The night of Deliverance (Laylatul-bara’ah)
The nisf Sha’ban night is is the night falling between 14th and 15th day of the month of Sha’ban. It is a night known as Laylatul-bara’ah, Shab-e-barat, night of freedom and night of deliverance.
In year 2010, this night Shab-e-barat shall fall on Monday night, 26th July 2010.
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Administrator on April 13th, 2010
It is that time of the year again when mehafil and gatherings are held in honour of Professor Hafiz Fateh Muhammad Sahib (May Allah have mercy on his soul) in Makkah Masjid and in the houses of those who were very close to him. It has been five years since Professor Hafiz Fateh Muhammad Sahib suddenly passed away on the evening of 26 April 2005 (17th Rabi ul-Awwal 1426).
Hafiz Fateh Muhammad Sahib (May Allah bless his soul) always used to say that a person leaves this world doing the same activities he indulged in during his lifetime. Therefore, rather than indulging in those activities that are forbidden in Islam or are disliked by Allah and His Messenger, Muslims should keep themselves occupied in those activities and actions which will bring them closer to their Lord, so that when they leave this world, they do so doing those activities which are considered as acts of worship. We see that this was very true of Hafiz Sahib as he passed away whilst sitting in the mosque, reading a biography of the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). About 45 minutes before his departure from this world, Hafiz Sahib had given a lecture on the Holy Qur’an in the daily study circle that he had been holding for the past 10 years.
Hafiz Sahib’s whole life revolved around learning, reciting, teaching and reflecting on the Holy Qur’an and studying, discussing and honouring our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He dedicated his life to the Qur’an and Sunnah, following the perfect example of the Prophet (May Allah shower blessings on him).
Professor Qari Fateh Muhammad Sahib was of very few distinguished Ulemas who excelled in both worldly and religious knowledge and understanding. He was indeed an inspirational figure who benefitted his community tremendously through teaching them the knowledge of Islam. He was a great believer in having inner peace, which would lead to establishing peace in the world. In order to provide a beacon of light, guidance, love and hope to mankind, he founded Leeds Makkah Masjid and Deen Foundation.
We pray to Allah (swt) that He grants Hafiz Sahib the highest place in Paradise, and grants him the company of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) on the Day of Judgement and in Paradise. Ameen.
A Jalsa and annual gathering in memory of Professor Hafiz Fateh Muhammad Sahib will be held at Leeds Makkah Masjid on Sunday 18 April 2010 at 2:30pm after the ZUHR PRAYER. In the gathering, Professor Sahib’s students, colleagues and contemporaries will talk about the life and works of the ambassador of peace and lover of the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Professor Hafiz Fateh Muhammad (May Allah shower mercy on his soul).
TIME: 2:30 pm After ZUHR PRAYER
DATE: Sunday, 18th April 2010
VENUE: Makkah Masjid
Administrator on April 11th, 2010
The following are some of the comments made about Professor Hafiz Qari Fateh Muhammad (May Allah shower mercy on his soul):
- “I will miss his inspiring conversations full of humour, wit and insight”, a PhD students from the Far East
- “His optimism, his compassion and, most important of all, the love he always had for his faith and community was remarkable.” A Roman Catholic Vicar
- He was “a wonderful mix of spirituality and practicality”, Faith Advisor to the former Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
- His death was “a blow to the whole community”, a local MP.
- “He was a reformer in that he began calling for imams to start using English in their sermons and in their teachings so that the British Muslim youth could learn something about their faith when attending the mosques”, Chair of a leading British Muslim Organisation.
- “He was a true lover of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and that is why he was always at the forefront of any cause and campaign dealing with Tahafuz-e-Namose-e- Risalat”, Secretary of Ahl-Sunna wal-Jama’at.
- “He effectively gave me a new life”, a revert who embraced Islam at the hands of Professor Qari Fateh Muhammad.
- “His intelligent conversations, his ability to listen to opponents’ views, his inner beauty, his immense love for the Prophet, the Ahle-bait and the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made me reconsider my beliefs”, a shia Professor from Iran.
- “He was as friendly and hospitable to his opponents as he was towards his friends and followers”, a young enthusiast who enjoyed debating with Professor Qari Fateh Muhammad.
- “Through his guidance and mediation, he saved my marriage”, a young newly married sister.
- “He was an inspiration to me. If it had not been for him, I would not have had the love of my religion in my heart today”, a pharmacist.
- “He helped me find myself”, an investment banker.
- “He was always there for my family”, a mother of six children.
- “If it had not been for his financial support, I would not have been able to do an MBA”, a student who went on to become an entrepreneur.
- “He was our rock”, a grandmother.
- “Whenever I followed his practical advice, I never regretted it”, a father of four and politician.
- “I always confided in him and he counseled me” a granddad and community leader.
- “If it had not been for him, my children today would have been somewhere else rather than in the mosque. He brought faith into our hearts”, a mother of three.
- “He was my guide, my teacher, my source of inspiration, my role model and my spiritual father”, a student of Islamic sciences and Tassawuf.
- “He was a truly humble and sincere servant of Allah, who was not after worldly positions or wealth; he declined whenever he was given a position of power and rather recommended his colleagues to take those positions”, founder of the British Muslim Forum.
- “He was a man of extraordinary vision. He sat on a prayer mat but touched the hearts of thousands of people from all walks of life whether they be doctors, Imams, builders, politicians, professors, taxi drivers or entrepreneurs. It was his simplicity and spirituality, combined with his wisdom, that made him everyone’s hero”, a medical doctor.
- “It was his love for the Noble Qur’an, his constant recitation day and night, which brought me closer to Allah”, a Hafiz and recite of the Holy Qur’an.
- “He sometimes would give money in charity when he did not have much in his own pocket”, Trustee of a Charity.
