Issue No. 326

www.islamkenya.comThis Newsletter contains some of Allah’s names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred

This Week

Challenges faced by working women P4 Women Issues

Youth and Children

Friday BulletinThe

The Weekly Muslim News Update

The lies of 'trendy hijabs ' P5

Salatul Istisqaa P3

The birth of a million dreams

Editorial

National News P7

Attacks on the Kadhis. courts not justified P2

Shaban 07 1430 1430/July 31 2009

Story Continues To Page 2

Da'wah

Renowned international scholar Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Phillips last week launched the One Shilling Foundation heralding a new approach for a social welfare system

for the Ummah.The Foundation set the ball rolling with a one million shilling dona-tion to the Universal Education Fund to assist the more than 100 Kenyan students who are facing a bleak educational future in Rus-sia after the parent sponsor experienced financial difficulties. The donation came after the Chief Kadhi Sheikh Hammad Muhammad Kassim made a passionate appeal to Muslims to salvage the aca-demic ambitions of the students, many of whom are aspiring to be

doctors and engineers. During a dinner organized in honour of the visiting scholar at a Nai-robi hotel, hundreds of people made a commitment to support the Foundation to ensure that it succeeds in its aspirations. With a monthly minimum of Sh30 required, pledges ranging from Sh100 to Sh1, 000 per day were made towards the realization of “the one million dreams.” In his address during the launch at Jamia Mosque last Friday, Dr Bilal Phillips urged Muslims to be committed in seeing to it that that the ideals of the One Shilling Foundation are achieved. He said its success will greatly improve on the socio-economic situ-

The Chief Kadhi Sheikh Hammad Kassim (Right) with Dr. Bilal Phillips, Sheikh Muhammad Osman of the Majlis Ulamaa Kenya and the Imam of Jamia Mosque Sheikh Muhammad Swalihu during the lauch of the one Shilling Foundation last Friday.

Amid growing concerns about the H1N1 flu pandemic, new health regualtions an-nounced last week by Arab health officials may lead to a significant drop of Hajj pilgrims. The head of the Kenya Hajj Mission Sharrif Hussein Omar expressed fears that the dreams of many Kenyans to make the journey of a life time will not be realized this year with the coming of the new rules. “If those above 65 are not al-lowed to undertake the journey to Makkah for health reasons then this is bad news for many pilgrims in the country,” he said. He added that those to be affected most will be pilgrims from North Eastern Prov-ince and Coast province, a significant number of whom are above the maximum age limit. He estimated that the number may reduce by 40 percent as the elderly comprise a large percentage of the pilgrims. “Some communities believe that you embark on the Hajj when you are old,” he said adding that it is important for such myths to be cast aside.

H1N1 flu restrictions to impact on Kenyan pilgrims

Story Continues To Page 7

2

The Friday Bulletin

EDITORIAL

Attacks on the Kadhis' courts are unjustified

Shaban 07 1430/July 31 2009

Evangelical cleric Bishop Margaret Wanjiru has been in the news recently demanding for the removal of the Kadhis' courts from the constitution. The Bishop is criticizing the Committee of Experts on Constitutional Review (CECR) for holding the view that the courts are not a contentious issue and are not among the issues at hand to be discussed during the final constitutional dispensation.The clamour for expunging the courts is not a new phenomenon. During the Bomas Constitutional Conference, Wanjiru under the auspices of the radical fundamentalist religious group, the Ken-ya Church was vocal against the entrenchment of the courts in the Kenyan Laws. It later emerged that these moves were be-ing bankrolled by foreign elements led by an American evangelist Dr. Mitch Medina. The preacher was at Bomas as an observer where he was known for circulating literature opposing the Kadhis' courts.The Kenya Church was, however, disappointed when the over-whelming Christian delegates at Bomas saw the need for Muslims to have the courts and supported the Muslim position to have the courts remain in the constitution.With the new constitutional dispensation in place, the Kenya Church has now been revamped under the Kenya Christian Con-stitution Forum and is seeking to undo its failures at Bomas.While Christian values stress on speaking the truth, these ethics have been discarded and instead deceit and disinformation is be-ing peddled about the Kadhis' courts. Claims that the courts are a recipe for sectarian strife in the country and are a backdoor attempt to introduce the comprehensive Shariah law are now the message being relayed to the congregation in some of the churches.These claims are being masked with the notion that religion and the state should be kept separate but at the same time they are silent that a good number of our laws are borrowed from Christian-Judaic traditions which found their way from the British Judicial system where most of our laws are derived from. Few instances can be pointed out which include Saturday and Sunday which are recognized by the Kenya laws as non-working days primarily to give an opportunity to Christians to observe their prayers. Bigamy is recognized as a crime under the Kenyan judicial system yet this is purely a Christian law. Since 1896, when Kenya came under British rule and the com-prehensive Islamic laws were narrowed to the Kadhis' courts, no animosity whatsoever has ever been recorded between Muslims and other faiths as a result of the courts. In fact, the seeds of the hostility are now being planted by none other than Bishop Wan-jiru through the disinformation which she and her likes are putting forward. The position held by the Committee of Experts is the same posi-tion which came from the Bomas Conference and those who are attempting to include the Kadhis courts' among the contentious issues are doing a great disservice to Kenyans. For several years, Kenyans have been striving for a new constitution and when it ap-peared that there is finally light at the end of the tunnel, new obsta-cles are being put in the way in the guise of opposing the courts.The opposition to the Kadhis' courts is stemming from Islamapho-bic tendencies. It is not a secret that Bishop Wanjiru has been taking advantage of her position as a Member of Parliament and Assistant minister to increase her anti-Islamic drive and her op-position to the courts is part of these moves.Muslims view this attitude by the Kenya Constitution Christian Fo-rum as part of the wider attempts in the war against Islam and Muslims. For more than one thousand years, Muslims were the rulers of the East African Coast and during these period exercised tolerance and respect for other peoples and other cultures. As Sheikh Muhammad Khalifa, the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) organising general said, Christians in the country need to pay tribute to Muslims for paving the way for the entry of Christianity in what later came to be known as Kenya. "It was the Sultan of Zanzibar who sent messages to his representative in Mombasa to allow Dr Ludwig Krapf to open a missionary centre in Rabai. Had this not happened, there would have been no Christi-anity in the country.”

