That he heard the Prophet saying:
"If somebody accuses another of Fusuq (by calling him
'Fasiq' i.e. a wicked person) or accuses him of Kufr, such
an accusation will revert to him (i.e. the accuser) if his
companion (the accused) is innocent."
Bukhari Volume 8, Book 73, Number 71
[With thanks to Sis. Kristi]
The July 28, 2019 issue of New Trend
reached:
148936 people
on Facebook.
Objection to New Trend's article on Shia leader and New
Trend's response.
Subject: Zakzaky's brutal past
From Br. Shoaib [in England]
New definition of brutality?
What's bad about this article [by Kabir Oyemomi], is that
you are fully aware of Zakzaky's and his followers origins,
e.g. Mallam Hud.
They were all inspired by the writings of Syed Qutub and
Sayeed Hawa. Initially they went to prison because they
considered the Government of Nigeria to be illegitimate
Islamically. You don't consider the US government to be an
Islamic government. Does that make you brutal?
There is a big difference
between taking a political position, where you acknowledge
that the existing government maintains the law and order in
the land, but it is not the correct form of government from
your idealogical perspective and taking arms against the
government. Zakzaky never advocated taking up arms against
the government. He said that would be a premature
confrontation. Making demonstrations is not brutality.
In fact words like brutal are words you normally use for the
powerful oppressing the powerless, not against the victims.
Was Malcolm X brutal?
Wasn't one of the statements of Malcolm X, words to the
effect, beware a time will come when the oppressors start
calling themselves the victims.
(In anycase governments use laws to protect themselves. If
the government decides that its illegal to declare
allegiance to another form of government, it can simply
arrest you and put you in prison. However, what has happened
to Zakzaky and his followers has been effectively extra
judicial, brutality, resulting in major personal injuries,
murder of his sons and numerous followers. After all of this
he called for calm and actually appealed to the government
to deal with the matter properly)
WasSalaam
Response from Editor:
Why we do not Support Iran/Zakzaky.
Dear Br. Shoaib
Walaikum asalam
The article about Zakzaky has been written by a Nigerian
Muslim [Kabir Oyemomi] who has specified incidents of
brutality.
You have not written about the article at all.
You are right that Zakzaky did begin on a good basis but
people change.
However he became a Shia closely linked to Iran. His stance
has been exactly that of Iran.
He never mourned any of the heroes of the Islamic Ummah,
never cried for the Blind Shaikh, never called for
the release of Aafia Siddiqui, never deplored the torture of
Muslims in American prisons.
Iran has committed genocide in Syria in tandem with the
tyrant Assad and the Russian military; Iran committed
genocide In Iraq too with America.
Zakzaky had the same response as that of Iran: Complete
silence on these horrendous tragedies.
Shias are extremely unpopular in Nigeria. As you can see
from the reports by Kabir Oyemomi, Zakzaki and Shias are
seen as enemies of Muslims in Nigeria.
Of course there should be rule of law and due process in
Nigeria. I would never support mistreatment of prisoners.
However the regime has done much worse to the families of
Boko Haram. Amnesty and other groups noted extra judicial
killings of Boko Haram including women and children.
Zakzaky's response was that the military has not been
sufficiently harsh against BH.
Need I say more?
Sincerely
Kaukab Siddique
Latest on Imam Jamil
by Nadrat Siddique
On July 31, over two months after it was filed, the 11th
Circuit Court finally ruled on Imam Jamil Al-Amin's
petition, which might have opened the door to a new trial
for the imam. The Court effectively said yes, the imam's
constitutional rights WERE violated, but they still would
not afford him a new trial. This was effectively the same
position of a previous court (the U.S. District Court) in
its ruling on the imam's case in 2017. The July 31 decision
abundantly elucidates the vendetta against Imam Jamil, and
the fact that the White Supremacist establishment is
determined to keep him in prison, whether he committed the
murder of one sheriff's deputy (and the critical shooting of
another) or not. WE, OF JAMAAT AL-MUSLIMEEN BELIEVE IMAM
JAMIL IS INNOCENT, AND HE SHOULD BE FREED IMMEDIATELY!
Also, please support these other Political Prisoners:
Aafia Siddiqui
Ziyad Yaghi
S.A. Hasan
You can now write to: Ahmed Abdel Sattar,
(Blind Shaikh's para legal) though he is still in
prison.
