The Unofficial Diary of Imran Ali
Assalamalaikum (Peace be on you), Dear Readers,
One day workshop on the topic “7 Major Sins” is being held in Hyderabad on 19th Feb 2012. Check out this exclusive event update by clicking the link below:
http://peacepropagation.com/7-major-sins-workshop/
If you are in Hyderabad, don’t miss it! 
This week, we conclude the Da’wah Webnair with a reminder with which we started- Importance of Da’wah.
An important reminder by Mir Imran Ali, President PPC (Hyderabad) who is currently pursuing his studies in Madina University.
Kindly register with www.wiziq.com and register for this course (link provided below).. Its FREE and is part of a series of online Da’wah workshop (FREE) scheduled to take place every Thursday at 2300hrs (IST-India).
Amongst the teachers will include Mansoor Danish, Areeb Islam, Umar Shariff, Imran Ali, Ashraf Mohamedy, Ismail Kamdar, Ateeq Ahmed and many more InshaAllaah ta’ala…
This week:
Topic: December 29th-Importance of Da’wah
Instructor: Ustadh Imran Ali (joining us from Madina)
Time: 2300hrs (India Standard Time +530GMT)
Link:
http://www.wiziq.com/
For any query please mail: iif.kolkata@gmail.com
My Daughter “Maryam Zahra” is now 5 months old. Finally met her for the first time since her birth, Alhumdulillah.
maryam zahra
Check out her Video:
And yes, Make dua for her!
Assalamualaikum (Peace be on you), Dear readers,
Have you ever wondered how your name would sound if it was spelt in Japanese? Well if you haven’t ever tried, then check it now. Below are the respective sounds against each alphabet of English. Just replace the spelling of your name with these:
Try your Name in Japanese :
A=ka
B=tu
C=mi
…D=te
E=ku
F=lu
G=ji
H=ri
I=ki
J=zu
K=me
L=ta
M=rin
N=to
O=mo
P=no
Q=ke
R=shi
S=ari
T=chi
U=do
V=ru
W=mei
X=na
Y=fu
Z=zi
For example, my name is Imran Ali. So to check it in Japanese, I will replace each alphabet of my name’s spelling with respective sound given in the list above.
Imran Ali —–>In Japanese—–> Kirinshikato Kataki
Type Your Name In Comments
Assalamalaikum (Peace be on you), Dear Readers,
Today (4th day of Ramadhan), fasting appeared to be a little heavy for me. I don’t know why, but i was gasping for water and food just within 8 hours after Suhoor (the food we have before starting to fast daily). My throat felt a little irritated yesterday due to the dust storm that lasted for nearly 30 minutes. Just before Suhoor, i could feel my body feeling a little weak.
However, i had my Suhoor and then went for Fajr Salah. After returning, i went straight to bed and slept immediately. I got up after 6 hours only to feel my body heating up with fever and a soar throat. That was when i started feeling the need of Water. I looked at the clock and the time was just 10 am. I was like “Ya Allah, another 8 hours to go before i can take a drop of water”.
The thirst and hunger kept on increasing exponentially and I was quite surprised the way my body behaved today. By Zuhr Salah, my head started aching due to thirst. To beat the time, I sat down to browse internet looking for something to read that will distract my mind and keep it away from the thoughts of hunger and thirst. It was then that my eyes fell on a picture, that instantly made me forget my hunger and thirst!
Check the picture below of a starving child and a vulture waiting to pounce on the child as soon as she dies:
Starving child with a vulture
This picture of starving child was taken by a South African photographer whose name was Kevin carter. He took this picture in 1993 in Southern Sudan, a place within the so called “Triangle of Death”. The Triangle of death refers to the area between Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia which has been suffering from famine for the past 2 decades. In this photo, a little girl is trying to reach the feeding center by crawling on the ground because she does not have enough energy to rise up and walk. On her way, she is resting for sometime to regain little energy before starting to crawl again. This is just to reach a place where she will get some food after many days!
