Muslim Youth Memo by Muslim Youth Memo

And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers...Quraan51/55

MUSLIM YOUTH MEMO February 2013â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Issue 01

..where many of our youth are enjoying fake happiness!!

Muslim Youth Memo

MUSLIM YOUTH MEMO Manager

And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers...Quraan51/55

Mohamed Saihi Sponsor

Islamic Care Youth protection Program Contacts & Subscriptions (MYM),ISLAMIC CARE, Kemp House, 152 City Road, London EC1V 2NX www.islamiccare.org.uk/myp Email: info@islamiccare.org.uk info@islamiccare.org.uk Mob: 07946136976

CONTENT

The Muslim Youth Memo magazine will be a close companion and reminder for our youth, InshaAllah, especially those entering High schools, Colleges and Universities, as they are constantly being targeted with the challenges the western life brings, all of which work to distance them from their religion, morals and values. These challenges come in forms of demoralised environments, corrupt friends and constant use of technology. This has made much of our youth lose their morals and turn to corruption, forbidden relationships, becoming part of criminal gangs, entering hashish clubs and committing major sins, which has resulted in delayed marriages, frequent divorces among young married couples and great family tragedies.

Music is explicit, vulgar and shameless

Your friends reflect your personality

Love, Marriage and fairytales

Coping with peer pressure

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Valentines Day; is it Islamic?

P11

A world of smiles

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Satan's trap; online chat rooms

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Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid (as)

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O Allah, forgive me!

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Questions & Answers

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Gangsta Life advise to youth

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Don’t be sad

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Be the diamond in the sea of rocks

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Relationships in Islam

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The stranger

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Tips for Muslim youth

One might say that the internet is full of religious information, lectures and adequate material. The response to this is that most youth don't derive benefit from such information because the Shaytan quickly diverts them to other websites i.e. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; where their time is wasted in useless chitchat and nonsensical stuff which ultimately is a waste of time and has no meaning. Likewise, Shaytan adorns for them these indecent images, disgusting words and forbidden things of a similar nature. Therefore, the benefits of the magazine is immense; 

The efficiency of the magazine as the youth are able to read the magazine wherever they are. The gaining of knowledge and becoming more aware of their religion. The magazine itself could be given to nonMuslim peers so as to enhance their knowledge of Islam also. Thus, this magazine could only help better our generation for these youth are the new leaders of Islam and without them we are lost. Mohamed Saihi P2

Muslim Youth Memo

Music is explicit, vulgar & shameless Nouman Ali Khan There are strong objections to music and there’s some scholarly discussion about it but I will show you what I’m convinced of. Nowadays music is probably one of the easiest means to lose your moral sense; it is music that is audio pornography today. That’s what it is, its explicit, its shameless, its vulgar, it takes your sense of humanity away from you, it makes you look at women as objects, worse than objects, worse than animals, these people are talking about women as though they’re an animal, really. It objectifies women, I’ve noticed a lot of the Muslim brothers are moving to the ‘hip hop scene’ and when they’re doing the memorisation of the song, my god they’re really good at reciting it with the perfect tajweed (syntax) and everything, and it’s just horrible language, horrible, horrific language. The only simple response I have to that is that if you have any regard for the book of Allah if you really think it’s from Allah, then even the name, the mention, the word, for something bad is terrible for you once you have faith. Even the mention of something terrible is horrible for you, is harmful for you after you have faith. You have to have a clean tongue as Allah states in the Quran ‘tell my salve to say that which is the best’ –i.e. say what is best, say good things from your mouth. So when you say horrible things, when you say things that are in direct contradiction to the Quran that Allah gifted us with then obviously, you’re deviating from your natural fitrah, (your pre disposition to turn to Allah) and when you constantly listen to garbage like that then you get deviated and you don’t find pleasure except in disobedience to Allah, then that’s a sign of a sick heart. You need to make sure that you distance yourselves from this. If a person finds listening to the Quran annoying after they’ve been listening to music for a long time, and as soon as someone puts the Quran on in the car you say? ‘Man, turn that off… I don’t want to… I just want to talk’ and you immediately get a little annoyed; that actually means that the shayateen* have took over and they’re

constantly making whispers to you, because what do the shayateen hate the most? The Quran. They hate the word of Allah. They hate it. It hurts them so much; so when a person has let the shayateen (the devils) into his heart, they start pinching at his heart. When the Quran plays it feels like you’re physically being hurt. When you try to give this person a reminder from the Quran they get annoyed by it. They become agitated like an allergic reaction- why? Because they’ve let the shayateen in. To get them out the first thing you got to do is stop supplying them with fuel, music is fuel, this useless wasting of time is the fuel for the shaytan. They love that you waste your time, they love it because the one asset the one piece of wealth that Allah gave every human being is time and what is music, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter and whatever else? If you’re spending hours and hours on this stuff, what is it except destroying your time? It’s taking that one asset from you and shaytan will love nothing more. May Allah (swt) give you the strength to keep away from these temptations but my advice that I keep giving and going over is find better friends, find company who don’t spend time on these things and Inshallah you’ll bring yourself to be of them too. *plural of Shaytan (devil) Prepared by :Hajar S

