My Conversion to Islam in the Month of Ramadaan

The month of Ramadaan is welcomed by Muslims all over the world as an opportunity to wash away the sins committed over the past year. This holy month has an added significance for me, for it was in the month of Ramadaan — 15 years ago — that I accepted Islam…
As the month of Ramadaan drew closer, I decided to give fasting a test-run. Initially I was apprehensive that I might faint whilst abstaining from food and drink from dawn until sunset….Yet millions of Muslims managed to fast, including the elderly and the young. Surely it couldn’t be that hard? Even my non-observant Muslim friends were promising to fast all thirty days and abstain from marijuana, dating and clubbing. And for most Uni students, that takes some doing!…

Read the full account at al-istiqamah.com

Response to The Jewel of Madina

Disclaimer: This post is classified as a “rant,” meaning that it’s not meant to be an analytical or even constructive criticism of the subject, but rather an expression of my own outrage.

Ah, where would we be without controversy? The latest episode in this never-ending game of “Hey, let’s do something senseless just to get a reaction from Muslims!” revolves around the novelist Sherry Jones and her book “The Jewel of Madina.” Marketed as historical fiction, this book is the author’s depiction the story of our beloved Messenger Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and the Mother of Believers A’ishah (radhiAllahu anha) - and as can be expected, by the author’s own admission takes full advantage of “literary license” (i.e. she makes things up to make it a more exciting story).

“The Jewel of Madina” is the result of author Sherry Jones’ 6-year-long endeavour to ‘bring the love story of Aishah and Muhammad to the West,’ as she claims. Scheduled to be published by Random House and other publishing agents around the world, Random House called a halt to the August 12th launch date after a call from University of Texas professor Denise Spellberg denounced the novel as incredibly offensive, stupid, and likely to incite the wrath of Muslims. Aside from numerous factual and historical errors (though she says that she did “a lot of research”), as pointed out in this book review, most notorious - and disgusting - is the inclusion of an explicit scene between RasulAllah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and A’ishah (radhiAllahu anha). This fact alone should prepare you for what is to come below. Yet, terribly, Random House has retracted its decision and is going to go ahead with publishing and distributing the novel.

Sherry Jones’ interview with AltMuslim is apparently meant to allay suspicions,soothe tempers, and encourage us all to read (to buy!!!) her book before making judgments on it. She rambles on about her personal research journey into the life of our Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and of A’ishah (radhiAllahu ‘anha), her hope that the Western world will gain a better understanding of the life of Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and that it’ll be a bridge between cultures and all the rest of what you can expect from the so-called liberal artistic intellectual types.

I don’t believe a word of it. The interview is so sickeningly saccharine in her cooing over the greatness of Islamic history and her personal love of the Seerah (her own twisted version, that is) and encouragements for people to be more open to change and re-interpretations that only a blind man would be unable to see the outright tabloid-quality of the entire endeavor. For a woman who’s been a journalist for the last 28 years, Ms. Jones is incredibly stupid to think that in today’s day and age such a work would be accepted as what she’s trying to pass it off as; that the majority of Muslims would not be outraged and disgusted at her depiction of our most beloved Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and his wife, whose innocence from the slander of the hypocrites was revealed and confirmed from above the Seven Heavens, yet which she is quite happy to cast doubt upon for the mere sake of making her book more exciting (or as she says, to make the character of A’ishah “more humanistic”).

To my cynical eyes at least, the author’s true motives are glaring obvious even through all her sugarcoating and wide-eyed protestations of innocence and pure intentions. There is no reason to write and publish a fictional account of our Prophet’s life, especially focusing on (what is to others) more “controversial” issues, except to generate money and tabloid fodder. If she were truly interested in Islam, in the exceptional and beautiful life of Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and his companions, then she would respectfully keep her trap shut and pursue further education regarding this Deen of ours rather than undertake such a ridiculous and ill-fated endeavor. May Allah guide her, ameen.

