Glad Tidings to the Strangers

2012-01-22T15:17:00.003+03:00

A Letter To the Muslim Sisters

From the pen of
Umaymah Hasan Ahmed Muhammed Hasan
Wife of Sheikh Ayman Al Zawahiri
-May Allah preserve them-

Translated by
Dar Al Murabiteen Publications

All praise is to Allah, Almighty, and peace and blessings on the best of all prophets, our master Muhammad and on his family and companions and who was guided by his guidance and followed his Sunnah to the day of Judgment

My righteous sisters, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon you...

I wanted to talk with you, from quite a while, about the great happenings and decisive situations our Ummah is going through, but the circumstances intervened between me and you, bur it is high time now that I talk with my honorable sisters, however I start with our families and loved ones in our dear country, and I say to them, don’t worry for us, for we are by the grace of the Almighty in wellness and bounties from Allah Almighty, and our hearts and souls are with you, though we have been separated by the distances.

This is how this world is, meetings and partings as we seek solace in the fact that we are on the truth and for truth are we called upon, as our Lord Almighty has said
“So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers. (Surah Aal Imran 139)”

And it might happen that we meet soon if Allah wills because the ease of Allah is close and His victory is eminent by the will of Allah.

And after the family and loved ones I direct my word to the righteous sisters in our precious Islamic Ummah, and would specify in mentioning our dear stationed sisters in the lands of Jihad in different spots of the earth, and to our mothers who have given up their sons in the way of Allah and the victory of His religion. And in spite of this, they do not tire or get bored from aiding this religion. How many husbands and sons and brothers have they given!!! and How much were they hurt in the way of Allah!!! So all of our conditions are one; Women who are stationed and in Jihad, who are hurt in the way of Allah, and gave what they had of sacrifices, but – by Allah beside who there is no God - all this has not and will not belate us even a moment from aiding our religion in spite of what we have gone through in this path from the losing of loved ones and distance from families.

In spite of all this- we do not find anything except the sweetness of what we are in, accepting what Allah has honored us with, and exalted over the rest of his slaves, that He blessed us with Jihad in His way, and aiding of His religion, and raising His word high. In spite of all these trials we are in sufficiency of living, and honor and blessing from Allah almighty. So my dear and beloved sisters : Steadfastness, steadfastness on this path. For verily, no Super Power nor any international alliances will stop us, and Allah Almighty is with us, and he is our reliance and caretaker, and we will not fear any one, who ever it be, except Allah Almighty, and we are – and praise is to Allah- over what ever we face, steadfast and we seek glad tidings with the promise of Allah to us, as our Lord said
“Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said,"When is the help of Allah?" Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near. (Surah Baqara 214)”

So victory is near by the will of Allah, and our Lord will not abandon, so it is either victory or either martyrdom, and each of it is sweeter than the other. And we will not relax in the service of our religion for it is the most precious thing we posses.

I ask Allah for us and for our sisters in the different spots of earth – and specially in the lands of Stationing, like Palestine and Iraq and Chechnya and Afghanistan and Somalia- patience and steadfastness till death, for it is either victory or martyrdom.
“And Allah is predominant over His affair, but most of the people do not know. (Surah Yusuf 21)”

And I remind my self and my dear Muslim sisters of the (Women)Companions – the Mujahidaat and Migrants and Believers, for they are the best of ideals for us, and through them we are guided and by them we feel solace. For how many are the lessons and how many are the wisdom in their pure life stories. They did not ever tire or falter from the service of our religion, so we –Allah willing – are on their path. And the greatest ideal for us is Sayyidah Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her). She supported the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) immensly in fulfilling his daawah. And she used to say to him ‘Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your Kith and kin, serve your guests generously, help the poor and the destitute and assist the deserving calamity-afilicted ones.’

And similarly Sayyidah Safiyyah –May Allah be pleased with her- she was from the bravest of women. When a Jew passed by the fort, he started patrolling around the fort and the Muslims were in the throats of their enemies. She came down and killed the Jew with a pole. She was not scared and she did not falter. So she was braver than many men of today.

And similarly Sayyidah Umm Ammarah (May Allah be pleased with her) she was injured in Uhud twelve times while defending the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and she lost her hand on the day of Yamamah, leaving out which, she was injured on the day of Yamamah 11 times.
So these are the ones whom we follow, in supporting our Husbands on the right, in bravery and in footsteps and we do not fear any one except Allah Almighty.

My second letter is to my Imprisoned Muslim sisters in the prisons of the Tyrants

I say to them: You are in our hearts, and we will not forget you ever, and Allah willing we will not leave any effort to release you from imprisonment, for you are our honor and we are your sisters, and we never forget you. And Allah knows that we always pray to Allah to protect you from every evil and harm and hasten your release.
My third letter is to the common Muslim women in the world

Firstly I call them to adhere with all the rules of Islam, for in it is the happiness of the world and the victory in the here after, specially adherence with Hijab, for it is the title of the Muslim woman who is obedient to her Lord, obedient to His orders. And in leaving it there is obedience to Satan, and as you know O Muslim sisters, the campaign against the Hijab is from the fiercest wars between Islam and Kufr, for these criminal Kuffars want the woman yo get rid of her religion, and the first thing that the woman leaves is her; outfit and cover, for if the woman left her outfit and cover, it is followed by leaving the rest of her religion.

So the Muslim women should take care of this well, and as you know O Muslim sister that the West does not want you except as a commodity to trade with, and to erase with you the poles of Islam, for Hijab is for the Muslim woman the first pole from the pillars of Islam, as in it is your sanctity and your purity and cover.
And the Western world does not want you to be adherent with hijab for the adherence of the woman to Hijab depicts their lowness and the cheapness of their manners and their social habitat. The Kafir West trades with women, and considers woman a cheap commodity, for she is for them neither inviolable nor respected but she is for them a source from the sources of trade of evil and shamelessness, and refuge is with Allah from all this.

The Muslim veiled woman is inviolable and respected in her house and outside and she is the precious jewel, and the expensive pearl. And as our Lord Almighty has said “O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. (Surah Al Ahzaab 59)”. This is the saying of Allah the Almighty to his prophet peace be upon him to address with it his wives and daughters and the women of Muslims. Therefore, we should, me dear sisters, adhere to the Shari Hijab, for that is better for us in the world and hereafter

Secondly, I advice my Muslim sisters to raise their sons on the obedience of Allah the Almighty and the love of Jihad in His way, and persuade their brothers and husbands and sons to defend the lands of Muslims and their wealth, and to retrieve them from the occupiers, who have violated the lands of Muslims, and looted its riches, and to awaken the Ummah to acquit itself from those who want to collaborate with the enemies and give up the lands of Muslims

I also advice them to help the Mujahideen with prayers and money, and to help the families of the injured and the prisoners with money and donations to their children and women, for they are in the greatest of need for support to face the difficulties of life.

I remind my sisters with the saying of Prophet (peace and blessing upon him) : “Fasting is protection and Sadaqah extinguishes the sins like water extinguishes fire” (Reported by Tirmidhi, and he classified it as Hasan Saheeh)

And I also remind them with the saying of Prophet (peace and blessing upon him) : “O the gathering of women, give alms for I have seen you as the majority of the inhabitants of Hell fire” (Reported by Bukhari)

I assure my Muslim sisters everywhere of the role of the Muslim woman in the Islamic world, for women are the siblings of men, so the Muslim women should work beside men to defend her religion and land. Thus she should defend with herself and if she cannot then with her money and if she cannot then by calling in the way of her religion by inviting her Muslim sisters in the Masjids, schools, institutes and houses, and if she is incapable of that then through the internet, she should write her Daawah and spread it and spread the call of the Mujahideen and it will reach by the will of Allah and she will find heedful ears and hearts. So I hope from you my dear sister that you do not tire or get bored , from aiding our religion in any way possible.

By the way, many questions have been raised concerning the role of the Muslim women in the current Jihad, and I say, and from Allah is guidance: Jihad is Fard Ayn on every Muslim man and woman, but the way of fighting is not easy for Muslim women for it requires a Mahram, as the woman should have a Mahram with her in her going and coming, but we should aid our religion in several ways, and should keep our selves in the service of the Mujahideen, and we should fulfill whatever they ask of us, may it be through monetary aid to them or any service or information or suggestion or participation in fighting or even through a martyrdom operation, How many sisters have performed martyrdom operations in Palestine and Iraq and Chechnya, and vexed the enemy, and caused them a great defeat!!! We ask Allah to accept them and make us follow them in goodness.

But our basic role in which we hope Allah to accept from us, is to protect the Mujahideen in their children and houses and secrets, and to help them by giving good upbringing to their children. Your Migrant sisters- and to Allah is all praise and thanks- are doing a great work in this field, and are practicing great patience and steadfastness and bravery and abstinence from the world and love of the Hereafter and working for it, in spite of what they are facing of hardship in living, and losing of their husbands and children and fathers, and lack of stability, to the point that some of them have been put to trial through captivity, but your migrant sisters are patient and seeking the pleasure of Allah, and to Allah is all praise and thanks.

At the end of my statement I would like to remind my sisters that our end and sustenance are written with Allah, and Jihad does not bring hasten ones death, nor does it decrease sustenance, and that Jihad today has become Fard Ayn, as the foreign Kafir enemy has occupied the lands of Muslims and the three sacred sites are under its control and occupation and also the apostate puppet rulers have taken control over the Muslims, and the scholars have consensus on the necessity of the removal of the apostate.

As the martyr of Islam –as we hold him – the Sheikh Abd Allah Azzam –May Allah have mercy on him said– Jihad has become Fard Ayn on the Ummah since the fall of Andalus.
As the commanders of the Mujahideen call the Ummah to leave to the battlefields of Jihad, we should , my dear sisters, not abstain from this religious obligation and we should persuade others to it.

I give you glad tidings that Jihad is in victory and development, and the Western media in spite of its acceptance of the losses of the Crusades and the Jews in many fields of Jihad, does not transfer except a part of the truth, and hides most of it. So you should take by the Media of the Mujahideen, that transfers the reality from the battlefield, and depicts the fake of the Western media. And here, we stand in front of you as a living example of the incapability of the Crusaders, for after 8 years from the starting of the Crusades we are still – by the grace of Allah - carrying out Jihad from Chechnya to the Islamic Algeria, so have faith in the victory of Allah, who says in his Book “Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the cause of Taghut. So fight against the allies of Satan. Indeed, the plot of Satan has ever been weak. (Surah An Nisa’a 76)”
And I leave you in the protection of Allah and His care

Our final call is praise is to Allah, the Lord of the worlds and Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad and his family and companions

Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh

Your sister in Allah
Umaymah Hasan Ahmed Muhammed Hasan
Wife of your brother Ayman Al Zawahiri

Pray for the Mujahideen

Your Brothers in
Sahab Media Productions
Source- Al Fajr Media Center

Translated by
Dar Al Murabtieen Publications

Two Green Birds in Jannah

2012-01-19T11:44:00.002+03:00

Disclaimer: We do not know anythng about duniya ghaib (the unseen) except what Allah has revealed to us.

Shaikh Anwar al-Awlaki was flying around Jannah in his green bird pleased with the promise of Allah to the Shuhada', and he was pleased with his investement - for himself and for his family because now he would be able to intercede for them on Judgement Day and the family would be reunited in the Best of places.

While he is gliding about he notices another green bird flying near him, flying in a happy way, flying here and there, in circles, upside down and doing all kinds of tricks. Then Anwar realises that it is his 17 year old son Abdur-Rahman.

"What on Earth happened? What are you doing here? It's only been a week since I arrived!"

"Ya Baba they said you were dead and I didn't believe them so I went out to look for you and look how fast I found you!"

"Indeed, ALlahu akbar! My son is shaheed with me and the shuhada' are not dead. As Allah told us in his book, "And do not say of those who are killed in the way of ALlah 'they are dead', nay they are liing but you do not perceive it (Al-Baqara 154), they are alove with their Lord and they have provision (aal-Amran 139)."

And off they flew together to catch up on each others news.

ALlah accept them amongst the shuhada' and for them a high place in Jannah. May He accept all of us. Amin

Amongst the Smog

2012-01-11T14:00:00.003+03:00

The electricity crisis in Yemen is a constant annoyance, especially for students studying for exams and for their teachers madly marking papers before the sunset.

Along with the poor electricity service, is the very lacking garbage collection service. This problem when linked to the electricity problem means oranger skies over Sana'a in particular. People are firing up the generators and burning up the garbage.

These two phenomena also affect sleep. The generators an obvious noise polution along with the air polution, but the acrid smell of plastics burning in the rubbish pile burn your nose and create a headache.

It is being said it will all be fixed up after the elections on 21 February. I doubt it - services weren't so good BEFORE the revolution.

There isn't much going on for muhajireen. Arabic courses are still running in some institutes, but either ridiculously expensive or cheap with a non-existant curriculum (do not try to study Arabic at Sana'a University - its a scam!).

The Islamic centres are mostly open, even Eman University reopened. Dammaj is under fire from the Houthis and is currently a Jihad destination.