Muslim Youth Memo

Your friends reflect your personality By Nisar Nadiadwala

There are two fine examples of a good friend and a bad friend in the Qur'an which goes unnoticed by many readers of the Qur'an. Qarun was from the children of Israel and not from the people of Pharaoh, yet he chose to desert his own people and opted to be doomed along with the Pharaoh (Surah Qasas, Ch 28, verse 76). Qarun held a top position in the ministry of the Pharaoh, and naturally it was expected of him to be a source of benefit to his own people but rather he was among those who incited Pharaoh against the children of Israel, especially Musa or Moses (may peace be upon him). It was he who was among those who advised the Pharaoh to kill the male children of Israel and leave the females alive (Surah Ghafir Ch 40, Verse 24, 25). Qarun and Haman were among those bad advisors who hastened Pharaoh to his own destruction. In the same Surah, the next ayah begins with a man from the people of Pharaoh, who too held a good position in the court, but the Qur'an testifies that he was a believer (Surah Ghafir, Ch 40, Verse 28). He advised Pharaoh not to kill Moses and kept on arguing on his behalf. What kind of suggestions and advices do your friends give you? Do they allure you to a new movie or introduce you to a Non-mahram and accompany you to a mall and insist that you buy branded mobiles, and dresses and shoes...? Or do they caution you from being immodest or discourage your from plunging into sexual adventures and being extravagant? If you can differentiate between a good advice and a bad advice then you are a good advisor for your own self. The Qur'an highlights an essential quality of a good friend which can be used as a parameter in judging your friends. Open Surah Toubah Ch 9, verse 71, and read it: The believing man and the believing women are ‘wali’ of each others...Wali is among the most misunderstood term by many Muslims. The Qur'an uses it for a 'protector' 'a helper’ ,'a guardian' and 'a friend'. The verse further elaborates, "They command that which is good and forbid that which is bad”. Do your friends command you to do well and stop you from haraam? Rather I would turn the question in your direction and ask you “do you yourself qualify this test with regards to your friends "? When was the last time that you noticed that your friend is addicted to TV serials or watching movies or chasing girls? Do you possess enough courage like that believing man from the people of Pharaoh who dared to stand up for truth in spite of all odds against him? P4

Muslim Youth Memo

Bad companions will discourage you; they will try to pull you down and yet continue to be with you pretending to be your will wishers. You will find many around you. If you refer Surah Ahzab, Surah 33, verse 12- 13, you will find a mentioning of such people too. They have a disease in their hearts. So at a crucial junction when the Muslims were busy in encouraging each others, they tried to demoralize them “farje’oo” they passed a word, “ Return back to you homes “ trying to cause fissures among the ranks of the Muslims. Do your friends discourage you from going ahead with good things? Or do you discourage your friends from going ahead in good things? The Qur'an describes the plight of a person who will regret for being doomed due to wrong friends: Ah woe to me! I wish I had not taken so and so as my close friend.... Surah Furqan Ch. 25 V. 28

The hypocrite men and hypocrite women are of one another. They enjoin what is wrong and forbid what is right and close their hands. They have forgotten Allah , so He has forgotten them [accordingly]. Indeed, the hypocrites - it is they who are the defiantly disobedient. Surat At-Tawbah ,9:67 The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those - Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. Surat At-Tawbah, 9:72

Muslim Youth Memo

Love, Marriage and fairytales You see our minds have become messed up, and their now filled with pollution. TV screens and magazines plastic surgery, diets and pills. But still you’re not seeing any form of improvement, we’ve stacked up all these dollar bills, but still not sure what to do with them. We began to chase women and fornication, to the point our girls don't even know whose baby she's carrying. We're so afraid of commitment, but have no problem with dating. She has your kids now, but you’re still not even contemplating the possibility of marrying. See this is what happens when we neglect Allah's best examples; you call her Mary, but we call her Maryam, a woman who was perfect since birth, the best to walk the skies and the best to walk the earth. The most exalted of all women, that's why she was dedicated an entire chapter In the Holy Quran. The final revelation, in which there will be none after. She was the best of all women, and to society she should be leading the way. I mean that's why our women be dressing like her, because just like Mary, when Allah decrees something we hear and we obey. See Mary used to cover up, despite everything they used to say. She would hide in hibernation, and to Allah she would pray. And when she was visited by Angels in the form of men, she said if you fear Allah you would go away! because in the presence of men she would not stay. But anyways today we’re taught to be against segregation. Yet in support of all forms of liberation, to free yourself from the clothes that only lead to your degradation. ‘why do you got to cover your face for? we got to see your identification’... But little do they know her identities right there, a Woman who fears Allah and commits to her religious obligations. See I respect all women too, because that’s what my religion teaches, to lower your gaze when you’re walking, there’s no need to check out every second women's features. There's no need to even shake another women's hand because in reality there’s only one reason why a guy would be pleased to meet you. And you can go ahead and deny it, but don't blame me for stating the obvious. When the pornographic industry is worth billions you still don't see where the problem is? Sex is embedded into society to the point we’ll exploit it to merely sell a car. So you can act like this is all new to you, but you know for a fact how innocent we all really are. How about we look at the simplistic way we're taught to dress.. P6

Muslim Youth Memo

It's like if you dress less than you’re destined for success. You then force your women into heels and have the nerve to say that we oppress! You got her to dress up tightly I mean it’s an opportunity. But every time we lose our mind, it’s like; see what these ladies do to me. But I'm not blaming it on the women because we too have a responsibility -Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said the best of men, is he who is best in his character, and the best of them, is he who is best to his lady, after he married her. He was the best to his wives I mean just take a look at Aisha. He'd compete with her in races and smile just to make her happier. So when you do marry - do so with the intention of only Paradise, that’s where you plan to carry her. So the next time you think about carrying her to the altar, maybe you should alter your decision because if the only reason your marrying her is for is the outside then realise you'll be locked inside of a prison. For that reason, Prophet Muhammad said marry for four: Beauty, family, status but most importantly her religion, because a woman without religion is a woman who could do with a bit of extra wisdom. We're meant to grow old together, mercifully, so we could be protected by Allah's supervision. But relationships are a mess and there's no guarantee you’re going to be a survivor, so be kind to her and know that Allah will be kinder. Be a man who stands in front, but also a man who can stand beside her, and if you’re still looking for that good girl don't go chasing after behind her. Rather search to find Allah first, for Lebo2196 once you find Him you’re guaranteed to find her. P7

