MIRROR | 2nd Anniversary Issue (The Messengers) – Issue #12 by MIRROR Magazine

Muharram/Safar 1436H Issue #12: 2nd Anniversary Issue

The Messengers "And We send not the Messengers but as givers of glad tidings and as warners. So whosoever believes and does righteous good deeds, upon such shall come no fear, nor shall they grieve." â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Al-Quran, Surah Al-An'am 6:48

“ The believer is the mirror of his brother. The believer is the brother of a believer: he protects him from ruin and guards his back.” – Rasulullah s.a.w. (Narrated by Abu Hurairah r.a)

Assalamu'alaikum. Bismillahir rahmanir rahim. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'alamin. Allahumma Solli 'ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa 'ala alihi wa sohbihi ajma'in. In the name of Allah, Most Beneficient, Most Merciful. All Praise and Thanks be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. We ask Allah to send His peace and blessings upon Sayyidina Muhammad s.a.w, as well as to his family and companions.

Alhamdulillah. The 12th issue. The Messenger issue. The 2nd Anniversary issue. It's been two years now since we first started this magazine. When we started out, we did not know how long we were going to last. We were not sure how many issues we were going to publish. But alhamdulillah, we kept moving and here we are two years later with our twelfth issue. We sincerely hope that all of our issues have benefitted all our readers. :) In this issue, we continue on with the 6 Pillars of Islam, now touching on the fourth pillar that is the Messengers of Allah, may peace and blessings be upon all of them. In this issue also we share with you learning points from one of Habib Umar's lecture when he was here in Singapore a few weeks ago. May this issue be of benefit to all our readers and if there are any form of feedback, please feel free to send them to our email at contact@mirror-mag.com. Before we end this note, we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all who have been supportive and have encouraged us to continue what we are doing. May Allah bless all of us and may He guide us in our effort to spread the message of Islam, Amin. Jazakumullah khair.

Wassalam,

MIRROR

Religious Consultant/Editor

Writers

Collaborators

Ustaz Firdaus Ahmad firdaus@mirror-mag.com

Ustaz Achmed Fahdly firdaus@mirror-mag.com

Fadhuli Taufek Nisa' Tuzzakirah Nur Khairunnisa Nurie Arba'ah Nur Khalisah Nur Syazreema

The Poets' Coffee: Faiz Johari, Hazrul Fitri, Irfan, Nurnina Syazwani

Creative Director

Creatives

Religious Consultant

On The Cover: The Messengers brought light into darkness.

Syaiful Sam'an syaiful@mirror-mag.com

Nafisah Abu Bakar Fadilah Halim

Marketing Manager

Public Relations

Muhammad Ayyub Bin Abdul Kadir ayyub@mirror-mag.com

Nazilah Nasir

16 content 05 The Month & Learning Arabic 06 Prophets & Messengers 10 The Chosen Ones 12 Prophet Muhammad - a mercy for all creations

14 Rasulullah as a Role Model 16 Habib Umar 22 Meet: Market Nine SG 26 Arts: IslamicDesignWorks 28 The Poets' Coffee

06 4

30 Musollah 32 What's Going On?

the MONTH & LEARNING ARABIC TAKEN FROM TOKALAKX.BLOGSPOT.SG

Prophets & MESSENGERs WORDS NUR KHALISAH FIND WARMLEMONDROPS.WORDPRESS.COM

“As-salaat-u-ala-nabi Was-salaamu-ala-rasul Wal-ambiyaa-il-mursaleen Kul-u-hum mukramoon Blessings be upon prophets Peace be upon the messengers And the prophets who were sent All of them were honoured...” Remember the childhood song we used to sing, by Zain Bhikka, or the more familiar Malay version by Raihan? Who knew memorising the names of the 25 prophets could be so easy? Wait, prophets (Nabi)? Or did you mean messengers (Rasul)? Many of us are aware of the existence of these two groups of people, however, it could get a little be confusing - aren’t messengers and prophets the same? Yes, they are, but at the same time, they aren’t! How is that possible? Both messengers and prophets received revelation from Allah the Almighty, and the only difference is that messengers were entrusted with the responsibility of spreading revelations that were of a bigger and heavier value, such as 8

the syariah, which is the Islamic law based on the Holy Quran and hadiths. Rasuls, or also known as Messengers, were given the revelation of a new syariah, and they were to convey it to the people of their time automatically putting the new syariah into use, and completely and immediately dismissing the syariah that was being used before the new revelation was revealed. These Rasuls were sent to the disbelievers of the Deen at that point of time, calling them to Islam. Prophets, or also known as Nabi, on the other hand, received revelation that contained things that immediately concerned themselves or their communities, and were tasked to follow the syariah implemented by the Rasul. These prophets were sent to believing people, carrying with them the practice of the syariah implemented from the previous Messenger. This also means that every Rasul is a prophet, but not all prophets are necessarily a Rasul, and all of them are men. Contrary to the belief that only 25 prophets exist, there is in fact a total of 124,000 prophets, and 315 of them are Messengers!