Other than that there is not a long going on an visas are still a difficult commodity to obtain, especially for Western and Euro Musoims. Suggest you try Egypt or Libya as a hijra destination.

Why a Popular Uprising in Yemen is Unlikely- (for now)

2011-01-27T10:44:00.002+03:00

No, it is not because everyone is chilling out at a qat chew.

Firstly we need to consider Yemen as three different areas, North, South and Sana'a. Popular uprising is already happening in the south with almost daily events, but it doesn't make much difference to life in Sana'a. If a popular uprising is to force the President out, it has to happen in Sana'a and all the people need to be unified in the effort.

It may seem suprising to many, but however unhappy people are with the government, they don't necessarily hate the President. He actually still has quite a lot of support from the general population. Even those who agree he is corrupt and at times acts contrary to Islam, they won't support an uprising against the President for two main reasons.

Firstly, the common sentiment is that there is no one else who could possibly replace him and do the job of Ra'is al-Jumhooriya (President of the Republic).

Secondly and rather interestingly, many believe that uprising against him is haram (Islamically illegal) because he is a Muslim leader who establishes the prayer.

In the hadith narrated by Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja'i:
The Messenger of Allah (sas) said "The best of your leaders are those whom you love and who love you and for whom you pray and who pray for you, and the worst of your leaders are those whom you hate and who hate you and to whom you curse and who curse you."

Then the sahaba asked the Messenger of Allah, "should we not rid ourselves of them?" the Messenger of Allah replied, "No, not so long as they establish prayer amongst you." (Muslim)

So from this hadith, a large number of Yemenis (in Sana'a) would not uprise against the President. This is also the official stance of the country's main respected scholars, including Shaikh Abdul-Majid Zindani, the Rector of Al-Eman University.

May Allah strengthen and guide the Yemeni people along His path - Whether their stance is right or wrong, they are a people who think about Allah before acting against their ruler.

Sugar Coated - First Impressions of Abu Dhabi

2011-01-19T11:32:00.004+03:00

On arrival at Abu Dhabi airport, I immediately noticed people's dress. As I waited for my luggage, all the women were dressed head to toe in black with niqab and the men in long white dress (kandora) and head covering, as well as a beard of some description. I was very pleased at this sight.

I had to spend the first few weeks in a hotel as the company that hired me had not yet arranged accommodation for me. One evening I sat in the restaurant (which was supposed to be alcohol free with a bar serving alcohol upstairs away from public view), I saw a man in his long white dress and head covering, sporting a long beard sitting alone at an adjacent table. I didn't take much notice of him and ate my meal.

A waitress came to his table to serve him none other than tequila shooters. I was flabbergasted. It was a confusing sight for me because back in the States, anyone wearing this type of clothing is an Imam or a pious person, and here is one dressed as such sitting in a hotel restaurant alone drinking tequila shooters.

The sight made me feel the same odd confused but disgusted feeling I felt when I first saw a drag queen in New York.

My wife joined me once the accommodation was settled and started working at a school with a large local student body. I asked her about the mothers, how they were in their Deen, and my wife simply replied, "sugar coated".

It is easy for muhajireen to have big aspirations and expectations of the Muslims they encounter in the new country, and it is very common for them to become disappointed and disillusioned. Just be realistic, people who immigrate for the Sake of Allah are few and far between. We are strangers in the land. That however, is not a reason to not make hijrah, it is only one of the difficulties and it isn't meant to be easy. If it was easy, the rewards of hijrah would not be so huge.

Wiping Over Socks is Logical

2011-01-09T16:27:00.004+03:00

Ali May Allah be pleased with him, once said, that if all of the Islamic rulings were logical, then we would wipe the underneath of our socks when making wudhoo, and not the top as is prescribed to us by Rasool Allah Peace and blessing be upon him.

I was thinking about this the other day, and not to disagree with Ali, al-Mu'mineen, but this example he gave concerning logic, is from his logic.

Think about this. Not everyone uses a sit down toilet. A lot of people squat to urinate, and may be wearing socks or khufs (leather socks) and so the wiping rule is applicable. Now if you are squatting to urinate, where might any splash go? On the top of your socks! While the bottom of your socks stay clean pressed hard against your bathroom shoes. So perhaps wiping the top of your socks is not so illogical afterall.

The Deen of Allah is true guidance for all of mankind.

G20 Summit "Robin Hood Tax"

2010-11-13T10:20:00.004+03:00

The G20 is currently in session in Soeul Korea. One of the big ideas to come out of it was the global "Robin Hood" tax - a tax on financial transactions. So the bigger the transaction the bigger the tax.

Some have said it is progressive and innovative - a good idea but almost impossible to implement on a global level.

Islam already has a "Robin Hood" tax. It is called zakat and it is obligatory for every Muslim to pay it once a year according to his means.

Zakat is a payment calculated on an individuals wealth*. Zakat is one of the pillars of Islam and it is the major economic means for establishing social justice and leading the Muslims society to prosperity and security. (Commentary from Sahih Bukhari English Translation).

* Zakat is not payable upon a Muslim's horse or slave. As we don't use horses for transporting ourselves, some say that this can be applied to one's car - however I don't have any evidence to present on this issue.

If every Muslim payed the correct amount of Zakat owed as well as this money being distributed according to the Sunnah, I doubt there would be such hardship and poverty amongst the Muslims that I see now - that poverty is not just lack of food, housing and health but lack of education and Islamic knowledge. As there is no Islamic state, Zakat, in my opinion is not collected or distributed in a proper way.

Those entitled to receive from the Zakat funds as stated in Surah al-Taubah are as follows:

1. The poor(fuqara)
2. The needy (masakeen)
3. Officials appointed to collect Zakat(to prevent corruption on their behalf)
4. Those whose hearts have been inclined to islam(new reverts and those who need encouragement)
5. The ransoming of captives (freeing of slaves in particular)
6. Those in debt
7. Those i the way of Allah (Muhajireen and Mujahideen)
8. The wayfarer (traveller)

So Islam is the progressive entity not only proposing but implementing a global "Robin Hood" tax. We can learn a lot from our religion and there in only benefit in it.

Ramadan Road Rage in Sana'a

2010-08-31T20:35:00.000+03:00

During the first two weeks of Ramadan 117 people were killed in road accidents. Thats more than were killed in clashes between Government troops and Al-Qaeda.

Not all these fatalities are attributed to road rage, some of them where pedestrians, some people simply fell off the back of a truck.

I have seen some road rage however. Once incident on the bus from Jama'ah Sana'a, as we drove by the University of Science and Technology, a taxi driver did something to bother the bus driver who quickly cut him off, and stormed out of the bus with his jambiya unsheathed to chase down the taxi driver. I don't know how this incident ended because I disembarked and walked home.

An incident I saw today involved a young man. A stupid one. There were a small group of young men standing around on the corner near Huda supermarket on Zubairy street and one of them suddenly and without provication smacked one of the others in the face. Of course a pursuit ensured , into the traffic and ended with the perpetrator being hit by a car a flung into the air some distance. He got up and cheered his heroics. Poor car driver was freaked out.

Sana'a is a crazy place at the best of times and Ramadan hasn't done anything to temper tempers.

Running is Ayb, Just Be Late

2010-04-08T14:37:00.005+03:00

Two cases of running is ayb have been posted on the Yemen Hijrah blog. You can read them here (running is ayb; Yemen) and here (security issues).

Today I will narrate the first ever case of “running is ayb, just be late” of our sister who just doesn’t get it: DON’T RUN – SAFETY HAZARD!!!

It was a fine sunny day in Sydney and our sister was accompanying her friend and her mother to the city for a doctor’s appointment, however, once at the train station, our sister realised that she had left her wallet in the car.

“Quick! Run! We don’t want to be late!” was the unanimous call, so our sister ran fast, and masha Allah she was a good runner so it was nothing at all for her to bolt up the hill to fetch her wallet out of the car.

As she attempted to open the car door with a bent key, she noticed her wallet on the ground beside the car door. “Alhamdulillah!!!” she exclaimed and quickly retrieved her wallet and brushed off the dirt and leaves.

As she turned to run back to the train station, an unmarked policed car pulled over beside her and five police officers jumped out ordering her to not move. Having had no prior incidents with police, she didn’t realise how hard up they were, especially against Muslims, and especially hijabi or beard wearing Muslims who take to running at pace near train stations. So, she did move, and the police shouted at her again not to move and one pulled out his gun.

So she didn’t move this time and one of the police officers gave her a quick pat down weapon check and asked for ID.

The only photo ID the sister had on her was a government employee ID card. Although the date on the card was still valid, the sister had since resigned from the job due to conflicting interests.

Once the police saw this Government ID card, they lightened up and even laughed. One asked, “why were you running so fast just now?” to which the sister replied, “so I won’t be late.”

The policeman grinned and said, “looks like you’re gonna be late mate!”
Sure thing! Running is ayb - just be late.

(just for the record, it happens that the day that his event occurred was “National Terrorism Day”. Great timing sister!)

Imam Ahmad Part 2

2010-02-22T11:26:00.001+03:00

His contribution to Islam:

Imam Ahmad was known by many for his great contribution to Islam, through not only his works, but also his actions.

One of his most famous works of Imam Ahmad is al Musnad, in which he collected and documented over 30 000 hadith. This is just one of the many works Imam Ahmad left behind.

The Imam did not like students documenting his lessons, for fear that it would be a cause for the ummah to abandon the most important texts from the deen. His students continued in recording his works as they understood the immense benefit he would leave behind for the ummah to follow. Thereafter the Hanbali School of jurisprudence was established, and Imam Ahmad left his mark on humanity and the rectification and preservation of the deen of Allaah ta’aala.

Al Mihnah: In everything Imam Ahmad left behind, he is most remembered for His steadfastness in regards to al Mihnah.

His steadfastness under the oppressive rule of al-Mamum, and al-Mu’tasim of the Abbasid Caliphate, in regards to the inquisition (al mihnah), in which the ruling Government professed that the noble Quran is a creation. Many of the prominent ulaama of this time refused to bear witness to such a claim. Imam Ahmad was from those who denied the doctrine of the creation of the Quran, therefore he suffered much at the hands of the oppressive rule of this time, and he was imprisoned for a lengthy period of time and subjected to severe punishment.

He was brought before the court in chains and questioned about his aqeeda. Patiently he persevered on this path, until Allah would send relief through al mutawakkil - the new ruler.

It was said about the Imam in regards to his punishment at the hands of the oppressors:

There remains no Angel in the sky except that it has witnessed over him whilst he was beaten.’ Abu Bakr al Marwadhi

"Allaah shall raise for this Ummah at the head of every century a man who shall renew (or revive) for it its religion" (Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Malahim, ch. 1.)

Imam 'Ali ibn al-Madini, the great teacher of Imam al-Bukhari said, "Truly, Allah supported this religion with Abu Bakr as-Siddiq the day of the apostasy (ar-Riddah), and He supported it with Ahmad ibn Hanbal the day of the Inquisition ( al-Mihnah).

Therefore this great Imam, may Allaah have mercy upon him, left behind for this ummah a legacy, an example of the best kind of jihad, to speak the truth against an oppressive ruler. And through his struggles Allaah preserved and protected the true and pure Tawheed. His sacrifice paved a path which broke the very core of ahlul bida and their fundamentals. It was through this that Imam Ahmad left a mark in history, and was an example to mankind. This is considered one of the most defining moments in history of Ahlusunnah wal Jama’a.

Over 800 000 people attended his funeral due to the enormous impact he had upon not only the knowledgeable but also the laymen

'Siyar A’lam an-Nubala’, Imam Ath-Dhahabi described Ibn Hanbal as, “The true Sheikh of Islam and leader of the Muslims in his time, the hadith master and proof of the religion”.

Ibrahim al-Harbi said: "I held Ahmad as one for whom Allaah had gathered up the combined knowledge of the first and the last."

Abu Ubayd said “the science at its peak is in the custody of four men, of whom Ahmad bin Hanbal is the most knowledgeable.” (Siyar A’lam an Nubala)

" Verily the pious will be in gardens and springs, Receiving what Allah has given them, Verily they used to do good works before that, They used to sleep little at night, And they used to seek forgiveness in the morning "
[Surah Ath-Thaariyaat #51 Verses #14-18]

Imam Ahmad - Part 1

2010-02-16T17:28:00.003+03:00

أحمد بن محمد بن حنبل أبو عبدالله الشيباني

Early life and education:

Imam Ahmad bin hanbal was born in the month Rabee al awwal 164 AH in Baghdad, although his family was originally from Basrah (in present day Iraq), his grandfather then migrated to Khurasan. His father passed away when he was still a young boy, so his mother cared for him in his infancy. Thus he was considered to be an orphan.

It is known that Ahmad bin Hanbal was a boy equipped with excellent manners and sound mind. Abu Siraj bin Khuzaymah noted his good conduct, “I support my children financially and I provide teachers for them, so that they may be educated and well mannered, but I do not see them becoming so. Yet this boy, Ahmad bin Hanbal, who is an orphan, see how he has turned out” (Manaaqib al Imam Ahmad p.23).

