~Intifaada's Blog~

~Palestine~

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 11:09:00 +0000

*~~~Palestine~~~*

The blessed land of Al-Quds,

Humanity has let you down,

While we live in peace and tranquility,

In abject misery we have let you drown.

*~~~*

Your land stolen by colonialists,

To assuage their collective guilt.

If they were seeking redemption,

The land of Israel on their shores could they have built.

*~~~*

Al-Quds was once a land,

Of olive groves where shepherds roamed,

Where people of the Book,

With tolerance they made their homes.

*~~~*

Where children once grew up,

Without witnessing the horrors of unjust wars.

Where Zionists with tanks and drones,

Did not demolish your ancestral homes.

*~~~*

For a people, who were once subject to hate and oppression,

To show such contempt and disdain for human life.

To hope their hearts would be filled with compassion,

Yet their legacy is atrocity and strife.

*~~~*

How many illegal settlements and imprisoning walls must they build?

Which of your resources must they steal and divert?

For nations to wake from their slumber,

And within their hearts feel your pain and hurt?

*~~~*

Oh people of Palestine,

The ummah has let you down.

Our rulers impotent and emasculated by their apathy,

Sit on thrones adorned in jewels and crowns.

*~~~*

How many Palestinians must die?

How many mosques and homes must burn?

For the tyrants and their cronies,

To show an ounce of concern?

*~~~*

Oh noble people of Palestine,

I salute your strength and defiance!

No other people would endure with dignity and grace,

Such disproportionate violence.

*~~~*

They may imprison a whole nation,

They may murder your daughters and sons.

But your hearts and ideas cannot be caged,

By any army and their arsenal of tanks and guns.

Free, Free Palestine!

*~~~MSK~~~*

Ramadan Message from Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 10:16:00 +0000

A Ramadan Reader: A Comprehensive Answers Guide to Getting the Most Out of Ramadan

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:11:00 +0000

It’s time to prepare for Ramadan

Another year has quickly gone by, and by the grace and mercy of Allah (swt) we get to experience Ramadan 1434. The month of Ramadan is a source of great blessing, with many opportunities to be thankful for.

*~~~~~~~~~~*

Abu Bakr b. al-Warraq al-Balkhi said: “Rajab is the month to sow the seeds; Sha’ban is the month to irrigate the crop; and Ramadan is the month to reap the harvest.”

*~~~~~~~~~~*

SeekersGuidance, a non-profit Islamic educational portal, makes sound knowledge from reliable scholars available anywhere, at any time, through online courses, on-the-ground seminars, engaging and inspiring Islamic media and direct access to scholars through their Answers service.

In order to benefit you, knowledge must be sound, relevant and accessible. SeekersGuidance are therefore dedicated to helping you to apply the mainstream, traditional understanding of Islam in your day-to-day life.

SeekersGuidance was established to fulfill the communal obligation (fard kifaya) of cultivating individuals and communities through the spread of knowledge. They take this obligation seriously. It is their goal to reach all segments of the Muslim community, excluding no one, and to operate on a large enough scale that any who wish to learn will have the opportunity.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The strong believer is more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although there is good in both. Be avid for all that benefits.” For those avid for the benefits of learning their deen, SeekersGuidance is there.

Take advantage of and register for the Free Ramadan Course that SeekersGuidance have made available and enter the blessed month of Ramadan with the best of preparation.

Further resources are available here: A Ramadan Reader: A Comprehensive Answers Guide to Getting the Most Out of Ramadan

and here: The Blessings of Ramadan - by Imam Zaid Shakir

The reaction to the Woolwich murder denies British Muslims a political voice

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Tue, 28 May 2013 15:48:00 +0000

Rachel Shabi argues that denying the right to discuss British foreign policy in the wake of the horrific murder in Woolwich is short-sighted and dangerous.

Rachel Shabi has written extensively on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Middle East. Her award-winning book, Not the Enemy: Israel's Jews from Arab Lands, was published in 2009. She received the International Media Awards Cutting Edge prize in 2013, the Anna Lindh Journalism Award for reporting across cultures in 2011, and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize the same year. She tweets @rachshabi

The following article was published on The Guardian's website.

*~~~*

This debate isn't just sealed shut, it has round-the-clock protection. In the context of the Woolwich killers, there is to be no connection made to British foreign policy in the Middle East. That, we are told, is because the link is erroneous, an attempt to justify (as opposed to just understand), and an appeasement to terrorists. Oh, and also: those making the link only do so because of a tedious tendency to blame the west for everything.

All that's bad enough, but British Muslims also say that, for them, making this connection is even harder because of the fear that, despite being just as worried about the issue as anyone else, they will be viewed as having somehow stepped on to a conveyor belt that leads inexorably to violent extremism.

It is no surprise that those policing this closed debate should be politicians and the defenders of a disastrous series of invasions in the Middle East – for who would want to claim that the very policies they deployed or supported are the ones that even partly account for blowback terror? British politicians avoid saying it even as their own security officials warn that foreign policy in places such as Iraq has created a greater risk of terrorism on British soil. And meanwhile, the fact that violent extremists all cite the same thing – occupation and wars in Muslim lands – is hastily dismissed as a crazed coincidence.

Of course, only a really tiny proportion of this anger actually turns violent – but to stifle a discussion over any element of causality is essentially to dismiss the reasons why people might be confused, outraged or frustrated by Britain's foreign policy in the first place. And the anger over western policy is obvious; its causes both real and palpable. Corrosive, hypocritical western policy is one key subject that is constantly raised in conversations across the Middle East. There's the long-standing dishonesty in the way the west in effect endorses Israel's continued military occupation of the Palestinian people.

There's the agonising, deadly aftermath of the illegal invasion of Iraq, a nation that continues to bleed 10 years later. There is the occupation and lack of security in Afghanistan, the country that was meant to be freed from oppression by a western offensive. There's the constant reality of drone warfare, which continues to maim and kill civilians in Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan. And there is the constant, burning question: why are these deaths, these tragedies acceptable, while others aren't? So we know about and can understand the anger over British foreign policy because, bluntly, we have eyes and ears.

But the reluctance to discuss these issues now, in the aftermath of the horrific murder in Woolwich, isn't just blind – it is also profoundly dangerous. If violent, supposedly religious extremists use the justifiable frustration over foreign policy as the bait with which to lure followers, we are potentially handing them new recruits on a plate if we don't talk about these issues honestly, in the open. Legitimate anger that is both unacknowledged and unheard is one of the various ingredients that fundamentalist violence seeks to exploit.

And yet, British Muslims seem actively encouraged not to discuss British foreign policy – human rights issues such as Palestinian solidarity, or the war on Iraq, or opposition to drone strikes: issues that are obviously supported by the wider population, too. Projects that were supposed to foster inclusion, such as the past government's widely criticised Prevent scheme, would routinely glide over foreign policy, thereby squashing any healthy space for genuine concerns to be aired.

Those with experience of such schemes say that the Home Office deemed one potential "indicator" of violent extremism to be an interest in Palestine or Afghanistan – which is one reason why young, politically aware Muslims were worried about participating in such "inclusion" schemes, for fear of being placed on a watchlist (Those fears were real; Prevent schemes were used for surveillance. As a result of this approach, initiatives seeking to grow inclusion had the counterproductive effect of alienating some of the very people that might have been considered at risk of becoming marginalised and vulnerable.

