Conman jailed for pilgrims scam

Taken from BBC News, Friday, 10 July 2009

A conman who tricked religious pilgrims out of hundreds of thousands of pounds has been jailed for six years.

Mohammed Faruk Ahmed pleaded guilty to using money meant for the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and spending some of it in casinos and betting shops.



Police say Ahmed conned at least 300 people in London's East End, many of whom devoted their life savings to the 2008 Hajj pilgrimage.

The Metropolitan Police is recovering some cash from accounts in Bangladesh.

Ahmed, of Brick Lane in London, was running a travel agency called Qibla Hajj Kafela Services.

He was offering to organise trips to the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia - but was in fact preying on the local Bangladeshi community and Muslims in other parts of the country.

The 41-year-old took payments of almost £2,000 per client, amassing £570,000 from 300 victims.


Instead of using the cash to secure visas, flights and hotels in Mecca, Ahmed went on a gambling spree in casinos and bookmakers - and then fled abroad.

Meanwhile concerned pilgrims began calling the Metropolitan Police asking for help. They had received no travel documents and the deadline to obtain Hajj visas from the Saudi embassy was fast approaching.

Office raided
Officers raided Ahmed's premises and discovered the 300 passports and paperwork showing £250,000 had been secretly moved from his business account to Bangladesh.

Detective Inspector Des McHugh of the Metropolitan Police told the BBC his team worked around the clock to ensure as many passports as possible were returned to victims so they could still submit them to the Saudi embassy for a pilgrimage visa.

"Ahmed shamelessly defrauded hundreds of innocent victims who had planned the most significant trip of their lives," said Det Insp McHugh.

"We worked hard to investigated the full scale of Ahmed's crime and officers placed themselves under additional pressure to process evidence and return passports to victims as soon as possible," he said.

Detectives eventually arrested Ahmed when he returned to the UK.

The £250,000 moved to Bangladesh had been frozen by court order, pending Ahmed's jailing. Officers are now finalising steps to return the cash to the UK so victims can make recovery claims.

"In many cases victims lost their entire life savings but still managed to retain their dignity and supply significant evidence to our investigation team," said Det Insp McHugh.

"Thanks to them and to a thorough police investigation Ahmed had no choice but to plead guilty," he said.

Punished for thinking about bad actions?

Taken from islamiccentre.org

Question: I have been thinking of something bad to do but didn't really have the guts to do it - so will I get punish for even thinking about it?

Answer:
There is a famous Hadith Qudsi which has been reported by Imam al-Bukhari in his Sahih.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Verily Allah has written the good actions and the bad actions and has then explained them. So whosoever intends a good deed and then does not carry it out, Allah will grant him one full unit of reward.

If the person intends a good deed and does carry it out, Allah will then grant him anything between ten and seven hundred units of rewards, and beyond.

Whosoever intends a bad action and then does not perform him, Allah will right a good deed for him. If the person intends a bad action and then perform its, Allah will write for him one unit of sin.’

From this beautiful narration, we learn that if a person intends to do a bad action, but then does not carry it out, then Allah will actually reward him for refusing to carry out that bad action.

It must be noted however, that this applies to when a person intended a bad deed, and then did not carry it out because of his fear of Allah.

If he didn’t carry it out because he was thwarted, then this is deemed as a sin. For example, if a person was about to rob a bank, but then stopped due to his fear of Allah, he will be rewarded. If he stopped because he did not have a weapon with him, or because his transport was inadequate and so on, then he will be punished.

Mother’s Day: The Islamic Perspective

Taken from Islamic Times, Tuesday, 16 May 2006

With the passing of Mothers day in the UK recently. We decided to look at the Islamic perspective on how Muslims should treat this annual concept. The date of Mother's Day, and the way in which it is celebrated, differs from one country to another. In Norway it is celebrated on the second Sunday in February. In Argentina it is celebrated on the second Sunday in October. In Lebanon it is on the first day of spring.

In South Africa it is celebrated on the first Sunday in May. In France it is celebrated more as a family festival, on the last Sunday in May, when family members get together for dinner, and then they give a cake to the mother. In Japan this day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May, as in North America, where exhibitions are held of pictures drawn by children aged 6-14; these exhibitions are called "My Mother" This exhibition is moved every four years and has appeared in a number of countries.

How did it start in England?
In England the modern Mother's Day celebration, began as "Mothering Sunday" or (the Sunday half-way through Lent), because it occurred during their major fasting period (Lent). Some say that the celebrations that were held to worship and honour the Roman false goddess Sybil were changed by the church to celebrations meant to honour and venerate Mary (peace be upon her).

