Thursday 1 December 2022

Twitter from Afzal Khan MP in the Islamophobia Awareness Month

 

                                           Twitter from Afzal Khan MP

                                                in the Islamophobia Awareness Month

                                                              Dr Mozammel Haque 


Twitter from Afzal Khan, MP

On This subject Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM22) Afzal Khan, Labour Member of the British Parliament for the constituency of Manchester, Gorton sent me the following Twitter:

on 30 October 2022 Afzal Khan MP text me the following Twitter:

"British Muslims are victims of the highest proportion of hate crime every year. Yet the Tories simply do not care. Consecutive Tory PM's have ignored my letters urging them to tackle Islamophobia.

Ahead of #IAM22 read my comments for the @Independent.

On 2 November 2022

Afzal Khan MP on Twitter

"I've written to consecutive PM's about Islamophobia & none of them have bothered to reply.

This is an insult to British Muslims. 

They may change leaders, but the Conservative Chaos continues.

I raised a point of order @RishiSunak's failure to respond to my letter

#PMQs"

On 23 November 2022 Afzal Khan MP on Twitter sent to me:

"Thank you to all the MPs that attended my Islamophobia Awareness Month drop-in today.

It was great to see cross-party support on this important subject.

Together we can tackle this awful hatred which impacts Muslim communities in the UK and worldwide.

#IAM2022"

On 30 November 2022 Afzal Khan MP on Twitter sent to me:

"For Islamophobia Awarenress Month my friend @benedictrogers and I, have come together as a Christian Conservative and a Muslim Labour MP, to call for an end to religious hatred and promote religious freedom - for everyone, everywhere, no exceptions

Read

https://t.co/cHOUWtK907"

Leicester and Birmingham have become the first UK cities to have minority majorities - census reveals

                      Leicester and Birmingham have become the

                     first UK cities to have "minority majorities"

                                               - census reveals

                                        Dr Mozammel Haque

According to the 2021 census, shows that Leicester and Birmingham have become the first UK cities to have “minority majorities”. It also says England and Wales are now minority Christian countries. 

The Daily Guardian reported this census report on 29 November 2022.  Robert BoothPamela Duncan and Carmen Aguilar García wrote the following  report in the Daily Guardian on 29 November 2022. Copy @The Daily Guardian

"Census

England and Wales now minority Christian countries, census reveals

Data shows Leicester and Birmingham have become UK’s first ‘minority majority’ cities in new age of ‘super-diversity’

"Shoppers on New Street in Birmingham. Minority ethnic people make up 51.4% of the population in the UK’s second largest city, where 20 years ago seven out of 10 people were white. Photograph: Jacob King/PA

Robert BoothPamela Duncan and Carmen Aguilar García

Tue 29 Nov 2022 13.07 GMT

"England and Wales are now minority Christian countries, according to the 2021 census, which also shows that Leicester and Birmingham have become the first UK cities to have “minority majorities”.

"The census revealed a 5.5 million (17%) fall in the number of people who describe themselves as Christian and a 1.2 million (43%) rise in the number of people who say they follow Islam, bringing the Muslim population to 3.9 million. In percentage-point terms, the number of Christians has dropped by 13.1, and the number of Muslims has risen by 1.7.

It is the first time in a census of England and Wales that fewer than half of the population have described themselves as Christian.

Meanwhile, 37.2% of people – 22.2 million – declared they had “no religion”, the second most common response after Christian. It means that over the past 20 years the proportion of people reporting no religion has soared from 14.8% – a rise of more than 22 percentage points.

The archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said the census result “throws down a challenge to us not only to trust that God will build his kingdom on Earth but also to play our part in making Christ known”.

He added: “We have left behind the era when many people almost automatically identified as Christian but other surveys consistently show how the same people still seek spiritual truth and wisdom and a set of values to live by.”

The chief executive of Humanists UK, Andrew Copson, said: “One of the most striking things about these census results is how at odds the population is from the state itself. No state in Europe has such a religious setup as we do in terms of law and public policy, while at the same time having such a non-religious population.”

Analysis by the Guardian shows areas with a higher proportion of people from ethnic minorities are also more religious. And places with a higher proportion of white people also have a bigger proportion with no religion. The places with the highest numbers of people saying they had no religion were Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Rhondda Cynon Taf, all in south Wales, and Brighton and Hove and Norwich in England. They were among 11 areas where more than half the population are not religious, including Bristol, Hastings in East Sussex and Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, most of which had relatively low ethnic minority populations.

The places with the lowest number of non-believers were Harrow, Redbridge and Slough, where close to two-thirds of the populations are from minority ethnic backgrounds.