Obviously, foreign policy is not the only factor, but the refusal to engage with it is part of a wider narrative over how to deal with extremism, one that places responsibility solely with Britain's Muslim communities. Now, with the launch of a new "anti-terror task force", one Muslim organisation head told me that it looks like we're "back to square one; you Muslims deal with it". It is in line with a painfully ironic theme seemingly intoned by politicians and media alike: that Muslim communities must integrate – but must do so on their own. They must do so while national newspapers still make distinctions between "Brits" and "foreign-born people".

And they must do so in a climate of rising Islamophobia and violent attacks against Muslims, all fuelled by a casually racist media that has framed Muslims in a positive light in only 2% of articles between 2000 and 2008 (and just yesterday, The Sun's Trevor Kavanagh unhelpfully equated Islam with guns).

Meanwhile, the government still underplays the violent extremism of far-right groups such as the English Defence League, whose sympathisers were involved in 40% of attacks on Muslims in Britain last year, according to the Tell Mama (measuring anti-Muslim attacks) project.

Shocking violence of the sort we saw in Woolwich last week isn't a Muslim problem: it is a collective problem. We can only begin to tackle it if we collectively address its causes – and part of that must involve listening to people even when you don't like what they're saying, and hearing complaints about foreign policy without branding those with genuine concerns as apologists for inexcusable, extremist violence

More of Rachel's articles can be found here: The Guardian - Rachel Shabi

Reaction to Woolwich - Russell Brand

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Tue, 28 May 2013 15:07:00 +0000

I know what you're thinking, "What's an article by Russell Brand doing on your blog?!" For a moment put aside your image of the eccentric, new-age, manic personality that you've seen on TV and remember the idiom "Never judge a book by it's cover"!

The following post was published on Russell's website. Although the English comedian, actor and author is known for his eccentric and sometimes controversial personality he has written an interesting article in relation the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich. The article gives a balanced and articulate answer to those who seek to use the tragic and sad events to sow division within society. Perhaps there is some truth in the saying that, "Artists are the gatekeepers of truth".

*~~~*

Woolwich
May 25th, 2013

The news cycle moves so quickly now that often we learn of an event through other people’s reaction to it. So it was when I arrived in Los Angeles to find my twitter feed contorted with posts of fear and confusion.

I caught up with the sad malice in Woolwich and felt compelled to tweet in casual defense of the Muslim community who were being haphazardly condemned by a few people on my time line. Perhaps a bit glibly (but what isn’t glib in 140 characters) I put “That bloke is a nut. A nut who happens to be Muslim. Blaming Muslims for this is like blaming Hitler’s moustache for the Holocaust”.

As an analogy it is imperfect but I was frightened by how negative and incendiary the mood felt and I rushed. I’m not proposing we sit around trying to summons up cute analogies when Lee Rigby has lost his life in horrific circumstances I simply feel that it is important that our reaction is measured. Something about the arbitrary brutality, the humdrum high-street setting, the cool rhetoric of the blood stained murderer evoke a powerful and inherently irrational response. When I first heard the word “beheading” I felt the atavistic grumble that we all feel. This is inhumane, taboo, not a result of passion but of malice, ritualistic. “If this is happening to guiltless men on our streets it could happen to me” I thought.

Then I watched the mobile phone clip. In spite of his dispassionate intoning the subject is not rational, of course he’s not rational, he’s just murdered a stranger in the street, he says, because of a book.

In my view that man is severely mentally ill and has found a convenient conduit for his insanity, in this case the Quran. In the case of another mentally ill and desperate man, Mark Chapman, it was A Catcher In The Rye. This was the nominated text for his rationalisation of the murder of John Lennon. I’ve read that book and I’ve read some of the Quran and nothing in either of them has compelled me to do violence. Perhaps this is because I lack the other necessary ingredients for extreme anti social behaviour; mental illness and isolation; either economic, social or both.

After my Hitler tweet I got involved in a bit of back and forth with a few people who said stuff like “the murderer said himself he did it for Islam”. Although I wouldn’t dismiss what he’s saying entirely I think he forfeited the right to have his views received unthinkingly when he murdered a stranger in the street. Someone else regarding my tweet said “Hitler’s moustache didn’t invent an ideology that sanctions murder”. That is thankfully true but Islam when practiced by normal people is not an advocacy for violence. “People all over the world are killing in the name of Islam” someone added. This is the most tricky bit to understand. What I think is that all over our country, all over our planet there are huge numbers of people who feel alienated and sometimes victimised by the privileged and the powerful, whether that’s rich people, powerful corporations or occupying nations. They feel that their interests are not being represented and, in many cases, know that their friends and families are being murdered by foreign soldiers. I suppose people like that may look to their indigenous theology for validation and to sanctify their, to some degree understandable, feelings of rage.

Comparable, I suppose to the way that homophobes feel a prejudicial pang in their tummies then look to the bible to see if there’s anything in there to justify it. There is, a piddling little bit in Leviticus. The main narrative thrust of The Bible though, like most spiritual texts, including the Quran is; be nice to each other because we’re all the same.

When some football fans smash up shops and beat each other up that isn’t because of football or football clubs. It’s because loads of white, working class men have been culturally neglected and their powerful tribal instincts end up getting sloshed about in riotous lager carnivals. I love football, I love West Ham, I’ve never been involved in football violence because I don’t feel that it’s my only access to social power. Also I’m not that hard and I’m worried I’d get my head kicked in down the New Den.

What the English Defence League and other angry, confused people are doing and advocating now, violence against mosques, Muslims, proliferation of hateful rhetoric is exactly what that poor, sick, murderous man, blood soaked on a peaceful street, was hoping for in his desperate, muddled mind.

The extremists on both sides have a shared agenda; cause division, distrust, anger and violence. Both sides have the same intention. We cannot allow them to distort our perception.

The establishment too is relatively happy when different groups of desperate people point the finger at each other because it prevents blame being correctly directed at them. Whenever we are looking for the solution to a problem we must identify who has power. By power I mean influence and money. The answer is not for us to move further from one another, crouched in opposing fortresses constructed from vindictive words. We need now to move closer to one another, to understand one another. If we can take anything heartening from this dreadful attack it is of course the actions of the three women, it’s always women, that boldly guarded Lee Rigby’s body as he lay needlessly murdered. These women looked beyond the fear and chaos and desperation and attuned instead to a higher code. One of virtue, integrity and strength.

To truly demonstrate defiance in the face of this sad violence, we must be loving and compassionate to one another. Let’s look beyond our superficial and fleeting differences. The murderers want angry patriots to desecrate mosques and perpetuate violence. How futile their actions seem if we instead leave flowers at each other’s places of worship. Let’s reach out in the spirit of love and humanity and connect to one another, perhaps we will then see what is really behind this conflict, this division, this hatred and make that our focus.

Woolwich Attack - Comment

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Sun, 26 May 2013 21:24:00 +0000

Woolwich attack: MI5 'offered job to suspect' says friend

The shocking murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich has been deeply troubling and Muslims wholeheartedly condemn these abhorrent acts. There is no validity or justification in the teachings of Islam and the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) for indiscriminate and cold-blooded murder. Kindness and compassion without limitations is an Attribute of Allah (swt), Allah is "ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim", He is merciful to both disbelievers and believers. This mercy was manifested in its purest form by our beloved Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) and there are many narrations which exemplify this. An oft quoted hadeeth states: "God is kind and likes kindness in all things" (Bukhari 6601).

We live in testing and difficult times and these events have only given the opponents of Islam fuel with which to further inflame the climate of fear that has been created.

As Muslims we will witness our faith being demonised once again and portrayed as a violent, anti-western ideology. There has been an alarming rise in anti-Muslim attacks both physical, verbal and through the social media and Muslims in general but particularly reverts may feel antagonism from family and friends who are not Muslim.