[The hadith of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari: The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about the number of Anbiya and Rusul. He (peace be upon him) replied that there were 124,000 Prophets among whom 315 were Messengers. This Hadith is collected in Musnad Ahmad and the collections of at-Tabarani, and ibn Hibban.] Among these 25 prophets, five of them have been given a special title, Ulul Azmi, which means ‘the Messengers of strong will’. Ulul Azmi are represented by prophets Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad - may peace be upon them all. These prophets possess extraordinary qualities, such as profound bravery, strong will, strength, and self-discipline, and they have never backed down from any challenge that they faced. Their patience and perseverance know no limits, making them exemplary role models in the history of Islam. Ulul Azmi was mentioned in the Holy Quran in surah al-Ahzab, verse 7, as well as surah al-Ahqaf, verse 35. Rasulullah (peace be upon him) was given the title Ulul Azmi due to the hardships that he constantly faced ever since he was a child. An orphan at the tender age of six, Rasulullah (peace be upon him) grew up under the care of both his grandfather and uncle. When he

PROPHETS & MESSENGERS

was older, Rasulullah (peace be upon him) took great measures to lessen the burden of his caretakers. One of the biggest hardships Rasulullah (peace be upon him) faced was when he was given the title of a Rasul. He received strong rejection from people all around him, including his own uncle, Abu Lahab. There was also a year where both his beloved wife Khadijah, and his uncle, Abu Talib, passed on, within just a few months. From the moment he was born till the moment he passed on, Rasulullah (peace be upon him) was greatly inflicted with hardships, but he practiced patience and perseverance through it all. While Rasulullah (peace be upon him) portrayed great strength and perseverance, prophet Ibrahim, may peace be upon him, possesses such a high patience level. His patience was clearly evident when he was burned alive, and exiled from his home. After almost a hundred years without him conceiving any offspring from his wife Sarah, prophet Ibrahim married Hajar, and conceived a son named Ismail. However, he received an order from Allah to bring Hajar and Ismail to the deserts of Mecca, and to leave them there. Allah also ordered him to sacrifice Ibrahim for Allah’s sake - which he almost did, if not for the mercy of Allah. Other events that put his patience to test was when he had to build the

Kaabah, and also the time when he had to face the unjust ruler, King Namrudz. Other than prophet Ibrahim, prophet Musa was also chosen as one of the Ulul Azmi due to his patience. Other than patience, prophet Musa was chosen because of his dakwah efforts to Fir’aun, or Pharaoh. Mentioned 136 times in the Holy Quran, he was also a very patient leader towards his community, which was always retaliating. Prophet Isa, or Jesus, also upheld exemplary patience and determination in conveying the message of God. Some of the tests he faced includes the hardship of being poor, the backbiting of his students, facing fitnah, and also the threat of being exiled and killed by Bani Israil. Regardless of his hardships, prophet Isa’s lifestyle depicts that of someone who is zuhud, and loyal in his deeds. Another prophet, no stranger to being extreme in patience, was prophet Nuh. He was the very first prophet that Allah sent to straighten and correct people’s faith and behaviour that have gone astray from the Deen. Without hesitation, prophet Nuh spread dakwah to his family, friends and community, and he never faltered. Being almost 1000 years of age, his followers were lesser than 200 people despite his persisting efforts to spread the Deen. Even his wife and son did not submit to the same faith

as him – family turned enemy. The rest of the story goes that he built an ark as ordered by Allah, and only those who were believers were saved from the great flood. It is no wonder why these prophets were chosen to be the Messengers of Strong Will – they upheld such exemplary characteristics worthy of recognition. May these chosen ones be an inspiration to the people of today, so as to relive and emulate the beautiful akhlaq of none other than our beloved Rasulullah (peace be upon him).

NAMES OF PROPHETS IN THE HOLY QURAN 1. Adam 2. Idris (Enoch) 3. Nuh (Noah) 4. Hud (Eber) 5. Saleh 6. Ibrahim (Abraham) 7. Lut (Lot) 8. Ismail (Ishmael) 9. Ishaq (Isaac) 10. Ya’akub (Jacob) 11. Yusuf (Joseph) 12. Ayub (Job) 13. Syu’aib

14. Musa (Moses) 15. Harun (Aaron) 16. Daud (David) 17. Sulaiman (Solomon) 18. Ilyas (Elijah) 19. Ilyasa’ (Elisha) 20. Yunus (Jonah) 21. Zulkifli (Ezekiel) 22. Zakaria (Zachariah) 23. Yahya (John the Baptist) 24. Isa (Jesus) 25. Muhammad May peace be upon them all. 9

THE CHOSEN ONES WORDS NISA’ TUZZAKIRAH FIND NZAKRH.BLOGSPOT.SG

‘’Adam, Idris, Nuh, Hud, SalehIbrahim, Lut, IsmailIshak, Ya’qub, Yusuf, AyyubSyu’aib, Musa, Harun, ZulkifliDaud, Sulaiman, Ilyas, IlyasaYunus, Zakaria, Yahya, IsaWa akhirul khotimul anbiya (and the last one, the closure to all prophets) Muhammad al-Mustofa…’’ I could remember vividly, how the high-pitched voices of the kids trailed off, and how my memory of it never did. It was one of the most impactful moments I had as a trainer for a leadership course, as it was the first time I handled kids as audience, and not young adults who lacked enthusiasm, in my eyes. ‘’Miss Zahra, why did you ask us to sing Raihan’s nasyeed (song) of the 25 messengers? Does it have a link with our activity today?’’ asked a little boy by the name Muhammad, as written on his tag. ‘’Very good question, Muhammad! I also see that you have the same name as the last prophet, masyaAllah,’’ He smiled shyly. I returned his smile and continued with a question. ‘’What do you think the tasks of the messengers were?’’ ‘’Spread Islam!’’ ‘’Teach people about Allah!’’ ‘’Lead!’’ The last answer caught my ear. SubhanAllah, these kids are really smart.

