Another Milad-e-Mustafa event is held with Owais Raza Qadri saheb, Hafiz Muhmmad Hussain Kaswal and other na’at khawan on Wednesday 3rd March, after Maghrib prayer @ 5.45pm at Makkah Masjid.
3rd of March is 17th Rabbi-ul-Awwal, the day when Professor Hafiz Fateh Muhammad saheb (may Allah raise his status among the righteous ones) left this world for the heavens. Therefore, this mehfil is also being held in his memory.
The month of immeasurable blessings and mercy has started. The month of Light, Rabi Al-Awwal (third month of Isamic calendar) is the month which marks the birth of the most perfect and beloved of all Allah’s creations, the mercy to the worlds, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
To express happiness, demonstrate joy and delight at the blessed birth of Rasulullah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Muslims of Leeds, as always, will be holding a number of Eid Milad-un-Nabi events at Makkah Masjid and Madina Masjid.
The main Milad-un-Nabi event will be held on Sunday 21 February from 1.15 pm to 6.30pm to celebrate the birth, life and legacy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The event will include the recitation of the Holy Qur’an by international reciters of the Noble Qur’an. The main Qurra’a will be
1. Qari Hajjaj Ramdan Handawi from Egypt;
2. Qari Faqir Muhammd Masudi
3. Qari Rafi-ud-Din Siyalvi
4. Qari Muhammad Qasim
Naats & nasheeds artists will include Qari Samundar Khan, who will recite parts of Saif-ul-Muluk.
Scholars will include Allamah Shaykh Ghulam Rabbani Afghani and Shaykh Idris Watts.
The chief guest will be Shaykh Pir Allau-ud-din Siddiqui, who is a world-renowned scholar and presents a vision of love, peace and harmony; it is upon these foundations that he has taken the bold step of starting the Noor TV Channel (Sky 819). Shaykh Allau-ud-din Siddiqui is Chancellor of Mohi-ud-din Islamic University in Pakistan, founder of Mohi-ud-din Medical College, Pakistan, and also the Chairman of Al-Ehya Trust, which is engaged in accommodating and educating, orphaned and deprived children in Pakistan.
People of other faiths shall also share their thoughts about the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
All brothers and sisters are warmly invited to what will, insha Allah, be a spiritually uplifting and blessed gathering. As always, separate facilities will be provided for sisters. Refreshments will also be provided.
There will be a childrens Mawlid on the night of 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal, 25th March from 4:30-6:30pm at Makkah Masjid’s sister mosque al-Madina Masjid.
On Sunday 28 February, a ladies only Eid Milad-un-Nabievent will be held at Makkah Mosque. Naats, nasheeds and speeaches will be delivered by sisters.
Another Milad-e-Mustafa event is held with Owais Raza Qadri saheb, Hafiz Muhmmad Hussain Kaswaland other na’at khawan on Wednesday 3rd March, 6:30pm at Makkah Masjid.
Woodsley Community Centre is delighted to invite you to ‘Caring for the World’ event held on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.
The event will be held at Woodsley Community Centre, 64 Woodsley Road, Leeds, LS3 1DU, Tel: 0113 2442684) between 5 – 7pm.
The event will feature a talk by Samar Minallah. Samar is an award winning Pakistani human rights activist, documentary film maker and writer. In her talk, she will discuss the contribution of Muslim women in working with disadvantaged groups in Pakistan.
This is a unique opportunity to meet and hear from someone who has first-hand experience of dealing with human rights, women rights and fighting for injustices in Pakistan
The event will also feature Yasrab Shah, who is a project manager for an international charity organisation, providing relief work in those areas which have been affected by natural disasters. He will discuss how the youth can bring positive changes in the world by being part of relief work.
A Gathering/Jalsa is held in memory of the great martyrs of Karbala and the family of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them).
The commemoration of Imam Husain’s martyrdom has been observed by the followers of Ahlul Sunnah for last fourteen centuries. Honoring the memories of Imam Husain and 72 great martyrs of Karbala who saved Islam by sacrificing their lives at the battlefield of Karbala(Iraq) on Ashura 10th Muharram 61 Hijrah is in accordance with the prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Yazid, when he became ruler of Muslims, he posed a great danger to Islam. Through his actions, he was distorting the teachings of Islam, in particular the political system of Islam. During his time:
the ruler was becoming the master of the life, property and honour of his subjects – sovereignty of man was replacing sovereignty of God;
the governing class were being given preferential treatment and were often exempt from many routine religious or legal obligations;
justice, law and order were being replaced by oppression, disorder and injustice.
a life of luxury, pomp and splendour was becoming the norm and the cherished goal;
distinctions between the lawful and prohibited and the desirable and the doubtful were getting blurred; undesirable social activities were spreading like wildfire.
Imam Husain (may Allah be pleased with him) being the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), challenged Yazid and through offering his life and the lives of his family awaken the Muslims. Through his sacrifices he preserved the eternal teachings of Islam.