Undoubtedly the Muslim community has to seriously think about how it educates and supports not only those newly entered into the faith but also Muslims by birth; knowledge is the key, for a knowledgeable person does not make a fool of himself nor his faith. We must be informed as to our Islamic rights and obligations when living in a non-Muslim environment, so that we can rebut malicious untruths that are spread in the media and so that we reflect the true teachings of "mainstream" Islam in a logical and coherent manner. The West's stereotypical image of a Muslim is one of angry, banner waiving men and women with contorted faces shouting "Death to the West". We must counter these stereotypes through our acts and deeds in order to portray the true beauty of our faith, a faith that brings peace and tranquility to our daily lives.

We must also be mindful of the fact that we cannot trust the media as being impartial and non-partisan. The labeling of the incident in Woolwich as a "terrorist" act is totally unfounded and unjustified. These were the actions of misguided individuals and not that of an organised group. Indeed recent reports of MI5's knowledge and efforts to recruit one of the individuals and his mistreatment whilst on a recent visit to Kenya brings into question whether we will ever know the entirety of this story.

Articles related to the Woolwich attack:

Hamza Yusuf: Start Practicing or Stop Pretending

BBC : Woolwich attack: MI5 'offered job to suspect'

New Statesman: Woolwich terror attack: Muslims shouldn't have to distance themselves

After Woolwich: how the media got it wrong and how the public can get it right

Woolwich deserves better than the attention of murderers and EDL racists

Wideshut: Woolwich Attack: Hysteria, Exploitation and Blowback

Support the People of Syria - Imam Zaid Shakir

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Sun, 26 May 2013 20:28:00 +0000

BRICUP - British Committee for the Universities of Palestine

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Sun, 26 May 2013 19:23:00 +0000

BRICUP is an organisation of UK based academics, set up in response to the Palestinian Call for Academic Boycott. Its twin missions are:

- to support Palestinian universities, staff and students.

- to oppose the continued illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands with its concomitant breaches of international conventions of human rights, its refusal to accept UN resolutions or rulings of the International Court, and its persistent suppression of Palestinian academic freedom.

The construction of the Israeli wall across and through Palestinian land in flagrant violation of the rulings of the International Court and despite international condemnation, notably from the EU, is making everyday life, to say nothing of teaching and research, ever more difficult for our Palestinian colleagues.

In response to these continued acts of oppression, there have been international calls for sanctions against Israel and boycotts of Israeli institutions. Trade Unions, including AUT and NATFHE, now united as UCU, have endorsed such calls, as have a number of MPs (ref 1 below) and MEPS (ref 2 below).

We recognise that there are a number of courageous individual Israeli academics who are openly critical of their country's policies, who support their Palestinian academic colleagues and who work with the peace movement. We pay tribute to such individual academic colleagues of conscience and stand in solidarity with them. However, they are few (3) in number (less than 1%), and institutionally, Israeli universities are at worst active supporters of Israeli state policy, at best in passive compliance with it. BRICUP therefore supports these growing calls for an academic boycott of Israeli institutions until such time as a just peace is negotiated.

Especially in the current climate of rising Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, boycott is among the clearest and least violent forms of action in resisting occupation and injustice at an international level. An academic boycott is a weapon to be used selectively and only under clearly defined conditions (4).

At this stage of the long struggle for Palestinian self determination, an academic boycott is both a personal and a collective act made in solidarity with our Palestinian colleagues whose academic freedom is currently denied. By supporting this important sector of Palestinian civil society BRICUP seeks to help foster a non-violent and just solution in this troubled region.

As in the case of South Africa, it will be a long haul from ethical acts of solidarity to full UN-administered economic cultural and academic sanctions. The comparison with the anti-Apartheid movement and the need for pressure from international civil society – specifically from universities - has been made by leading ANC figures and also Archbishop Desmond Tutu (5).

History

BRICUP also stands against the smearing of critics of Israeli state policy as ‘anti-semites' or ‘self-hating Jews.'

Indeed, Israel has sought to convince the world that it is supported unconditionally by world Jewry; however this claim is under renewed challenge. Within Europe the international organisation of European Jews for a Just Peace and within the US the call for university disinvestment initiated by Jewish academics say ‘not in our name'.

Indeed It should be remembered that trenchant criticism of Israel by leading Jewish intellectuals accompanied the brutal founding of the Israeli State. In 1948 Albert Einstein, Sidney Hook, and Hannah Arendt, amongst others, published a letter in the New York Times (6) comparing Menachem Begin and his Herut /Freedom/ Likud Party to the Nazi and Fascist parties.

Nor did this critical tradition retreat quickly. In 1958 Martin Buber compared the philosophy behind Zionist/Israeli statism and nationalism (as against Jewish migration) and the expulsion of the Palestinians and refusal of their return (which today we would call ethnic cleansing) as something learned from Adolf Hitler (7).

In this spirit, BRICUP calls for honest forthright criticism by all of Israeli state crimes.

References from above:

(1) Gerald Kaufman, amongst others, has called for sanctions

(2) notably Caroline Lucas, of the Greens

(3) according to the distinguished Israeli historian, Professor Ilan Pappe

(4)see for example Sir Patrick Bateson, FRS, Index on Censorship, September 2002

(5) Middle East Research and Information Project, summer 2002

(6)New York Times, December 2 nd 1948

(7)Old Zionism and Modern Israel, Jewish Newsletter 14, June 2 nd 1958

The above text has been taken from the BRICUP website: www.bricup.org.uk

To read more, download the pamphlet "Why Boycott Israeli Universities" from the link below:

Deen Intensive Foundation, Rihla 2013/1434 - Konya, Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:27:00 +0000

Living Islam

The 2013 Rihla Program will continue its tradition of providing participants enrichment through a unique multidimensional summer intensive. Combining dependable, relevant education and dedicated devotional time in a spiritually inspiring historic setting, the Rihla program will provide a holistic experience to those seriously striving to learn their religion.

The majority of this year’s curriculum is comprised of the fard ‘ayn, material which must be learned by every Muslim as a required religious duty. Equally as important, students will be given the tools and applied knowledge to take Islam beyond the classroom and implement it immediately in their everyday lives. Courses will cover essential Muslim creed (‘aqidah), which grounds a believer’s faith by knowing the attributes of both God and His prophets. Various courses in the sacred law (fiqh) will ensure students are well versed in the particulars of ritual purity, prayer, fasting, and zakat, as well as the guidelines of an ethical lifestyle – including the standards for marriage, divorce, childrearing, financial transactions and more. Students will also be taught the foundations of spiritual excellence, so they may direct their lives more completely toward God by developing the internal states that lead to sincerity.

These courses are just one part of a complete enrichment experience, which includes coordinated review sessions and study breaks, professionally designed course materials, private devotional time, and scheduled recreational activities.

All of this will take place in a focused, spiritually inspiring environment. This will allow students to fully benefit from both the classes and the enlightening teachers who will accompany us on this journey.

Teachers

Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

Dr. Umar F. Abd-Allah

Shaykh Jamal Zahabi

Imam Afroz Ali

Imam Tahir Anwar

Ustadh Hamza Maqbul Chaudry

Although registration for the event is now closed, you can still take part by registering for the Live Stream Pass. The Free Rihla Live Stream Pass gives you full online access to the entire Rihla 2013 program including eleven courses taught by nine exceptionally qualified scholars totaling over 80 hours of Islamic education.