The photographer was awarded “Pulitzer Prize” for this picture which flashed on nearly all the leading magazines that year. But cater was a very sensitive man, especially when it comes to human sufferings. He later committed suicide. It is believed that this picture of starving child stayed in his mind where ever he went.
Then I started checking up the statistics of famine around the world. Millions of people die every year because they have nothing to eat or drink! Isn’t this a shame on the entire humanity that even in this 21st century, we have people dying due to hunger? There is no balance of food across the world. In most of the parts, food is thrown away as an extra garbage because of its abundance. So many countries have restaurants where food goes as waste on a daily basis. People tend to order in excess and later they throw it because they don’t have place in the stomach to eat the extra food. And this extra food is then eaten by cats and dogs!
This picture of starving child speaks more than just about the Child and Vulture. Looking into it there is a sense of sadness, despair and coldness. The child, already weak due to days of hunger, is struggling to reach the feeding center to get something to eat, and the vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can feed on her.
Looking at this picture of starving child, a thought struck my mind that what if this child would have been my son? What if such a condition strikes us owing to our habit of wasting food and water? What if on the Day of Judgment Allah throws us into hell fire because we used to fill our stomachs so much that much of it ended up in garbage cans, yet never cared about others who died of hunger? Why are our pockets so tight when it comes to feeding poor while we shell out huge bucks to fill our stomachs and throw food in the garbage?
Alhumdulillah, I learnt a great lesson today. I was getting restless with the hunger that had to last for only 14 hours and which had to last within closed home with all the facilities to keep the body cool and comfortable. Not only comfort, but prior to those 14 hours of fasting, I had food up to my neck and after fasting too I was sure of filling my stomach. I forgot that there are people in the world who have not eaten for days together and are dying because of hunger. How selfish can I be!
Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) always cared for the poor and never allowed food to be wasted. He took great care not to leave any food on the plate. He stated that morsels and food that had been dropped should be eaten after cleaning the dust particles. On the other hand, he advised people not to be extreme in the act of eating and said “No person can fill a dish that is worse than his stomach”.
Fasting in Islam shows us a glimpse of what happens if Allah pulls away food and water from our life. Most of us do not even remember the great favors Allah has bestowed upon us and hence never thank him for it. We are always complaining for the things that we don’t have. This month of Ramadhan brings us to the point where we ponder over it and then thank Allah for bestowing his countless favors upon us.
I hope that just as I learnt a lesson from this picture of starving child, all of you will also get enlightened.
Please leave you comments!
Assalamalaikum Dear Readers,
Check out the advice of Late Shaykh Abdul Azeez Ibn Baz (May Allah have mercy on him) to students of Knowledge:
Islamic Etiquette Of Dialogue And Criticism – commenting on criticism among Du`ah ( Sheikh Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz )
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon our trustworthy Prophet Muhammad, his family, Companions and those who follow his Sunnah until the Day of Judgment.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) ordains justice and virtue; and forbids injustice, tyranny and aggression. He sent His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with the same Message of all the Messengers, which is the call to Tawhid (monotheism) and dedicating `Ibadah (worship) to Allah Alone. He asked him to establish justice and forbid any form of `Ibadah dedicated to anyone other than Allah, division and usurping people’s rights.
It has become prevalent nowadays that many of those who claim to be scholars and Du`ah (callers to Islam) backbite their fellow Du`ah and knowledge seekers, whether in private or in public. They might even record this on tapes to be distributed among the people, or in lectures they give in Masjids (mosques). This is contradictory to the commandments of Allah and His Messenger in many ways, including:
First, it is considered a violation of the rights of Muslims, even scholars and Du`ah who have done their best to enlighten people (Part No. 7; Page No. 312) and correct their `Aqidahs (creeds), and have exerted much effort in giving lectures and writing useful books, so they are among the best of Muslims.
