Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha - A leader dedicated to Islam and Muslim

Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha: A leader
dedicated to Islam and Muslim

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha, born in Madras in South India, graduated from Madras University in 1950 and went on to study Law. He was enrolled as an advocate at Madras High Court; however, he decided to leave and go to study further in America, where he obtained his LL.M. from Wisconsin University in 1960 and SJD (Doctorate in Juridical Science), equivalent to PhD in the United Kingdom from New York University in 1963.

He came to the UK in 1965 and was persuaded to stay by a religious scholar as there was a need there to organize the British Muslim community. In 1970 he founded the famous Union of Muslim Organisations of the United Kingdom and Ireland, an organization that has been actively engaged to enhance the position of Muslims in UK and Europe.

Two years ago, in January 2005, Dr. Pasha was awarded an OBE by the Queen for his contribution to the Muslim community and multicultural harmony. Dr. Pasha was also honoured in 2006 by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the London Islamic Cultural Centre (ICC) for his lifetime services to the Muslim community in Britain. Last November, 2007 the Global Peace and Unity (GPU) 2007 also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Pasha.

Dr. Pasha is such a great personality and a dedicated Muslim leader to the service of Islam and British community that I was enthralled to write a profile on him after interviewing his personal opinion and comments on several issues of the Muslim community in this country.

Interview with Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha
To pray and practise Islam in a non-Muslim country and to help other Muslims to do right is the passion of Dr. Pasha’s life. Speaking about the passion of his life, Dr. Pasha said, “My life is conditioned upon following the principles of Islam daily in my daily life. The most important thing which I found was prayers five times a day and Friday congregational prayer in a mosque. So when I went to America I was able to pray five times in my room but I was worried about Friday congregational prayers.”

President of the Muslim Students Association (MSA)
of the Wisconsin University
In order to have a place for Friday congregational prayer, Dr. Pasha began to gather the Muslim students coming from different parts of the world. “In the University of Wisconsin, there were about 200 Muslim students. I made contact with some of them and found positive response from them for the proposal for a congregational prayer. There was no Mosque no facilities. I approached a brother from Indonesia, a scholarship holder. He had a very big hall in his apartment just like a Mosque. In America, the apartments are luxurious, very big. So I suggested him to let his hall for Friday prayer. He was delighted to accept.”

Dr. Pasha was elected as the President of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) of the University of Wisconsin in 1958. He negotiated with the University to get a hall in the students union where the Muslim students can make their Friday prayers. “We got the permission, Alhamdu Lillah.”

Founder-member of Muslim Students
Association of USA and Canada (MSA)
Dr. Pasha is one of the founders of Muslim Students Association of the United States and Canada (MSA) which developed as the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). Speaking about the founding of the Islamic Council of North America,

Dr. Pasha came to London in 1965. He found Dr. Muhammad Hoballah, Director of the Islamic Cultural Centre and Regents Park Mosque. Dr. Pasha met him in Washington. The Director introduced Dr. Pasha to Dr. Al-Gayoushi, the Assistant Director of the Islamic Centre, who gave him the facilities to organize Muslims. Dr. Pasha formed an Ad hoc Committee to convene a conference of Muslim organizations in the United Kingdom.

UNION of Muslim Organisations (UMO)
Speaking about the formation of the Union of the Muslim Organisations of United Kingdom and Ireland, (UMO), Dr. Pasha said, “First national conference of Muslim organizations was convened at the Islamic Cultural Centre in 1970. Nobody knew me, nobody knew anybody. But they know Islamic Cultural Centre. Muslim organizations responded to our call, read the constitution and we formed the Union of Muslim Organisations of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was July 19, 1970. Alhamdu Lillah, we carried out with 38 founding members of the Union. Since then we never looked back. Each year the number increased and is increasing. There were only 200 Muslim organizations recognized in the United Kingdom. Now there are nearly a thousand. The UMO’s Membership is 216 Muslim organizations at present.”

After the formation of the UMO, the first priority was to find a suitable place which will be the Headquarters of the UMO. The Director of the Islamic Cultural Centre suggested we move to our own premises as the trustees of the Islamic Cultural Centre are the Muslim ambassadors of all the Muslim countries. Ibrahim Bawani suggested, ‘Dr. Pasha in this country nobody will give you money for Headquarters; the only man who will give you is King Faisal.’”

Dr. Pasha travelled to Saudi Arabia to ask King Faisal for help. “King Faisal was so happy to know that we formed a Union of Muslim Organizations in the United Kingdom and Ireland. He said, ‘This was my dream. I can give you anything you want. King was in such a happy mood that he promised 250,000 pounds to build a UMO Centre.’ 250,000 pounds at that time in 1970, was today equivalent to about 5 million pounds,” said Dr. Pasha.