To register, click on the link below:

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"Salat" by Johannes Gees

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:51:00 +0000

Johannes Gees is a Swiss artist, who, for his work "Salat" created a public sound installation (sound bomb) for several cities and one mountain in Switzerland.

Sound bombs were made from megaphones, mp3 players, clocks and batteries. The sound bombs were loaded with mp3 files of the muezzin's call for prayer from the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

They were installed secretly by the artist on some of the most important church towers all over Switzerland. The call for prayer was programmed to sound at official prayer times.

What's interesting to note is the reaction of the some of the locals, who rather than running in a state of panic, seem to enjoy the change!

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~Al Kauthar - Ruh~

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Recently whilst watching the documentary film, "From Tarim To Granada - There Is No Conqueror Except Allah (swt)" which I posted here: From Tarim to Granada - There Is No Conqueror Except Allah (swt), I came across the unique sounds of Al Kauthar. Their sound is a mix of Western, Arabic, Andalucian and Turkish influences with a Sufi soul. It truly reflects the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, global influence of Islamic tradition that permeates Muslim (and non-Muslim) communities throughout the world.

The following description is taken from their Soundcloud page:

"Al Kauthar means abundance in Arabic. And is the name of a river in Paradise.

The unique sound of Al Kauthar is due to a synthesis of different musical styles: Original compositions of a more Western classical character with influences from both Celtic and Flamenco traditions. Arrangements of traditional songs from Arabic Andalusian and Turkish sources.

Music which has the power to touch the spirit of every person whatever their background, and nourish the soul."

FEZ: City of Saints

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:31:00 +0000

A CELEBRATION OF AL-ISRA WA AL-MIRAJ FEATURING A FILM DOUBLE BILL …

AN EXCLUSIVE MANCHESTER SCREENING OF THE ‘FEZ: CITY OF SAINTS’

PRECEDED BY A SPECIAL SCREENING OF THE FURTHEST MOSQUE:

A JOURNEY TO AL-AQSA

With Shaykh Muhammad Abu Bakr Ba Shuaib, Shaykh Faid Muhammad Said, Dr Fuad Nahdi, Mansur Suleman & Special Guests

DATE: SATURDAY 8th JUNE 2013

VENUE: THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, UNIVERSITY PLACE, OXFORD ROAD, MANCHESTER, M13 9PL

TIME: DOORS OPEN 5:30PM | LIMITED SEATS

PROGRAM TO START AT 6PM PROMPTLY

COST: £15 PER TICKET

NOTE: CHILDREN ARE ALLOWED TO ATTEND THE EVENT

PLEASE BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT

SYNOPSIS

THE FURTHEST MOSQUE DOCUMENTARY

Following the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) recommendation to journey to three Mosques (Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem), This film sets out in the company of British bass player, Danny ‘Hamza’ Thompson to discover the reasons why the last of these three holds such an important place in the hearts of Muslims everywhere.

FEZ: CITY OF SAINTS DOCUMENTARY

The documentary will be coming to Manchester and follows the journey of some of the world’s leading Muslim thinkers in a gathering that took place at the heart of an ancient Islamic city.

In March 2011, on the eve of the ‘Arab Spring’, leading Islamic scholars convened in the ancient city of Fez for a summit seeking hope and a new vision for the future of the Muslim world. Among the international participants in this historic summit chaired by Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah was Habib Umar bin Hafiz, a prominent scholar and founder of the renowned Dar al Mustafa Seminary in Tarim, Yemen.

It was Habib Umar’s first trip to the Maghreb and the film captures his travels and responses as he journeys through a land brimming with spirituality, knowledge and vast history. From the serene courtyards of the University of Qarawiyyin to bustling souk streets, from walled city of Fez to the mountainous sanctuary of Moulay Idris, the film shares the spiritual secrets of the places and their stories.

The beauty of the great city of Fez, founded by descendants of the Noble Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allah SWT upon him), is shared by a visitor who is himself a direct descendant of that great household. The result is a moving meeting of two traditions that form the very core of great Islamic narrative. It was set against the backdrop of the city’s breath-taking beauty and was filmed at a time when change began to sweep through the Middle East in early 2011.

Come and join us on this incredible spiritual journey with some of the leading Islamic luminaries alive today.

PHOTOGRAPHIC SLIDESHOW & POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON PALESTINE BY WORLD RENOWNED ARTIST MUHSIN JAK KILBY: Muhsin Jak Kilby

Post taken from:

Shaykh Faid Muhammad Said "Al Isra wal Miraj"

The Prayer of the Oppressed (al-Du’a al-Nasiri)

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:17:00 +0000

About The Prayer of the Oppressed:

The power of this prayer of Imam Muhammad al-Dar’i lies in its simplicity, its purity, and its sincere supplication. It is essentially a plea to God that our transgressions be overlooked, that divine mercy be bestowed upon us, that social justice be restored in spite of us, that wrongs be righted, and that righteousness reign once again in our lands, so that the destitute may no longer be in need, the young may be educated, the animals’ purpose fulfilled, rain restored, and bounties poured forth. It is a plea to be freed from the aggression of foreigners in lands over which they have no right – a plea much needed in our modern world, rampant as it is with invasions and territorial occupations. Ultimately, it asks not that our enemies be destroyed, but simply that their plots, and the harm they cause, be halted. Its essence is mercy, which in turn is the essence of the Messenger of God, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him: “And We have only sent you as a mercy to all the worlds.”

About the Translation and Recording of the Du’a al-Nasiri by Hamza Yusuf:

Imam al-Dar’i wrote this prayer in a simple yet enchanting style, using the rajaz meter known to the Arabs as the poet’s donkey because of its facile rhythm and the ease even tyros find in learning it. The desert cameleers, who led the caravans of old, traditionally sang in the rajaz meter and by it spurred on their beasts to move more swiftly toward their destination. Arab poets claim the rhythm of the rajaz imitates the rhythm of the camel’s trot and is, they believe, derived from it.

Rhetorically, the poem displays what the Arabs call, the easy impossible: deceptively simple thought and language which beguiles the listener into believing that such poetry is easy to write; yet upon any attempt at imitation, the aspirant is left thoroughly nonplussed. Poets know this magical aspect of the craft all too well. It would not be an exaggeration to say that there is no invocation in the Arabic language written in such simple yet subtle verse as Imam al-Dar’i's poetic prayer.

When translating Imam al-Dar’i's invocation, I first put it into an iambic pentameter (five feet per line), but found great difficulty conveying the meanings precisely. So I decided to use hexameter that is, six feet per line. Hexameter is seldom used in English, because the doubling of the trimeter becomes repetitious and can easily devolve into doggerel. However, I chose to use it so I could convey something of the nature of the original, which is in the Arabic meter closest to our hexameter. Arabic verse is quantitative; the rhythm is produced by the length of syllables, not by their accent, as in English.

After working on it considerably and feeling quite satisfied with the result, I sent it to the American poet Daniel Abdul-Hayy Moore, who had helped so wonderfully in our previous collaboration on the Poem of the Cloak (al-Burdah). Initially, he was troubled by the hexameter, and understandably so; but he decided to work with it and, in my opinion, turned a donkey into a mule, and for that I am deeply grateful. But the original is a thoroughbred, and for those who do not know Arabic, I highly recommend listening to the original as chanted so masterfully by the Fes Singers led by Sidi Mohammed Bennis.

