British Muslim Network aims to bring together experts to identify challenges the community faces to policymakers

Prominent British Muslims in politics, media, business and sport have come together to influence government policy on behalf of 4 million British Muslims.

The minister for faith Wajid Khan, the Tory MP and deputy speaker Nusrat Ghani, the former Conservative party chair Sayeeda Warsi, the broadcaster Mishal Husain, the ex-England cricketer Azeem Rafiq and the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate are backing the newly formed British Muslim Network (BMN).

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Palestine is a teacher of life and hope.

How did Imam Muhsin change the lives of queer Muslims? Jamie Fullerton reports

“As a Muslim, you always question: ‘Have I pleased God, or have I angered him or her?’”

Imam Muhsin Hendricks of Cape Town, South Africa, was the world’s first openly gay imam. In early February, he was shot and killed and the identities and motives of those responsible are still unknown.

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Badly damaged homes are still considered preferable to tents.

On the Livestream, we spoke with historian Ilan Pappé, learned the latest on Ali Abunimah’s Swiss arrest, the sixth prisoner exchange and much more.

[Connecting With My Quran is a MuslimMatters pre-Ramadan series to help set the foundation for building your relationship with the Quran, as we get closer to Ramadan inshaAllah. This final part of the series discusses building a strong foundation of Islam within our homes through our connection with the Qur’an – a “Qur’anic Home.”]

Part I, Part II, Part III

Building a Qur’anic Home

This section will share a range of useful tools to help us build a strong foundation of Islam within our homes through our connection with the Qur’an.

The Prophet said: “The example of a home in which Allah is remembered and the example of a home in which Allah is not remembered is just like comparing the living and the dead.” [Muslim]

Remembrance can be found in many forms: 1) the heart, 2) the tongue, 3) through prayer, 4) recitation of the Qur’an, 5) memorizing prophetic adhkār and reciting them at their appropriate times, 6) discussing Islamic issues, and 7) reading Islamic material. These are practices that should be done on a consistent basis, such that the Angels will come to the home and bring Allah’s Blessings.

Our homes should be occupied with daily and consistent recitations of the Qur’an. Starting the morning and ending the evening with the remembrance of Allah will allow our homes to be filled with blessings and ensure that all the occupants are protected from evil. The Messenger of Allah said:

“Recite Sūrah al-Baqarah in your houses, for the Shayṭān does not enter a house in which Sūrah al-Baqarah is recited.” [Muslim 780]

He also said:

“When you go to your bed, recite Āyah al-Kursī: ‘Allah! There is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, the One Who Sustains and Protects all that exists’, to the end, for then there will remain over you a guardian from Allah, and Satan will not come near you until morning.” [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 183]

There are also a myriad of examples showing the kindness of the Prophet and the good treatment that he displayed toward his family members, all of which we should try to emulate. He was affectionate and playful with his wives and children, and would always give a helping hand with household chores to ease the burden of his wives. Following his example will bring tranquility to the household and help to truly make it an abode of rest. Having good character is an essential part of our faith and embodies the teachings of the Qur’an.

Furthermore, having a strong love for the Qur’an can help to build a resilient and loving domestic sphere. Teaching and learning the Qur’an in the company of our family members is a stepping stone to forming a closer bond with them in a faith-affirming manner.

“Recite the Qur’an exceptionally within your houses. For certainly, the house in which the Qur’an is not recited is decreased in goodness.” [al-Afrād by al-Dāraquṭnī]

“When Anas would complete a reading of the Qur’an, he would gather his children and family and then supplicate for them.” [al-Dārimī, no. 560]

“The house in which the Qur’an is recited is visible to the inhabitants of Heaven” [al- Bayhaqī, no. 1829]

May Allah allow our homes to be filled with the love and teachings of the Qur’an. Āmīn!

Qur’anic Supplications

Undoubtedly, making duʿā’ (supplication) is one of the believer’s best tools for changing what Allah has already decreed.

To accept one’s fate and submit to what Allah has ordained (i.e. the good and the bad elements of one’s divine decree) has tremendous merit. Nevertheless, this is not to be used as a reason to forego offering daily supplications to one’s Creator, as the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad inform us of the power that duʿā’ can have. As such, this section encompasses a series of powerful Quranic prayers which can provide guidance and support within our lives.

