Why I reverted to Islam - my story

By: Brother Daniel

In 2001, I was 17 and very immature. Having been born in South London, I was raised on several of its different council estates. By the time I left school I was spending most of my free spare time either DJ-ing or hanging around on the streets. Life was a constant battle; trying to avoid being caught by the police for one of the many petty crimes we may have done; trying to avoid conflict with other misguided youngsters from different areas who were competing as to who could achieve the most respect or street credibility. The biggest battle we had was trying to figure out some sense of direction for not only our lives but for the approaching weeks and months ahead of us.

I remember when and how I first came to hear about Islam. My mum had a friend who would visit our house occasionally; maybe once or twice a year. She was married to a man who I mistakenly assumed was of Mediterranean appearance. When they would visit he would impress me with his flash lifestyle; the usual things – money, cars, expensive clothes, loud music etc... However in early 2001, he turned up one day dressed as he normally would, with his wife but he had grown a small beard. I questioned him about it and he told me he was a Muslim from the Middle East. I had this false assumption that Muslims were Asians, so I was surprised to see his new image.

I asked him what it means to be a Muslim and he told me three things that have always stayed with me. He told me that Muslims believe in only one God and they reject the worship of anything else. He also told me that the God, the Creator of the universe is not like any creation. He gave me the example of Jesus (peace be upon him) by saying that God was not born from a woman in a stable, nor was he circumcised, nor was he breast fed, nor did he eat, drink, sleep, cry, or need the toilet and nor was he tortured in public and eventually suffer a humiliating death. I imagine he told me this because he may have presumed I had a Christian background. When I was born I was given a Biblical name, I played Joseph in the nativity play in infant school and as a teenager I went to church only once – and that was to look for a girlfriend; that is about how ‘Christian’ I ever was; therefore not very. He also told me that Muslims do not ‘turn the other cheek’ and that they are peaceful people, however they respond to unwarranted aggression with similar aggression. I imagine he was trying to appeal to my ‘street culture’ by telling me this.

When he had finished telling me that God is one, he is unlike men and Muslims stand up for themselves, I told myself there and then, that one day I would become a Muslim. It is strange how particular things affect the way people think but because of the experiences I had endured in my life up to that point, Islam seemed to give me a clear look at the reality of life. I say this because before I became a Muslim, I lived a life where I was constantly fooling myself; fooling myself that I was something great; acting tough in the presence of my friends who eventually turned out not to ‘have my back’ as I thought they did. I would convince myself that I would find happiness in money, cars, designer clothes and women but my heart was never content with these things. I had seen people bigger and worse than me, killed or given very long prison sentences and I felt that life had to have a purpose. Islam seemed to agree with my head – but not my heart because of my addiction to the filthy life I was living.

I never became a Muslim until 2004, despite wanting to. I had a strong attachment to my previous lifestyle and I feared to embrace Islam because I anticipated a negative reaction from those around me based upon information they had received from the mainstream media. Between 2001 and 2004 I experienced many things which helped me embrace Islam; they are too numerous to mention here. I became convinced that death cannot be the end of a person. A person’s soul must go somewhere. I always believed that everybody gets what they deserve, whether during life or after death. Many good people suffer throughout their lives, while many very bad people enjoy the best of lives without any hardships. There must be a reward or punishment beyond this life? I never really thought about it until I became fed up with chasing money and women (neither of which I was successful at acquiring).

In 2002 I met the woman who is now my wife. She was raised as a Catholic from the Caribbean, however never really had much respect for her religion. Our first meeting lasted several hours and I knew immediately that she would one day become the mother of my children and the woman I would marry. I had kept my vowel to become a Muslim ‘one day’ secret from her. I did not know how she would react towards Islam. She had stumbled across some of my Islamic books and began asking her Muslim colleagues some questions, so they gave her some books to read for basic information. I noticed in her the same attraction and apprehension that I had after initially hearing about Islam. At that point I decided that I would walk into a Mosque and try speaking to some Muslims. I did not know how I would be welcomed and was unable to contact my mum’s friend’s husband, so I felt as though I had no other choice.