After coming back to London, Dr. Pasha met the then Saudi Ambassador at the Saudi Embassy in London. In 1980, Saudi Arabia and Iraq helped to buy a property which became the Headquarter of the UMO.

Motto of UMO
Speaking about the motto of the UMO, Dr. Pasha said, “If you see our Constitution, it says, ‘Hold fast to the rope of Allah and be not divided.’ This is a great opportunity for Muslims coming from various parts of the world to demonstrate the potentiality of Islam as a uniting force, as a cohesive force. It will eliminate discrimination on whatever grounds; race, colour or ethnicity – all this is taken care of in the Islamic faith, because the Holy Qur’an is very clear: All humanity comes from Adam and Eve and Adam came from dust. Exactly what our Prophet (peace be upon him) said in his farewell message on the Mount of Arafah. So the motto of UMO is to achieve unity of the Muslim community and to promote Daw’ah.”

Achievements and Demands of UMO
Speaking about the aims, activities and achievements of the UMO, Dr. Pasha mentioned about getting the permission to build Mosques, to have time-off for prayers, funding for Muslim schools, representation of Muslims in the British Parliament, outlawing religious discrimination and incitement to religious hatred, official holidays for Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha and application of Muslim Family Law.

Permission to build Mosques
Dr. Pasha said, “The first thing I did was to write to Mr. Roy Jenkins, MP, the then Home Secretary, asking him to advise Local Councils to grant planning permission to build mosque in each area of this country. So, Alhamdu Lillah, we succeeded: the Home Secretary wrote to all local authorities to give positive response to the Muslim community’s demands for a Mosque.”

European Convention of Human Rights
Lord Irwin, the then Lord Chancellor, succeeded in getting Parliament’s approval to have this incorporated into the British Law. Article 9 of this Convention guarantees freedom of religion to all citizens of Europe under which we are claiming our religious rights, said Dr. Pasha.

Funding for Muslim schools
Speaking about the third achievements of the UMO, Dr. Pasha said, “Thirdly, we wanted funding for Muslim Schools. Catholic and Church of England Schools receive state funding; Jewish Schools also get state funding. So we succeeded in getting state funding for Muslim Schools. The first one was the Islamia Primary School of Brother Yusuf Islam; and then al-Furqan School in Birmingham. Now, Alhamdu Lillah, there are now 7 State-funded Muslim Schools out of a total of about 120 schools.”

Representation of Muslims in British Parliament
Speaking about the fourth achievement of the UMO, Dr. Pasha said, “UMO organized and held so many meetings in Parliament and so many fringe meetings in the party conferences – in the Conservative Party and the Labour Party conferences. We put forward UMO’s demands for representation of Muslims in the House of Commons and in the House of Lords. We succeeded, Alhamdu Lillah. There are four Muslims in the House of Commons and five in the House of Lords. This number is not sufficient. This number is not commensurate with our numbers. We have got more than two and a half million Muslims. Accordingly, we should have more than 35 Muslims in the House of Commons and more than 25 in the House of Lords. We are demanding and we will continue.”

Religious Discrimination and Incitement to Religious Hatred
Speaking about the next demand of the UMO, Dr. Pasha said, “Our next demand was for a bill which will outlaw religious discrimination and incitement to religious hatred. This Labour government promised and fulfilled the promise but, unfortunately, this bill was watered down, not to our expectations. I hope the next Parliament will continue our demand that this should be strengthened on the same lines as the Race Relations Act of 1976 to make it a criminal offence to discriminate against Muslims in employment and incitement to religious hatred.”

Blasphemy Law
“Law of Blasphemy applies to Christian religion only. Lord Scarman of the then Law Commission said this is not right. This is a multi-cultural multi-religious society. All religions should be treated equally,” said Dr. Pasha.

Holidays for two Eids and
Application of Family Law
Dr. Pasha said, “So far our demand is to have official holidays for Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha for the Muslim Employees and the application of Muslim Family Law. This is our very very important demand. Britain, being a multi-religious society, the Muslim community must have the right to practise the tenets of Islam. In our religion, the Muslim Family Law is obligatory and it deals with personal matters only. It is not affecting other people’s rights.”

Dr. Pasha also mentioned his personal views and opinions on some of the major issues of the Muslim community in this country, such as integration and cohesion, Hijab and Muslim education.

Integration and cohesion
“People are speaking about integration, cohesion and all this kind of things. We say, we are all for integration, but not for assimilation. Because Islam is a religion, is an ideology, and a way of life. We cannot abandon our cultural and religious values in order to achieve integration. We are integrated but we have got our own religious cultural identity. That means there will be no assimilation, not to subscribe to it,” said Dr. Pasha and added, “But integration, we are fully to it because we believe Islam is a religion for the whole of mankind and Allah has categorized us as the best Ummah.”