It is through the power of supplications that we are able to avoid any hardship or evil, and to ultimately replace it with ease for any difficult task that Allah has currently written for us. It is because we offer supplications and perform good deeds that our endpoints and destinations can be altered. The duʿā’ is one the simplest acts that a believer can make to communicate and establish a connection with his or her Creator. In the Qur’an, Allah   says,

“When My servants ask you about Me, (tell them), ‘I am really close to them, I listen to the prayer of each supplicant when he invokes Me.’” [Sūrah al-Baqarah: 2;186] 

In the Qur’an, there are forty duʿā’s which were revealed that begin with the Arabic word rabbanā (a vocative address which means, “O our Lord”). The verse then continues by asking Allah for something – forgiveness, wealth, success, prosperity, protection, safety, victory etc. Collectively these are known as the 40 “rabbanā duʿā’s” of the Qur’an and are some of the best Qur’anic duʿā’s a person can learn, memorize, and recite. Many of these Quranic entreaties were made by the Prophets during the most challenging of times and can serve as an inspiration for us.

Making duʿā’ is an affirmation of one’s faith in Allah . We make duʿā’ to Allah for all our needs, wants, and desires. Turning to Him via our direct and personal duʿā’ strengthens our relationship with Him, Who is the Rabb (Lord) of this world. Only Allah has the power to respond to our duʿā’, and He will surely respond to it in the best way possible. Sometimes we may see that our duʿā’ is answered, while in other cases we may fall into despair when it is not. But Allah is merciful and His Wisdom is limitless.

“Our Lord! Grant us the good of this world and the Hereafter, and protect us from the torment of the Fire.” [Surah al-Baqarah: 2;201]

“Our Lord! Forgive me, my parents, and the believers on the Day when the Judgement will come to pass.” [Surah Ibrāhīm: 14;41]

“Our Lord! Bless us with spouses and offspring who will be the joy of our hearts, and make us models for the righteous.” [Surah al-Furqān: 74]

May Allah provide us with the facilitation to call out to Him regularly through prayers and supplications. Āmīn!

[This article is an extract from the book 365 Tips To Help You Connect With The Qur’an as submitted by the author]

 

Related:

– Inspired By The Prophet: Building Your Personal And Family Plan For 2025

– The Key To Raising Children With The Book Of Allah? Getting Them Started Young.

The post Connecting With My Quran: A Pre-Ramadan Series – [Part IV] Building a Quranic Home appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

University student takes stock of her losses as she looks toward an uncertain future.

Vishal Mehrotra

A couple of weeks ago I got a comment asking if one James Russell had applied for any job at Kesgrave Hall, a boarding school I attended from 1989 to 1993 (ages 12 to 16). Russell had been the focus of a BBC podcast investigating his links to the murder of a young boy, Vishal Mehrotra, who was abducted from Putney, south-west London, the day of the royal wedding in 1981 and subsequently found murdered in a wood near Midhurst, West Sussex. James Russell was part of a group of paedophiles who abused boys at a school near Horsham, Muntham House, which took boys with behavioural problems and/or troubled family backgrounds, many of them from Ealing, a borough in West London. In the podcast it was mentioned that he had applied for a job at a school in or near Maidstone, which may well have been the former Redhill school, a boys’ boarding school with a similar pupil base to Kesgrave and to which Kesgrave stood in self-conscious ideological opposition.

As to the question of whether Russell ever applied to work at Kesgrave, as a pupil I would not have known that even if it happened when I was there. We did not know who had applied; we only found out when someone started, much as we only found out someone was leaving when we came back from a holiday and they were not there anymore. Russell was not an ordinary care worker; he was a house parent at Muntham House and was studying to be a social worker. There was no such thing as a house parent at Kesgrave, but there was a head of care and for most of the 80s this job was held by Alan Kenworthy. It’s no credit to Kesgrave Hall’s management’s diligence in recruiting care workers (they did recruit some sexual abusers and, more generally, some downright thugs), but the job was probably taken. I asked someone I knew who worked in the Croydon education department in the 1980s whether they had used that school; they had. I didn’t ask why it wasn’t considered for me; in any other context, having heard about this school, I would have wanted to know why not as it was fairly close to home, but in this context, it appeared I may have had a lucky escape. (There were cases of sexual abuse at Kesgrave, but with one exception they were years before I started. I wasn’t one of the victims; most of the abuse during my time there was physical.)

