New Imaam position at Masjid as-Sunnah, Bradford, UK

 New posting for an Imaam Position at the Masjid as-Sunnah, Bradford, UK

 Job Description

Position: Full-time Imaam

Location: Masjid As-Sunnah, off Great Horton Road, Bradford 7

Country: UK

Salary: Negotiable depending upon experience and qualifications

Employer: Albaseerah Bradford 

Contact: info@albaseerah.com

Reference: Imaam1Mas 

Application deadline: 19th May 2011

Contract duration: 1 year (renewable)

Start date: TBC

 

About us:

Albaseerah are looking for an Imaam for the newly acquired Masjid as-Sunnah. Located in Bradford, UK, Masjid as-Sunnah aims to become the centre for the Muslims in the North offering a place of worship as well as a library, school and centre for learning.

 Specific duties:

• Lead the 5 daily prayers at their appointed time.
• Conduct regular Qur'an classes for children within the community.
• Lead the Taraweeh prayers in the month of Ramadaan.
• Deliver Jumu'ah and Eid sermons.
• Conduct funeral services and preparation for burial.

 

General duties and expectations:

• Must be fully acquainted with the basic rulings as it relates to the 5 daily prayers, jumuah, taraaweeh etc. (e.g. the pillars and conditions of the prayer, nullifiers of the prayer, what do do in the case of forgetfulness, rulings of jumuah etc.
  
• Expected to work 40 hours a week and longer during Ramadaan.
• Expected to be available during office hours.
• Must have good manners and communication skills and interact with the people with gentleness and good character.
• Should be able to speak English at a proficient level.
• Must hold a valid UK British Passport.
• To carry out any other duties as required by the Masjid Commitee, which are reasonable in terms of the nature and level of the post.
  

 Salary and Benefits:

Salary is negotiable and will include a basic salary, paid vacation and sick leave.

 How to apply:

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by sending their CV to info@albaseerah.com. You must include 2 references from a reputable Islamic Centre.

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا"

 
"Blessed be He who sent down the Furqaan (Qur'an) to His slave Muhammad that he may be a Warner to the Mankind".
 
Website:http://groups.google.co.uk/group/cardiffdawah?hl=en-GB?hl=en-GB
 
http://www.youtube.com/user/CardiffDawah

LIBYA’S ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS IN MISRATA MAY BE INTERNATIONAL CRIMES – UN RIGHTS CHIEF

LIBYA'S ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS IN MISRATA MAY BE INTERNATIONAL CRIMES – UN RIGHTS CHIEF

The United Nations human rights chief today condemned the reported repeated use of cluster munitions and heavy weaponry by Libyan Government forces against civilians in Misrata, warning that such acts could constitute international crimes.

"I urge the Libyan authorities to face the reality that they are digging themselves and the Libyan population deeper and deeper into the quagmire. They must halt the siege of Misrata and allow aid and medical care to reach the victims of the conflict," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.

Misrata, a north-western city with an estimated population of 300,000 people, has been the scene of continuous fighting since earlier this year between military forces allied to the regime of Muammar al-Qadhafi and opposition groups.

"Since the city is largely cut off, it is not known precisely how many civilians have died or been injured during two months of fighting there, but it is clear that the numbers are now substantial, and that the dead include women and children," Ms. Pillay said in a news release.

"Using imprecise weaponry such as cluster munitions, multiple rocket launchers and mortars, and other forms of heavy weaponry, in crowded urban areas will inevitably lead to civilian casualties," she noted, adding that there are also reports of snipers deliberately targeting civilians in Misrata and other places in Libya.

"The pro-Government forces besieging the city, including their commanders and all other personnel, should be aware that – with the International Criminal Court investigating possible crimes – their orders and actions will be subject to intense scrutiny," stated Ms. Pillay.

"Under international law, the deliberate targeting of medical facilities is a war crime, and the deliberate targeting or reckless endangerment of civilians may also amount to serious violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law."

The High Commissioner said the unhindered presence of international observers, including media, would help calm the situation and curb excesses.

