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Saturday 15 September 2007

Miracles Of Allah (SWT)

I was browsing for something nice for this blog on flickr and found these beautiful pictures...
(Note: Click on a picture to make it bigger!)
General Food Stuff



Animals



Plants & Trees

Clouds

Fire

Friday 14 September 2007

Du'as for Fasting

This was extracted from http://www.islamawareness.net

Du'as for Fasting

When beginning the fast- Suhur

وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ نَّوَيْتَ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ

Wa bisawmi ghadinn nawaiytu min shahri ramadan

I intend to keep the fast for tomorrow in the month of Ramadan[abu Dawud]


When breaking the fast- Iftar

اللَّهُمَّ اِنِّى لَكَ صُمْتُ وَبِكَ امنْتُ [وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ] وَعَلَى رِزْقِكَ اَفْطَرْتُ

Allahumma inni laka sumtu wa bika aamantu [wa 'alayka tawakkaltu] wa 'ala rizq-ika aftarthu

O Allah! I fasted for You and I believe in You [and I put my trust in You] and I break my fast with Your sustenance["wa 'alayka tawakkaltu" is quoted in some books of knowledge - but not all, hence it is in brackets][abu Dawud]


ذَهَبَ الظَّمَأُ وَ ابْتَلَّتِ الْعُرُوقُ، وَ ثَبَتَ الأجْرُ إنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ

dhahabadh-dhama'u wab-tallatil 'urūūqi, wa thabatal arju inshaAllah

The thrist is gone, the veins are moistened and the reward is confirmed, if Allah [Ta'ala] Wills[abu Dawud 2:306]

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسأَلُكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ الَّتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِي

Allaahumma inni as’aluka birahmatika al-lati wasi'at kulli shay’in an taghfira li

O Allah, I ask You by Your mercy which envelopes all things, that You forgive me.[a du'a that Abdullah ibn Amar (radiAllahu anhu) used to say when breaking his fast - as reported by Ibn abi Mulaykah (radiAllahu anhu)]

Poem: Why is it?

Why is it?

This is an extract from an email I received a few years back.
Author is unknown. Source (of the full text) can be found here The Carolina Muslims!

Why is it so hard to tell the truth;

yet so easy to tell a lie?

Why are we so sleepy in mosque;

yet when the prayer is over, we suddenly wake up?

Why is it so hard to talk about Allah;

yet so easy to talk about nasty stuff?

Why is it so boring to look at a Islamic Article;

yet so easy to look at a nasty one?

Why is it so easy to delete a Godly e-mail;

yet we forward all of the nasty ones?

Why are the mosque's getting smaller,

yet the dance clubs are getting larger?

Do you give up? Think about it ....

Thursday 13 September 2007

Poem: Conversation with the Angel

Conversation with the Angel

Author: G.H.E. Vanker
Source:
Inter Islamic Net

This is a tale of an average man,
Who acts contrary to Allah's Plan,
If you are reflected herein,
Then repent, and commit no sin

It was early in the morning at four,
When death knocked upon a bedroom door,
"Who is There?" the sleeping one cried,
"I'm Azrael, let me inside."

At once, the man began to shiver,
As one sweating in deadly fever,
He shouted to his sleeping wife,
"Don't let him take away my life."

"Please go away, O Angel of Death!
Leave me alone I am not ready yet.
My family on me depend,
Give me chance, O please perpend!"

The Angel knocked again and again,
"Friend! I will take your life without a pain.
It's your soul that Allah doth require
I come not with my own desire."

Bewildered, the man began to cry,
"O Angel! I am so afraid to die.
I will give you gold, and be your slave,
Don't send me to the unlit grave."

"Let me in, O Friend!", the Angel said,
"Open the door, get up from your bed,
If you do not allow me in,
I will walk through it like a Jinn"

The man held a gun in his right hand,
Ready to defy the Angel's stand.
"I will point my gun towards your head,
If you dare come in, I will shoot you dead."