Leave the Kadhis' courts alone, Christians told Muslim leaders have told off those demanding the removal of the Kadhis’ courts accusing them of being used as pawns by foreign ele-ments to derail the constitution making process.They said the calls are unwarranted for as the courts only dealt with matters related to Muslim personal affairs and contrary to the allega-tions being put forward by some Church leaders, the courts have never interfered with other religious institutions or the country’s laws.“The committee of experts had made it very clear that that Kadhis' courts are not a contentious issue but it seems like some churches are being funded from oversees to reject the making of the new con-stitution and they are using our courts as an excuse,” said Tourism Minister Najib Balala.The Mvita MP maintained that they will be no compromise on the part of Muslims and the community will not accept a new constitution with-out the courts in place. “We have made it clear that we would rather not have a new constitution if the Kadhis’s courts are excluded,” he noted.Balala challenged those clamouring for the removal of the courts to point at instances where they had interfered with other religious insti-tutions or been a source of friction with non-Muslims.He accused the churches of creating unnecessary tensions which could destabilize the prevailing harmonious relationships between Muslims and other communities. Lamu West MP Fahim Twaha criticized the Starehe MP Bishop Mar-garet Wanjiru for her unwarranted attacks on the Muslim courts and adviced her to instead focus on issues related to her faith and stop interfering in Muslim affairs. “Kadhis’ courts relate only to Muslims who voluntary submit to its jurisdiction, so what is Bishop Wanjiru's problem?” he asked.His sentiments were echoed by Abu Chiaba the MP for Lamu West and Nominated MP Shakilla Muhammad who told Christians to re-spect the constitutional rights of Muslims and stop interfering in Mus-lim affairs.Prominent Muslim scholar Sheikh Ahmed Msallam told Christians not to dictate to Muslims regarding aspects of their religion adding that the affairs of Muslims are to be determined by Muslims them-

Speaking to the Friday Bulletin, Sharrrif Hussein said many of them were in a celebratory mood and had already embarked on prepara-tion for the once-in-a-lifetime journey but will be disheartened by the news. Last year, more than 2,400 Kenyans made the pilgrimage to Makkah but the health regulations seeking to contain the spread of the virus will see this number going down. The new regulations will prohibit those above 65 years of age togeth-er with young children below the age of 12 and the chronically ill who are considered to be high risk group. Health authorities have sent out an advisory for those in the affected group to avoid making the hajj or the lesser Umrah pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah.However, the Saudi health minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah said the kingdom has no plans to restrict the number of visas it issues for pil-grims, though numbers are expected to be lower. "We did not change the percentage of any country, we changed certain rules," he said after a meeting of Arab health ministers and representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Cairo last week."It's up to the country to replace [applicants who fall under the restric-tions] with other pilgrims," he added.Hussein Gezairi, the WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediter-ranean region, said he expected Riyadh to ratify the recommenda-tions, adding there was a "consensus" among the health ministers at the meeting. "The Saudi government will make [these conditions] a requirement... No one will get their visa unless these requirements are fulfilled."Around three million Muslim pilgrims from over 160 countries head for the holy city of Makkah in western Saudi Arabia each year in one of the world's biggest religious gatherings.

Drop in Kenyan pilgrims expectedStory From Page 1

EDITORIAL

Story Continues To Page 3

3

The Friday Bulletin

Salatul Istisqah-Praying for rainDA'WA

Saturday Lecture Divorce in Islam

Sheikh Muhammad Swalihu01 August 2009 2.00 pm-4.00 pmJamia Mosque Multi Purpose Hall