Speaking of the recording, I feel compelled to relate an extraordinary incident, something I consider a miracle really. It is safe to say that this poem is noted for its miraculous nature, and Moroccans who are regular in their recitation of it will confirm that belief. On the night we finished the recording in Fes, it was quiet and still when we emerged from the studio into the cool night air and went for a late dinner. Then, at around three o’clock in the morning, Sidi Abdallateef Whiteman (who also did the cover design and layout for this book) and I set out with Mohammed Bennis and his fellow singers in a car to our hotel to pick up our bags and leave immediately for the taxi stand outside Bab Boujloud. One of the people of goodness in England had entrusted me with a monetary gift to deliver to Sidi Ismail Filali, a sincere servant of God who lives in Fes, spending his days carding wool and his nights calling on God. Because we had to catch an early flight from Tangiers later that day and had a drive of several hours ahead of us, I knew I would not have time to visit him and deliver the gift; so I asked Sidi Mohammed if he would do it. No sooner had I completed the question than we happened to pass by a large, windowless van with a man standing alongside it. It must have been 3:30 AM by now. Sidi Mohammed exclaimed, That looks just like Sidi Ismail!

We swung the car around and went back to find that, sure enough, it was Sidi Ismail. We greeted each other, embracing warmly, and Sidi Ismail exclaimed, Glory to God! We just finished the Burdah and a recitation of the Qur’an in its entirety, and in the closing supplication, I asked God to see you tonight! By God, I swear it is true, and I did not know you were in Morocco. No sooner had I absorbed the import of what he told me than another surprise awaited me. Sidi Ismail opened the back door of the van revealing about twenty spiritual seekers with radiant faces. As if conducting an orchestra, Sidi Ismail raised his hands, and as he brought them down, the entire group broke into a spontaneous rendition of the prayer of Imam al-Dar’i, the very prayer we had just finished recording with the Fes Singers. This much is true: Sidi Ismail had no knowledge that I was in Morocco at that time, nor that we had just completed the recording of the prayer of Imam al-Dar’i. God is my Witness.

Upon returning to the United States with the recording, I asked the very blessed Aishah Holland if she would pen the poem in its original Arabic for me. She has been a student of the American master of calligraphy and most learned and accomplished polymath, Mohammad Zakariyya, who recommended her highly. After she completed her work, my task was largely done, but there remained one missing piece: I had hoped to include the poem’s chain of transmission back to Imam al-Dar’i, for the blessing of its lineage and the barakah of its narrators. I asked a close friend and scholar who had the chain, but a few years passed, and it was not forthcoming. I thought perhaps that I should not put the work out and that it was something not meant to be, as I felt insistent on acquiring the chain as a permission from its author, so to speak.

On a blessed journey to Medina last year with my teacher and dearest friend, Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, a master of both the inward and outward sciences, I happened to mention to him, while riding in a car in the middle of the Arabian desert, that I had translated the poem of Imam al-Dar’i. He smiled and said, He is in my chain from my father. I then boldly requested from him the chain of transmission. He looked at me and said, God willing. Time passed, and no chain came. I was beginning to believe that the poem would remain in my large collection of incomplete works. Then, on a more recent trip, as I was leaving for Medina again from Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah’s house in Jeddah, he gave me the chain, and I felt it was time to release this poem.

May God accept it as a work of devotion that benefits believers and gives them solace in their trials and tribulations.

Translation and transliteration can be downloaded here:

From Tarim To Granada - There Is No Conqueror Except Allah (swt)

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:25:00 +0000

About this film:

Granada, in Muslim imagination the mere name conjures up images of a magnificent city. A place where science and culture thrived during Europe's dark ages. A place where the streets were lit at night and ornate fountains fed verdant gardens of exquisite beauty. Where a tolerant convivencia brought the Abrahamic faiths together in a most remarkable coexistence. Granada and its iconic Alhambra Palace represents Islam's Andalucian legacy in Europe.

Tarim. Nestled in Yemen's Hadhramaut valley, it is a city like no other. A place of spirituality and learning, tended to by the descendents of the Prophet Muhammad himself. From Java to East Africa and beyond, the scholars of Tarim led by their guides - the Habibs - have taken their tradition all over the world establishing a truly global spiritual community dedicated to living and celebrating the sacred.

Now the living tradition of Tarim and the glorious legacy of Granada meet for the first time. Habib Umar bin Hafiz travels to Spain, visiting Muslim communities in Madrid and Granada. Accompanied by journalist and commentator Fuad Nahdi and Muslims from the Spain, Yemen and the UK, From Tarim to Granada chronicles a remarkable journey.

This is the story of new communities and ancient legacies. Of enduring faith and the burden of history. Of renewing the connection between East and West. Of finding a new convivencia for our times.

About Habib Umar bin Hafiz:

Habib Umar bin Hafiz is well known for his prophetic lineage and status as one of the most influential traditionalist scholars alive today. His influence through scholarship and preaching is vast in Indonesia and East Africa.

Habib Umar founded and runs Dar al Mustafa, a center for traditional Islamic scholarship that currently hosts an array of international students, in Tarim, Yemen. He is among the world’s leading Muslim academics and scholars as a signatory of ‘A Common Word Between Us and You’, a document that builds bridges between the Muslim and Christian community.

He is also founder of the NGO Al Rafah Charitable Society which addresses poverty, hunger and lack of sufficient health care that affect areas of rural Yemen.

The Radical Middle Way

Rajab: Sow The Seeds and The Blessings of Ramadan~Imam Zaid Shakir~

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:49:00 +0000

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali mentions in Lata’if al-Ma’arif:

The month of Rajab is the key to the months of goodness and blessings that follow it. Abu Bakr b. al-Warraq al-Balkhi said: “Rajab is the month to sow the seeds; Sha’ban is the month to irrigate the crop; and Ramadan is the month to reap the harvest.” It has similarly been related from him: “Rajab is like the wind; Sha’ban is like the water-laden clouds; and Ramadan is like the rain.” Someone else mentioned: “The year in its entirety is like a tree: during Rajab its buds sprout; during Sha’ban it sends forth its branches; during Ramadan its fruit ripens; and the believers are the farmhands who harvest that fruit.”

It is opportune for anyone who has darkened the scroll of their deeds with sins to cleanse it with repentance during this month. Likewise, anyone who has squandered his lifetime without taking advantage of the opportunities to benefit his soul should take advantage of what remains of his life—starting with this month.

A poet said:

So cleanse your darkened hearts within Rajab;
with deeds that spare the soul Hellfire’s wrath.

One of the sacred months has come along;
no one who calls on God will be forlorn.

Heaven is for the one’s who cleanse their hearts
with lewd indecent deeds they’ll have no part.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to do righteous deeds during this month is a source of great gain. While filling each moment of the month worshiping God is a bounteous virtue.

Let us all take advantage of the weeks that come before the blessed month of Ramadan. If we begin to fast voluntarily now, the fatigue and discomfort that sometimes accompanies the beginning of our obligatory fast will be behind us and we will enter the month with great spiritual momentum. Similarly, if we begin increasing our reading of the Qur’an now we will find it easy to read an even greater amount during the month of Ramadan, a month when we celebrate the revelation of our blessed scripture. An athlete who enters a race with a running start achieves a far faster time than one who starts the race from a stationary position. Let us take advantage of these days to get a running start into Ramadan.

In this 19-part audio lecture series, Imam Zaid Shakir comments on the "Chapter of Ramadan" from Lata'f al-Ma'arif, a classical text by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali that discusses the religious duties, virtues, and responsibilities for each season of the year.

The audio files can be downloaded from the link below:

Visit Imam Zaid's site here: New Islamic Directions

Zaytuna College

The wording for the post above is taken from Imam Zaid's site.