We can give you his prison address.
Also see the web site we set up for him, linked to
NewTrendMag.org
AhmedAbdelSattar.org
Imran Khan's Move against Media.
Comment by Shaikh Mohommad:
I think it is time that people of Pakistan come on the
streets and bring about a change. We should take lesson from
people in Hong Kong and other countries where demonstrations
take place. Imran Khan is just a stooge of the Army. This
action against journalists should awaken the masses. Silence
under the circumstances is surely criminal. Wake up people
of Pakistan.
A prominent Pakistani journalist has been arrested outside
his home in Islamabad, the latest target in a growing
crackdown on the media by the party of Imran Khan.
Irfan Siddiqui, 76, who worked as a speechwriter for the
former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was detained by
plainclothes police officers late on Friday night and
released on interim bail.
Critics say that this and other arrests give the lie to
claims in Washington last week by Mr Khan that reports of a
press crackdown were "a joke". The prime minister insisted
that press freedom in Pakistan was greater than in
Britain.
Hours before Mr Khan's arrival for the meeting with
President Trump at the White House, Pakistan's most popular
broadcaster, Geo TV, was forced off the air in several parts
of the country.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists says that some
3,000 reporters have lost their jobs in the year since the
Khan government came to power. Media outlets have been
muzzled or cowed into submission by a systematic campaign to
stifle dissent.
"The media industry is practically bankrupt. There are huge
lay-offs, many journalists have not been paid for six months
and some media houses are being shut down. Journalism is no
longer a viable career in Pakistan," said Azaz Syed, a Geo
TV reporter.
Coverage of Mr Khan's political rivals is being squeezed: a
recent interview with the opposition leader Asif Ali Zardari
cut suddenly to an unscheduled advertising break. Days
later, a televised interview with Maryam Nawaz Sharif,
daughter of the jailed former prime minister, was shut down
by the censors.
The curbs have led to protests outside press clubs in
several cities but many media outlets have quietly bowed to
the government's demands, self-censoring their coverage to
get back on air. Mr Syed was one of three journalists
ordered by Geo to suspend their Twitter accounts.
Mr Khan, 66, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) swept to
power last July vowing to stamp out corruption and clean up
politics. His path to victory was smoothed by a sweeping
crackdown on the press by the military. Media owners were
strong-armed into line and reporting on his rivals was
stifled, while Mr Khan enjoyed glowing, round-the-clock
coverage.
He has cut a frustrated figure in government, however.
Hampered by a floundering economy that recently required a
$6 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund, he
has struggled to fulfil the promises made during his
campaign. The PTI, with no experience in national
government, has battled to meet expectations.
As criticism has mounted, so has the censorship: before Mr
Khan's meeting with Mr Trump, the PTI tweeted that criticism
of the government was tantamount to "treason".
Adnan Rehmat, a media analyst, said: "Khan has not held a
single press conference in office and still poses as if he
is in opposition."
Gazans flock to fence for 69th week of protests
To demonstrate against Israel's decades-long occupation of
Palestinian territories
On Friday, as many as 51 Palestinians were wounded as they
were taking part in the weekly anti-Israel demonstrations in
the eastern Gaza Strip near the border with Israeli.
Two among 26 Palestinians who were wounded by Israeli
soldiers' gunfire were photojournalists covering the
protests, according to the doctors of the Gaza Health
Ministry.
On Friday, hundreds of demonstrators crowded in eastern Gaza
to participate in the 69th Friday rally that started in
March of 2018.
Protesters waved Palestinian flags and chanted anti-Israel
slogans in support of Palestinians whose homes in the
southeast of Jerusalem were damaged by Israeli forces last
week.
In Memorium
Bangladesh: United Pakistan is still Possible.
Motiur Rahman Nizami [Shaheed] the Syed Qutb of our Times:
Dhaka Regime trying to Crush Islam.
"A Terrible Beauty is Born." [Yeats]
by Kaukab Siddique, PhD
Motiur Rahman Nizami [shaheed]
The top leader of the peaceful Islamic movement known as
Jamaate Islami Bangladesh has been executed.
Appeals from human rights groups around the world could not
dissuade Hasina Wajed, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and
could not dissuade the regime from stopping the
execution.