She also voiced serious concern about the treatment of journalists by the Libyan authorities, and called on the Government to immediately release those detained. At least two journalists have been killed, and some 16 others are missing, including ten international journalists and six Libyans. Dozens of others have been detained, assaulted, physically abused – possibly to the point of torture – or expelled.

Ms. Pillay also urged NATO forces to exercise the utmost caution and vigilance so as not to kill civilians by mistake. The alliance has been carrying out air strikes in response to Security Council resolution 1973, which was adopted last month and authorized Member States to take "all necessary measures" to protect civilians in Libya.

UN AGENCY DEPLORES PIRATES’ USE OF SEAFARERS AS HUMAN SHIELDS

UN AGENCY DEPLORES PIRATES' USE OF SEAFARERS AS HUMAN SHIELDS

The United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) has condemned the use of sailors as human shields after Somali pirates continued to detain seven crew members of a recently released ship even though a ransom had been reportedly paid.

Six officers and one other crew member of the M/V Asphalt Venture are being held at an undisclosed location after the ship and the rest of the people aboard were released by pirates off Somalia last Thursday, nearly seven months after they were hijacked.

In a <"http://www.imo.org/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/Pages/IMO-expresses-concern-over-mistreatment-of-seafarers-held-hostage-by-pirates.aspx">statement issued yesterday from its London headquarters, IMO stressed that it deplores all acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships and the treatment of seafarers held hostage.

"Using seafarers as human shields to continue to engage in piracy – one of the most heinous of crimes against humanity at sea – is totally unacceptable," the agency said.

IMO is backing a new "Save Our Seafarers" campaign launched by the shipping industry, saying that the safety and well-being of sailors should be of paramount importance to any strategy to respond to piracy.

The agency's statement comes amid mounting international concern about the problem of piracy, particularly in the waters off Somalia.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that the Trust Fund to Support Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off the Coast of Somalia needs more resources to carry out its mandate.

The trust fund's board has approved 12 projects worth $4.3 million since the fund was created in January last year, including a media project to disseminate anti-piracy messages in the region and other initiatives to strengthen law enforcement and criminal justice in Somalia, Kenya and Seychelles.

In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=5210">message to an event in Dubai to support the trust fund, delivered on his behalf by UN Legal Counsel Patricia O'Brien, Mr. Ban said the fund offered an opportunity to translate regional and global concerns into concrete actions.

Abu Khadijah – Importance of prayer

Abu Khadijah – Importance of prayer

For the pleasure of Allah and from the greatest of affairs of one's entrance into Jannah is the affair of the salah. Allah not only obligated upon the ummah but also upon the ummah that came before. The prophet salAllahu alayhe wa salam was taken by jibreel to the furtherest loat tree , where on the prophet went passed, It is something which is indescribable and something which was amazing Jibreel said 'no one can pass' but the messenger salAllahu alayhe wa salam was sent forward to pass and Allah spoke to Muhammad at this point, where Allah 'azzawajal obligated 50 salah , the the prophet salAllahu alayhe wa salam informred musa alay salam, Musa said 'it will be too much for the ummah' up until it was reduced to the 5 daily prayers. The 5 daily prayers are the pillars of Islam. Prophet alayhe sallatu wa salam said Islam is built upon 5. Two shahada, and the second pillar is prayer. When the prophet sallAllahu alayhe wa sallam sent mua'd Ibn Jabal to Yemen he said 'the first thing you should call them to is that they worship Allah alone and if they accept that then inform them Allah has made obligatory upon them the five daily prayers'. This worship is to be implemented five times a day. The prophet salAllahu alayhe wa salamm  informed the companions ' If one of you had a river and he was to bathe in it with there be any filth upon you?' The companions said 'no O Messenger of Allah' He stated 'likewise with the five daily prayers'. The prophet salAllahu alayhe wa salam mentioned regarding the daily prayers, then he mentioned from juma'ah to juma'ah and then he mentioned Ramadan to ramadan, he said it is an expiation for everything that occurs between them times except for the major sins.