Hijab
Dr. Pasha said, “I will suggest Suratul Ahzab, which says, ‘O Prophet, Tell your wives, your daughters and the believing women to cover their bodies with Hijab; because this will be a source of identity that they are Muslims and this will also be a source of protection against evil doers. This is Order from Allah the Almighty. There is no choice for the Muslims here. The women are following the Order of Allah the Almighty, not my order or the order of the husband or order of anybody else. Allah the Almighty has made modesty of a woman a requirement for their entering into the Paradise. It is for their benefit and for wide morality in society. Therefore, wearing a Hijab is compulsory for the protection of woman and for the protection of man as well to protect their modesty. Allah has created man and woman and He knows which is good for the human society.”

Education
Dr. Pasha mentioned, “State funding to Muslim Schools will only increase the capacity of Muslims to communicate with non-Muslims. Muslim Schools will not be a ghetto schools; Muslim schools will open its doors to non-Muslims because Muslim schools will create their places for the Muslim children to inculcate the Islamic ethos and to build up their community in accordance with Islamic values while following the national curriculum. They will follow the National Curriculum.”

Interfaith
Dr. Pasha said, “Interfaith, I think, is very useful institution. I have been myself member of the World Council for Religion and Peace. I have been a member of the Executive Committee of the United Nations Association of Religious communities and I think this is a useful Forum to eradicate misunderstanding about different religions and other peoples religions,” said Dr. Pasha and added, “At the same time, it is my humble request to those people, Muslims, who are participating in this interfaith, not to be politically correct in their approach but to state clearly what Islam stands for. We are not offending anybody but we are only trying to put the case of Islam in its total perspective.”

Alcohol
Dr. Pasha said, “They are saying, Jesus took the last supper with wine. There is no proof of this. Whichever is intoxicating, which removes your senses of discriminating right and wrong is forbidden. But if they are drinking it is their problem. We are not trying to criticize anybody. But we will not drink alcohol ourselves. But we will be part of multi-faith dialogue. We will explain the true benefits of interfaith. We will say, Moosa (peace be upon him) and Issa (peace be upon him) - both of them foretold the coming of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) very clearly in their Books – Torah and Injeel. In the Bible, it is said clearly that after me a prophet will come whose name is ‘Pericletos’ (meaning the Praised ones) but clearly mention in the Bible of Barnabus as ‘Mohamana’ in Aramaic language."

Published in The Muslim Weekly, London

24 March 2008

King Abdul Aziz Centre for Dialogue - A Big Achievement

King Abdul Aziz Centre for Dialogue:
A big Achievement

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Jeddah: Saudi Arabia: King Abdul Aziz Centre for National Dialogue was established on 3rd August 2003 towards fostering a national dialogue between people who hold different views. The Centre came into existence after the First National Meeting, which was held in Riyadh. This was followed by other national meetings whose subjects were chosen with care and concern so as to be of importance to the needs of society.

The Centre aims to provide an appropriate and permanent environment for national dialogue among individuals within Saudi society, in order to realize the general welfare and preserve national unity on the basis of the Islamic creed.

I enquired Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef about this King Abdul Aziz Centre for national Dialogue. Dr. Naseef said, “Last Ramadan, there was a meeting with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on dialogue. First of all, on 24th of Ramadan which was 21st of August, the meeting took place in the office of the Sheikh Abdullah al-Saleh al-Husseini, the Chairman of the al-Haramain al-Sharafian. The meeting took place in his office. We discussed about all the issues and then in the evening the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah, on the same day, on the 25th of Ramadan he greeted the committee, encouraged by saying the Centre is doing very well.”

Centre – a big achievement
Dr. Naseef also mentioned, “The culture of dialogue is spreading among the people, in the organisations and even within the families, King Abdullah said. You can be proud of that you have introduced as a committee and as a centre - King Abdul Aziz Centre for Dialogue as we introduced the culture of dialogue within the families. Now the people are speaking within their children, people with their wives and man with the woman and with other members of the family in a decent language and accepting the other ideas and so on. So he said this is a big achievement and congratulated the centre for this great achievement.”

The King Abdul Aziz Centre for National Dialogue strives to promote the culture of dialogue among the groups comprising the society of the nation. Looking towards the nation’s hopes and aspirations, the centre aims to contribute by participating in offering the prerequisites needed for prosperity and civilization.

Death of Dr Pasha a Great Loss of the Muslim Community

Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha Passes Away:
A Great loss of the Muslim Community

Dr. Mozammel Haque
The death of Dr. Pasha is a great loss of the Muslim Community. I am sure that the younger next generation will remember always the remarkable efforts and achievements of Dr. Pasha for long time,” said Dr Ahmed al-Dubayan, Director General of the Islamic Cultural Centre to me and added, “What we hope now is that the Muslim leaders in our community will learn from Dr. Pasha and will have the same feeling and love for Islam and Muslims and for everybody as Dr. Pasha had.”