Crowds of people gathered for his funeral to pray and mourn.
Their sheer numbers indicate that the Dhaka regime has made
a strategic blunder in executing a man who was no threat to
the regime and was involved in prayer, zikr, meditation and
thoughts about helping the needy and the poor. The regime
has given a symbol of Islamic leadership to the people,
somewhat like Husayn ibn Ali, r.a
On the other side there are thousands of Bangla
nationalists, Hindus and seculars who believe the government
propaganda that Nizami was involved in genocide of the
supporters of Bangladesh.
Both sides agree on one fact: Nizami supported Pakistan as
an Islamic ideology.
East Pakistan and West Pakistan were separated by 1000 miles
of India. Their culture and languages were different. Their
bedrock of unity was Islam. Gradually the uniting factor of
Islam was whittled down. The West Pakistani attitude was
that of cultural superiority and, sadly, religious
superiority. {West} Pakistan helped the east by giving
importance to the Bangla language and by investing in the
East Pakistani infrastructure but not spiritually or
emotionally.
Bengalis are an emotional people. For them love,
brotherhood-sisterhood and respect is more important than
funds and investments. West Pakistan failed to provide these
spiritual needs of unity.
Secularists, Hindus and separatists played on and inflamed
the emotions of the people. The turning point was when West
Pakistani leadership decided not to accept East Pakistan's
election victory. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was key to this
non-acceptance of East Pakistan's victory. As a result there
was widespread agitation in East Pakistan with ongoing
clashes with police and security forces.
This sense of grievance spiraled into separatism. The army
was called in to crush the agitators. The army had no
understanding of Bengali culture and started behaving like
the US army did decades later in Iraq. The army's atrocities
incited counter violence. By this time Indian infiltrators
were coming and working with the Bengali nationalists to
destroy East Pakistan. Any non-Bengali, particularly Muslim
refugees from India known as Biharis, was targeted. The
Bengali nationalists massacred Biharis, easy targets as they
were.
This is where Motiur Rahman Nizami chose to stand against
Indian entrance into East Pakistan and to oppose Bengali
secularists. He urged the people to stand firm against
anti-Islamic forces which had emerged in the shape of a
terrorist organization known as Mukti Bahini.
The Pakistani army could not continue to fight against
Bengalis and India, on two fronts. Cut off from its base in
West Pakistan and owing to the incoherence of Pakistan's
General Yahya Khan who was a drunkard, the army surrendered
to the Indian army which had invaded openly to destroy
Pakistan.
The Pakistani army surrendered without telling its Bengali
supporters like Nizami that it intended to give in.
East Pakistan became Bangladesh.
For a few years Jamaate Islami was excluded from the
national discourse . However, the Bengali separatist leader
Mujibur was killed by his own people. A national process of
reconciliation was in place. A nationalist government took
over and accepted Jamaate Islami as political partners.
Nizami's viewpoint was that instead of continuing the
internal conflict, the Jamaat should join the process of
reconciliation and reconstruction. The people of Bangladesh
realized that they had a dangerous and fatal "friend" next
door: India. Nizami and Jamaate Islami became popular again.
He was not only elected but became a minister in the
nationalist government of Khalida Zia, an opponent of Hasina
Wajed, Mujibur Rahman's daughter.
Hasina Wajed and the secularist and Hindu elements
coalesced. There are more than 10 million Hindus in
Bangladesh with strong links to India next door. Hasina got
the "brilliant" idea of gaining public support by bringing
back the suffering of the people at the hands of the
Pakistani army. A Zionist Jewish woman living in New York
cooked up the claim that ONE MILLION people had been killed
by the Pakistani army: That was genocide.
The Pakistani army was no longer there, so the Bengalis who
had supported Pakistan became scapegoats. Among them was
Motiur Rahman. Show trials were held to depict Jamaate
Islami leaders as criminals. These trials were a mockery of
justice. Just take these main absurdities of those courts
trying the Islamic leaders:
The supposed "crimes" could not have been against Bangladesh
because there was no Bangladesh at that time.
The trials were started 40 years after the war. No witnesses
can be reliable after 40 years. Most of the "witnesses" had
died of old age or moved to India or simply could not be
located. Hence the witnesses had to be fabricated and paid
for.
The number of deaths were exaggerated to an extreme degree.