Start Practicing or Stop PretendingShaykh Hamza Yusuf

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:44:00 +0000

A forthright, powerful and sobering khutbah (sermon) by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf regarding how the Muslim community should respond to the provocations that we are faced with, whether they be blasphemous cartoons about the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) or deliberate misinterpretations of Islam and its teachings. Although the khutbah was delivered in the wake of the Embassy attacks in Libya in 2012, it nevertheless has relevance for the Ummah on a daily basis in these politically sensitive and delicate times.

Hamza Yusuf asks us to reflect on verse 186 of Surah Al-Imran in the Holy Qur'an:

"You shall most certainly be tried in your possessions and in your persons; and indeed you shall hear many hurtful things from those to whom revelation was granted before your time, as well as from those who have come to ascribe divinity to other beings beside God. But if you remain patient in adversity and conscious of Him - this, behold, is something to set one's heart upon."

In the face of provocations, the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of our noble Prophet (pbuh) teaches us to remain patient, have taqwa (piety) and remain steadfast in our prayer.

We should have beautiful character, for the nature of goodness is that it obliterates evil; evil is the absence of goodness and if there is goodness evil does not have room to exercise itself.

These testing times give the Ummah the opportunity to elevate ourselves above our human nature to a transformed nature, the nature of belief, the nature of taqwa. We must show restraint and control our nafs (ego) and beware of using violence and foul language.

Finally Hamza Yusuf reminds us that the Prophet (pbuh) was ridiculed and provoked during their lifetime but that they dealt with the provocations with dignity, calmness and constraint. Nothing that the enemies of Islam say can reach the Prophet (pbuh).

"The dogs will bark all night at the moon, do the sounds of the dogs affect the glory of the moon crossing the sky?"

Images of the Syrian Conflict

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:34:00 +0000

The Seige of Aleppo - Photo by Javier Manzano

Two rebel soldiers in Syria guard their sniper's nest in the Karmel Jabl neighborhood of Aleppo as light streams through more than a dozen holes made by bullets and shrapnel in the tin wall behind them. The dust from more than one hundred days of shelling, bombing and firefights hung in the air. Karmel Jabl is strategically important because of its proximity to the main road that separates several of the main battlegrounds in the city. Both sides (the Free Syria Army and the regime) rely heavily on snipers in a cat and mouse game along Aleppo's frontlines. (Photo taken October 18, 2012)

The sound of artillery fire and attack aircraft fill the air as the sound of an Albatros Mig is heard circling above. Death on this day will come in the form of a free-falling bomb or worse, a missile strike like the one that ripped through the Dar Al-Shifa hospital on 11/21/2012. As the rebels go house-to-house in search of loyalist troops - each side monitoring the other through the sound of broken glass and debris cracking under their shoes - a rebel lieutenant moves up the stairs of an empty apartment block. The scent of decaying matter emanates from a pool of coagulated blood at the top of the staircase which judging by its size, the injury cost a man his life. The use of tanks force the rebel to take cover from shells that explode on the sides of the buildings around them. A mortar round erodes the cover provided to them by an apartment block on the verge of collapse. To neutralize the tank, a rocket propelled grenade needs to produce a direct hit onto the vulnerable sections of the armor - failure often means the dismemberment of the shooter. A rebel died and another was critically wounded while attempting to destroy a T-55 battle tank on Sept. 26. An Iraqi brother-in-arms summed up the day's efforts: "This is not the time to mourn the death of your comrade. Honor him by continuing the fight." There was no response. The smell of disinfectant, blood and burnt flesh engulfed the grain of every surface that was the Dar Al-Shifa hospital. Twelve people arrive at once as Dr. Osman approaches the twitching body of a boy with a fatal head wound. A man pumps oxygen into the lungs of a clinically dead 8-year-old girl injured by a mortar. At a different facility, smoke and vapor rises from the torso of a young man ripped apart by yet another mortar - this one landed next to a bread shop killing the two girls next to him - again the twitching bodies, again the pre-mortem spasms. The boy's father collapses after recognizing his son through an ID card - he had no head.

Words and pictures by Javier Manzano.

Manzano is the first freelance photographer to win a Pulitzer in 17 years.

Read an article regarding Manzano's experience as a photojournalist in Syria here: Javier Manzano - First Freelance Photographer To Win Pulitzer In 17 Years

See more of Manzano's pictures from Syria here: Javier Manzano

I Acknowledge That Apartheid Exists

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Wed, 08 May 2013 21:13:00 +0000

The "I Acknowledge Apartheid Exists" group on Facebook seeks to raise awareness that Israel's occupation of and actions in Palestine constitute Apartheid; It seeks to bring recognition to the fact that Palestinians are subject to different laws and standards than Israelis.

I Acknowledge Apartheid Exists promotes the narrative that Palestinians deserve the same rights and liberties that Israeli's enjoy.

Watch the following video to learn how Israel seeks to control and manipulate it's perception in the media by targeting anyone who speaks out against it's Apartheid policies and branding them "Anti-Semitic". The use of this term and it's appropriation by Zionists to mean "Anti-Jewish" is another example of the way in which they have successfully manipulated the English language as well as the media.

The term "Semitic" according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica is defined as:

"Semite, Person speaking one of a group of related languages, presumably derived from a common language, Semitic (see Semitic languages). The term came to include Arabs, Akkadians, Canaanites, some Ethiopians, and Aramaean tribes including Hebrews. Semitic tribes migrated from the Arabian Peninsula, beginning c. 2500 bc, to the Mediterranean coast, Mesopotamia, and the Nile River delta. In Phoenicia, they became seafarers. In Mesopotamia, they blended with the civilization of Sumer. The Hebrews settled at last with other Semites in Palestine."

By this definition the Zionist state of Israel is it self "Anti-Semitic" through it's Apartheid policies that discriminate against the Palestinian people!

I'd like to make clear that the "I Acknowledge Apartheid Exists" group and it's members are anti Zionist, NOT anti Jewish!

Visit the Facebook page here: I Acknowledge Apartheid Exists

Am I Fundamentalist?

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:21:00 +0000

*------------------------*

Am I fundamentalist if I believe in creation and order?

That Allah (swt) is my Lord and Muhammed (pbuh) is the final messenger?

Am I a fundamentalist if I reject secularism and faith’s demonisation?

That religion is my wealth and in Islam is my salvation?

------------------------

Am I a fundamentalist if I pursue sacred rather than profane?

Am I fundamentalist if I study Fard-al-Ayn?

Am I a fundamentalist if I perform Salah in the park?

Am I a fundamentalist if my heart gravitates towards light rather than dark?

------------------------

Am I a fundamentalist if I grow a long flowing beard?

Astounding it is that facial hair can produce so much fear!

Am I a fundamentalist if I prefer to wear a thobe to work?

Or am I more civilised if I wear a tie and shirt?

------------------------

Am I fundamentalist if I believe in modesty?

Or does wearing less equate to greater equality?

Am I a fundamentalist if I believe in chastity?

Or should society glorify promiscuity?

------------------------

What is it that you’re afraid of, a woman wearing hijab?

That in one breath you espouse freedom of expression,

And in another you outlaw religious garb?

------------------------

Am I fundamentalist if I recite the Holy Qur’an?

Am I fundamentalist if I perform Hajj donning the Ihram?

Am I fundamentalist if I give Zakah to the poor?

If in my Deen, justice is at the core?

------------------------

Am I fundamentalist for believing marriage is the key?

For creating a healthy society whose heart is the family?

Am I a fundamentalist if I believe less is more?

Am I fundamentalist if materialisms selfishness I abhor?

