BEWARE OF FAKE MUSLIMS ESPECIALLY IN THE WEST: THEY ARE SPYING ON YOU!

BEWARE OF FAKE MUSLIMS ESPECIALLY IN THE WESTERN COUNTRIES: THEY ARE SPYING ON YOU!

      War against Islam, War on Islam or Attack on Islam, is a coined term to describe a perceived campaign to harm, weaken or annihilate the societal system of Islam, using military, economic, social and cultural means. The campaign is alleged to be waged by non-Muslims and fake Muslims.

        The alleged perpetrators of the war include Western powers (especially the United States with its “War on Terror”), pro-Western Muslim states, and non-Western, non-Muslim states such as Serbia (Genocide in Bosnia), Russia (for its actions in Chechnya and the Caucasus in general), and India (for the conflict in Kashmir) as well as Myanmar (Rohingya Muslim Genocide in Arakan).

REMINDER FOR ALL MUSLIMS: "KEEPING STRONG FAITH DURING TOUGH TIMES"

 بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful 

Keeping strong faith during tough times

During hardships and calamities, it is natural to get swept away by the affliction of the moment. During such trials of faith, unless we are careful, Satan can inject fear and plant doubts in our hearts and minds. Our beliefs in such vulnerable states may become overpowered by feelings of the moment resulting in the dwindling of our faith. Some of us start questioning the fairness and wisdom underlying such divine decisions while others get mired in a blame game. All in all, we may find ourselves lost, helpless, and stalled finding it difficult to gather ourselves and move forward.

For such situations specifically and others in general, Islam teaches us to stay in control by hanging on to the Mercy and Grace of Allah. We pray that Allah keeps us safe from the challenges and trials of life, but as Muslims we should know and understand Quran’s message and the prophet’s guidance for handling tough moments in life. The following summarizes some of the key guidance related to this matter.

ISLAM RECOMMENDS A UNITED AND MUTUALLY HELPFUL SOCIETY IN THE WORLD

RESPONDING TO THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST INCLUDING THE EGYPTIAN CASE: ISLAM RECOMMENDS A UNITED AND MUTUALLY HELPFUL SOCIETY IN THE WORLD
 
by Syarif Hidayat*

       What is Islam? It’s certainly not a social or political regime. So what exactly is it? Islam has been revealed to us for a purpose: for man to identify himself according to the mechanics of existence and the universe, and for man to unveil the prime attributes from his true essence.
       The holographic reality states that all that is present throughout the Universe also exists within the human mind. Islam provides the realization that the path for man to reach his creator is through his own mind… Islam provides you with the system and mechanics to reach your creator, to unleash the true potential within. Islam was revealed to you, FOR you.

ISLAM AND THE WESTERN WORLD: ISLAMOPHOBIA AND THE RISING NUMBER OF WHITES CONVERSION TO ISLAM (2)

ISLAM AND THE WESTERN WORLD: ISLAMOPHOBIA AND THE RISING NUMBER OF WHITES CONVERSION TO ISLAM (2)

by Syarif Hidayat

 Study indicates more Britons are converting to Islam

Despite there are Islamophobia, anti-Muslim and anti-Islam bigotry in  the western world, a new study found that the number of Britons converting to Islam is growing, a London-based newspaper. The Independent newspaper said that the estimated number of British converts has always been difficult to count because “census data does not differentiate between a religious person that has adopted a new faith or was born into it.” According to a new study by the inter-faith think tank Faith Matters, the real figure could be as high as 100,000, with as many as 5,000 new conversions nationwide each year. Previous estimates have placed the number of Muslim converts in the UK at between 14,000 and 25,000.

ISLAM AND THE WESTERN WORLD: ISLAMOPHOBIA AND THE RISING NUMBER OF WHITES CONVERSION TO ISLAM (1)