The slump in religion and emergence of minority ethnic populations as a combined majority in whole conurbations in England and Wales is revealed in data about the ethnicity, religion and language of close to 60 million people gathered in a snapshot census on 21 March 2021. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) cited differing patterns of ageing, fertility, mortality and migration as possible reasons for the change in religious profile of the countries.

Across the two countries, 81.7% of the population is now white, including non-British, down from 86% in 2011, 9.3% is Asian British, up from 7.5%, 2.5% is Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean-African and African, up from 1.8%, and 1.6% are other ethnicities.

Ushering in a new age of city-wide “super diversity”, the ONS data showed 59.1% of the people of Leicester are now from ethnic minority groups, a big change since 1991, when black and minority ethnic people made up just over a quarter of the city’s residents. Leicester’s Asian population first became well established after 20,000 people settled in the east Midlands manufacturing city after expulsion from Uganda in 1972.

Minority ethnic people also make up more than half the population in Luton (54.8%) and Birmingham (51.4%), the UK’s second largest city where 20 years ago seven out of 10 people were white. Since the second world war, Birmingham’s population has grown with immigration from the Caribbean and south Asia, as well as Gujaratis who had been in east Africa.

The mixed-race population grew by half a million people to 1.7 million over the last decade, but the rate of increase was slower than for the previous decade.

The census deputy director, Jon Wroth-Smith, said the figures showed “the increasingly multicultural society we live in” but added that despite the rising ethnic diversity “nine in 10 people across England and Wales still identify with a UK national identity, with nearly eight in 10 doing so in London”.

The figures will present a fresh impetus to policymakers to tackle embedded racial inequalities, which mean black and minority ethnic people are 2.5 times more likely to be in relative poverty and are falling faster and further below the poverty line in the cost of living crisis, according to the Runnymede Trust, a race equality thinktank.

While there have been significant improvements in the educational attainment of almost all ethnic minority groups in recent years, median weekly earnings among black Caribbean male employees were 13% below white British men in 2019, with Pakistani and Bangladeshi pay 22% and 42% lower, according to research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

The census revealed a substantial fall in Christian religious adherence. Islam, by contrast, is increasingly widespread, from 4.8% or 2.7 million people in 2011 to 6.5% and 3.9 million people in 2021.

Humanists and secularists seized on the figures as proof of the need for an overhaul of religion’s role in a society that has bishops of the established Church of England voting on laws and compulsory Christian worship in all schools that are not of a designated religious character.

“It’s official – we are no longer a Christian country,” said Stephen Evans, the chief executive of the National Secular Society. “The census figures paint a picture of a population that has dramatically moved away from Christianity – and from religion as a whole. The current status quo, in which the Church of England is deeply embedded in the UK state, is unfair and undemocratic – and looking increasingly absurd and unsustainable.”

The census did not ask people whether they were Church of England, Catholic or any other denomination, but the findings are likely to indicate shrinking congregations for the established Anglican churches of England and Wales. In 2018, the British Social Attitudes Survey found only 12% of British people were Anglicans, down from 40% in 1983.

Dr Adam Rutherford, the president of Humanists UK, said people should not think a decline in religion equated to an “absence in values”.

“We might be living in a more values-driven society than ever before,” he said. “Surveys show, for example, that around three in 10 British adults have humanist beliefs and values, and it’s a trend we’ve seen growing in recent years.”

Humanists say they trust science over the supernatural, base their ethics around reason, empathy and concern for humans and other sentient animals and that in the absence of an afterlife, “human beings can act to give their own lives meaning by seeking happiness in this life and helping others to do the same”.

 This article was amended on 29 November 2022 to include contextual percentage-point data for the changes in the number of Christians and Muslims between censuses, and to correct the figure for the percentage rise in the Muslim population from 44% to 43%."

Acknowledgement: The Daily Guardian 29 November 2022

Courtesy: @The Daily Guardian, 29 November 2022


Tuesday 22 November 2022

Afzal Khan Speaks on Islamophobia in the British Parliament

 

Afzal Khan speaks in the British Parliament

on Islamophobia


 
Dr. Mozammel Haque

Afzal Khan, Labour Member of Manchester, Gorton, raised the issue of Islamophobia in the British Parliament in November, Islamophobia Awareness Month, on 2 November 2022.

Afzal Khan

(Manchester, Gorton) (Lab)

Afzal Khan, Labour Member of Manchester, Gorton raised a point of order in the House of Commons, on 2 November 2022. He said, “On a point of order, Mr Speaker. November marks the beginning of Islamophobia Awareness Month, which is a call to tackle this insidious hatred. This time last year, to mark the month, I made a similar point of order, highlighting the then Prime Minister’s failure to respond to my letter urging him to better safeguard British Muslim communities. A year on, we have had another two Prime Ministers, and each has failed to respond to my letters on Islamophobia. That is wholly unacceptable and it is an insult to British Muslims. Is it in order for consecutive Prime Ministers to ignore Members’ correspondence? If not, what action can I now take? Perhaps the Prime Minister could come to this Chamber to make a statement on Islamophobia Awareness Month.”