Sheikh Salman al-Awdah

The prayer for rain is one of the prayers that is to be offered in congregation. Beseeching Allah for rain is called istisqâ’ and it can be offered as a collective supplication or as a formal prayer. The supplication of istisqâ’: The Prophet supplicated for rain while stand-ing on the pulpit. Anas b. Mâlik relates the following: A man entered the mosque on a Friday from the door which is to the direction of Dâr al-Qadâ’. Allah’s messenger (peace be upon him) was standing, delivering a sermon. The man stood there facing Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him), then said: “O Messenger of Allah! Wealth has perished and the means have ceased. Beseech Allah to give us relief.” So Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) lifted his hands and said: “O Allah! Grant us relief. O Allah! Grant us relief. O Allah! Grant us relief.” And – by Allah – we had not seen a cloud in the sky, not even the wispiest, wind-driven tatter of a cloud, and there was not a house in our line of sight all the way to Mount Sal`. Then, a cloud rose up from behind it like the Sun. Then when it reached the middle of the sky it rolled out and then broke forth with rain. Then – by Allah – we did not see the Sun for a spell of time. On the following Friday, a man came through that door while Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was deliv-ering his sermon and stood facing him. The man said: “O Messenger of Allah! Wealth has perished and the means have ceased.” Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) lifted his hands and said: “O Allah! Around us and not upon us. O Allah! Upon the mounts and the hills, down the valleys, and to the roots of the trees.” Then the rains subsided and we walked out in the Sun. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to supplicate for rain, and his Companions continued to do so after his death. When famine occurred during the reign of `Umar bin al-Khattâb, he would beseech Allah for rain by having `Abbâs bin `Abd al-Muttalib supplicate on their behalf. `Umar would say: “O Allah! We had been soliciting you by our Prophet and you would send us rain. Now we are soliciting you by the uncle of our Proph-et, so send us rain.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî)] In his commentary on Sahîh al-Bukhârî, Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalânî relates from al-Zubayr bin Bakkâr the supplication that al-`Abbâs had offered [Fath al-Bârî ]: Al-`Abbâs stood and raised his hands to the sky and said: “O Al-lah! Affliction does not descend except on account of sin and it is not removed except with repentance. The people have asked me to beseech you for them due to my relation-ship to Your Prophet. These are our hands outstretched to you with our sins, and these are our countenances before You in repent-ance. So refresh us with rain.” The sky then opened up with mountainous quantities of water until the land became fer-tile agan and the people thrived.

The prayer of istisqâ’: When the earth becomes parched, the crops fail to sprout, and the rains are late, the people should go out with the Imam to the prayer ground. They should do so in humility, imploringly, wearing humble attire. This state of humbleness and penance is appropriate for those who wish to ask and beseech His Lord, seeking from Allah to re-move from them what has afflicted them on account of their sins. Before going out to pray, each of them should offer charity and other acts of devotion and rid themselves of any sins they have committed, major or mi-nor, and rectify any acts of wrongdoing they may have done against others. This makes it more likely for their supplication to be ac-cepted, and it is what the Prophet (peace be upon him) guided us to do. Then at the prayer grounds, a two unit prayer should be performed in the same manner as the `Îd prayer. The following account is given by Ibn `Ab-bâs: Allah’s Messenger went out in humble at-tire, humbly and imploringly until he arrived at the prayer grounds. He did not give this sermon of yours, but he continued to sup-plicate, implore, and praise his Lord. He offered two units of prayer in the same manner that he would pray during the two `Id prayers.” [Sunan Abî Dâwûd , Sunan al-Tirmidhî and Sunan al-Nasâ’î (1521)]After the prayer, a single sermon is to be delivered, which means it is not like the Fri-day sermon. This is indicated by Ibn Abbâs’ statement “He did not give this sermon of yours”. The sermon is merely an exhorta-tion or some advice. An example of such a sermon is the one that the Prophet (peace be upon him) of-fered during the eclipse prayer: “O commu-nity of Muhammad! I swear by Allah, no one is more jealous than Allah with respect to his servants, male and female, committing fornication. O community of Muhammad! I swear by Allah! If you know what I know, you would laugh less and weep more. [Sa-hîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentions in this sermon that the spread of fornica-tion throughout society, as well as society’s permitting and promoting it, are reasons for punishment and affliction to befall it. Therefore, it is upon the believers to work to discourage this practice and remove it from society if they wish to be spared Al-lah’s punishment and to attain His pleasure and providence. The sermon should be appropriate for the circumstances and not like the sermon offered for the Friday prayers. It is not a

problem if two sermons are given, since it is least something permissible. Some schol-ars have been of the opinion that it is actu-ally preferable to offer two sermons and that the sermons should be like those given for the Friday prayer. In the sermon, Allah’s forgiveness should be sought often. The verses of the Qur’ân that mention seeking Allah’s forgiveness should be recited as well. These include: “Then I said: beseech your Lord’s forgive-ness, surely He is the most Forgiving. He will send rain to you in abundance.” [Sûrah Nûh: 10-11] “O people! Beseech your Lord’s forgiveness then repent to Him. He will send rain to you in abundance.” [Sûrah Hûd: 52] After the sermon, the people turn their cloaks inside out, symbolizing their hope for a change in their circumstances – from one of drought and famine to one of rain, refreshment, and sustenance. The Prophet (peace be upon him) put this into practice. `Abd Allah b. Zayd relates: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) went out to beseech Allah for rain and turned his cloak inside out.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sa-hîh Muslim] Sufyân describes that this means he turned it so that the right side was worn on the left. Indeed, in a number of hadîth it reads: “Then he made the left side on the right and the right side on the left.”