Muslim Community of Britain is in the sea of sadness with the passing of Dr. Syed Aziz Pasha, pioneer community leader, on Wednesday, 23rd of November 2011 (Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raajioon –To God we belong and to Him we return)).

For more than forty years from 1970 to 2011 Dr. Pasha relentlessly tried to improve the situation of Muslims and after 2001 he tried to convince the whole world, particularly the people of the United Kingdom that the British Muslims are the peace-loving and law-abiding citizens of this country through his speeches, statements and press releases of the Union of Muslim Organisations of the United Kingdom & Ireland (UMO) of which he was the founder and Secretary General.

Dr. Pasha, 81, devoted his whole life and time for the community service, for the well-being of the British Muslims through his organisation, UMO.

Dr. Pasha was awarded an OBE in January, 2005 by the Queen of the United Kingdom for his contribution to the Muslim Community and multicultural harmony. The British Muslim Community also acknowledged his devotion, dedication and perseverance and he was honoured in 2006 by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, for his lifetime services to the Muslim Community in Britain.

In 2007, the Global Peace and Unity (GPU) also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Pasha.

The Janaza prayer of Dr. Pasha was held at the Islamic Cultural Centre and the Regent Park Central London Mosque after the Jumah prayer on Friday, 25 November 2011.

Dr. Pasha started his community service by establishing UMO in the Islamic Cultural Centre, London and the British Muslim Community gave him the warmest farewell from this world for his blissful and heavenly life Hereafter by praying farewell Janaza at the same place, Islamic Cultural Centre and Regent Park Central London Mosque on Friday, 25th of November 2011 after the Jumah prayer, where he never consciously missed any Friday Jumah prayer, while he was in sound health in London.

Dr. Pasha was placed on rest at Garden of Peace graveyard, Ilford, England, before Maghreb, on Friday, 25 November 2011. It was attended by Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Barrister Haji Ahmed Thompson and community leaders, Religious leaders, Ulema and other members of the Muslim community. Dr. Suhaib Hasan led another Janaza Prayer at the graveyard and made a special dua (supplication) after placing the body of Dr. Pasha at rest

Hajj-e-Mabrouk to you all from Holy Sites of Mina Arafat and Muzdalifah

Hajj-e-Mabrouk to you all from the
Holy Sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah

Dr. Mozammel Haque

MINA: MAKKAH: I wish all of you who have performed Hajj this year a Hajj-e-Mabrouk and others a happy Eid Mubarak from the Holy Sites of Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah and Masjid-al-Haram in the Balad al-Ameen. The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah congratulated all Muslims in the world in an address to the pilgrims on Monday, the 7th of November 2011. “From the land of the sacred message and revelation, I congratulate you and Muslims everywhere on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Adha,” the King said in his speech.

King Abdullah congratulates all Muslims the world over
The King prayed for the Muslim Ummah’s security and stability. “When security and stability prevails, societies grow, the economy prospers and the Ummah moves forward. Muslim societies should use Hajj as an occasion to learn. Among the great aims of Haj are unity, solidarity and getting rid of dissent and hatred,” the King said.

The huge number of pilgrims coming from different corners of the world to fulfil their fifth obligatory rite convinces anyone of the importance of ideas such as diversity, tolerance and dialogue, the king said. “The true image of the unified Ummah emerges during the Haj. They all have assembled with only one objective and in response to the call of Allah and in sincere devotion to the Almighty. Wherever we go we hear nothing but the sound of Talbiya (the declaration of ‘We are here in response to the call of Allah, the One’),” the king said.

King Abdullah added that an important lesson to be learned from Hajj is that pilgrims are ready to suffer anything when they go out in response to the call of Tawhid (belief in the oneness of God). The king said he learned a lot from watching the pilgrims every year. “I look at them during their walking and wandering around. I gain a lot from looking at them and I draw a unique energy from those huge crowds. I admiringly watch the look of satisfaction and tranquility in their faces. They also enjoy the blessings of security and serenity prevailing in this country. They are calm and quiet, the older ones are sympathetic to the young, the rich helps the poor,” he said, adding that such a scene could be observed only in the holy land.

“This good land on which pilgrims and visitors converge, with Allah’s blessing, enjoys security and stability as a result of the prayer of our father Ibrahim (peace be upon him). His prayer was ‘My Lord, make this a city of peace and security, and protect me and my sons from worshipping idols’ (Holy Qur’an Surah: Ibrahim, Verse: 35).”

The king also said serving the pilgrims is a great honor for the Kingdom. “We only seek the reward and help from Allah Almighty for undertaking the responsibility of serving the pilgrims,” he said.