Ma'roof Al-Karkhee (may Allaah have Mercy on him) said that he saw Ahmad bin Hanbal when he was a young boy, and he had signs of nusuk on him. I used to hear him making statements that were full of benefit.

After acquiring basic teachings and extending his knowledge of Islamic teachings, by the age of sixteen Imam Ahmad commenced study of ahadith in the circles of Al Qadi Abu Yusuf, a prominent student and companion of Imam Abu Haneefah, may Allaah have mercy on them. Here he studied the science of jurisprudence, he later left these circles and commenced his travels to pursue the science of hadith.

The great Imam studied approximately 40 years in total, during which he developed much knowledge in several different sciences, hadith being his specialty. Ibn al Jawzi said Imam Ahmad had 414 hadith masters he would narrate from, thus he became know for his excellence in this field. Ibn al-Jawzi relates in al-Manaaqib that Imaam Ahmad was the foremost among the Imams in collecting the Sunnah and adhering to it.

It was established that even in his childhood the great Imam possessed a special quality, also his fear of Allaah ta’aala in dealing in everyday matters.

His character:

It was apparent to many the character of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, as many testified to his truthfulness and piety. The Great Imam Shafi’i was one of Imam Ahmads teachers, all of his teachers held him in very high esteem to the point that it was heard from the Imam:

Harmal said “I heard ash Shafi’i say: I left Baghdad and did not leave behind me anyone more virtuous (afdal) more learned (a’lam) more knowledgeable (afqah) than Ahmad bin Hanbal. (Related by ibn abi haatim, in adaab ash shafi’i).

Imam Ahmad was known for his proficiency in Islamic knowledge. He was also known for his strict adherence to the authentic texts, and not wavering upon these texts. He was also known for his hatred towards newly invented ideologies.
“The graves of sinners from People of sunnah is a garden, while the graves of the pious ascetics from the people of inovation is a barren pit. The sinners among ahlus sunnah are the Friends of Allaah, while the pious among Ahlul-bida’a are the Enemies of Allaah.” Tabaqaat al-Hanaabilah (1/184)

These words illustrate Imam Ahmad’s dislike for bida’a and those who instigate it. This is also one of the reasons that kept him upon the truth under severe punishment, to keep the religion that had been brought by Muhammad (saw) pure, and free from the filth of bida’a.

Therefore his character was strong. He refused to eat from or accept gifts from the rulers or those that did not distance themselves from the rulers, his opinion in such a matter was firm, until his last breath he hated that he would be considered close to the ruling government, to the point he refused a visit from the ruler when he was on his death bed.

When Ahmad bin Hanbal was imprisoned, one of the prison guards came to him and asked him:

"O Abu 'Abdillah! The hadith that is narrated regarding the oppressors and those that aid them - is it authentic?"

He said: "Yes."

The prison guard then said: "So, I am considered to be an aid of the oppressors?"

Ahmad replied: "No. The aids of the oppressors are those that comb your hair, wash your clothes, prepare your meals, and buy and sell from you. As for you, you are one of the oppressors themselves."

['Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad' by Ibn al-Jawzi; p. 397]

Abdullah Bin Muhammad once said that he was with Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal when a man told him: O Abu Abdullaah, I have back-bitten you, please forgive me for what I did. So Imam Ahmad said: You are forgiven if you do not do it again. After he said that I said to him surprisingly: O Abu Abdullaah you simply forgave him for what he did!!! He replied to me: “did not you see me putting a condition on my forgiveness by not doing it ever again!!

As we can see from that recount from Abdulllah Bin Muhammad, the strength of Imam Ahmad’s character was immense but also the gentleness, to forgive immediately but also putting a condition on his forgiveness, so he would be known amongst the masses to be upright, firm, yet gentle and forgiving.

Imam Ahmad never gave a formal legal opinion (fatwa) while Imam Shafi`i was in Iraq, and when he later formulated his school of jurisprudence, he mainly drew on clear texts from the holy [Quran], Hadith, and scholarly agreement, with relatively little expansion from analogical reasoning (qiyâs). He was probably the most learned in the sciences of Hadith of the four great Imams.

It was from his basic principles that he would first and foremost derive decisions from the Quran and Sunnah and he would only resort to qiyâs in necessity, taking great care in this in order to avoid following the nafs of insaan, and strictly following the siraat of the beloved Prophet (saw).

We see here the hikmah and adaab that the Imam possessed, especially in regards to his teachers, he would not issue a fatwa while Imam Shafi’i was in Iraq, and when it came to him issuing fataawa he was extremely diligent in adhering to first hand sources, notably, the Quran and Sunnah.

Imaam Ahmad said about his own self that he did not marry until the age of fourty. This is because the Imam was preoccupied with traveling in the path of Allaah to gain knowledge, so to him, knowledge of deen was more important than worldly affairs. It was known that Imam Ahmad would only speak of the akhira in his gatherings, never was he known to speak of the dunya.

A student of Imam Ahmad 'Abd-us-Samad bin Sulaymaan, said, "I stayed with Ahmad bin Hanbal. He left for me a container of water. In the morning he found that I had not used it. He said, 'A companion of the narrations, and he has no activity in the night?!' I told him, 'I am a traveler.' He replied, 'Even as a traveler!”
The Imam was known not to neglect the night prayer, to the point it has been narrated that he had never left it.

Asalamu alaikum Miss! Are you Leb*?

2010-02-10T17:34:00.001+03:00

Great Western High School had many of the characteristics of an old zoo. It was divided into caged areas, it was ugly and the students wild. I wondered if the aesthetics of the school affected the behaviour of the students, but I seriously thought it went a much deeper than that.

The school had a large population of Lebanese, Turkish and Afghani background students, the male populations of each group always well represented in the detention room and suspension lists. Most teachers pulled out their hair in frustration as to what to do about these students, but there where a few, two or three teachers who had less behaviour problems with these students than other teachers.

Something that these few teachers had in common with each other was that they all came from non-English speaking backgrounds. This was not the main factor to their better relationships with troublesome students because there were many teachers in the school from non-English speaking backgrounds, but they did not have the same type of success as these few teachers. I observed these few teachers at work to learn their secrets and reflected on my own teaching style and student-teacher relationships with the same students.

What I noticed with these teachers was that they always had time to talk to the students in the hallway, during class, after class and even at lunch time. They spoke to the students in a respectable manner, and the boys reacted positively to this. These teachers had a fairer way of implementing discipline, and because of the respect and rapport they had built up with the boys, it was easy for them to discipline them when necessary with less severe methods.

Every lunch time the staffroom was full of noise about what little Ahmad or Muhammad did in class today, and why was he not suspended? I know that the student’s behaviour was absolutely atrocious, but at the same time, the teachers did not at all understand the psyche of these boys, and to compound the problem, the boys could not relate to their teachers at all.

I remember during an observation visit at the school, sitting in a year 12 class. One of the boys in the class asked the teacher what she was like at school. The teacher replied that she was very studious and hard working. The boy replied, “no, that is not what I meant, I meant were you like Simone?” (Simone was a girl in the glass). The teacher was a puzzled at this stage and replied that she was like Simone – studious and hard working. The boy was not finished yet and continued, “Nooo Miss, I don’t mean that, I meant were you all blonde and stuff.” I found this exchange amusing, and so did the teacher, but what it highlighted to me was that this boy could not relate to the teacher and wanted to be able to place her into normal life. He was however, very pleased to know that this teacher barracked for the same rugby league team as him. This gave the teacher some human quality with which he could relate.

I will refer mostly to the Lebanese background boys I had in my classes because they were the majority, and they were the most lively. To start off, I did not have any serious discipline problems with these boys. When they first saw me in the school they were excited and repeatedly gave me salams. I could not walk five metres without one of them calling out from somewhere, “Asalamu alaikum Miss!” To which I always responded, and responded with more as we are told to do in the Qur’an:

“When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or (at least) return it equally” al-Nisa’ 4:86

This instantly won me some initial respect with these students. I knew something about them and their identities that the other teachers did not know, even if it is as simple as a greeting.

There was a year seven ESL/learning difficulties class that I observed for most of my stay at the school. As the class entered the room on my first day of observing them, one of the Lebanese boys saw me and immediately gave me salams, to which I replied.

The teacher started settling the class and the Lebanese boy turned to me again smiling and gave me salams again, and of course I replied even though I knew the teacher was trying to settle the class. The teacher shouted at the boy telling him that what he was doing was not important and to sit down. Upon hearing this remark the boy snapped, he stood up and slammed his hands against the table screaming “Yes it is!” He was immediately sent to a table at the back of the room to sit by himself, and he remained disruptive for the remainder of the lesson.

I felt bad about this little episode and approached the student after the class and explained to him the excellence of giving salams to one’s brothers and sisters in Islam, and I that I am always very happy to hear the greeting. I continued by telling him that he only needed to say the greeting to me once at the start of class, and if he did not get the chance he should wait until the end of class.

In response to the reaction of the boy of being told that what he was doing was not important, I know that for this student it was very important to give salams to me, and there are a great number of ahadith which state that once a Muslim gives another Muslim the greeting of salam, it is compulsory for the other to respond with what is equal or more. The teacher was not to know the importance of this greeting as not only an act of respect towards me and our religion, but an obligation and a sign of solidarity (especially in an at times hostile environment). However, at the same time, I am not excusing the boy’s behaviour.

After explaining to the boy some protocols of giving salams in school and during class, I told the boy that I would explain to his teacher what happened. He was grateful for this and I never had any discipline problems with him again.

As the weeks progressed, the frequency of exchange of this greeting did not wane, in fact it grew stronger. A few times as I walked the corridors during class times sorting out my photocopying, the greeting would be sung out in unison from random classrooms. Nothing could be nicer to my ear than students wishing peace be upon me.

The environment and school system in the West does not cater well for boys like these and often the boys feel resentment and isolation. They come to school to be taught by teachers who don’t understand them, who represent the “opposition”. Seeing practising Muslim teachers in this system had positive effects in creating some stability and respect in the lives of these boys – something that most of them didn’t have at home.

These boys although not knowledgeable or practicing of their religion, started to practice the basics in the time I spent with them in the school – and inshaAllah that means ajar for me.

It has been some years since I have worked in a Western school, and although my influence on the Muslims in this school was positive, it was not enough to warrant me to remain living in the West. My experiences in Western High Schools highlighted to me the necessity of hijrah to Muslim lands in order to raise our children with pride in their religion and remove the confusion in identity many of the Muslim youth growing in the West experience.

* Leb - Lebanese.

An Islamic Theory of Learning (Summary)

2010-01-27T20:07:00.006+03:00

While studying education at university, we were loaded up with plenty of seemingly useless theories of learning such as constructivism, rationalism, associationism and behaviourism, just to name a few.

All this junk floating around in my head surprisingly lead me to do some thinking about what I, as a Muslim, believe in regards to how we learn. I started thinking about theories of learning from an Islamic perspective because for me, that is what really matters, so I met up with some learned members of my community with a wealth of Islamic knowledge to find out what Islam says about how we learn and gain knowledge.

Here is a summary of what was discussed.

There are some similarities between Islamic theories and secular theories, however there is one very important difference in that the non-Islamic theories do not consider aspects pertaining to the soul, which in the Islamic theory is the main building block.

According to Islam, every human being is born with fitrah which could be described as the blueprint or the instinctive natural impulses (Natural impulses that are particular to humans, rather than all animals). Every human is also born with nafs which would best be translated as desires or inclinations which are generally self fulfilling, evil or misguided. There are three elements to one’s nafs.

The first is the nafsu amara which proclaims all people have a natural inclination to do wrong until the gaining of knowledge or a code of ethics gives them direction and a conscience. This direction giving knowledge does not have to be Islamic, it could be any ideology which gives clear direction and way of living. This knowledge leads to the second type of nafs - nafsu lawama.

This is the realisation that we have evil or misguided inclinations and we develop a conscience concerning our shortcomings. This realisation could be likened to the rationalist view that we are born with instincts and knowledge is realised, however this particular knowledge of nafs is particular to desires of which the natural reaction is to hide it from others. Most people only get as far as this in the development of their self.

The third type of nafs – nafsu mutmaina is when someone’s knowledge corresponds with their heart and they are tranquil. In reality, very few people reach this level. The following verse of Qur’an speaks specifically of the people who have developed nafsu mutmaina.

“Their reward with their Lord is paradise underneath which rivers flow. They will abide therein forever, Allah will be pleased with them, and they with Him, that is for him who fears his Lord.”
Surah al-Bayyinah 98:8

Being born with fitrah and nafs suggests that we are not born with nothing thus supporting the rationalist theory over associationism. However, although we are born with all three elements of nafs, the further development of nafsu amara into nafsu lawama as a result of one’s environment could be seen to support the constructivist view that learning comes through interaction in the world and the mental ability to construct knowledge from interactions.

The following hadith from the Sunnah is used as evidence that a person learns from their environment. Narrated Abu Hurairah (raa), the Prophet (sas) said,

“Every child is born on Al-Fitrah, but his parents convert him...” Another hadith indicating the effect of a person’s environment upon them has been reported that the Prophet (sas) said that “man is upon the religion of his friend. Therefore all of you be careful with whom you keep company.” (Sahih al-Bukhari).

