[b]Sami Yusuf, largely unknown to the Western world, is dubbed ‘Islam’s Biggest Rock Star’ by Time magazine.[/b]

He was born in Tehran but grew up in London in a family of musicians and started composing music at a very young age. He later studied classical oriental music in London, alongside renowned composers and musicians including composers from the Royal Academy of Music in London, which is one of the world’s most prestigious music institutions. He has also studied Islam and Arabic from Al-Azhar University in
Egypt and is able to sing in Urdu, Arabic, English, Turkish and Persian.

Question

Can I have a girl/boyfriend if I am going to marry her/him later?

Answer

By Shaykh Salim Ghiza

It is not permissible to have a girl/boyfriend even if you are going to marry them or are engaged to them. Only a Nikkah (Marriage) makes it permissible for a man and woman to see each other and intermix with each other.

Ofcourse, Allah (swt) knows best

question

If I wear a Hijab with Western clothing that is fashionable is that wrong?

Answer

by Shaykh Salim Ghiza

Question

Can we keep animals?

Answer

By Shaykh Salim Ghiza

It is permissible to keep animals for many different reasons.

If you are unsure about a decision you have to make, there is a specific prayer that you can do to ask for Allah's help in making your decision. This prayer is called Salaat-ul- Istikhara (Prayer of guidance).

Istikhara is Sunnah and should be performed for all permissible acts which are not obligatory i.e. Salaah. Meaning one cannot perform Istikhara to see whether they should pray their Salaah five times a day or not, because Salaah is a direct obligation and an order from Allah. In the same way Istikhara cannot be done to see whether they should do something Haram or not.

(Serves 6)

What you’ll need:

• 180g of dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 80g of butter, plus extra to grease
• 150g of brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 180g of self raising our, sifted

Toffee Sauce:

• 150g of brown sugar
• 200ml of cream
• 80g of butter

What to do:

(Serves 6)

What you’ll need:

• 225g/8oz of cod llet, skinned & boned
• lemon juice
• 900g/2lb of potatoes, peeled and
• cut into chunks
• 55g/2oz of butter
• 150ml/¼ pint of cream
• salt and white pepper
• a sprinkle of grated cheddar cheese

We will all have moments in our life when we feel a bit down, miserable or in a bit of a mood. It is natural to feel some sort of sadness when we experience disappointments in our everyday life. However, The World Health Organisation estimates that 121 million people worldwide are suffering from ‘Depression’ – the illness. [1]

The difference between feeling a little low and suffering from a depressive illness is that these low feelings can last for weeks or months and seriously interfere with a persons life. There are different types of depressive illnesses; depression in its mildest form can make everything seem a struggle or pointless, but depression in its most severe form can be life-threatening as it can make a person simply give up the will to live.

[i]by Adnan Adrees[/i]

Ever since the PACE Act 1984 (Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984) all officers of the law were given new special powers in the fight against crime. Each officer would don a bright coloured uniform and transform into large beasts called "Zords" to battle the evil minions of the uber-villian known as Crime Lord. In a desperate bid to reduce crime officers could "frisk" the people of Britain in order to weed out the evil minions.

Let’s find out shall we! Answer these simple Brain teasers:

Brain Teaser the First

Three women each have two daughters. They are having lunch at a restaurant. There are only seven chairs in the restaurant. All the women are seated.

Question: How is this possible?

Brain Teaser the Second

Suppose 6 monkeys take 6 minutes to eat 6 bananas.

1. How many minutes would it take 3 monkeys to eat 3 bananas?
2. How many monkeys would it take to eat 54 bananas in 54 minutes?

Brain Teaser the Third