A couple of weeks ago, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a series on the Paedophile Information Exchange, a “rights group” that operated in the 1970s and early 80s, which attached itself to civil liberties and gay rights groups and demanded the effective abolition of age of consent laws, claiming that adult/child sexual relationships were normal and healthy but also, through its magazine, offered personal ads through which paedophiles could hook up and manufacture opportunities to abuse children. Its members included Peter Righton, a major contributor to social work theory at the time who made his predilections clear in articles he wrote for social work publications. According to presenter Alex Renton (whose previous series was about sexual abuse at elite boarding schools), PIE’s fortunes waned after a campaign by Mary Whitehouse, a public morality campaigner, and was shut down in the early 1980s. It was noted that paedophiles who were powerful enough, including a senior diplomat, were investigated less eagerly and punished less severely than less powerful offenders.

However, the low status of the victims — boys from “broken homes” or with poor school records, often Black or Asian — also meant that police did not do much to protect them or to bring their abusers to justice. One of the victims of the Muntham House abuse told the BBC reporter that they had approached police and told them they were being abused, but were dismissed as “little coloured boys” and sent back. The police were incurious about potential links between the abusers and the murder of Vishal Mehrotra; they assumed that as “contact offenders” who abused boys in their care, they had no need to pick boys up from the streets, and thus ignored the links the men had to both the place Vishal was buried and to south-west London itself. Anything they could dismiss as coincidental or insignificant, they did. They knew that one of the abusers who had fled while on bail was in Sri Lanka, having travelled the world and taught in numerous countries in Asia and Africa, and the pensions department knew what address they were paying his pension to, but made no attempt to recapture him; he was finally deported as a visa overstayer after the BBC tracked him down. He died weeks later in Tonbridge.

Was PIE behind some of the incidents of institutional paedophilia in the early 1980s? Were any of the Muntham House abusers members? Were any of those jailed for such abuse at Kesgrave Hall, or any of the other schools they worked at around the UK, members? Did such abuse get less prevalent as time elapsed after PIE’s dissolution and the networks built up through it were disrupted by its members being arrested, or simply falling apart for other reasons? Renton’s radio series was based on his having obtained a copy of the organisation’s membership list; of those who were not famous or influential, where were they situated and did they have caring resonsibilities at the time? It is probably too late to make these connections now; it is more than 40 years on and many of those who were in such positions in the early 1980s are now very old or dead, even though the children from then are only middle-aged now. As one of the two journalists on the Vishal podcast lamented, looking for evidence now is like chasing ghosts. 

Possibly Related Posts:

• The ‘special’ schools that aren’t schools
• Earl Spencer and early boarding
• The London school fighting its own pupils
• Zionist censors come for another student leader
• Uniforms and punishments for poverty

[Connecting With My Quran is a MuslimMatters pre-Ramadan series to help set the foundation for building your relationship with the Quran, as we get closer to Ramadan inshaAllah]

Part I, Part II

The Prophet’s Qur’anic Connection

The Qur’an was revealed to the best members of humankind, who were none other than the Prophets. Throughout the Qur’an, there are continuous references made to the Prophet Muhammad , and he is directly addressed on several occasions by Allah . Whenever we recite the Qur’an, it should cause us to pause and reflect upon the relationship between the Prophet Muhammad and Allah .

It is imperative for us to recall that the very same words that we recite from the Qur’an were also recited by the Prophet Muhammad .

Not only was the Qur’an revealed to the Prophet Muhammad , it was also preserved by his Companions  and subsequent generations of Muslims up until the present day. The Qur’an was revealed in stages over a period of 23 years. During this timeframe, the Prophet Muhammad memorized the Qur’an, recited it, and communicated the key teachings of the Qur’an to his Companions.

This section aims to highlight the close Qur’anic connection that the Prophet Muhammad had. Whenever the Prophet Muhammad would recite a verse of fear, he would seek the refuge of Allah . Whenever he would come across a verse of mercy, he would ask for it and whenever he would come to a verse extolling Allah’s Freedom from any deficiency, he would ask Allah to shower him with wellness and security. In addition, he was the walking and speaking example of the Qur’an. His actions embodied the teachings of the Qur’an, for he truly lived by its teachings throughout his life.

The Prophet used to recite in a slow and measured pace, such that the sūrah would end up lasting longer than another sūrah of greater length. Furthermore, he would sometimes repeat a single āyah during the night prayer until the break of dawn.

It is mentioned in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī that Qatādah said: “I asked Anas about the recitation of the Prophet , and he said: ‘He used to elongate the long vowels (mudūd). For the night prayers, sometimes Allah’s Messenger would recite quietly, while in other times he would recite aloud. And sometimes he would lengthen the prayer while in other times he would shorten it.’”

We should regularly contemplate upon our own current connection with the Qur’an.