This year Hajj - an unprecedented success –
Crown Prince Naif of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Crown Prince Naif, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, said international situations have changed and there were expectations that some others would exploit the occasion of Hajj to carry out chaotic deeds, but thanks to Almighty Allah, it did not happen. The Crown Prince made this statement while declaring the Hajj an unprecedented success, while stressing that this year’s pilgrimage was a greater success than in the past years.

He was speaking at a reception accorded to the officers of the Hajj security forces at the Interior Ministry headquarters in Makkah. “The fact is that we should thank all pilgrims because they have proved that they are Muslims respecting their obligatory rituals and they were all cooperative,” the crown prince added.

Prince Naif said the authorities were only concerned in making the Hajj easier and hassle-free for all Muslims.” We do not look at the country of the pilgrim or to any political issues. We view him as a pilgrim and Muslim, and so we should offer him whatever that makes his Hajj comfortable, safe, healthy and peaceful,” the prince said.

The Crown Prince also said every citizen should strive to guard the security of the country because there are some who are driven by others to positions that do not suit them and are made to deal in matters that are unlawful and harmful.

Hajj Free of Contagious diseases
Speaking at a press conference at MINA Emergency Hospital, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeh, the Health Minister of Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday declared this year’s Hajj totally free from infectious diseases or any cases that required quarantining. “The precautionary and preventive measures taken by the ministry led to pilgrims being safeguarded from all kinds of infections,” Al-Rabeeah said.

Another key step was the Ministry’s rigorous watch at all entry points into the Kingdom to detect if any incoming pilgrim was carrying symptoms of infections and to take immediate action if any suspicious case was found, the Minister said. “Preventive doses against meningitis were given to 365,777 pilgrims, oral polio vaccines to 532,400 pilgrims and yellow fever vaccines to 200,000 pilgrims at various entry points to the Kingdom,” the Minister said

The field health teams of the ministry handled 3,500 cases of sick pilgrims without sending them to hospital, the Minister said, while enumerating the accomplishments of his ministry during the Hajj. “The Ministry’s hospitals conducted 470 specialized heart catheterizations, 20 open heart surgeries to pilgrims in addition to a number of patients waiting to undergo the surgery in the next two days. The hospitals also conducted 886 kidney dialyses and 179 endoscopies,” the Minister said.

The Minister put the number of pilgrims who visited health centers in Makkah and Madinah at 421,760 and those who visited outpatient clinics in Makkah and the holy sites at 88,635. “These achievements attest to the Ministry of Health’s capability to offer high quality services to pilgrims,” the Minister said.

I am grateful to King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque, who has invited me along with others to perform Hajj 2011.

British Muslim VIP Guests Perform Hajj 2011

British Muslim VIP Guests perform Hajj this year

Dr. Mozammel Haque

MINA, MAKKAH: I am fortunate enough this year to be invited by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Now we have been doing the rituals of Hajj according to the arrangements provided by the Royal Protocol. I have done a lot of Hajj before and seen a lot of hardships during the Hajj. So now at an advanced age I very much appreciate all these facilities that have been given to us which has made our Hajj very easy. I thank Allah the Almighty first of all. He has given me once again this life opportunity and secondly I thank the Saudi Monarch because of whom we are able to come for Hajj this year because there was no planning whatsoever to come for Hajj but suddenly out of blue the invitation came and within days all the things were prepared and we come here and we have been received by Royal Protocol in the Airport and straight away all the guests were taken to Jeddah Conference Palace and we performed our Umrah at Masjid al-Haram which was done also in a very easy way.

What I can say that the facilities which are provided to us they are because we are guest but the facilities that are provided to pilgrims they are in general are enormous, so big that no person could imagine what is the state of affairs now in comparison with what it was in thirty years ago. We also remember that many time some of the tents caught fire and then many many people have been burnt alive. That was those tents did not have all these precautionary measures which can stop the fire.

Revolutionary Development in Transportation -Dr. Ahmed al-Dubayan

Revolutionary development in the transportation in the Holy sites took place, said the leader of the VIP Guests from the UK, Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan, Director General of the Islamic Cultural Centre, London and mentioned about the services that are provided here. “The authorities here did the best for us, to welcome us, to facilitate our Hajj. As regards the hospitality I have to admire the hospitality we have seen in accommodation, in food, in transport and in everything and these are something that we have to thank.”

Every year King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, invites Muslims from different parts of the world to perform Hajj as Royal guest. So far 18,000 Muslims from around the globe have performed Hajj during the past years as guests of King Abdullah. This year Hajj 2011 “King Abdullah will host 1,400 pilgrims from around the globe,” said Sheikh Saleh bin Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs. Out of 1,400 pilgrims invited by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, 30 are from the United Kingdom.