Salatul IstisqaSunday 2nd August 2009

From 10.00 am SIR ALI MUSLIM CLUB

Shaban 07 1430/July 31 2009

selves. “What right do they have to speak about the concerns of Muslims. They have a right to demand for their own courts rather than agitating to deny Muslims their right,” he said during his weekly lecture at Jamia mosque Nairobi on Tuesday.Sheikh Msallam, who is a member of the council of scholars (Majlis Ulamaa) of Jamia Mosque Committee said elements within some churches are fomenting sectarian differences which is threatening to create discord among Kenya’s diverse religious communities who have lived in peace and harmony for generations.He called on all Muslims in the country to be vigilant in defending and protecting their rights and further called on Imams and scholars to create more awareness in mosques against forces which are bent on fighting against the interests of Muslims in the country. “We are a peaceful people and this is our country. Everyone has a right to practice his religion as it is enshrined in the constitution. Let them leave us to conduct our own affairs as we are not standing to oppose their rights,” he said.

Story From Page 2

'Leave our courts alone'

4

WOMEN ISSUESThe Friday Bulletin

Challenges faced by working Muslim womenIt is well established that Allah allows women to make choices in regards to balancing responsibilities within and outside of the home. Muslim women choose to work outside of the home for various rea-sons. Some want to supplement the income of their husbands in or-der to achieve higher living standards.Others want to establish college and other educational savings for their children. Apart from a few career-oriented women, a large ma-jority of women work because they have to. Like other women who work, Muslim women have the primary responsibility of tending to the needs of their homes and families in addition to maintaining their careers.However, working outside of the home poses a number of challenges for Muslim women. The challenges exist not only because believ-ers are in a day-to-day struggle to please Allah but because nearly everything in non-Muslim societies is in direct conflict with the Islamic way of life. Muslim women must constantly guard against pressures to engage in social norms that contradict Muslim’s way of life. Muslim women who work experience a great test in their faith. There are many struggles in today’s work environment that make it very hard to balance Islamic principles and practices with those of West’s work culture. Hijab: To cover or not to cover The Quran and the Sunnah teach Muslim women that men and women are equal and that individuals should not be judged accord-ing to gender, beauty, wealth, or privilege. The only thing that makes one person better than another is their character. They also teach that women must dress modestly and maintain a proper Hiaab. The Quran, for example, states what means: “And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: and they should not display beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they must draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband’s fathers, their sons, their husband’s sons, or their women, or their slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who are not aware of the private aspects of women.”[The Quran 24:31]In reality, however, Muslim women who work have many different ways of handling Hijab. Some women shy completely away from wearing Hijab out of fear that it will invoke some form of opposition from their manager and coworkers. They practice a chameleon ap-proach, wearing Hijab when they feel it is “safe” or when it is more conducive for a particular activity. For example, they may wear Hijab only when they attend the Mosque or when they perform the Prayer. Other Muslim women wear Hijab whenever they leave their homes. They wear Hijab in an effort to achieve piety, faith, to please Allah, to maintain their identity or simply because they feel wearing Hijab is beautiful. Some women wear Hijab at work to assert that judgment of her physical person is to play no role whatsoever in social interac-tion.By wearing Hijab to work these women are more visible. Due to a lack of understanding about Hijab, they are perceived as oppressed, passive and unintelligent. There is a tendency for women who wear Hijab to standout, leaving them vulnerable to taunting and discrimina-tors practices by many. These perceptions have profound ramifica-tions for women who aspire for executive, management-level, and supervisory positions. There is also a tendency for Muslim women to be overlooked for promotions.One Muslim woman who wears Hijab explained that a Muslim woman who does not wear Hijab at her place of work made her life at work miserable. On the other hand, the manager of this woman who wears Hijab, who happens to be non Muslim, was very accommodating. The manager authorized the installation of a door for her office cu-bicle so that she could offer the Prayer in private. She was the only employee besides her manager with a door. She was also allowed to leave two hours every Friday so that she could attend the Friday congregational prayer. Working Muslim women approach wearing Hijab a different way. From the moment I converted to Islam until now, I’ve gotten the whole gamut of strange looks, stares, and covert glances. As a professional

with two graduate degrees, I wear the Hijab that covers my hair, neck, and bosom. I wear a Jilbaab to cover my body. I do this because I believe my body should be kept private and is only to be seen by my husband. I admit that the way I cover has changed as I gained more understanding about my religion or way of life. I wore a partial Hijab out of fear of how full Hijab would look on me, out of fear of what co-workers would think of me and treat me, and out of fear of how the world would view me. Women are still heavily judged by their physical appearance. Yet Muslim women learn that modesty is all-good and that modesty (Hay-aa') does not bring anything except good (Muslim).It is important that we understand that wearing Hijab is a matter of religion not a personal choice. It is an obligation that must be fulfilled by every believing woman. How a woman decides to wear Hijab is personal. As Muslims, we must do what brings us closer to Allah and makes us better people in preparation for the Hereafter.Obligations and requirements of the Prayer:Adhering to obligations of the Prayer is not always a challenge for Muslim women who work. Some workplaces designate an area or room for Muslims to perform the Prayer, while others choose not to address the issue. In some cases requests or accommodations are declined all together. In Islam, we know that performing Prayer is fundamental to believing in God. The Prayer is each Muslim's time to connect and communicate with Allah. One of the benefits of the Prayer is for our sins to be washed away.In cases when there is not a designated place to perform the Prayer, Muslim women have to find creative ways to fulfill what Allah has commanded. When the prophet Muhammad, salallahu alayhi wa sal-lam, was asked which deed is the best, he said: “Performing the Prayer at its due time.” [Muslim]The Prayer is a pillar of Islam and must be made in a fashion that fulfills all of its requirements. And this fact is becoming increasingly known in the business world. I have heard of countless situations where managers and companies have done all they could to accom-modate Muslim employees' need to offer the Prayer. It is best there-fore to make it known to your employers and to ask of them such accommodation.