Whenever we recite the Qur’an, do the recited words penetrate our hearts? Whenever we listen to the Qur’an, do we actually feel solace? The bottom line is that if we are not emotionally moved and affected by the words of the Qur’an, then we need to exert our best efforts to learn and comprehend the meanings of the Qur’an.

May Allah allow us to develop a strong connection with the Qur’an just as the Prophet did. Āmīn!

ʿĀ’ishah said: “His character was the Qur’an” [Muslim 746]

The Prophet Muhammad  said, “The best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it” [al-Bukhārī, no. 5027; al-Tirmidhī, no. 2909]

“One of the Companions said, ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah  and he was reciting the Qur’an in prayer – his chest sounded like boiling water due to [him] crying’” [Ibn Ḥibbān, no.753]

Our Qur’anic Connection

The art of reciting the Qur’an is one dimension of following Allah’s Religion, but effectively integrating its teachings into our daily lives is another vital aspect. To achieve the latter, it is crucial to first gain a profound understanding of the Qur’an’s message. It is not merely a set of rules and facts; instead, it constitutes a profound guide and blueprint for nurturing faith, improving one’s spirituality and ensuring that one gains solace during life’s challenges.

This section aims to share some key strategies for how we can implement this golden Quranic imperative into our actions. The practical aspects of the Qur’an are far greater than simply reciting or memorizing it. Integrating the Qur’an into our daily life cycles is crucial because it provides guidance, wisdom, and solace in every single aspect of existence imaginable. In sum, it provides us with the means needed to navigate challenges, seek justice in its social and moral forms, and maintain a strong connection with Allah .

The Qur’an is a spiritual reminder, source of guidance, shining light, mercy, cure, warning, and glad tidings for the believers. These are all the constituent elements required for a happy, meaningful, and successful life both in this temporal world and the Hereafter. On the other hand, worldly pleasures have a time limit; they only cover our sadness for a short period of time. They become depleted at a relatively fast pace and are in constant need of being refilled. When you seek spiritual proximity to Allah through a daily connection with the Qur’an, the happiness and tranquility you experience in your life bears genuine value and is long-lasting. It is not limited by any time restrictions or the bounds of this world. Instead, you are able to carry this feeling with you in your heart, regardless of where you go. The Qur’an is the best therapy for your soul, for it enriches your heart and brings it back to life.

Making the Qur’an a focal part of your everyday is imperative, even if it happens to be just one verse a day. Recite it, revise its meanings, reflect on it, give your best effort to memorize it, and live it through your practical life. By doing so, you will truly feel alive, because your heart will be rejuvenated. Your īmān (faith) will increase, and your worldly reservations will shrink away. The journey to fulfilling an act of ʿibādah (worship) requires patience and effort. At first, we may feel a sense of heaviness as our hearts struggle to push away from all the worldly excuses and obstacles that come up to stop us from performing it. But once you are inside the plane and zone of ʿibādah, you will feel raḥmah (mercy), tranquillity, and your heart will soften towards your Lord. You will surely taste the sweetness of faith.

May Allah enable us to implement the teachings of the Qur’an and bring them into our lives through our character and dealings with others. Āmīn!

[This article is an extract from the book 365 Tips To Help You Connect With The Qur’an as submitted by the author]

 

Related:

– [Podcast] Ramadan Vibes: Connecting with the Quran | Sh Muhammad Ziyad Batha

– A Strengthened Heart: Connection To Allah During Difficulty

 

The post Connecting With My Quran: A Pre-Ramadan Series – [Part III] The Prophet’s Quranic Connection And Ours appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

I walked from Deir al-Balah to my home in the north and pried open the front door with a hammer.

With his parents killed in an Israeli attack, Omar is being raised by his uncle and grandmother.

Two displaced brothers start a candy store to provide for their families and regain their sense of purpose.

Israel steps up West Bank attacks.

Purpose

The reason we are writing this post is because all attempts to meet with Imam Nick and resolve his issues with us have failed. We tried several times either directly or via intermediary and are left with no recourse except a public statement as well as providing full transparency regarding our communication with him. We hope that by “laying our cards on the table” openly, Imam Nick will reconsider and meet with our team.

Background

Last summer, Imam Nick Pelletier released an impassioned video regarding multiple child sex abuse incidents that took place in a Dallas masjid in 2018  (our Editor-in-Chief wrote in support of Imam Nick’s stance at the time the scandal broke). He recounted the fallout that occurred as a result of his khutbah condemning board members for:

1. Performing their own investigation
2. Not reporting the incident to police immediately
3. Allowing the perpetrator to escape back to their home country of Pakistan

He additionally added details regarding the abuse incident, making clear the perpetrator wasn’t simply engaging in culturally appropriate gestures of affection or, as was alleged in a MuslimMatters op-ed [def: an “opposite editorial” which strongly expresses a personal opinion of the writer, but does not necessarily reflect the views of the publication], “inappropriate touch”, but sucking on the face of the children involved until they had bruises and grabbing their crotches while doing so.