No scientific study or even a national survey has been
carried out to determine the figures. In addition, the
regime is ignoring the massacres of "Bihari" Muslims who
were killed mostly on the basis of racism and sometimes
because they helped the army.
In that context Jamaat e Islami Bangladesh leaders are being
sentenced to death one by one. Nizami is only the latest and
the most important.
Unforeseen Consequences:
Owing to the total helplessness of the Muslims of
Bangladesh, al-Qaida and the Islamic State, who teach
retaliation, are slowly but steadily gaining support in
Bangladesh.
The regime was allowing bloggers to attack Islam and
blaspheme the Prophet, pbuh. The feeling in the regime seems
to have been, if no one can stop us from hanging spiritual
leaders who have harmed no one, why not try to undermine
Islam itself.
A number of bloggers, including homosexuals working with the
US embassy, have been hacked to death probably by al-Qaida.
One of the leading blasphemers killed was a Hindu
American.
Motiur Rahman Nizami was a man of Allah. He harmed no one
and was trying to focus on helping the deprived people of
Bangladesh. When he refused to give up his ideological
support for Pakistan, he was hanged. He was indeed a man of
great moral and spiritual courage. InshaAllah he will meet
Syed Qutb in paradise who likewise refused to accept tyranny
and treachery.
My advice:
Reach out to the Muslims of Bangladesh. Stop the blame game.
The masses are for Islam and in essence love Pakistan: the
Islamic Pakistan which was meant to be.
War News
Kashmir
India Mobilizing.
10,000 Indian troops have entered this occupied Muslim
territory, adding to the huge Indian occupation force
already there.
Srinagar, the capital has been placed under curfew.
In the Neelum valley, India is terrorizing civilian
population with military weaponry, killing 7 people. Indian
propaganda is spreading terror in the population, leading
many to flee.
Pakistan is on alert that India might try aggressive
acts.
Even the puppet Muslim "government" used by India to create
"normalcy" has been placed under house arrest.
Afghanistan
Rise in Civilian Deaths by NATO & Regime.
2 US Paratroopers Killed.
July 31. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan released a report
saying that most civilian deaths in the first half of the
year were caused by Afghan forces and their international
allies. The report apparently referred to civilians killed
during Afghan and U.S. military operations against
insurgents.
The U.N. report said 403 civilians were killed by Afghan
forces in the first six months of the year and another 314
by international forces, a total of 717.
July 29. The US Pentagon released a report that 2 US
paratroopers were killed in combat in Afghanistan. No
details were provided. Fox indicates that it was an
"insider" attack. [Fox News.]
Syria
Fighting Across Syria. Regime banking on
Iran and Russia. Intense Bombing and Shelling.
July 31-August 1-4. Reported by Syrian Observatory.
Hasraya viillage in northern Hama province is witnessing
violent clashes between mujahideen and Assad's Shia
militias. The clash began after a martyrdom operator of
Tahrir al-Sham [al-Nusra] hit a gathering of Assad's troops
which had advanced into the area.
Assad's troops are using a new cease fire in the area
brought by Russia and Turkey. Just before the cease fire,
Russia bombed the Islamic groups and after the cease fire
air strikes stopped but Assad's Iranian artillery continued
to hit the Islamic villages.
At last reports, Russian air strikes have resumed at Islamic
towns and villages in eastern Irbid, northern Hama and
northwestern Aleppo province.
The regime's helicopters are again dropping barrel bombs in
Irbid province.
In retaliation, opposition groups are firing at regime
supporters in western Aleppo city and three villages in Hama
province occupied by Alawites and Christians.
Deraa province:
Islamic State fighters have infiltrated the province as
witnessed by deadly machine gun attacks on Assad's troops in
three towns. The attackers escaped after killing sevderal
Assad troops.
Civilians in Deraa province are also starting attacks on
regime agents and intelligence services.
The regime has arrested numerous people and two of them have
died under torture.
Deir ez Zor province:
Islamic State fighters launched attacks on Iranian forces in
the Medeine city area. Reports of Iranian casualties are
coming in [from SOHR]. This is guerrilla warfare.
Iranians are establishing Shia centers in the area.
Convoys of trucks are bringing US military supplies to SDF
Kurds in the south eastern Euphrates river area.
SDF forces are clashing with each other in an area where
ISIS infiltrated SDF and is claiming to be SDF.
