Once, while we were sitting in the
company of Prophet, a dead man was brought. The Prophet was
requested to lead the funeral prayer for the deceased. He
said, "Is he in debt?" The people replied in the negative.
He said, "Has he left any wealth?" They said, "No." So, he
led his funeral prayer. Another dead man was brought and the
people said, "O Allah's Apostle! Lead his funeral prayer."
The Prophet said, "Is he in debt?" They said, "Yes." He
said, "Has he left any wealth?" They said, ''Three Dinars."
So, he led the prayer. Then a third dead man was brought and
the people said (to the Prophet), Please lead his funeral
prayer." He said, "Has he left any wealth?" They said, "No."
He asked, "Is he in debt?" They said, ("Yes! He has to pay)
three Diners.', He (refused to pray and) said, "Then pray
for your (dead) companion." Abu Qatada said, "O Allah's
Apostle! Lead his funeral prayer, and I will pay his debt."
So, he led the prayer.
My Teacher: Syed Abul 'Ala Maudoodi
by Kaukab Siddique
It is Maulana Maudoodi's anniversary. His achievements are
often forgotten because they have become so much a part of
our thinking.
Here are some of his ground breaking contributions to modern
Islamic thought. Without these, Islam would not be a cutting
edge power which Pakistanis and many others are able to use
as a paradigm shift.
Islam is a COMPLETE way of life. It has answers and
solutions for all issues and problems.
Islam is rational and scientific in its approach to life.
Islam is text based. The proof for what we claim to be
Islamic must come from the Qur'an and authentic hadith.
Hadith is essential to understanding the Qur'an. Without
hadith, the Qur'an would be open to all kinds of
interpretations.
Islam provides the basic principles for an Islamic State
and an Islamic Constitution.
Shia-Sunni conflict can easily be avoided by giving each
school of thought its requirements.
Jihad is essential to Islam but it must be conducted
according to the rules of war taught in the Islamic texts.
Hindus and Muslims are two distinct and separate nations.
Peaceful co-existence should not mean assimilation.
Maudoodi did not claim that he is the final word in the
interpretation of Islam. He was soft spoken and extremely
humble.
His teachings on women's rights and kingship were evolving.
I challenged him on both issues. It turned out that his
greatest book was khilafat o mulukiat [Caliphate and
Monarchy] which destroyed the idea that kingship is
permitted in Islam.
Secularists often claim that Maudoodi was against the
creation of Pakistan. There is no basis for this line of
attack on him, His teaching was that an Islamic Pakistan is
the only reason why there should be Pakistan. However, he
pointed out, the Pakistan movement had no idea how to bring
about an Islamic Pakistan. He not only did not oppose
Pakistan, he taught in detail both against united India and
against secular Muslim nationalism.
Young Pakistanis were very much attracted towards Maudoodi's
teachings. A vast student movement called Islami Jamiate
Talaba emerged. Among them was a truly great leader, Syed
Munawar Hasan, who went on to become ameer of Jamaate
Islami.
Also attracted were conservative ulema who wanted to use
Maulana Maudoodi's fame and Jamaate Islami's organization
for their own very limited ideologies.
With the emergence of Shaykh Osama bin Laden and now ISIS,
has Jamaate Islami become irrelevant? We'll have to wait and
see but Maudoodi's base line teachings continue to have
permanent value.
Dead Hearts and Empty Supplications
-With thanks to Br. Zaheer Bawany in Karachi, Pakistan.
It is reported that Ibraaheem ibn Adham,
رحمه الله,
once passed through the market of Basrah. People gathered
around him and asked:
O Abaa Ishaaq, Allaah, the Exalted, says in His Book. 'Call
on Me, I will answer your prayers', but we have been calling
on Him for a long time and He does not answer our prayers.
Ibraaheem replied:
"O people of Basrah, your hearts have died in respect to ten
things:
First, you know Allaah but you do not give Him His rights;
Second, you have read Allaah's Book but you do not act by
it;
Third, you claim to love Allaah's Messenger ﷺ - yet
you abandon his Sunnah;
Fourth, you claim to be enemies to Shaytaan but you conform
to [his ways];
Fifth, you say you love Paradise yet you do not work for it;
Sixth, you say you fear the Fire yet you put yourselves
closer to it [by sinning];
Seventh, you say death is true but you do not prepare for
it;
Eighth, you busy yourselves with the faults of others and
disregard your own;
Ninth, you consume the favors of your Lord but are not
grateful for them;
And tenth, you bury your dead but take no lesson from
them."
Don't Forget the Prisoners
This group ("Don't Forget the Prisoners") has been formed on
face book by Br. Ali Randall & Sis. Ayesha.
She wanted to join the Islamic State. She was arrested and
sentenced to 4 years in prison.
She wrote a letter saying that the most difficult time of
jail is over and she is just being patient. Since her arrest
she has only been contacted by only two muslims. Her best
friend discontinued all contact after her first letter.A
representative from a Colorado based Muslim group visited
her once in jail but other than that she has had little
contact with the Muslim world. The Muslims there
incarcerated with her have softened the experience of prison
substantialy.
CIA releases files about Illegal weapons-grade uranium
diversions from US to Israel - IRmep
[With thanks to our Christian friend Ms. Caroline in
Florida.]
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2015- The Central Intelligence Agency
released 130 pages of reports, memos and other files about
the 1960s diversion of weapons-grade uranium to Israel from
the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation NUMEC
formerly headquartered in Apollo, Pennsylvania. (PDF of CIA
files and release statement). The August 31 CIA release came
in response to a lawsuit (Lawsuit PDF) filed by the director
of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep)
on February 13, 2015.
Many of the file memos record CIA briefings in the late
1970s to members of Congress inquiring whether the diversion
was a covert CIA operation. Arizona Democrat Morris Udall
asked bluntly on August 23, 1977 "Is it possible that
President Johnson, who was known to be a friend of Israel,
could have encouraged the flow of nuclear materials to the
Israelis?"
Associate Deputy Director for Operations Theodore Shackley
and Deputy Director for Science and Technology Carl Duckett
repeatedly denied that the CIA played any role. In support
of their argument, they noted that it was CIA Director
Richard Helms who first alerted the Justice Dept.,
requesting in 1968 that the FBI conduct a "discreet"
intelligence investigation into NUMEC president Zalman
Shapiro's activities.