ISLAM AND THE WESTERN WORLD: ISLAMOPHOBIA AND THE RISING NUMBER OF WHITES CONVERSION TO ISLAM (1)
 
by Syarif Hidayat

       Islam is the fastest growing religion in the West. Nevertheless, the West has many stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam that are due to: the media, Prejudice, and Ignorance. Islam is often looked upon as a “extremist”, “terrorist”, or “fundamental” religion. Many people hate Islam and do not want to acknowledge its true teachings.
       In many cases, the media’s reports about Islam are incorrect due to ignorance. This is one of the reasons why the West often hates Islam.  In contrast to what many Westerners think of Islam, Islam is a peaceful religion, which does not promote any injustice or crime. Stereotypes about Islam are not new to Western culture. Problems can be traced back 1400 years. At that time, Islam and Christianity were involved in the Crusades in the 1100’s and in the Ottoman and Moorish control in Europe. Islam spread quickly to the West, and started to threaten the position of the Christian Church and the ruling class.
         The Western elites, mainly the governments and the churches, then became highly involved in seeing that negative images were presented about Islam. As a result, not only were battles fought against Islam, but also a war of words was initiated to make sure that Islam would not have any converts or sympathizers in the West. These kinds of actions and feelings that the West had long ago still seem to be the case in the West today.

‘HARDLINE BUDDHISTS’ THREATEN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH ASIA

 ‘HARDLINE BUDDHISTS’ THREATEN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH ASIA: BURMA AND SRI LANKA

by Syarif Hidayat

       Being “peaceful” or “humble” (as claimed by their biased supporters) is a far cry concerning the Sri Lankan and Burmese Buddhists. Their vindictive temperament prowls for vendetta, waiting to use even the most insignificant occurrence as an excuse to perpetrate violence on Burmese and Sri Lankan Muslims.

       At any time, if there’s some ethnic disturbance between Muslims and Buddhists/Hindus in any other country, the Sri Lankan and Burmese Buddhists waste no time going on a murderous spry killing the Muslim minority in Burma and Sri Lanka.

WHAT TO DO BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER EID UL-FITR

What to do before, during, and after Eid ul-Fitr
by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (edited by Bilal Ali)

Shawwal is the first of the three months named Ashhur al-Hajj (the months of hajj). Although the major acts of hajj are normally performed on the first ten days of Dhu ‘l-Hijjah, yet the whole period starting from the first of Shawwal up to the 10th of Dhu ‘l-Hijjah is held to be the period of hajj because some acts of hajj can be performed any time during this period. For example, the tawaf al-qudum followed by the sa’i of hajj, althoughimpermissible before Shawwal can be performed any day after Shawwal begins. Similarly, an ‘umrah performed before Shawwal cannot be treated as an ‘umrah of tamattu‘ while an ‘umrah performed in Shawwal can be affiliated with the hajj, making it a hajj of tamattu‘.Moreover, the ihram of hajj is considered undesirable before Shawwal.For these reasons, amongst others, the three months that follow Ramadan have been named the “months of hajj” and the month of Shawwal has the distinction of being the first of these months.

MAKE SALAWAT ON PROPHET PBUH AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

Make Salawat on Prophet as much as you can
by Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani ‘r-rajim. Bismillahi ‘r-Rahmaani ‘r-Raheem. Dastoor yaa Sayyidee, madad. Dastoor yaa awliyaullah, madad. Madad yaa Rasoolullah, yaa Rahmatan lil-`alameen!

Abu Hurayrah (r) narrated from the Prophet (s):

(كل أمر ذي بال لا يبدأ فيه ببسم الله الرحمن الرحيم فهو أقطع أو (فهو ابتر

kullu amrin dhi baalin la yabtada bi Bismillahi ‘r-Rahmani ‘r-Raheem fa huwa aqta` aw fahuwa abtar.

To act on any matter that comes to your mind that does not begin with “Bismillahi ‘r-Rahmani ‘r-Raheem” is cut off.

IKLAS (SINCERETY) ITS REALITY, ACQUISITION AND THE NECESSITY OF SINCERETY IN DEEDS

Sincerity its reality and aquisition
by islaam.org

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. 
Allah Ta’ala (Most High) says:

“Verily, the Mu’mineen (Believers) are those who believe in Allah, and His Rasul. Thereafter they have no doubt and they strive in the Path of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Assuredly, they are the Saadiqoon (the sincere/truthful ones).” (Quran 49:15)

The following is narrated in the Hadith Shareef:

“The Prophet (peace be upon him) passed by Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) while he was reviling some of his slaves. The Prophet (peace be upon him) turned towards him and said: “(There are) those People who curse, and those who are sincere/truthful!” Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) said, “I shall never repeat it.”