A question is asked, if Muslims are just not ready for historical fiction. That question, I believe, is a moot point - the real issue is not that of accepting historical fiction (I’m quite a fan of it, actually), but that of people continuing to slander and debase those whom we love even more than our ownselves: our Prophet, and his companions. To those who say that we’re just being stick-in-the-mud conservatives again, that don’t you get it, the book is actually saying positive things about the Prophet!, that it’s important for us to accept a “humanized” picture of the Prophet and his companions - to them I say, this is not an issue of being a grumpy old conservative who is being reactionary for no reason, nor is it that I’m not able to accept a “humanistic” vision of our Messenger. Indeed, in the authentic Seerah and in the Qur’an itself there is enough that presents the human side of Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)! We don’t need to depend on others, on those who don’t even believe in the truth of Islam, the Message conveyed by the Messenger, to tell us how “human,” how “flawed yet beautiful,” how “complex and rich” our history is. We know our history - or should know it - very well, thank you very much. And we believe in it far more than you ever could, Ms. Jones, however much you profess to love “your Muhammad” and “your A’ishah.”

In conclusion, I don’t think that this particular subject is going to be any different from the Danish cartoons case… except that (hopefully) there won’t be any deadly riots over it; nonetheless, it doesn’t make it any easier for me to swallow. The same old slogans and arguments and flamewars over freedom of speech and expression, of overcoming our own internal obstacles towards “greater understanding” and “enlightenment,” of what we can do to defend our Messenger will be repeated over and over again, with little if any progress or change. The book is published, it’s going to sell, and bitter as it may be to us all, there’s nothing we can do about it except pray that Allah guide this foolish woman and refer people to far more authentic sources through which they may learn of the true biography of the greatest of Allah’s creation.

I contemplated not bothering to publish this post, as I feel that it’s not worth much in terms of practicality. If I can’t provide any solutions to the problem, what’s the point? A bitter part of me feels that with all the proverbial mud being slung at us these days, incidents like this aren’t even worth being responded to when compared to the far more weighty and depressing situations like that of the Muslims in Palestine, Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, Kashmir, and elsewhere. The other voice in my head insisted that I may as well write this out because it’s something that’s happening, that has to do with us and our Messenger, and that we can’t just ignore it… and so, I’m going to press the “publish” button and pray that I haven’t simply given this woman and her foolishness more attention than they deserve.

May Allah paralyze the tongues and limbs of those who knowingly and maliciously slander our beloved RasulAllah (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), may He guide those with an atom’s weight of fitrah left in them to the correct path, and may He increase us in our love of Him and His Messenger and follow in the footsteps of the Sunnah throughout our lives, ameen.

Note: IslamOnline published a column by Sherry Jones, defending her book. The Wall Street Journal has another such article. A Wikipedia summary of the novel and the controversy surrounding it.

Source: Muslim Matters

Dr Aafia’s sister: “The American Ambassador is lying”

Daily Ummat Publication recently published an interview with Fauzia Siddiqui (Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s sister) and human rights activist Khalid Khawaja. Al-istiqamah.com has translated the interview from the original Urdu:

The American Ambassador is lying

The American ambassador N.W. Peterson yesterday wrote a letter to the editors of the Pakistani newspapers regarding the Dr Aafia case, which begins by addressing the Pakistani media in an indecent manner. In her letter she has commented on 7 points about the Dr Aafia case and she has also severely criticised the Pakistani media. She says that the Pakistani media is spreading rumours and making unproven accusations. She has also said that unfortunately there are some people who like to twist the truth so that they manipulate the public’s opinion into believing what they want them to believe. After criticising the Pakistani media she went on to state the 7 points that the Americans are claiming in the Dr Aafia case.

The question is, how close to the truth are the Americans….

To find this out we spoke to Dr Fauzia Siddiqui who is Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s sister and Khalid Khawaja, a human rights activist. They have been involved in this case since day one and are aware of all the truths about this case.

Fauzia Siddiqui

Q: Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, the American ambassador has written a letter to the Pakistani media saying that they are twisting the truth. To set the record straight, they have explained 7 points. We would like you to hear your opinion.

FS: I congratulate the Pakistani media for covering the case splendidly and uncovering the truth behind this story. It is for this reason that the American ambassador found it necessary to provide justifications. Instead of accusing the Pakistani media, the American ambassador should look at what the American media is doing. Where are their etiquettes and manners? Look at the filth that their media is writing with regards to this case. Look at the New York media and the false accusations they are putting on Aafia. There is not a crime in the world that they are not accusing her of! I ask her (the ambassador), where is the evidence for these allegations? Why doesn’t she stop these false accusations? The fact that the ambassador is having to provide justifications and is angrily criticising the Pakistani media is proof that the Pakistani media is uncovering the truth, and this is worrying for the Americans.