The FBI investigation documented Shapiro's many meetings
with Avraham Hermoni who directed nuclear weapons
development in Israel, and Shapiro's invitation to top
covert operative Rafi Eitan, who later ran spy Jonathan
Pollard, to visit NUMEC facilities in 1968. The now-defunct
Atomic Energy Commission successfully organized the transfer
of NUMEC's ownership to another contractor. After an AEC
interview with Shapiro that raised more questions than it
answered, the FBI shut down the investigation in 1969. After
Shapiro left NUMEC, the AEC engineered his transfer from a
position in which he sought to handle advanced hydrogen bomb
designs into a less sensitive job working on breeder
reactors in 1972.
The Ford Administration Attorney General Edward Levi opened
a second NUMEC investigation to find out whether there had
been a NUMEC diversion and a government cover-up. The newly
released files reveal that on June 6, 1977 Shackley briefed
the FBI special agents in charge who were frustrated that
since they hadn't firmly established that the diversion took
place, they couldn't begin to address the second question
about a cover-up. They pleaded for "new information" from
the CIA.
The files reveal that it was in fact old CIA information the
FBI needed. Every CIA director had withheld a key finding
from investigators. According to a released May 11, 1977
report by Shackley, the "CIA has not furnished to the FBI
sensitive agent reporting...since the decision was made by
Directors Helms, Colby and Bush that this information would
not further the investigation of NUMEC but would compromise
sources and methods."
That "sensitive agent reporting," is contained in the
still-redacted contents of a top-secret two-and-one-half
page September 8, 1969 memo from Helms to Richard Nixon and
copied to the Secretaries of State and Defense. This memo
presumably refers to clandestine environmental sampling in
Israel that picked up, according to the Department of
Energy, "enriched Uranium-235" (PDF) of the highly unique
signature supplied to NUMEC. According to the Department of
Energy, NUMEC losses of highly enriched uranium were greater
than any US contractor. (DOE PDF) When presented by DOE with
the evidence in June of 1978, retired Atomic Energy
Commissioner Glen Seaborg subsequently refused to be
interviewed by FBI special agents. But the FBI never
received CIA evidence it could have used during scores of
interviews of other reluctant witnesses during the field
investigation.
The CIA recorded that FBI investigators "indicated that even
if they came up with a case, it was extremely unlikely that
Justice and State would allow it to come to trial...they
feel that they have been given a job to do with none of the
tools necessary to do it." Although in 1981 special agents
finally interviewed a former NUMEC employee who had
witnessed the means of the diversion—Zalman Shapiro
and other NUMEC officials stuffing HEU canisters into
irradiators sealed and rushed to Israel (FBI PDF)—
lacking the missing CIA puzzle piece the FBI investigation
went dormant as the statute of limitations for Atomic Energy
Act violations expired.
Today the razed NUMEC facilities sites near Apollo will cost
$350 to $500 million to toxic waste cleanup over the next
decade according to US Army Corps of Engineers estimates.
CIA Tel Aviv Station Chief John Hadden, whose findings are
redacted from the new release, publicly characterized NUMEC
as "an Israeli operation from the beginning..."
IRmep plans to further court actions to obtain full release
of CIA operations files that would allow Apollo residents to
sue the Israeli government directly for cleanup costs and
massive health-related damages caused by the smuggling
front, or have the funds deducted from Israel's annual $3.5
billion package of foreign aid from the United States. (See
the IRmep Center for Policy and Law Enforcement for the
lawsuit, oral argument transcripts and other legal
updates.)
SOURCE Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy
The National Islamic Shoora of Jamaat al-Muslimeen will
Meet, Inshallah
[Authorized by Imam Badi, Sis. Ashira, Br.
Solano, Br. Kaukab and Br. Abu Talib.]
The shoora meeting is coming. Look for details in the coming
weeks.Jamaat al-Muslimeen studies and advises and moves
[within the limits of the law] on these subjects:
Opposition to Zionism and Imperialism.
Freedom for Palestine.
Occupation of Muslim countries by the US-NATO military and
various dictators and tyrants.
Political Prisoners, in particular Muslims.
The rights of women.
Independent organization not controlled by any outside
powers, Muslim or non-Muslim.
Africa
Focus on Quran & Authentic Hadith.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Activity in Washington, DC: 8-Page
Document to 200 Muslim Elites.
On September 18, 2015, at the most prominent Islamic center
in Washington, DC, located on Massachusetts Avenue, Jamaat
al-Muslimeen reached out to Muslim elites coming out of
embassies and international institutions to make the Juma'
salat.
The most important aspects of the 8-page document given to
200 Muslims are as follows.
A mother's Appeal to President Obama to release Masaud
Khan, a Pakistani American sentenced to life in prison for
opposing Indian occupation of Kashmir.
Dr. Kaukab Siddique's rebuttal of the attack on him by
the Zionist Daily Beast accusing him of being anti-woman
[!], anti-Israel and critical of the Jewish holocaust story.
Apaches arrive in Washington to strive for their rights
[Sis. Karin].
Pakistan's disappearing opponents of the army: State
terrorism including torture, mutilation and murder of the
servants of Allah.
Women's Equality in the mosque and in travel: Research
article by Kaukab Siddique.
Obama faced rebuttal and opposition on the issue of
homosexuality in Kenya.
War news from Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey.
Nigerian president, unable to defeat Boko Haram, arrives
in Washington begging for help.
The crowd was very appreciative. Two women, burqa clad
Pakistanis, speaking good English, came over to express
thanks for the document and to make a donation.
The khutba was incredibly boring, simply limited to stuff
like how many shares in a cow in Eid sacrifice..
Latest Khutba
Hajj is meant to Change the World through the Message of
Tawheed [Strict Monotheism.]
Black Stone, Oldest House of Worship, An African woman's
struggle, One Ummah, Jihad & Readiness to die in His way.
No Place for Racism or Sexism in Islam.
On September 18, 2015. Br. Kaukab Siddique gave the juma
khutba and led prayers at Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen in
Baltimore.
Thanks go to brothers who specifically came to offer
security to Br. Kaukab but the security threat has
retreated.
The adhan was powerful and cadenced, given by a Nigerian
brother.
The main points of the khutba were as follows.
Text #1:
" ....She climbed mount Safa and strained to look.
Seeing nobody, she came down and started running and climbed
mount Marwa, ....thus she did seven times [while her child
lay dying}: Suddenly [the archangel] Gabriel appeared and
struck the ground with his heel, or pressed the ground with
his heel, and water gushed forth...Ismail's mother was
amazed... " [Excerpts from a lengthy Hadith in the Sahih of
Bukhari, kitab al-Anbiya, narrated by Ibn Abbas, r.a.]