Muslim Youth Memo

COPING with peer pressure Br. Ibrahim Abu Khalid What happens during the school years is very important. Many parents and community leaders brush-off unfavourable, and un-Islamic Muslim youth behaviour as being a short-term phenomena, a mix of hormones and bad friends. Time, it is argued, will mature their thoughts and bring them in line. This is rarely the case. The school years form a critical part of the mental, religious and social development of our Muslim youth. Factors such as the school’s curriculum, social pressures and make-up can solidly mould the direction the Muslim youth will take. By far the most dangerous influence is that of ‘peer pressure ‘, whereby Muslims are pressured (mentally and physically) to conform to some social ‘norm’ or group behaviour. This can set an irreparable deviated path for the rest of their lives. In a country which boasts of heralding individual and religious rights, Muslims are still on the lower rung of the ladder. Even the school administration will exert pressures on Muslims to study and participate in un-Islamic activities. Compulsory participation in sports events brings many brothers and sisters into a state of conflict, who if refuse to participate, will be publicly embarrassed and humiliated. Sisters have been known to be forced to participate in swimming carnivals, gymnastics and dancing, many of which can involve male participation. Not attending formals, camps and discos are actually punished, through increased study load, and also mentally through public disgrace i.e. letting the school know who isn’t joining in. Other reported cases of teacher discrimination in Australia includes teachers snatching the Hijab off sisters, neglecting cases of abuse against Muslims (Muslims are supposed to have been used to being singled-out by now), and police investigations into the activities of Muslims purely on the basis of their religion.

Peer Pressure Fellow students can have a devastating effect on the moral and piety of a Muslim. These pressures should never be underestimated, they can intimidate a Muslim into taking drugs, smoking, ‘hanging out’ with the wrong group of friends; going to nightclubs, and having illegal relationships man and woman, man and man or woman and woman. Sisters feels compelled to waste money on extravagant items, ‘name-tags’, such as Fiorelli and Benetton, for the sole purpose of fitting-in. The preservation of her virginity is not a virtue, but rather a disgrace, a symbol of her ‘frigidity’. It sounds crazy, but whether we ignore this or not, it is there and in a big way. Brothers must act and smell and look like the Kuffar to avoid persecution, anything which will make them part of their friends

Muslim Youth Memo

So who are we? The sad thing is that, we have the solution for all of this, but we ignore it. Muslims don’t have to feel that they’re a group without identity or meaning. Nor should we allow anyone to prevent us from fulfilling our duties to Allah (S.W.T). Legally, we have many options to take in practicing Islam at school. we have a right to pray during the specified times. Many schools now have Friday Prayers in a designated room all it took was the joint effort of committed students, who themselves conduct the Khutba every Friday. We also have the right to celebrate our festivals, and wear our prescribed clothing without harassment. Other religious groups are permitted by the Schools to refrain from certain school activities. The Amish do not attend television class, the Sikhs wear their turbans wherever they go, the Jehovah Witness do not participate in the flag-raising or singing the national anthem. We also have our rights to watch what we deem permissible, and refrain from un-Islamic events. Many precedents have been set in this regard. It requires the strength of our brothers and sisters, a joint effort, and the knowledge that Muslims will not disobey Allah for the will of anyone. The Prophet (saws) and the Companions had nothing but disgust for the way of life of the disbelievers. In fact, they had so much disgust for them, that they purposely did everything the opposite of them. ‘Umar bin alKhattab’ (r.a.a.) actually forced the Muslims to look differently from the disbelievers. So why are we trying to imitate them? Muslims have been given honour through Islam and nothing else. Not through expensive designer clothes, nor expensive sneakers, or top ten CD’s. In fact, if you examine the history of the Kuffar, you will find them so inconsistent in their behaviour that only an idiot would want to copy them. Every year brings on a new fashion, a new habit, a new religion; one year its drugs, then its alcohol, then its mineral water, adding in all the things that can do nothing but destroy themselves. Australians can only copy Americans, which really shows how much sense of identity they have. Americans love hip hop, so do Australians. They wear baseball caps; we might as well follow them. Muslims however have their own identity, history and religion, to which millions have flocked to escape the filth and stupidity of the Kuffar. So why are we doing the opposite? Our Youth have to be supported by the community. When they are in need of assistance, we must be there. This could be financially, or morally. When they begin reforming themselves, and assisting in bringing about a change, the solid support must be there to help them to grow and reform.

Muslim Youth Memo

Valentines' Day; is it Islamic? Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajid.

by a she-wolf, which gave him strength their rabbis and their monks to be their and wisdom. lords besides Allah (by obeying them in

things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah)â&#x20AC;Ś" [alTawbah 9:31]

The Prophet (pbuh) told us that groups of his Ummah would follow the enemies of Allah in some of their rituals and customs, as it says in the hadith of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), who narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

"You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, span by span, cubit by cubit, until even if they were to enter a lizard's hole, you would follow them."We said," O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?"said, "Who else?!" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari) This hadiths alone reveals that following anything else which has not been revealed to us through the Quran and Sunnah is against the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh) and so also against the teachings of Islam. Why then, are we abandoning the beautiful teachings of Islam, and heading towards these baseless, unjustified rituals. In the name of what are we being subdued to follow such culture? We find that many Muslims are involving themselves with buying each other chocolates and gifts rather than being more obedient.

T h e R o mans used t o celebrate this event in mid-February each year with a big festival. One of the rituals was the Lupercalia, which was the sacrificing of a dog and a goat. Two strong and muscular youths would daub the blood of the dog and goat onto their bodies, then they would wash the blood away with milk. After that there would be a great parade, with these two youths at its head, which would go about the streets. The two youths would have pieces of leather with which they would hit everyone who crossed their path. The Roman women would welcome these blows, because they believed that they could prevent or cure infertility.

Why do we heedlessly follow the western culture in such a manner that anything we see them do suddenly becomes a must for us? Not only that but Islam teaches us to be loving towards each other everyday of our lives, rather than loving only for one day. Also, could the love of someone else be greater than your love for Allah (swt), our creator, to the point that you make the entire day theirs, thus neglecting your worship to Allah (swt), the All-forgiving. The history of this day The Festival of Love was one of the festivals of the pagan Romans, when paganism was the prevalent religion of the Romans more than seventeen centuries ago. In the pagan Roman concept, it was an expression of "spiritual love".