This year 2011 the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has invited 30 Muslims from the United Kingdom. At the same time, there are another 20 guests who are actually hosted by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs of Saudi Arabia. So this year there are 50 guest altogether from the United Kingdom – 30 VIP and 20 from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.

This 30 invited Royal guests include Muslim leaders; those who are people of influence, those who also serve the Muslim community, Ulema and religious scholars of different religious schools of thought in the UK. Among these VIP people are some politicians, such as Lord Mohammad Sheikh and his wife, Lady Sheikh, from the Conservative Party. There is Baroness Uddin from the House of Lords and Shahid Malik, the former Communities Minister from the Labour Party.

Similarly, the Muslim scholars are from different major groups of the Muslim organizations in the UK, for example, some scholars from Ahle-Hadith, some scholars of Deobandis, there are some scholars from other organizations.

These 30 guests of the Royal Protocol are British nationals, they are Muslim leaders, Muslim scholars and media people and some politicians; but as regards their ethnicity and cultural heritage, they are Muslims of different cultural heritage, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Muslims from Saudi Arabia itself, Muslims from Tunisia and many other countries.

Similarly, the other guests with the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs are those groups of people who are really playing an important role in the Muslim unity and giving service to the Muslim community. They are British nationals but of different ethnic origins.

The leader of this VIP Guests from the UK, Dr. al-Dubayan, said, “This year there is a message. And that message of Hajj is a message of Peace. Hajj is an occasion of more dialogue and better relationship. The Hajj in Makkah is really the biggest demonstration of peace in the world. The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom, His Royal Highness Mohammad bin Nawaf actually has the same concern and that’s why Muslims from different religious schools of thought, people of different ethnic origins come together to demonstrate the message of Hajj and also of good relations and better chance of dialogue among themselves and also with the scholars of Saudi Arabia.”

Holy Makkah is fully ready to receive Guests of Almighty Allah

Holy Makkah is fully ready to

receive Guests of Almighty Allah

Dr. Mozammel Haque

For the last four weeks I have been writing in this column about Hajj and what the British intending pilgrims have to do before going for Hajj. I think, now the time has come to inform the intending pilgrims about the rules and regulations, the facilities and arrangement on the ground in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Arrival of Pilgrims
All the preparation has been made in Makkah al-Mukarramah to receive millions of pilgrims in this year’s Hajj. Hajj flights started reaching in Saudi Arabia on 29 September and will continue until the end of October. The departure flights are supposed to start from 10th of November and end on 10th of December 2011.

The first batch of pilgrims for this year’s Hajj reached at King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, on Wednesday, 28th of September. The batch consisted of two groups of South African pilgrims. The first flight carrying Indian pilgrims for Hajj reached Madinah al-Munawwarah on Thursday, 29th of September. A total of 170,491 pilgrims from India will perform Hajj this year. On the same day, the first batch of pilgrims, 284 in number, from the southern provinces of Thailand reached Jeddah. Some 13,000 pilgrims from Thailand will be coming for Hajj this year.

On Friday, 30th of September, the first batch of pilgrims, 205 in number from Pakistan reached Jeddah. A total of 180,000 Pakistani pilgrims will be going for Hajj this year. On the same day, the first batch of Chinese pilgrims reached Jeddah. A total of 13,800 pilgrims will leave China this year and they are expected to reach Saudi Arabia by 23 October.

All Hajj Pilgrims need to have vaccinated
The Saudi Ministry of Health has asked pilgrims to make sure that they are vaccinated against meningitis, cholera, yellow fever and dengue fever. It is learnt that disease-detection equipment has been deployed at the health centres of King Abdul Aziz International Airport and Jeddah Islamic Port. Specialised team will review the health certificates of passengers to see what vaccinations they have had. All the 16 entry points of the pilgrims into the Kingdom will be strictly monitored against any contagious disease.

All Hajj Pilgrims to be fingerprinted
It is also reported that all Hajj Pilgrims will be fingerprinted on their arrival in Saudi Arabia. Hajj plans are being implemented at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah, Jeddah Islamic Port and other Makkah entrances.

Smart Cards for Pilgrims this year
Every pilgrim, on arrival at any of the Kingdom’s airports, seaports or border posts, will receive a digital smart card with all information of the pilgrim saved on it, it is reported in the press.

Shabab Book Satellite Programme
A satellite programme, titled, “Shabab Book” that is aired every Tuesday on Iqra Channel will be used this season to educate the youth about Hajj and its rites. This programme will be transmitted on 30 satellite channels. The Ministry is publishing information in 22 languages to reach Muslims around the world.

No cooking gas in Holy Sites
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz, the former Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister, has banned the use of liquefied gas for cooking at the Holy Sites during Hajj for the second consecutive season. The ban would not cause any inconvenience to pilgrims as a number of safe kitchens with access to all pilgrims are set up in the holy sites.