So Allah (the Most High and the Most Exalted) sent His messengers as leaders, to lead these communities during different stretches of time. It was very hard for the messengers to get their message across, as most of their people were stubborn and reluctant to leave the religions that has been passed down by their ancestors. For that reason, they possess beautiful characteristics that we as Muslims should have. These characteristics are patience, perseverance, bravery and many other good attributes. By being all of the above, they become strong and efficient leaders and messengers. If it wasn’t for Prophet Nuh’s patience towards all the mean words his people threw at him, he would not have successfully built an ark which carried the believers in the flood. If it was not for Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) perseverance, there is unlikely to be any Muslims today. If it wasn’t for Prophet Musa’s bravery, he wouldn’t have been able to bring Fir’aun down from his throne and restore peace on the land of Egypt. In the Qur’an, surah Al-Baqarah, verse 30, which means: Your Lord said to the angels; and I will create on Earth khalifahs (vicegerents) As Muslims, all of you are born-leaders. You are khalifahs. You are the chosen ones. Today, you carry a huge responsibility on your shoulders; for you are going to continue spreading the beauty of Islam, and the knowledge of the Oneness of Allah. You are going to lead your friends and the people around you towards doing good things on Earth. How do you start then? You can start by following the footsteps of the messengers- by practicing their traits in your daily lives and in doing your duties. By being patient when hardship comes, by persevering and never giving up, and being brave in facing challenges.

--‘’Excellent, masyaAllah! All of your answers were correct. Before Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) became a messenger, the religion of Allah wasn’t referred to as Islam- however, they all contained the same message: Tauheed, which means the Oneness of God. The 25 messengers of Allah were sent to their own communities to spread that knowledge. People who lived during that time didn’t believe in that; they worshipped all kind of things. The sun, the cow, idols- you name it.

But most importantly, like what all of the messengers didBy doing it all only for Allah.’’ ---After the short introduction of the leadership course which was under the theme of ‘’following the footsteps of the messengers’’, I passed the microphone to the next trainer for the next activity. Silently, I watched the kids participate with enthusiasm, and a smile spread across my face. ‘’May Allah make all of you, and all of us great Khalifahs, ameen.’’ 11

Prophet Muhammad a mercy for all creations WORDS NUR SYAZREEMA FIND CHERIEMORE.BLOGSPOT.SG

PROPHET MUHAMMAD: A MERCY FOR ALL CREATIONS

Bismillahirrahmaanirrahiim… “Indeed, in this [Quran] is notification for a worshipping people. And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” (Quran: 21:106-107) Allah’s Messenger was the kindest of man, in the same way as he excelled all others in courage and valor. Being extremely humane, his eyes brimmed with tears at the slightest sign of inhumanity. That’s how sympathetic and affectionate our Prophet, the messenger of Allah SWT was.

WHO IS HE? Now, who exactly is the Prophet, who was deemed as a mercy for all creation? He is the last Messenger of Allah SWT, our Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. His full name is Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd alMuttalib ibn Hashim and was known as Muhammad S.A.W which means praiseworthy (peace be upon him). Abdullah means servant or slave of Allah while Abu Al-Qasim is believed to be his ‘kunya’ name which is a teknonym in Arabic names, the name of an adult derived from the eldest child. Al-Hashim on the other hand is his ‘nisba’ name which is an adjective indicating the person’s place of origin, tribal affiliation or ancestry, used at the end of the name. The Prophet Muhammad S.A.W was a perfect example of an honest, just, merciful, compassionate, truthful and brave human being. Though he was a man, he was far removed from all evil characteristics and strove solely for the sake of Allah SWT and His rewards in the hereafter. Moreover, in all his actions and dealings, he was ever mindful and fearful of Allah SWT.

HIS NAMES The Prophet Muhammad S.A.W has a total of 200 names and most of the names are from the Al-Qur’an. You can visit this site for the 200 names of the prophet: http://www.ziaislamic.com/english/200names/200names.html Out of all the 200 names, our prophet was well known as ‘Muhammad (peace upon him)'. Allah has made the name of His Messenger clear in the Holy Qur’an. In Surah al-Fath, verse 129 Allah said:

Which means: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”

According to Islamic prophetic tradition, Muhammad was descended from Adnan. Tradition records the genealogy from Adnan to Muhammad comprises 21 generations. However, various genealogies of Adnan up to Ismail have been narrated and are subject to controversies and doubts. Adnan was the ancestor of the ‘Adnani Arabs’ of Northern, Central, Western Arabia and a direct descendant of Ismail. Adnan was fairly close to Ismail whom had twelve sons who are said to have become twelve tribal chiefs throughout the regions from Havilah to Shur (from Syria to the border of Egypt). ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas narrated that Prophet Muhammad S.A.W said:

“Between Nuh and Adam were ten generations, all of them were upon Sharia of the truth, then they differed. So, Allah sent prophets as bringers of good news and as warners.” — Related by Hakim al-Nishaburi in Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain.

