Monday, 17 February 2014

Black History Month - Bilal Ibn Rabah

Bilal, a man of Paradise

By Waqqar Ahmed & Nabila Mehmood


Bilal Ibn Rabah ( بلال بن رباح ) was one of the most famous companions of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H). He has a high stature in Islam and played a vital role in spreading the religion. The Holy Prophet said that he heard Bilal's footsteps in Jannah

Originally an oppressed slave from Abyssinia (now known as Ethiopia),  he was one of the first people to accept Islam in Makkah. This was a time when slave trade was very popular in the Arabian peninsular and black slaves were treated with cruelty. A persons wealth was measured by how many slaves he had in the household. This was a time of illiteracy. Bilal RA an African man, may allah be pleased with him was the slave of ‘Ummaya bin khalaf, a rich man from the tribe of Quraish. Bilal’s parents were slaves to this man and therefore, he was born into slavery.

Bilal RA, heard the prophet countless time discussing islam and preaching, this was when he saw that he became attracted to Islam. Eventually, day by day he fell in love with islam and accepted islam and became a muslim.When ‘Ummayya bin khalaf’ used to worship idols, bilal ra would pray to allah swt according to the teachings of islam.

The earlier days of Islam, meant that Islam was weak and the Quraish tribe were strong.  This meant that very few actually liked islam and what it preached towards people of Makkah. They disliked the prophet Muhammed saw (peace be upon him) and his new teachings, if anyone did accept the religion he/she would be oppressed and harassed by the people of quraish.

On this one,Ummaya bin Khalaf came to know that bilal’s secret prayer to Allah swt.

He  called Bilal and asked...
Oh bilal do you worship and bow down to the god of Muhammad?

Bilal was not afraid. He replied
‘Yes Allah i worship Allah, the only god’
The reply made Ummaya furious extremely. He began to torture bilal. He was made to lay down on the burning hot desert sand at mid-noon. He was then asked to deny the god of muhammed saw and Islam and worship the idols instead.. despite all the torture Bilal stayed firm on what he believed.

On a very hot day, Bilal was made to lay down on hot sad and tied to the ground, a very heavy stone was then placed upon his chest. Bilal was enduring the heat and the heavy load placed upon his chest..slowly, slowly, he became weak. No liquid was given not even water! In this condition he laid and became unconscious. The day came to end, and the heat cooled down and he gain his conscious. He no longer felt the heavy load on his chest. He wondered who had come to free him from this sufferable pain. He’s eyes opened only to see the Prophet Muhammed SAW smiling
After the prophet heard this tragedy he was astonished and it pained him to see that a true believer would be ready to suffer in this manner. He told Abu Bakr ( a very close companion of prophet) to purchase Bilal from the Ummaya ibn khalaf so that they could free Bilal RA. The prophet muhammed saw should be treated fairly and kindly.

Bilal RA, became a close companion of Prophet Muhammed saw and was with him at every occasion. Allah was very pleased with Bilal RA and therefore commanded that Bilal RA would be the first man to enter paradise.

The moral of this story teaches us that Islam teaches us  that no matter what ethnicity , background, religion your from, ISLAM will always treat you FAIRLY and KINDLY regardless.! It also teaches that if you believe in something its important to be firm.


JazakAllah Kher.





Sunday, 16 February 2014

Syria Charity Appeal

Syria Charity Appeal

By Waqqar Ahmed


Over 4000 Syrians were slaughtered in Ramadhan.......... Let that sink in for a while

I am currently a student at university, most likely you are too. It seems stressful; dissertations, family pressure, money problems etc. Sometimes it's like i'm in the worst situation ever and I wish I could just run away from it all.... Really though? Is it really that bad? Lets take a look at the situation in Syria.