So one day I saw a gathering of Muslims outside of a Mosque as I was on a bus. I got off the bus and asked one of them about Islam and he welcomed me into the Mosque and showed me how to wash before praying and how to pray in congregation. I formally became a Muslim and my girlfriend did too shortly after me and we got married and now have four children. I felt as though I had triumphed over the evil, coward within me, who was content to continue living without really thinking about what I wanted from life; becoming a Muslim is the best thing I have ever done. I now feel comfort and tranquillity because I know that I try my best to submit any desire that I may have, to the will of God. Islam is an Arabic word which means submission, however in order to submit to God, one begins by acknowledging the Creator as one single entity – without attributing or describing him with any characteristic that he has not assigned to himself, such as having partners, children or being dependent on physical needs like sleep or food.

Unfortunately the reaction that I received from those around me was exactly as I had expected. Some people I was very close to from amongst friends and family have shown a disappointment and even a deep hatred toward me for becoming a Muslim. There could be several different reasons for this but after analysing reasons cited for their anger or disgust with Islam and after studying Social Anthropology, it saddens me to say that many people in our society are ‘scientifically’ prejudiced. This type of discrimination describes those who are intolerant towards people who are different to them because of belief, political system, nationality, culture or other similar reason. Many people in our country hate Islam without knowing anything about it and those who claim to be able to support their hatred with knowledge, have either been misinformed, or are just completely narrow-minded fanatics.

If, as intelligent people, we were to sit down and use our intellectual attain reasoning and agree on what we would expect from a true religion, based upon no biased opinions whatsoever, Islam would be the preference of most people. Islam does not differentiate between social class, skin colour or nationality. Islam offers solutions for the many social diseases that we suffer from in our ‘civilization’. Islam gives clear answers and reasons as to what happens to the human beings after death and more importantly, Islam clarifies what God requires from mankind during their very short lifetime on Earth. Unfortunately for most people, there is no interest in what will happen after death. We run around like hamsters on a wheel, chasing money without a care for what the true purpose of life is. Our true purpose in this life is to worship Allah alone and to follow his final messenger to mankind, Muhammad (May God’s peace and blessings be upon him). Understanding and accomplishing this is the greatest achievement any human being can ever attain. I pray that Allah gives me the ability to succeed according to what he wants for humankind.

The death of Usama Bin Laden - an analysis

By: Mawlana Sadique Mamon

What is the truth behind the death of Usama Bin Laden? Is he really dead and is he really under the sea?

Everyone knows that the CIA and the governments are good at conspiracy and manipulating minds. One time Saddam is the hero, then next he becomes the most dangerous person and when they have destroyed the country they find out he has no weapons. Likewise when laden was fighting in their interest against the Russians, he and the Taliban’s were portrayed as the greatest heroes and now the greatest terrorist. This is why it is very commonly said that one man’s terrorist is another man’s hero. In this world of conspiracy and corruption it is v difficult to say who the goody is and who is the baddy.

If they are not showing pictures because people will still not believe and it’s going to be a waste of money, then why do they spend millions showing videos of 9/11, 7/7, and any other attacks? They showed pictures of Saddam, trialled him and also did the same with other terrorist. Whatever is the reason, they should not go out of their principle. Moreover, they should throw all their excuses in the bin and give the people the truth and what they are entitled to, because the army and all other operations are being funded by the people, they have a right to know all the facts and truth.

Of course the president is not that foolish to proclaim that he is dead when he is not because or else they will be humiliated later. However the big possibility is that Bin Laden had died a natural death ages ago, they were fully aware of it, but carried on with the war for their oil and other political motives. Now that they want to bring back the troops, their using this as an excuse. If they say he was dead before people will condemn them and if they say they are coming back without killing him then it’s a humiliation for them.