When the Romans embraced Christianity, they continued to celebrate the Feast of Love mentioned above, but they changed it from the pagan concept of "spiritual love" to another concept known as the "martyrs of love", represented by Saint Valentine who had advocated love and peace, for which cause he was martyred, according to their claims. It was also called the Feast of Lovers, and Saint Valentine was considered to be the patron saint of lovers.

There were myths associated with this pagan festival of the Romans, which persisted with their Christian heirs. Among the most famous of these myths This idea matches perfectly with the was the Roman belief that Romulus, the hadith in which the Prophet (pbuh) founder of Rome, was suckled one day says; "They (Jews and Christians) took

Furthermore, Shirk also takes place when you send out one of the greeting cards. On most of these cards are pictures of "Cupid", who appears as a child with two wings, carrying a bow and arrows. This was the god of love of the pagan Romans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; exalted be Allah far above their fabrications and their association of others with Him. As we know shirk comes in many forms and simply sending out such cards is in itself a form of shirk. Also, the exchanging of words of love and desire in the greetings cards usually are phrased as "be my Valentine". This represents the Christian concept of this festival after it was taken from the pagan concept. Thus, we cannot follow a ritual that originated from paganism as again this is a form of shirk and also a way of following the non-Muslims. Anyone who looks at the development of valentines day will clearly understand that this festival of the Romans was connected to myths and legends which no sound mind can accept, let alone the mind of the Muslim who believes in Allah and His Messengers (peace be upon them). Can anyone of sound mind believe that a she-wolf suckled the founder of the city of Rome and gave him strength and wisdom. Moreover, these myths go against the belief ('aqeedah) of the Muslim because the One Who bestows strength and wisdom is the Creator, may He be glorified and exalted, not the milk of a she-wolf! The same applies to the myth that their idols could protect them from evil or keep wolves away from their flocks (also another form of Shirk). Moreover, the connection between Saint Valentine and this festival has been questioned by many sources, and it considered to be far from definite. It would have been better for the Christians to reject this pagan festival in which they imitated the pagans. So how about us Muslims, who are commanded to be different from the Christians and the pagans before them? How can we lower ourselves to such a level?

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A world of smiles

Muslim Youth Memo

About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college, I was working as an intern at my University's Museum of Natural History. One day while working at the cash register in the gift shop, I saw an elderly couple come in with a little girl in a wheelchair. I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was kind of perched on her chair. I then realized she had no arms or legs, just a head, neck and torso. She was wearing a little white dress with red polka dots. As the couple wheeled her up to me I was looking down at the register. I turned my head toward the girl and gave her a wink. As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back at the girl, who was giving me the cutest, largest smile I have ever seen. All of a sudden her handicap was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile just melted me and almost instantly gave me a completely new sense of what life is all about. She took me from a poor, unhappy college student and brought me into her world; a world of smiles, love and warmth. That was ten years ago. I'm a successful business person now and whenever I get down and think about the troubles of the world, I think about that little girl and the remarkable lesson about life that she taught me. Submitted by a Writer of AL-Islaah Publications.

Across 1. Allah's last Prophet. 2. The first man and Prophet. 3. Compulsory annual contribution for the poor. 4. The Book sent the Prophet Dawud. 5. Digit. 6. Earth (Arabic term). 7. Midday prayer. 8. Islam's first pillar. 9. What, where, when, .... ? 10. Light (Arabic term). 11. Laboratory (abbreviation). Answers on P20

Down 1. The scale which will weigh our actions in the Hereafter. 2. A wise person, medical practitioner. 3. Female parent. 4. Syrian capital. 5. The Prophet's ascension. 6. Lesser pilgrimage. 7. Mercy (Arabic term). 8. Revelation (Arabic term). 9. Atmosphere. 10. Light (Arabic term). 11. It sheltered the Prophet Nuh (Noah) and animals against the

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Muslim Youth Memo

Satan' s trap; Online Chat rooms. Chatting online be it through mo-

The Prophet (peace and blessings

bile phones or laptops and com-

of Allah be upon him) com-

puters has become a phenome-

manded those who heard of the

non among the Muslim youth in

Dajjaal to keep away from him,

the current day. It is practically im-

and said that a man may ap-

possible to find that the youngsters proach him as a believer, but the Dajjaal will keep trying until he do not chat to their friends on these devices. What is the problem with that I hear you ask? Of course if the conversation is among two people or more from the same gender then there is no problem, keeping in mind that the conversation itself must be within Islamic ruling, meaning it should only include things that are not haraam, for example, indecent images should not be sent across and backbiting and foul language should also not be included. Nevertheless, we see that young Muslims are confused as to why they cannot converse with the opposite gender through these chat rooms if there are no mutual feelings between the two people and the conversation is kept moral. This question was handed over to

leads him astray. Correspondence between young men and women involves a great deal of fitnah and danger, so we must avoid it, even though the questioner says that this correspondence is free from immorality and love. Undoubtedly correspondence via chat rooms is more dangerous than correspondence by mail, but both are bad. And Allah knows best. Therefore, it is made very clear that chat rooms should be avoided and only used if in dire need for work, meet-ups and important events. May Allah protect us all from the

Sheikh Ibn Jibreen who responded; devious and cunning tricks of the rejected Shaytan. It is not permissible for any man to From Fataawa al-Marâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ah, comcorrespond with a woman who is not his mahram, because of the

piled by Muhammad al-Musnad,

fitnah (temptation) involved in

p. 96.

that. A person may think that there is no fitnah, but the Shaytan will keep trying until he tempts him.