Q: Madam, I want us to talk frankly and to the point. The American ambassador has said that the media’s claim is false and that before the 17^th of July 2008, Aafia was not in the custody of the Americans, in Bagram or anywhere else and that they had no knowledge of her whereabouts. What is your take on this?

FS: My innocent sister Aafia was kidnapped on the 30^th of March 2003 in Karachi, when she was with her three children, on the way to the railway station. The American ambassador says that they had no knowledge of this but this is a lie. The American television channel NBS news had a report about Aafia’s disappearance on the 22^nd of April 2003, exactly 23 days after she went missing. The report read ‘The FBI is interrogating the recently arrested Dr Aafia Siddiqui. Where this interrogation is taking place and where Dr Aafia is being held are unknown.’ This was their breaking news which stayed on their website for a long time. Maybe it is still there. If Aafia’s whereabouts were unknown to them then why didn’t they refute this story?

Q: It is said that Aafia has been injured due to a gunshot, but the injury is not life-threatening and she has not been mistreated. What do you think?

FS: I wasn’t there and none of us have been able to meet with her. All the allegations of mistreatment which have been brought forward so far have been through the lawyer Elizabeth Fink. Elizabeth doesn’t know us or Aafia. She has been appointed through the American judicial system. She certifies that Aafia is suffering and that she has been tortured. In addition to this, an American woman, who was allowed to watch the court case, wrote a letter to me in which she described Aafia’s condition. I can’t begin to describe to you what is written in that letter. She said that Aafia cannot even sit in the wheelchair properly. You can’t hear her speak. Even from the photograph that the Americans themselves have made public, it is quite clear what ordeal the Americans have put my innocent sister through. The American ambassador’s letter is a pack of lies and it states that no injustice has been done to Aafia. What more injustice can there be than the fact that they have said that if anyone comes to meet Aafia then the security guards will strip search her? Isn’t this injustice and mistreatment? The American ambassador is herself a woman. Is it not injustice that a woman be strip-searched by male security guards?

Q: They say that nobody was paid or rewarded for Dr Aafia’s arrest.

FS: I don’t know what the truth is about this. A lawyer in Islamabad has filed a case with regards to this but I am not aware of the evidence that they have.

Q: Was she arrested in Afghanistan by the Afghan police and handed over by them to the Americans?

FS: These are absurd stories. First NBS reported in 2003 that Aafia was being interrogated by the FBI. Now they say that she was captured on the 17^th of July 2008, that too by the Afghan police! How absurd! They say she was captured in Ghazni and they found in her possession, a map of New York! The question is, was she searching for New York in Ghazni and that was the reason she ended up in Ghazni with a map of New York? The governor of Ghazni has denied that they captured Aafia!

Their claims are easily proved false with a little thought. I think that they kept a lone woman locked up in a dark cell. 5 years later when people started demanding answers they released her in Ghazni themselves and told the Afghan police to [fatally] shoot her. The Afghans didn’t understand and they shot and injured her, then handed her over to the Americans. Their plot failed; they had wanted them to kill her.

Q: It is said that the Americans definitely have no knowledge of the whereabouts of her children.

FS: What does this ‘definitely having no knowledge’ mean? The American ambassador should explain this further. Furthermore, the order which came from the American courts, which the American government told the court to announce on oath, in it was stated that Aafia and her son had been captured. Now where has that son gone? Secondly, in America some people from the FBI came to my resident brother and said, ‘Look we have always been bringing you bad news with regards to your sister Aafia, but today we have brought you good news that next week, when you come to court, we will let you meet with Aafia’s son. They said, ‘If we show you a picture of the boy will you recognise him?’ He said, ‘I can’t say anything about a picture, but if you let me meet him then I will definitely recognise him.’ They had promised to arrange a meeting at the hearing, but then they didn’t let my brother meet him and he has disappeared. Tell us, where has her son gone and why weren’t we allowed to meet him? Why has he been made to disappear?

Q: The picture that America publicised of Aafia’s arrest in Ghazni, in which she was covering her face, was Aafia’s son in that picture as well?

FS: Definitely! Now let the American ambassador tell me what she hopes to achieve by lying.

Q: Aafia is accused of attempting to assault and murder American officers and employees.