Second, this violates the unity of Muslims and spreads division among them, although they are in dire need of unity and staying away from division and rumors, especially that Du`ah who are backbited against belong to Ahl-ul-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah (those adhering to the Sunnah and the Muslim main body) who are known for fighting Bid`ahs (innovations in religion) and superstitions, and exposing those who call to them. There is no interest for anyone to do this except our enemies, such as Kafirs (disbelievers), hypocrites, or those who commit Bid`ahs.
Third, this helps biased people, whether secularists, westernizers or atheists, who are known for spreading rumors about Du`ah and inciting people against them, in achieving their aims. The Islamic brotherhood should prevent Muslims from helping the enemies against their Muslim brothers, whether knowledge seekers, Du`ah or others.
Fourth, this misguides laypeople and scholars; spreads false rumors; leads to Ghibah (backbiting) and Namimah (tale-bearing); opens the doors to evil for those whose souls are weak, who spread rumors, arouse Fitnah (temptation) and harm the Mu’mins (believers) unjustly.
Fifth, most of the things claimed are untrue; they are just illusions made pleasant and inspired by Satan. Allah (Exalted be He) says, O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion; indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another.(Part No. 7; Page No. 313)
A Mu’min should interpret the words of their brothers in the best possible way. Some of the Salaf (righteous predecessors) said, “Do not take a word said by your brother ill, so long as it is open to a better interpretation.”
Sixth, if some scholars and knowledge seekers practice Ijtihad (juristic effort to infer expert legal rulings), there is no harm in that if they are qualified for Ijtihad. If others oppose them in that Ijtihad, they should argue with them in a mild way out of keenness on reaching Al-Haqq (the Truth) from the nearest way and resisting the insinuations of Satan among the Mu’mins. If this is not possible, and it is decided that they should be publicly opposed, this should be done in the mildest possible way, without aggression or severity, which might make them refuse Al-Haqq, and without attacking the people directly or judging their intentions. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to say, “I knew that some people said so and so.”
I advise those brothers who have backbitten Du`ah to perform Tawbah (repentance to Allah) of what they wrote or said, which misguided some young people, filled them with grudges, diverted them from seeking useful knowledge and practicing Da`wah, and occupied them with spreading rumors and tracing the mistakes of people deliberately.
(Part No. 7; Page No. 314)
I also advise them to expiate for what they have done, whether in writing or any other way, to clear themselves from such deeds and remove the effect of what they said earlier. They should also perform useful deeds that bring them closer to Allah and benefit the people; and beware of hastening to judge people as Kafirs, Fasiqs (people flagrantly violating Islamic law) or Mubtadi`s (those who introduce innovations in religion) without evidence. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, When a person calls his brother (in Islam) a Kafir, one of them will certainly deserve the title. (Agreed upon by Imams Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
It is prescribed for Al-Haqq seekers and learners to refer to the eminent scholars if they face something ambiguous in their words, so that they will clarify the matter to them and remove the doubts they have, according to Allah’s saying in Surah Al-Nisa’, When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or fear, they make it known (among the people); if only they had referred it to the Messenger or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them (directly). Had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allâh upon you, you would have followed Shaitân (Satan), save a few of you.
Allah is the One responsible for setting right the affairs of the Muslims; inclining their hearts to Taqwa (fearing Allah as He should be feared); guiding all the Muslim scholars and all those who call to Al-Haqq and to what pleases Him and benefits the people; gather them on guidance; protect them from the means leading to dispersion and disagreement; and make them support Al-Haqq and not falsehood. He is the Only One Capable of doing so. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, Companions and those who follow his guidance until the Day of Judgment.
(Part No. 7; Page No. 315)
First question:
Weeks ago, Your Eminence issued a declaration about criticism among Du`ah, which was interpreted by people in different ways. What is your opinion on this?
My advice to everyone is to give mutual advice to each other implicitly, not explicitly. The aim is to attract their attention to the mistake committed and clarify Al-Haqq, with no need to hurt certain people. May Allah grant everyone success!