HIS LINEAGE

Muhammad (peace be upon him) Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Muttalib (also called Shaiba) Bin Hashim (also called Amr) Bin Abd Manaf (also called Al-Mugheera) Bin Qasai (also called Zaid) Bin Kilab Bin Murrah Bin Ka’b Bin Lu’ayy Bin Ghalib Bin Fahr (also called quraish and his tribe was called after him) Bin Malik Bin An-Nadr (also called Qais) Bin Kinanah Bin Khuzayma Bin Mudrikah (who was called Amir) Bin Elias Bin Mudar Bin Nizar Bin Ma’aad Bin Adnan Bin Udd Bin Humaisi Bin Salaman Bin Aws Bin Buz Bin Qamwal Bin Obai Bin ‘Awwam Bin Nashid Bin Haza Bin Bildas Bin Yadlaf Bin Tabikh Bin Jahim Bin Nahish Bin Makhi Bin Aid Bin ‘Abqar Bin ‘Ubaid Bin Ad-Da’a Bin Hamdan Bin Sanbir Bin Yathrabi Bin Yahzin Bin Yalhan Bin Ar’awi Bin Aid Bin Deshan Bin Aisar Bin Afnad Bin Aiham Bin Muksar Bin Nahith Bin Zarih Bin Sami Bin Mazzi Bin ‘Awda Bin Aram Bin Qaidar Bin Ismail a.s Bin Ibrahim a.s Bin Azar (also known as Tarih) Bin Nahur Bin Saru Bin Ra’u Bin Falikh Bin Abir Bin Shalikh Bin Arfakhshad Bin Sam Bin Nuh a.s Bin Lamikh Bin Mutwashlack Bin Idris a.s (known as Akhnukh) Bin Yarid Bin Mahla’il Bin Qainan Bin Anusha Bin Shith Bin Adam a.s. *Names in bold – Prophets (peace be upon them) 13

photo from: rebloggy.com 14

RASULULLAH

as a role model

WORDS FADHULI TAUFEK FIND FADHULITAUFEK.WORDPRESS.COM

Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah , then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (Al-Quran, Surah Ali-Imran 3:31)

If we look through history, we'd find that there are a lot of people we can look up to. From Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Nick Vujicic and so many more but what better role model can there be other than the man who was known as "al- Amin"(the trustworthy one) and was a mercy to all the worlds? The man who had such a beautiful character that people who hated him eventually came to love him dearly. The big question now is "how?" How do we emulate his character in our daily lives? Is it even possible? To be able to emulate him, there are a few things we take note of:

Learn his history, Sunnah

For example, eating and drinking while sitting down, breaking fast with dates and milk, putting on footwear beginning with the right foot first and removing them starting with the left foot first and many more. When these things become natural, move on to our interactions with people, animals and our environment. Treat them well, make things easier for them. The most challenging part would be changing the way we speak and think of others. Learn to see the good in others despite the circumstances.

Before we can learn how to emulate him, we first need to learn who he was, what the people around him thought of him and what were the things he did or did not do.

2) Be patient and keep trying Change is never easy, we’d slip up from time to time but the important thing is to not lose hope.

Put into practise

Whether it’s trying to form a new habit or breaking an old one, it requires consistent, conscientious effort on our part as well as lots of du’as. After all, we'd only realize how valuable something is after knowing the difficulty in obtaining it.

Learning without applying is akin to a tree that does not bear fruit. It would be such a waste if we have the knowledge of Rasulullah's adab and sunnah but make no effort whatsoever to incorporate it in our lives especially if we claim to love him. 1)Start with the little things, build up Implement changes that we know can be done immediately or with relatively little effort first.

It’s important that we know that even before Rasulullah (peace be upon him) became a messenger of Allah (the Most High and the Most Exalted), he was already known for his exemplary character so it isn't something that is exclusive to just the Prophets, we can have it too.

original photo: majelisrahmatanlilalamin.wordpress.com 16

HABIB UMAR He is the caller to Allah, the erudite scholar, al-Habib Umar the son of Muhammad, bin Salim, bin Hafiz, bin Abdullah, bin Abu Bakr, bin Aidarus, bin Umar, bin Aidarus, bin Umar, bin Abu Bakr, bin Aidarus, bin Husain, bin Shaykh Abu Bakr, bin Salim, bin Abdullah, bin Abdul-Rahman, bin Abdullah, bin al-Shaykh Abdul-Rahman al-Saqqaf, bin Muhammad Mawla al-Dawilah, bin Ali, bin Alawi, bin Al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muhammad, bin Ali, bin Muhammad Sahib al-Mirbat, bin Ali, bin Alawi, bin Muhammad Sahib al-Sawma’a, bin Alawi, bin Ubaydullah, bin alImam al-Muhajir il-Allah (the Migrant to Allah) Ahmad, bin Isa, bin Muhammad al-Naqib, bin Ali al-Uraydi, bin Ja’far as-Sadiq, bin Muhammad al-Baqir, bin Ali Zain al-Abidin, bin Husain as-Sibt, bin Ali, bin Abu Talib and Fatima al-Zahra, the daughter of our Liegelord, Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets (Peace and blessings be upon him). He was born in Tarim, Hadramaut in the Republic of Yemen, prior to Fajr on Monday, the 4th of Muharram, 1383 AH, which corresponds to the 27th of May, 1963. He grew up in Tarim. He memorized the Magnificent Quran and was reared in a pious fashion, in the care of his father, in an environment of knowledge, faith and virtuous character. From an early age he studied the sciences of the pure Sacred Law including: the Qur’an, Prophetic Tradition (Hadith), Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Creed (Tawhid), foundations of Sacred Law (Usul al-Fiqh), the various disciplines of the Arabic language, and the knowledge of Spiritual travel from the scholars of Hadramaut. He began to teach and invite to Allah when he was 15 years old, while continuing to study and receive lessons.