Mr. Speaker

In reply to that, the Speaker of the House of Commons said, “I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving notice of his point of order. I can confirm that I have not had a statement from the Government on this matter, although Ministers on the Treasury Bench will have heard his points. I am not responsible for ministerial correspondence, but the right hon. Members he mentioned were written to in a ministerial capacity and I would have expected replies to have been provided. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will continue to pursue the issue that he has raised. If he does not, he should please let me know. If he would like to drop me a line to tell me which Ministers have failed to reply, I will take that up in private.”

Twitter from Afzal Khan, MP

On This subject Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM22) Afzal Khan, Labour Member of the British Parliament for the constituency of Manchester, Gorton sent me the following Twitter:

on 30 October 2022 Afzal Khan MP text me the following Twitter:

"British Muslims are victims of the highest proportion of hate crime every year. Yet the Tories simply do not care. Consecutive Tory PM's have ignored my letters urging them to tackle Islamophobia.

Ahead of #IAM22 read my comments for the @Independent.

On 2 November 2022

Afzal Khan MP on Twitter

"I've written to consecutive PM's about Islamophobia & none of them have bothered to reply.

This is an insult to British Muslims. 

They may change leaders, but the Conservative Chaos continues.

I raised a point of order @RishiSunak's failure to respond to my letter

#PMQs"

On 23 November 2022 Afzal Khan MP on Twitter sent to me:

"Thank you to all the MPs that attended my Islamophobia Awareness Month drop-in today.

It was great to see cross-party support on this important subject.

Together we can tackle this awful hatred which impacts Muslim communities in the UK and worldwide.

#IAM2022"

On 30 November 2022 Afzal Khan MP on Twitter sent to me:

"For Islamophobia Awarenress Month my friend @benedictrogers and I, have come together as a Christian Conservative and a Muslim Labour MP, to call for an end to religious hatred and promote religious freedom - for everyone, everywhere, no exceptions

Read

https://t.co/cHOUWtK907"

 

 

Thursday 4 August 2022

Professor Aziz Sheikh Who Led COVID Research awarded a Knighthood

 

Professor Aziz Sheikh who led COVID Research

awarded a Knighthood

Dr. Mozammel Haque

The highest honour bestowed on a Muslim this year was on Professor Aziz Sheikh, whose research proving the efficacy of the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines earned him a knighthood, reported by The Muslim News, Issue 399,Friday 29 July 2022.

It also mentioned, Professor Sheikh directs multiple bodies, including the Usher Institute, the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research, the Scottish Allergy and Respiratory Academy, and the NIHR Global Respiratory Health Unit. He is also a co-director of the NHS Digital Academy. 

London-based the monthly The Muslim News in its July 2022 issue reported the members of the Muslim Community who were honoured by the Queen in her Jubilee Birthday Honours. 

This year, 2022, members of the Muslim Community were a knighthood, 18 OBEs, 15 MBEs, and 13 BEMs by the Queen in her Jubilee Birthday Honours.


Sir Aziz Sheikh’s research proved the efficacy of the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. @The Muslim News.

Moeen Ali is to be honoured for his services to the game of cricket with an OBE. (Credit/CC) @The Muslim News. 

FOLLOWINGS ARE THE FULL REPORT OF THE MUSLIM NEWS

Renowned scientist who led COVID research among 47 Muslims named in Jubilee Honours @ copyright The Muslim News.

A renowned medical expert whose research was vital in the fight against COVID-19 is among an estimated 47 inspirational Muslims honoured by the Queen in her Jubilee Birthday Honours.

This year, members of the Muslim community were awarded a knighthood, 18 OBEs, 15 MBEs, and 13 BEMs. Thirteen per cent of recipients came from ethnic minority backgrounds, dropping by two per cent. And of the 1,134 people honoured, 6.8 per cent of them are of Asian ethnic heritage, including 37 (three CBEs, six OBEs, twenty-three MBEs and five BEMs) from the Hindu and Sikh communities.

 Professor Aziz Sheikh was honoured Knighthood

The highest honour bestowed on a Muslim this year was on Professor Aziz Sheikh, whose research proving the efficacy of the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines earned him a knighthood. Professor Sheikh directs multiple bodies, including the Usher Institute, the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research, the Scottish Allergy and Respiratory Academy, and the NIHR Global Respiratory Health Unit. He is also a co-director of the NHS Digital Academy. Through the EAVE II study, Professor Sheikh and his team were the first to reveal that the Omicron variant was less severe and resulted in fewer hospitalisations than the Delta variant.