When one stands for fajr, he is clensed just as someone cleanses in the river. And likewise with dhur, Then he prays asr , then magrib and isha and then he goes to sleep and whatever occurs between isha and fajr he is clensed due to the prayers. These 5 daily prayers are the most important affair of ibadah after the establishment of Tawheed. The great tabi'e Abdullah mentioned this hadith reported by tirmidhi authenticated by albaani, the sahaba did not consider any of the wajibat to be kufar except for the abandonment of salah.  The one who abandons the prayer has left the fold of Islam.

If one leaves off the zakat, then he does not leave the fold of islam, or the one who does not want to fast due to disobedience, or the one who abandons the umrah or hajj, he does not leave islam. However the one who abadons the slaah , due to them not being bothered, due to lazyness, or the fact that they are too busy chasing the dunya = this necessitates kuffar.

The one who leaves the prayer while affirming its obligations then this one has left the fold of islam.

Ibn Qayyim, he mentioned in his kitaab – the muslims have not differed with regards to the one who abandons the prayer deliberately. It is from the greatest of sins and from the most severest of the major sins, the one who leaves the prayer is a greater sin than that of killing another human or taking wealth, drinking of wine and fornication and adultery. This one - has places himself forward in the anger of Allah, the disgrace of Allah.

The Muslim ruler is obligated to order them to pray, establishing the prayer, this is upon the ruler. And as for the one who leaves off the prayer, how is this to be dealt with? No doubt this person is to be taken to the Muslim ruler, if that person does not pray and refuses, Ibn Qayyim said this person is given an opportunity to repent  but if he chooses after the judge informed him to pray and does not pray -Ibn Qayyim and Albaani confirms this person is to be executed. Albaani used to be take the opinion  that the person who abandons the prayer is still a Muslim. They all agree with the consensus.

OPIUM CULTIVATION IN AFGHANISTAN EXPECTED TO FALL DESPITE HIGH PRICES – UN

OPIUM CULTIVATION IN AFGHANISTAN EXPECTED TO FALL DESPITE HIGH PRICES – UN

Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is expected to decline slightly this year despite the prevailing high prices of opium, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported today, saying that Government effort to discourage production could yield further reduction.

"This is only an indicator and government policy can stimulate further decline," <"http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/slight-decrease-in-poppy-cultivation-in-2011.html?ref=fs1">said Jean-Luc Lemahieu, the UNODC representative in Afghanistan, when he released the agency's <"http://www.unodc.org/documents/afghanistan//Opium_Surveys/Winter_Rapid_Assessment/Winter_assessment_Phase_12_FINAL.pdf">Opium Winter Rapid Assessment Survey.

The production decrease is expected to be driven by a slightly lower level of cultivation in Helmand and Kandahar in the south, according to the projection.

In turn, a strong increase in cultivation is expected in the north and north-eastern regions, namely in Badakshan, Baghlan and Faryab provinces. Those provinces had low levels of cultivation in previous years, and although in percentage terms the expected increase may be large, in absolute terms the overall cultivation level is expected to remain low compared with southern provinces.

In the southern and western regions, a significant increase is also expected in Herat, Kapisa and Ghor provinces. Baghlan, Faryab, Kapisa and Ghor were all poppy-free in 2010, according to UNODC.

Helmand has shown decreasing poppy cultivation trends over the last three years, declining from 103,590 hectares in 2008 to 65,045 hectares last year. "The political will shown by both the Minister of Counter Narcotics and the Governor of Helmand in tackling poppy cultivation, are exemplary for the country," said Mr. Lemahieu.

According to the assessment, 73 percent of respondents in the north and 77 per cent in the south said the driving force behind poppy cultivation this year is the high returns from opium sales. The prices of dry and fresh opium rose by 306 per cent and 251 per cent respectively between February 2010 and February this year.

In the south a direct correlation between insecurity, lack of agricultural aid and poppy cultivation was established, according to the assessment.

Some 90 per cent of villages in the south with poor security are involved in poppy cultivation. In the north, the vast majority of the residents – 94 per cent – reported good or very good security at the village level. The expected increase in poppy cultivation even under comparatively good security conditions is a cause for concern, UNODC said.