One of the most prominent preachers of Islam in India on whose hands many thousands of people embraced Islam, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Ajmiri says: Imam Hussayn gave his head, but did not put his hand into the hands of Yazid. Imam Husain did not accept Yazid as ruler of the Muslims. Indeed, Imam Hussain is the foundation of “la ilaha illa Allah”. Imam Hussain is the leader and the leader of the leader. Imam Hussayn himself is Islam and the shield of Islam. He gave his head (for Islam) but never pledged to Yazid. Truly Imam Hussayn is the founder of “La ilaha illa Allah” (“There is no God but Allah”).
A number of Western writers have written about the tragedy of Karbala. Charles Dickens is believed to have said that, ‘if Hussain fought to quench his worldly desires, then I do not understand why his sisters, wives and children accompanied him. It stands to reason therefore that he sacrificed purely for Islam.’
The tragic events of Karbala represent non-violent resistance. Imam Husain neither opted for suicide nor encouraged violence, rather till the very last moments of his life he was urging others to give up violence and tyranny and follow the true and peaceful message of Islam. It was the greed for this world that had blinded his opponents.
In order to underdtand the the histroy of Karbala and the reasons for whihc Imam Husain opposed Yazid, please order a free copy of The History of Karbala by Abu Amar. http://www.islamicinformationcentre.co.uk/booksonline.htm
This month of Ramadan, the Khatme-Quran mehfil (the completion of the recitation of the Holy Quran) took place on 29th night of Ramadan (18th September 2009). This ceremony was well attended by nationwide scholars, Nasheed artists and Quran reciters.
In this video, a well renowned qari, Qari Faqir Muhammad Masoodi saheb, is reciting surahs Zumar, Ghashiya and Balad.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is obligatory to visit the House of Allah, Kaba al- muazzama, in the sacred mosque of Masajid-i-Haram in Saudia Arabia, once in a lifetime provided a Muslim can physically and financially afford to undertake the journey. It is a spiritual journey of a lifetime. Millions of Muslims, men and women, old and young from the four corners of the earth, make the pilgrimage to Makkah every year. In carrying out this obligation, they have only on purpose in mind – to seek the pleasure of the Lord of the Heaven and the Earth, Allah.
There are many Muslims who are undertaking this journey from Leeds this year. Insha’Allah, a Jalsa is being held to prepare people for this life-time journey. A short-course will follow the Hajj presentation given at the monthly gathering.
As part of this monthly gathering (Jalsa), a presentation on Islam Finance will also be given. This presentation will be jointly delivered by Islamic Finance Education Council, Salaam Insurance, HSBC Amanah Finance, Islamic Bank of Britain, Ummah, Mihe, Abacus and others. This presentation will explain the difference between Islamic Finance and Conventional Finance. The experts will also explain the difference between conventional products and the alternative Shariah-compliant products in the marketplace. Q&A opportunity will be provided in the end.
As part of the Finance presentation, information about Islamic Wills and their significance shall be highlighted.
By the grace of Allah Almighty, in the blessed month of Ramadan a number of people declared their belief in the oneness of Allah and in the last and final Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and embraced Islam at Makkah Masjid, Leeds. These were reverts who opened their hearts to Islam.
Makkah Masjid has long been committed to opening the eyes of the wider community to the beauty of the religion of Islam, through holding annual Exhibitions during which the doors of the Mosque are open to the entire community, hosting inter-faith events and inviting non-Muslims to share in the opening of the fast during Ramadan in a community iftari.
Reversion to Islam involves a person declaring: “ I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah.”
Islam was not sent for any one nation or group of people; any one can become a Muslim no matter what his or her race, language or colour. Islam was sent as a complete way of life for the whole of humanity. Allah (swt) says in the Holy Qur’an:
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion” (Quran 5:3)
All sins committed by the person embracing Islam before becoming a Muslim are forgiven by Allah, no matter how serious they were. The person who converts to Islam is totally reborn and starts with a clean record, in much the same way as a new baby is born free of any sin or wrong doing. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) confirmed that this was the case when he said to a person accepting Islam:
“Do you not know that accepting Islam destroys all sins which come before it?” (Sahih Muslim)
Today it is estimated that there are 2.4 million Muslims in the UK, the Muslim population having grown by more than 500,000 in just four years according to official research collated for the Times newspaper. Research by the Office for National Statistics reveals that the Muslim population in the UK multiplied 10 times faster than the rest of society. Europe is home to 38 million Muslims For further details see http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5621482.ece#
According to a comprehensive report of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the global Muslim population stands at 1.57 billion, meaning that nearly one in every four people in the world practice Islam. The report, which was published in October 2009,also identified about 317 million Muslims – or one-fifth of the world’s Muslim population – living in countries where Islam is not the majority religion.