Sheikh Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz, Chairman of the Departments of Scholarly Research,
Ifta’, Daw`ah, and Guidance ( http://www.alifta.com/Fatawa/FatawaSubjects.aspx?View=Page&&NodeID=4670&PageID=925&SectionID=14&SubjectPageTitlesID=95125&MarkIndex=3&0#commentingoncriticism )
Assalamalaikum (Peace be upon you), Dear readers,
There are many amongst us today who are openly publicly criticizing the mistakes of Daees and scholars. This advice of Sheikh Salih Al Fawzan should give them some hidayah:
Assalamalaikum (Peace be on you), Dear Readers,
I got an hilarious email this morning which i just couldn’t stop myself from posting here. This email talked about how the news would sound if the Obama – Osama game was reversed. Go through it below, its really funny. Along with being funny, it also has a message in it that everything is fictional, the events that happen around the world and how politicians play with it.
Read the email below which is like a news article:
American War Criminal Barack Obama has been killed by Pakistani security forces in the UK, Prime Minister Hasan Abdullah of Pakistan has said.
BREAKING NEWS: BARACK OBAMA IS DEAD
May 15, 2011 – American War Criminal Barack Obama has been killed by Pakistani security forces in the UK, Prime Minister Hasan Abdullah of Pakistan has said.
Barack Obama was shot dead at a compound near Camberley, in a ground operation based on Pakistani intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August.
Mr Abdullah said Pakistan forces took possession of the body after “a firefight”.
Barack Obama
Obama is believed to have ordered almost 200 attacks in North and South Waziristan between 2009 and 2011 in which almost 2000 people were killed, when he served as Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces.
Barack Obama is also believed to have ordered the continued bombardment of Afghanistan during the same period in which thousands of others were killed.
He was top of Pakistan’s “most wanted” list. DNA tests later confirmed that Obama was dead, Pakistani officials said.
Obama was cremated at the stake after a Christian funeral on board an aircraft carrier, ISI officials said.
Announcing the success of the operation, Mr Abdulla said it was “the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat the CIA”.
Pakistan has put Muslims around the world on alert, warning them of the possibility of American reprisal attacks for Obama’s killing. ISI director Mohammed Akram said America would “almost certainly” try to avenge the death of Barack Obama.
Crowds gathered outside the Red Mosque in Islamabad, chanting “Allah Akbar” after the news broke.
Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Mullah Jundullah said the operation sent a signal to the Neoconservatives in both the US and Britain. “You cannot wait us out, you cannot defeat us, but you can make the choice to abandon the CIA and participate in a peaceful political process,” she said.
Compound raided
Barack Obama, 60, approved the campaign of terror on Waziristan for almost three years in which nearly 2,000 people were killed.
He evaded the forces of Pakistan and its allies for almost a decade, despite a $50m (£30m) bounty on his head.
Mr Abdullah said he had been briefed last August on a possible lead to Obama’s whereabouts. He authorised the operation last week once he determined there was enough intelligence to take action.
“It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground,” Mr Abdullah said.
On Sunday, Pakistani forces said to be from the elite Badr Brigade undertook the operation in Camberley, Surrey, 50km (30 miles) south-west of London.
Pakistani officials said Barack Obama was shot in the head after resisting.
Mr Abdullah said “no Muslims were harmed”.
Pakistani media reports said that the body was cremated at the stake to conform with Christian practice of a dignified burial and to prevent any grave becoming a shrine.
Giving more details of the raid, one senior Pakistani official said a small Pakistani team conducted the attack in about 40 minutes.
Three other men – one of Obama’s brothers and two couriers – were killed in the raid, the official said, adding that Obama’s wife Michelle was also killed when she was used as “a shield” and two other women were injured.
One helicopter was lost due to “technical failure”. The team destroyed it and left in its other aircraft.