Hajj Campaign
Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Governor of Makkah region, launched a Hajj Campaign under the motto “Hajj is Worship and Civilized Behaviour” has pinpointed the problems which should be dealt with, in particular the phenomenon of sleeping in the open in Makkah and the Holy Sites and the cases of those performing Hajj without a permit. The campaign aimed at educating pilgrims about how to perform the rituals properly and how to avoid behaviour that is not allowed in Islam.

The major objective of the campaign, according to Prince al-Faisal, is to make certain that pilgrims follow rules and instructions during Hajj. The Makkah Governor said the Kingdom wants to ensure that there is no overcrowding at the Holy Sites, stop pilgrims from sleeping in the open, and reduce pressure on the Grand Mosque and Jamarat Bridge. He said people who perform Hajj without a permit, sleep on the roads and litter at the Holy Sites are transgressing the laws of Almighty Allah. All these malpractices make it more difficult for the government to serve pilgrims effectively.

The Governor of Makkah said the campaign is meant to make pilgrims aware of negative and incorrect behaviour. This includes travelling without permits, sleeping in places that hamper the movement of pedestrians, machinery and cars, and littering.

Breaking the law for Hajj is a sin
Sheikh Saleh Aal Al-Sheikh, Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, said the campaign is meant to inform pilgrims about the importance of sticking to the rules made by the government and it is aimed at providing the best services to the Guests of Allah.

The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia said the Hajj Campaign launched by Chairman of the Hajj Central Committee, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, is part of the government’s plan to make sure all pilgrims can perform the rituals like the Prophet (peace be upon him) did.

Health Hotline service for Hajj Pilgrims
The Saudi Ministry of Health will start a phone-in-service for Hajj pilgrims to obtain Health advice instantly. This service, known as “Saha Ziyufur Ar-Rahman” (Health for the Guests of Allah) is running for the seventh consecutive year, has proven successful in the past. This service will be available on the toll-free number 8002494444 and will greet the caller with ‘Allah Humma Labaik’ before diverting him or her to a medical officer. The medical team comprises consultants, cardiologists, medical specialists, pharmacists and dentists. The programme is handled by a group of Saudi women who work in the ministry and its city hospitals.

Signal Alerts for Availability of Space
The Grand Mosque has 176 gates. Now if there is space in the Grand Mosque, then a green light by the door will be lit but if there is none a red light will show. This arrangement is put in place to let pilgrims know if there was space for them inside the Haram or not so that they can pray outside in the plazas. These gates, which will remain open around the clock, were being manned by 800 men and women guards.

20 gates have been designated for people with special needs including the King Abdul Aziz Gate. The Grand Mosque has been supplied with a number of escalators to ensure the easy movement of pilgrims coming in or going out of the mosque.

Transportation
This year it is learnt that the General Syndicate of Cars has a new transport plan to ensure pilgrims perform their Hajj rites with ease, comfort and peace of mind. The Syndicate plans to operate 120,000 trips for pilgrims between the Holy Sites and Makkah and Madinah during the pilgrimage season. The plan will be put into operation by nearly 30,000 supervisors, members of administrative and technical committees, drivers and maintenance workers. For this reason, the Syndicate has secured 20,000 buses to transport pilgrims between Makkah and Madinah’s Holy Sites. 17 transport companies will provide 20,000 buses during this Hajj season.

Saudi women volunteer to serve female pilgrims
Over 25 female volunteers at the Tawafa Establishment of South Asia will look after 250,000 women pilgrims from South Asia. The volunteers will carry out activities and visit residences to educate pilgrims on the performance of Hajj and will also guide them at the Holy Sites. The volunteer will also ‘distribute tens of thousands of awareness brochures to pilgrims printed in different languages along with CDs that focus on Hajj rituals, it is learnt.

Toilets and service centres at Jamarat
It is also reported that there are plans to set up toilets and service centres in the towers of the Jamarat Bridge for emergency cases. The emergency forces presented a working paper on plans for crowd management at the Jamarat Bridge and other emergencies.

Last minute reminder for the British Pilgrims
The Foreign Office is urging Hajj pilgrims to get comprehensive travel insurance and essential vaccinations before embarking on their journey: The Foreign Office said:
- it is compulsory for travellers to the Hajj to have a Meningococcal Meningitis vaccination certificate in order to obtain a Hajj visa
- we strongly recommend that you have a seasonal influenza vaccination prior to embarking on your trip
-you should take out fully comprehensive travel insurance in advance
-check the Foreign Office travel advice for the latest on the situation in Saudi Arabia.

The Foreign Office will provide the full range of consular services and will be sending a delegation of consular staff. Pilgrims should ensure they look after personal belongings and should take particular care with travel documents, tickets and other valuables.