Safiyah Yufenu

The Friday Bulletin

Ingredients

KitchenKaimati (Sweet Dumplings)

Share your favourite recipes with our readers. Send them to P. O. Box 40629-00100 or email:fridaybulletin@islamkenya.com or fridaybulletin@gmail.com

► 650g white flour► 2 tsp yeast► generous pinch of sugar► 60ml natural yoghurt►120ml warm water► salt, to taste► oil for frying

● Mix the flour and salt in a bowl and add the yoghurt and just enough warm water to form a thick batter. Beat until smooth then leave aside for at least six hours. At the end of this time, mix the yeast and sugar in the warm water and leave, covered in a warm place until it becomes frothy (about 20 minutes).● Tip the yeast mix into your batter and beat with a whisk until the batter begins to form stiff peaks. Set the batter aside for 3 hours. ● When ready, pour oil into a wok to a depth of at least 3 cm. Heat the oil then shape the batter into little balls and add them a few at a time to the hot oil and fry until golden brown. When each batch of dumplings is done, transfer to kitchen paper to drain then set the dumplings in syrup so that they are completely covered and serve hot.For the syrup put the water in a pan with the sugar and place over a medium heat; bring to boil and allow to boil for ten minutes, remov-ing the froth as it appears. Add the lemon juice and leave to simmer for ten minutes; add the rose water.

Method

Shaban 07 1430/July 31 2009

► 2 cups sugar► 1 cup water► 1 tablespoon rose water► juice of half a lemon►120ml warm water► salt, to taste► oil for frying

Syrup (shira)Ingredients

5

The Friday Bulletin

YOUTH AND CHILDREN

The lies of ‘trendy hijabs’

One day, when Ali (radhiAllahu anhu) was ten years old, he came home and saw something strange. Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was standing with his head bent forward and his hands folded on his chest. His wife Khadijah (radiAllahu anha), was also standing beside him, doing the same thing. As Ali watched them, Muhammad and Khadijah bowed towards the ground. They stayed in that position for a moment and then stood up straight again. Ali wondered what they were doing. Then he saw them go down on their knees and touch the ground with their foreheads. "What a strange thing to do!", thought Ali (radhiAllahu anhu). "I have often seen people bowing down before stone idols, but there is no idol here. Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and Khadijah (radhiAllahu anha) are certainly not worship-ping an idol, but they are worshipping Someone." Ali was a sensible boy. Although he did not completely understand what Muhammad was doing, he knew that he was praying. He thought that Muhammad (salAllahu alay-hi wasalam) was praying to a God whom he could not see. Ali very much wanted to know who this unseen God was. As soon as Muhammad had finished his prayer, Ali asked him what he had been doing. Muhamad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was pleased when the boy asked him to ex-plain. He smiled at Ali and said to him, "Listen carefully my boy! Khadijah and I were worshipping Allah. He is the One and only True God. There is no God but He. Allah has chosen me to be His Messenger. He has ordered me to take His message to my people. This is His message and this is what I have to tell the people. They should give up all false gods and worship only Him. They must obey Him alone, because He is the One and only True God." Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) then looked Ali straight in the eyes and said to him, "You know how much I love you. I have looked after you as if you were my own son. I have never told you a lie - I have never deceived you. I want you to believe the truth that I have just told you. There is no God but Allah; He has chosen me as His prophet." Ali (radhiAllahu anhu) knew at once that Muhammad was speaking the truth, and so he believed what Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had said. The Blessed Prophet was delighted. "Welcome Ali," he said. "You know in your heart what I have said is true. I can see you have ac-cepted Allah as the One and only True God. You are the first boy to become a Muslim."

Great Stories

Ali becomes a Muslim

It has been my personal observation that some Muslim girls and women do not realise the significance of hijab.Hijab is Arabic for protection and cover. Some people put a lot of effort into their hijab, yet it serves no purpose. I am referring to the pointless hijab that some girls wear.The first pointless hijab is referred to as the headband hijab. It is a band of fabric approximately four inches wide. It covers the back of the head and allows all the hair to be exposed. It doesn't serve much in terms of modesty, but at least it comes in handy in case of an unexpected tennis match!The second pointless hijab is that which covers all the hair, but it is totally transparent. Again it doesn't serve much in terms of modesty, but it keeps the hair nice and fresh! The third type of hijab is known as the Micky Mouse Hijab. It is when a girl wears a black scarf and tucks it behind her ear, so that her ears stick out!We now move on to my favourites - the yo-yo hijabs:The first yo-yo hijab is the scarf that keeps falling down and needs to be constantly pulled back up....up, down, up, down, just like a yo-yo! The second yo-yo hijab is also referred to as the convertible hijab. This type of hijab is predominant at any type of social event, i.e. an Aqeeqah, wedding, etc.This is when an Imam comes up to the microphone and starts to recite Qur'an. At this point, all the convertible hijabs come up... I'm sure this may seem odd, but what's even funnier is when people do not anticipate the recitation of Qur'an at a social event, and are forced to be creative and use accessories such as a purse to cover one's hair. I was surprized to see a woman hold her purse over her head as "hijab"... as if the multitudes of men surrounding her are not a good enough reason to wear hijab, but some guy reciting du'a compels her to hold a purse over her head. Her friends were more creative... one friend used her din-ner napkin. I was also laughing when i saw the communal hijab- two or more girls dropped under one dinner napkin during the recitation of Qur'an. Her other friend was still more creative.She used her coffee saucer on the back of her head. I wasn't sure of it was hijab or Yamaka. I didn't know if she was a Muslim or a Jew. I felt like going up to her and saying "Shalom alaikum, sister."Well the point is that some people make an effort to wear hijab, but it is futile, because it is not fulfilling its purpose. It's like using an umbrella with holes in it. Hijab is used for protection from guys as well as from the girl herself, and should not be used as an accessory or for beautifying one's self.“Truly in the heart there is a sadness that can not be removed except with the happiness of knowing Allah and being true to Him. And in it there is an emptiness that can not be filled except with love for Him and by turning to him and always remembering Him and if a person were given the entire world and what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness." (Ibn Al Qayyim)