Finally, Imam Nick mentioned a hit piece (referring to the Oped) was written on MuslimMatters attacking his credibility, claiming no molestation had taken place, and that he was harshly overreacting.

Here is that video:

MuslimMatters’ Response

Executive Director Reaches Out
Upon seeing the video above, I responded to the video directly in the comments section – in fact, I was the very first comment. I told Imam Nick I not only supported what he did, if it were my child I would have gone after the perpetrator myself and potentially the board members physically. I also left my email address for him to contact me. For reasons unknown, my comment was deleted.

Editor-in-Chief and Podcast Team Reaches Out
Similarly, our Editor-in-Chief, Hena Zuberi, states she also attempted to reach out (with a link to her editorial  in his support that was published a day after he gave a khutbah about the incident at his mosque) but her comment was deleted. One of our podcast hosts Irtiza Hasan reached out to Imam Nick to come on the MuslimMatters podcast and have the floor to say whatever he thought appropriate to discuss. After initially responding with questions around logistics, Imam Nick didn’t follow-up with communication, but used Irtiza’s email in a subsequent Instagram reel posted here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8QJVybubh0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Imam Nick Posts Questions for MM on Instagram

Communication with Irtiza ceased after this post. Within the Instagram post, Imam Nick asked some questions such as:

1. If I was wrong all this time, why even give me the time of day?
2. Why even offer me a platform?
3. If I was right all this time, why did it take 5 years for you to get back to me?

What Imam Nick Didn’t Know

It became clear to me that Imam Nick wasn’t aware the MuslimMatters organizational public position on what happened at the Dallas masjid was that we supported him.

For example, Imam Nick mentioned multiple times in the first video above that FACE had uploaded his khutbah video and shared it after the Dallas masjid hid it. He didn’t mention that MuslimMatters had also uploaded the video to its YouTube channel on Oct 29th, 2018.

On the same day, we also published a post authored by our Editor-in-Chief highlighting the good Imam Nick had done, and expanding on the mandatory reporting aspect as both an Islamic duty and legal obligation no one should neglect to secure the rights of the victims. That post can be found here:

Sacred and Civic Trust: Imam Calls Out Suspected Sexual Abuse In Friday Sermon

Answering Imam Nick’s Questions from Instagram

In response to questions above, we never thought he was wrong. Not ever. We all held the position that what he did was correct. In answer to his second question, because we thought he did the right thing, we would of course offer to platform him. And to his final question, why wait five years to get back to him – as far as we were concerned, our public position has always been that we support what he did. We only got back to him recently because he made us aware that the article from Imam Jawad had been causing him problems.

We get where he was coming from. Because he didn’t know we actually supported his position, and he was perhaps only recently aware of our support for him, he thought we were another “go along, get along” organization. That’s not us – this organization was established to break through and talk about these taboo topics from a traditional point of view because we only have a culturally avoidant mindset in one corner, and an “everyone is guilty until proven innocent” group on the other end. Like Imam Nick, we have been labeled as being too activist, too social justice, and too “feminist” for raising these topics.

Two days after we published his video with supporting materials, we also published the following:

Preventing Child Abuse: What Can You Do?

Anyone who wants to check our archives, you will find that we have been publishing articles, sharing resources, and calling attention to these problems as far back as 2009, so we are certainly not riding some bandwagon or coming to the party late – if anything, we’re among the first traditional / orthodox organizations speaking up and speaking out about these issues – you can go through the archives on this link and find many articles over more than a decade:

https://muslimmatters.org/tag/sexual-abuse/

Imam Jawad’s Article

Misconceptions About How This Article was Published

A few things to know about this article:

1. Shaykh Yasir Qadhi has had no input on this article. He didn’t know it existed, that it was published, or have anything to do with it. While Shaykh Yasir has advised the organization in the past, he has no position, no authority, and certainly no awareness of day-to-day operations and in the time in question, that was most certainly the case. When I returned to MM in early 2019, he also left as an informal advisor.
2. Other staff members mentioned by Imam Nick and other critical videos such as Ahmad Zamanian also had no input on this article going up.
3. Our organization didn’t put this article up because we were attempting to “both sides” the issue – in an email chain (which we will share below in full), we told Imam Nick we published a supporting article and not just Imam Jawad’s article to demonstrate there was no agenda to create a hit piece to discredit Imam Nick as someone who was experiencing a “cultural misunderstanding”.