"Let's not forget that this latest survey is a prediction, a 'weather forecast', and that the exact situation of the poppy cultivation will only be known later in the year, once the estimation from satellite images are completed," stressed Mr. Lemahieu.

Muslim students warn Obama world is not US playground

 

EU: Muslim students warn Obama world is not US playground Via FNA: The Union of Islamic Student Associations in Europe in a letter warned US President Barrack Obama to stop oppression against Muslim nations and support for long-time US allies and dictators in the region, saying that Islamic awakening, inspired by the Iranian Revolution, is spreading throughout the world and that the world is no more the US playground. "Unlike the past, the world is no longer your playground where you make up rules and force them upon oppressed nations in order to determine their destiny. The nations of the world have vowed and are determined to shape their own destinies by overthrowing and driving out the western imposed puppets and dictators," the Union said in its letter.

View article...

France: Religious leaders concerned about Islam debate

France: Religious leaders concerned about Islam debate Via AFP: Leaders of six religions on Wednesday voiced concern that a debate on France's secular nature and Islam planned by President Nicolas Sarkozy's right-wing party could lead to confusion and stigmatisation. The text signed by Roman Catholic, Protestant, Christian Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist leaders described secularism as "a pillar of our republican pact, a basis of our democracy, a foundation of our desire to live together." "Let's take care not to squander this precious gain," they warned, saying it was "capital during this pre-election period, to calmly stay the course by avoiding lumping things together and the risks of stigmatisation."

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The Question of Hercules And The Answers Of Abdullah Ibn Abbas’s (RA)

 

The Question of Hercules And The Answers Of Abdullah Ibn Abbas's (RA) Abdullah Ibn Abbas's (RA) deep knowledge of the Qur'an has won him the popular title of "Hibrul Ummah" or Sage of the Ummah. His knowledge, intelligence and juristic acumen was acknowledged and accepted by all the Sahaabah (RA). Abdullah Ibn Abbaas (RA) wasn't [...]

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Sexual Grooming and Pakistani Youths

Sexual Grooming and Pakistani Youths

Jack Straw, the justice secretary in the former British government,
sparked controversy when he accused young men of Pakistani origin in
Britain as regarding vulnerable native girls as "easy meat" for sexual
abuse. The Blackburn MP and one of the Labor Party's most prominent
figures challenged the Pakistani community in the United Kingdom to
tackle a problem that has resulted in "Pakistani heritage men thinking
it is OK to target native girls in this way".

Mr. Straw made his remarks after two Asian men were jailed
indefinitely in Nottingham for a series of rapes and sexual attacks on
vulnerable girls they had picked up on the streets.

Jack Straw seems to have a campaign to demonise and stereotype
Muslims. If he was honestly tackling a problem he would have done it
in a different way.

Why it is a surprise that white woman are easier to get into bed than
a Pakistani women and not to mention we are in the UK which happens to
be a mainly white population.

I believe he concerned about the number of white female converts to
Islam because some of them see the real Islam through a Pakistani
brother.

A nursery worker had been arrested for sexually abusing children aged
2-3 at a nursery. Sick, but Jack Straw does not say that there is a
large number of paedo's still around, or that the church is full of
paedo priests. Why the hypocrisy?

The latest year, for which we have data, Lancashire police arrested
627 people for sexual offences. 0.3% of these were Pakistanis. That's
two people. 85.5% were white British. In Lancashire, there are
1,296,900 white Brits and 45,000 Pakistanis. This means that 4.163 per
10,000 white Brits were arrested for a sex crime, compared to 0.44
Pakistanis

If you look at my religion sex outside marriage, drink and drugs are
all a sin and are forbidden. Also the third biggest sin in Islam is
adultery, which these men also committed. They aren't very good
Muslims are they? The actions they committed are all against Islam and
the punishment under Sharia would be........I think you all know!!!

A major newspaper investigation linked some British Pakistani youths
with the sexual exploitation of underage native girls in towns across
North and Midland. Some of them are convicted of grooming underage
native girls for sex because they think that these girls have fewer
morals and are less valuable than Muslim girls. Now decent Pakistani
men will be looked at as potential child abusers but last year 80% of
child abusers were native Brits.