Shaban 07 1430/July 31 2009

Nay! O Muhammad - by your Rabb - they will never be true believers until they accept you as a judge in their disputes, then they do not find any resentment in their hearts against your verdicts and accept them with complete submission. (An-Nisaa [4]:65)

I have indeed been given the Qur'an and something similar to it besides it. Yet, the time will come when a man leaning on his couch will say, "Follow the Qur'an only; what you find in it as halal, take it as halal, and what you find in it as haram, take it as haram." But what the Messenger of Allah has forbidden is like what Allah has forbidden. (Ahmad and Abu Dawud)

From the Noble Qur'an

From the Traditions of the Prophet

6

The Friday Bulletin

Virtues of the month of Sha’baan Sha’baan is the name of the (eighth) month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and it is so called because in this month the Arabs used to disperse (tasha'aba) in search of water, or it was said that it is so called because it sha'aba (branches out or emerges) i.e., it appears between the months of Rajab and Ramadhan. Fasting in Sha'banAisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Messenger used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah fasting for an entire month except in Ram-adhan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Sha'ban." (Bukhari and Muslim). According to a report narrated by Muslim, "He used to fast all of Sha'ban, he used to fast all but a little of Sha'ban."According to another report also narrated by Muslim, Aisha said: "I never saw him fast for any entire month from the time he came to Madinah, apart from Ramadhan."Usamah Ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I do not see you fasting in any other month like you fast in Sha'ban.' He said, 'That is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramad-han, and it is a month in which deeds are lifted up to the Lord of the Worlds. I like for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting.'" (Nasa'i). According to a report narrated by Abu Dawood, he said: "The most beloved of months for the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) to fast in was Sha'ban, and his fasting in Sha'ban was continuous with his fasting in Ramadhan." (Classed as Saheeh by al-Albani)The phrase "Sha'ban is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Rajab and Ramadhan" indicates that because it comes between two important months, the Sacred Month of Rajab and the month of fasting, people are preoccupied with those two months and they do not pay attention to Sha'ban. Many people think that fasting in Rajab is better than fasting in Sha'ban, because Rajab is one of the Sacred Months, but this is not the case.In the Hadeeth quoted above there is an indication that even though certain times, places and people may be commonly thought to posses a particular virtue, there may be others that are better than them. It also indicates that it is Mustahabb (recom-mended) to make good use of the times when people tend to be negligent, by doing acts of worship. When Sha'ban began, if the Prophet peace be upon him still had some voluntary fasts outstanding that he had not fasted, he would make them up during Sha'ban so that his Nafl fasts would be complete before Ramadhan came. Similarly, if he had missed some Sunnah prayers or he had missed Qiyam al-Layl (night prayer), he would make it up. Aisha used to make the most of this opportunity to make up any obligatory Ramad-han fasts that she had missed because of menstruation; during other months she was too busy with the Prophet peace be upon him to fast. We should also note here that anyone who has any missed fasts to make up has to make them up before the next Ramadhan comes. It is not permissible to delay it until after the following Ramadhan except in cases of necessity (such as a valid excuse that continues between the two Ramadhans). Whoever is able to make them up before the (second) Ramadhan and does not do so, has to make them up after the (second) Ra-madhan and in addition to that, he has to repent and to feed one poor person for each day that he missed. This is the view of Malik, al-Shafa'i and Ahmad.Another benefit of fasting in Sha'ban is that it is a kind of training for the Ramadhan fast, in case a person finds it difficult to fast when Ramadhan starts; if he fasts in Sha'ban he will have gotten used to fasting and he will feel strong and energetic when Ramadhan comes. Sha'ban is like an introduction to Ramadhan and it has some things in common with Ramadhan, such as fasting, reciting Quran and giving in charity. Fasting at the end of Sha'banThere are three scenarios for fasting at the end of Sha'ban:The first scenario is when a person fasts at the end of Sha'ban with the intention of be-ing on the safe side and not missing the first day of Ramadhan. This is forbidden. The second scenario is when a person fasts with the intention of fulfilling a vow or of making up a day of Ramadhan that he missed or as an act of expiation (kaffarah), etc. This is permissible according to the majority.The third scenario is when this is purely a voluntary fast. This is regarded as makrooh (disliked) by those who said that we should differentiate between Sha'ban and Ramad-han by not fasting for a while. Among those who said this was al-Hasan. If it happens to coincide with a day when a person habitually fasts, Malik and those who agreed with him permitted this, but al-Shafa'i, al-'Awza'i, Ahmad and others made a distinction between cases where it is a fast which a person habitually observes or otherwise.In conclusion, it is makrooh to observe a voluntary fast one or two days before Ram-