The delegation will be located at the Elaf Al Khalil Hotel, Makkah. You can find contact details and information on what the delegation can and can’t do in our travel advice for Hajj pilgrims. Ms. Nagina Akhtar, an experienced Consular Officer from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) will be leading this year British Hajj Consular Delegation.

Please visit the following websites as a last minute :
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/your-trip/hajj-pilgrims

Put Your Trust On Allah

Put Your Trust on Allah

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Human life is not only full of roses, there are also thorns. There are pain, sorrows and difficulties. Difficulty comes, calamity befalls and disaster happens in human life. These could be surmounted with patience, perseverance and complete submission to the Will of Allah. Believer will always put his trust on Allah.

The test of a Mu’min lies in his resolute steadfastness in trials and tribulations. That is why the Qur’an says, “Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: “We believe,” and will not be tested.” (29:2)

Putting one’s trust in Allah (tawakkul ala Allah) is the spiritual weapon that turns weakness into strength and few numbers into large numbers. It was also the weapon with which the Messengers of Allah faced up to the tyrants among their people, never being intimidated by their tyranny or weakened by their mischief, but said: “And why should we not put our trust in Allah while He indeed has guided us our ways. And we shall certainly bear with patience all the hurt you may cause us, and in Allah (Alone) let those who trust, put their trust.” (14:12)

Putting one’s trust in Allah means to take Allah as one’s Guide, following His commands and depending on Him, as He says: “(He Alone is) the Lord of the east and the west, La ilaha illa Huwa(none has the right to be worshipped but He. So take Him Alone as Wakil (Disposer of your affairs).” (73:9)

You should take Allah as your disposer of affairs, however, only after you prepare yourself and take every precaution, then go ahead in confidence that Allah will not abandon you. Putting one’s trust in Allah should by no means be taken to mean neglecting one’s work; abandoning the means that lead to the ends, ignoring the approved practices or waiting to reap unsown seeds or harvest unattended crops. It means what the Prophet and the Messengers before him did, i.e. doing one’s best and leaving the outcome to Allah, out of trust in Him, out of conviction in His promise and out of belief in His support.

No person by himself is capable of fighting against the current of misfortune, nor can he fend off the blows of disaster when they strike. This is because man was created weak and fragile. However, when in times of difficulty, the believer places his dependency and trust with his Lord; he knows that all difficulties can be overcome. “put your trust in Allah if you are believers indeed.” (5:23)

Human being has to be sincere to himself, to his belief in Allah and depend completely and fully upon Allah Almighty Alone. He can alone save from calamity and disaster. Live your lives according to this precept: Allah Alone is sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of our affairs.

If you have meagre means, if you are deep in debt, or if you are in any kind of worldly difficulty, call out: Allah Alone is sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of our affairs.

If you face your enemy and are alarmed, or if you fear the misdeeds of the oppressor, say Aloud: Allah Alone is sufficient for us, and He is Best Disposer of our affairs. “But Sufficient is your Lord as a Guide and Helper.” (25:31)

By leaving our affairs to Allah, by depending upon him, by trusting in His promise, by being pleased with His decree; by thinking favourably of Him, and by waiting patiently for His help, we reap some of the greater fruits of faith, display the more prominent characteristics of the believer.

When we incorporate these qualities into our character, we will be at peace concerning the future, because we will depend on our Lord for everything. As a result, we will find care, help, protection, and victory.

When Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) was thrown into the fire, he said, “Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and he is the Best Disposer of Affairs (for us).” Thereupon, Allah made the fire to be cool, safe, and peaceful for Ibrahim. When the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his Companions were threatened by the impending attack of the enemy, “they said: Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us). So they returned with Grace and Bounty from Allah. No harm touched them; and they followed the good Pleasure of Allah. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.” (3:173-174)

On another occasion, our noble Prophet made the best arrangements for his Hijrah, but the unbelievers managed to reach the cave where he was hiding. “If you help him (Muhammad, peace be upon him) not (it does not matter), for Allah did indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of two, when they (Muhammad, peace be upon him and Abu Bakr RadhiAllahu Anhu) were in the cave, and he, peace be upon him, said to his companion (Abu Bakr RadhiAllahu Anhu): “Be not sad (or afraid), surely Allah is with us.” (9:40)

This was also what Prophet Moses (pbuh) said to his people when Pharaoh and his soldiers were pursuing them and they were caught between the sea before them and their enemy behind them:

“And when the two hosts saw each other, the people of Moses said: “We are sure to be overtaken.” (Moses) said: “Nay, verily! With me is my Lord, He will guide me.”(26:61-62)

We are in need of this sort of conviction in facing the hardships and difficulties and we should trust that Allah is with us; and those who have Allah with them will never fail: “And if Allah helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you? And in Allah (Alone), let believers put their trust.” (3:160).