Archive for the ‘Islamic Months’ Category
Administrator on June 11th, 2011
On the 27th of Rajab every year, Muslims celebrate Al-Isra Wal Miraj, the Night Journey to the Heavens, event in which the beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) travelled from Makkah to Jerusalem and from there he went beyond the seventh heaven until he reached the presence of Allah Almighty and witnessed the glorious countenance of the Lord of the heavens and the earth.
During the meeting between the Lord and His creation, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was given a number of “gifts” for his followers – Muslims.
To celebrate this miracolous night journey and to remind ourselves of the gifts that we were granted so that we can value those Divine gifts, the following programmes will be held at Makkah Mosque on the following dates:
1) Tuesday 28 June after Maghrib prayer (09:45pm)
2) Saturday 2 July after Zuhr prayer (2:30pm)
The events are open to all brothers and sisters. Talks will be given in Urdu and English.
Part of the objective of organizing such events is to encourage our youth, our sisters and elders to participate by reciting the glorious Quran, reading nasheeds and naats in praise of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and delivering shorts talks on Islam.
Administrator on June 3rd, 2011
The blessed month of Ramadan is fast approaching us. Each year in the month of Ramadan, Muslims listen to the beautiful and spiritually uplifting recitation of the Noble Qu’ran in the Taraweeh prayer.
The huffaz of the Makkah & Madina Masajid have led Taraweeh prayer in various mosques in the UK and abroad. Each year hafizs from Leeds go to different mosques to lead the Taraweeh prayer.
If you require a hafiz for Taraweeh prayer, please contact us at: mail@makkahmasjid.co.uk
Administrator on June 1st, 2011
The 7th month of Islamic calendar, Rajab, is when Muslims start calculating their zakat payable. Muslims from the Indian subcontinent , Pakistan, traditionally give their zakat in the month of Rajab.
Many Muslims have a lot of questions about Zakah. In particular, usually they are unsure how Zakah principles apply to certain commonly held assets such as shares/investment properties, debts owed etc and consequently may be incorrectly calculating their Zakah liability. Consequently the workshop will also cover the fundamentals of Zakah.
The workshop will be held on Saturday 11th June 2011, 12-2pm at Makkah Masjid.
The workshop is open to both brothers and sisters and literature will be available to participants to take away at the end of the session. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions.
The workshop will be facilitated by Imam of Makkah Masjid, Qari Muhammad Asim.
The purpose of the workshop is to empower British Muslims with the information required to correctly discharge their Fasting & Zakah obligations.
The seminar is FREE but attendance is via REGISTRATION ONLY. Prior to the event, for the purposes of gender ratio, food, space and any changes so as to notify attendees, we would be grateful if those interested in the course could register by contacting us at mail@makkahmasjid.co.uk
Administrator on February 14th, 2011
To express happiness, demonstrate joy and delight at the blessed birth of the Last and Final Messenger Muhammad (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.
Spend the Day with the One that You Love the Most
On 14th February 2011, Muslims of Leeds will be spending the day with the one that they love the most – one and only prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). All day long at Al-Madina Jamia Masjid on Brudenell Grove Leeds, Muslims will be doing zikr and fikr and sending slawat/salutations and durood on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
After the maghrib prayer on 14th Febraury 2011, to mark the night of the blessed birth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (i.e 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal night), a special gathering of children and adults will be held at Al-Madina Jamia Masjid where talks will be given in honour and praise of Rasullullah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
The main Milad-un-Nabi event will be held on Saturday 19 February from 4pm to 7.30pm to celebrate the birth, life and legacy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Talks will be given by Scholars of Islam and Nasheed/ Na’at will be sung by renowned Na’at Khawan.
Key Guests will include:
1. Qari Najum-ul-Mustafa - Qari of National Assembley, Pakistan
2. Syed Sabih-ud- Din Rahmani, QTV – http://sabihrehmani.niceboard.biz/forum
3. Allamah Khurshid Alam Sabri – Ummah channel
4. Sahibzada Mustafa Raza Khan, Manchester University
5. Pir Habib-ur- Rahman Mahboobi, Bradford
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.
It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out one day and said, “Yesterday I saw [something] astonishing …I saw a man from my community who was dragging himself on the ṣirāṭ [bridge over hellfire in the hereafter] one time and crawling another time, then the prayers he sent upon me took him by the hand and made him firm on the ṣirāṭ until he crossed it.”