Delving into the topic of nafs further than what has been revealed about it in the scriptures is not recommended. Basically, anything that has not been revealed to us by Allah swt on this issue does not really need to be known, as expressed in the following verse of Qur’an;

“And they ask you (Muhammad) concerning the spirit, say, ‘the ruh’ is one of the things the knowledge of which is only with my Lord.’ And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given little. (17:85)

It is interesting to learn about the philosophy of learning, and the basic concepts of these three theories have some similarities with the Islamic philosophy, which suggests to me that there are some truths in those philosophies, but for me, in the end the Qur’an and Sunnah are the ultimate truth and in my mind no man-made theory will ever override an Islamic theory.

Moving on now to the teaching of knowledge and higher level thinking skills, Islam states that Allah (swt) chooses when to bestow knowledge and wisdom upon someone.

Narrated Mu’awiya (raa): I heard the Prophet (sas) saying, “If Allah wants to do good to a person, he gives him understanding of the religion. I am just a distributor, but the grant is from Allah (swt). Sahih
al-Bukhari.

I want to be clear that in Islam, knowledge alone is not enough, knowledge must be applied in one’s life in conjunction with hikmah (wisdom). For the purpose of this paper we could compare hikmah to higher level thinking skills, however, it is also dependant to some extent on life experiences.

Teachers these days are under pressure to design their teaching in order to develop a student’s cognitive skills to higher levels to prepare them for the knowledge society (Hargreaves, 2003). This is a positive step to promote a population with knowledge that can be applied in life – to be prepared for the knowledge society.

Islamically, this idea is sound, however, a student’s ability to understand is controlled by the mind and intelligence bestowed upon an individual by God. We cannot make people understand knowledge, but we can only design learning in a way so not to waste the abilities of the students who have been given intellectual ability, to engage those students in their learning, making learning fun and interesting so to encourage and motivate them to go further. I believe that as a teacher, that is all we can really do, the rest is up to Allah.

Hijrah Returnees

2010-01-24T20:00:00.001+03:00

Muhajireen fi sabilillah hate to return ‘home’ and if they do return, it is only as a last resort or not their choice.

Before I left ‘home’ for hijrah fi sabilillah, I often would hear and meet people who had made hijrah and returned. Often these returnees would be subject of gossip and criticism. I would hear people say in a negative tone, “look at these people who make hijrah only to return here!” Or even more cutting, “they must have low tawakkul in Allah swt”, (low trust in Allah).

I too often wondered why they would choose to return to the indignity and drudgery of life back ‘home’, and as I hadn’t yet made hijrah but was raring to go, I felt that they had squandered an opportunity to please Allah.

There are some who choose to come back and they are happy with their decision, and there are some who had no other choice and are just waiting for the very next chance to get out again. Either way, it is not for us to judge and look down on people who have returned from hijrah. Especially those who have never even tried to make hijrah!
Such jibing and finger pointing experienced by returnees often leads them to seclude themselves from the community, which can be counter-productive for all.

Most of the time hijrah is not easy - Muhajireen face language barriers, social barriers, financial problems and most troubling – visa and residency problems. If a muhajir loses their job, they could also lose their residency visas and their residence. There are no safety nets like social security, there is just akal wa-tawakkul.

Some may say why make hijrah at all if it is going to be so hard. That is just the point, it is a test, and the rewards from Allah in the Hereafter are great. As a Muhajir fi sabilillah, you notice increases in iman and love for other muhajireen, you sacrifice a lot of your duniyya and you can’t help but to remember Allah often because your life is totally for his sake.

So the next time you meet a hijrah returnee, don’t shun them and don’t participate in gossip as to why they returned. Ask them if they need any help and encourage each other to good deeds.

May Allah give us an easy path to Hijrah for His sake. May Allah make the path of good easy and the path of evil difficult. May Allah swt protect the Muhajireen fi sabilihi. Amin

Tony Blair Still at Large

2010-01-07T09:39:00.003+03:00

Tony Blair was always very supportive of the US Bush Administrations war against Terror and was outspoken against those who he deemed as extremists, reactionary dangerous people i.e. those who strive for the implementation of Islamic Law, their supporters and anyone who wants to live under Sharia’ah law.

Now that he is out of power, he still holds a lot of influence and has maintained his involvement on the war on Islam through his new roles. One of his roles being the establishment of his Tony Blair Faith Foundation, whose mission statement is to “promote understanding of the world’s major religions and bring them into the political conversation.”

The other role and one that has the possibility to undermine true Islamic revival is his role as the Middle East representative of the Quartet, an interest group alliance of the United Nations, European Union, Russia and United states. With such a group, you can only imagine what they are getting up to. Surat al-Baqarah 11,12 come to mind:

“And when it is said the them, “make not mischief in the land,” they say, “We are only peace-makers.” Verily! They are the ones who make mischief but they do not perceive it.”

Even though Tony Blair is equally enigmatic towards Islam as his US counterpart George W. Bush, he is far more eloquent in speech and may not seem as hard core as Bush. Do not be fooled, he is still working hard influencing “moderate, secular Muslims” to mix up their Islam with secularism and democracy.

His Faith Foundation, promoting understanding between the major religions is nothing more than large scale interfaith dialogue, or as I prefer to call it inter-farce dialogue. In addition to the promoting mutual understanding is bringing people of faith into the political conversation (political conversion, ed.). It is obvious that his Foundation is an intellectual non-military counteraction to Islam, and the true Islam as revealed to the Prophet of Allah Muhammad Peace and blessing of Allah upon him. His aim is the democratisation of the Islamic world but through “peaceful” means - interfaith dialogue in other words.

According to Blair, there are only two alternatives to governance; democracy with human rights and freedom, or megalomaniacal dictatorship with blanket oppression. The leaders of Jihad and those who strive for Sharia’ah are far from megalomania. It would be more accurate to label the powers of the West, who are underscored by the Jews and big business as the megalomaniacal dictators with their greed and enjoyment of power over the people (especially over the Muslims because they are the largest and most potentially dangerous opposition to their world dominance) and then they crave more.

In a post-Prime Ministership interview with ABC journalist Geraldine Dougue, Blair said that the people of Iraq, if given the choice would not choose dictatorship. Of course not, who would? And that they just want to be able to raise their children and be educated. Of course they do, who wouldn’t? The subtext to his comments about what the people of Iraq wanted was that the only way they would get it was through democratic means, and the democracy he is referring to means the separation of religion and state thus resulting in the relegation of the religion into the sideshow as a largely ceremonial activity rather than a way of life. It is not possible for Islam to be separated from state affairs without serious dilution and corruption of the laws of Allah swt.

Once Islam is separated from issues of the state, the doors open for the invention of man-made laws which if not made with strong Islamic scaffolding are inherently faulty and lead to oppression. Anyway, wasn’t part of Tony Blair’s Mission statement to bring the major religions into the political conversation? That would suggest to me that he wants to let religion back into the fold and dilute secularism. But then again it is just conversation and perhaps a feel good activity on Blair’s part.....

More to come about interfaith dialogue.

Hijrah to Qatar

2009-11-21T13:43:00.005+03:00

Doha

I used to not rate the UAE or Qatar as decent destinations for hijrah, but I had a long hard think about it

It took me a few months tomentally adjust to Qatar. Coming from the simplicity and poverty of Yemen, the opulence and sheer extravagant wastage of Qatar disturbed me. I forgot how people can be with too much money, too much free time and too little taqwa and basic understanding of life. However it is not all bad if I consider further.

To start with, Qatar offers the basics.

Adhan is still ala natural (no automated satellite link up adhan here). You get the adhan and the iqama nice and loud, and the Friday khutbah and prayer is broadcast all over the streets. Excellent!

You have less awra showing in Qatar than in UAE. In fact it is common to hear of people being escorted out of the malls for wearing inappropriate clothing.
Niqabi sisters in black are not harassed and are in fact the norm.
Men will not sit next to you in the bus and will vacate their seat for you if the bus is full.

If you want to go further, Qatar offers a few extras in the package such as;
- Some Islamic institutions
- Quiet, peaceful lifestyle
- Less riba than most other Muslim countries
- Womens only venues and recreational activities
- clean streets
- You can say “Israel has no right to exist” without getting into trouble

Of course I can’t get it out of my mind that Qatar has a huge US military base in it somewhere, and has approved a French base too.

As a hijrah destination, Qatar will do the job much better than many other countries could, and definitely much better than my kafir country of origin.
Sadly, to live here in a decent manner, one needs a decent job and to get a decent job you need decent qualifications or to know someone high up in some department or company.

You might live here all your life and contribute positively to the country’s development and community life, but you will never get a citizenship. Blast the visa system!

The English ex-pat social networks don't offer much to Muslim English speaking ex-pats and life can be very bland and boring. Qatar offers employment and income more than it offers an Islamic environment. It can also be difficult to get to know the locals. (See article here)

Everywhere in duniya sux to some extent, but some places suck more than other places, and as a sister trying to make a go of hijra for the sake of Allah, sometimes we need to find the best balance between a not so perfect hijrah destination and not putting oneself in an unnecessarily undignified difficult situation.

Hijrah to Jordan

2009-11-03T20:01:00.005+03:00

Sent in by Muwahida in Jordan

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمد لله و الصلاة و السلام على رسول الله

I am a muhajirah currently residing in Jordan, I have been living here for the last 2years. Here is some basic information about Jordan for muhajireen.

Study visa’s are easy to obtain here in Jordan but as for work it is scarce and unlike some other Arab countries qualifications are very important for teaching or work in other departments but tutoring English privately can be an option for income.

Life in Jordan is expensive but in outer lying areas rent is cheaper than other areas. A normal apartment is about US$300 a month that’s not including electricity or water.

There are Islamic schools in Salt and a few good schools in Amman, but when I say good I don’t mean perfectly Islamic but as in better than any western school.
There are many good kindergartens as well mashaAllah and all pick the students by bus and bring them home.

For a low budget family I don’t advise Jordan as a place of hijrah but for those who want to implement the hadith of the Sham and be around the very small community of muwahideen, who are very hard to find these days, then Jordan is an ideal place.
Jordan is not picture perfect as say Yemen for example. Here there are a lot of women who do not cover and westernised areas especially in Amman. Some muhajreen live in Salt which is more or less conservative.

Jordan is one of the Al-Sham countries that the Prophet s.a.w told us to go to in the last days (akhir zaman) and for those who cannot then they were told to go to Yemen.

What I love about Jordan is the strong community of muwahideen here and the ability to show your true Islamic identity. My son has really adapted to the people here and has discovered his Islamic identity. He doesn’t have to hide who he is Alhamdulillah, which is a very big help in his tarbiyah. He is free to wear his Islamic dress whether it be Afghani style or Arabian style and head wear and not have to hide every aspect of his belief. This is something you cannot do in many Arab countries like the rest of the Sham countries (Syria and Lebanon) or countries like Egypt. The fact is that you can build yourself decent Islamic environment. The number of muhajireen here are scarce but Allah willing hopefully it will grow.

It is possible for single woman to live here alone. I for one am without husband and alhamdulilah the community is very helpful mashaAllah and Salt is the safest area to live in as it is still very tribal and protected by culture.

The thing is there is no perfect dawla yet and inshaALlah our aim of hijrah is to please Allah swt and we do it because it is wajib upon us so may Allah swt open the way for us and assist us in gaining or goal. Amin

Hiding Behind Walls

2009-10-24T07:21:00.003+03:00

One of my first observations of the Gulf apart from rampant consumerism, was the social distance between locals and ex-pats. After 16 months living in the Gulf, I cannot count a single local amongst my acquaintances and not through lack of trying.

I figured that if I was living in a particular country I would get to know the locals and spend time with them on a social level, but that was not the case. I found the locals very polite and generous, but in no way interested in going beyond basic interaction. They lived in what seemed a parallel world protected in their houses behind high concrete walls. And it may be as simple as that – protection. Protecting themselves from what is happening to their country. The speed of development and change threatens their cultural traditions, conservative ways and family structure. A lot of ex-pats are kafir or not practicing Muslims and too much mixing with them has affected the younger generations who are starting to shed tradition and Islamic practices to copy the western trends.

Ms al Atiyat (Emirati events manager at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding in Dubai) said that there was growing anger and resentment among Emiratis witnessing a blatant disregard for local laws and culture. One notorious example was that of two Britons caught having sexual relations on a beach hours after meeting at a champagne brunch. Both Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors were jailed and deported in a sign of an increasingly hard line against offenders. (The national, 24/10/09).

“The barriers have been put up on both sides,” reported The National. “Perhaps because they (ex-pats) are here temporarily and the law does not encourage a long-term commitment to the country, expats can be very cliquey. There are those whose lives revolve around the country club on a Saturday and golf on a Sunday, and they get annoyed if they are reminded they are in the UAE.”

I had the intention to stay in the Gulf long term, perhaps for my whole career, but if I was not able to interact with the local people and their culture I felt no point in staying. Ex-pats come and go, and I wanted to make stable and long term relationships.