These Pakistani youths are British born and educated in state schools
with non-Muslim monolingual teachers. They are the product of western
education system which makes a man stupid, selfish and corrupt. They
have been mis-educated and de-educated and they do not know where they
belong. They suffer from identity crises. They speak English in local
accents. They are unable to speak, read and write Urdu language. They
find themselves cut off from their cultural roots and are unable to
enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. Such individuals are
fully assimilated into British culture. What do you expect from such
individuals? Instead of sending them to prison, they should be
included in New Year Honour List. In the past a Muslim girl was
awarded MBE for running way from her parents. Now there are round
about 6000 runaway Muslim girls in the custody of LAs. They should
also be included in the Honour List. Thanks to the British education
system.

Most teenage girls, but especially the girls who hang around the
streets have no roots, low self esteem etc and so is easy prey for any
group - any group - who cares to seduce them. Lots of "KID's" around
12 to 14 start partying! (Drinking, doing drugs & having sex). This
was happening in the 60s & 70s, so I am sure it's worse now. The big
issue is where the PARENTS are. British parents already lost the
battle to have any control over their children.

Britain's so brilliant Education Ministry had embarked on teaching sex
to 5 year olds from last year. Britain already has health and social
services, including counseling for children who are sexually active.
One initiative has distributed contraceptives to girls as young as 11.
Tony Blair said it is the right thing to do- handing free
contraceptives to British girls. The Institute for Public Policy
Research found that a major reason for Britain's thug generation was
the collapse of British family life. Evidence also showed that British
adults are afraid to control their drunk, high, fornicating and
violent teens. The adults also lagged behind their European peers in
confronting their teenagers about "antisocial" behavior.

The native Brits have double standards and are hypocrites; they don't
mention the fact that the majority of men who go to countries in East
Asia looking for under aged sex are natives European men.

This is sickening. It's no wonder Great Britain is in such a bad
shape. Ten years old British girls are haveing babies out of wedlock.
They are not allowed to get married but are allowed to have babies.
Teenage pregnancy rate in Great Britain is the highest in Western
Europe. It is a civilised country and Yemen is a backward country
because it allowes young girls to get married.

Indiscipline, incivility, binge drinking, drug addiction, gun and
knife crimes, teenage pregnancies and abortion are part and parcel of
British schooling. These are the reasons why majority of Muslim
parents would like to send their children to Muslim schools with
Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods.
Only less than 5% attend Muslim schools and more than 95% keep on
attending state and church schools to be mis-educated and de-educated
by non-Muslim monolingual teachers.

There are hundreds of state and church schools where Muslim children
are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be opted out as
Muslim Academies. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a
teacher in a Muslim school.

London School of Islamics
Iftikhar Ahmad

IMPASSE IN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN TALKS MUST BE OVERCOME, UN OFFICIAL STRESSES

IMPASSE IN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN TALKS MUST BE OVERCOME, UN OFFICIAL STRESSES
New York, Mar 22 2011 1:10PM
With Israeli-Palestinian negotiations remaining at a standstill and
violence increasing on the ground, a senior United Nations official
today called for urgent action to break the current impasse in the
search for Middle East peace.

"We urge the parties to demonstrate leadership and rise to the
challenge of making a historic peace," Assistant Secretary-General for
Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco told a meeting of the
Security Council.

The past month has been marked by an increase in violence and tensions
on the ground, while efforts to restart the Israeli-Palestinian
negotiations "have not produced visible results," he said.

"A decisive effort must now be made by the international community and
the Quartet to bring the parties back to negotiating the final status
issues towards implementing the two-State solution," he added,
referring to the diplomatic grouping consisting of the UN, European
Union, Russia and the United States which seeks to have two States –
Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security
within recognized borders.

Talks between the two sides have been stalled since late September
following Israel's refusal to extend a 10-month freeze on settlement
activity in the occupied Palestinian territory. That decision prompted
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to withdraw from direct talks with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which had only resumed a
few weeks earlier after a two-year hiatus.