Text #2:
And (remember) when We prepared for Abraham the
place of the (holy) House, saying: Ascribe thou no thing as
partner unto Me, and purify My House for those who make the
round (thereof) and those who stand and those who bow and
make prostration [The Qur'an 22:26]
The Ka'aba is the oldest place of worship of Allah on the
earth, preceding all organized religion.
The Black Stone in the Kaaba is a sign from Allah.
Non-Muslims are seriously mistaken in thinking that Muslims
worship the Black Stone. That would be the greatest sin.
The city of Makka was founded by Hajira, r.a., an African
woman who gave birth to Ismail, pbuh, after her marriage to
Abraham. Her great struggle in the desert is signified in
the Qur'an by the reference to the hills of Safa and Marwa
as the signs of Allah. [See 2:158]
The spring of Zam Zam which Allah gave to Hajira [see
Sahih Bukhari] still exists and is the only living miracle
of Allah other than the Qur'an. All other miracles are in
the past.
Hajj is obligatory once in a life time. The pilgrims, two
to three million, do tawaf [circumambulate] around the kaaba
seven times. Their movement is counter clockwise, like all
the heavenly bodies.
The shroud [kafan] the pilgrims wear remind them of
standing before Allah on the day of Judgment. They show that
they are ready to die. This is the signal for jihad, the
willingness to die happily in the way of Allah. Look at the
tragic accident of the crane just before the Hajj. Muslims
did not panic. In fact people prefer to die in Makka.
There is no racism or sexism in Islam. In the Hajj one
sees all nationalities, all races, and men and women
together, respectful and caring. There is no superiority of
Arab over non-Arab, of male over female. .
There is no place in Islam for those who look down on
Black people, nor in reverse for those who say the White man
is the devil. As Malcolm X found out, Islam makes race
irrelevant. Racism is a mental sickness of unbelievers.
We are ONE UMMAH, as the Hajj shows. If we preserve this
unity, with 1.8 billion Muslims, we could WALK OVER ISRAEL
and liberate Palestine. See how the Jews are desecrating
masjid al-Aqsa and we remain disunited, not listening to
Allah.
Finally comes the command to Abraham to sacrifice his
son Ismail; he submits and then the son is substituted by
the sacrifice of an animal.
Our Masjid is open to all Muslims who accept Muhammad as
the last messenger and prophet, pbuh, and the Qur'an as the
final revelation. Whether you are Hanafi, Shafaii, Maliki,
Hanbali, Jafari or Ahle Hadith, you are welcome here.
Beware of the lies being spread by Zionist media against
Islam and Muslims. Pray for the victory of the Islamic
battle formations.
PAKISTAN
Abbottabad Incident: Rumors, Misperceptions and the Truth
By Aymen Ijaz (Islamabad) - IPRI [With thanks to Dr. Shahid
Qureshi and the London Post].
There is a general misperception in the West and
international community that the Abbottabad operation or
Operation Geronimo, later renamed as Operation Neptune Spear
became a worst case scenario for Pakistan Army and DG ISI.
It is generally believed that it seems quite absurd that the
ISI did not know about Bin Laden's whereabouts. It is blamed
that Osama Bin Laden's hiding was managed by ISI and he was
kept in Abbottabad not as a guest but as a prisoner of the
ISI. The ISI is responsible for hiding information about Bin
Laden through a small cell within ISI, consisting of only
one man, taking care of his well-being. But on ground, the
ISI lost track of OBL since 2006 and was not aware of his
hiding in Abbottabad. There are rumours about a deal stuck
between ISI and CIA for a joint operation in Abbottabad to
capture Osama Bin Laden. But it is quiet ironic that at the
same time, there is an official statement of US Deputy
Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes in which he refutes the idea of
joint military operation and clearly said that the raid was
a unilateral American military operation.
The allegation that ISI kept OBL as a prisoner at Abbottabad
is ridiculous because in that case logically speaking OBL
could have been kept in a secluded location like mountains
in Pak-Afghan border or at some distant place. Moreover, the
author's view that ISI knew about Osama's location or it had
itself kept him near Abbottabad does not make any sense
because how could ISI do that when Pakistan was fighting war
on terror as a non NATO ally. Moreover, Pakistan could not
afford to do that because it would have adversely impacted
Pakistan's relations with the US and the West and its
international image would have been damaged. Also in view of
Pakistan's strong security and defence ties with the US, as
a non NATO ally, it was not in Pakistan's strategic
interests to strain its relations with the US by hiding OBL
around Abbottabad.
The matter of the fact is that ISI did not know about
Osama's location because in intelligence system of every
country there are always some gaps and limitations. It is
not necessary that an intelligence agency would know
everything. This is why CIA did not know in advance about
9/11 attacks and of OBL's presence in Abbottabad, and RAW
did not know about the Mumbai attacks ahead of time. The
presence of a small cell within ISI, consisting of one man
or maximum two-three men being responsible for Bin Laden's
well-being and whereabouts is another allegation which is
not credible. There is always a hierarchical and an
organized structure in intelligence agencies and a single
person or a cell of two-three persons cannot keep such an
important information confidential without involving the
senior officials of the organization. Some US senior
officials have also confirmed that Pakistani Officials did
not know about OBL'S location. In this regard even CIA's
former Director, Panetta, stated before the US senate in
June 2011 on Operation Geronimo, "one of the key lessons of
this operation is that we have seen no evidence that senior
Pakistani leaders were involved in harbouring Osama bin
Laden or knew of his whereabouts". Even Hillary Clinton, US
State Secretary, during her visit after three weeks of the
operation admitted that no evidence had been found of any
Pakistani senior official knowing of this operation or of
OBL's hideouts. Therefore, to say that ISI knew about the
location of OBL amounts to tarnishing image of this
organization based on mere assumptions and conspiracy
theories.
The allegation that both COAS and DG ISI Pasha were informed
in advance about the raid on Osama is another illogical
conjecture. This allegation was publicly clarified by the
COAS and DG ISI when they testified in the National Assembly
that US did not inform them about the operation and they
were not taken into confidence. In fact there was no
co-ordination done by the US authorities with Pakistan
regarding the raid. It is falsely propagated that COAS, Gen.