Working to uplift the Ummah

We Muslims are estimated to be Nine Million (9,000,000) in Kenya. If each and every Muslim contributed, on average, one shilling per day, we would collect Shs9,000,000/- per day. Such is the power of numbers! With this kind of financial resources, we can, Inshallah, meet all the needs and even the dreams of the com-munity. We can bring about major changes to elevate the problems of poverty, disease and ignorance. We no longer need to be at the bot-tom of social and economic ladders. We need to have our own pre-school, primary and sec-ondary schools, our own Universities, our own health centers, clinics and hospitals. We need more teachers, university lecturers, scientists, professionals and businessmen. We need to lead this country to harmony, peace and prosperity. We need to spread the mes-sage of Islam within and outside our bounda-ries. We want to improve the quality of life for all peoples irrespective of race, colour or creed. We believe in one brotherhood of man.What is needed is personal commitment from every Muslim to unite and share this great vi-sion. A small sacrifice but a big change. To-gether We can do it! It is a turning point in the history of Ummah and this country. Don’t miss this opportunity for great change. One day you will be proud to have been part of this great movement. Allah has assured success if we unite and work together. His reward is guar-anteed!The One Shilling Foundation has been formed specifically to address problems which other Organizations are unable to do. The objective of this Foundation is to uplift and raise Ummah in a systematic way to a much higher level by empowering the community primarily through education but also providing health, economic and social welfare services.The Foundation shall cooperate and work with and through other credible Organizations in im-plementation of its aims and objectives. These Institutions could include Mosques, Organiza-tions of Women and Youth amongst others. It is important to explain that according to the mandate of this Foundation it will not be pos-sible for it to assist directly individuals but only through recognized Organizations which spe-cialize in delivery of specific services. This is in the interest of maintaining total transparency and accountability of this Foundation.

You can deliver your contributions person-ally to our offices at Village Plaza, Block A suit A3 Ngara, Nairobi or You can use Mpesa/ZAP systems using the following numbers: 0717 613333 or 0732 613333.You can also reach us through 020-3747612. www.oneshillingfoundation.org.

Story Continues To Page 7

Shaban 07 1430/July 31 2009

The Friday Bulletin

The birth of a million dreams

adhan for those who do not habitually fast on those days and who have not previously fasted until the end of Sha'ban. It may be asked: why is it Makrooh to fast just before Ramadhan (for those who do not have a prior habit of fasting)? The answer is that there are a number of reasons why this is so, such as:Firstly: lest extra days be added to the fast of Ramadhan that are not part of it. Fasting on the day of Eid is prohibited for the same reason, lest we fall into the same trap as the People of the Book with regard to fasting, as they added to their fasts because of their own whims and desires. For the same reason it is also forbidden to fast on the "day of doubt". 'Ammar said: whoever fasts on this day has disobeyed Abu'l-Qasim.” The "day of doubt" is a day when people are not sure whether it is Ramadhan or not, when news of the sighting of the crescent moon comes from one whose word cannot be accepted. Hence it is Haram to fast on the day of Eid, and the Prophet peace be upon him forbade following an obligatory prayer immediately with an-other prayer unless they are separated by saying salam or speaking, especially in the case of the Sunnah prayer performed just before Fajr. It is prescribed to make a clear separation between this prayer and the obligatory prayer. Some people may think that the reason why we do not fast just before Ramadhan is so that we can make the most of eating and have our fill of our desires before we have to deny ourselves by fasting. This is an ignorant mistake on the part of those who think this.(missionislam.com)

ation of Muslims in the country and pointed to a similar drive by the Majlis Ulamaa of Singapore (MUIS) which had brought tremendous achievement towards the social welfare of Mus-lims in the South East Asian Nation. “Muslims have a sense of responsibility to the Ummah and it is our duty to come forward and support this initiative as this is part of our faith,” he said. The chairman of One Shilling Foundation Abdullatif Essajee urged Muslims to commit themselves to the cause of the Foun-dation adding that it heralded a new beginning in the realiza-tion of various aspirations harboured by the Ummah. “My shil-ling, your shilling, her shilling, his shilling, our shillings will be able to bring wonders to the Ummah,” he said.He noted that the concept had been on the lips of Muslim lead-ers for several years and its final implementation is the fulfill-ment of a dream which will ultimately improve on the social welfare of the Muslim community. Muslims he said were a formidable force and pointed out that their numerical strength could be an important resource in the betterment of the community. Citing the 2005 referendum process where Muslims translated their numbers to political strength, he said a similar drive where each Muslim was to contribute a shilling a day has the capacity to change the so-cial and economic situation of Muslims. “It is possible to have several educational, social and other welfare projects if we contribute a shilling a day,” he observed.Abdullatif paid glowing tribute to the Park Road Muslim Youth who initiated the idea and said taking it to a national level by the One Shilling Foundation will bring more added benefit to Muslims across the country.The Chief Kadhi Sheikh Hammad Kassim said the new ven-ture has the ability to contribute to poverty eradication as well as improving on the health and education sector in the Ummah and stressed that Muslims have an obligation to ensure the eventual success of the concept. Sheikh Hammad told Mus-lims to be positive about the ideals espoused by the One Shil-ling Foundation and support its activities which seek to better the lives and welfare of Muslims. “We should put aside nega-tive thinking as it has proved in the past to be a hindrance in the fulfillment of the aspirations of the community,” he said. In his remarks, Sheikh Muhammad Osman, a member of the Majlis Ulamaa Kenya urged Muslims to be fully committed in contributing to the coffers of the Foundation noting that this will be a sadaqatul jaariya (everlasting charity) which will be cred-ited to their accounts in the hereafter. He said the Foundation will also contribute in alleviating the suffering of Kenyans who are facing drought and other calamities. Said he: “If we give a drop of water to the people of Turkana who are suffering as a result of drought and famine, this could earn us Jannah (paradise).”