The outcome for Muslim non-Arab ex-pats can be a very lonely existence where one cannot befriend locals easily nor Arabs ex-pats and that leaves the eroding force of kafir ex-pats who have a great social life because they have managed to implant their munkar activities into the Gulf.

Most ex-pat Muslims came to the Gulf for money and duniya opportunity so finding actual muhajireen fi sabilillah was rare and sisterhood was sparse. There were a few good ex-pat sisters around, but very, very few, and in very spread out locations, so it was not always easy to meet up.

I fear the Gulf has lost its soul and cast over itself a glitzy shell and fancy lights which will one day fade and crack.

About the Strangers - Link

2009-10-21T19:13:00.002+03:00

Read what the hadith means by "strangers".

Iman and Deeds

2009-07-09T15:05:00.004+03:00

What is Iman?

In the famous hadith of Jibril (as) also know as umm al-Sunnah, Jibril came in the appearance of a man and asked questions to Rasulullah (may Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon him) asking him to explain some fundamental principles of Islam. The first thing he asked was for Rasulullah to inform him about Islam, and Rasulullah replied by listing the five pillars. The next thing Jibril ask was for Rasulullah to inform him about Iman.

Rasulullah replied that Iman is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, The Last Day, and Qadr – the good and the evil of it.

The third thing Jibril asked was about Ihsan and Rasulullah responded that Ihsan is that you worship Allah as if you see Him and even though you don’t, you know He sees you.
(Jibril also asks about the Hour, but I will not cover that aspect here.

Rasulullah answered the questions simply and succinctly so that the people listening would remember those important points. The topic of Iman is quite vast and many volumes of work by later scholars have been written about it and where it is in a believer.

Ahlu-Sunnah wal-Jamaah say that the seat of iman is in the heart, tongue and physical actions. Iman increases and decreases and that our deeds form a part of iman – some deeds are essential and without doing them we fall outside Islam and other deeds are recommended or voluntary.

Ibn Uthaimeen (ra) wrote that iman is affirmation that requires acceptance and submission. A person could believe in something but not accept or submit to it, such as many of the Jews in the time of Rasulullah who knew he was the truth but refused to submit. Also we have the example of Abu Talib, the uncle of Rasulullah who despite all his deeds for Islam and the mission of Rasulullah, died on kufr, and so his deeds will not help in the Hereafter.

Ibn Taymiyya (ra) quoted Sahl ibn Abdullah al-Tustari, who was an early ascetic who said that iman is statement, action, intention and following the Sunnah. He then explained this by saying, “if iman was statement without action then it is disbelief. If it is statement and action without proper intention, then it is hypocrisy. If it is statement, action and intention without following the Sunnah, then it is heresy (bida’ah).

I found this to be an interesting analysis of iman and our actions. For our action to be perfect we need to cover each of the areas of statement – to actually be Muslims, to act upon what we are commanded to do with the intention solely for Allah (swt), and be doing permissible acts according to the Sunnah of the Prophet.

Ask yourself what are you doing and why? What is your intention? How will it benefit you Islamically? How will it be pleasing to Allah? How conscious are you of Allah in your everyday actions? How will it look in your CV on Yaum al-Qiyama? Is what you are doing something that is within the Sunnah?

We need to remind ourselves to really think carefully about what we are doing, and make it count in the long term - in this life and more importantly, the Hereafter.

Yemeni Sidr Honey Cures All!

2009-07-03T08:07:00.012+03:00

The Sidr Tree

Sidr is known in English as the Lote tree. It is a tree mentioned
not only in Qur’an, but also the Bible and Torah. The Sidr is a very resilient tree and is mentioned many times in the Qur’an.

In Surah Saba, Ayah 16, the Sidr tree is one of three trees to survive the floods when Allah swt opened the dam as punishment for the people in that land for their disbelief.

In Surat al-Waqi’ah, ayah 28, the Sidr tree is mentioned by Allah when describing the conditions of the people of the Right Hand (Those who will go to Jannah). He swt says that the People of the Right Hand will be among thornless Sidr trees and banana trees with fruits piled one above another and in shade long-extended and by water flowing constantly...

And not forgetting Sidrat-ul-Muntaha (Surat an-Najm:14-17), the Sidr tree growing at the furthest boundary over the seventh heaven beyond which no one can pass. This is a very special Sidr tree which Rasulullah was shown during al-Miraj. Rasulullah described the tree as having large fruit resembling clay jugs, leaves as big as elephants ears and four rivers originating from its roots. Two rivers where hidden rivers in Paradise and the two apparent ones were the Nile and the Euphrates.

The Sidr tree is a tree beyond this duniyya so it is no wonder that it provides such excellent medicinal values in all its parts and provides excellent nectar for bees to make the best honey. The Sidr trees from which the bees collect nectar in Yemen are growing wild and uncultivated in the desert areas.

Yemeni Sidr honey is produced and harvested in the most pure ways, the traditional ways which have remained the same for centuries. No chemicals or unnatural processes are ever used because this will spoil the purity of the honey. It is said that the Sidr honey from Yemen tastes better than those from other areas because the soil in Yemen is richer.

Yemen's beekeepers are strict in ensuring the honey's purity and potency and will allow their bees to die rather than feed them with sugary syrup. Typically, bees of a certain hive make 37,000 trips just to make half a kilo of honey but bees fed solely on the nectar of the Sidr flower die after making about 3 trips! The weaker bees cannot withstand the potency of the nectar of this remarkable tree. (Information sourced from http://sidrhoney.tripod.com/id9.html)

Allah swt said about bees,

“From their bellies comes a drink of varying colours, containing healing for mankind. There is certainly a sign in that for people who reflect."(Surat an-Nahl: 69)

Rasulullah said that there are three types of healing for mankind,

“A gulp of honey, cupping, and branding with fire (cauterizing). But I forbid my followers to use (cauterization) branding with fire." (Sahih Bukhari)

I have used Sidr honey regularly for the past four years and found it remarkably improved my respiratory health and reduced the severity of cold and flu. Also, whenever I had that feeling to eat but didn't know what I wanted to eat, I just ate a spoonful of honey and the hunger sensation went away.

I know sisters who have used Sidr honey mixed with warm water and cinnamon to lose weight, grow back hair on bald patches, heal wounds and burns, reduce sinus pain, kidney problems, irregular heart beat and as an antihistamine.

The only downside to Yemeni Sidr Honey is the cost. 500gms of B grade honey costs $50, the same amount in A grade is near $100. However, the benefits are many and well worth the investment.

Here is a short list of some of the common ailments that can be treated with Sidr Honey.

Arthritis

Hair Loss

Bladder Infections

Toothache

Cholesterol

Colds

Infertility

Upset Stomach

Heart Diseases

Immune System

Indigestion

Influenza

Pimples

Skin Infections

Weight Loss

Cancer

Fatigue

Bad Breath

Hearing Loss

Bed-Wetting
Constipation

Accidents, Cuts and Burns

More info can be found from Dr. Muhammad Salim Khan who is a doctor from the Swat Valley in North Western Pakistan.

http://sidrhoney.tripod.com/id9.html

buy Yemeni Honey online:
http://www.alfitrah.net/index.html

Fit and Strong in Body, Fit and Strong in Iman

2009-06-20T14:10:00.003+03:00

As a muhajirah, I find I need to work hard in keeping myself fit and strong as much as I need to work on keeping my iman fit and strong. If one goes down, so does the other and that spells trouble when you are alone and far from the vestages and comforts of "home".

Allah swt gave us our body as a vehicle for our soul and if we don’t take good care of it He swt may take it from us. One of the blessings from Allah that is most overlooked is the blessing of free time and good health, as mentioned in the hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas:

The Prophet said, "There are two blessings which many people lose: health and free time for doing good." (Sahih Bukhari)

As our body is an amana from Allah, we need to take care of it. You wouldn’t go filling your car with lemonade because it is bad for your car and it won’t work properly. So, same thing for your body. If you fill it with poor quality fuel, it won’t work properly either. A balanced diet will keep your body working properly and supply you with the energy you need to get through your days and maintain good levels of ibada.

Exercise when done in moderate amounts (we don’t want to be extreme in anything, and extremes in exercise also have negative effects – keep to the middle road), in combination with healthy eating will increase your energy levels. This is a great thing for fighting shaytan when he whispers to you not to worry about Sunnah prayers and witr after isha, or whispers telling you not to worry about qiyamat ul-lail.

Maintaining good health is not merely a case of eating a balanced diet and exercising. We must also look after our mental and spiritual health. As Muslims we have lots of excellent exercises for this. For a start we have the five daily prayers which are a time to stop what we are doing and remember Allah with our body by completing the actions of the prayer perfectly. We have dhikr to protect us from evil and depression and we have actions which cleanse us such as giving zakat and sadaqa.

Some of us may agree that physical health and fitness is inextricably linked to iman. The more we keep fit and healthy, the better we feel, the better our mental state, and the higher our iman and ability to cope with trials. When exercise stops, iman slowly weakens along with the body.
People who are doing anything purely for the sake of Allah will be tested harder and shaytan will work overtime to take you away from that path or to corrupt your niya (intention).

I recommend anyone planning on hijrah fi sabilillah to keep to a health and fitness regime. If you do anything for Allah swt, He will not let your efforts go to waste.

Rebuilding Yemen’s Mudbrick Treasures

2009-04-03T17:21:00.005+03:00

This article is from Yemen Today Magazine, written by Will Raynolds.

From the ancient dam at Marib to the highland fortifications of stone hewn by Himyarite hands, Yemen has a rich tradition of ambitious construction. More recently, Yemeni architecture has received considerable recognition on the global stage, with three cities listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites: the mud brick city of Shibam, the Old City of Sana’a, and the historic town of Zabid. Additionally, restoration projects in Shibam, Anaf and Radah have received the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

Now, one of Yemen’s most masterful architectural traditions, the earthen architecture of the Hadhramaut Valley, has suffered a tremendous blow. The flooding at the end of October resulted in the tragic loss of over 200 lives and the damage or destruction of over 3,500 homes, almost all of them made of mud brick. The Hadhramaut enjoys one of the highest concentrations of earthen architecture anywhere in the Middle East, or indeed the world. Unlike the buildings of the Yemeni highlands which are generally made from stone, the traditional architects, masons, and artisans of the Hadhramaut build out of mud from the earth. Indeed, the Hadhramis have taken the techniques of earthen construction to a new stature, and their mud brick buildings are unparalleled in both their scale (some as high as 9 stories) and decoration (styles ranging from Indian Mughal to Art Deco).

From the steppes of China to the fringe of the Sahel in Mali, people around the world have found that living in earthen buildings is one of the best ways to beat the heat. Such traditional building technology also performs well in the Hadhramaut, where thick mud-brick walls insulate against the daily and seasonal temperature extremes of the arid climate. The mud bricks themselves are made of a combination of clay-rich soil and water The water is added to the soil until it is plastic enough to be shaped into a brick but still dry enough to retain this form on its own.

Brickmakers pack the raw slurry into molds of uniform dimensions, laying rows of unfinished bricks on the ground to dry in the sun. Under optimal drying conditions, the bricks will be dry enough to tilt on their sides after a day, allowing the underside to dry out more thoroughly.

Within a week, the bricks will have cured completely and are ready to be incorporated into a building. Mud brick masons in the Hadhramaut typically build during the winter months, starting with a thick foundation course so that the building will be able to support multiple stories. They complete one story per year, forming the walls with mud-bricks joined with a more clay-rich mortar. After the completion of a story, they leave the roof open, allowing the walls a chance to thoroughly dry. Therefore, before they can start construction on the subsequent story, they must first fashion the roof of the floor below from a lattice of woven reeds and beams made from the termite resistant ‘ilb wood.

Generally, these Hadrami buildings perform exceptionally well, even under the rains of the Indian Ocean Monsoon. Yemeni builders have developed several different lime plaster coating systems, preventing water from infiltrating and compromising the structure of a mud brick building. Local artisans typically classify these lime-plasters according to three broad headings: nurah, neat lime plaster typically used for sealing a building’s exterior; malis, a polished lime plaster often used for floors and wainscoting in a building’s interior; and ramad, a pozzolanic lime plaster that can harden under water.

All of these materials are made from limestone, which is quarried locally from outcrops with the help of explosives. Raw limestone boulders are stacked in a honey-comb pattern inside of a kiln, where they are exposed to the intense heat of a fire fueled by old tires, palm wood, and other flammable materials. After stoking the fire continuously for two days, lime makers will remove the boulders from the kiln. While these rocks physically appear to be the same as they were going into the kiln, the heat has chemically transformed the limestone from calcium carbonate into calcium oxide, or quicklime. Workers bundle the quicklime into rice bags and transport it to a slaking facility, where the boulders are placed into a vat and water is poured over their tops. This step initiates another chemical transformation, turning calcium oxide into calcium hydroxide, or lime putty. Because this reaction is quite vigorous and emits a large amount of heat, this is the most dangerous part of the entire process. When water is first poured on the boulders of quicklime, they literally explode. As the mixing continues, the reaction dies down, but the vapors wafting off the mixing vat remain caustic. Putty-mixers must be cautious because long term exposure can result in lung-damage and blindness. However, putty-makers often stand over the lime all day, beating the product by hand with long wooden clubs to break up unreacted lumps and attain the right consistency.