Kayani and Gen. Pasha were losers after the raid and they
was a strong criticism against them. In fact, there is a
complete harmony in the command and control system of the
Army and all the responsibilities in the Army are
institution-based and not individual based. Therefore, there
is no possibility of miscoordination as COAS on regular
basis shares essential information and takes all the senior
officials into confidence in advance.
There was a misperception that political leadership in
Islamabad was frustrated over Abbottabad raid but reacted
cautiously. However, if one sees the reaction of the
political leadership at that time, PM Yousaf Raza Gillani
very categorically clarified in the press on May 11,2012
that Pakistan had not been "complicit" in sheltering Osama
and the fact that Al-Qaeda was able to live undetected for
so long in Pakistan was a "universal intelligence failure".
He strongly denied the assumptions that elements within
Pakistan's military have been aware of bin Laden's hideout.
Hence, these rumours and misperceptions regarding Abbottabad
incident, Osama's location in Abbottabad, US Navy Seals
raid, Bin Laden controversial killing and the reaction by
the ISI and the Pakistani government are totally vague and
based on self-fabrications, rumors, unauthentic information,
limited knowledge and stereotypic approach. These are false
attempts to just malign Pakistan in the international
community and to please anti-Pakistan/anti-ISI elements and
the West. But the world must not ignore Pakistan's role in
war on terror fought in Afghanistan for last 14 years and
ISI credible intelligence input to Pakistan Army that led to
successful military operations against militants in Swat and
North Waziristan and now its success in Operation
Zarb-e-Azab.
Our America
Boston
Interview with Ali Randall: Government Surveillance,
Constant government Pressure and the Trauma of his Wife.
by Sis. Karin Friedemann
I spoke by phone this week with Ali Randall, who is a member
of Jamaat al Muslimeen, about his life, and his experiences
dealing with government surveillance and questioning. He is
a self-employed diesel mechanic. He married his wife Aisha
in 2011.
Since government spying agencies prefer to operate in the
shadows and specialize in intimidating people into silence,
my observation in various cases has been that a person is
safer when their situation is made public.Therefore, Br. Ali
agreed to speak with New Trend about these disturbing,
personal matters.
Ali told me that at age 19, he committed a bank robbery for
which he received a ten year prison sentence, which he
served in Louisberg, Kentucky. His actions were not
politically motivated. The money he got was immediately
squandered for his own personal pleasure. The beauty of the
unfortunate situation, however humiliating, was that while
in prison he got to meet several high profile Muslim long
term prisoners, including Jihad Abdulmumit, whom I
interviewed a couple years ago at the Jericho Conference
[http://karinfriedemann.blogspot.com/2013/06/exclusive-interiew-with-jihad.html].
He also met Sheikh Omar Abdurrahman's co-defendant, Tariq
al-Hassan of Sudan in prison, as well as Al-Sayed Nuseer,
who had killed a rabbi. Life behind bars and learning about
Islam was not without its moments. In 1996, white prisoners
stabbed to death, 30 times, a white man who took shahada at
the Kentucky federal prison.
Ali met Imam Luqman in the 1990's, who was leading group
study sessions in the prison. Imam Luqman is the brother
from Detroit who was murdered by a team of FBI and police.
Being from there myself, I knew one of Imam Luqman's wives,
who went by Sister Malika. I was there when she came to the
masjid as a homeless woman with two kids. I watched,
astonished, as sisters competed with each other trying to
convince their husbands to marry her. The sister told me she
was so overwhelmed by proposals she didn't know which one to
choose, so the imam seemed like the safest choice to provide
a stable situation for her. His death was a huge shock.
Ali also met Dr. Kaukab Siddique in prison. Brother Kaukab
was serving as a visiting minister to federal prisons. The
resulting friendship has now become interesting to the FBI
as a result of the media attacks on the professor, drawing
attention to his personal opinions.
In February 2015 the FBI started following Ali around with
1-5 vehicles. In May, they surrounded his house but they
didn't come in. They knocked on the door and asked questions
about "Who do we listen to?" They also asked if he had any
plans to go to Iraq or Syria to join ISIS. The answer was
no. Ali's parents in law were also being followed and
visited at their home.
Br. Ali was questioned again and again in May, June and
July. They asked him if he knew certain people, about whom
he had no idea. "Someone told them I was a terrorist," he
said.
The FBI wanted to know why he was sending Imam Badi and
Kaukab articles on ISIS, which he had forwarded from the
internet by private message on Facebook. When Br. Ali went
to Baltimore after the riots, he and also his wife and a
friend were being followed 24 hours a day.
"They need to investigate more before harassing people," Ali
told New Trend. "I thought they would kill me."
February 2015 the FBI started following him. He started
noticing it for sure by March. By April and May they were
openly parking outside his window. He contacted ACLU, but
they couldn't help. Ali would approach vehicle and ask, "Why
are you following me?" and the man would always say, "I'm
not following you." He said he would never see that person
again but another one would replace him.
At one time he heard the FBI agent say, "Subject
approaching" on his walkie-talkie.
As recently as last week, Br. Ali was interviewed for 3
hours by the FBI, who told him, "We need your help."
"They asked if I knew someone who would do an act of
terror," Ali told New Trend. He said they were asking about
the entire Muslim community.
In June 2015, Ali was arrested for Xanex and spent 55 days
in a city jail. While he was in there, the prison got a call
from the FBI asking for information about ISIS and why
Kaukab was representing them. The whole thing has been
extremely stressful for Ali and his wife, whose health
problems are flaring up probably as a result of the
relentless political harassment.
"I lost money (on lawyers). I couldn't sleep in my house
except with the lights on. After they surrounded my house I
could never sleep there again, I couldn't even sleep at my
mother's house," he admitted. Ali's mother in law continues
to have problems with her job now.
I asked him, "If you were to disappear, what would you want
to tell everyone?"
Br. Ali said, "Don't give up the fight of standing up
against injustice. Speak out. You don't have to commit
violence but speak out."
When he went to Baltimore he went there not representing any
organization, and without any protection. He just wanted to
see what was going on. He walked through areas inhabited by
what he called "the scum of the scum." People on drugs,
walking and nodding off at the same time. Gangs, abandoned
buildings. The people living in these areas are tired of
being beat up and harassed by the police. They are trying to
speak out.
He spoke of the HIV rate in Baltimore. He also noticed that,
compared to the 90's after Rodney King, when people were
smashing store windows to steal TVs, the more recent social
upheaval in Baltimore saw people looting toilet paper and
soap. Things they really must need.