Administrator on February 3rd, 2011
In order to begin the celebrations in the blessed month of Rabi-ul-Awwal, Makkah Masjid has invited Qari Syed Sadaqat Ali, a disciple of the internationally renowned late Qari Abdul Basit Abdul Samad of Egypt, to recite the Holy Qur’an in his award winning melodious voice. Qari Sadaqat is internationally renowned for his excellent recitation of the Holy Qur’an, and has won awards and accolades across the world for his recitation skills. Qari Sadaqat will inshaAllah fill Makkah Mosque with his awe-inspiring, reverberating recitations from the Holy Qur’an.
Qari Syed Sadaqat Ali will recite at Makkah Masjid on 1st Rabbi-ul-Awwal, Friday 4th Februray after Jummah prayer.
Mild-un-Nabi event will be held at Makkah Masjid on Saturday 19th Feb after Asr prayer.
Administrator on December 26th, 2010
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).
Date: Monday 27th December 2010
Time: Maghrib prayer 4:00-6:30pm
Venue: Makkah Masjid, 36 Thornville Road, Leeds, LS6 1JY
TALKS WILL BE GIVEN IN URDU AND ENGLISH.
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 other great martyrs of Karbala who preserved the true form of Islam by sacrificing their lives at the battlefield of Karbala(Iraq) on Ashura 10th Muharram 61 Hijrah.
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. 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 in order to protect his “power” and “kingdom” martyred Imam Hussain and his family and friends. Through his sacrifices, Imam Hussain preserved the eternal teachings of 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
Administrator on December 20th, 2010
Islamic New Year is based on the lunar calendar, which has 354 days. The lunar calendar has 11 days less than the solar calendar and for this reason; the Islamic New Year falls on different dates in different years. Islamic New Year 2011 will be observed on 7 December 2010.
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.
As 1432 A.H and 2011 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 take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year. We ask Allah to continue to shower His blessings on all of us and make this a year in which we experience His Divine presence more than ever and live according to the example set by the beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
As 1431 AH/2010 CE closes on us, we remember all those moments when our burdens were too heavy to bear; when we wronged ourselves; when we neglected our duties and how at times it seemed that our faith was slipping away from us….recalling those moments, we sincerely seek repentance and thank our Creator for being there for us. We show our gratitude for everything that He gave us in 1431 AH/2010 CE.
We pray to our Lord that whatever New Year brings, we meet it with a truly sincere and determined heart; having trust in our Lord that He will be there to carry us through.
We pray to Allah that He enables us to make the most of the New Year and we value the time and everything else that He has granted us.
The beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reminded Muslims:
“Take benefit of five before five:
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your youth before your old age,
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your health before your sickness,
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your wealth before your poverty,
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your free-time before your preoccupation,
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and your life before your death.”
[Hadith- al-Haakim, al-Bayhaqee, Saheeh]
Administrator on November 8th, 2010
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are blessed days. The Glorious Qur’an swears by these days: “By the Dawn, and the Ten Nights…”[Qur’an, 89.1-2]
Majority of the Qur’anic commentators agree that these verses refer to the first ten days and nights of Dhul Hijjah.
We find the merits of undertaking actions in these ten days from the sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is narrated by Sayyida Hafsa (Allah be pleased with her) that, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not leave four matters: Fasting [on the day of] `Ashura (f: 10th of Muharram), [during] the ten days [of Dhul Hijja], and three days of each month.” [Ahmad and Nasa’i].
It is also narrated by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that “there are no days in which good works are more beloved to Allah than these days – meaning the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah.” The Companions asked, ‘Not even struggle (Jihad) in the way of Allah, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said (peace and blessings be upon him), “Not even jihad in the way of Allah, except for the one who goes forth with his person and wealth and does not return with any of it.” [Bukhari and others]
Fasting is particularly recommended for those who have not gone to perform Hajj.
It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Any slave of Allah who observes fast of a day in the cause of Allah, Allah would separate between him and the Fire a distance of seventy years on account of observing that day. (Agreed upon).