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Muslim Youth Memo

Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, came from a noble family. Her father Khuwaylid had been one of the most honored leaders of their tribe until he was killed in battle. Her husband had also died, leaving her a very wealthy woman. When Muhammad (peace be upon him) was still a young man, she entrusted him with some of her wealth, asking him to trade with it in Syria on her behalf. After hearing his account of the journey, she decided that he would make the best of the husbands, even though many of the most important nobles of the Quraish had already proposed to her and had been refused, and in due course she proposed to him. After the Prophet's uncle, Abu Talib, had given the proposed marriage his blessing, Muhammad and Khadijah were married. For the next fifteen years they lived happily together, and Khadijah bore several children. Their first child, a son whom they named Qasim, died when he was only two years old. Two more sons, called Tayyib and Tahir, were also born, but they too died in their infancy. However, Muhammad and Khadijah also had four daughters who survived: Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatimah.

Khadijah had been the first to publicly accept Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as the Messenger of Allah, and she had never stopped doing all she could to help him. Love and mercy had grown between them, increasing in quality and depth as the years passed by, and not even death could take this love away. Khadijah died at the age sixty-five, may Allah be pleased with her. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) mourned her deeply. They had shared twenty-five years of marriage together and she had given birth to five of his children. Inshallah we too can adopt the characteristic of Khadija (as) and in turn we too become close to Allah (swt) and his Messenger (pbuh) Ahmad Thompson

It became Muhammad's custom each year to spend the month of Ramadan in seclusion and reflection in a cave on the mountain of Hira, which is on the outskirts of Makah. Khadijah would always make sure that he was provided with food and drink during his retreat. Towards the end of one Ramadan, when he was forty and Khadijah fifty-five, Muhammad suddenly appeared at their house in the middle of the night, trembling with fear and saying, "Cover me up, cover me up!" Khadijah was very alarmed to see him in such a state. Quickly she wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, revealing her loving nature. P13

Muslim Youth Memo

O Allah, Forgive Me! O ALLAH! HAVE A LOOK AT ME I AM THE ONE WHO NEVER REMEMBERS THEE UPON YOUR QURAN I NEVER ACT THOUGH BY YOUR NAME I SWEAR A LOT TO YOUR WILL I NEVER SURRENDER I AM NOTHING BUT A PERVERTED TRANSGRESSOR O ALLAH! I SIN DAY AND NIGHT BUT I BELIEVE YOU WILL FORGIVE ME, YOUR MERCY IS INDEED INFINITE I WRONGED MYSELF AND CORRUPTED MY SOUL ONLY THIS AND THIS WORLD WAS MY ULTIMATE GOAL TODAY I REALIZED YOUR MERCY UPON ME YOU BESTOW EVERYTHING WITHOUT ANY FEE O ALLAH! I WILL FOLLOW YOUR COMMANDS AND NOT SEEK WHAT MY HEART DEMANDS O ALLAH! MY EYES ARE WET ON YOUR PATH I WANT TO SET PLEASE FORGIVE ALL MY SINS, HIDDEN AND APPARENT BEFORE YOU EVERYTHING IS TRANSPARENT O ALLAH! MAKE ME YOUR BELOVED ONE AND GIVE ME ETERNAL PEACE IN GRAVE AND HEAVEN Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmed Sikander

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Muslim Youth Memo

Questions and answers Q) Did th him) ev e Prophet (bl e er hit h is wife ssings and pe ‘Aa’ish ah (ma ace of Allah b y Allah e upon her)? be plea The wo s e d with rds of ‘Aa’is ga

hah (m ve me ay Alla a painf h be p ul shov Prophe leased e in th t (bless with he e chest ings an r); “he ” indica d peac merely t e e that wh of Allah a shove at the be upo this ind (blessin n him) icates gs and did was that th peace her in e Proph of Allah the sen e t b e upon se mea persion nt by t him) did s upon h o s not hit e him; ra w h o want to ther he cast as poked the che her or st in su p u s h c ed her h a wa pain, b y that in ut it wa she felt s mild rather and un the pur intende pose b out som d pain; e h ind it w ething as to p and tea oint ch.

Q) Why are there more women in hell than men? )It was narrated that „Abd-Allaah ibn „Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I was shown Hell and I have never seen anything more terrifying than it. And I saw that the majority of its people are women.” They said, “Why, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “Because of their ingratitude (kufr).” It was said, “Are they ungrateful to Allaah?” He said, “They are ungrateful to their companions (husbands) and ungrateful for good treatment. If you are kind to one of them for a lifetime then she sees one (undesirable) thing in you, she will say, „I have never had anything good from you.‟” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1052) “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to the Musalla on the day of Eid al-Adha or Eid al-Fitr. He passed by the women and said, „O women! Give charity, for I have seen that you form the majority of the people of Hell.‟ They asked, „Why is that, O Messenger of Allaah?‟ He replied, „You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religious commitment than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you.‟ The women asked, „O Messenger of Allaah, what is deficient in our intelligence and religious commitment?‟ He said, „Is not the testimony of two women equal to the testimony of one man?‟ They said, „Yes.‟ He said, „This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Is it not true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?‟ The women said, „Yes.‟ He said, „This is the deficiency in her religious commitment.‟”

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Muslim Youth Memo

Gangsta life; Advice to the youth. Ishaq Mustaqim „„ Assalamualykum warahmatullah, my name is Ishaq Mustaqim, and I’ve been a Muslim for two years now. Before, I never thought I would be a Muslim, not only that, I did not think that I would have a message for the Muslim youth, and even if you're not Muslim you should still listen to what I have to say. This is for the young Muslims that are far from their religion, the ones involved in crimes, shootings, drugs and all the rest of it, don’t think that just because you haven’t been caught yet that you are one of the ‘lucky ones’. No, let me tell you something that I’ve learnt in my life of crime, one of the three things is bound to happen to you, you will either be caught, you will die from a gunshot, or you will suffer from depression. I am telling you now my dear Muslim brothers, and sisters as well. You have the gift in your hands, street life, and gang life, will bring you nothing, nothing at all! I know this because I’ve had twenty-six years of experience of living this life style and look at me, the only thing that brought me happiness was Islam. You know what’s the worst thing? The fact that you lot are already Muslim, and you know what’s going to happen to you when you die, that is so much worse! My past kept coming back to haunt me even when I became a Muslim. Around seven years ago when I was still involved in drug dealing and the sort I was involved in money business and a few years later they asked me to face a jail sentence which was between four to six years! I asked my lawyers if they could help me but nothing could be done because the evidence was there. I am asking you to please focus on your studies, on school, on beneficial volunteer activities to fill up your time-table because believe me you don’t want to involve yourself in these kinds of scams.