To see the full report click on http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5621482.ece#
The Imam of Makkah Masjid, Qari Asim commented: “By the grace of Allah Almighty, Makkah Mosque holds a long tradition of welcoming people into the fold of Islam and people from Leeds and neighbouring cities come to Makkah Mosque to take their Shahadah (embrace Islam). A number of people have embraced Islam during the holy month of Ramadan and one of the blessed ceremonies during which a girl took the Shahadah was witnessed by people throughout the country who watched the event on TV. We pray to Allah Almighty that He enables us to continue striving in His way and educating people of the peaceful message of Islam.”
Praying facilities are always available for sisters.
On this happy occasion of Eid Makkah Masjid sends its greetings to the entire Muslim community with sincere wishes that Allah would enable us all to enjoy many more such occasions with increased faith, goodness and prosperity.
We pray that we continue worshipping Allah for the rest of the year as we hav done in the month of Ramadan and that we emply the qualities of God-consciousness, devotion, self-sacrifice, discipline, and unity that we have acquired in the month of Ramadan in our daily lives.
Sadqah Fitr
Sadqah Fitr is due before Eid Prayer . Our fasts remain unaccepted unless we pay this sadqa Fitr/ zakat-ul-Fitr
Eid-ul-fitr
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), a companion of prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) reported that when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) migrated from Makkah to Madinah, the people of Madinah used to have two festivals. On those two days they had carnivals and festivity. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked the Ansaar (the Muslims of Madinah) about it. They replied that before Islam they used to have carnivals on those two joyous days. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told them: ‘Instead of those two days, Allah has appointed two other days which are better, the days of Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha.’ (Hadith)
Eid-ul-fitr refers to the festival after completion of fasting in the month of Ramadan. This special occasion for Muslims and Muslims show appreciation and gratitude to Allah Almighty that He enabled them to seek His Mercy in the month of Ramadan and complete the obligatoin of fasting that he had imposed on them.
On the morning of Eid-ul-fitr, Muslims throughout the world perform Eid Prayers. A special prayer held to show gratitue to Allah. Below are various actions which are desirable on the day of Eid and some of them are the sunnah of our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and therefore deserve the appropriate reward for performing them.
**Prepare for personal cleanliness, take care of details of clothing, etc.
**Take a Ghusl (bath) after Fajr.
**Dress up, putting on best clothes available, whether new or cleaned old ones.
**Wear perfurme
**Have breakfast on Eid-al-Fitr before leaving for prayer ground. On **Eid-al-Adha, eat breakfast after the Prayer or after sacrifice if you are doing a sacrifice.
**Pay Sadaqa Fitr before Eid Prayer (minimum amount is £2.50).
**Go to prayer place early.
**Offer Eid Prayer in congregation.
**Use two separate route to and from the prayer ground. Go from one street and to return through another.
**Show happiness and gratification.
**Give charity in abundance.
**Wish and congratulate one another after Eid prayers, by shaking hands and embracing each other.
**Recite the following Takbir on the way to Salaat and until the beginning of Salaat-al-Eid:
Allaho-Akber, Allaho-Akber. La ila-ha ill-lal-lah. Allaho-Akber, Allaho-Akber. Wa-lilahill hamd.
(Allah is great, Allah is great. There is no god but Allah. Allah is great, Allah is great. And all praises are for Allah).
In the month of Ramadan Muslims fast, which involves refraining from food, drink, smoking and conjugal relations from dawn until sunset for a whole month. Fasting is one of the pillars of Islam and is an act of worship which is designed to bring believers closer to Allah and to rediscover and re-direct themselves and teach self-discipline.
In the spirit of the month of Ramadan during which Muslims fast, Leeds Muslim Council cordially invites the whole community of Leeds to share a meal with us at Leeds Makkah Mosque. This meal, called Iftar, is eaten after sunset and breaks the Muslims’ day long fast.
The management committee of Makkah Mosque, Leeds Muslim Council, has historically been committed to helping achieve harmony within the local community by planning initiatives that actively engage with different community organisations, with the aim of providing opportunities for visitors to explore and share the beauty of Islam.
As Leeds is host to over 60,000 students who come to the city at the beginning of each academic year, the community Iftar dinner is also a welcome to students by Makkah Mosque. It provides an opportunity for the student population of Leeds to learn more about the fasting rituals observed by many of their peers, as well as by many people in the communities in which they will live whilst at Universities . Makkah Mosque is at the heart of the community and is conventially located between both the University of Leeds and Leeds Met.
Last year’s event was a tremedous success and was attended by over 700 people, including Muslims, non-Muslims, students, professionals, businesses, law-enforcements agencies, policians and others.
The Community Iftar will be held on Thursday, 17th September 2009. The program starts at 6:30pm with a short welcome and talk, with the opportunity to ask questions about fasting and the month of Ramadan.
There will then be a tour of the Mosque and a brief explanation of the stunning calligraphy and art work inside the Mosque.
Visitors to the Mosque are asked to respect the Muslim code of dressing modestly.