Hasakeh province.
Three large explosions in Kurdish forces.
An Islamic State attempt to infiltrate the province was
thwarted by SDF Kurds after US helicopters air dropped SDF
troops into the area. Several ISIS cells were captured and 5
were killed.
North central Syria
Clashes are reported between YPG Kurds and Islamic fighters
supporting Turkey. Casualties are not specified.
IRAQ
Islamic State still has 15,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria
James Jeffrey
WASHINGTON,— The Islamic State group (ISIS) still has
nearly 15,000 fighters active across Iraq and Syria,
Ambassador James Franklin Jeffrey, the U.S. Special
Representative for Syria Engagement and the Special Envoy to
the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, told a press briefing
in Washington on Thursday.
"In terms of the ISIS numbers, between Iraq and Syria - and
this is only a guesstimate - it would be, say, 15,000 with a
standard deviation of significant thousands in either
direction." Jeffrey said.
"It's split between the two. But remember, they see this as
one front, and these people, we know, travel back and forth
south of the Euphrates. They don't go through the northeast
because we have good security there, but they do go south of
the Euphrates." Jeffrey added.
When asked by Iraqi Kurdish reporter "Today ISIS launched an
attack on the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, killing at least
four of them. And I just want to know: What's your
assessment of the ISIS threat in Iraq? We thought it was
defeated."
Jeffrey said "We're concerned about ISIS attacks, ISIS - not
physical presence, but ISIS underground cells in that band
of territory in Diyala, Saladin provinces - again, south of
Mosul in the Kurdish areas, down to just north of Baghdad.
And of course, the Kurds are occupying, the Peshmerga [Iraqi
Kurdish militias] are occupying a line at the north of that,
and that's where that attack took place. And it's another
example of the tragic loss of life that the Iraqis and
Syrians in the thousands have paid for defeating ISIS. We
should remember that at all times. They have the biggest
burden."
Pakistan
A Prominent Teacher of Islam
by Shaikh Hyder [Canada]
I am writing to you about Allama Khadim Hussein Rizvi, of
Pakistan, who you mentioned once as "Teacher of Islam" in
New Trend. This teacher of Islam has good knowledge of
Quraan, knows Persian poetry by Alama Dr. Muhammad Iqbal
well. He also knows Urdu, Punjabi and other languages. May
Allah protect him and help him to establish truly an Islamic
State in Pakistan.
There is a Geo news channel in Pakistan and there was an
interview of Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi. I heard this
interview two times. His party got two lakh votes and has
two members of his party elected as members of Pakistan
parliament, in the last election.
There are some other good speakers in Pakistan and I heard
their speeches. Some of these good speakers of Pakistan are:
Peer Muhammad Ajmal Raza Quadri, Allama Saqab Raza Mustafai.
Alhamdulillah I find Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi as the best
champion of Islam. May Allah guide and protect him to
establish a truly Islamic State in Pakistan. Please
comment.
Your last khutbah was excellent. May Allah protect you and
keep you on the right path.
Allah Hafiz.
JI Analysis
PTI Deceived the People.
LAHORE, Aug. 2; Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator
Sirajul Haq, has said that the game played for the Senate
Chairman election had made the entire house doubtful.
Addressing a large Friday congregation at Mansoora mosque,
he said that all the faces had been exposed and the nation
had seen the real faces.
Sirajul Haq said that the government had won because its
purchasing power was higher and the opposition was now busy
in ultrasound to find out the purchasable commodity. He said
that Allah had saved the JI from a becoming party to this
dirty game.
Stating that expecting anything good from these people was
of no use, Sirajul Haq urged the masses to stop going round
their bungalows and feeding the serpents with milk and
instead stand by the JI for the supremacy of Allah's Deen
because the Nizam e Mustafa alone provided the solution of
all our problems.
He said that the whole nation was worried due to economic
exploitation as two per cent elite were controlling the 98
per cent of the resources. Poverty and unemployment had
become intolerable and more and more people were committing
suicide while the rulers were deaf, dumb and blind.
Sirajul Haq said that the PTI had deceived the masses
through the slogan of the state of Madina. He said that in
the state of Madina, power was not in the hands of an
individual, any party or the government. Instead, all the
powers were with Allah Almighty and His word was the law. On
the other hand, in the PTI government, all powers were with
the persons claiming to build the Madina state. The
constitution and the law were helpless and the legislatures
had no powers. .