Its absolutely bizarre and impossible that such a popular person to capture whom millions of pounds have been spent, and the whole world has changed, would just be buried like that without taking any pictures etc. after all he is not just an issue for USA and UK, all the governments in the world have contributed in fighting him, so they all have the right to see. Even the Pakistani government should have a say in how his body should be treated, as it took place in their country. In fact in the UK and even in Pakistan, millions of bodies are delayed from burial so that people can see it or investigations could be carried out, so there was no need to rush his burial.

The Pakistani people are not protesting for the sake of Bin Laden, they are protesting for justice. Justice should be given to everyone. Just like we had the vote whether to give the criminals the right to vote or not, it is not right to say that some Mps supported the criminals. They just wanted justice. Also we even see in the UK people demanding justice for even rapists and murderers.

This is why I keep quiet, and do not deny what the media and governments says without solid evidence, nor believe what they say, without solid evidence.

Istanbul through my eyes- Full Story

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST MERCIFUL THE MOST KIND!

My trip to Istanbul was a ‘last minute dot com’ one, with my work colleges (the teachers of London Islamic School). I realised if I visit it, I will return with a mountain of knowledge of historical facts of the previous Islamic and Non-Muslim civilisations in Istanbul and Turkey. Therefore when I was presented with the opportunity of travelling to the home of the last Khilafah with learned scholars and my favourite people, I didn’t think twice to accept the offer.

When I went to get my VISA in the Istanbul Airport, the person on the other side of the counter looked at me with a smile and an English learner’s French like accent “Just for you Hajee it is fifty pounds”. I thanked him with a wide smile on my face and said to him my Salaam and proceeded towards the checking point. This was the first time I realized that when a Turkish man talks to an apparently practicing Muslim man, he addresses him by saying ‘Hajee’ to show politeness or respect.

It looked to me as if Istanbul is thriving due to the tourist industry. All the Turks there were workers of some profession and rest of the people were tourists and visitors just like us. I was not surprised because everyone seemed very welcoming, no-wonder visitors kept on coming. However there were one or two moments when I felt I wasn't welcomed such as when I and my colleague went to the money exchange office, I was being served by a lady who looked as if she didn't want to see me. I realised that must have been because of my appearance, looking like “a terrorist”.

When we got out of the terminal, my traveling partner and I decided to take the tram (auto bus as they call it in a French like accent) to the hotel which will be an adventure we decided.

The area we stayed in is called ‘Sirkeji’ and our hotel’s name is ‘Sirkeji Park Hotel’. The owners and the workers were Kurdish Turkish Muslims. It seemed like a family business. They were really friendly with us. They often invited me to lunch, once I accepted and I had spaghetti with mincemeat with them. I used to talk to them and they used to address me as 'Hajee'. The receptionist 'Mehmet' told me 'there are 16 million Kurdish in turkey or Istanbul for which he seemed proud of.

Because it was a B and B, there was no lunch but they offer a large variety of free breakfast. To be honest I certainly took full advantage of the facility in breakfast.

There was coffee, Turkish tea, apple tea. Although I don't drink coffee, but wow, Turkish tea and apple tea I did not taste anything like that before. That was the first time I tasted apple tea.

The rooms were like any other hotel rooms. The view from the room leads to the historical Ottoman town hall.

On the 3^rd day, we decided we will spend the day visiting Ayasofia then the Blue Mosque. Ayasofia has been a church for 916 years and a Masjid for 481 years. Thus it is rich with history from two very different civilisations.

It was only in 1924 when Attaturk (an anti-Islamic leader of Turkey who abolished the Uthamani Khilafah) converted it into a Museum because it would generate money for the state.

Just like other monumental tourist attractions, when visiting Ayasofia one also required to buy a ticket which costed 10 Lira (which is about £3 to £4). I learnt that the grand building already had a dome from Bizentine time when it was a church but when Muslims conquered it and made it into a Masjid, they gave four Minarets to it on it's four corners. From the outside it visibly was apparent that the whole building was made at one time and the Minarets were made at a completely different time.