------------------------

Am I fundamentalist if I believe in the unseen?

For believing in the Angels, Shaitaan and the Jinn?

Am I a fundamentalist if I believe we shall return to our Lord soon?

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Rajiun.

------------------------

Am I a fundamentalist if my beliefs won’t change from one day to the next?

That with fashion and celebrity I’m not that impressed?

Am I fundamentalist if I perform Dhikr of Allah (swt),

Or does it make you afraid if in my hand I hold a Subha?

------------------------

Am I fundamentalist if I reject the “New World Order”?

That I despise the wars you wage leaving Muslim lands to smoulder,

Am I fundamentalist if I have a political opinion?

That I reject man’s sovereignty and believe in Allah’s (swt) dominion?

------------------------

Are you a fundamentalist if you lie and deceive?

That what you cannot comprehend, you don’t want to believe?

Are you a fundamentalist if you believe in evolution?

That you alone make sense when all you is spread is confusion?

------------------------

Are you a fundamentalist if your morals are for sale?

That dictators you will support for a few barrels of oil?

Are you a fundamentalist when you stay silent and condone?

Bullets fired at children whose weapon is a simple stone?

------------------------

I am a fundamentalist if it means I stand firm in my beliefs,

To compromise my deen is a weakness leading to defeat.

I am a fundamentalist if on my dying day,

La-ilaha-illAllah-Muhammadur-Rasulullah, are the final words I say.

------------------------

MSK

Questions for Democracy

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Sun, 05 May 2013 11:06:00 +0000

Questions for Democracy

------------------------

Pain and suffering,

What are you doing to your fellow human beings?

Taking away, when you should be giving?

----------------------------

Lies,deception, epidemics and infection,

Bombs and collateral damage,

You complain you can't manage?

Shopping for Prada and Armani while you export the carnage?

----------------------------

Hospital beds and deep water wells,

You need to provide to make people well,

To make a child smile you should drive a thousand miles,

Instead of closing the book you should reopen the file.

----------------------------

Have you had a hand in creating this situation?

Revisit history, it's not a figment of their imagination!

Divide and conquer was a motto of empire,

Tear apart communities then stoke the fire.

----------------------------

Oppress the people then call them terrorists,

While drones fly above and lock on to their targets,

A soldier sits in a hanger a thousand miles away,

Hand on the joystick, just like the video games he plays.

----------------------------

Arab springs and fallen kings,

Now you want democracy?

I can't stand the hypocrisy!

Prop up corrupt leaders for decades on end,

Subjugate the people then say you're their friend?

When will you learn that not one soul can be bought?

Not for all the barrels of oil,

Not for all the ounces of gold!

----------------------------

MSK

Beauty and the Sunna

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Sat, 04 May 2013 18:04:00 +0000

'Shall the reward of doing what is beautiful be other than doing what is beautiful?'
-Surah Ar-Rahman verse 60

In this khutba covering the topic of beauty, Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad begins by noting that the connection linking us to Transcendent is the receptive affirmation of what is beautiful and indicates the Supernatural. To the extent that the sense of beauty, truth and order rules in our hearts, that is how in touch we are with reality. This apprehension is available to any person, no matter how young or unlettered they are.

Indeed the Sheikh notes that the life of the Prophet was a life lived intensely, passionately and lyrically in response to what is beautiful. As human beings we have two ways to respond to beauty; to turn inwards towards individualism, or outwards from our selves, to engage with the Ultimate. We are between tendency upwards, and the tendency down. Ugliness is always due to the engagement with the nafs, the downward. The arrival of the Prophet on the other hand affirms the universal other, not just of Arabs but of human beings as brothers everywhere. Earlier prophets were sent only to their people, but he was sent to all mankind. This is why his way is a path of beauty, and why the deen was able to spread and flourish so magnificently in the following centuries.

The Sheikh closes by telling us that the heart craves beauty. The Sharia makes outward judgements, and so inwardly does the soul. We are asked to live our lives making these soulful judgements, to follow those who act beautifully, and surround ourselves with those beautiful things that bring our hearts peace, for as the Qur'an says

'Verily in the remembrance of Allah do the hearts find rest!'

-Surah Ar-Ra'd verse 28

(The post above has been copied from here: cambridgekhutbasetc - visit the site for more Muslim sermons and talks in English.)

Old man at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:42:00 +0000

Sidi Bilal and I with friend outside Blue Mosque, Istanbul

Alhamdllillah, Sidi Bilal and I had just finished Salāt al-Jumu'ah at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, when across the courtyard we caught sight of this old man looking serene in white. We just had to greet him and give him Salaam!

Rebirth - A Poem Dedicated to "New" Muslims

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:01:00 +0000

Rebirth

As-Salaamu-Alaikum, welcome to the fold,

Come into the warmth, from outside in the cold.

*------------*

Blessed are you to venture down this sacred path,

Where faith is your future, heedlessness your past.

*------------*

Fear not the challenges that lay ahead for you,

Brothers and Sisters are on hand,

To assist and support you when things don't go as planned.

*------------*

Surrounded by temptation and the habits you want to leave,

Rejoice in the path you've chosen and for the past do not grieve.

*------------*

Success comes to those who see life as a spiritual journey and not a materialistic game,

Would the sweet taste of Imaan feel quite the same, if with ease it finally came?

*------------*

Allah (swt) is Merciful, Allah(swt) is full of Rahmah,

Follow the final Messenger (pbuh) and arrive at the gates of Jannah.

*------------*

Can the West Live with Islam - Debate - Tim Winter Cambridge University vs Nigel Biggar Oxford University

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:45:00 +0000

Tim (Timothy John) Winter (born 1960), aka Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad, is a British Muslim thinker, professor, and translator. Winter has written about the interaction between Islam and secular issues spanning a wide range of disciplines. He has held a number of lectureships and administrative posts in British academia having to do with theology, the intellectual history of Islamic civilization, and international academic cooperation. He is the older brother of football writer Henry Winter.

Abdal Hakim Murad graduated from Cambridge University with a double-first in Arabic in 1983. He then lived in Cairo for three years, studying Islam under traditional teachers at Al-Azhar, one of the oldest universities in the world. He went on to reside for three years in Jeddah, where he administered a commercial translation office and maintained close contact with Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad and other ulama from Hadramaut, Yemen.

In 1989, Shaikh Abdal Hakim returned to England and spent two years at the University of London learning Turkish and Farsi. Since 1992 he has been a doctoral student at Oxford University, specializing in the religious life of the early Ottoman Empire. He is currently Secretary of the Muslim Academic Trust (London) and Director of the Sunna Project at the Centre of Middle Eastern Studies at Cambridge University, which issues the first-ever scholarly Arabic editions of the major Hadith collections.

Shaikh Abdal Hakim is the translator of a number of works, including two volumes from Imam al-Ghazali's Ihya Ulum al-Din. He gives durus and halaqas from time to time and taught the works of Imam al-Ghazali at the Winter 1995 Deen Intensive Program in New Haven, CT. He appears frequently on BBC Radio and writes occasionally for a number of publications, including The Independent; Q-News International, Britain's premier Muslim Magazine; and Seasons, the semiacademic journal of Zaytuna Institute.

As of 2007, Winter was a doctoral student at Oxford University. He simultaneously held several professional appointments and administrative offices at universities and in Islamic organizations, including: Shaykh Zayed Lecturer of Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University; Director of Studies in Theology at Wolfson College, Cambridge; secretary of the Muslim Academic Trust (London); Director of the Anglo-Muslim Fellowship for Eastern Europe; President of the UK Friends of Bosnia-Herzegovina; and Director of the Sunna Project (see external link), which has published some of the foremost scholarly Arabic editions of the major Sunni Hadith collections. In 2008 he served on the Steering Committee of the Cambridge Interfaith Program. He has been a participant in the Scriptural Reasoning project.