After achieving an even mix, this lime putty is ready to be applied to a building in the form of nurah, malis, or ramad. Once it is applied to the surface of the mud bricks, the putty hardens as it is exposed to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Calcium hydroxide becomes calcium carbonate, which is another name for limestone. In this way, the artisans of the Hadhramaut are not just applying beautiful decoration to their buildings, they are literally protecting them with layers of stone. However, the unprecedented severity of the storm in October overwhelmed these defenses. Many buildings were only partially coated with lime plaster, allowing the strong and continuous rain to penetrate and undermine the foundations of buildings in places where the mud brick was still exposed.

Following the flood, Yemen has been fortunate to receive relief funding from its neighbors and other foreign governments, most notably Saudi Arabia, which has donated $100 million. Certainly, much of this money must be dedicated to providing food, medicine and temporary housing to the flood victims. However, Yemen must also allocate funding and strive to repair and rebuild the buildings damaged by the disaster. The elaborate construction process outlined above involves multiple industries, employing thousands of people throughout the Hadhramaut, all beneficiaries of efforts to rebuild the many buildings which have been lost. The knowledge and art required to accomplish such an ambitious project are very much alive and well, and remain among Yemen’s greatest archaeological assets. In past years, international organizations such as the Deutch Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) have played a commendable role in incorporating the building arts into their broader scheme for sustainable development. Now Yemen must decide what role the traditional builders will play in the reconstruction following the flood. Let us hope that the brightest day of Hadhrami earthen architecture has yet to come; that the greatest mud-brick buildings in the Hadhramaut have yet to be built.

The Funny and Absurd of Yemen List

2009-03-20T13:41:00.004+03:00

Please share your funny and absurd Yemen experiences. I am in need of a laugh!

1. Street vendor wearing a cardboard pizza box as a hat

2. Kid riding a goat to school

3. Something resembling dried mud all over people’s faces – I later learnt it was some kind of traditional sunscreen for the shepherds

4. Yemeni sidr honey cures EVERYTHING, seriously, I used it for every single medical issue and had success every time

5. A wedding for a sister where a large number the attendees chose to stay in full hijab.

6. Getting feeled up during a body search by a mean looking police woman in order to gain entry to a wedding party

7. Someone in need of a ride randomly jump onto the roof of a car while it was in traffic

8. Young boys selling locally grown fruit at the market like seasoned professionals

9. Man taking his goat on the bus and having it wee all over him

10. Wild and woolly looking Bedouin men with ak-47s all over the town to celebrate eid

11. Hilarious spelling mistakes in signs and billboard posters (Sorry I don’t have photos of them)

12. Village mud house toilets

13. Men chewing so much qat that they can’t keep it in their mouths as they speak and spit green foam all over the place

14. Giving an old woman money thinking she was begging when she was actually saying hello to us because she could see we were foreigners. (oops)

15. Going to buy some flour only to find that the smallest bag is 50kg

16. Babies chewing gum

17. Men holding hands as they walk along the street does not mean they are gay

18. Being bitten by a camel

19. Yemeni women carrying 100kg of stuff on their head and still walk with more grace and decorum than me

20. Kudam bread

21. Salta (traditional Yemeni dish also referred to as sludgy green stuff by sceptical foreigners)

22. 5 star hotels have more security guards than ‘enemy’ embassies.

Settling into Sana'a

2009-03-13T10:16:00.003+03:00

This is by no means an extensive guide, but just some of my observations about how I and other people got basic things done.

If you plan on making Hijrah to Yemen and you don’t speak any Arabic, best you start studying hard. I wouldn’t recommend single sisters making hijrah to Yemen without any ansar to assist them upon arrival and for the rest of your life in the country.

Finding accommodation:

You can go into apartment blocks and knock on doors to ask the occupants if there are any apartments available. Most apartment blocks have a “haris” watchman and he will know everything about his block and if nothing is available, maybe he can phone a friend for you. You can also look for an apartment through a real estate office, but this method is for muhajireen with a bigger budget.

Single sisters without mahram may have problems signing a lease contract. Many landlords won’t even consider allowing a sister without mahram lease an apartment from them. It is not to be nasty but because if anything happens to you, he might be held responsible. Some landlords will lease an apartment to you once you have a letter from your employer saying that if anything happens, the landlord will not be held responsible. This is a serious issue in Yemen, for example, if you see someone lying in the street in need of first aid, don’t help! If they die and you are with them when they die, you can be charged with murder! That is what I have heard – I have not seen myself any reports of it actually happening, just that it could happen.

Rent prices for small apartments that are decent and have clean water pipes and no vermin start from around $US150 per month (small apartment). The average for a decent 2br place is $US200-250 per month. (approximate prices at time of writing).

Utilities: Reminder – if you don’t speak Arabic, study!

Electricity: You can pay electricity at the post office, which is a hectic place. Queuing is not well established in Yemen, in fact, orderly queuing is not well established in many countries. So to pay your bill at the post office, you need to get in and mix with it and inshaAllah the men will get out of your way. More likely, all electricity issues will be dealt with by the haris. Make sure you see the electricity bill rather than just take his word for it that it costs 20,000 riyal. In reality, a monthly electricity bill will be in the vicinity of 5000-7000 riyal.

Blackouts are regular all over Yemen and are usually scheduled. If you live in the fancy areas, blackouts rarely occur. Brown outs are also a feature of the electricity system. You will find during brown outs that any appliance that generates heat – toasters, microwaves, kettles, hotwater systems, and flouro tube lights will slow down and sometimes become inoperable.

Water:
I don’t actually know if there is a town water supply in Sana’a. Out in my area and most areas I have seen, all the houses and apartments have water tanks that are filled up regularly by water truck. Water is a few thousand riyal per month (no more than $US20 per month). Organising a water truck is normally done by the haris. Be careful of paying, the haris may increase the amount for you because you are a foreigner.

Internet: If you want the luxury of internet at home, Yemen telecom is the main provider. Personally I would not bother with the hassle of getting connected and the monthly trip to pay the fees. Internet cafes are cheap and many have separate women’s sections. Ten minutes at the internet cafe will cost 30-40 riyal which is around 15 cents.

Phone: Like internet, I wouldn’t bother myself with getting connected. Mobile phones are easier and you can buy credit anywhere. To purchase a sim card you will need to provide your passport for identification purposes. It doesn’t matter if your visa is expired, they only want your ID page. Public phones are also very easily accessible and you will find them everywhere.

Postal System: If you want to send mail overseas, registered postage is cheap and generally reliable. If you want to receive mail, you can get a post box which is around 5000riyal per year. Otherwise once you find a job, employees can usually have their mail sent to the company address. Another way to receive mail is to just provide the sender with your mobile number and the post office will call you to pick up your mail (this is for registered mail).

Police: There are police everywhere. I have never seen a place with so many police and military personnel hanging around. If you get busted for a traffic infringement, you will need to pay up, then the police will usually let you go. They don’t earn much so this supplements their $80 per month wage. Apart from being all over the streets, the police also fill the cafes and drink shops.

Garbage collection:

There is a garbage collection service in Sana’a, though you might be forgiven for thinking otherwise. I have been told by good authority that just a few years ago, Sana’a was drowning in garbage, where as now you only find it along the edges of the roads and in trees. When the wind picks up, so does the garbage. Plastic bags are a major problem and they travel far in the wind but make a spectacular site as they decorate trees, fences and electricity wires around the country. The red and green bags are particularly attractive, colouring a drab brown landscape. I have also seen these bags decorating the desert sand areas, mountain passes and the gastro-intestinal tracts of camels. So when in Yemen, start a trend and use re-usable bags. Say no to plastic!

Driving:

Hire cars are expensive. And to buy a car is ridiculously expensive, even a beat up old car can cost a few thousand American dollars. If you do have the opportunity to drive in Sana’a you will have a fun time. There are not a lot of road rules apart from making sure you drive on the right hand side (fun for English and Australian muhajireen).

You must have a driver’s license. In the past, licenses were not essential and in village areas are still optional, but in the cities they are now compulsory. All you need to do is take your current license to the licensing department. They will give you a small driving test then issue a license.

Getting Married in Yemen

For muhajiraat to get married in Yemen, a letter of no objection is required from her embassy. At last look, men do not need this letter but things may change as Yemen steps up security and red tape to assist USA fight Islam and to harass muhajireen.

Once you have the required papers, the rest is simple. Just go to the Sharia’ah court and sign the papers then the government will issue an official marriage certificate.

A shara’an marriage certificate of aqd from the sheikh is not enough proof of marriage and will not be accepted by hotels or police checkspoints.

Looking for Work in Yemen

2009-03-07T10:01:00.003+03:00

Like much of the Arab world, if you know someone, you’re in. Looking for a job in Yemen is made easy if you know people.

What if you don’t know people?

You can cold canvas by sending your CV to potential employers. Send it online, and also hand deliver as many as you can in person. Yemen is generally easy going and if you deliver your CV in person, you may make a new friend and all of a sudden you know someone and they know people which, inshaAllah, leads to you getting a job faster.

The American School in Sana’a did not want to employ me as a single woman in town alone but said they would have no hesitation employing me if I had a husband here. They would employ us both because they preferred to hire couples. So, no joy for us singles! Really it is good news because it is a kafir school with kafir kids in it doing lots of kufr.

Many schools and institutes for English language only want American speakers and no use putting on an American accent because they want American passports too. Once such organisation is the very well organised YCMES (Yemen Centre for Middle Eastern Studies). For American sisters thinking of working there: you will have to teach mixed classes – men and women all together. YCMES provides its teachers with accommodation and Arabic lessons. YCMES does not run on Islamic principles and advertises its adherence to US Peace Corps values – need I say more?

There are also a few schools that only wanted British passport holders with British accents, such as the Queens School, but once again these establishments were weak in Islamic principles.
AMIDEAST are more accommodating to the different Englishes and the pay is reasonable at $US11-$26 per day (this is good pay in Yemen, some Yemenis only earn $26 per month!). They are also very prompt in replying to emails and have offices in Sana’a, Hodeidah, Aden and Mukalla (Hadhramout).

There are plenty of private schools employing foreign teachers, such as An-Nahdha school (near Al-Iman University), which is semi-Islamic quasi secular nationalistic. Yemen Modern School – using American curriculum is a completely secular school with a mix of Muslim and non-Muslim students, and various foreign schools (British, American, Turkish, Pakistani).

For an Islamic alternative, Academiya Islamiya run by Shaikha Asma Zindane is an option. The school is expanding and is especially looking for male teachers for the proposed boys’ campus. You don’t need a teaching degree, you just need to be a strong adherent to Sunni Islam, be trustworthy and have some basic life experience. The school tries to put Islam first as much as they can without the Government closing them down. The downside to working at Academiya Islamiya is the low pay. You will need to take some private tutoring jobs to survive – but at least you’ll have a visa and halal environment.

Teaching is not the only job available to muhajireen. Medical professionals are also highly prized and there are some good hospitals in Sana’a, Aden and Hodeida. The Uloom al-Technology University is also a hospital and employs medical professionals as well as teachers for health and medical related subjects as well as English. Classes are not mixed.

Teaching is by far the easiest job to find and if your Arabic is not strong it isn’t a problem. If you have a Masters degree in anything, you can apply for instructor positions at the various Universities and if you have only a secondary school certificate but are a native English speaker you can get a job in schools or take students for private tutoring.

Remember everything is slow in Yemen, so once you have applied for jobs, be patient but do follow up your applications regularly and make sure you have names and numbers.

If your visa expires while you are still looking for work, you can try get an extension from the Ministry of Interior, or you can let it expire and when you get a job, pay any fines. I am not sure which is the cheaper or easier option but for the sake of legitimacy try get the extension!

Do you have any Yemen job hunting tips or information? Please feel free to share your experiences with us.

The Ubiquitous Bus - Getting around in Sana'a

2009-03-03T17:30:00.004+03:00

In any Yemeni city, town, village or remote stretch of road you are likely to find a dubab (minivan bus), not to be mistaken for thubab (fly).

In Sana’a you can get almost everywhere on a dubab or two, or sometimes three. There are no actual bus stops, all you need to do is stand on the side of the road and wave one down. They’ll stop if they have space for you, and sometimes stop even if there is no space – so hold on tight!

Generally you would never have to wait more than a few minutes for one of these dubabs to come along, except if you are a woman. If a bus is full of men, you will have to wait until one comes along that already has a woman in it, or has a whole row seat vacant. If you travelling on the dubab alone and no other women get on the bus during your ride, you will have to pay for two seats because the driver feels he is missing out on making money on the seat beside you because non-mahram men and women do not sit beside each other in the dubab. Sometimes the men don’t mind re-arranging their seating by squashing five men into a seat made for three in order to accommodate a sister in Islam.