FS: An accusation is an accusation! Anyone can accuse anybody of anything! If they are truthful then they should let us meet Aafia. They should allow her mother to meet her. Let her have access to the media and the truth will come out.

Q: They say that they will give her full justice and even let her defend herself.

FS: We don’t believe this one percent. Why? I will explain this to you. The government isn’t even giving her the rights of an American citizen which the law states she should have, so what justice will they give her? According to American law, it is her right that she should be able to make phone calls. It was said that she would be allowed to speak to her mother by phone, but they didn’t allow it. This itself is an injustice. Secondly, because they wanted the court case to take place in New York, they made up the story about the map of New York, which they claim was found in her possession. There is now a trial by media taking place and many disgusting, false allegations are being levelled against Aafia. All this is being done so that the people of New York feel hatred for Aafia, and the court will already be prejudiced against Aafia so the outcome of the case will therefore be decided even before the court case begins. If our ambassador is so concerned then she should oppose the American media and tell them to put a stop to this behaviour. My appeal to the people of Pakistan is that they should make du’a to Allah that He eases the situation of this innocent woman. Ameen.

Khalid Khawaja – Chief Defender of Human rights

Q: Mr Khawaja. The American ambassador has stated that the Pakistani media is twisting the truth regarding Aafia. Is this true?

KK: I challenge the American ambassador to join me in a live broadcast on any television channel in the world. I will prove that she is lying. Dr Aafia was in the custody of the Americans for 5 years. They have oppressed her and I have proof of this. If the American ambassador is truthful then let her come forward and prove that I am lying.

Q: She has said that prior to the 17^th of July they did not know of the whereabouts of Dr Aafia.

KK: Aafia was not an illiterate. She obtained a doctorate from America’s top university and according to her she was also a terrorist! On the other hand they say that she was so mad and the world’s media says that she was prisoner number 650. So in these conditions she arrived in Ghazni, with a map of New York. She also had thousands of e-mails about terrorist activities in her bag. Along with this she also had literature about bomb-making in her bag and was also walking about with bomb making equipment! How stupid do they think people are?! And is the American officer stupid that he will capture the woman who was wanted by the FBI and let her go so that she can go behind the curtain, pick up a gun and start firing?! What do they take us for that they think we will accept this nonsensical story?

Let us say we accept that she was actually captured on the 17^th of July 2008. American law says that when a foreign national comes into their custody then they have to inform their embassy within 24 hours. Why didn’t they do this? They had the opportunity to bring her in front of the media at once and say ‘Look, the woman because of whom we are being accused, we have just captured her in Ghazni.’ Why are they silent?

Q: What will you say regarding their statement that they are definitely unaware of the whereabouts of her children?

KK: They had said that they captured one child with the mother. Now we don’t even know where he is. Secondly, since 2003, up to the present day, the American and Pakistani agencies have been threatening her family and brother not to ‘make any noise’ and that the children will be found and so will Aafia. Now, how can they say that they don’t know where the children are? May Allah protect them; we have heard that they may even have killed one child. The American ambassador should be ashamed of herself for lying and she should tell us about that child, whose capture was announced by the government, where is he now? I spoke to Hussain Haqaani myself and he says that the Americans are even claiming to be unaware about the whereabouts of this child. If this is not blatant transgression…..then what is it?

Q: They say that no maltreatment occurred.

KK: What do they call maltreatment? How did she get in the state that she is in today? And strip-searching a woman in front of men, is that not maltreatment? The American ambassador is herself a woman. She isn’t a Muslim, and she doesn’t observe Hijaab. She should tell me isn’t this maltreatment (that a Muslim woman who observes Hijaab is strip-searched in front of men)? They say that she was shot on the 18^th of July and after transferring her to America they didn’t give her medical treatment. What else is maltreatment? Isn’t what the American media is doing classified as oppression and maltreatment?

Q: It has been promised that justice will be served and she will also be given the right to defend herself.

KK: What justice will those people serve who aren’t even giving her basic human rights? Visitation rights are given throughout the world. In this case, either she is not allowed to meet with her lawyer at all, and when a visit did take place then there were cameras in all directions as well as six other people present. They couldn’t talk. When there was a meeting between Aafia and her brother they were not able to talk. They just looked at each other and cried. Leave aside everything else. After the 30^th of March 2003 when she went missing, Moin Haider, Muhammad Mian Sumro and Faisal Salih Hayat promised her family that she was safe and sound and would be released soon. They should be asked where she was until now.