There was a Mimbar (pulpit), which was long and tall, Salahuddin Ayyubi style, which the Muslim rulers used to give sermons from, the Muslim tourists would pay extra attention to this.

On the ceiling were six beautiful wooden circle boards displayed mentioning six different names in Arabic. The writing on them was in gold colour and the background was in beautiful forest green. The front two mentioned Allah's and the Muhammad's (SAW) name. The other four had the names of the 'Four Rightly Guided Khalifs'.

There were also some signs in it that belonged to the Christian history. There were Biblical paintings on the ceiling and on walls which the contemporary governments uncovered from the plaster. There was a 'wishing pole/ pillar', behind which there was long queue of Christians. It is a little hole where one inserts their thumb and turns it couple of time and makes a wish which they believe will come true.

Later on that day I asked myself, in Islam a conquered church can't be converted into a Majid then how come this was not the case with Ayasofia. I found out from a colleague, an experienced traveller that before the Muslims conquered it, they set some conditions and one of them were that if the Christians do not surrender then when the Muslims take over they will turn it into a Masjid (this place was the 2^nd most sacred place to them) to make them think hard of the consequence. I realised in this case it was permissible.

When we arrived at the ‘Blue Mosque’ which is situated in ‘Sultan Ahmed square’ near Ayasofia, we went inside, we were allowed so we offered our Zuhr Salah there. It is a big tourist attraction for both Muslims and Non-Muslims but is not a Museum.

In the court yard of the masjid there was a framed history information board. I with my fellow travelers went to read it. One of the things I can remember from that information board is that ‘Blue Mosque’ was built by Sultan Ahmad I (1603-1617).

Turkish traditional bath

One of my best memories from Istanbul is when we visited the Hammam, the Turkish bath. It is not a bath tub in the bath room with a sauna, or a Jacuzzi or any thing that may come in the mind of a typical western gym goer. Rather it is a house or a building where there are a number of rooms. Some have segregated facility for men and women. We went in a segregated one. The Hammam was a few centuries old from the Autuman times but so cleaver and sophisticated and functional, it feels like one is living or tasting a part of the history.

Inside the main room, it is hot and calm but without humidity hence one doesn’t feel distressed. The worm floor is marbled, from lying down on which is comfortable. There are taps and basins to use hot water and pour it on to the body.

The second room is used for messages. There is a table like raised marbled platform which also was heated from beneath. Big, chubby Turkish men with moustache were the staff to massage. One could tell they were equipped with years of experience and they were good at it. They would massage all the body parts except the private parts. They would use a special type of soap and rub it on a small towel and scrub the body with it. They would also wash the hair and head with special shampoo as well.

They gave apple tea after the bath. I thought there could not have bee a better time to have it when I was given it. So I started sipped it with pleasure satisfaction and contentment.

Grand bazaar

There were so many shops; you couldn’t find your way out. I have been to many shopping malls and shopping centres; large ones, small ones, western ones oriental ones and Middle Eastern ones but I have never seen like it. I have shopped in large stores and very humongous shopping facilities that are owned by mega rich companies as it is common in the modern cities of the twentieth century.

However this ‘Grand Bazaar’ is over three hundred years old and …ft big. What’s wonderful is that this shopping complex is not occupied big supermakets, department stores and stores of big retail chains but there are small shops and units, all occupied, owned and run the public and small businesses.

I thought when shopping centres are filled with small business and not big company stores then it is better for the welfare of the citizens of the country because that is wealth being shared and not wealth restricted to a few people.

What’s more fascinating is that some hundred years ago, when countries like Britain was of mud roads and people used to ; Muslims under the Uthmani Khilafah enjoyed living with the comfort of having water tap facility at home, bathing in the ‘Turkish Baths’ and shopping in malls. A proof of which is ‘Grand Bazaar’.

None of the shops were selling traditional clothes, just modern, western and souvenirs. I realised that not only the tourists would buy them but the residents also wear western clothes. Half of the customers there were residents.