I haven’t had any bad experiences on the dubab buses, but there have been reports of men sitting behind women and sliding their hand under the seat in front – which would be very disturbing for the sister sitting there! There are also regular occurrences of people falling off, especially children.

Prices for rides on the dubab are very reasonable. Most trips cost 20 riyal (approx 15c at the time of writing). A trip in a taxi of the same distance would cost around 300-400 riyal, so you can see that the dubab is good value and readily available with minimal fuss (when travelling by taxi you need to negotiate the price before getting in).

If you aren’t sure which bus to get on, it is not a problem to ask. The bus is full of people who know where they are going and will let you know if it is the right bus. At main bus gathering areas there are ‘conductors’ who have a face full of qat (mild narcotic plant) and take commission off the bus drivers for finding passengers. They will put you on the right bus – but of course, you will have to know where you are going and know it in Arabic!

Arriving

2009-02-27T11:02:00.007+03:00

It is possible to get a tourist visa on arrival, but to avoid hassles I strongly recommend any travellers heading to Yemen to get a visit visa before arriving. Prices of visas vary depending upon where you get it. (200 dirham from UAE, around $US65-70 from USA).

Sana’a International airport is the main destination for flights entering Yemen, however, you can also fly in to Aden International in the south of the country. Gulf Air runs services from many destinations via Bahrain, Yemenia flies direct from many destinations in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. Oman, Qatar airways, Emirates and Ethiopian airways also fly frequent services from their base cities to Sana’a.

The decent into Sana’a is picturesque. You can see small clusters of mud houses and lush green terraced gardens (probably qat plantations) stepping their way down the hillside. The mountains have an interesting form and you can see all the treaded paths along the sides of them. Once you have landed and are taxiing to the terminal you will have the opportunity to see dead aeroplanes sitting all over the place – once flying ships now home to birds.

Sana’a International Airport is still very basic and passengers disembark the aircraft by stairs onto the tarmac then onto buses to the small terminal building. The climate of Sana’a is very pleasing and you will feel its freshness as you step off the plane. The weather is probably the best thing about Sana’a, summer not too hot and winter not too cold.

Sisters travelling alone:

I arrived in Yemen during the time of the 5th Sada’a war (war against shi’ah Houthi separatists in the northern province of Sada’a), so security was extra tight.
I got in, but I was stopped at the gate for some time for questioning before being allowed through and my baggage was specially tagged for searching. I opted not to wear niqab and long khimar for the trip because I heard about a sister who travelled to Sana’a alone and was questioned by armed security men upon arrival. I have also received a number of reports of single sisters being refused entry and returned on the next flight out. I found this to be rather disappointing as I watched many lone kafir women travellers waltz through the gates without any problems. May Allah swt guide them to Islam. Amin.

Transport out of the airport to the city is not a problem. There are taxis which have a fixed fee of 2000 Yemeni riyal which works out to be around $10 - expensive for Yemeni standards - you will not pay anything near that price for taxis anywhere else.

The highway towards town from the airport is usually very busy, but I had arrived at qat chewing time, so the traffic was flowing smoothly. I wasn’t expecting much from Yemen so I was not surprised with the lack of development I saw along the highway heading through Rawdah area. Along the way if you look to your left you can see clusters of traditional mud houses amongst the grey brick development.

There was a particularly highly armed military road block along the way complete with a battle tank sitting on the curb just in case. The police/military are not that interested in a vehicle when they see it is full of women, so we had no problem and were not held up like some others. At the time of writing this, a good 6 months after the end of the Sada’a war, the battle tank is no longer at the checkpoint, but all roads out of Sana’a have police check points posted along them.

One of the first things that marvelled me as we travelled through the city was the external brick and stonework of buildings and the windows. Almost all buildings are made from grey breeze blocks, but the Yemenis take the effort to tile the outside surfaces with varying shades of small stone slabs. These slabs range from white to dark grey, and some have green tinges and are arranged in attractive patterns. This practice has given Sana'a a distinct character of which I never felt in the Gulf countries.

I was also quite impressed by the coloured glass windows atop almost every window and door. They cheer up the interior and at night make a beautiful display.

Boycott 1 2 3

2009-02-19T20:31:00.002+03:00

I was sitting back relaxing while sipping peacefully on my favourite chocky milk. I noticed that the packaging had changed since the last time I’d bought it. It featured an easy to read nutritional information display and...DANONE!!!! Oh, woe is me, how often has this happened in these past years. My favourite childhood treats have gone the way of Nestles or Danone. It was a sad day that another old friend parted company. Now I have lost all my old mate dairy products, half the cereals, most of the cleaning products and all the fast food chains.

In 1945, before the State of Israel came into existence, the Arab League declared a boycott on all Jewish/Zionist (these two terms were used synonymously) products and services, as well as those who do business with them and the people who do business with the people who do business with them. So there were three layers of boycott just to be safe.

As time passed, the boycott weakened as financial desires grew and all the Arab League countries ditched the tertiary level of the boycott. A little more time passes and all the GCC countries and friends stopped the second level of the boycott (the level which includes most of the products on the latest boycott lists).

It is up to us then! I think it would be near impossible to practice all three levels of boycott, but for sure it is possible to maintain the primary and secondary levels. Whether or not you agree with the Islamic evidences for boycotting, it is a duty on us to:

“Make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war to threaten the enemy of Allah and your enemy...” (surah al-Anfal:60)

We the regular people, the masses, may not be able to fight our enemy in war but we can do as much as we can in preventing our money going to undesirable ends. Boycott is a legitimate method to wage war without military force. Spend in the way of Allah, not in the way of taghut.

“Spend in the Cause of Allah and do not throw yourselves into destruction (by not spending your wealth in His Cause), and do good, truly Allah loves the good doers.” (surah Al-Baqarah: 195)

“O Prophet, strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them, their abode is Hell – and worst indeed is that destination” (surah At-Tauba:73)

We will be questioned on qiyyama about every single cent we spent in our lives. How would you feel if you paid for the bullet which killed your brother or sister? Boycotted products may not be haram, but if you have a conscience, you’ll boycott.

Not a Holiday!

2009-01-27T11:19:00.004+03:00

Sometimes when a woman is menstruating and is asked if she is going to pray, she replies with the euphemism ‘I’m on holiday’. I can understand the want of a woman to hide or down play embarrassment about not praying due to her period, but to say ‘on holiday’ is, whether she knows it or not, offensive and negative towards the act of praying.

It could be interpreted in two ways. One being that the woman means holiday in a sarcastic way and is not at all happy about the situation of not praying.

The other way and the way that seems most obvious to me is that the woman is happy with the laziness of not having to leave what she is doing, get up, make wudoo and pray. She can sleep in at fajr and may even leave some other acts of ibada that are done around the prayer, such as dhikr. For this type of woman, it does seem there are some holiday qualities. Allah(swt) reminds us on a number of occasions in His Book that this life is the enjoyment of deception

“...the life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception.” Surah Aal Imran: 185
“And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement but far better is the house in the

Hereafter for those who are pious (muttaqun). Will you not then understand?” Surah al-An’aam: 32

The time of not praying is not really a holiday, holidays are fun, menstruation is not. Not praying is certainly not fun, especially in times of turmoil, the worst thing in these times of trial is not being able to pray or during times of big decision making, you may feel that your istikhara is not complete due to not being able to pray the two rakah. (during menstruation you can still say the du’a of istikhara when seeking Allah’s guidance with decisions).

Now that the world is at war with our deen, we want to be praying more than ever, so referring to not praying due to menstruation as a holiday is a reflection on how lightly some of us are taking the deen. Besides, even if you were on holiday, would you not pray while there?

Using the word holiday in this context can also be interpreted as mocking the religion and belittling the act of prayer. Narrated Abu Hurayrah (raa), the Messenger of Allah (sas) said that the only thing between a man and disbelief is prayer. Indeed the women are excused during the time of menstruation and do not need to make up their missed prayers, but all I am advising is not to use the term holiday and respect the salat and its importance in our religion.

My advice to the women is to still get up at fajr when not praying to remember your Lord and to help prevent any bad habits slipping in during that time. Make the du’a at the times of the adhan and make dhikr between adhan and the iqama. For my sisters in the west you need to be particularly observant due to not having the adhan to remind you, so keep an eye on your watch. Better still, start making plans for hijrah.

Walking In Abu Dhabi Part 3

2009-01-09T16:50:00.006+03:00

Winter in Abu Dhabi is beautiful. Such wonderful weather for walking! Beautiful blue skies, white sands and palm trees – just like walking at the beach, except that there is no ocean, just sand and more sand.

I walked to and from school almost every day during the cooler months. Not only was it good exercise but it also gave me time to think and to do dhikr of Allah (swt). My job was difficult and frustrating and walking helped me vent without violence.

One morning on my way to school, I decided to take a different route to the main road by taking a short cut across a sand field. As I neared the edge of the field I noticed an animal scamper under one of the green desert bushes. I looked carefully and found it to be a green parrot with its wing and tail feathers cut off. I felt I couldn’t leave it there in that state. I thought perhaps it was something put in my path by Allah (swt) as an opportunity to show rahmah (mercy) and get hasanat (rewards from Allah). I decided I would look after it until its feathers grew back and let it fly free

I caught the bird easily and wrapped it in my jacket. It squirmed a little but after a few minutes it settled down. I walked to school with the bird and put it in box with some water for the day.

I didn’t walk home that day on account of the bird. I took the bird home and put it in the room adjoining the bathroom and left it alone to get accustomed to its environment. It was not long before I heard it chirping loudly from the bathroom window ledge.

I didn’t know what to feed it so I fed the bird porridge made from rolled oats with date syrup mixed in, apples, some seeds that are actually intended for human consumption, and eventually I found a supermarket with some birdseed intended for birds.

It was a wild and aggressive bird, but very intelligent. It used to surprise me with some of the things it did. And it knew that I was the provider of the food. If it heard me go into the kitchen it would stand in front of its food dish and look at me expectantly. Most of the day it sat on the ledge of the bathroom window trying to communicate with other birds flying by.

After a few months, many long feathers had grown back but not enough for it to fly effectively enough to be released. I was at the end of my work contract and planned to move on to a new destination but the bird was not ready for release. I ended up giving it to a fellow teacher from my school who already had one Indian Ringneck so it wasn’t too much of a problem for him to keep a second bird.

I never found out if the bird was ever released once its wings grew back, but at least I knew it went to a good home, to someone who wouldn’t cut its wing feathers off again.

I hope this green bird is not my last. May Allah give me a green bird in Jannah Amin.

We should never underestimate or forget the blessings of Allah (swt) upon us. It is easy to forget due to our busy lives, that is why for me, walking is a blessing because it gives me time to remember when I might otherwise forget. So, after three walks, these were just some of the blessings and rizq Allah (swt) bestowed upon me:

- A healthy body that is able to walk
- A safe environment to walk in
- Eyes to see my surroundings
- Exercise and fitness opportunity
- Good weather
- An Islamic bookshop
- Friendship of a good sister in Islam
- A clean supermarket
- A smooth shopping trolley
- Food
- A ride home in hot weather
- More food
- Good neighbours who remember Allah
- A green bird
- Time for dhikr and tasbih of Allah and His Creation

These are only the obvious bounties and rizq, there are plenty more that I don’t even realise, and so we must give thanks to Allah swt for the blessings that we know and don’t know, just as we ask forgiveness for the sins and shirk that we know of and that of which we are unaware of.

SubhanAllahi wa bihamdih, subhan Allahu l-Atheem.

Walking in Abu Dhabi Part 2

2009-01-04T08:18:00.007+03:00

I had done plenty of walking in the city and the areas of Bani Yas, Wathba and Khalifa City. I had noticed while in Khalifa City B that there was a large supermarket complex on the other side of the highway – in Shahama. So one Friday morning, I decided to check it out.

It was the second day of Ramadan and I had no food in my house, so I decided to walk to the supermarket that I had seen in the distance. I started walking, the sun had not yet reached full strength and still sat low and fat in the sky. The streets were dead. No cars and no people. It was surreal – a long stretch of desert highway, rows upon rows of identical houses squatting in white sand and not a soul to be seen.

The walk took longer than expected, two and a half hours, and when I reached the market complex, it was closed. Alhamdulillah I understood enough Arabic to read the sign on the door. I hadn’t wasted my morning, the supermarket would open in half an hour, so I sat in the shade and watched cars speed along the expressway. I also noted the absence of taxis, and wondered how I would get back home – I didn’t fancy a walking return.

I did my shopping in air-conditioned comfort with the smoothest trolley I had ever pushed. It glided over the smooth shiny floor. I only bought enough items so I would be able to carry them home if no taxis showed. By the time I had finished shopping the sun was high and hot, beating down on my clothes, hitting me in the head and stabbing me in my eyes.

I walked to the main road and waited a few minutes, and not a single car drove by, so I picked up my bags and started walking. I motivated myself with the concept that long walks such as this were character building and would make me stronger.