By now, the Angel was in the room,
Saying, "O friend prepare for your doom.
Foolish man, Angels never die,
Put down your gun and do not sigh."

"Why are you afraid! Tell me O man,
To die according to Allah's plan?

Come, smile at me, do not be grim,
Be happy to return to Him."

"O Angel! I bow my head in shame,
I had no time to recite Allah's name,
From morn' till dusk, I made my wealth,
Not even caring for my health."

"Allah's commands, I never obeyed,
Nor five times a day I ever prayed.
A Ramadhan came, a Ramadhan went,
But no time had I to repent."

"The Hajj was already farz on me,
but I would not part with my money.
All charities, I did ignore.
Taking usury more and more."

"Some time I sipped my favorite wine,
with flirting women I sat to dine.
O Angel I appeal to you,
Spare my life for a year or two.

"The laws of the Quran I will obey,
I will begin Salaat this very day,
My fast and Hajj I will complete,
and keep away from self conceit.

"I will refrain from usury,
and give all my wealth to charity.
Wine and wenches I will detest,
Allah's oneness I will attest."

"We Angels do what Allah demands,
We can not go against his commands.
Death is ordained for everyone,
Father, Mother, Daughter or son."

"I'm afraid, this moment is your last.
Now be reminded, more of your past.
I do understand your fears,
But it is now too late for tears."

"You lived in this world, two score or more,
Never did you, your people adore.
Your parents, you did not obey,
Hungry beggars, you turned away."

"Your two ill-gotten, female offspring,
In nightclubs, for livelihodd they sing.
Instead of making more Muslims,
You made your children non-muslim."

"You ignored the Muezzin's Azaan,
Nor did you read the Holy Quran.
Breaking promises all your life,
Backbiting friends and causing strife."

"From hoarded goods, great profits you made,
And your poor workers, you underpaid.
Horses and cards were your leisure,
Money making was your pleasure."

"You ate vitamins and grew more fat,
with the very poor and sick, you never sat.
A pint of blood you never gave,
which could a little baby save."

"O human, you have done enough wrong,
You bought properties for a song.
When the farmers appealed to you,
You did not have mercy, 'tis true."

"Paradise for you? I cannot tell,
Undoubtedly you will dwell in Hell.
There's no time for you to repent,
I'll take your soul, for which I am sent."

The ending, however, is very sad,
Eventually the man became mad.
With a cry he jumped out of bed,
And suddenly, he fell dead.

O Reader, take a moral from here,
Never know, your end may be near.
Change your living and make amends,
For heaven on your deeds depends.

END

List of Mosques in London

Here is a list (of some) of the Mosques in London.
This is just a sample - for a directory see the bottom section of this article.

List taken from http://www.salatomatic.com & other sources

Central London

Muslim World League
46 Goodge Street, London, England W1T 4LU
Phone: 020 7636 7568

Holborn Muslim Community Association
33 Brookes Court, Baldwin Garden, London, England EC1N 7RR
Phone: No phone available

London Central Mosque (Regent Park Mosque)
146 Park Road, London, England NW8 7RG
Phone: 020 7724 3363

Bengali Residents Association
Sandfield Centre (CROMER ST MOSQUE), Cromer Street (corner of Loxham St) London, England WC1H 8DU

Mayfair Islamic Centre
19 Hertford Street, London, England W1J 7RU
Phone: 020 74958283

Brunei Hall
35-43 Norfolk Square, London, England W2 1RX
Phone: 020 74020953

Islamic Centre (Central London)
10 Berwick Street, Soho, London, England W1V 3RG
Phone: 0207 437 8840

Malaysia Hall
46 Bryanston Square, London, England W1H 8AJ
Phone: 020 7985 1252

East London

East london Mosque
82-92 Whitechapel Road, London, England E1 1JQ
Phone: 020 7650 3000

Markazi Mosque
9-11 Christian Street, London, England E1 1SE
Phone: 0207 481 1294

Azizia Mosque
117-119 Stoke Newington Road, London, England N16 8BU
Phone: 020 7254 0046