My Thoughts on Imam Jawad’s Article

After having read it for the first time, I found his position / authority, statements, conclusions, and recommendations unfounded. In examining the article and Imam Nick’s videos, it became clear that he:

1. Didn’t speak to Imam Nick to understand what had occurred or why he delivered his khutbah.
2. Didn’t speak to the masjid board directly, but read a posting (”I have no relationship with the Masjid nor its management, but it seems to me after doing my little investigation…”).
3. Didn’t speak to the police directly about the case or have access to files, paperwork, documents, or evidence (”It is important to note that the officer could not comment on the actual investigation and spoke to me generally. It is also important to note that this article should not be used to determine what is and what isn’t illegal behavior.”)
4. Didn’t speak to any of the victims or their parents.
5. He’s not from the community and doesn’t know anyone in the board leadership, Imam Nick, or the families involved.

Imam Jawad reached out to me recently and what I’ve written above, I told him directly, and that I would post my own opinion within this write-up. He has been very gracious, wanting to meet with Imam Nick, reconcile, and bring this matter to a close. He has stated to me he is more than willing to retract his own article and even apologize so that amends can be made in this situation, inshaAllah.

Imam Jawad’s article also provided sincere advice to remain calm and not become angry. This is generally good advice, but we remain angry for the sake of Allah when our children are taken advantage of or when community leaders to try to hide these matters and “go along, get along.” The board put on a dog and pony show after the khutbah to say Imam Nick is their brother, and thank you, and so on, and then fired him soon after.

To be clear, I am not claiming Imam Jawad is trying to support or hide child sex abuse (or that he is a “go-along, get-along” type). However, Imam Nick’s advice that criminal matters go to the police is cogent. There is no room for the board of any masjid board to be involved once the discussion is physical or sexual abuse of minors, adults, and so on. Our faith-based institutions aren’t designed to handle criminal matters and as such should defer to the law when such matters occur. We need people with training in law, counseling, abuse, as well as the community context lack to perform thorough investigations rather than leave it to community volunteers.

Discussion with Imam Nick

Email Exchange Between Myself and Imam Nick

I finally had the opportunity to speak with Imam Nick in July via email exchange. He received a message on Instagram from our staff and wrote to me. I explained both our support for his position and desire to have our Editor-in-Chief and myself meet with him where we could answer all his questions directly (eg. who was involved in bringing the article up, why did it go up, can we take it down, etc.). The following is the full email exchange:

Imam Nick’s Friend Reaches Out

In addition, a friend of his reached out to me on Facebook asking what could be done to fix the situation. I told the friend that I had already spoken with Imam Nick, tried multiple times to set a meeting time, and none was ever proposed. I showed the friend the email chain as well so he knew the full context of what had transpired, and again asked if he could try and set things up between us. He tried and said to me over text that Imam Nick wouldn’t meet with us without providing a reason why. We have tried without success since July to reach him before publishing this article.

Why Is MM Writing A Public Statement?

We support what Imam Nick did for the community and think it’s an absolute shame they let him go. We’ve gone through decades of critique from different organizations, discussion forums, and social media influencers. We ignore all of them because they come and go and we continue to do as we do. Most org leaders I’ve advised privately, I always say, ignore the trolls, don’t feed them.

In this case, we see ourselves as kindred spirits with Imam Nick – fighting child sex abuse (or any sex abuse), fighting the culture of covering it up, fighting the shaming of victims for coming forward, fighting the weaponizing of shari’ah and cultural propriety that has been part of our mission on MuslimMatters – to offer a proper, shari’ah-practicing based perspective to combat these social ills in our community from our faith’s perspective.

From the videos Imam Nick has put out, we understand that he’s gone through a lot of hurt, pain, rejection, ostracizing, and that his family has struggled because he did the right thing, took a principled stand against the system, and the system dragged him and everyone he loves down. We understand that he may be skeptical, wary, and protective of himself, his reputation, and any other concerns he may have that we’re not aware of, and this may be why he has hesitated to set a time with us.

As in the emails, I invite you, Imam Nick, again to meet with our editor-in-chief Hena, Imam Jawad, and myself. We’re happy to answer any questions you have, as well as take recommendations to make things right. As I said in the email, we are absolutely not averse to apologizing, taking anything down, and so on, but let’s meet, get on the same page about what has happened in the past, and how we can move forward not only to between MuslimMatters and yourself, but also so we can continue to fight the good fight against the real problem we have both been calling out.