Mr. Fernandez-Taranco said that the recent surge in violence,
including the 11 March murder of five members of an Israeli family
living in a West Bank settlement as well as the increased violence and
tensions in and around Gaza, must not be allowed to further undermine
the possibility of finding a way towards an agreement on final status
issues, or undermine the state-building achievements thus far.

"The wider region has continued to witness dramatic developments,
which add to the importance of redoubling efforts to break the
deadlock as progress towards peace and meeting the legitimate
aspirations of the Palestinian people to statehood could be an
important stabilizing force in the Middle East," he stated.

Turning to the situation in Gaza, Mr. Fernandez-Taranco said all
parties must exercise restraint, as he condemned last weekend's firing
of missiles and mortars towards Israeli civilian areas, and noted the
air strikes and incursions carried out by Israel that killed three
Palestinian civilians and two militants.

The situation of the 1.5 million Palestinian residents of Gaza also
remained a concern, he added, noting that current imports into the
territory represent only about one third of the weekly average prior
to the imposition of the Israeli blockade in June 2007.

The latest UN assessment of the humanitarian impact of the blockade
says that the measures announced by Israel last June to ease the
blockade has not resulted in a significant improvement in people's
livelihoods.

Because of the ongoing restrictions on the import of building
materials, only a small minority of the needed housing units could be
constructed, it adds. High unemployment levels and strong demand for
construction materials have left thousands of people with no
alternative but to risk their lives working in tunnels or in
access-restricted areas near the perimeter fence surrounding Gaza.

UN official: Israel engaging in ethnic cleansing

Investigator Richard Falk says settlement expansion, consequent evicting of Palestinians 'intolerable'

Reuters

Israel's expansion of Jewish "settlements" in east Jerusalem and eviction of Palestinians from their homes there is a form of ethnic cleansing, a United Nations investigator said on Monday.

 

US academic Richard Falk was speaking to the UN Human Rights Council as it prepared to pass resolutions condemning Israeli behaviour on territory it has occupied since 1967.

 

The "continued pattern of settlement expansion in East Jerusalem combined with the forcible eviction of long-residing Palestinians are creating an intolerable situation" in the part of the city previously controlled by Jordan, he said.

 

This situation "can only be described in its cumulative impact as a form of ethnic cleansing," Falk declared.

 

Israel declines to deal with Falk or even allow him into the country, accusing him of bias against the Jewish state.

 

In a linked discussion on Israeli policies towards lands it seized in the 1967 Middle East War, Israeli and Palestinian delegates clashed over the recent murders of members of a Jewish settler family on the West Bank.

 

Israel's ambassador Aharon Leshno Yaar called on Palestinian leaders to condemn the March 11 murders of three children, including a baby, and their parents "without caveats or hedging" in Arabic to their own people.

 

Almost as shocking as the killings, "in the days following the massacre many Palestinians took to the streets celebrating the deaths of this family," Leshno Yaar said.

 

But Palestinian envoy Ibrahim Kraishi said the killings had already been condemned by the Palestinian Authority as "an act of terrorism" that was not part of his people's culture. "Rather, it is the culture of the occupying power," he added.

 In his speech, Falk said he would like the Human Rights Council to ask the International Court of Justice to look at Israeli behaviour in the occupied territories.

 

This should focus on whether the prolonged occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem had elements of "colonialism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing inconsistent with international humanitarian law," the investigator declared.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4045623,00.html

She is afraid that her marriage may not be successful because she got to know him before marriage

She is afraid that her marriage may not be successful because she got to know him before marriage

I read on your website in several places something that made me want to ask about love before marriage. I am a woman who is married to a religiously committed young man, and praise be to Allah he prays and fasts and does his duties in the best manner as he is supposed to. Praise be to Allah, I fear Allah a great deal and I have a strong desire to draw closer and closer to Him. But I got to know this person before marriage, although nothing happened in this relationship to be ashamed of, but he is from one city and I am from another city, and he came to get to know me more and more. But I read that if one likes another person before marriage or sits with him, Allah will not bless them in their relationship, and I am very scared. How can I expiate for my sin? Please note that when I sat with him it was in public places.
I hope that you can help me so that Allah will make my marriage to this person successful, because I fear Allah above everything else.