- “He was the father figure for our community”, teenage attendee of the mosque
- “He was a shining star; people like him are not born everyday”, a professor colleague at Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan.
Administrator on April 10th, 2010
The Chair of the MINAB Youth Committee and the Imam of Leeds Makkah Masjid, Qari Asim, said that MINAB and Makkah Mosque were pleased to work with CEDAR and Young Enterprise as they seek to empower young Muslims across Europe in their professional and personal development, an objective that is shared by both MINAB and Makkah Mosque.
The mentoring workshops at Makkah Mosque were very successful. The mentors were professional yet friendly. They displayed enthusiasm throughout the workshops and inspired the youths to strive for excellence in all aspects of their life. Even in the short space of half a day, the increase in the confidence and team working abilities of the participants was evident.
Imam Qari Qasim said: “We had a very good turnout for the CEDAR workshop. Children were very eager to participate in such a workshop. They thoroughly enjoyed working with each other and improving their life essential skills such as team-working and leadership skills.”
Kamer Hussain said: “I really enjoyed it on Thursday. I learnt how to do team work and it also helped me to improve my skills. I hop we will have another session like this another time”
Shazad Hussain said: “It was very good because the tutors gave us advice on how to improve our skills. They taught us how to be more patient when I am angry. The tutors also helped to know what we want to be in future and how we can achieve this”
Nikash Khan said: “I found the event good because it showed how much education you need because when you are older you want to have a good job and also they asked us what we want when we are older and how to reach there”
Rahil Aziz said: “The workshops were fantastic, I really enjoyed taking part in them”.
Administrator on April 6th, 2010
Makkah Masjid, Deen Foundation, Young Minds and MINAB- all believe in the contribution that all young people can make to the vibrancy of any community. The aims of all these organizations is to unlock the potential of is the challenge that lies ahead of us. With this in mind, these organizations are holding in conjunction with CEDAR (Connecting European Dynamic Achievers & Role Models) an intensive half-day mentoring session for young Muslims.
With Muslims being one of the least economically advantaged groups in the UK, there is a need to deepen engagement with developing young Muslim’s capacity for professional and entrepreneurial involvement. CEDAR is a pan-European network of Muslim professionals that seeks to generate a culture of success and leadership amongst Europe’s diverse Muslim communities.
The programme will be based on the principle of action learning and will engage Muslim and non-Muslim entrepreneurs and professionals from various professions into mosques to work with Muslim young people to develop self-confidence, employability skills and their understanding of opportunities available to them in enterprise and various professions.
Chair of MINAB Youth Committee, Qari Asim, said that MINAB and Makkah Mosque are pleased to work with CEDAR and Young Enterprise as they seek to empower young Muslims across Europe in their professional and personal development. They are committed to provide such training and ‘action learning’ which seeks to develop young people’s self confidence and employability skills, which are much needed skills in our Youth in the current economic climate.
MINAB will urge its members to take this opportunity offered by CEDAR and Young Enterprise and hold these mentoring workshops in their mosques and madrasahs for the youth.
If you are 14-16 year olds (Years 10 and 11, Key stage 4) and would like to attend the event on Thursday 8 April, please contact us on mail@makkahmasjid.co.uk
Administrator on March 30th, 2010
Recently, Makkah Masjid team has started producing a quarterly newsletter to highlight the good work that goes on at Makkah Mosque and its affiliated organisations.
You can find the first issue below:
Administrator on March 25th, 2010
Recently we had a couple of visits from Yorkshire and Humber Faiths Forum. Arshad Ghulam was the host for these visits:
Administrator on March 23rd, 2010
23rd March holds a significant place in the history of Pakistan. 70 years ago, on 23 March 1940 in Lahore Minto Park (now called Iqbal Park), the founding fathers passed the momentous Pakistan Resolution (Qarardad i Pakistan), which gave birth to the idea of an independent state nation.
On 23rd March 2010, to celebrate the day, Imam of Makkah Mosque, Qari Asim attended the event held at Bradford Consulate to celebrate the Pakistan Resolution Day (Youm Qarardad-i-Pakistan). Qari Asim attended the event with Asghar Khan, Labour Candidate for Leeds Headingley Ward, and Asif Qureshi, Leeds representative of Urdu Newspaper Daily Ausaf.
Below, in the photo Imam Qari Asim is standing with Mr. Tariq Iqbal Soomro, Consul General, and Asghar Khan.
Quaid-i-Azam (the Great Leader) Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as a leader of the Muslim League in 1940, demanded the formation of an independent Pakistan and after 7 years of peaceful struggle, on 14 August 1947, Pakistan was born. Independence resulted in communal riots across India and Pakistan and millions of Muslims were uprooted from their homes as they moved from India to Pakistan and millions were martyred and injured.
Formation of Pakistan was the dream of Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal, who was a strong proponent of the political and spiritual revival of Islamic civilisation across the world, but specifically in South Asia; a series of famous lectures he delivered to this effect are published as The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam.
Allama Muhammad Iqbal asked Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah to lead the Muslims of India to realizing a dream for an independent Islamic state.
As Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah said:-
“We are a nation, with our distinctive culture and civilisation, names and nomenclature, sense of values and proportion, legal laws and moral code, customs and calendar, history and tradition, aptitude and ambition; in short we have our own distinctive outlook on life and of life. By all canons of international law, we are a nation.”
It is an irony that a country which was created in the name of ideology failed to achieve the destiny laid down by its founders, who with vigorous struggle and spirit secured this independent state of Pakistan for their future generation.
May Pakistan long live and Allah grant it protection from internal and external sources. May Allah allow it to prosper as a great nation and enable it to achive the dreams of its founder and those who laid down their lives for its formation (Ameen).