London Jamia Masjid
59 Brick Lane, London, England E1 6QL
Phone: 020 7247 6052

Suleymaniye Mosque
212-216 Kingsland Road, London, England E2 8AX
Phone: 020 7684 9900

Noor ul-Islam Trust
711 High Road, Leyton, London, England E10 6RA
Phone: 020 8923 7860

Mosque Ishaatul Islam
16 Ford Square, London, England E1 2HS
Phone: 020 7265 1890

North London

North London Central Mosque
7-11 St. Thomas's Road, London, England N4 2QH
Phone: 02074245252

Muslim Welfare House
233 Seven Sisters Road, London, England N4 2DA
Phone: 020 7263 3071

London Islamic Cultural Society
389-395 Wightman Road, London, England N8 0HR
Phone: 020 8348 0353

Islamic Community Centre
115 Clyde Road, London, England N1 54J
Phone: 020 8809 2137

Sultan Selim Mosque Complex
The Priory, 277 Saint Anne's Road, London, England N15 5RL
Phone: No phone available

Masjid-e-Quba (North London Mosque Trust)
70-72 Cazenove Road, Stamford Hill, London, England N16 6AA
Phone: 020 8806 6540

South Tottenham Mosque
152 Olinda Road, Stamford Hill, London, England N16 6TP
Phone: No phone available

Valide Sultan Mosque
1A Clissold Road, Newington Green, London, England N16 9EX
Phone: 020 7241 5425

Muslim Cultural Society Mosque
131-133 Fore Street, Edmonton, London, England N18 2XF
Phone: 020 8345 7008

Edmonton Islamic Centre
20-34 Raynham Road, Edmonton, London, England N18 2SJ
Phone: 020 8807 5151

Fatih Mosque
10 Caxton Road, Wood Green, London, England N22 6TB
Phone: 020 8352 1435

Shah Jalal Masjid
204A Star Cross Street, Euston, London, England NW1 2HR
Phone: No phone available

UK Islamic Mission
202 North Gower Street, Euston, London, England NW1 2LY
Phone: 020 7387 2157

South London

Brixton Mosque
1 Gresham Road, London, England SW9 7PH
Phone: 020 7326 4098

Shah Jehan Mosque
149 Oriental Road, Woking, England GU22 7BA
Phone: 01483 760 679

Tooting Islamic Centre
127-145 Upper Tooting Road, London, England SW17 7TJ
Phone: 020 8767 2344

Balham Mosque
47A Balham High Road, London, England SW12 9AW
Phone: 020 8675 7912

Greenwich Islamic Centre
131 Plumstead Road, London, England SE18 7DW
Phone: 020 8317 0786

Lewisham & Kent Islamic Centre
363-365 Lewisham High Street, London, England SE13 6NZ
Phone: 020 8690 5090

Khatemun Nabiyeen Mosque
35 Stockwell Green, London, England SW9 9H
Phone: 020 7828 4531

Croydon Masjid & Islamic Centre
525 London Road, Croydon, London, England CR7 6AR
Phone: 020 8684 8200

Wimbledon Mosque
260-270 Durnsford Road, Wimbledon, London, England SW19 8DS
Phone: 020 8946 3350

West London

Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre
244 Acklam Road, London, England W10 5YG
Phone: 020 8964 1496

Hounslow Jamia Masjid
367 Wellington Road South, Hounslow, England TW4 5HU
Phone: 020 8570 0938

Shepherd's Bush Mosque & Muslim Cultural Centre
302 Uxbridge Road, London, England W12 7LJ
Phone: No phone available

Acton Mosque
2-3 Oldham Terrace, London, England W3 6LS
Phone: 020 8993 8073

Abubakr Mosque Islamic Educational Recreational Institute
165-169 The Broadway, Southall, England UB1 1LS
Phone: No phone available

Chiswick Mosque
9 London Road, Chiswick, London, England W4 3AY
Phone: No phone available