HABIB UMAR

Hold Fast to the Rope of Allah & Avoid Dissension WORDS SYAIFUL SAM'AN

Alhamdullillah, MIRROR was fortunate to be able to attend the lecture entitled above and here is sharing with you some of the learning points. May this article be of benefit, amin. 1. The importance of concentration in the gatherings of dzikr (remembrance of Allah). It is important that when we are gathered in a gathering of Allah, we remember Him continuously. When we gather in the house of Allah (mosque) we are most definitely being blessed by Allah Most High and Exalted. The purpose of us when coming over to a person’s house is the owner of the house, not the house. The same goes when we come to the mosque; the house of Allah. It is for Allah not the mosque. And this is important: to have sincere intention in our hearts. When it is for the sake of Allah, then we will get Allah. When we do it for Allah, He will open for us the doors of goodness. 2. The crisis of fearing other than Allah. Allah Most High and Exalted have mentioned in the Quran, which means, “O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].” (Al-Quran, Surah Ali-‘Imran 3:102) Nowadays, people fear a lot of things other than Allah. A lot of people fear death, diseases, trials, poverty, imprisonment, etc. Both the people who believe in Allah and those who do not, they fear all of those things. But when we analyse and scrutinize all of those things that people fear, all of those fall under the authority of Allah. There is not a single soul in this world, be it animals or human beings except that its death is in the knowledge of Allah. There would not be a single morsel that enters the mouth of a man except that it has been recorded by Allah in which He has already determined. No water enters into a mouth except that of which He has decreed. Everything that happens occurs according to the rule, permission, and knowledge of Allah. It is not the makhluq (creations) nor the asbab (causes) but it is the musabbib (the One that causes), which is Allah, who has given the permission for everything to happen. So it is important that we enliven this in our hearts. Allah has blessed us with eyes for us to see. When asked how are we able to see? It is by the ni’mah (blessings) of Allah. No one can bless us with sight, no matter how powerful that person may be. Allah bestows everything that we are achieving today. Nobody can give us the sense 18

of hearing as well as the ability to breathe the air. Everything is by Allah. So how can we make ma’siah(vice) to Allah? How can we disobey Allah when He has blessed us with all these blessings? How are we able to use these blessings of Allah to go against the command of Allah? This is something we have to ponder. 3. The importance of making du’a to Allah for husnul khatimah (a good ending). Husnul khatimah is one of the best things that human beings can achieve. We should always ask Allah that we do not die in su’ul khatimah (bad ending). The reasons for someone to have a bad ending are: - Not respecting the religion of Allah - Not respecting the sunnah of Rasulullah (peace be upon him) - Not respecting the awlia’ (saints) - Not performing prayers - Not performing zakat - Do injustice especially towards the awlia’ and ‘ulama (scholars) - Have pride in their hearts May Allah protect us from all of those mentioned above. 4. Hold on to the rope of Allah. Allah mentioned in the Quran, in Surah Ali-Imran verse 103, which means,” And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.” The rope carries 5 meanings. 1. Al-Quran 2. To have sincerity towards Allah 3. The whole religion of Islam 4. The ‘Ulama 5. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) and this meaning encompasses all of the above meanings. He is the rope of Allah, which means that it is through him that we are able to reach Allah. This is the responsibility of the ummah, to understand the realities of hablullah (rope of Allah), to understand the realities of getting closer to Allah.

HABIB UMAR

5. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) is a mercy to all.

Allah and only serve in His cause.

“And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” (Al-Quran, Surah Al-Anbiya 21:107)

In the story of the war of Uhud, when the sahabah started to curse the Musyrikin because of the troubles they have been causing to the Muslims. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) stopped them and told them that maybe Allah would bless from their offspring people who are close to Allah.

You will not see anyone or anything else in this world that is more merciful and loved by Allah than our Prophet (peace be upon him). Our Prophet (peace be upon him), his love for us is far greater than the love of a father to his child, exceeds the love of a mother for her child. Just like what Allah said in the Quran, our prophet loves the believers more than the believers love themselves. He (peace be upon him) is merciful not only to the believers but also the non-believers. In a hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) made mention that, “my parable and my ummah is like a person who light a fire in the dessert. And there were insects that thought this fire is light, which could save them. So they move towards the fire. When they reach the fire, they realise what it really is – not light but fire that could destroy them. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) said that my parable and my ummah is like these insects and the fire. What this means is that a lot of people they do not know what harms them. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) was sent to save mankind from destruction, from the fire of Jahannam, from the things that would perish us. The fire is a representation of the temptations of this dunya (world) that would bring destruction to us. Human beings thought that all of those temptations would bring benefit and success. These false temptations influence the thoughts and actions of man resulting in them flocking in droves into destruction, except those whom Allah have saved. May we be amongst those who are saved, amin. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If I were to save you by pulling your hand it might get severed. If I were to pull your ears it would be painful and if I were to pull your legs you might fall but I save you by hugging you, protecting you from the harm.” Au kama qala Rasulullah (or as what has been said by Rasulullah may peace and blessings be unto him). This shows how merciful our Prophet (peace be upon him) is towards us. Another story that we can take lessons from is the story of Taif, where the Prophet (peace be upon him) propagated the religion of Islam to the people of there but they did not want to follow him. He was treated badly and was even being pelted. The angel of the mountains asked him if he would want the people of taif to be perished. Our prophet (peace be upon him), however, due to his rahmah (mercy), said to the angels that even if these people do not accept Islam, he hope from Allah that there will be people from amongst their progeny who would worship