He said that the JI believed in democracy but in such
democracy wherein the divine laws were not violated and
interest and liquor were banned. He said that in the state
of Madina, there was no exploitation, the poor would not be
forced to sleep on footpaths and nobody was denied
justice.
He said that under the PTI rule, poor were dying and there
was none to help them. This government was also protecting
the status quo and it could not give anything to the common
man.
Sirajul Haq said that just as those raising the slogan of
"Roti, Kapra and Makan" had made a mockery of the masses.
Similarly, the present rulers were playing with the
religious sentiments of the people.
He said the JI's successful rallies against price spiral,
unemployment and the IMF slavery had proved that the masses
lost hopes from the rulers.
News Within the U.S.
Yazidi Woman Awarded Not-So-Nobel Prize
by Nadrat Siddique
[This is being reposted in response to President Trump'
audience given to this Yazidi woman.]
Nadia Murad, an Iraqi Yazidi woman was selected to receive
the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month. It is instructive
that:
Iraq has a population of 37,000,000 (37 million) people,
all of whom have lived under U.S. occupation and war/
proxy-war since 2003. Off those millions, the Nobel
committee selected a clear Islam-hater;
Of that population (37 million), 90% are Muslim.
(Yazidis, by comparison, form 2% of the population.) Vast
segments of the Muslim population have fought back against
the U.S. occupation and war, often times in ways which
demonstrated extraordinary courage and heroism. (Despite the
pervasive labels and propaganda against fighters who oppose
U.S. power, fighting a superpower with vastly great force of
arms can only be described as heroic, and in any other
era--e.g. the Warsaw Ghetto, the Algerian Civil War,
etc.--would be viewed as an act of courage.)
Comparable to the Palestinian children throwing rocks at
Israeli tanks, Iraqis (in the early days of the war) armed
with only IEDs would launch themselves upon U.S. APCs and
tanks--but only after the U.S. dropped 50,000 bombs and
missiles on Baghdad in just over a month's period. And yet
not one Muslim fighting occupation and oppression was deemed
worthy of the Nobel committee's consideration;
Iraqi Muslim women suffered perhaps the most as a result
of the U.S. occupation and war; and many of them have fought
back against the terror enacted upon them by a Superpower
terror. Again, not one of them was deemed worthy of the
Nobel award.
Only Nadia Murad was deemed worthy. After she visited Israel
(in a trip to witness the enacting of legislation protecting
Yazidis, an incredible irony in a state which practices
apartheid against Palestinians), she returned to Germany
where she currently resides. Shortly after that, she was
notified by the Nobel Committee of her award. In response,
she said, "I am incredibly honored and humbled by their
support and I share this award with all Yazidis with all the
Iraqis, Kurds and all the minorities and all survivors of
sexual violence around the world." Oddly, she uttered not
one word against those who had occupied and steadily
destroyed and destabilized her country since 1991.
If it were up to me, Abeer an-Janabi, the 14-year old Iraqi
girl raped and burned to death by U.S. troops in 2006 (all
of her family were killed by U.S. troops in the same
incidentj) would have received the Nobel. Posthumously, if
there is such a thing as a posthumous Nobel. THAT would have
restored the dignity of the Nobel.
Two Mass Shootings ocurred in USA within 24 hours.
August 3. Twenty people were killed by a shooter in El Paso,
Texas.
Another 9 were killed by a shooter in Dayton, Ohio. Dozens
have been injured.
The government should realize that White Supremacists are
running amuck. Irresponsible statements from the president
himself may be inciting people to use guns against people of
color. The people of America are heavily armed and if care
is not taken in media statements, this whole situation might
boil over.
Calm down evey body. Don't try to start a civil war.
Guidance by Sis. Yasmin
The Prophet's Hajj.
[Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wa Sallam].
'And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage];
They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they
will come from every distant pass '.
(Source~ Qur'an~ Surat Al Haj (The Pilgrimage)~ 22- A # 27
).
In the tenth year of the Hijrah, or 632 AD, the Prophet
Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his
mention ) set out for Makkah to perform Hajj. This time
about 100,000 believers accompanied him. This pilgrimage is
commonly known as the Farewell Hajj. It was during this time
that he explained the rules of Hajj and gave his famous
speech, known as the Final Sermon.