Professor Sheikh is now researching other key vaccine issues, directly informing the COVID-19 response. In an interview with The Muslim News, Professor Sheikh, who holds an OBE for services to medicine, said, “Alhamdulillah, I am delighted that we have been able to contribute evidence that has helped guide national and international decision-making concerning various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Adding, “The way this global community of scholars pulled together to seek urgent answers to the unprecedented challenge posed by COVID-19 was both humbling and inspiring. I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to work with these colleagues in the fight against COVID-19, generating answers that have helped policymakers take decisions that have enabled a degree of normality to return to all of our lives. “The last couple of years have been challenging for my family, as the intensity of the COVID-19 work has been all-consuming. My family have, however, been nothing but supportive throughout my research journey, and to them also my heartfelt thanks.”


Moeen Ali to be honoured for Cricket with OBE

Moeen Ali is to be honoured for his services to the game of cricket with an OBE. Ali made his England debut in all three formats in 2014 and played for the Test side until 2021. He was also part of the England team that won the nation’s first ODI Cricket World Cup in 2019. In September 2020, the all-rounder captained England for the first time in a T20I match against Australia in Southampton. He became the first Asian-origin cricketer to captain England in T20s, and the first Asian-origin cricketer to captain England in any format since Nasser Hussain in 2003. The destructive batsman was part of the Chennai Super Kings squad that won the 2021 Indian Premier League, becoming the first Englishman to do so.

Ali has also done some philanthropic work and became an ambassador of the StreetChance programme, which provides free cricket coaching sessions in deprived areas. In January 2015, he joined Orphans in Need, an international NGO, as a Global Brand Ambassador. Speaking about his charity work, Ali said: “It’s so important that schemes like StreetChance give young people the opportunity to play cricket and to learn key life skills, wherever they’re from and whatever their background.”

 Anwar Uddin to be honoured for Football with MBE

Other sports stars to be honoured include former footballer Anwar Uddin, who is to be made an MBE for his services to association football.

Uddin, 40, was the first person of Bangladeshi heritage to play professional football in England and, while at Dagenham & Redbridge, became the first British Asian to captain a football club. During a 17-year career, Uddin, who holds a UEFA coaching A-Licence, made over 400 senior appearances and represented 10 clubs from the Premier League to the National League South. He began his career at West Ham United, progressing through their youth and reserve teams, where he was captain and was part of the victorious 1999 FA Youth Cup-winning squad. In 2011, he was appointed as caretaker assistant-manager to Giuliano Grazioli at Barnet, making him the first-ever British-Asian to assume a coaching position in English football. In June 2013, he retired from football, leaving his then-club Eastbourne Borough to pursue a coaching career.

Uddin is also involved in a joint Kick It Out and Football Supporters’ Association project, which was launched under his guidance in 2014 and aims to increase diversity among match-going supporters. He has helped create over 150 diverse supporters’ groups across the country. His work has contributed to his appointment in 2021 to the FA’s National Council. His appointment makes him the first British South Asian ex-player in the council’s history.

 Najma Khalid to be honoured for Community services with MBE

Najma Khalid, Founder and Director of Women’s Care, Help and Inspire (CHAI) Project, told The Muslim News she feels “honoured” to receive an MBE for her services to the community in Oldham. Khalid has dedicated over 20 years to collaborating with disadvantaged communities, including delivering art projects that have inspired academic thinking. Notable projects include the British Council Active Citizens Programme, which saw 36 women undertake social action projects; the healthy cookbook, Chapatti and Chat, designed to combat obesity and loneliness.

Since 2011, she has been the founder of the renowned Women’s CHA Project, a well-being project that has empowered thousands of women. Since 2019, she has worked with Oldham Opportunity Area to deliver a Parent Power project. A project designed to focus on progression into post-secondary education to improve outcomes for all students and encourage parents to become community champions.

In February 2020, the parents won their first campaign, which was a fully funded, bespoke open day at Edge Hill University following a parent-authored letter to local universities. Through the networking of the lead organisers and due to the project’s profile, Trinity College, Cambridge, partnered with the Oldham Parent Power project.

 Nazrul Islam BEM for Community Services in Tower Hamlets

Nazrul Islam BEM is recognised for his services to the community in the Tower Hamlets during COVID-19, where he saw the need for a council estate-based hub for residents. He consulted with residents, community organisations, local housing providers, and politicians to help create the Dorset Community Association (DCA). And for the past 11 years, he has been a hands-on trustee, working as a manager, and linking the ground-level work with the board of trustees.