Qasida Burda recited by Sheikh Hamza Yusuf and Moroccan Munshids

noreply@blogger.com (Intifaada) — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:27:00 +0000

Download a copy of the Burda, including a brief biography of the great poet, Sufi Shaykh Imam Sharfuddin Abi Abdullah Mohammed bin Sa'eed al-Misree Rahmatullahi 'Alaih and a short commentry on the poem here:

*~~~Intifaada's Blog~~~*

*~~~Palestine~~~*

Ramadan Message from Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi

A Ramadan Reader: A Comprehensive Answers Guide to Getting the Most Out of Ramadan

The reaction to the Woolwich murder denies British Muslims a political voice

Reaction to Woolwich - Russell Brand

Woolwich Attack - Comment

Woolwich attack: MI5 'offered job to suspect' says friend

We live in testing and difficult times and these events have only given the opponents of Islam fuel with which to further inflame the climate of fear that has been created.

Support the People of Syria - Imam Zaid Shakir

BRICUP - British Committee for the Universities of Palestine

Deen Intensive Foundation, Rihla 2013/1434 - Konya, Turkey

Living Islam

These courses are just one part of a complete enrichment experience, which includes coordinated review sessions and study breaks, professionally designed course materials, private devotional time, and scheduled recreational activities.

All of this will take place in a focused, spiritually inspiring environment. This will allow students to fully benefit from both the classes and the enlightening teachers who will accompany us on this journey.

"Salat" by Johannes Gees

Johannes Gees is a Swiss artist, who, for his work "Salat" created a public sound installation (sound bomb) for several cities and one mountain in Switzerland.

Sound bombs were made from megaphones, mp3 players, clocks and batteries. The sound bombs were loaded with mp3 files of the muezzin's call for prayer from the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

They were installed secretly by the artist on some of the most important church towers all over Switzerland. The call for prayer was programmed to sound at official prayer times.

What's interesting to note is the reaction of the some of the locals, who rather than running in a state of panic, seem to enjoy the change!

*~~~Al Kauthar - Ruh~~~*

The following description is taken from their Soundcloud page:

"Al Kauthar means abundance in Arabic. And is the name of a river in Paradise.

The unique sound of Al Kauthar is due to a synthesis of different musical styles: Original compositions of a more Western classical character with influences from both Celtic and Flamenco traditions. Arrangements of traditional songs from Arabic Andalusian and Turkish sources.

Music which has the power to touch the spirit of every person whatever their background, and nourish the soul."

FEZ: City of Saints

Shaykh Faid Muhammad Said "Al Isra wal Miraj"

The Prayer of the Oppressed (al-Du’a al-Nasiri)

About the Translation and Recording of the Du’a al-Nasiri by Hamza Yusuf:

Translation and transliteration can be downloaded here:

From Tarim To Granada - There Is No Conqueror Except Allah (swt)

This is the story of new communities and ancient legacies. Of enduring faith and the burden of history. Of renewing the connection between East and West. Of finding a new convivencia for our times.

About Habib Umar bin Hafiz:

Habib Umar bin Hafiz is well known for his prophetic lineage and status as one of the most influential traditionalist scholars alive today. His influence through scholarship and preaching is vast in Indonesia and East Africa.

He is also founder of the NGO Al Rafah Charitable Society which addresses poverty, hunger and lack of sufficient health care that affect areas of rural Yemen. The Radical Middle Way

Rajab: Sow The Seeds and The Blessings of Ramadan*~Imam Zaid Shakir~*

In this 19-part audio lecture series, Imam Zaid Shakir comments on the "Chapter of Ramadan" from Lata'f al-Ma'arif, a classical text by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali that discusses the religious duties, virtues, and responsibilities for each season of the year.

The audio files can be downloaded from the link below:

Visit Imam Zaid's site here: New Islamic Directions

Zaytuna College

Start Practicing or Stop Pretending*~~Shaykh Hamza Yusuf~~*

Hamza Yusuf asks us to reflect on verse 186 of Surah Al-Imran in the Holy Qur'an:

In the face of provocations, the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of our noble Prophet (pbuh) teaches us to remain patient, have taqwa (piety) and remain steadfast in our prayer.

We should have beautiful character, for the nature of goodness is that it obliterates evil; evil is the absence of goodness and if there is goodness evil does not have room to exercise itself.

These testing times give the Ummah the opportunity to elevate ourselves above our human nature to a transformed nature, the nature of belief, the nature of taqwa. We must show restraint and control our nafs (ego) and beware of using violence and foul language.

Finally Hamza Yusuf reminds us that the Prophet (pbuh) was ridiculed and provoked during their lifetime but that they dealt with the provocations with dignity, calmness and constraint. Nothing that the enemies of Islam say can reach the Prophet (pbuh).

Images of the Syrian Conflict

Words and pictures by Javier Manzano.

Manzano is the first freelance photographer to win a Pulitzer in 17 years.

Read an article regarding Manzano's experience as a photojournalist in Syria here: Javier Manzano - First Freelance Photographer To Win Pulitzer In 17 Years

See more of Manzano's pictures from Syria here: Javier Manzano

I Acknowledge That Apartheid Exists

The "I Acknowledge Apartheid Exists" group on Facebook seeks to raise awareness that Israel's occupation of and actions in Palestine constitute Apartheid; It seeks to bring recognition to the fact that Palestinians are subject to different laws and standards than Israelis.

I Acknowledge Apartheid Exists promotes the narrative that Palestinians deserve the same rights and liberties that Israeli's enjoy.

The term "Semitic" according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica is defined as:

By this definition the Zionist state of Israel is it self "Anti-Semitic" through it's Apartheid policies that discriminate against the Palestinian people!

I'd like to make clear that the "I Acknowledge Apartheid Exists" group and it's members are anti Zionist, NOT anti Jewish!

Visit the Facebook page here: I Acknowledge Apartheid Exists

Am I Fundamentalist?

Am I fundamentalist if I believe in creation and order?

That Allah (swt) is my Lord and Muhammed (pbuh) is the final messenger?

Am I a fundamentalist if I reject secularism and faith’s demonisation?

That religion is my wealth and in Islam is my salvation?

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Am I a fundamentalist if I pursue sacred rather than profane?

Am I fundamentalist if I study Fard-al-Ayn?

Am I a fundamentalist if I perform Salah in the park?

Am I a fundamentalist if my heart gravitates towards light rather than dark?

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Am I a fundamentalist if I grow a long flowing beard?

Astounding it is that facial hair can produce so much fear!

Am I a fundamentalist if I prefer to wear a thobe to work?

Or am I more civilised if I wear a tie and shirt?

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Am I fundamentalist if I believe in modesty?

Or does wearing less equate to greater equality?

Am I a fundamentalist if I believe in chastity?

Or should society glorify promiscuity?

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What is it that you’re afraid of, a woman wearing hijab?

~Intifaada's Blog~

~Palestine~

~Al Kauthar - Ruh~

He is also founder of the NGO Al Rafah Charitable Society which addresses poverty, hunger and lack of sufficient health care that affect areas of rural Yemen.

The Radical Middle Way

Rajab: Sow The Seeds and The Blessings of Ramadan~Imam Zaid Shakir~

Start Practicing or Stop PretendingShaykh Hamza Yusuf

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