In the times of war our Prophet (peace upon him) would prefer his companions to bring the enemies into Islam than to bring back lots of war booties. And with regards to the treatment of prisoners of war, no country today treats prisoners of war like our Prophet (peace be upon him) did. He would give the prisoners of war the best food, even better than the food of the dignitaries. Our prophet (peace be upon him) also reminded his companions to not treat the prisoners with harm. Such treatment was given to the people who were at war with Islam. How then to those who have no enmity towards Islam? This is something that we should think about, especially living in this multireligious country. Besides our treatment towards the non-Muslim, we should also consider our treatment and relations to our fellow Muslim. We should also treat our fellow Muslim with respect. We should not easily call other Muslim kafir (disbeliever/infidel) because doing so is as though we have killed that other person. In a hadith narrated by Anas bin Malik. Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "Do not desert (stop talking to) one another, do not nurse hatred towards one another, do not be jealous of one another, and become as fellow brothers and slaves of Allah. It is not lawful for a Muslim to stop talking to his brother (Muslim) for more than three days." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] (Riyad as-Salihin: The Book of the Prohibited actions: Book 18, Hadith 1591) May we be able to live in our lives the essence of “Holding on to the rope of Allah”. May Allah Most High and Exalted grant us guidance and purify our hearts and enliven our hearts with iman and yaqin(certainty) and may Allah Most High and Exalted grant us the love of Allah and His messenger (peace be upon him). May He give us preference of Allah and His messenger (peace be upon him) over anything else. May He save us and our families from all calamities as well as the fire of Jahannam and may Allah Most High and Exalted accept from us taubatan nasuha (sincere repentance). Amin ya rabbal ‘alamin. Allahu ta'ala a'lam. 19

ALHAMDULILLA From all of us at MIRROR,

AH, WE ARE 2 we'd like to say thank you. :)

*this picture is missing one member. Photo credits to The Vanilla Project.

MEET:

MARKET NINE SINGAPORE INTERVIEW BY SYAIFUL SAM'AN

“What’s next after graduation?”

“What’s next after graduation?” That is the one big question that all students have to face at some point, especially nearing graduation. Some head straight into the workforce while others choose to defer the question and let loose by travelling on a well-deserved graduation trip. For three young fresh grads, starting up their own business from scratch is the answer. Meet Syed Haniff B Othman Alkaff, Angela Susilowati and Chua JunJie, the founders of Market Nine Singapore. Starting up is surely not an easy task, especially when it deals with something that is not directly related to the field of your studies. 22

Introduction please :) Haniff: Hello! Market Nine Singapore was launched in June 2014 to cater to the grocery shopping needs of many. With our pocket-friendly services, anyone can skip the long queues and leave the lugging of heavy groceries to us to spend more time with those who matter more. Our wide selection of products, which includes halal frozen meat, seafood, baking supplies, fruits and vegetables, makes anyone spoilt for choice to shop for their family or themselves. We believe in 3 things, “Save Money. Save Time. Save Petrol." The name Market Nine. Let us in on the story. Haniff: The letter M and the number 9 are meaningful to the three of us.

MEET: MARKET NINE SINGAPORE

They signify where we come from because when we started this off, we were students and we were dealing with statistics and maths. The M and 9 are derived from mathematical symbols i.e. summation and sigma respectively. From there, we tried to integrate who we are and the concept we are selling and hence, the name Market Nine. These symbolic letters are also incorporated into our logo. Can you spot them? Living in Singapore where it is about papers and experience, share with us the motivation behind starting out Market Nine, something most people would not think of doing especially right after school; what most might consider different. Angela: For me, it triggered from my personal experiences. During my university days, I stayed in a hostel away from my parents. During the exam period, it was quite a hassle for me to go out and spend some time buying groceries when I could spend the time studying. And so I thought it would be great if I could have this kind of service (doorstep delivery for groceries). So, after graduation I decided to try something new while I am still young and have yet to pursue my career because if I were to start working and doing this, I think it would be hard for me to quit my job and pursue something like this. Haniff: My motivation is pretty similar to Angela's. This is the only time for me to do this while I am still not in the workforce. To me, why not embark on this path and see whether this will be a path worth pursuing? I am grateful to have met the two of them, who share the same vision as me. There have been many obstacles that we have faced but at the same time, there are numerous new things that we have learnt from the start till today. It is not going to be an easy journey ahead but I think with our energy and motivation, it will drive us towards our goal.

JunJie: As for me, while I was still studying, the question that kept coming to my mind was, “What I am going to do after I graduate?” I have always had an idea of doing my own business. In the past, I was very much into bicycle, however, as it was nearing graduation, I realised that I do not have sufficient technical skills to head towards that direction. I knew Haniff since year one in NUS and I got to know that he had this idea of starting his own online business. I thought it was a nice idea since it is something different to me and I wanted to join in because I would be able to manage my time better in a way that I do not have to go to work 9-5 everyday. It is more flexible and I have the control over my own time. Any advice or words of encouragement for readers who are keen on starting out but are afraid to step out of their comfort zone? Angela: I do not think we are in the position to advise yet because we have just embarked on this journey and we do not know what lies ahead in this journey. All I can say is ‘Follow your dreams’. If it is something that you enjoy doing, then I think you should pursue your dreams. You have to be faithful and determined in following your dreams because many challenges will come in the way. It could be from your parents, friends or others which would then make you think, “Should I just quit?” This question will hit you quite often. Haniff: Yea, that is very true. During this year’s Hari Raya gathering, the common question that I got was “What are you working as?” Having just graduated a couple of months back (at that time), it was really hard to answer that question because not everyone is open to the idea of starting up your own business at a young age. 23