New York
Black Woman Kidnapped and Put in Psych Ward by NYPD is Suing.
This is a scary incident that occurred in 2014 but, the
victim is now suing.
New York City - In 2014, one night in Harlem, 32 year old
Kamilah Brock was sitting at a stop light rocking to some
music in her "new" 2003 BMW. Before she knew it, the banker
was being pulled over for reckless driving. She protested
that she was at a stop light. She was arrested anyway and
taken to the 30th precinct. Her BMW was impounded. She was
released without being charged but, told to come back the
next day.
She returned to get her BMW from the police impound but,
told that they did not believe that it was her car. They put
Brock in handcuffs and told her that they needed to do that
while taking her to her car but, instead she was greeted by
EMS workers and an ambulance. The EMS worker told Kamilah
Brock that she was being taken to her car but, she
questioned why she would need to go via ambulance.
Brock was led into the ambulance and taken to Harlem
Hospital's psychiatric ward where a doctor approached her
and stuck in the arm with a hypodermic needle. She remained
there for eight days. Kamilah Brock was put on lithium, a
drug used for bipolar patients, and drugged with powerful
sedatives.
Kamilah Brock and her attorney, Michael Lamosoff, are suing
New York City over this disturbing incident.
Note: The New York City Council hast he power to limit and
punish police criminal misconduct but, have never done so,
even when the
opportunity presented itself. When it comes to the police
and Zionist land grabs, council members have rendered
themselves impotent.(Source: DailyMail.com)
Child of Sudanese origin: the clock he made and the Bomb
Allegation. Irving Texas Police Arrest Muslims Student Even
though Cops Knew Clock Wasn't A Bomb
by Sis. Aisha
Al-humdulillah, 14 year old Muslim MacArthur High School
student, Ahmed Mohamed, is transferring to a different high
school! A week after being arrested for bringing a bomb to
school plus, school officials and parents adamantly
supporting the teacher's actions for taking it upon herself
to call police on the child, he is taking his over achieving
ways elsewhere. According to CNN.com, Ahmed's parents are
still looking at other options for where to send him.
Everyone wants a piece of this boy's brain. He has been
invited to the White House, spoken to billionaire
businessman Mark Cuban, and has been interviewed on every
show including Good Morning, America. He has even received
an offer to become an intern at M.I.T.!
On the MSNBC show "All in with Chris Hayes", the Irving
Police Chief Larry Boyd admitted that his officers knew the
clock was not an actual bomb. He said that Ahmed Mohamed was
arrested for bringing in a "Hoax Bomb." This means that the
boy brought a fake bomb to school with the intention of
passing it off as a real one. However, Mohamed always stated
that he made a clock! Chris Hayes brought this to Police
Chief Boyd's attention, in which the Boyd replied that
someone who created a hoax would not likely admit to doing
so to police.
There is very high anti-Muslim sentiment in Texas. Mohamed
recounted his experience in middle school where classmates
constantly called him a terrorist. His father, Mohamed
El-Hassan Mohamed, ran for President of Sudan, twice. This
was not a misunderstanding or a mere over reaction by the
police department. The Police Chief couldn't even clearly
defend his cops and was too haughty to admit any
"mistake."
I am glad that Mohamed's father is taking his son away from
this school but, hopefully, he will not encounter such
indefensible behavior at some secular school, elsewhere.
Either way, insha'allah, Ahmed Mohamed seems to have a
bright academic future. (Source: RawStory.com)
War News
Pakistan
Audacious Pak Taliban Attack on Air Force Base: 29 Killed,
22 Wounded.
September 18, 2015: Islamic fighters entered the heavily
defended Badhaber air force base on the outskirts of
Peshawar. In the gun battles which followed, 22 men of the
air force, 3 from the army and 4 related civilians were
killed. Another 22 troops from the Rapid Response force
which responded to the attack were wounded.
It's a serious blow for General Raheel, closely allied to
the United States, who has been claiming that the mujahideen
have been just about wiped out.
Maulvi Fazlullah, the legendary leader of the mujahideen, is
in a zone in Taliban control in Afghanistan, may have
directed the attack.
The army claims that all 13 mujahideen who penetrated the
air base were killed but is refusing to show their bodies
which it says are in its "control."
The Pakistani air force bombed "suspected" Islamic people in
the Tirah valley in revenge for attack and killed 13
civilian supporters of the Taliban.
US Air Strikes in One Year on Islamic State Exceed Five
years of Bombing of Afghanistan [Courtesy Washington Post.]
By Sudarsan Raghavan
The price of waging America's wars has gone up dramatically
this week.
First, we heard Republican presidential candidates in the
debates Wednesday night saying they would send thousands of
U.S. ground troops into Syria and Iraq to battle the Islamic
State. Earlier that day, we heard Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III,
head of the U.S. Central Command, tell Congress that only
"four or five" Syrian trainees - from a $500 million
American plan to prepare as many as 5,400 fighters this year
- have ended up "in the fight" inside Syria.
Now consider this statistic: There were more U.S.-coalition
airstrikes in Syria and Iraq in the past year than during
more than five years of the Afghan war. From January 2010 to
Aug. 31, 2015, there have been 20,237 weapons released over
Afghanistan, according to U.S. military data. From August
2014 to August 2015, there have been 22,478 weapons released
over Syria and Iraq, mostly by U.S. aircraft.
Every month this year, the airstrikes have far exceeded that
of any month of the Afghan war since January 2010. According
to the U.S. military, as of mid-August, fighting the Islamic
State in Syria and Iraq has cost U.S. taxpayers $3.7
billion, an average of $9.9 million a day, since the air war
began last year.
Of course, the U.S. war in Afghanistan has been winding
down, which explains the decrease in airstrikes.
The sums spent so far against the Islamic State, while far
less than what has been spent in years of conflict in
Afghanistan or in post-Saddam Iraq, is sobering when you
consider another recent statistic: The majority of Syrians
interviewed in a recent poll said they believe that the
situation is worsening - and nearly half said they
opposed U.S.-coalition airstrikes.
In the past year, air attacks by the U.S. coalition over
Syria and Iraq exceeds more than five years of airstrikes
over Afghanistan:
Airstrikes in Afghanistan January 2010 - August 2015
= 20,237
Airstrikes in Syria/Iraq August 2014 - August 2015 =
22,478
Source: US Air Forces Central Command
Syria
Slaughter in Assadi Bombing of Civilians and Mujahideen
attacks on Shia Forces: Noose Tightening on Damascus
On September 20, the Syrian air force of Bashar Assad bombed
Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State [IS] killing 22
civilians including children and 12 Islamic militia
fighters.