I say it publicly, transparently, so our community of readers can see what we’ve done, how we’re trying to address it with you, and even hold us to account. May Allah help us reconcile our differences and move forward in a positive manner, ameen.

Final Thoughts

We understand why Imam Nick is upset with the oped published, and irrespective of any further critical responses he may have for us and how our editorial decisions were taken in publishing Imam Jawad’s article in 2018, we remain steadfast in our stance that we stand with Imam Nick, both in what he did back in 2018 as well as now in fighting against child sex abuse and whatever exists in our community that enables it.

We will be happy to answer any questions in the comments below. As always, please keep the discussion / dialogue civil and respectful.

The post MuslimMatters Still Stands With Imam Nick appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Israel flexes annexation ambition.

"Spiritual" guides have close ties to illegal settlements.

Police, immigration and intelligence services said journalist posed no "security" risk.

Israel’s war has left many Lebanese people contemplating what once seemed unimaginable: is Hezbollah finished? Michael Safi reports from Beirut

Michael Safi was in Lebanon in the summer, when it was on the brink of war between Israel and Hezbollah, the most powerful force in the country. Months later, in October, Israeli troops invaded Lebanon amid a wave of airstrikes and assassinations of top Hezbollah leaders and commanders.

Michael returned this month and visited destroyed villages in southern Lebanon as civilians were returning to their homes. On the ground, it appeared the Israeli military had a political strategy too: splintering Lebanese society by driving a wedge between the community that traditionally supports Hezbollah and everybody else.

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Hopes of returning to our old lives are now shattered.

[Connecting With My Quran is a MuslimMatters pre-Ramadan series to help set the foundation for building your relationship with the Quran, as we get closer to Ramadan inshaAllah. Read Part 1 here]

Reading and reciting the Qur’an

Reading and reciting the Qur’an is the primary means of communication with Allah . It also cleanses our hearts and helps us become good Muslims specifically, and good human beings in general. This means that if we are not reading the Qur’an on a regular basis, we are certainly jeopardizing our success in this world and the Hereafter.

Despite our hectic routines, we should always strive to make some time for the Qur’an. Even if it is one verse, a rukūʿ, or a single page, strive to make a constant attempt to maintain your daily connection with Allah’s Book by reading and reciting it.

Reciting the Qur’an on a daily basis brings forth excellent rewards for the person who recites it. Even reciting a single letter of the Qur’an carries immense rewards. Yes! You read that right: you need not read one sūrah, one āyah, or one word; in actual fact, you will start accruing the award for the recitation of each letter from the Qur’an’s verses.

ʿĀ’ishah reported on the authority of the Messenger of Allah , “Whoever recites a letter from Allah’s Book, then he receives the reward from it and the award of ten the like of it. I do not say that Alif Lām Mīm is a letter, but Alif is a letter, Lām is a letter, and Mīm is a letter.” [al-Tirmidhī, Vol. 5, Book 42, Hadith 291]

The Qur’an contains numerous verses that provide contentment and assistance when recited. Reciting such verses in times of difficulty and stress will provide relief and strength such that one will have the moral strength to face and overcome the world’s problems and challenges. Additionally, reciting the Qur’an every day will alleviate oneself of any worries and unnecessary stress and amplify their will to fight against any obstacle in their path to upholding the true faith. The Qur’an is the spring of the believer, just as rainfall is the spring of the Earth. The Messenger of Allah also used to recite the Qur’an as a form of medication.

When he was ill, he would recite the Qur’an on himself, as was narrated by ʿĀ’ishah . By reciting the Qur’an daily, the love of Allah increases at a commensurate level. Because everything written in the Qur’an is directly from Allah , this naturally means that reciting His Words and following His given Orders regularly will bring us closer to Him and provide a strong foundation for us to enter Paradise. It is for this very reason that the believers attain their inner peace and solace through remembering Allah . In addition, the best form of remembrance is reading the Qur’an. Every verse in the Qur’an serves as a special form of dhikr (remembrance) of the divine. But not every dhikr serves as Qur’an. With inner peace, you will not face any complications towards managing the crisis of this testing world.

May Allah enable us to read and recite the Qur’an with sincerity and deep understanding. Āmīn!