MEET: MARKET NINE SINGAPORE

Some would say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why are you starting up your own business? You are so young. You do not know anything.â&#x20AC;? But to me that is exactly why I started this. This is the phase where I can explore and start something new while I am not bound by any commitment yet. Once I have chosen my career and have a family in the future, personally I feel there is a little possibility of taking the risk of having a new business with the commitments involved. What I can advise for those who would want to start something like this is that if you really believe in something, coupled with the right attitude and support from those around you, then it can really work out depending on your vision and motivation. Of course, all else would fail without hard work and blessings from Allah.

for advice on the things that they do not know. It would be useful too if they have the right contacts who can help in one way or another.

JunJie: With the business idea in mind, they have to go to the basics and find out what they know and what they do not know about that particular field. They have to be diligent in reading up or asking people

Readers, what are you waiting for? Visit them at www. marketnine.com.sg and start ordering your groceries! Enter promo code 'MIRROR10' and enjoy 10% off your first purchase with Market Nine Singapore.

Haniff: I think one main take away is that, having paper qualifications is not everything when it comes to business. We believe that determination and hard work are crucial in the success of your business because having a degree is not going to speak volumes, seriously. We thank Market Nine Singapore for taking their time off to talk to us. We wish Market Nine all the best and may they achieve great success in the near future.

Islamic Chic

HIDDEN BEAUTY

Our HIDDEN BEAUTY Segment is taking a break for this issue. Look out for it in the next issue, insyaAllah.

THE ARTS

From the passion of spreading the message of Islam through calligraphic design, two individuals started to embark on a journey of introducing a new trend of Islamic wall decoration. 26

THE ARTS As the malay saying goes “If You Don’t Know, You Won’t Love”; share with us the story of IslamicDesignWorks. IslamicDesignWorks, or IDW for short, started as a home-based, in the year 2010. Spearheaded by Sulaiman Bin Rashid and assisted by his brother-in-law, Mohamad Hisham Bin Salim, they fully utilised the social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to advertise and promote the products. As sales and brand awareness escalated beyond their expectations, IDW has progressed and grown from a home-based business, to a commercial office manned by 4 other staffs, to cater and meet the demands of the clients. What are the principles that IslamicDesignWorks lives by? IslamicDesignWorks business model evolves around spreading the message of Islam and the Holy Quran, in other words, through da’wah. The company hopes that our decals not only beautify the homes and offices of every Muslim customers, but also beautify the hearts and souls, bringing peace and serenity to whomever is reading the Islamic decals. The vision of IslamicDesignWorks. IslamicDesignWorks’ main focus has been to introduce a new concept of Islamic wall decoration, which is the Islamic decal that differs from the traditional decorations such as Islamic art painting, frames and mirrors. This new concept is hassle free as it is easier to put up and takes a shorter time to produce. In addition, the decals are reasonably affordable and unique. Since the introduction of such concept of home wall decoration, the local Muslim community has been very receptive, especially the younger generation home owners.

The products that IslamicDesignWorks offers. IslamicDesignWorks team has worked together tirelessly to ensure our new designs meet the taste of returned and potential customers. To date, IslamicDesignWorks has over 150 designs of wall decals. We also offer other products such as Car Decals, Wall Clock, Mugs, T-Shirts as well as customisation services. On Islam and arts, what does IslamicDesignWorks take on this? Islam is not rigid. Da’wah is not just something that is to be done at the mosques. It can be done anywhere and through various media, even through arts. So we feel that arts is actually a good form of media to spread the word of Islam. The Islamic arts scene in Singapore, how do you think it is doing? It is definitely not like the past, as how it used to be. Alhamdulillah we can see the uprising of Islamic Arts in Singapore. These artworks are not done just to beautify but they send off meaning to the audience. MIRROR wishes IDW continued success and may Allah bless IDW always. 27

FIND FB.COM/THEPOETSCOFFEE

THE POETS' COFFEE

Prophets of Allah WORDS FAIZ

Prophets of Allah, May peace be upon them all, Role models in this world and the next, A cut above the rest. Years of preaching they went through, Just to set us to the path of truth, Never losing hope in humanity, Always doing it in highest sincerity. Putting life at the front, All for His call, Though it seems treacherous, Not stopping even if its a fall. Some may reject, And worse became hostile, But these prophets, I know, they'd still go the extra mile, Sometimes we overlooked, How much they have done, Oh how shameful we are, To proclaim what we have never begun. Of the articles of faith we testify, To believe in them as messengers, As for those who don't, They are truly transgressors. Prophets of Allah, May peace be upon them all, And may we meet one day, When He announces the Call.

The first hospital in Baghdad.

MUSOLLAH "Guard strictly the (five obligatory) prayers, especially the middle Salaat (Asar). And stand before Allah with obedience.â&#x20AC;? - Surah al-Baqarah 2:238 In this issue, we share with you musollahs in hospitals.

MUSOLLAH

Gleneagles Hospital

Napier Road, Singapore 258500 Location Level 1. Enter main entrance and turn right towards the toilet. Just before the toilet, there is a staircase along the corridor and enter where the prayer place is located.