Distances in those flat empty areas can be deceiving. I could clearly see the electricity towers near my destination, but after an hour of walking I felt no closer. It was over 45°C with humidity so thick you could slice it with a knife. I was getting tired and my arms ached from carrying the shopping bags, so I made du’a for a taxi. I just kept walking with my head down to avoid the sun on my face (I was not yet wearing niqab) when a black car pulled over ahead of me. I felt nervous. Cars often stopped to offer me a lift, but I never accepted.

I approached the car apprehensively and looked in the tinted passenger window which scrolled down automatically and there in the driver’s seat was an Emirati woman with huge sunglasses looking back at me. Yes, she was offering me a lift, and this time, I accepted and got in. The woman told me I was crazy to be walking around in that heat during Ramadan. She lived nearby and it was not a problem for her to drop me off home. I made du’a for her. What a relief, another rahmah from Allah and I was returned safely to the forest of identical cuboid houses.

Amazingly I did not dehydrate myself too much or get a headache and went about my housework and Ramadan ibada unhindered. I needn’t have gone shopping at all that day because my beautiful neighbours delivered me a huge meal for iftar. And they continued to do this for the duration of Ramadan. May Allah reward them abundantly.

That day I loved Abu Dhabi, and gave thanks to Allah for opening the door to Hijrah for me and for blessing me with good neighbours.

(Picture somewhere in Khalifa City B)

2009-01-01T19:29:00.010+03:00

Walking in Abu Dhabi Part 1

Whenever I arrive in a new place, I try to find out about the history and I take a walk or two - very long walks. My first long walk on the Island took seven hours, zigzagging my way along the island, walking each street stretching the half the width of the Island. As I walked I took note of places I might need to know in the future. Walking often bore unexpected fruits. Gifts from Allah.

It was September and the weather was the hottest and most humid I had ever experienced. I was drenched in sweat and getting tired so I decided to walk just one more street - Hazza bin Zayed Street. I walked a past a sparkling new shopping mall – al-Wahdah Mall, then I walked on a little more and there it was...I had found an Islamic book store. Alhamdulillah for venturing down one more street! The book store had a modestly stocked English section and I checked out what books they had. As soon as I had stopped walking I fainted against the wall and remained there for a few minutes. No one noticed Alhamdulillah and when I regained consciousness, I asked the shopkeeper where I could find some Muslims.
I asked in my best Arabic, but the shopkeeper had no idea what I was saying, so he called a customer who had just entered the bookstore and asked him if he spoke English. The brother did speak English, and very fluently.

The brother wore a big beard and thawb and his wife wore the same type of khimar as me, the first time I had seen anyone wear this style since I had arrived in the country. The brother and I looked at the ground and I asked him, "Where can I find the Muslims, you know, real Muslims."
The brother laughed and then replied, "I know what you mean, wallahi sister, I don’t know where they are, but you can meet my wife." Which I did, Alhamdulillah and she turned out to be a very good and knowledgeable sister.

The first time I visited the sister at her apartment it was Ramadan. I did not realise that I was invited to break fast with her that night, I was under the impression that I was just dropping in briefly around thuhr time. We prayed together and after a conversation, I got up to leave and the sister was surprised. "No, no, no, you are staying for iftar," she told me. I felt embarrassed because if I knew I was coming for iftar I would not have arrived at her house so early.
The sister went off to deal with her children and while I was waiting in the majlis I fell fast asleep. I did not wake up until I heard the adhan for the asr prayer. I was now very embarrassed. Not only had I arrived so early not realising I was staying for iftar, but I had fallen asleep for three hours!

I apologised to the sister for my unscheduled slumber, and she smiled and said ‘sahtan’. It was probably a good thing for her because she could get her house in order without having to entertain a visitor.

The sister had cooked up a huge spread and encouraged me to eat until I had to say 'no' to her. I thought I might be sick. Movement had become difficult. I had definitely broken the rule of the three thirds hadith – instead of leaving one of the thirds for air, it too was full of food.
After praying isha, I headed home. Too much eating made me too lazy to walk to the bus station, so I opted for a taxi. No more walking for this day.

Who are the Strangers?

2008-12-24T17:41:00.005+03:00

I never explained why I chose to call my blog Glad Tidings to the Strangers. I aspire to be a stranger as referred to in the hadith of Rasulullah (sas):

"Islaam began as something strange and it will revert to how it began as something strange. So glad tidings of Paradise to the strangers"

Before I made hijrah I felt like a stranger in my country, and after I made hijrah I felt very strange. But being a stranger, in the way the hadith is referring is not just feeling like a stranger. I found this site by Shaykh Jamaal Ad-deen Zarabozo with a good tafsir on this hadith.

http://www.freewebs.com/salafiyyah_/gladtidings.htm

So, are you a stranger?

Website Review

2008-12-23T09:24:00.006+03:00

Hijra Information Forum @

http://www.hijra.net/

I found this to be a simple to use site that is not overburdened with endless forum categories.
I didn’t check out the home schooling forums, but I did take a look at the hijrah information and job seeking forums. I read people’s questions about places to which they are thinking to make hijra and some of the replies to these questions. By and large it seemed helpful, I even posted a few snippets myself.

I searched through the job offers and links and sent my CV to ten of the schools and advertisements listed. After two months waiting I did not receive any replies and I do not think it was due to my CV being lacking. Sadly the only reply I had in my inbox after all this time was a marriage proposal! Aoothubillah!

General hijrah information and questions about various individual countries are well replied to by fellow muhajireen. When you register as a user you are provided with an inbox and you can communicate directly with other users without posting publically.

I don’t recommend it for job searching, but take a look, maybe you will have some good nasib there and find a link to other recruitment agency websites.

The site is useful for those contemplating hijrah and those already in hijrah. You might be able to find some new friends in your new land.

Abu Dhabi UAE Part 1

2008-12-16T19:43:00.006+03:00

Thoughts on Hijrah to Abu Dhabi

For the Muhajir who wants to benefit from hijrah more than just hearing the adhan, UAE is not the best option. However, it may help you out as a half way destination.

Dubai is well known for its lack of Islam. The ruler of Dubai loves himself and loves his emirate to be the world’s playground, filling the place with fancy buildings and even fancier theme parks filled with kufar and people you would rather not know. It is a definite no-go area if you want to avoid munkar.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of UAE and is smaller than Dubai. Islamically, Abu Dhabi it is better, but it is following in the footsteps of Dubai, expanding at a great rate, opening music dance clubs and hosting international music pop-stars. Alcohol is easily attainable, and it is attained. I used to see groups of adolescent men sitting around drinking 7up and I thought it was a nice change to what I used to see in my country, but I was advised by someone in the know that they have mixed their 7up with alcohol.

If you visit the fancy places in Abu Dhabi you will see kufar, and you will see them in less than appropriate attire. I saw way too much awra, and they walk around the place as if they own it.
The Emirati population makes up less than 20% of the total population of UAE. I did get the opportunity to meet many Emirati women, and sadly they seem very far removed from reality. At least they are not flashing their awra, however, it is fashionable now to wear the hijab halfway down the back of the head to show off a nice shiny fringe of hair. MashaAllah I have to admit that they do have nice hair, but best they keep it to themselves. I did try to give some dawa to sisters, but was dismissed as some sort of freak. Generally, Emiratis are seriously affected by wahn (love of this life and hatred for death) but that is the story in any Muslim country.

I chose not to live in the city, instead opting for a town about 40 minutes drive out. I didn’t work in the city so it was fine for me to live so far out. Public transport is very poor (however this is changing), and traffic jams are normal. In the town where I lived, the people were very different to those in the city, I never saw a kafir and they even say salams when they pass you in the street.

If you can handle seeing kufar on a regular basis, pop-posters, wanton consumerism and bida’a, Abu Dhabi is a great place for the disciplined single sister to make hijrah to. Life is easy and you don’t need a mahram to get things done. It is clean and government departments are as streamline as the west.

You won’t be harassed in the street, unless you walk along unpopulated stretches of highway, as I did, attracting cars to stop and offer me a lift. Walking long distances is just not done!
There are no places to learn Islam other than government approved masjids. There is one for new Muslims in Madinat Zayed area, but you won’t learn anything about Islam that the government does not want you to know. I found it was not worth my effort to go there, besides they wanted too much of my personal details to sit in lectures. All the school syllabuses have been changed, removing anything about Jihad and some of the stories of Sahaba. Some schools named after Sahabi were forced to change their names. Very sad situation. The school where I worked tried to ban me from wearing black abaya and khimar because it was too extreme. Most private schools do not condone the wearing of black for sake of their secular modern reputations. Government schools on the other hand are still fine with black, but no niqab. I have been told that Sharjah (the emirate on the other side of Dubai) is the most Islamic of all the emirates and has no problem with black or niqab.

I won’t say, don’t do hijrah to UAE because definitely it is many times better than my home country, and given the opportunity I would consider returning, but be careful not to be distracted by all the fun available there and disintegrating conservatism.

Simple Tips for Hijrah Hopefuls

2008-12-12T11:35:00.005+03:00

Where to for Hijra?

From amongst the Muslims in my masjid back in my old (kafir) country, I never heard anyone say that they had no intention for hijrah and wanted to stay in the land of the disbelievers forever. Indeed, all said that they want to make hijrah but when you dig deeper and enquire about their plans, you find they have none, all they have is the notion in their head, or on their tongues at the most. Some are bewildered by the reality, as was I when I first had the notion that hijrah is better than staying behind.

Some attitudes people have that are holding them back from hijrah include:

- Haven’t got enough money to make hijrah.

- There aren’t any places to go for hijrah, all the Muslim countries are ruled by laws of kufr and puppet Arab governments.

- I can practice Islam in this (kafir) country better than I could in a Muslim country.

In regard to the first point, I agree that you do need funds. The second point, true all the countries are ruled by laws of kufr and can even be oppressive. In addition the visa problem is a headache, especially when whole families are moving. But I would not regard this as an excuse.

The last point is particularly worrying because it suggests complacency and contentment with living amongst the disbelievers and a lack of drive to establish an Islamic state (which is a whole new story). It suggests that the level of Islam that they are living at the moment is enough for them when in reality the Islam that they live in that place is merely the surface and largely ceremonial totally ignoring issues of Islamic governance. Rasulullah said that he is disavowed from those who choose to live at the backs of the mushrikeen, and that we should live far enough away from them that their fires cannot be seen. (Narrated Jarir ibn Abdullah in Sunnan Abu Dawood).

As for the excuse of money or places of hijrah, these are only temporary excuses because, according to Ibn Taymiyya, in the event of inability, the preparation becomes obligatory. Here are some tips for preparing oneself for the big move of hijrah fi sabilillah.

1. Intention: Make sure your intention is for Allah and not for other worldly gains. I found many muhajireen in the Gulf states who have made hijrah fi sabil al-maal (for money). In any case the Gulf states are not the best places to make hijrah but it is still a start, and perhaps you would consider using that money for Jihad al-Mal until you are able to go to Jihad yourself.

2. Study the virtues of Hijrah: the virtues of one who makes Hijrah in the Path of Allah are many. Study them and know what rewards you will be receiving once you take the step towards Allah. It will motivate you and Insha Allah, keep you focussed.

3. Network: Talk to people, maybe they know people in various countries that you could network with. Look online at jobs available and send your CV to some if possible.
Research: study the news, climate, living conditions, visa requirements of some countries you feel you are most likely to make hijrah to.

4. Stock up your skills: while working towards hijrah, do some courses to improve your chances of work, and perhaps increase your usefulness to the ummah.

5. Keep fit: Hijrah can be stressful and hard work, being fit and healthy helps combat stress and it also gives you strength to do more ibada.

6. Live simply: The standard of living in your country of hijrah is not likely to be the same as your home country. Simplify your living standards, eat less and simply (but keep it healthy), reduce junk foods and treats, get rid of the TV, get rid of the sofa, use less water and electricity and try not to create too much waste.

7. Make du’a to Allah swt.

Once a door opens to hijrah, pray istikhara and go for it!

Once you are in your country of hijrah, don’t expect it to be easy! Trials are likely to come at you, especially if you did it purely for Allah. He will test you. It can also be difficult to adjust to a new way of life, living conditions and climate. You may not have the same living conditions in hijrah as you did back in your old country so have sabr and give thanks to Allah swt for what he has given you. Look at those in a worse situation than you and be thankful to Allah.

Remember Allah swt tests us with what is relevant. If you don’t mind living rough, then it won’t be a test, so perhaps Allah will test you with loneliness, extreme weather or some other thing that is particular to you. Allah knows best how to test us as to ascertain the level of our iman.
Shaytan will want you to find it too hard and he will beautify the memories of your home land of kufr so that you will want to go back. One day I was feeling down and shaytan managed to make catching the metro train seem so beautiful to me! I hated catching the train, especially to the city where people would abuse and spit on me!!! Shaytan can only come into your mind if you let him. Remember to do the daily adhkar and protect yourself.

One last nasiha for the muhajireen is that if you find yourself stable in your country of hijrah, invite others and act like an Ansar. Send news home on what it is like in your hijrah and encourage your brothers and sisters to join the hijrah for Allah.

Ask me about options for muhajireen in Yemen.