Led by Bangladeshi residents, DCA provides a range of services for all; older residents’ lunch clubs, homework support for children, local estate consultation events; and fun events bringing the community together.

When the pandemic took hold, he committed himself to doing all he could to help the most vulnerable residents. He set up a community larder in partnership with Tower Hamlets, donating over 1,500 bags of groceries to poverty-stricken residents and liaising with local catering companies to provide over 1,200 fresh, healthy meals delivered to older shielded residents and people with disabilities twice-weekly.

He chose local caterers suffering from loss of income, supporting their welfare during the economic crisis. These deliveries evolved into doorstep community chats and check-ins that residents relied on as their primary source of support and advice. He signed up many local volunteers and opened the centre as a base for community use, making check-in phone calls, distributing PPE and hundreds of Covid-19 leaflets and supporting members of the community by receiving vaccines and helping obtain prescriptions. He has spent a huge amount of time fundraising and has raised funds to buy 20 tablets for families needing access to IT.

Rukhsana Yaqoob to be made an MBE for her services to education

Independent Educational Consultant Rukhsana Yaqoob is to be made an MBE for her services to education. Yaqoob, of Leytonstone, is an experienced educator who has worked successfully for over 30 years in a range of secondary schools and nationally. She has raised the attainment of underachieving pupils.

Through her work as the national president of the Muslim Teacher’ Association, Yaqoob has had the opportunity to collaborate with multiple partners to achieve and sustain positive change. This includes providing training, advice, mentoring, and networking opportunities to teachers.

As a mentor for Investing in Diversity at the Institute of Education and the Black Professionals Network, she helps educators reach their full potential. Yaqoob, who received The Muslim News Sankore University Award for Education in 2017, is a member of the National Strategies, which aim to improve learning quality in schools across England.

She served as a governor for 27 years and was the managing director of Kiran, a refuge for abused women.

Courtesy: The Muslim News, July 2022

Copyright: @The Muslim News

Saturday 30 July 2022

Importance and Significance of the Month of Muharram

 

Importance and Significance

of the Month of Muharram

Dr. Mozammel Haque





The month of Muharram is important and it has so many significances. First of all, it is not only one of the twelve months of the Hijri calendar but it is the first month of the Hijri calendar. Secondly, it is also one of the four sacred or forbidden months of the Hijri calendar. Allah Subhanahu wa Taala said about the Ashhur ul Hurum, the sanctified four months, one of them is the month of Muharram. In the following paragraphs, I am going to discuss, narrate and explain the following subjects – such as Four Sacred Months, Ashhur ul Hurum, the Holy Places and Holy Times chosen by Allah Subhanahu wa Taala, Fasting in the month of Muharram, especially fasting in the day of Ashoorah, expiation of sins – small and big; Karbala – the Martyrdom of Hazrat Hussein on the day of Ashoorah accidentally and lastly the beginning of Hijri calendar. This is based on a talk given by Dr Ahmad al-Dubayan, the Director General of The Islamic Cultural Centre & the Regents Park Central London Mosque, London, on Muharram on Saturday the 15th of September 2018.

Four Sacred Months

Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan first mentioned about the four sacred months in the Hijri calendar and one of them is the month of Muharram. He said, “There are always four months in a year. These months are sacred actually they are holy months but they are not like Ramadan. These months are Dhul Qaida, Dhul Hijja, Muharram and Rajab. These four months according to the Hijri calendar are the sacred months – Ashhur al Hurum. Allah Subhanahu wa Taala said this in the Qur’an. The Holy Qur’an says, "The number of the months according to Allah is twelve months (mentioned) in the Book of Allah on the day in which He created heavens and the earth. Among these (twelve months) there are four sanctified”.

These four months, according to the authentic traditions, are the months; these months are Dhul Qaida, Dhul Hijja, Muharram and Rajab. All the commentators of the Holy Qur’an are unanimous on this point, because the Holy Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam in his sermon on the occasion of his last Hajj, has declared:"One year consists of twelve months, of which four are sanctified months, three of them are in sequence; Zulqadah, Zulhijjah, Muharram, and the fourth is Rajab."


Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned, “Allah said, don’t be unfair unjust to yourself during this time. It means you have to avoid conflict and wrong things especially in these four months. Of course every Muslim is asked every time but it is more confirmed in these four months. These are the months - Dhul Qaida, Dhul Hijja, the month of Hajj and this month, Muharram and Rajab, which is going to come inshaallah. Rajab is the seventh month of the Hijri calendar.”

The word Muharram itself means sacred or forbidden. Why they call it like this? Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned, because Arabs used not to fight; not to do any problem or dispute with other tribe especially during these four months even before Islam. May be this is one of the remaining of the traditions of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him).”