I know you guys think that money is everything, money is happiness, and money is life. That is all wrong. You are 100% wrong to think this. Every night me and my so called friends used to dine in the most expensive of restaurants all over the world, not only that, these type of restaurants are not open to anyone, they are only open to the wealthy and so I would spend over £5,000 in one night alone. Despite this, it didn’t change my level of happiness, not at all. I had cars, every single model you can think of; I had owned, I had women, I had everything. I lived a life of luxury, but it didn’t make me happy. I can’t believe the immoral way I used to live and pain fills me to know that young Muslims, who have been blessed with Islam since birth, are leaving their religion to enter into a life filled with decease, unhappiness, immorality, grief, wickedness and dishonesty. I love you guys too much to allow you to go into this kind of life without revealing to you the truth of what it holds. I’m telling you, I lived a life of luxury but never have I experienced happiness like I have now, after becoming Muslim. So please think carefully about what I’ve just said and I ask Allah to Inshallah forgive me and you for all of our bad deeds and I make dua that we can all be reunited in Jannah Inshallah. ’’

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Muslim Youth Memo

Don’t be sad; a message from a little girl Assalamualaykum, I hope you are all in a very good state, and I hope you are in the state of high Imaan (faith) Inshallah. I wanted to tell you dear Muslims, don’t ever, ever be sad, because Allah (swt) is with you! This life is not worth being sad about, so you should always smile. I know sometimes you feel upset, I also feel upset sometimes. I feel upset because I want to go home , home to Jannah to be with the prophets peace be upon them, and the righteous Muslims, I want to be with Allah (swt) away from the shaytan and this materialistic world. I feel upset because I want to read the Quran everyday and all day. Dear Muslims, if you ever feel upset you should just make sujood (prostration), and talk to Allah (swt) and tell him your problems, ask him to help you and to rid you from the shaytan. Also, you should always remember that you are part of the Muslim Ummah, that means that everyone is making dua for you, including me. So just keep your head high and be strong, because after every hardship comes ease! Just like Allah (swt) promised in the Quran. When you feel sad, remember that this life is nothing but a test, and soon it will be over, and you’ll be happy forever in Jannah.

And when you get sweaty in Jannah, it turns to perfume! Everything that’s meant to happen to you, Allah (swt) planned for it to happen to you, and Allah (swt) is the best of planners, so please just trust him because he is planning for you a beautiful house in Jannah, just be patient my dear brothers and sisters! You’re Muslim and Allah (swt) loves you, so love him back. I know I’m just a little girl, but please listen to my message. You see when you go to Jannah you won’t even remember these times. You know when something bad happens to you and you get hurt, Allah (swt) takes away your sins, and so Allah (swt) is getting rid of them before you go Jannah, so please be happy Muslims because we’re all going to Jannah Inshallah! Sometimes Allah tests us, but Allah (swt) only tests the people that he loves, so he loves you, and I love you too, soo soo much! P17

Muslim Youth Memo

BE THE DIAMOND IN THE SEA OF ROCKS!! Farhat Zafar, K.S.A If you are standing on one side of the road, while most of the people are on other side, you are looked upon as something strange, someone alien that just landed on the earth, even, if you are on truth, you are made to feel that your principles and beliefs are too old and unpractical then know that such are the times of Fitnah (Trials).

be admitted to paradise, while you are „excited‟ for striving to achieve a place in higher levels of Paradise. Another fight is with the peers around you who are enjoying their life and call you to fitnah (Trials). They are the „normal‟ people who are always updated with the latest music albums and movies, partying and hanging out, bullying and disrespecting elders, using foul language and lying around, while you are labelled as „abnormal‟ for avoiding all that which Allah, Our Creator & Sustainers has forbidden. They read all the fat books of fictitious junk in the world while you may be striving hard to learn the Deen of Allah and the Qur‟an. When everyone around you is clicking photos, you search for the exit to escape the situation.

The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h) said, “Islam began as a stranger and it will return to being a stranger, so blessed are the strangers.”[Sahih Muslim, Book 1, If you are a Muslimah, you have to fight Number 270] the world to uphold your Hijab, to appear and stand apart from the crowd. You are The prophet was informed by Allah that weird for not following the latest fashion such a time is bound to come, when peo- and not desiring the adornments of this ple practising Islam would be looked at world. You are termed as insane for desirstrangely. ing to marry a righteous bearded man rather than a handsome rich boy. Nowadays, a believer has to fight to practise Islam. This can be considered as a blessing from Allah because one who If you are a working Muslim man, you struggles in the way of Allah is actually have to fight the evil of interest in every practising Jihad Fi Sabilillah, one of the field you enter. For something as simple as deeds dearest to Allah. If you happen to be the odd one out in your family, the ji- keeping a beard or wearing pants above had starts at home itself. You have to si- the ankles, you have to hold the courage of a warrior. lently fight at every step to go against the customs of your family to follow the principles of Islam. They are the „normal‟ people The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h) said, who are the Jumuah exclusive worship- "When Allah wishes good for someone, He pers. They lead life as „moderate Muslims‟ bestows upon him the understanding of relying on the fact that if one has faith Deen." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. equal to a mustard seed‟s weight, he will