This custom began with some people encouraging people to visit the central church in their locality, bringing offerings. In the year 1600, young men and women of simple professions and servants started to visit their mothers on "Mothering Sunday", bringing gifts and food. Nowadays it is celebrated by non muslims on the last Sunday of March each year

The Islamic Perspective - Honouring the Mother
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Worship Allaah and join none with Him (in worship); and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, Al-Masaakeen (the poor), the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet), and those (slaves) whom your right hands possess. Verily, Allaah does not like such as are proud and boastful" [al-Nisa' 4:36] And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him.

And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour" [al-Isra' 17:23]

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "A man came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: 'O Messenger of Allaah, who among the people is most deserving of my good company?' He said, 'Your mother.' He asked, 'Then who?' He said, 'Your mother.' He asked, 'Then who?' He said, 'Your mother.' He asked, 'Then who?' He said, 'Then your father.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5626; Muslim, 2548)

Al- Haafiz ibn Hajar said: "Ibn Battaal said: what this means is that the mother should be honoured three times more than the father. He said, that is because of the difficulties of pregnancy, then giving birth, then breastfeeding.

These are hardships that are experienced only by the mother, then the father shares with her in raising the child. This is also referred to in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): 'And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years' [Luqmaan 31:14]

So the recommendation to be dutiful and good refers to both parents, but the mother's share is greater because of the three things mentioned above.

Al-Qurtubi said: what is meant is that the mother deserves a greater share of her child's honour, and her rights take precedence over those of the father in cases where a choice must be made.

'Iyaad said: the majority of scholars were of the view that the mother takes precedence over the father in terms of honouring one's parents.

And it was said that both must be honoured equally, and this was narrated by some from Maalik, but the former view is the one which is correct." (Fath al-Baari, 10/402).

Indeed, even if one's mother is a mushrikah (polytheist), the wise and pure sharee'ah of Islam encourages one to uphold ties of kinship with her: It was narrated that Asma' bint Abi Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: "My mother came to visit me at the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and she was a mushrikah. I consulted the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), saying, 'My mother has come to visit me for some purpose, should I uphold ties of kinship with my mother?' He said, 'Yes, uphold ties of kinship with your mother.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2477)

It is extremely unfortunate that Muslims throughout the world have begun to adopt and practice western ideas and understanding when it comes to the quality of relationship between the mother and child.

For Muslims to begin to selfishly adopt a single day out of the whole year to express gratitude and show a materialistic form of affection.

Islam has no need of things that are innovated by others, be it Mother's Day of anything else. Its teachings on the honouring of mothers mean that it has no need for an innovated Mother's Day.

Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas issued a statement: It is not permissible to celebrate the so-called Mother's Day and similar innovated festivals because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected."

He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not celebrate Mother's Day and neither did any of his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) or the salaf (earliest generations) of this ummah. Rather it is an innovation (bid'ah) and imitation of the non Muslims.

"This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion" [al-Maa'idah 5:2] Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 3/86 In light of this, Muslims should be aware that honouring and showing sincere affection and gratitude to the mother is a full time duty that should be practiced each and everyday of ones life, to merely set aside a single day and feel you have fulfilled their rights is a gross misconduct to the parents and the teachings of the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

"And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination" [Luqmaan 31:14]

And Allaah knows best.


Further Reading: mothers-day-from-islamic-perspective

Pork found in Doner Kebab!

Eating Halal food can be an easy choice particularly that we have so many Halal food outlets to chose from. Unfortunately there are a few Muslim traders that (maybe unaware) have been selling haram products. Below is an interesting story of recent investigations on Doner Kebabs....


Taken from the Metro newspaper, UK, January 27, 2009

The doner kebab, the post-pub snack favoured by drinkers up and down the country, could be adding a whopping 1,000 calories to their daily diet, according to research out today.

A nationwide sample of the nutritional content of the takeaway meal found that the average doner contained close to an adult's entire daily recommended intake of salt and fat, before salad and sauce was added.

An average kebab contained 1,000 calories but researchers found some with as many as 1,990.



Officers from the Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (Lacors) found that the average doner contained 98% of an adult's recommended daily salt and 148% of their daily saturated fat allowance.

Doner fans might also be put off by the finding that 35% of the kebabs tested contained a different meat than that claimed on the label.