Q: What is your opinion about the torture?

KK: Look, they made the poor woman a victim of torture for 5 years, up to the point that she is no longer normal. Her lawyer says that all she remembers is that she was kept in a cave. She has no idea how much time she has spent in captivity and is unaware of her children’s whereabouts. The question arises that when she was kidnapped on the 30^th of March, her 3 children were with her. There are eyewitnesses who can vouch for this. Now the Americans say they don’t know where her children are. If they are so unaware then they should ask her whether her children were with her. Two of her children are American citizens, at least find out about them. They are just conjuring up tales.

Q: Why are these lies being told?

KK: For 5 years America has been accused of the abduction and torture of Aafia. Now they want to reassure the American public that the accusations are false and so they are making scapegoats of others and concocting false stories which they are propagating through their media. Only the Pakistani media is spreading the truth and the Americans are worried by this.

alistiqaamah.wordpress.com

Exclusive: My Experiences of Islamophobia in Post 7-7 Britain

Umm Ruqayya is a married mother of four. In this exclusive interview with al-istiqamah.com, she describes her experience of increasing hostilities directed towards Muslim women and children in post 7/7 Britain.

Umm Ruqayya: … it is often the women and children who have to bear this cost, as they are so easily distinct. Once I was on the way to post a letter with my children. My 8 year old daughter ran ahead. To a bystander it would have looked as though she were by herself.

Al-Istiqamah: Does she wear hijab?

Umm Ruqayya: She does. She had just started wearing it actually. Some men in a van - I noticed they were skinheads but I don’t know if that’s any correlation – they threw a piece of lead piping at her whilst their van was driving quite fast.

Al-Istiqamah: Subhanallah. Did it hit her?

Umm Ruqayya: It missed her, but had it hit her, that would have been a serious injury. I was so shocked that they would target a child because she was identifiable as a Muslim. I was shaking with anger and also fear for my child. I was just grateful to Allah that she hadn’t been hurt…

Read the full interview at www.al-istiqamah.com

The Aafia Siddiqui I Saw: by Abu Sabaya

“I want you to come to know of the concern and dedication that this simple woman had for Islam as described by those who knew her - a dedication that was manifested by way of actions that were very simple and easy, yet seldom carried out by those who are able.”

Read the full article at al-istiqamah.com

Poem: My Brother

12 miles away in a cell is my brother
24 hour confined hell for my brother
They try to separate me with fear from my brother
But things are not as they appear with my brother
They call him a terrorist, I call him my brother
Tell me why they had to go take my brother
Because he says his Lord is Allah and no other?
Was it because he cared enough to teach did my brother
Or was it the hearts he used to reach did my brother
Was it that he was different from the crowd is my brother
Was it that he is a Muslim that is proud is my brother
They say that he’s heartless, my brother?
When they have him sitting in the darkness, my brother
I ask Allah to pour out on him patience, my brother
2 years without trial he’s waited, my brother
12 miles away in a cell is my brother
Sensory deprived hell for my brother
But I won’t allow them to defeat my brother
As long as I can stand on my feet for my brother
As long as I can stand up and speak for my brother
I will not be afraid nor weak for my brother
I will not stand on the fence for my brother
I will stand up in defense for my brother
No effort too small or immense for my brother
I have no doubt they will clear my brother
And Allah will dry a mothers tears for my brother
But what I want to say here for my brother
If you’re not willing to stand for your brother
Then this will only expand to your brothers
If you choose to forget or ignore my brother
I will not stand here beg and implore for my brother
It doesn’t matter what they have in store for my brother
And Allah is my lord and He’s the lord of my brother

by Izza Azzam

Source: FreeFahad.com

Poetry from Prison: I Invest Only in You

Click to see full size

If not for your blessing of strength O Rabb
My weakness would overpower me
If not for Your Grace O Rabb
My view of Judgement would enslave me.

My eyes see as far as eyes can see
But only outwardly
You see further than can be known
To the very depth of me.
Things I truly believed I couldn’t accomplish
You’ve already seen me through.
Only asking that I put total trust in you

So where we only see smoke and fire, clouds and rain
You show us a diamond is but a rock
Until it meets the flame
So for Hellfire is luxury and enslavement of desire
But for Paradise is hardship and having to struggle and strive
Hand in hand they work
What fire heats, rain cools
O Rabb! Grant us the ability to obey only your rules.