One resident, David Shields, told Reuters the helicopters had come under “intense firing” from the ground.
The size and complexity of the structure in Camberley “shocked” Pakistani officials.
It was surrounded by 4m-6m (12ft-18ft) walls, was eight times larger than other homes in the area and was valued at “a million dollars”, though it had no telephone or internet connection.
The Pakistani official said that intelligence had been tracking a “trusted courier” of Barack Obama for many years. The courier’s identity was discovered four years ago, his area of operation two years ago and then, last August, his residence in Camberley was found, triggering the start of the mission.
Another senior Pakistani official said that no intelligence had been shared with any country, including the UK, ahead of the raid.
“Only a very small group of people inside our own government knew of this operation in advance,” the official said.
The Camberley residence is just a few hundred metres from Sandhurst – the British equivalent of the Pakistani Military Academy.
The BBC’s Alan Matthews in Camberley says it will undoubtedly be a huge embarrassment to the UK that Obama was found not only in the country, but also on the doorstep of the military academy.
He says residents in the town were stunned the former American leader had been living in their midst.
The senior Pakistani official said the “the loss of Obama puts the Neocons on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse”.
Barack Obama’s probable successor, Tony Blair, was “far less charismatic and not as well respected within the organisation”, according to reports from captured Neoconservative operatives, the official said.
However, the root causes of Neoconservatism – the range of issues that enabled the Neocons to recruit disaffected young liberals to its cause – hatred of Islam, oil and power – remain, for the most part, unaddressed, Neoconservative affairs analyst Rajinder Harbin told the BBC.
“The death of Barack Obama will strike at the morale of the global ‘war on terror’, but is unlikely to end it,” he warned.
‘Momentous achievement’
World leaders welcomed the news of Obama’s death.
French President Jean Luc Blanc said Barack Obama had “paid for his actions”.
British Prime Minister Ed Milliband said the killing was a “great victory” but added that he “didn’t know the details” of the Pakistani operation.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Salim described the news as a “momentous achievement”.
“The fight against terror goes on, but tonight Pakistan has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done,” Mr Salim said in a statement.
But a spokesman for the English Defence League threatened revenge attacks against the “Muslamic and British governments and their security forces”.
In the Israeli enclave of Tel Aviv, which is governed by militant group IDF, Prime Minister Ariel Lieberman condemned the killing of “a peaceful man”.
BBC security correspondent Faraz Javed says that, to many in the Muslim world, Barack Obama became the embodiment of global terrorism, but to others he was a hero, a devout Christian who fought three wars in the name of democracy.
All events are purely fictional – but you knew that already, didn’t you?
End!
The above article does raise some serious thoughts. Truly, today the world follows the jungle law that is, “survival of the fittest” or “the powerful wins”. The above news can be made by anyone who is more powerful than the other and the weaker tends to get the beating, although the powerful one might be the real culprit!
What do you think about this article? Leave your comments
Assalamalaikum (Peace be upon you), Dear Readers
I just completed my first Umrah! Alhumdulillah.
On my way to have my head shaved after Umrah
The day finally came when i ventured out on Umrah and visited the most sacred place for Muslims in the world, The Glorious Kaba. I always wanted to be there, but circumstances in my life never allowed me to go. Or rather i should say the time had not come for me to visit the Holy city of Makkah until now.
I know a lot of you wonder that I, being a daee (preacher of Islam), did not pay visit to Makkah and Madinah and hence did not do my Umrah and Hajj till now. Although i traveled to quite a few countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Dubai etc; but Saudi Arabia was always left out for some reason. Honestly, i tried quite a few times, but something or the other happened and i couldn’t go. Once i had planned completely, but my vacation got cancelled.
Later i also had my Umrah visa stamped for the same, but then due to an emergency i had to cancel it again. Similarly, for Hajj me and my mother applied through the government quota for three consecutive years, but we did not get selected for it. There were many instances when i tried, but i just couldn’t make it.