Even more worryingly, six were found to contain pork, two of which claimed they were Halal - permitted for Muslims to eat.

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, chairman of Lacors, said, "We would never consider kebabs part of a calorie-controlled diet, but the level of saturated fat and salt in some is a serious cause for concern.

"The study shows that, even if there's a food label, it's not necessarily accurate. Even kebabs labelled as Halal had problems, with some found to contain pork. It is totally unacceptable that people that with certain faiths are unknowingly eating meats that are against their beliefs."

He added: "This study has turned the spotlight on doner kebabs and we hope that manufacturers rise to the challenge and work with councils to provide a healthier product that contains only what it says on the label."

The study sampled 494 kebabs from 76 councils and found that the calorie count varied up and down the country.

The average kebab in the North West of England contained 1,101 calories while in Scotland it was 1,084, in Wales 1,055 and 1,066 in south-west England.

The lowest calorie kebabs can be found in Northern Ireland where the snack weighed in at an average of 843.

Mr Theobald said: "This study has turned the spotlight on doner kebabs and we hope that manufacturers rise to the challenge and work with councils to provide a healthier product that contains only what it says on the label."

Notice: Lecture in Salah: Holborn (13 March 2009)

Assalamu-Alaikum,

This is a late announcement of a Lecture that will take place on Salah tomorrow at Holborn Muslim Community Association - starting 6:30pm uptil Isha Jammat.

The lecture will be on The Virtues of Salah (and not how to pray) but there will be a questions and answers time at the end of the lecturer for any type of questions you may have.

The lecture will be conducted by brother Saim Alom, who co-leads prayers at the mosque.

Due to the size of the venue - this particular lecture is for brothers only. In future this will hopefully change as they are hoping to expand this venue insha-Allah.

The address is as follows....

Holborn Muslim Community Association
33 Brookes Court, Baldwin Garden, London, England EC1N 7RR

Nearest tube: Chancery Lane (Central line)


Please tell others and come early.


Wassalam

Vid: Science and Islam - The Power of Doubt

Taken from the BBC
Part 3 of 3 ( First broadcasted 19 Jan 2009)

Physicist Jim Al-Khalili tells the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.

Al-Khalili turns detective, hunting for clues that show how the scientific revolution that took place in the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe had its roots in the earlier world of medieval Islam. He travels across Iran, Syria and Egypt to discover the huge astronomical advances made by Islamic scholars through their obsession with accurate measurement and coherent and rigorous mathematics.

He then visits Italy to see how those Islamic ideas permeated into the West and ultimately helped shape the works of the great European astronomer Copernicus, and investigates why science in the Islamic world appeared to go into decline after the 16th and 17th centuries, only for it to re-emerge in the present day.

Al-Khalili ends his journey in the Royan Institute in the Iranian capital Tehran, looking at how science is now regarded in the Islamic world.


SCIENCE & ISLAM - The Power Of Doubt 1/6



Here are the other parts....

The Power Of Doubt 2/6 - Click Here!

The Power Of Doubt 3/6 - Click Here!

The Power Of Doubt 4/6 - Click Here!

The Power Of Doubt 5/6 - Click Here!

The Power Of Doubt 6/6 - Click Here!


If the video get deleted then simply search on google and I'm sure there will be plenty of other sources.

Vid: Science and Islam - The Empire of Reason

Taken from the BBC
Part 2 of 3 ( First broadcasted 12 Jan 2009)

Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.

Al-Khalili travels to northern Syria to discover how, a thousand years ago, the great astronomer and mathematician Al-Biruni estimated the size of the earth to within a few hundred miles of the correct figure.

He discovers how medieval Islamic scholars helped turn the magical and occult practice of alchemy into modern chemistry.

In Cairo, he tells the story of the extraordinary physicist Ibn al-Haytham, who helped establish the modern science of optics and proved one of the most fundamental principles in physics - that light travels in straight lines.

Prof Al-Khalili argues that these scholars are among the first people to insist that all scientific theories are backed up by careful experimental observation, bringing a rigour to science that didn't really exist before.

SCIENCE & ISLAM - The Empire of Reason 1/6



Here are the other parts....

The Empire of Reason 2/6 - Click Here!

The Empire of Reason 3/6 - Click Here!

The Empire of Reason 4/6 - Click Here!

The Empire of Reason 5/6 - Click Here!

The Empire of Reason 6/6 - Click Here!


If the video get deleted then simply search on google and I'm sure there will be plenty of other sources.