The essay before you is concerned with a specific set of people who are to be counted amongst the greatest of the companions and richest in their love for Allah (s.w.t), His blessed Prophet (s.a.w) and the noble quest for knowledge. These people were the Ashab us-Suffah (Companions of the Bench) and it is fundamentally important that we each come to know about, appreciate, and love the contribution of these great individuals to both Islam and the evolution of the human spirit. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) undoubtedly loved and cared for these men of humility and this fact alone is…

‘God is great!’ That was one of the praises sung by thousands of Muslims at a convention in south east England last weekend. Nothing surprising there, you might say. But there was one particular spot where many of them thought ‘Jesus Christ!’ – believing they were seeing the face and body of the Messiah himself. Far from experiencing a vision, they were actually looking at a life-size replica of the world’s most cherished and also controversial relic: the Shroud of Turin. The display was organised by ‘The Review of Religions’, one of the longest running journals about comparative religion, which had invited Barrie Schwortz, founder…

Many of you will know these verses I'm about to read as a song, but the words were written well over 100 years ago and the tune has only recently been added. The song is entitled Amazing Grace and the words were written by a man who was an atheist before he had personal experience of the existence and Grace of God. He was a slave trader and used to ship Negroes from Africa to the Caribbean and the Southern United States of America. It was during one of these voyages that his life was to change completely. Carrying a…

Recently, a Muslim unmarried lady got pregnant and her brothers killed her believing it to be an "honour killing" to protect the name of the family. Sadly there is a lot of ignorance in Islam and Muslims do things "in the name of Allah" which has nothing to do with Islam. It is based on custom or ignorance. Unfortunately, these days many Muslims fear man - their relatives, community etc. rather than fearing Allah. In other words, they would do something to make sure their relatives are happy, even if it is against the teachings of Islam! This action of…

These days there is a lot of confusion about what is Caliphate or Khilafat? With the making of a Caliph and an Islamic State (IS), many people have become 'aware' of this term. Therefore we felt that this may be a good article to help people understand this term better. In this essay, we will examine the concept of the Khilafat, its rise, fall, and re-emergence, and discuss its relevance in modern times. The Arabic word Khalifa means successor. The term caliph is simply an anglicised version of Khalifa. The terms Khilafat and Caliphate, though derived from Khalifa and Caliph…

I will never forget my first visit to Hyde Park. I was then an A level student, accompanied by a cousin who introduced me to some of London’s famous spots. This included Speakers’ Corner, described as the spiritual home of British soapbox oratory, where we heard impassioned preachers and activists shouting out their views, mainly about God and governments. It was all quite fascinating and seemingly harmless – until I got a real shock. “Muhammad was evil!” screamed a towering, dishevelled man before a handful of listeners. With his deep Irish accent, he launched into a scathing attack on the…

The Holy Qur’an clearly stresses the importance of religious freedom. There is no compulsion in the matters of religion. Faith is an individual concern and commitment, between you and the One God. “There should be no compulsion in religion. Surely, the right way has become distinct from error.” (Holy Qur'an, Chapter 2, Verse 257) It must therefore be something which you desire, not what is forced upon you. If you force a faith upon someone, then it becomes hollow and without true conviction. Islam stresses on a person finding the truth through their own path. If a faith is true,…

It is often asked “Does science prove the non-existence of God? Can science be used to support God's existence? The fact is that God is the Creator of everything; therefore the Word of God must be in harmony with the Hand of God. In other words as God created everything, therefore, He knows how everything He created functions, so whatever He mentions in His Holy Books must be correct. Whilst science tries endlessly to disprove there is a God, in fact all it can really state is that there seems to be some power or energy which is responsible for…

An article in Birmingham Post by Waqar Ahmad Ahmedi who explains why Muslims can pledge allegiance to nation and faith. The alleged plot to kidnap and torture a Muslim soldier in Birmingham revived a heated debate about citizenship, loyalty and Islam. The Birmingham raids also raised the issue of the possible impact these events would have on British Muslims considering a career in the military, as the Armed Forces remain occupied in Afghani­stan and Iraq. Islam places great emphasis on the spiritual kinship between all Muslims, irrespective of denomination and nationality. The strength of brotherhood in the ummah (believers) means…