Thus, the sanctity of these four months was recognized right from the days of Sayyidina Ibrahim. Since the Pagans of Makkah attributed themselves to Sayyidina Ibrahim they observed the sanctity of these four months and despite their frequent tribal battles, they held it unlawful to fight in these months. In the Shari’ah of our Holy Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam the sanctity of these months was upheld and the Holy Qur’an referred to them as the "sanctified months".

In the Hijri calendar there are twelve months out of which these four months are sacred or forbidden months. Dr. al-Dubayan said, “Among these twelve months there are four months - the forbidden or sacred months – do not be unfair with yourself in these four months. Even the Companion of the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam Ibn Abbas said; if somebody commits sins in these four months it is even bigger more than the other times. Of course respect of the Shari’ah, of the teachings of Allah Subhanahu wa Taala must be more during these four months.”

Dr. Al-Dubayan said, “Nowadays we forget these four months. We just live in just like any other days. Muharram starts; or Safar or Rabi al Awwal do not have any meaning for us. We are always busy in this Dunya; we do not pay that much attention to these four months. We have to keep more of these four months  in our mind - Dhul Qaida, the month before the Hajj, the Dhul Hijja, the month of Hajj  and the next month, the month of Muharram which is we are now in and then the Rajab, the seventh month of the Hijri calendar.”

Dr. al-Dubayan continued, “As I said, the Arabs, even before Islam, stopped fighting during these four months. If somebody has revenge against someone who has killed his brother or father; he during these months does not do anything to him. He waits till actually the time passes when he is no longer in these months any more. New month starts; then they go back to their normal life. This is how they respect this.”

 Chosen Holy Times and Holy Places

After mentioning about the four sacred or forbidden months of the Hijri calendar, Dr. al-Dubayan spoke of the holy times and holy places. He said, “Allah Subhanahu wa Taala chooses certain places and certain times to be holy times and to be holy places. There are certain rituals for this. Allah is the One who decides this, not us. For example, the month of Ramadan, this is the time, this is the holy month. The Lailatul Qadr, which Allah Subhanahu wa Taala asks us to do our best to seek in the month of Ramadan - the Lailatul Qadr, to pray during the Lailatul Qadr. This is Allah Subhanahu wa Taala decided.”


“Allah Subhanahu wa Taala decided the last ten days of Ramadan as Lailatul Qadr, to pray during this Lailatul Qadr; the Yaum ul Arafah, the day of Arafah, the Ashoorah, which is going to come next Thursday. These things are decided by Allah Subhanahu wa Taala, not by us, not by people. For each day there are some teachings; sometimes fasting, sometimes praying. For example, Lailatul Qadr for more prayer; the Day of Arafah, fasting for those who are not in Hajj; the Day of Ashoorah, I am going to talk about this day of Ashoorah,” Dr. al-Dubayan said.

 Chosen Holy Places

Dr. al-Dubayan then mentioned about certain holy places. Allah Subhanahu wa Taala has decided about these holy places – for example, Masjid al-Haram in Makkah; Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah and Masjid al-Aqsa. Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned, “There are certain places Allah Subhanahu wa Taala grants them His blessings and call them the holy places, one of them is Masjid al-Haram in Makkah. Allah Subhanahu wa Taala calls this Masjid al-Haram. The Prophetic Mosque in Madinah, the Masjid al-Nabawi; Allah Subhanahu wa Taala said who pray here he call them equals to 1,000 prayers than anywhere else. And one prayer in Makkah in Masjid al Haram equals to 100,000 prayers. Can you imagine how the blessings in these places? If you pray one time in Masjid al Haram in Makkah as if you pray 100,000 times than somewhere else. If you pray at the Masjid of the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam it is equal to 1,000 prayers. If you pray at Masjid al-Aqsa it is equal to 500 prayers. We cannot add any other mosque on earth in this list of chosen holy places - mosque. It is Allah Subhanahu wa Taala who decides this, not us and nobody. This is very very important for all of you”

“Nobody can tell you - it is preferable to pray at this place or fast that day or to fast here or to pray here without the daleel of Kitab or Sunnah. Because it is Allah Subhanahu wa Taala who decides that. How do we know about Ashhur ul Hurum the four sacred or forbidden months? I told you. It is mentioned in the Qur’an. How do we know about Masjid al-Haram; if you pray there it is more than 100,000 prayer, because the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam said in the Hadis Sahih. How do we know the prayer at the Masjid al-Nabawi equals to 1,000, because Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam said that. We cannot say, for example, go there; it will be 100 or less or more; we cannot. You cannot choose any other place and say this is really preferable; similarly you cannot say to fast that day without proof; without daleel from the Kitab and Sunnah - the Qur’an and Sunnah, the traditions of the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam. I always advice you when someone tells something; you ask where it is? show me the daleel whether it is in the Qur’an or the Hadis Sahih of the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam This is very important,” mentioned Dr. al-Dubayan.