It is narrated that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Observing fasting on the Day of Arafat; I expect Allah to expiate the sins that were committed during the preceding year, and the sins that will be committed in the year after. (Muslim)
It is also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There are no days greater in the sight of Allah and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so during this time recite a great deal of Tahleel (”La ilaaha ill-Allah”), Takbeer and Tahmeed.” (Ahmad)
The 9th-13th Zul Hijjah have special significance; they are also known as days of days of tashriq.
Takbir al-Tashriq
Allah says in the Noble Quran, “Celebrate the praises of God during the Appointed Days…” [Surah Baqara: 203] The Qur’anic exegetes explain that the phrase ‘appointed days’ is referring to the days of tashriq
The takbir al-tashriq is an invocation and it wajib (compulsory) to say once and Sunnah to say it 3 times, out loud for men, immediately after performing each obligatory (fard) prayer starting from the Fajr prayer on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah(in one’s resident country) up to the Asr prayer five days later (13th of Dhul Hijjah). This includes the Friday congregational prayer if it falls within these days.
Women should say the takbir in a soft voice.
The takbir is as follows:
‘Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. La ilaha illa Llah. Wa Llahu Akbar. Allah Akbar. Wa liLlahil-Hamd.’
‘Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest. There is no God save Him. And Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest. And to Allah belongs all praise.’
These 10 days are therefore full of virtue and provide an enhanced opportunity to gain closeness to Allah.
May Allah enable us to make the most of these blessed days. (Ameen)
Administrator on November 5th, 2010
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.
The pilgrim proclaims: Here I am, O God, at Thy Command! Here I am at Thy Command! Thou art without associate; Here I am at Thy Command! Thine are praise and grace and dominion! Thou art without associate.
In respect of the obligation to perform Hajj, the Holy Qur’an states: “And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka`bah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses … [3:97]
“The pilgrimage shall take place in the months appointed for it. And whoever undertakes the pilgrimage in those [months] shall, while on pilgrimage, abstain from lewd speech, from all wicked conduct, and from quarrelling; and whatever good you may do, God is aware of it. And make provision for yourselves – but, verily, the best of all provisions is God-consciousness: remain, then, conscious of Me, O you who are endowed with insight.” [2:197]
There are many ahadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which note the importance of performing Hajj. On such hadith notes:
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Whoever performs Hajj (pilgrimage) and does not engage in marital relations (with his wife), nor commits sin, nor disputes unjustly (during Hajj), then he returns from Hajj as pure and free from sins as on the day on which his mother gave birth to him.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
The following is a brief guide pertaining to the five days when the ritual of Hajj is performed.
8th Dhul-Hijja
On the eighth day of Dhul-Hijja, a pilgrim purifies himself by bathing and he or she then makes the intention to enter into a state of Ihram. A Muslim male is to put on his two white sheets of cloth, Ihram, and proclaim “Labbayka”: “Here I am, oh Allah, here I am. Here I am. You have no partner. Here I am. Surely all praise, grace and dominion is yours, and you have no partners.” A pilgrim then goes to the outskirts of Makkah, known as Mina and there prays Dhuhr, Asr, Magrib, Isha and Fajr.
9th Dhul-Hijja
When the sun rises on the ninth day of Dhul-Hijja, he goes to the plane of Arafah and there prays Dhuhr and Asr combined at the time of Dhuhr, making each one two units. This is really a day to be spend out in the open, and the ritual during this day is called wuquf, “standing” and glorifying Allah and seeking forgiveness from Allah. Amongst the many prayers (dua’), the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed thus: “There is no Deity but Allah alone. He has no partner. All dominion and praise are His and He is powerful over all things.”
At sunset he goes from Arafah to Muzdalifah and there prays Magrib and Isha combined, despite the fact that the time for Magrib would have started in Arafah. But because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) left Arafah at sunset and prayed Magrib and ‘Isha combined in Muzdalifah, a Muslim is to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Muslim should try to spend this night in the remembrance of Allah as much as possible.
10th Dhul-Hijja
The Fajr prayer is performed in Muzdalifah.
Near sunrise, a pilgrim goes from Muzdalifah to Mina. In Mina different duties await the hajji on the 10thof Dhul-Hijja. Upon reaching Mina, he does the following:
- 7 stones, pebbles, that would have been gathered in Muzdalifa the day before are thrown by each hajji at Jamrah Al-Aqaba which is the closest monument to Makkah. The Jamrahs are pillars that represent the power of Satan. At this place, Satan appeared before Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he was on his way to sacrifice his son Prophet Isma’il (peace be upon him). While throwing these pebbles, the hajji says: “Allah is the Greatest,” and believes that he is overcoming his inner-self and throwing pebbles at his inner Satan. The chanting of “labbayka” comes to an end around this time.