It will be said to the companion of the Qur’an, as narrated in an authentic hadith: “Recite and rise in status as you used to recite in this world, and your position will be at the last verse you recite.” [Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī]

 

 

“and recite the Qur’an clearly with tartīl (in a distinct and measured tone)” [Surah al-Muzzammil; 73:4]

Reflecting upon the Qur’an

One of the miracles observed when reflecting upon the sacred Quranic text is that the reciter often finds that it is as if Allah delivers to them the exact solutions to their current problems in life, that is, by making them reflect upon the very verses that provide the answers that they are currently seeking.

For many Muslims in the world, it is unfortunate to find that the greatest barrier between soulful, contemplative, and insightful reflection upon the Qur’an is their ignorance of the Arabic language. Because they cannot understand the words of the Qur’an directly, they need translations to understand it; even though the blessed Arabic words of the Qur’an have a soothing effect on their souls when they recite it in a spirited and melodious tone, they are unable to reach a higher level of contemplation owing to the language barrier.

But at this point, one might ask: “Why do I even need to contemplate upon the Qur’an? Is it not sufficient that I am acting upon the primary obligations of Islam?” The answer to this query is that pondering upon the Qur’an increases one’s faith, allows one to attain spiritual proximity to Allah , and allows a believer to develop an inner eye through which they are able to see the reality of things – clearly and truly – as they really are.

They can ultimately identify and understand the inner realities of life, and the definite causes of events that occur around the world, that is, in a much clearer way than those Muslims who fail to recite and ponder upon the Qur’an. One of the sweetest fruits of pondering deeply upon the Qur’an – especially when one recites it during the voluntary late-night prayer of tahajjud, is the trembling and softening of the heart that is then accompanied by hot tears that gush forth from the eyes; such a process causes the reciter to feel incredibly close to Allah via a deeply moving emotional sensation, as well as an enormously gratifying spiritual experience that cannot be adequately described in words!

To sum it up in another way, pondering effectively upon the Qur’an enables some of its verses to come alive, such that it becomes as if you can see them right before your eyes, especially the graphically described scenes of the burning torments of the Hellfire, or the blissful descriptions of the blessings of Paradise.

May Allah allow us to truly reflect upon the Qur’an and become better Muslims. Āmīn!

“Allah said, ‘Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an, or are there locks upon (their) hearts?’” [Surah Muhammad; 47;24]

Umm Salamah reported:

“The Prophet Muhammad would break down his recitation of Sūrah al-Fātiḥah and would pause at the end of each āyah.” [Abū Dāwūd 4001]

Understanding the Qur’an

Understanding the Qur’an is vital, since that is how we can internalize its meanings, laws, and goals, while also applying its teachings in one’s practical life by contemplating upon the verses and trying to understand them through the general context of the chapters. When we truly attempt to comprehend the Qur’an, our connection with Allah deepens and our hearts become more spiritually engaged.

This section aims to illustrate the importance of understanding Allah’s Words. It is insufficient for us to simply recite or memorize the sacred Book. To have a deep and fulfilling connection with the Qur’an, we must make a sincere attempt to learn the Arabic language – focusing on its syntax and general vocabulary as much as possible – and try to understand the key themes and messages found within Allah’s Book.

One can truly apply the teachings of the Qur’an better when one tries to understand it and ponder on its meanings. Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī said, “We were informed by those who used to teach us the Qur’an, namely ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, Ibn Masʿūd, and others, that they would learn ten verses at a time from the Prophet and they would not go beyond them until they had learnt the knowledge and practical teachings ingrained within them. They ultimately said, ‘As such, we learnt the Qur’an along with its knowledge and application at the same time.’”

By the same token, a person can incorporate some time in their daily schedule to read the Qur’an in its original Arabic as well as its translation in whichever language he feels comfortable with and then continue underlining the verses which he could incorporate or include in his or her life. That would be a very effective way of applying the knowledge of the Qur’an in one’s life. But unfortunately, people currently are of the supposition that they have fulfilled the rights of the Qur’an by reading it without even understanding the real purpose of its revelation to begin with. It is a huge loss to spend our entire lives without making any sincere effort to understand the true message of the Qur’an by not giving its original language its due right.

May Allah allow us all to truly make an effort to understand the meanings of the Qur’an. Āmīn!

“And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy to remember. So is there anyone who will be mindful?” [Surah al-Qamar; 54;40]

[This article is an extract from the book 365 Tips To Help You Connect With The Qur’an as submitted by the author]

 

Related:

– From The Chaplain’s Desk: Engage With The Quran

– Practical Ways To Improve Your Quran Reading. Starting This Ramadan!

The post Connecting With My Quran: A Pre-Ramadan Series – [Part II] Reciting, Reflecting, And Understanding The Quran appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.