Dr. al-Dubayan then mentioned about lot of fake stories invented by people in the Muslim world. He said, “Many people created lot of things in the Muslim world. If you pray there mashallah there will be more benefits. How do you know? Can you show daleel? did the Prophet said that? No. One of the followers of the Companions came to Abdullah al-Masood and said to him, I just come from Tur, the mountain where Allah Subhanahu wa Taala talked to Moosa alayes Salam it is in Sinai. This man witnessed the visit to that place, the mosque there, the place itself. And then he came to Abdullah al-Masood or Abu Hurairah; he said I just come; why did you go there; he said I wanted to pray there. He said, listen, I heard Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam saying: nobody travel to pray besides these three mosques - Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, The Masjid al-Nabawi, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and Masjid al-Aqsa. These three places you can travel just to pray. So the Companions of the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam never travel just to pray except these three places. Why? Because there is no daleel from the Kitab or Sunnah. it is said it is sacred or it is holy place; it is a place where there is given blessings. This is one of the principles of Aqidah you have to remember; I have told you all the time. Brothers and sisters, you have to remember this; anybody tells us about any mosque, ask where is this in the Qur’an or the Sunnah of the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam.”

Fasting in the month of Muharram

The Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam used to fast a lot in the month of Muharram, this month; of course not fasting the whole month like Ramadan. But may be, every week two days three days; it is a Sunnah to fast as many as you can; or as much as you can in the month of Muharram, this month. But don’t fast like Ramadan. So, one day a week or two days a week according to what you can. This is a Sunnah; it is not a duty, of course. It’s not wajib; this is one of the principles of this month. In this month, there is a day of Ashoorah. What is a day of Ashoorah? The Day of Ashoorah is the tenth day of Muharram. The word Ashoorah came from the word ashara in Arabic. Ashara means ten.


Treaty of Madinah

Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned about the beginning of Ashoorah. He said, “The Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam came to Madinah, he stayed in Madinah and established first the Muslim community in Madinah as we all know. There was in Madinah some Jewish tribes, Jewish community. The Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam closed a Treaty with the Jewish community, which we called the Treaty of Madinah. According to this Treaty, not to fight with each other; to be fair with each other, not to hate some others against others. This is like a political agreement between the Muslims and the Jews in the Madinah itself; to share together, to live together as one society as it was mentioned in the Treaty which the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam himself signed.”


Fasting on the Day of Ashoorah

Why we had started to fast on the day of Ashoorah? Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan narrated the story behind the start of the fasting on the Day of Ashoorah. He said, “One of the things Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam noticed in Madinah; Jews at that time used to celebrate a certain day.   The Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam asked them why you celebrate this day; they said we celebrate this day thanking Allah Subhanahu wa Taala because He has saved Moses, the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) with his people from the Pharoah of Egypt and to save them from the land there, to the holy land. The Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam said, we are closer to Moosa then. Why? Because the call of the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam, the message of the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam is Tawheed and the message of the Prophet Moosa (peace be upon him) is Tawheed. So the Prophets, all of them, came with the same message, the Tawheed, La ilaha Illalah.”

 “Anybody who comes with this, he comes closer to the Prophet and anybody who goes away from this, he goes away from the Prophet. So the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam said, I am Prophet, he is Prophet and so I am closer to him. We will then celebrate this; do this in another way. How? Then the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam asked Muslims to fast that particular day. At that time the day was the day of Ashoorah, the tenth day of this month of Muharram, which is coming inshaAllah in the next Thursday. Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam fasted in that time and he asked the Companions to fast next year; he said if you fast next year, you fast another day with it either before or after. This is to be different from the Jewish community. Muslim community at that time in this ritual would be different. This is the beginning of it; this is a Sunnah,” Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned.

 Expiation of Sins

Dr. al-Dubayan also said about a Hadith Sahih of the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam. He said, “The Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam said in another Hadith Sahih; I am asking Allah Subhanahu wa Taala this day to delete the small sins, the minor sins of everybody one year before; this means if you fast on this day with good intention, of course Allah Subhanahu wa Taala will remove from your record all the small sins that was done in the last year; the small ones, not the big ones. The big things; no. This prayer if you pray every time the small things will be deleted but not the big things. Big things you have to make Tauba; you have to have the Taubah. It is very very important.”