The turmoil in Syria began with peaceful protests against president Bashar al-Assad's regime in March 2011. Since then the people of Syria are getting killed daily. More than hundreds of thousands have been massacred and millions have fled their home's seeking sanctuary in neighbouring countries and other parts of their troubled country. Here are some facts about the current situation in Syria:




100,000+ Have been killed



2 million+ Have fled Syria



3/4 Refugees are women or children 



4 million+ are still displaced inside Syria





If you close your eyes and really think about the hardships of these people vs the luxuries that we take for granted, you come to realise that for us, life isn't really as tough as it seems. But just thinking and sympathising isnt enough, we need to act.

What we can do

If you are from Bucks New University, we collect tinned food, medicine, pamper's and other long lasting essentials that are needed. This collection takes places in the Prayer Room (N1.10) after the Friday prayer at 1PM.












If you are not from the university or you would like to donate directly to a charity, please email me or phone me if you want to donate to Ummah Welfare Trust's Winter Appeal for Gaza and Syria and I will direct you accordingly.

If you cannot donate then please do your part by spreading the message. May Allah help the people of Syria through this difficult time and may He reward you for your charity. Jazakallah Khair

Friday, 14 February 2014

Events

Brother's football!

World Hijab Day

THE WORLD HIJAB DAY!

Some of you might be aware that on the 1st February the world hijab day will take place and some of you didn’t know that there was such a day.

What is a hijab?
A hijab is a veil that covers the head of Muslim women, most Muslim tend to wear the hijab as it conform to a certain standard of modesty. The term “Hijab” literally in the Arabic language means “veil, cover, conceal, screen or separation”.

So how did the world hijab day start of?
Nazma khan was the one to establish and come up with  this day through social networking sites; so it basically started it off on the net and it is now popular over more than 50 countries and not only has it attracted Muslims but also non Muslims all over the world!
Thanks to Sister Nazma for coming up with this movement so that we being Muslims or non Muslims can help stop discrimination against those wearing Hijab.

What is it all about?
It’s a day for Muslims and non Muslims to beautify (wear) a hijab, and help raise awareness that women out there are not forced to wear a Hijab and that they are not oppressed!. Some people think that you do not fit in with the society if you’re wearing one and this movement is there just to prove those people wrong!
This movement allows non Muslim’s and those Muslim’s that do not wear a hijab to experience what it is like to wear one and to understand the concept of Hijab!
At Bucks ISOC!
Well at Bucks New University, the Islamic society will be organising a hijab day on Tuesday 4th February! To let you experience and raise awareness about the movement and everything you need to know! Stalls will also take place, so make sure to visit the stalls and stay tuned for other exciting things going on!

The ISOC are looking forward to welcoming people from different ethnic backgrounds! To allow them to discover the why most muslim women wear hijab, as well as letting them experience what it feels like wearing one.

 A VERY BIG THANK YOU! For attending the hijab world day! It was amazing to see a diverse group of people at the event! Also a BIG thank you from all the sisters to Sarah and the brothers who put their 100% into this event and made sure that everyone was enjoying their time! It was a proud moment for all those Muslims at the event when the “hijab” was complimented.  from “i feel modest” to “i love it!”!. The event was all about allowing others to see that wearing hijab is not being oppressed! And Well Done to everyone, i think we did send that message out!

Not only had it showed that hijab is not an object of oppression! But also it showed how the Muslim community within the Bucks New University work together! Alhumdulilah (Thanks to Allah) everyone helped each other; everyone was humble in their approach. The atmosphere was great! Everyone got to meet new people and share their experiences and stories! A productive day!
We are pleased to say that we have raised £87 for a charity , that is so excellent from a small event like this! Hopefully we will be raising money for charities in the future like this!

We saw smiles on the faces of people trying out the hijab, we saw an inner beauty, and we witnessed how within a second for some it became an identity! The hijab is modesty, it enlightens your personality. Yes it is normal to wear a hijab, and yes you still fit in!


“I loved it! The event sent out so much positive energy, everyone was happy and full of life! I got to meet new people from different ethnic background, shared my stories and experiences too! And also thanks to Sara- I have learnt different ways of doing my hijab!”- Nabila