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Muslim Youth Memo

So receive the glad tiding that Allah wishes good for you, so He has bestowed understanding of the deen to you out of all the „normal‟ people. Sometimes you may feel totally alone. But realize that you are the diamond in the sea of rocks. If you have to be a warrior to uphold the commandments of Allah and Sunnah of Prophet (s.a.w), be the warrior. Allah says in the Qur‟an: "Yes, if you hold on to patience and piety, and the enemy comes rushing at you; your Lord will help you with five thousand angels having marks (of distinction). Allah made it not, but as a message of good news for you and as an assurance to your hearts, and there is no victory except from Allah, the All-Mighty, and the All-Wise.” (Quran 3:125-126) We can never satisfy the people of this world, no matter how much we follow their desires. So place all your hopes in Allah, seek His forgiveness, ask His guidance and steadfastness in following the deen. In these times of fitnah, if you wish to receive glad tidings and a high place in Jannah, BE THE STRANGER!!!

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Dr. Nouman Ali Khan

Relationships in Islam

Allah says ‘And they do not come near Zina’ (sex outside of marriage). Why does he mention that? This is because for teenagers especially, it's always there. He's a good looking young guy who walks around in the mall and the all girls are always looking at him. I know this is not easy, you know, nobody's watching, you say it's okay, it should be alright, but despite all this he still stops himself. It's hard, I know it's hard. The girl spots him looking at her, she says that it must be because she’s really pretty, but she knows that this is wrong, just because her parents are not watching, just because no one can stop her, does not mean it’s okay. She realises that it’s haraam and doesn’t move further.

Muslim Youth Memo

You are an adult in the sight of Allah. If you are thirteen, and over you have hormones, and you are attracted to the opposite gender, then you are an adult! You are responsible for your actions in the eyes of Allah (swt), not your parents, or relatives, or teachers, or friends. If you die in the state that you are in, Allah (swt) will not say, you are still a teenager, I'll go easy on you, no! You will be trialled with fifty, sixty year olds. Have some respect for your self, give yourself higher standards, you are a Muslim, you know what is right and wrong, you are stronger than the shaytan, so stop the haraam you are doing and turn back to Allah with sincere repentance!

Allah (swt) says that the punishment will be douThe worst time is school or College in the sumbled for the Muslims who commit murder, adulmer. There's girls sitting there who are barely tery, or commit shirk (associate partners with dressed and one of them comes over to you God), because we were warned against these asking if you can help her with some work. He's sins but still committed them. Some of you are being tested by a lot. Same goes for the feprobably hearing these thing and are like ohmales, guys come in who are also semi dressed, my-god double punishment!! Maybe I should asking if you half time after class to explain this just stop reading this now, because it’s pretty piece of work or that piece of work. We are aldepressing. This allows the shaytan to begin his ways being tested we need to understand that! meddling, he whispers to you saying that, you’re Sometimes it’s not going to be easy, especially already going to hell anyway, you’ve pretty for the young people. Your friends on the phone much booked yourself an express train there, so go on all about it. you might as well party till the end. Not only that but you have a lot of secrets. For example, you might have another profile on Facebook, your girlfriend or your boyfriend are saved on these hidden profiles, or on your phone on these social networks; Whatsapp, Viber, Snapchat, Instagram etc. Now is the time to un-friend all those girls, all those boys. You, reading this right now, yes YOU, go on delete them. What happens now.. they’re going to ask you why you deleted them, is it because you don’t like them anymore? What are you going to say? Are you going to make up an excuse? Say you’re sorry, you’re phone deleted them by ‘accident’.. Or are you going to be strong about it, do it for the sake of Allah (swt). I’ll tell you what to do, don't even reply, just leave it, drop it, end of story. No more haraam relationships, if you’re really up to it, If you really care about your lord, Allah (swt), and Your prophet Muhammad (pbuh) you will stop.

Except, have you forgotten that Allah (swt) is the all-forgiving all-merciful, Allah’s forgiveness and mercy outweighs his wrath so much so that Allah (swt) says that those of you who return to Allah (swt) after committing these major sins in complete repentance and submission, he will not only wipe away your bad deeds but he will change the mountains of sins that you have done, into mountains of good deeds! What that means is this person who returns back to Allah (swt), with the intention to fix their faith will be forgiven. It means that once you have repented, you must take your actions very, very seriously and it also means that you must be keen on doing good. Even if you've done some terrible things in your life, if you turn back to Allah (swt) with the intention of becoming a better Muslim, Allah (swt) will forgive your sins and turn them into good deeds! P20

Muslim Youth Memo

A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later. As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My brother, Yusuf, five years older was my example. Samya, my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play 'big brother' and develop the art of teasing. My parents were complementary instructors-- Mom taught me to love Allah, and Dad taught me to how to obey Him. But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spell-bound for hours each evening. If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it.

The

str

ang

pipes distinguished. He talked freely (probably too much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the manwoman relationship were influenced by the stranger.

As I look back, I believe it was Allah's Mercy that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after He knew about the past and seemed to undertime he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he stood the present. The pictures he could draw was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave. were so life like that I would often laugh or cry as I More than thirty years have passed since the watched. He was like a friend to the whole family. stranger moved in with the young family on MornHe took Dad, Yusuf and me to our first major ingside Drive. league baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arHe is not nearly so intriguing to my Dad as he was rangements to introduce us to several famous in those early years. But if I were to walk into my people. parents' den today, you would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to Dad didn' t seem to mind-but sometimes Mom him talk and watch him draw his pictures. would quietly get up-- while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway Who was he I feel you wonder, well his name was places-- go to her room, read the Qur'aan. television. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave. You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house- not from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm.. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted. My dad was a practicing Muslim man who didn't permit alcohol in his home - not even for cooking. But the stranger felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often. He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and

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Tips for the Muslim youth

Muslim Youth Memo

Why should you, a young Muslim, be helping to bring your friends closer to Allah?

also misguide you if He wills (we seek refuge in Allah from that).

