As an East London girl, it wasn’t unusual to see crowds of Muslim guys standing outside libraries waiting to try it on with any girl that passed through the door. Nor was it unusual to see groups of Muslim guys standing on top of street corners making comments at girls that walked past.

It definitely wasn’t unusual to see a guy drive round the same block at least four times just to take another look at a girl. Guys chased the girls. The girls played hard to get. But a couple of years down the line, I don’t see that any more. Why? Coz guys don’t need to chase girls any more.

What is the best way to dispose of literature which contains Islamic terminology, Ahadith or verses of the Qur’an etc? Is it OK to shred them and then throw them away or should we stick them in the recycle pile or burn them?

Answer by Shaykh Salim Ghiza

In the name of Allah the Most Beneficent and Merciful.

All Muslims are unanimous that the Qur’an is no ordinary piece of writing and therefore a person needs to be in ritual purification i.e. ablution to touch the words of Allah. Therefore a process of respect has to be followed when one needs to dispose old pages of the Qur’an. Also, if the pages are not from the Qur’an but contain Islamic writings i.e. Hadith, Fiqh, supplications etc then again they must also be disposed of with respect and honour.

Can a person wear perfume/aftershave that contains alcohol? If so can they pray with that on?

Answer by Shaykh Salim Ghiza

In the name of Allah the Most Beneficent and Merciful.

Alcohol as a form of intoxicant is not only Haram to drink but is also impure (Najis). This means that when it contacts something pure then the pure item will absorb the impurity and all will become impure. However, the question remains as to whether the alcohol that is used in perfumes is the same alcohol that is used in liquor.

Select messages received by the Editor

Salaam

I would just like to congratulate you on the beautiful magazine you have put together. I have only recently come across it in east London, so therefore it would be good to distribute as much as we can. I am a secondary teacher in education and think it would be beneficial for many of our students, for literature as well as getting involved in any projects you run or planning to run in London. Please keep me posted.

Yassar Sadiq, London

Salaam

By Sajid Iqbal

You're sat on the bus with your mates. You're having a wicked meal at a top restaurant with your work colleagues. You're walking down a busy road with your partner. You're attending a football match with your brothers. You're on the plane with your parents. Then a huge BANG! A massive explosion. Bodies are flying everywhere. Hundreds dead and injured. Soon it's reported it was a suicide bomb. Nobody knows why. Everyone questions what have the victims done to deserve this? Nothing makes sense. How can anyone do this? Hours later a Muslim organisation takes responsibility for the suicide attack.

How do you feel now? How do you view religions now? What are your feelings towards Muslims now? What do you think of Islam now?

By Sajid Iqbal & Alveena Salim

So you’re married. You’ve completed one half of your Deen. You’ve got your parents off your back and now you’ve got a lifetime to look forward to with the love of your life. You’re sorted innit? Ah, but are you clued up on the rights your partner has over you and the rights you have over your partner? Yep, ‘rights’! In order to make your marriage a success Allah (swt) has prescribed a list of guidelines for husbands and wives, which if followed properly can lead to marital bliss and fewer nights banished to the sofa.

Islam teaches that marriage is ‘half of Deen’ because it fulfils so many basic needs of an individual and of society. But y’ know, most of the problems in Muslim families nowadays are to do with marriage, coz we don't have a clue how to get married Islamically and as a Muslim partner what our rights and responsibilities are. Well ladies & gents, don't worry, as you will learn all this right here, right now!

By Shaykh Salim Ghisa

Black Magic and evil Jinn both exist in Islam and have been proven by the Quran and Hadith.

It is evident from the Qur'an and the Hadith that Jinn are the creations of Allah and are made from Fire. Like Angels they cannot be seen by the normal human eye. Because of their fiery nature there are more evil Jinn hence disbelievers and are also referred to as Shaytaans.
They can commit havoc if interfered with but generally keep themselves to themselves. They live in the world and take their place where it suits them, usually remote areas. Evil Jinn tend to stay in impure places like the toilets etc.

The Prophet of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) advised the Muslims to pray

All the major World Religions have been charged with Crimes Against Humanity, and it is up to ace (trainee-) lawyer Ya’qub Bell to defend Islam:

People who are Religious are following something that is not true. There is no proof for it.

It is not a ‘fact’ whether any religion is true or false. People are free to choose to believe in what they think is right. A teaching of Islam is that ‘there is no compulsion in Religion’. In terms of ‘proof’ for God’s existence, Allah (swt) is so much Greater than a human, that it is impossible someone to even imagine what He looks like, this is why Allah (swt) doesn’t show Himself to us. Instead He shows us ‘signs’ (ayat) of His Existence.

By Irfan Jalil

This article never made it into issue 11 due to space concerns. It is now available as an extra bonus for our online readers.

So, what events affected Muslims in 2007? No, the Danish cartoons were 2006. So was Jack Straw's niqaab hoo-ha. If you think the only thing that happened in 2007 was Benazir Bhutto's assassination then you really haven't been keeping up with news, have you?

By Sajid Iqbal & Dawud Qadri

Jamal spots Ali at an Islamic conference. Ali tells Jamal that he has given up his bad habits and is trying to be good Muslim. But Ali still has one issue he needs Jamal's help with. As the conversation turns to girls, Jamal tells Ali about the evils of zina and importance of marriage...

Jamal: Asalaamu Alaikum brother...Ali? Is that you? What you doing here, did you get lost in this area and come inside to get directions?

Ali: Wasalaam Jam. I'm flexin' man. How are ya Boss? Me mate told me to check the conference out, he said I could get a 'spiritual' high!

Jamal: Hahaha that's a good one.