Gulf African Bank launched into the second phase of its expansion plans by opening its 12th branch in Malindi. The bank which started its operations in Kenya in January 2008 plans to have 16 branches in the country by the end 2009. “Anyone who has been following the global market trends will at-test to the fact that conventional banking has placed consumers at great economic risk” said Gulf African Bank CEO Najmul Hassan at the opening ceremony. “As an Islamic bank, we operate on an extremely low risk environment because we deal in assets. We are happy to be here because Malindi residents can now enjoy such services from our bank.” The new branch will ensure that the residents and businesses in Malindi and its environs have accessibility to various Shar’iah com-pliant products. The opening of the Malindi Branch is in line with the Bank’s strat-egy to reach Kenyans countrywide through its commitment to en-hance service reach to consumers and meeting the ever increasing demand for quality Shar’iah compliant products and services.

Gulf Bank sets foot in Malindi

As part of the preparations to introduce the Shariah compliant bank-ing concept, Uganda’s Central Bank is learning from the Kenyan experience in Islamic finance. A senior official from the Bank of Uganda was recently in the country to study the operations of Is-lamic banking.Speaking at First Community Bank (FCB), Francis Serwadda pro-jected that the introduction of Islamic banking will revitalize the fi-nancial sector in his country. “We want to get started because 17 percent of Ugandans are Muslims. Our aim, is to create awareness among our populace about Islamic banking and open such banks in order to deepen the financial sector,” he said.“We are proud to be getting our initial training at First Community Bank which is a premier Islamic banking institution in East Africa,” he added.On his part, the FCB CEO Nathif Jama said after the successful introduction of Islamic banking in Kenya, the bank was considering to take the concept further to other East African countries.

Uganda studying Kenya's Islamic banking concept

Virtues of the month of Sha'abanStory From Page 1

Story From Page 1

Dr. Bilal Phillips receives a bounded copy of The Friday Bulletin from former Jamia Mosque chairman Maulid Jasho. In the middle is the current chairman Sheikh Muhammad osman Warfa

Shaban 07 1430/July 31 2009

The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147 E-mail: fridaybulletin@islamkenya.com or fridaybulletin@gmail.com. Printed by Colour Magic Production Ltd-Kirinyaga Crescent P. O. Box 9581-00100 Nairobi

US Blackwater Night-mare for Pakistan

lready shaken by a spate of unrest in their homeland, people in Peshawar now have another source of fear on their city’s streets, the notorious US security firm Blackwater."We are deeply scared by their presence and movement as they have posed a se-rious threat to our lives and properties," Ahmed Yar Khan, a local businessman, told IslamOnline.net.According to intelligence sources, the company, which gained world notoriety over involvement in dozens of unprovoked civilian killings in Iraq, has set up different stations in Peshawar and its vicinity.Sporting black gaggles and carrying so-phisticated assault rifles, Blackwater members move freely in Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), and its adjoining districts.They are often seen in their black-color-ed armored vehicles carrying diplomatic number plates. "Officially, Blackwater is providing security to the US, European and Afghan diplomats and officials working on various development projects financed by the US government in federally admin-istered tribal areas," a senior intelligence official told IOL, requesting anonymity for not being authorized to discuss the issue with the media.But residents say that Blackwater agents spur fear and awe, with many of them openly standing guard on the streets and behaving rudely with the locals. "If they are stuck in a traffic jam, they don’t allow any vehicle to come near them. And if some-one mistakenly does that, they shout and point guns at them," fumed Khan.Some residents have even filed complaints with the authorities over mistreatment by Blackwater members, but officials turned deaf ears."Nothing has so far happened despite several complaints," Khan lamented. "It seems as if these streets have been sold out to Blackwater."Established 10 years ago by Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL, the South Carolina-based security firm has grown into what US investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill describes as the "world's most powerful mercenary army."Riding machine-gun mounted utility vehi-cles, Blackwater’s armed contractors have gained notoriety for shooting first and not bothering to ask questions later.A US congressional report has blamed Blackwater of involvement in 195 shooting incidents since 2005, mostly unprovoked.Peshawar residents also fear a possible showdown between Taliban groups and Blackwater. "We have sent a detailed re-port to the higher authorities that the free movement of Blackwater members is posing a serious threat to the security of Peshawar," the senior intelligence official said.