After all, you've got your own struggles to deal with: trying to explain why you pray to hostile teachers, Hijab discrimination, standing up in class when the professor attacks Islam, dealing with parents who think you've gone nuts because you're growing a beard, or all the other difficulties faced by a number of practicing Muslim youth?

Tip #2: Practice what you preach

Islam was never meant to be an individualistic faith, reserved for the "chosen few". Muslims have a duty to spread the Deen, and practicing Muslim youth, whether beginners, activists or leaders have a crucial role to play.

Read and understand those chapters of the Qur'an which talk about how the Prophets presented the message of Islam to their people. Read the Seerah to see especially how the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought Islam to so many different people, including young people.

"Allah has put them in a position that perhaps no one else is in," notes Sheema Khan, former Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) advisor for eastern Canada. "They have the means to communicate with their peers, they have an understanding of what they're going through plus they have the guidance of Islam." Who is your childhood friend? Is it the one who you would rather spend Fridays with at MacDonald's, rather than the Masjid. Or is it your classmate who is Muslim in name and only knows that "Muslims don't eat pork" ,or the friend thatâ&#x20AC;&#x;s going to listen to: the nice Imam of the Masjid who would freak out if he saw the way you were dressed. You may have grown up with them, joked with them, or seen them everyday in school but are they truly friends, I mean in the sight of Allah (swt0>

Not practicing what you preach is wrong and you will lose the confidence of anyone, young or old, once they figure you out. Don't do it. Tip #3: Use the Qur'an and Seerah (biography of the Prophet) as Dawaah (call to Islam)

As well, talk to Dawaah workers, and check out books that have been written on introducing Dawaah to non Muslims Tip #4: Talk to people as if you really don't know them Don't assume you know someone just by looking at them. You don't know that the Muslim girl in your homeroom who walks through the school's hallways as if they were fashion show catwalks is not someone you can talk to about Allah because she looks like a snob. Or that the Muslim guy who you've never seen at Jumaah at your university is a "bad Muslim". Maybe he was never really taught Islam and has no idea what importance Friday prayers have in Islam, especially for Muslim men.

The answer is obvious: but you don't need to panic. Here are some tips and advice from other Tip #5: Smile more experienced Muslims who have been there Remember the Prophet (pbuh) told us that it is and done that: sunnah to smile, I mean it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x;t hurt anyone if you do and also smiling at Tip #1: Make your intention sincere people will immediately encourage them to try and find out about these All the work we do should ideally be for the sake happy , smiling people. of Allah. That includes the task of bringing someone closer to Allah. That of course means this should not be connected to arrogance, thinking you're the teacher and everyone else should be lucky you've embarked on a crusade to save them. Guidance is from Allah. Make Dua and make sincere efforts and remember Allah can P22

Muslim Youth Memo

Why the MUSLIM YOUTH Memo?

This magazine is a major contribution from the Islamic Care charity to the Muslim community which is to be added to the effort (already) made to protect and preserve our youth who are our future, by aiding them into becoming righteous and active members of society. We consider this to be the least of what we can offer to our children in front of these huge challenges that they face which aim to target their religion, morals and values. This magazine: 1. Is not a profit-making commercial project, but rather a purely charitable project 2. Is not a voice of any political party 3. Does not follow any trend or (particular) direction Hence, it is a charity project that is concerned with youth issues related to religion, values and morals and its goal is to protect Muslim youth especially in high schools and colleges and to remind them of their great mission in this life to achieve the best that they can so that they can be ones with outstanding character and behaviour, thereby giving an impressive exemplar and depiction of the great message of Islam. It will also:

        

Save the youth from a world of heedlessness and moral defeatism Protect them from a culture of shamelessness, deviation, gangster clubbing. Prevent them from falling into forbidden relationships that lead to fornication Distance them from fear, detachment & isolation and having the sense of inferiority Remind them that they are carrying a message of great value and ethics in their behaviour, appearance and speech. Be a substitute for the parents who have little time to monitor their children and know what they are doing. Help them to defeat Shaytan who will use every means of technology to divert them from their path Help them to be outstanding in their studies once they have a sense of stability and responsibility Help them to get a happy and lasting marriage afterwards and give the parents happiness and pride in their son or daughter. The reader may find a lot of shortcomings in this issue, whether in its content or design, as we are still new, but we are certain that we will find help and assistance from good and honourable people who will help us through their specialization, guidance, observations and du'as. We also call upon all those who are able to write in this magazine regarding the youth and their issues to do so in order that they may receive reward, for perhaps a true and sincere word shall save a young person or bring about a complete change in him. Mohamed Saihi

Answers for P7

It's a great opportunity to put your contribution and your fingerprint in this effort, which aims to protect our children and our youth from deviation and loss, are not they are our future in this country? Are not they be the ones who will represent Islam tomorrow? Please feel free to help us by donating or through distribution, design, writing, and personal opinions and advice! P23

Drop of water please The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The best charity is giving water to drink.â&#x20AC;? (Ahmad) A Companion of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Sa'd ibn Ubadah, asked the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), "Umm Sa'd has died; what form of Charity (Sadaqah) is best?" He (PBUH) replied: "Water (is best)." He dug a well and said: It is for Umm Sa'd (Abu-Dawood No. 1677)

88% of all diseases are caused by drinking unsafe water and inadequate sanitation, 90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water are children under five

Hundreds of thousands are deprived of water because of war , siege, displacement, and drought, Islamic Care is specialized in providing water tanks, containers, drilling medium and deep wells, as well as purification and sterilization systems. Help us to irrigate thirsty

Please give a drop of water now ISLAMIC CARE, Kemp House, 152 City Road, London EC1V 2NX www.islamiccare.org.uk, info@islamiccare.org.uk 07946136976 Bank: HSBC: Acc: 41451030, Sort Code: 40-22-30 P24