Parkway East Hospital (formerly East Shore Hospital ) Joo Chiat Place, Singapore 427990 Location Level 2. Located at end of corridor by the ICU ward.

Raffles Hospital Kandang Kerbau Women’s And Children’s Hospital Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 229899

Location Basement 1, Women's Tower. At a staircase landing after entering a door just left of the Women’s 24-Hour Clinic. Details Slippers, sejadah and telekong available. For ablution, go to the toilet nearby.

North Bridge Road, Singapore 188770 Location Level 9, Room 7. Details Sejadah and telekong available.

Singapore General Hospital

Hospital Drive, Singapore 169608 Location Behind Housemen’s Canteen and very near to public car park G. There is a small building that states “Surau”.

National University Hospital

Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074 Location Main building, Level 6, 06-70 Quiet Room, next to Patient Service Centre 6. Details Telekong and prayer mat provided and with ablution place.

Mount Alvernia Hospital

Thomson Road, Singapore 574623 Location Opposite the registration counter, a small room called 'Quiet Room' specially reserved for Muslims to do their prayers.

WHAT'S GOING ON? Listing courtesy of IslamicEvents.sg

WHAT'S GOING ON?

1. WAKING THE HERO WITHIN SEASON 2: THE GREAT OUTDOOR (FOR TEENS) Date: 2 - 4 December 2014 Venue: Ladang Alam Warisan, Kampong Tanjong Ipoh, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia Organised by: Yameen Fees: S$180 (inclusive of transportation, accommodation, meals and program) Registration: http://www.islamicevents.sg/event/4918

This school holiday, Yameen team will be organizing another Waking The Hero Within with the theme called, THE GREAT OUTDOOR! A 3 Days / 2 Nights outdoor event at Kampong Tanjong Ipoh, Negeri Sembilan, we aim to nurture spiritual, emotional, physical and mental development through nature like animals, river and forest. As this will be a part of Islam for Teens program, we strongly encourage students to take part in this event as this gives them an opportunity to explore and get closer to nature. What will participants achieve at the end of this program? 1. Participants will discover the tips and tricks on how to capture inspirations through nature. 2. How to cope with stress and challenges e.g with studies, peer pressure. 3. Knowing the Art of Adaab (Mannerism) with Allah's creations e.g humans, animals and plantations 4. Develop sportsmanship via Sunnah Sports

2. LIGHT THE SPARK Date: Saturday, 6 December 2014 Time: 10am to 5pm Venue: Lifelong Learning Institute 11 Eunos Road 8. Training Room 2-1 Singapore 408601 Organised by: Darul Arqam Singapore Talk by: Ustaz Saif-ur Rahman and Ustazah Nazeerah Shaik Alwie Fees: Free Registration: http://tinyurl.com/light-the-spark

Come and join us on Saturday, 6 December and allow us to 'Light the Spark' in you and inspire you to be confident when speaking about your faith and spreading the message of peace. Is spreading the message of peace an obligation for each and every Muslim? Embark on a discussion to grapple with this topic with Ustaz Saif-ur Rahman through the topic "Why do da'wah?" and understand the common questions that many have about our faith through a sharing session on the "Misconceptions of Islam". Equip yourself with pertinent "Da'wah Techniques" through an insightful sharing by Ustazah Nazeerah Shaik Alwie and find out what are the avenues where you can practice your newly acquired skills.

3. WHEN ALLAH REWRITES MY LIFE Date: Saturday, 6 December 2014 Time: 8pm Venue: Singapore Expo Max Atria Organised by: SimplyIslam.sg Talk by: Ustadh Usama Canon Fees: S$20 Registration: http://clarity-balance.eventbrite.sg We all wish for our lives to be enacted in a certain way. We have it in our minds like a good script. But every now and then, Allah Almighty takes our lives off tangent with events and happenings not to our choosing and even liking. Adventures and misadventures, some are even painful and scary. How can we deal with such off tangent moments, off-script days? How can we understand God's Mercy and Love in a reality that is so uncertain? Ustadh Usama Canon will address these important questions and more, and shed light how we can steer our lives amidst the noise and chaos so that we can develop intense clarity and balance.

4. METHODOLOGY OF THE PROPHET saw IN CORRECTING PEOPLE Date: Sunday, 21 December 2014 Time: 11am - 4pm Venue: Masjid Hajjah Rahimabi Kebun Limau Organised by: Nahl Events Talk by: Ustaz Khalid Rafi Fees: S$18 Registration: http://www.islamicevents.sg/event/4971 The Prophet s.a.w followed divine directive when teaching people around him and inviting them to goodness, as Allah Said in the Noble Qur'an, “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best…” [An-Nahl, 125] Correcting mistakes is from one of the teaching methods, which educationalists call the “remedial method”. Correcting people's mistakes is essential if teaching people is the aim. It is also from the profound Prophetic method, which is the best of methods for anyone who is keen to teach branches of knowledge. For every type of person or a group, there is a specific way of speaking to them, calling them, advising them and teaching them. The Prophet s.a.w would speak to people on the level of their comprehension, while showing empathy to those whom he was advising and correcting. This short but profound seminar will highlight some of the ways and manners of advising people around us, and how we should refrain from hasty acts of condemning etc. as this is usually counter-productive and not from the characteristics of our righteous scholars and predecessors. The respected speaker will also provide brief explanatory notes from the classical works of Ibn Rajab and others in detailing the importance of this subject matter. The seminar will be indispensable for everyone who is concerned with education. 33

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