On September 19, the Assadi air force bombed Palmyra under
Islamic State [IS] control killing 20 civilians, mostly
women and children, and 8 IS fighters.
Also on September 20 mujahideen of Islamic Turkistan Party
and al-Nusra broke into the Shi'ite heavily defended
villages of Fua and Kafrua on the western edge of Idlib
province. The attack was led by two martyrdom operators from
Saudi Arabia and one from Lebanon. There were heavy Shi'ite
losses estimated at 50 killed, but the Shi'ites regrouped
[organized by Iranian trainers] and the mujahideen could not
take the center of the defenses in the two villages. Twenty
mujahideen were killed. Cease fire has been announced for
two days to allow bodies to be removed.
Also on September 19 and 20, Shiite forces attacked the
resort town [Zabadani] in the Qalamoun mountains defended by
mujahideen of Ahrar al-Sham and al-Nusra and others. Again
the Shiites, led by Hizbullah and elite Syrian troops failed
to take the defenses for the 8th week. Here too cease fire
has been declared for two days.
In the center of the country, Islamic State fighters
advanced against Assad's checkpoints defending the eastern
approaches to Homs. Several checkpoints were smashed. Heavy
Assadi losses.
At Ad=Dohur air base, on the edge of Idlib provinces, the
mujahideen were able to capture the base because the Shiite
air force could not take off owing to a serious sand storm.
The captured Assadi airmen have been bombing civilians for
several months and are considered war criminals. On
September 19 and 21, al-Nusra and Turkistan Islamic Party
started executing the airmen. Damascus radio was urging them
to escape but 71 [almost all] have been executed.
British journalist Bowen videotaped heavy tanks of the Assad
regime barring the mujahideen from entering Damascus.
Fighting is going on around the clock.
First report on September 19: Mujahideen fired rockets at
Russian troops in Lattakia. No details available.
75 Syrian troops trained by the US and USA, heavily armed,
have entered northern Syria in 20 vehicles in an area US and
Turkey want to turn into a base against IS. Fighters from IS
are advancing towards the area, bombed by US air force.
Research
Islam's Greatest Warrior, Khalid, r.a. [ibn al-Waleed] was a
dangerous Enemy but the Prophet, pbuh, saw the Good in Him.
He raised the Black Flag of Islam on the way to Damascus
after Defeating Huge Numbers of Opposing armies.
[Researched in response to slanderous abuse against Khalid,
r.a., by Shias and Ismailis.]
by Kaukab Siddique, PhD
Let us look at an aspect of Khalid's (r.a.) SPIRITUALITY. He
is reported to have gone to the Prophet, pbuh, as late as
the 8th year of the Hijra (on the first of Safar) to embrace
Islam. Khalid (r.a.) himself narrates:
"When I came in front of the messenger of Allah, peace and
blessings of Allah be on him, I said peace be on you o
Prophet of Allah. He very graciously said: peace be on you
too. I said I accept Islam and I bear witness to the truth,
that there is no God but Allah and you are His messenger.
The messenger of Allah, peace be on him, said I want you to
follow your good understanding and I hope that your
understanding will not lead you to anything but good.After I
did the bai'at [oath of allegiance], I said: I Have done
much harm in stopping people from the way of Allah. Please
pray for me that I be forgiven. He (the Prophet, pbuh) said:
Embracing Islam cancels out all previous sins. I insisted: O
messenger of Allah, do pray for my forgiveness. He (the
Prophet) prayed: 'O Allah! In whatever ways Khalid ibn
al-Waleed has done harm in stopping people from Your way,
forgive him for it." [Tabaqat of Ibn Saad, vol.4., "Sahaba
who embraced Islam before the conquest of Makka."]
So, here we have the human being changing and transforming
himself. Instead of SECTARIAN HAGIOGRAPHY where no person
from Ali's (r.a) line ever did anything wrong, we have
Khalid (r.a.) himself insisting that he had done wrong and
urging the Prophet (pbuh) to pray for him. This is real
Islam, believable and related to actual human beings.
Humility is one of the GREATEST VIRTUES in ISLAM, as opposed
to TAKKABUR or arrogance, the idea that "I can do no wrong",
which is one of the greatest sins, committed by Iblis
himself according to the Qur'an.
EVEN AT THE GREAT BATTLE OF MAUTA where Khalid (r.a.) turned
a terrible defeat into an amazing victory, Khalid (r.a.) was
very humble in accepting the leadership of the Islamic army.
He was the best of generals, the greatest general the
Islamic world has ever known, but watch his humility:
"Zaid ibn Thabit (r.a.) narrates that in the battle of Mauta
when the (three) commanders were killed, Thabit ibn Arqam
took the banner (of Islam) and started calling out: O people
of Ansar. People starred turning towards him. He saw Khalid
ibn al-Waleed and said: O Abu Sulayman, take the banner!
Khalid said: I will not accept it. You are more deserving of
it. YOU ARE OLDER AND YOU WERE PRESENT AT BADR. Thabit said:
O man. Take it! By Allah! I was only bringing it for you.
Thabit said: O people do you agree on Khalid? They said:
Yes, we are. Khalid took the banner and kept it aloft for a
while. The unbelievers directed their attack on him but he
remained firm. When the unbelievers wavered a little,
Khalid, with his companions, attacked, separating one wing
of the enemy force from the other. Then Khalid regrouped the
(Islamic) army and defeated the enemy's troops" (TABAQAT of
Ibn Saad, Vol.4., Ibid)
[Abu Hazim narrates from Khalid ibn al-Waleed (r.a.) On the
day of MAUTA, SEVEN SWORDS BROKE IN MY HAND one after the
other (in intense battle) till I was left with one big
YEMENI sword in my hand. Sahih of Imam Bukhari, kitab
al-Maghazi.]
Khalid ibn al-Waleed (r.a.) took part in many campaigns. He
was bursting with Islamic enthusiasm. This does not mean
that he had become perfect or that the past way of life had
been totally expurgated and he was now like an angel. In
some campaigns he was over hasty. He killed some people of
Banu Jadhima even while they were laying down their arms and
were announcing peace. The Prophet (pbuh) was very hurt by
Khalid's (r.a.) action and repudiated the action. Khalid
(r.a.) was rough with one of the companions of the Prophet
(pbuh), Abdur Rahman ibn 'Auf (r.a.). Again, he was
corrected by the Prophet (pbuh).