Upon reaching Makkah, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) and his followers put
on the white sheets that showed their equality before Allah
Almighty. This is called 'Ihram'. Then the pilgrims went
directly to the Ka'bah and walked round it seven times in a
counter-clockwise direction. This is called the 'Tawaf'. As
the Muslim pilgrims arrived, they called out: Here I am, O
Allah, here I am! Here I am, O You without equal, Here I am!
Yours is the kingdom, the praise and the glory, O You
without equal, God Alone!
This is the prayer called the 'Talbiyah', which is the
answer to the Divine call to come and give one's life wholly
to Allah.
Next, they ran back and forth seven times between the small
hills of Safa and Marwah in memory of the time when Allah
Almighty tested the Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, and
his family.
This is called the 'Sa'i', and it shows the soul's
determined search for that which gives true life.
Allah had told Ibrahim (a.s.) to leave his wife, Hajar, and
their son, Isma'il (a..s.) in His care in the uninhabited
valley of Makkah. In the barren desert the two soon began to
die of thirst. Frantic, Hajar ran back and forth between the
hilltops trying to spot a passing caravan in the distance.
But there was none. Finally, when all seemed lost, a spring
gushed forth at the feet of the suffering child, Isma'il,
This spring is now known as the well of Zamzam. It reminds
pilgrims of the truth, that when all hope has vanished, God
remains to give healing, strength and life to the soul.
Now the pilgrims had completed the rites in the Sacred
Mosque in Makkah. On the eighth day of the Hajj, the
pilgrims went to the valley of Mina, about ten kilometers
from the Ka'bah, where Allah Almighty tested Ibrahim, peace
be upon him, by ordering him to sacrifice his son, Isma'il.
At the last moment, Allah Almighty stopped Ibrahim, peace be
upon him, and allowed him to sacrifice a ram instead.
The Farewell Sermon
On the ninth day of the Prophet's Hajj, the pilgrims
proceeded to the Plain of Arafat to stand on the Mount of
Mercy. There they stood in the sweltering heat, bareheaded,
thinking about Allah Almighty and praying for His mercy.
This is called the Woqouf. Here, on that day during the
sermon, an important passage of the Quran was revealed to
the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ( may
Allah exalt his mention ):
"...This day I have perfected for you your religion and
completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam
as religion..." [Quran 5:3]
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt
his mention ) spoke to his followers. He told the Muslims to
let the Quran and his own example be their source of
guidance in life. He ordered them to stop living as they had
done before Islam. The age-old practice of revenge ended.
Property was to be respected. And, he said, "Know that
Muslims are brothers to one another."
This was a new idea amongst the quarreling tribes. "Have I
made myself very clear?" asked the Prophet sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) after
every point.
After the sermon, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam
( may Allah exalt his mention ) looked up and cried:
"My Lord! Have I delivered aright the Message I was charged
with and fulfilled my calling?" Then he told the gathering:
"You will be asked about me, so what will you say?"
They answered with one voice:
"We bear witness that you have conveyed Allah's message,
performed your duty and that you have meant goodness for
us." Pointing his index finger toward heaven and then to the
people, he said:
"O Allah, be witness; O Allah, be witness; O Allah, be
witness." The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ( may
Allah exalt his mention ) ended his speech by saying:
"Let those present convey the message to those who are
absent."
By sunset, they headed back toward Mina, gathering pebbles
along the way. On the next day, they performed the ritual of
casting their pebbles, symbolized by three pillars set up in
memory of how Ibrahim, (a.s.) and his family resisted the
temptation of Satan. In doing this, the pilgrims pledged
themselves once more to Allah Almighty and promised to do
their best to drive any devils out of themselves.
Finally, animals were sacrificed, and the pilgrims returned
to perform the Farewell Tawaf of the Ka'bah. The meat from
the sacrifices was sent to the poor and needy.
Three months after returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage to
Madinah, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ( may
Allah exalt his mention ) fell ill. The Messenger of Allah
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention
) died on 8th June 632 A.D. He was 63 years old.
~ My 'Salaams' to All ~
~ Y a s m i n ~
![Motiur Rahman Nizami [shaheed]](ntma1822-03.jpg)