It is often asked that “If there is a God, why does He let natural disaster like the Tsunami happen or is this Divine Punishment?” One may further ask “Why does God allow suffering"? the fact is that God has made natural laws which effect this world, for instance, cause and effect, action and reaction. The majority of suffering is due to the reaction to some action, but God can intervene and prevent the effect, the reaction. But as suffering is also a sort of trial for testing mankind on how they react; therefore, if we remain steadfast and put…

Over the past weeks and months, the world has been witness to the tragic destruction of historical sites across Iraq - both secular and religious. The most recent attacks on humankind's shared civilisation saw ISIS destroy the ancient cities of Nimrod and Hatra. As illustrated in a recent article by Gerard Russell, there appears to be a growing feeling that ISIS is only fulfilling its ''Islamic'' obligation through its destructive rampage. The justification for this view is often found in the edicts of ultra-conservative Islamist scholars who go so far as to call for all ''non-Islamic'' symbols to be destroyed.…

Some people object that “If Islam is a true religion of God, then why doesn't it help mankind and promote peace and love?” Islam states that service to humanity is a part of faith. Muslims should be actively engaged in social welfare and in meeting the medical and educational needs, not only for Muslims, but also for all the communities where they reside. The Holy Quran states in Chapter 3, verse 111: You are the best people raised for the good of mankind; you enjoin good and forbid evil and believe in Allah.” In this verse, Muslims have been enjoined by God…

These days more and more Muslims are committing suicide as a form of terrorism, therefore 'is suicide allowed in Islam?' There is no place for terrorism in Islam and that suicide bombings are a flagrant contradiction of the Quranic injunctions. We will now further explain this. The practice of suicide bombing is seen in many parts of the world and attempts have been made to legitimise such conduct. A careful study of the sources of Islam shows that there is no basis for such action and that these tactics are absolutely out of the question for true followers of Islam.…

One of the issues that concern the world at the present time is global warming. Experts around the world have been warning about this for decades and have been urging governments to do more to slow down the rate of global warming. They warn that there is a 75% risk that global temperatures will rise a further two to three degrees in the next 50 years. The consequence of this would be dramatic. In fact a rise of just one degree would melt the Greenland ice sheet and drown the Maldives, but a three degree increase would kill the Amazon…

It is often stated that “Religions are the cause of many of today's problem all vying against each other to proclaim they are the only universal religion for mankind. They do not bring about peace and unity but hate and disunity!” Many of today's problems derive from the fact that the world in which we live is rapidly becoming one world. With modern technology, communication and transport, mankind is no longer isolated from each other; instead mankind out of necessity must learn to live close together in intimate contact with each other. In other words, they must become a true…

Marriage is a very important institution in Islam. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) has said: “When a man has married, he has completed one half of his religion” He has further said: “Marriage is my Sunnah (practice), those who do not follow my Sunnah (practice) are not from me” There are three basic reasons for getting marriage, they are:- To enable a man and a woman to live together and experience love and happiness, within the Islamic Law. To produce children and provide a stable and righteous environment for their upbringing. To provide a legal union which safeguards society from moral…

"Be grateful to Allah for whoso is grateful is grateful for the good of his own soul" (Holy Qur'an Chapter 31, verse 3) Let us render thanks to Almighty God for the innumerable blessings He has bestowed upon us in this world. Expression of gratitude is one of the secrets of happiness while ingratitude is one of the causes of worry, depression and misery. A grateful person is always praising God whatever may be his lot for he realises that there are many far worse off than himself. "Count your blessings, Name them one by one; Count your blessings See what God hath…

I’ve made up my mind. I’ll soon be packing my bags and leaving Birmingham to pledge allegiance to the Caliphate. Thousands more, mostly from Europe, will be doing the same. As you react with horror, contemplate alerting the police and (worse) consider blocking me on social media, rest assured: I’m not referring to the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Rather, I’m talking about a Caliph you may never have heard of – and who certainly doesn’t get near as much publicity – but is the head of a global spiritual community, described as a…