“This is also the same with Ramadan; the same with Jumah, the same with the day of Arafah; one year after or one year before. Some people think; okay, no problem. Whatever you did wrongs and then you can fast Arafah or Ashoorah Allah Subhanahu wa Taala washes away all the sins you have done.  Allah will wash away from you and delete the minors or small ones, not the big ones; not the Riba, not the adultery, not the violating of the rights of parents. For these big things, no,” mentioned Dr. Al-Dubayan.

The day before Ashoorah which is ninth; in Arabic it is called Teesa, the word comes from the number Teesa. Dr. al-Dubayan said, “Most Muslims actually fast Taswah which is the 9th and the 10th. Why? In case, there is a mistake in the beginning of the month and they will definitely have the 10th day; of course; if you do your best and if you fast and later on you find that you fast the wrong day not the right day; you follow the wrong calendar, Allah will reward you for fasting exactly because this is the best you have done. Allah wanted to do the best; not to know everything completely absolutely. The absolute knowledge is for Allah Subhanahu wa Taala, not for us.”

 Karbala – Martyr of Hazrat Hussein

Dr. al-Dubyan narrated the history of Karbala – the martyrdom of Hazrat Hussein in brief. He mentioned, “Fifty days after this, Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam passed away in the year 11 Hijri. He went for Hajj in the year 10 Hijri. Then the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam came back. Few months after the Hajj, he passed away, he died. Fifty years after, Hussein bin Ali Abu Talib was moving to Karbala in Iraq and there he was killed; he was killed accidently on that day of Ashoorah. That was fifty years after. This means fifty years after the death of Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam; after Abu Bakr, Umar, Othman, and Ali himself; then Hussein was killed; the year was 61 Hijri precisely. Of course everybody was regretting what had happened. Everybody said who killed him they were criminals, they were wrong; there is no doubt about this. No Muslims on earth is happy about what had happened that day at all.”


“But we are also following the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam. We cannot add to the day of Ashoorah anything the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam did not do it.  Some people exaggerate about this; they make rituals especially for the day which is not Sunnah to show sadness; for example, to wear black dresses etc. In the Sunnah it is not done that way. We follow our prophet; to fast this day to follow the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam; anything else more than the Sunnah don’t do it; that’s the wrong. We said that. Even the Khulafah Arba, the four Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Othman, Ali did not do anything on that day more than fasting,” mentioned Dr. al-Dubayan.

Bidah

Dr. al-Dubayan also continued, “This is all created after. It was not even created 50 years after. It was created 300 years after. That was in the third century. All these rituals you see, all these caravans, festivals, this was created in the fourth century; not in the first, not in the second. You have to be aware of this. Other people also make other things; they add certain other things; they do certain kind of foods, certain people dress themselves white on that day to show their happiness because of the killing of Hussein. This is something very awful. Nobody says they are happy about what had happened. This is a matter of rituals; it is not a matter of traditions. Wearing white, cooking certain food, cooking rice, giving something – these are all bidah. That was added all to the Sunnah. The Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam did not do this. The Four Caliphs did not do it; the great Imams, the Imam Hanifah, the Imam Safieh, the Imam Maliki, the Imam Ahmad did not do it. These are all created after. We stick to the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam. This is very very important I have to mention it.”

 Fake Hadiths relating to Ashoorah

Dr. al-Dubyan then mentioned some of the fake Hadiths made relating to Ashoorah. He said, “You will find some fake Hadith; fake made just for Ashoorah; one of them for example, he who spends more money Allah will give him more money for the year; this is fake Hadith, it is not true. Somebody fakes this to celebrate or to do something. This is fake, this is not true; not Hadith. Some people drink milk on that particular day; this is also bidah, this is not Sunnah. Just follow Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam.”

“When Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam died, when he passed away, everything in the religion was clear. He told us everything; nothing hidden; he did not hide anything; he did not give any special thing to certain people only for other things. The Qur’an is for all of us; the Sunnah is for all of us; so if anybody told you that some part of the Qur’an is only for certain people; don’t believe this. If someone tells you there are some Hadiths only for some people, nobody knows about them especially for this person; it is not true,” said Dr. al-Dubyan.

 Prophet Mercy for whole Mankind

“Why? Because Allah Subhanahu wa Taala says in the Qur’an we just send you as a Mercy for the whole Mankind for the whole world. How the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam would be mercy for me, for him, for her for everybody when something is hidden. How come the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam talk about equality of man; all mankind is equal. Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam said there is no superiority for any Arab for someone not Arab; for any white for someone who is black. You are all equal; you are brothers and sisters; your father is one and your mother is one. And your father is Adam and your mother are Hawwa, Eve. That means we come from the same father and the same mother. So, we always put borders saying I am better than you and you are better than that,” mentioned al-Dubyan.

Hijri Calendar

Seven years exactly after the death of the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhe Wassallam Hijri calendar was started. (It will be dealt in detail in the next issue)