These two incidents are honestly and correctly narrated in
our hadith literature. No attempt has been made to conceal
the barbarity of these actions. The Prophet (pbuh) with the
great wisdom Allah had given him, REPUDIATED KHALID's (r.a.)
ACTIONS but kept Khalid (r.a) in the service of Islam. THE
PROPHET (pbuh) was right and Khalid's (r.a.) CRITICS
(including our sectarians), were wrong. After these errors,
Khalid's struggle to serve Islam and to smash the power of
oppressive empires is so great that it has few (if any
equals) in human history.
In spite of some of Khalid's (r.a.) actions, the sahaba
thought of Khalid (r.a.) just as the Prophet (pbuh) did,that
he was a SWORD OF ALLAH. Hence when the Islamic armies
crossed the deserts to topple the oppressive empires of the
time (the U.S. and USSR of the time) Khalid (r.a.) was
brilliant and outshone the extraordinary commanders and
heroic fighters of the Islamic forces. He was the best among
the best.
During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr (r.a.), Khalid (r.a.) was
often in command of the Islamic armies. In one battle he
killed an apostate named Ibn Nuwaira. There was a dispute
among the Muslims as to whether Ibn Nuwaira was going to
make peace and was wrongfully killed by Khalid (r.a.). Here
we find another incident which historians in other religions
would have tried to conceal. Some hadith narrations say that
'Umar (r.a.) was convinced that Khalid (r.a.) was wrong in
the case of Ibn Nuwaira and this is said to be the reason
why 'Umar (r.a.) removed Khalid (r.a.) from the command of
the Islamic army when he became Caliph. (Tabari's Tarikh,
vol.2.)
However, like the Prophet (pbuh), Abu Bakr (r.a.) gave
command of various Islamic armies to Khalid (r.a.). The
Islamic content of Khalid's (r.a.) leadership was recognized
by the entire ummah, so much so that on the way to DAMASCUS,
"KHALID PAUSED AT A PLACE TO RAISE THE BANNER OF THE
MESSENGER OF ALLAH, PEACE AND BLESSINGS OF ALLAH BE ON HIM.
Since then the site is known as 'The Site of the Banner. The
flag was black in color." [Futuh al-Buldan by Ahmed
al-Buladhuri, died 279 A.H., chapter on "Khalid's March on
Damascus and the Places he conquered on the way."]
In 13 Hijri in the month of Jamada al-Awwal, Khalid (r.a.)
scored a victory for Islam which changed the history of the
middle east. With a small force, he routed a European army
of nearly 100,000 troops. Known as the battle of Ajnadin,
this battle in itself is enough to place Khalid (r.a.) among
the greatest generals of Islam for all time to come.
Al-Baladhuri writes: "On that day, Khalid ibn al-Waleed
displayed tremendous bravery and chivalry. The enemy forces
were dispersed and large numbers of them were slain in the
battle."(Futuh al-Buldan, chapter on The Day of Ajnadin.)
'Umar (r.a.) removed Khalid (r.a.) from the leadership of
the battle formations. At that time Khalid (r.a.) had won a
string of victories and was extremely popular among the
forces. He could have shown reluctance to obey 'Umar's
(r.a.) order to hand over command to Abu Ubaidah (r.a.) but
Khalid (r.a.) had mastered his self so well that he did not
hesitate at all. In fact Abu Ubaidah (r.a.), the new
commander was shy of telling him the Caliph's orders.
Khalid's(r.a.) ego was that of a mu'min. He continued to
fight as a part of the Islamic army. His units played a key
role in the capture of Damascus. The peace instrument Khalid
(r.a.) gave to the Bishop of Damascus is of historic
importance. Europe cannot boast of anything comparable in
its wars. Khalid (r.a.) wrote:
"In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
This is the document khalid ibn al-Waleed gave to the people
of Damascus when he entered the city. He gave peace and
protection to their lives, to their goods, to their churches
and to the protective ramparts of their city. None of their
homes will be taken over as dwellings (by the Muslim
troops). This guarantee is given to them by Allah's trust
and the guarantee of Allah's messenger, peace be on him, his
vicegerents and the believers in general. If they pay jizya
taxes, good will be done to them."
(Ref: Futuh-al-Buldan, chapter on the conquest of Damascus
and its environs.)
According to al-Waqidi, Damascus was conquered in Rajab of
14 Hijri.
The virtues of Khalid, r.a., sword of Allah, are too many to
recount in one article. His dash across the Arabian desert,
his spiritual experience in the middle of war to carry out
an Umrah to Makka, his consultation with a woman (his
sister) to decide on 'Umar's orders, are beautiful episodes
which I would have liked to discuss.
O Sword of Allah, the Ummah of Islam is indebted to you for
all time to come. The world has not produced many who can
compare with you.ing people from the way of Allah. Please
pray for me that I be forgiven. He (the Prophet, pbuh) said:
Embracing Islam cancels out all previous sins. I insisted: O
messenger of Allah, do pray for my forgiveness. He (the
Prophet) prayed: 'O Allah! In whatever ways Khalid ibn
al-Waleed has done harm in stopping people from Your way,
forgive him for it." [Tabaqat of Ibn Saad, vol.4., "Sahaba
who embraced Islam before the conquest of Makka."]
So, here we have the human being changing and transforming
himself. Instead of SECTARIAN HAGIOGRAPHY where no person
from Ali's (r.a) line ever did anything wrong, we have
Khalid (r.a.) himself insisting that he had done wrong and
urging the Prophet (pbuh) to pray for him. This is real
Islam, believable and related to actual human beings.
Humility is one of the GREATEST VIRTUES in ISLAM, as opposed
to TAKKABUR or arrogance, the idea that "I can do no wrong",
which is one of the greatest sins, committed by Iblis
himself according to the Qur'an.
EVEN AT THE GREAT BATTLE OF MAUTA where Khalid (r.a.) turned
a terrible defeat into an amazing victory, Khalid (r.a.) was
very humble in accepting the leadership of the Islamic army.
He was the best of generals, the greatest general the
Islamic world has ever known, but watch his humility:
"Zaid ibn Thabit (r.a.) narrates that in the battle of Mauta
when the (three) commanders were killed, Thabit ibn Arqam
took the banner (of Islam) and started calling out: O people
of Ansar. People starred turning towards him. He saw Khalid
ibn al-Waleed and said: O Abu Sulayman, take the banner!