EID UL FITR CELEBRATION (END OF RAMADAN FESTIVAL) IS A DAY OF THANKSGIVING TO ALLAH (SWT)

EID UL FITR CELEBRATION (END OF RAMADAN FESTIVAL): EID FITR IS A DAY OF THANKSGIVING TO ALLAH (SWT)

by Syarif Hidayat

        Muslims around the world celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, the End of Ramadan Fasting Month Festival on Thursday, August 8, 2013 (1 Shaw’wal, 1434H).  EID-UL-FITR is celebrated on the first day of Shaw'waal, at the completion of Ramadan. Shaw'waal is the 10th month of the Islamic calendar. The Eid-ul-Fitr is a very joyous day; it is a true Thanksgiving Day for the believing men and women. On this day Muslims show their real joy for the health, strength and the opportunities of life, which Allah has given to them to fulfill their obligation of fasting and other good deeds during the blessed month of Ramadan.

I'TIKAF - "THE SPIRITUAL RETREAT"

I'tikaf - "The Spiritual Retreat" in order our hearts get attached to Allah SWT

by E Islam

The basic purpose of I’tikâf is that the heart gets attached to Allâh and, with it, one attains inner composure and equanimity and pre‑occupation with the mundane things of life ceases and absorption in the eternal Reality takes its place, and the state is reached in which all fears, hopes and apprehensions are superseded by the love and remembrance of Allâh, every anxiety is transformed into the anxiety for Him and every thought and feeling is blended with the eagerness to gain His nearness and to earn His good favour, and devotion to the Almighty is generated instead of devotion to the world and it becomes the provision for the grave where there will be neither a friend nor a helper. This is the high aim and purpose of I’tikâf which is the speciality of the most sublime part of Ramadhân, i.e., the last ten days.

UK REVERTS SHINE AT MUSLIM NOW RETREAT

UK reverts shine at the Muslim Now retreat

by Amal Stapley

Before I came to Islam, I was surrounded by Muslims who were encouraging me to say my Shahadah.

When I finally did take the step they were overjoyed, but when I asked them to tell me more about the deen they all started to fade into the background.

They said that they didn’t know enough about Islam to help me on my journey.

So I had to hunt around for somewhere to go where I could learn the foundations of Islam to help me put my new-found fledgling faith into practice.

My quest took me on a very long journey to many different sources and eventually to many different countries, and eventually back home to the UK.
But it was only recently that I came across an amazing Retreat for New Muslims. Muslim Now, a branch of iERA (Islamic Education and Research Academy) that was established to provide support for new Muslims in the first couple of years of their journey, is now holding two of these Retreats a year.

REVERTS: IS IT BETTER TO LIVE IN A MUSLIM COUNTRY?

Reverts: Is it better to live in a Muslim country?

by Aya Timea

Do you dream of living in a Muslim country?

Do you get tired of fighting with your family and friends to accept you as a Muslim?

Wish you to live in a land where you hear the beautiful sound of Adhan (call to prayer) five times a day, everybody welcomes you with salam aleikom and everybody is just tremendously happy that you chose the path of Islam instead of living in the West?

Well, I did. And I moved.

That is why I want to share my experiences with you, to let you know how I see life as a reverted Muslimah coming from the heart of Eastern-Europe and now living in the land of the Nile, in a city which never sleeps: in the adventurous Cairo.

REVERTS: HEROES OR SOCIAL MISFITS?

Reverts: Heroes or Social Misfits?

by Lauren Booth*

‘Mum I’m a Muslim’.

This statement falls from your lips.

Then you watch, heart pounding, as your mother, the one who gave birth to you, who knows you inside and out, struggles to put words to her horror – that you have suddenly joined the most pilloried faith in the modern world.

Despite the fact that before taking my Shahadah I had spent half a decade traveling the Muslim world, my mum was still shocked. She had never expected me (‘of all people’), her Jack Daniels drinking, low neckline wearing, foul mouthed, eldest daughter, to embrace something so ‘puritanical’.

All credit to my mum though. Despite her silent horror, she has (with bitten lip) for the past three years, worked hard at accepting that Islam has entered her family from this most unexpected direction.

THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN IS THE PERFECT TIME TO PROMOTE ISLAM

THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN IS THE PERFECT TIME TO PROMOTE ISLAM - MUSLIMS ARE ENCOURAGED TO OPEN  THEIR DOORS TO NON-MUSLIM NEIGHBORS

by Syarif Hidayat

         The holy month of Ramadan is the perfect time of the year to promote Islam. That is why Muslims are encouraged to share the Ramadan spirit with the non Muslim friends and neighbors by taking part in an initiative aimed at breaking down barriers and fostering a sense of good relationship and good neighborliness between Muslims and non-Muslims in the communities, especially in the non-Muslim majority countries like those in the West.

        Islam is a beautiful religion, full of wisdom and harmony.   If this wonderful religion is followed properly then a typical Muslim would only be a great example to follow. You might believe this or not! But good manners are the best form of Da’wah. If we ask ourselves, what if a person was walking around calling people to Islam and to worship the one true God yet he have no manners at all, will anyone follow him? Or even listen tohim? The answer must be No, for sure.

CHINA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT BANS ITS CITIZENS FROM PERFORMING RAMADAN FASTING

THE COMMUNIST CHINA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD THAT BANS ITS CITIZENS FROM PERFORMING FASTING IN THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN

by Syarif Hidayat

        While the Christian majority countries in the West and the other non-Muslim countries around the world give their Muslim citizens freedom to perform fasting in the holy month of Ramadan and observe the other  religious rites, the Communist China is the only country on this planet that bans its citizens from fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

       It’s not exactly breaking news that China has serious issues with freedom of religion and as an officially Atheist state is often very repressive against those observing religious rites. China has once again leveled restrictions on the persecuted Uighurs when it comes to practicing Ramadan. Unlike millions of Muslims around the world, Uighur students returning for summer vacations in northwestern China are banned from fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

DURING RAMADAN, MUSLIMS CALLED TO RE-EVALUATE LIVES IN LIGHT OF ISLAMIC GUIDANCE

DURING RAMADAN, MUSLIMS ARE CALLED TO RE-EVALUATE LIVES IN LIGHT OF ISLAMIC GUIDANCE

 

by Syarif Hidayat

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِڪُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ (١٨٣) أَيَّامً۬ا مَّعۡدُودَٲتٍ۬‌ۚ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ۬ فَعِدَّةٌ۬ مِّنۡ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ‌ۚ وَعَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ ۥ فِدۡيَةٌ۬ طَعَامُ مِسۡكِينٍ۬‌ۖ فَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيۡرً۬ا فَهُوَ خَيۡرٌ۬ لَّهُ ۥ‌ۚ وَأَن تَصُومُواْ خَيۡرٌ۬ لَّڪُمۡ‌ۖ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ (١٨٤)

      


          In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Allah SWT says in Al Qur’an:  “O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious ). [Observing Saum (fasts)] for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days. And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskîn (poor person) (for every day). But whoever does good of his own accord, it is better for him. And that you fast, is better for you if only you know.” (Al Qur’an, Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 183-184)

DESPITE ISLAMOPHOBIA, ISLAM IS THE FASTEST GROWING RELIGION IN THE WEST

DESPITE ISLAMOPHOBIA, ISLAM IS THE FASTEST GROWING RELIGION IN THE WEST

by Syarif Hidayat

         Despite Islamophobia is still prevailing strongly in the Western world, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the West especially in the United Kingdom and the United States. The increase of the conversion to Islam is one the results of post-9/11 curiosity. The 9/11 tragedy has triggered more curiosity among western people especially Americans to study more about Islam.

        In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.  The Almighty God Allah SWT says in Al Qur’an: "O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islâm (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islâmic religion) and follow not the footsteps of Shaitân (Satan). Verily! He is to you a plain enemy. Then if you slide back after the clear signs (Prophet Muhammad SAW and this Qur'ân, and Islâm) have come to you, then know that Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” - (Al Qur’an, Surah Al-Baqara, Verses 208- 209)

WELCOME O RAMADAN – THE MONTH FULL OF GOODNESS, PIETY AND BENEFITS

WELCOME O RAMADAN : AS MUSLIMS, WE SHOULD BE READY FOR THE HOLY MONTH FULL OF GOODNESS, PIETY AND BENEFITS

by Syarif Hidayat

        Marhaban Ya Ramadhan! (Welcome O Ramadan!), as Muslims, we should be ready for the holy month of Ramadan, the month of goodness and piety and the month that is full of benefits.

         Allah SWT says in Al Qur’an: “O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious).” (Al Qur’an, Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 183)