So this is why we lay, sit and stand, worshipping You
We ask for an increase in taqwa and and iman so
We’re able to put our all in You
For if giving is receiving, then how can we lose?
How can we lose when we invest only in You?

Abdul-Hakim Smith
BC4664
HMP Manchester

What Will People Say?

Click here to view the original article in Urdu

Is it really true? Have people become overly sensitive? Whatever the issue may be, whether it concerns the home or work, selecting a school for our children or about their future careers, about relatives or relationships between friends, whatever it may be, these days the traditional formula for deciding whether something is right or wrong has been rejected. Now it all comes down to ‘What will people say’? This sentence is heard everywhere and from everyone.

Whose fault is it? In our society, children, youth, women and men, even the leaders, advisers and ministers, all feel the effects of peer pressure. Is there really any truth to this or is this just an exaggerated feeling? Are we really so important that people have nothing else to do but be preoccupied with our affairs?

This society we live in, who created it? It has been created by you, me, all of us. Us! We are all so busy that we don’t have time to think about anybody else (so surely everyone else must be in the same situation). Others may be even busier than us. If that is so then those issues which preoccupy us, such as clothes, skin colour, status, wealth, poverty, all this is of no consequence. Rather all that matters is the work we do and the needs we have.

Do we have so much free time that we can sit and analyse other people’s wealth and belongings? Are we so shallow that we become depressed and envious when we see what others have? No, definitely not! At least that is not how it should be.
The Prophet Salallaahu alaihi was-sallam said: “Part of the perfection of someone’s Islam is his leaving alone that which does not concern him.” [Hadith hasan - Recorded by Tirmidhi]

If we had true understanding then instead of fearing people, we would fear Allah. We would fear the Creator rather than the creation. But being busy, modern, educated, liberal, selfish, insensitive people, we have never even tried to find out what the Creator of the universe, the Lord of the Alamin, The Most Merciful, The Most Forgiving One wants from us. He is the One who loves us more than 70 mothers, the One Who says ‘O My servant walk towards me and I will run towards you’, the Owner of the Heavens and the Earth, yet we ignore His requests.

These beautiful eyes with which you see, these ears with which you hear, this tongue with which you praise yourself, these hands and feet, this good looking face, this brain, this well-groomed body and then its needs – everything has been catered for. If He takes away even one of these Blessings then is there anyone who can provide an alternative or replacement? Of course not! There never was such a being who could do this, there isn’t and there never will be. Then why do we lack confidence? We do ask of our Lord humbly whilst weeping, but all we ask for are material things, not wisdom and understanding. When we get the things we want we count them miserly and hoard them. We lose confidence - in ourselves, in people, in Allah.

Let us promise, let us strive, and let us pray for sincerity and firm belief, so much so that even the angels say Ameen Let us ask our Lord for livelihood and understanding. Let us ask Him to make us thankful. Let us ask our Lord for honour in all situations and His pleasure. And let us stop asking ‘What will people say?’

Source: Tayyibaat magazine; translated by Umm Hammad

My Memories of Fahad Hashmi by Omar Khyam

Fahad Hashmi (an American Muslim) was studying in the UK for a master’s degree. Due to the dubious testimony of supergrass Junaid Babar, Fahad was arrested at Heathrow airport on 6th June 2006 on terrorism charges. He spent 11 months as a category A prisoner in HMP Belmarsh before being extradited to the US in May 2007. Fahad is currently being held in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Correction Center in Manhattan, NYC. Omar Khyam has written the following account for al-istiqamah of his memories of Fahad whilst they were at Belmarsh together.

Click to view the original letter: page 1, page 2, page 3

Read the full article at al-istiqamah.com

The Life of Nooruddin Mahmud Zenghi

“I will not be under the shade of a tree, not will I hide behind a barrier until I avenge that which they did to us. Confer upon me one thousand heroic men and I will not let anything stand in front of me.” Nooruddin Zenghi

The mention of the Crusades evokes one name from the Islamic world: Salahuddin Ayyubi — the liberator of Jerusalem. However, the foundations for Salahuddin’s great conquests were laid-down by a lesser-known hero: his mentor and commander, Sultan Nooruddin Mahmud ibn Zenghi (RH)…

Read the full article at al-istiqamah.com