Khalid said: I will not accept it. You are more deserving of
it. YOU ARE OLDER AND YOU WERE PRESENT AT BADR. Thabit said:
O man. Take it! By Allah! I was only bringing it for you.
Thabit said: O people do you agree on Khalid? They said:
Yes, we are. Khalid took the banner and kept it aloft for a
while. The unbelievers directed their attack on him but he
remained firm. When the unbelievers wavered a little,
Khalid, with his companions, attacked, separating one wing
of the enemy force from the other. Then Khalid regrouped the
(Islamic) army and defeated the enemy's troops" (TABAQAT of
Ibn Saad, Vol.4., Ibid)
[Abu Hazim narrates from Khalid ibn al-Waleed (r.a.) On the
day of MAUTA, SEVEN SWORDS BROKE IN MY HAND one after the
other (in intense battle) till I was left with one big
YEMENI sword in my hand. Sahih of Imam Bukhari, kitab
al-Maghazi.]
Khalid ibn al-Waleed (r.a.) took part in many campaigns. He
was bursting with Islamic enthusiasm. This does not mean
that he had become perfect or that the past way of life had
been totally expurgated and he was now like an angel. In
some campaigns he was over hasty. He killed some people of
Banu Jadhima even while they were laying down their arms and
were announcing peace. The Prophet (pbuh) was very hurt by
Khalid's (r.a.) action and repudiated the action. Khalid
(r.a.) was rough with one of the companions of the Prophet
(pbuh), Abdur Rahman ibn 'Auf (r.a.). Again, he was
corrected by the Prophet (pbuh).
These two incidents are honestly and correctly narrated in
our hadith literature. No attempt has been made to conceal
the barbarity of these actions. The Prophet (pbuh) with the
great wisdom Allah had given him, REPUDIATED KHALID's (r.a.)
ACTIONS but kept Khalid (r.a) in the service of Islam. THE
PROPHET (pbuh) was right and Khalid's (r.a.) CRITICS
(including our sectarians), were wrong. After these errors,
Khalid's struggle to serve Islam and to smash the power of
oppressive empires is so great that it has few (if any
equals) in human history.
In spite of some of Khalid's (r.a.) actions, the sahaba
thought of Khalid (r.a.) just as the Prophet (pbuh) did,that
he was a SWORD OF ALLAH. Hence when the Islamic armies
crossed the deserts to topple the oppressive empires of the
time (the U.S. and USSR of the time) Khalid (r.a.) was
brilliant and outshone the extraordinary commanders and
heroic fighters of the Islamic forces. He was the best among
the best.
During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr (r.a.), Khalid (r.a.) was
often in command of the Islamic armies. In one battle he
killed an apostate named Ibn Nuwaira. There was a dispute
among the Muslims as to whether Ibn Nuwaira was going to
make peace and was wrongfully killed by Khalid (r.a.). Here
we find another incident which historians in other religions
would have tried to conceal. Some hadith narrations say that
'Umar (r.a.) was convinced that Khalid (r.a.) was wrong in
the case of Ibn Nuwaira and this is said to be the reason
why 'Umar (r.a.) removed Khalid (r.a.) from the command of
the Islamic army when he became Caliph. (Tabari's Tarikh,
vol.2.)
However, like the Prophet (pbuh), Abu Bakr (r.a.) gave
command of various Islamic armies to Khalid (r.a.). The
Islamic content of Khalid's (r.a.) leadership was recognized
by the entire ummah, so much so that on the way to DAMASCUS,
"KHALID PAUSED AT A PLACE TO RAISE THE BANNER OF THE
MESSENGER OF ALLAH, PEACE AND BLESSINGS OF ALLAH BE ON HIM.
Since then the site is known as 'The Site of the Banner. The
flag was black in color." [Futuh al-Buldan by Ahmed
al-Buladhuri, died 279 A.H., chapter on "Khalid's March on
Damascus and the Places he conquered on the way."]
In 13 Hijri in the month of Jamada al-Awwal, Khalid (r.a.)
scored a victory for Islam which changed the history of the
middle east. With a small force, he routed a European army
of nearly 100,000 troops. Known as the battle of Ajnadin,
this battle in itself is enough to place Khalid (r.a.) among
the greatest generals of Islam for all time to come.
Al-Baladhuri writes: "On that day, Khalid ibn al-Waleed
displayed tremendous bravery and chivalry. The enemy forces
were dispersed and large numbers of them were slain in the
battle."(Futuh al-Buldan, chapter on The Day of Ajnadin.)
'Umar (r.a.) removed Khalid (r.a.) from the leadership of
the battle formations. At that time Khalid (r.a.) had won a
string of victories and was extremely popular among the
forces. He could have shown reluctance to obey 'Umar's
(r.a.) order to hand over command to Abu Ubaidah (r.a.) but
Khalid (r.a.) had mastered his self so well that he did not
hesitate at all. In fact Abu Ubaidah (r.a.), the new
commander was shy of telling him the Caliph's orders.
Khalid's(r.a.) ego was that of a mu'min. He continued to
fight as a part of the Islamic army. His units played a key
role in the capture of Damascus. The peace instrument Khalid
(r.a.) gave to the Bishop of Damascus is of historic
importance. Europe cannot boast of anything comparable in
its wars. Khalid (r.a.) wrote:
"In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
This is the document khalid ibn al-Waleed gave to the people
of Damascus when he entered the city. He gave peace and
protection to their lives, to their goods, to their churches
and to the protective ramparts of their city. None of their
homes will be taken over as dwellings (by the Muslim
troops). This guarantee is given to them by Allah's trust
and the guarantee of Allah's messenger, peace be on him, his
vicegerents and the believers in general. If they pay jizya
taxes, good will be done to them."
(Ref: Futuh-al-Buldan, chapter on the conquest of Damascus
and its environs.)
According to al-Waqidi, Damascus was conquered in Rajab of
14 Hijri.
The virtues of Khalid, r.a., sword of Allah, are too many to
recount in one article. His dash across the Arabian desert,
his spiritual experience in the middle of war to carry out
an Umrah to Makka, his consultation with a woman (his
sister) to decide on 'Umar's orders, are beautiful episodes
which I would have liked to discuss.
O Sword of Allah, the Ummah of Islam is indebted to you for
all time to come. The world has not produced many who can
compare with you.