Muslim Welfare Association Centre
4 Eccleston Road, West Ealing, London, England W13 0RL
Phone: 020 8579 2369

West London Islamic Centre Jamia Masjid
Brownlow House, Brownlow Road, West Ealing, London, England W13 0SQ
Phone: 020 8840 4140


If you coudn't find a Mosque nearer to where to wanted it try the following links:
1. Conduct a search on the Islam Channel Click Here

2. Or browse through the Directory of Masaajid & Muslim Schools from ALBIRR FOUNDATION UK Click Here (PDF)

Wednesday 12 September 2007

Explaining Ramadan

Taken from Ramadan.co.uk

Explaining Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Lunar calendar and the holiest of the four holy months. It begins with the sighting of the new moon after which all physically mature and healthy Muslims are obliged to abstain from all food, drink, gum chewing, any kind of tobacco use, and any kind of sexual contact between dawn and sunset. However, that is merely the physical component of the fast; the spiritual aspects of the fast include refraining from gossiping, lying, slandering and all traits of bad character. All obscene and irreligious sights and sounds are to be avoided. Purity of thought and action is paramount. Ordained in the Quran, the fast is an exacting act of deeply personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised level of God-consciousness. The act of fasting redirects the hearts away from worldly activities, towards The Divine.

The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing good deeds and spending time with family and friends. The fasting is intended to help teach Muslims self-discipline, self-restraint and generosity. It also reminds them of the suffering of the poor, who may rarely get to eat well. It is common to have one meal (known as the Suhoor), just before sunrise and another (known as the Iftar), directly after sunset. This meal will commonly consist of dates, following the example of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon Him. Because Ramadan is a time to spend with friends and family, the fast will often be broken by different Muslim families coming together to share in an evening meal.

Ramadan derives from the Arabic root: ramida or ar-ramad, meaning scorching heat or dryness. Since Muslims are commanded to fast during the month of Ramadan, it is believed that the month's name may refer to the heat of thirst and hunger, or because fasting burns away one's past sins. Muslims believe that God began revealing the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan (in the year 610 C.E.). The Qur'an commands: "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint...Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting..." (Chapter 2, verses 183 and 185). Fasting during Ramadan did not become an obligation for Muslims until 624 C.E., at which point it became the third of the Five Pillars of Islam. The others are faith (Shahadah); prayer (Salah); charitable giving (Zakah); and the pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj).

Another aspect of Ramadan is that it is believed that one of the last few odd-numbered nights of the month is the Laylat ul-Qadr, the "Night of Power" or "Night of Destiny." It is the holiest night of the holiest month; it is believed to be the night on which God first began revealing the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Jibril (Gabriel). This is a time for especially fervent and devoted prayer, and the rewards and blessings associated with such are manifold. Muslims are told in the Qur'an that praying throughout this one night is better than a thousand months of prayer. No one knows exactly which night it is; it is one of God's mysteries. Additionally, Muslims are urged to read the entire Qur'an during the month of Ramadan, and its 114 chapters have been divided into 30 equal parts for this purpose.

When the first crescent of the new moon has been officially sighted by a reliable source, the month of Ramadan is declared over, and the month of Shawwal begins. The end of Ramadan is marked by a three-day period known as Eid ul-Fitr, the "Festival of Fast-breaking." It is a joyous time beginning with a special prayer, and accompanied by celebration, socializing, festive meals and sometimes very modest gift-giving, especially to children.

When Ramadan ends, Muslims give charity in a locally prescribed amount, calculated to feed one poor person in that region for one day. This is known as fitra, and is meant as another reminder of the suffering endured by many. Many Muslims also take this occasion to pay the annual alms which are due to the poor and needy, known as Zakah (2.5% of assets).

At the beginning of Ramadan, it is appropriate to wish Muslims "Ramadan Mubarak" which means "Blessed Ramadan." At its conclusion, you may say "Eid Mubarak.

Compiled from various sources and adapted by Jubril Alao. September 2004