- He slaughters the sacrificial animal. Nowadays hajjis do not kill the animal themselves, but professional butchers do it and Saudi authorities take care of it.
- He shaves or clips his hair; shaving is preferable and is the sunah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). A woman clips her hair the length of a finger-tip.
After having performed the above obligations, a hajji is allowed to come out of the state of Ihram. He can wear other clothing and do everything that was lawful before Ihram except engaging in marital relations. He goes to Makkah to perform Tawaf-i-Ziyarat and Sa’yi between the mounts of Safa and Marwah. With the completion of this Tawaf and Sa’yi, a pilgrim is allowed to do everything that was lawful before Ihram. After performing Tawaf and Sa’yi, he returns to Mina to spend the nights of the eleventh and twelfth days there.
11th -12th Dhul-Hijja
These two days Rami (stoning the satan pillars) is performed. He stones the three Jamrah in the afternoon of both the eleventh and twelfth days. He starts with the first Jamrah, which is furthest from Makkah, then the middle one, and lastly Jamrah Al-Aqaba. Each one should be stoned with seven consecutive pebbles accompanied by Takbeer (“”Allah is the Greatest,”). He stops after the first and middle Jamrah to make supplications to Allah. It is not permissible to stone before noon on these two days. However, due to the large crowd, stoning can be done after the Maghrib prayer till dawn.
If a hajji manages to perform stoning on the twelfth day, he can leave Mina before sunset. However, it is best to prolong his stay and spend the night of the thirteenth in Mina and stone that afternoon in the same manner as on the twelfth day.
When a hajji is ready to leave the city of Mecca, he should make Tawaf Al-Wadaa (the Tawaaf of Farewell), seven circuits around the Ka’bah.
This is a very short introduction to performing Hajj. For detailed information, please do consult either a Muslim scholar or a guidebook on Hajj.
Administrator on September 8th, 2010
Insha-Allah, Eid ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Friday, 10 September 2010.
Eid ul-Fitr prayer will be held at 10:00am.
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 have done in the month of Ramadan and that we employ the qualities of God-consciousness, devotion, self-sacrifice, discipline, and unity that we have acquired in the month of Ramadan in our daily lives.
To learn about the sunnahs of the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding Eid day, please clik on the link below:
http://www.makkahmasjid.co.uk/wp/index.php/2009/09/18/eid-ul-fitr-2009/
Please click on the links below to learn about the “Eid gift” and donations given to the victims of flood in Pakistan by the Muslim community of Leeds, in particular the attendees of Leeds Makkah Mosque:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/leeds/2010/sep/07/leeds-mosque-celebrates-eid-as-30-000-is-raised-for-floods-victims
http://www.myyorkshire.org/playback-video.asp?journeyid=140&resourceid=264
http://www.northleedslifegroup.com/2010/09/makkah-masjid-celebrates-eid/
Regarding the Pakistan Flood Fundraising Appeal at Makkah Masjid, Greg Mulholland MP said: “My best wishes and my praise and thanks for all the wonderful fundraising efforts. We must continue to raise money for some time as the devastating effects of the floods will be felt for a long time.”
The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Jim McKenna, praised Makkah Mosque’s efforts in raising a substantial amount for his charity appeal. He said that the humantarian crisis in Pakistan had united the communities in Leeds and the funds riased at Makkah Masjid showed that even in difficult economic times the communities of Leeds had not forgetton the victims of disasters in other parts of the world.
Imam of Makkah Masjid, Qari Asim said: “I offer my sincere greetings and mubarak to all Muslims on the joyful occasion of Eid. On this occastion when we are showing gratitude to Allah for everything that He has given us, we must remember that Eid will be difficult for people of Pakistan who have been affected by monsoon floods.
I want to thank every person who has donted generously to the appeal made by Leeds Makkah Mosque. Despite tough economic times, the response of British people is praise worthy and is a testament to the human connection they have to help those suffering around the world. Their donations have made a real and immediate impact in saving lives and providing clean water, food and medicine. We must continue in the same spirit.”
