International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

Islam Expo: 11-14 July 2008 - Olympia London

Check out the official website for full details. Also watch out for the promo on Islam Channel.

As-salaamu ‘alaikum!

From my previous blog entry, I have already indicated I am a fan of both channels and I try to watch at least some programs each day on both channels.

Recently there have been some new and exciting programmes/updates that I have enjoyed very much and and looking forward to.

ISLAM CHANNEL:

Last Sunday (6th April) there was a special programme at 3pm introducing children’s TV programmes on Islam Channel. The company Fine Media Children (FMC) is working with Islam Channel to bring in specially selected kids’ ‘edutainment’ programmes/cartoons geared at teaching the Arabic language.

The initial plan is to show 1 hour every Saturday then inshaAllah roll out to 1 hour daily. From what I’ve seen, there should be something for everyone. I’ve enjoyed most of what I’ve seen and it’s pretty good quality. I like the Arabic cartoons, and the Qur’an/morals stuff. Starting from this Saturday (9am) and I think repeated it on Sundays (2:30pm).

It was also great to see Sheikh Muhammad AlShareef (AlMaghrib) answering questions on IslamiQA He is here for the AlMaghrib Tafsir seminar. I look forward to seeing him in this year’s JIMAS conference, inshaAllah. I really enjoy IslamiQA and like the variety of Sheikhs rather than having just the one or two. Last night they had the Imam Abdul Qayyum of East London Mosque during the evening live phone in show. A few weeks ago they had both Sheikh Tawfique and Sheikh Yasir in the same episode of IslamiQA!

Other really good programmes include: Journey Through the Hereafter with Sheikh Tawfique Chowdhury, The Seerah with Sheikh Yasir Qadhi, Stories of the Prophets by Sheikh Abu Absdisalam, Journey Through the Qur’an with Sheikh Suhaib Hasan.

For more info, check out Islam Channel weekly programme schedule.

Also on Islam Channel:

• A chance to win a trip to Umrah!
• Be an Islam Channel audience member

PEACE TV:

Stories of the Prophets: Fridays/Saturdays, Sheikh Yusuf Estes - brilliant, really awesome.

Markets Change, Principles Don’t (NEW): Every Thursday @ 11:30pm (BST), Dr. Hussain Hamed Hassan

Stories from the Glorious Qur’an (NEW): Every Thursday @ 11:00pm (BST), starting from 17th April

PEACE MISSION (NEW: from last year’s 10-day peace conference) - starting from 12th May (Mon-Sat, 9pm BST). Can’t wait! International Peace Conference held for 10 days continuously from morning 8am to till 8 pm. Various international scholars are participating in it - Dr Bilal Phillips, Yusuf Estes, Hussain Ye, Salem Amry et al. (about 20 world well known scholars, at one place). Over 100,000 people attending! MashaAllah!

Tasters in YouTube and YouTubeIslam.

Journey to Islam - Yusuf Chambers interviewed by Dr. Mohammed Naik

My Choice (reverts speak) - Wednesdays @ 8:00pm (BST)

And almost anything with Dr. Zakir Naik (e.g. Dare to Ask), Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Sheikh Hussain Ye, ! Also watch out for lectures by Sheikh Yasir Qadhi, Yasir Fazagi, Sheikh Abdulla Hakim Quick, AbdurRaheem Green and Siraj Wahhaj.

For more info check out Peace TV English programme listing.

Sadaqah Jaariya:

For a great dawah and on-going charity opportunity, you can sponsor either (or both) TV channels. Please download the forms and send the completed details to the address on their webistes:

• Peace TV: Homepage and standing order form.
• Islam Channel: Donation page and standing order form. Help, keep Islam Channel free - join the dawah project and voluntarily subscribe.

Both channels combined are reaching millions of people around the world. MashaAllah!