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.
Following are some of the important dates of the Islamic calendar for the year 2010:
1 - Muharram 1431
First day of the Islamic year.
18th December 2009
10th of Muharram – Yaum Ashura The day of the martyrdom of Imam Husain, grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him). Fasting on 9th & 10th of Muharram (26th & 27th December 2009) is a sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him).
27th December 2009
2 - Safar
17th January 2010
3 - Rabi al-Awwal
The month of the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him).
15th February
Mawlud - Milad -un-Nabi The birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him).
26st February
4 - Rabi al-Thani
17th March
5 - Jumad al-Ula
16th April
6 - Jumad al-Thani
15th May
7 - Rajab
16th July
26th – 27th Rajab – Miraj-un-Nabi: The ascension to Heavens of the Holy Prophet
On the night of 27th Rajab, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) was first taken from the city of Makkah to Jerusalem (Masjid al-Aqsa) and then from Masjid al-Aqsa to the Heavens until he reached the presence of Allah Almighty. This journey is the greatest miracle of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) after the living miracle of the Holy Quran.
09 – 10th July
8 - Sha’ban
13th July
14th – 15th Sha’ban – Lailat-ul-Barat The Night of Bar’at occurs between the 14th and 15th day of Sha’ban. Therefore, the night of Bar’at begins after the end of the 14th day of Sha’ban.
It is a meritorious night in which people are attended by special divine mercy and is a night to gain freedom from fire of Hell. Fasting on 15th of Sha’ban is recommended.
26th – 27th July
9 – Ramadan The first day of the month of fasting
12th August
26th – 27th Ramadan – Lailat-ul-Qadr The Night of Power occurs between the 26th and 27th day of Ramadan. Therefore, the night of Qadr starts after the end of the 26th fasting day.
6th – 7th September
10 – Shawwal: Eid-ul-Fitr The day of celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr.
10th September
11 – Dhul Qa’dah
9th October
12 Dhul Hijjah The month of Hajj – pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah to perform the 5th obligatory pillar of Islam. Fasting on 9th of Dhul Hijjah is recommended.
8th November
10th of Dul Hijjah – Eid-ul-Adha The day of celebration of Eid-ul-Adha.
17th November
1 – Muharram 1432
First day of the Islamic year.
7th December 2010
10th of Muharram – Yaum Ashura 1432
16th December 2010
All Islamic dates are subject to sighting of the moon.
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
Today, 18 December 2009, is the first day of the Muslim calendar 1431 A.H.
The Muslim calendar began when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his followers immigrated (Hijra) from Makkah to Madina to establish a new Islamic state based on the teachings of the Holy Qur’an. ‘A.H’ stands for ‘After Hijra’/ after migration from Makkah to Madinah. This was a turning point for the Muslim community.
The Hijri year is based on the lunar calendar. The Holy Qur’an says: “Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion way, so do not wrong yourselves during them…” (At-Tawbah: 36).
The Islamic calendar was first introduced by the second caliph and close companion of the Prophet, ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) during his caliphate.
As 1431 A.H and 2010 C.E arises on us, it is hoped that it will be a year of peace, where every one’s precious life is safe, every one’s dignity and honour is preserved, every one’s freedom, so long as it is exercised with due responsibility, is respected. We hope that 1431 A.H and 2010 C.E is a year where universal humanitarianism is at the forefront of people’s minds. We hope that it is a year where discrimination against particular religious and ethnic groups does not take place. It is a year of harmonious coexistence of humanity transcending various stereotypes that keep raising their heads. As Muslims, we also hope that this a year when religion, faith and in particular Islam is not blamed for all the global political, social and moral challenges that are posed on us in post-modern world. We hope that it is a year when the inflamed stereotypes that Islam is in conflict with Western values are diminished.
On example of such inflamed stereotypes is the recent ban on mosque minarets in Switzerland. On Sunday 29 November 2009, a majority of Swiss voters approved a proposed referendum to ban the construction of minarets in their country. This vote can be seen a new obstruction on the road to coexistence, a discriminatory action and more importantly it is an indication of mistrust, not trusting European Muslims and creating fear of “Islam” in people’s minds. It is noted that campaign against the minarets was fuelled by such anxieties and allegations.
It was encouraging to see that not only Muslims but other religious institutions, including the Vatican, and some international organisations denounced the vote as a blow to religious freedom. It is praise-worthy that UK local governments up and down the country have permitted magnificent mosque minarets to be erected, which add to the beautiful architecture of our cities and towns in the UK. Long it may continue!
We hope that the ban on minarets of masjid in Europe will be rejected at the European level.
We take this opportunity to wish the Muslims a very happy and prosperous New Muslim Year. We ask Allah to continue to shower His blessings on all of us and make this a year in which we become closer and closer to His Divine presence. We thank Allah Almighty for the manifold blessings that He showers upon us every day and pray that He enables us to implement the true teachings of Islam in our lives. We pray that He gives us the strength to be steadfast on the religion of Islam.
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.
Administrator on February 16th, 2010