Truly, the time has to come for one to complete a particular obligation like Umrah or Hajj. And the time finally came when i ventured out on the path of Knowledge to Madinah. My Journey of knowledge took me first to Makkah (Mecca) on Umrah and then to Madinah (Medina).
I arrived in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. The very next week i ventured out on Umrah to Makkah. There are several ways to reach Makkah, however i opted for a Bus. The Umrah bus leaves Riyadh on every Monday and Wednesday and brings us back to Riyadh by Friday night.
I took the bus from Riyadh which started probably at 4 pm on Monday. It took us 10 hours to reach Makkah. On the way, we stopped at Meeqat, that is at Taif which is the meeqat for those who go from Riyadh. I put on my Ihraam at meeqat and thus my Umrah began. The bus reached our hotel in Makkah at around 3 am in the morning, giving us time to get ready for fajr Salah at Kabatullah.
From the time I put on my Ihraam and as we approached the Holy city of Makkah, tears kept on rolling my cheek making my beard wet with it. There was a combination of feelings that i just couldn’t make out. I was very happy and excited about the Umrah, at the same time a fear gripped my heart that I am coming close to my Lord. I was wondering, how can a sinner like me present himself in front of Allah? I kept crying all the way with a strong belief that Allah will forgive all my sins which I might have done knowingly or unknowingly. I did not leave the opportunity of begging like a beggar in front of Allah for his mercy and crying like a small child for the thing I required the most, that is, the forgiveness of Allah. And Alhumdulillah, I feel content and happy while leaving this place and I am positive that Allah forgave all my sins in this Umrah.
Shaved my head and back to kaba
The moment we reached our hotel, I dropped my luggage in my room and immediately started off for the Masjid-e-Haram. It was a 10 minutes walk from the hotel to the Masjid. There was a big slope that i had to climb to reach the Masjid. As I started to descend from the slope, i could see the magnificent Masjid, the most beautiful view i ever saw in my life!
I wanted to finish the obligation of Umrah first. So without wasting time, I quickly started the process. After the Tawaaf, I offered the two rakahs near Maqam-e-Ibraheem and then hurried for Saee. I completed my Saee and thus completed my first Umrah. After this I just sat down infront of kaba, staring at it.
This was Umrah season, Check out the rush
Someone told me that this is off season and not many people turn up for Umrah. But they were wrong. The rush was so huge that the Masjid was Packed with pilgrims. The most difficult part was coming close to the hajre-aswad (the black stone). Although one can just raise the palm towards it from a good distance, yet since it was my first Umrah, i wanted to touch it or more so kiss it.
As I started penetrating the inner circles of people doing tawaf trying to come close to the Black stone, i could feel my body getting squeezed like a tooth paste. Everyone were rushing to touch the stone. I had to use all my strength to penetrate deeper and reach the black stone. I reached it and fortunately kissed it. Now don’t ask me how i came out from there.
I wonder when I will be back here!
The view of Kaba was the most beautiful scene I have ever seen in my life. Just staring at kaba gave me such a peace of mind and heart that i kept staring at it for hours. Then i stood up and offered Salah and made dua to Allah for all those who had requested me to make dua for them.
Rest of the days I spent completely in the mosque in Ibadah. On Friday, after Jumaa Salah, we started off for our return journey to Riyadh from Umrah. I did not feel like leaving from there, and wished I just stayed there for ever!
Alhumdulillah, now I feel great and content that I am a soldier of Allah, a Daee of Allah, and feel ever more happy to call people towards our true creator.
Note: I did not take more pictures because I use photography only for Educational and Dawah purposes. I wasn’t planning to take snaps, but it struck me at the last moment that adding few pics of my Umrah will encourage many youngsters to plan for this glorious journey (instead of traveling elsewhere and wasting money). Hence i could take only these 6 snaps from my cellphone. Sorry for that.
Hopefully, I complete my Hajj as soon as possible inshallah. Please pray for me!
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