Praise be to Allaah.

What is meant by the love that is forbidden before marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman that includes haraam things such as looking, touching, shaking hands, being alone together, romantic words, the woman softening her voice, and so on. There is no doubt that this is haraam because what it involves is haraam. 

For information on the prohibition on the things mentioned above, see the answer to question no. 103044. 

Love may occur without a person choosing that and without doing any haraam things, such as if a woman hears of a man who is of good character and starts liking him. She is not to be blamed for this so long as it is not followed by anything haraam. 

If a man wants to propose to a woman, it is permissible for him to look at her and to meet her in the presence of her mahram. 

No matter what the nature of the love and relationship before marriage, if a person committed any wrong action in that case, then he has to seek forgiveness and repent, for Allah forgives sin, accepts repentance and erases bad deeds. 

If we assume that you overstepped the mark with regard to saying something inappropriate or shaking hands and the like, then all you have to do is ask for forgiveness. Allah has blessed you with marriage to a righteous young man, so praise Allah, may He be exalted, and think positively of Him, and hope for the goodness, blessing and success that He may bestow. 

No one can be certain that the one who falls in love before marriage will not be blessed in his marriage. This is a matter of the unseen that no one knows except Allah. The most that can be said is that haraam love may be a cause of the marriage not being blessed, because a person may be deprived of provision because of a sin that he committed, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "…a man may be deprived of provision by a sin that he commits." Narrated by Ibn Maajah (4022) and classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah. 

But if a person repents and turns to Allah, there is the hope that he will be successful with Allah's help, and that his bad deeds will be turned into good deeds. 

So have faith in Allah, may He be exalted, and put your fears aside; seek the forgiveness of Allah from all sins, minor and major, and you will be fine, praise be to Allah. 

And Allah knows best

The Oneness of Allaah (Tawheed)

The Oneness of Allaah (Tawheed)

to the extent that he directed those matters towards it.

The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: " Whoever says La ilaha illah Allaah sincerely will enter Paradise." (Reported by Bazzar and declared authentic by Al-Albani in Sahih AI-Jami)

The sincere person is the one who understands, acts according to its requirements, invites others to it, and gives it precedence over all other issues, because it is the concise formula of Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism) for which human beings are created.

Therefore La ilaha illah Allaah will benefit the one who says it if he conforms to its meaning in his life, and doesn't nullify' it by associating partners with Allaah, such as supplicating to the dead or calling upon the living who are absent The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said (This was reported by Baihaqi, declared authentic by Al-Albani in Ahadith Sahiha #l932)

The statement of "I testify that Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) is the Messenger of Allaah," means, "None has the right to be followed after Allaah's Book (The Qur'an), but Allaah's Messenger," Allaah said: "And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain from it". (al Qur'an 59:7)

In conclusion, it is from the understanding of Tawheed [Islamic Monotheism] that will enter a person into Paradise and confirms that Islam is the only Monotheistic Religion and way of life acceptable to the Creator.

Allaah, The Exalted said: " Say you (0 Muhammad ): "This is my way, I invite unto Allaah (i.e. to the Oneness of Allaah - Islamic Monotheism) (with sure knowledge), and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allaah (i.e. to the Oneness of Allaah - Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge. And Glorified and Exalted is Allaah (above all they associate as partners with Him), and I am not of the polytheists. " (Al Qur'an 12:108)

Ibn Abbas (a companion of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.)) narrated: When Allaah's Messenger sent Mu'adh to Yemen, he said, "You will come upon the people of the book (Christians and Jews), let your first act be to call them to testify' that - There is nothing worthy of worship in truth but Allaah". (Bukhari #1389)

All the prophets of Allaah including; Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes, Jesus, and Muhammad (alayhim asalaam), all invited the people to the same thing. To worship The One God without any partners, son or associates. In order to understand why we must worship Allaah (The One True God), we must first accept the Oneness of the Lordship of Allaah i.e.

Tawheed ar-Rububiyyah. This means to believe that there is only One Lord for everything that exists, its Creator, Organizer, Originator, Planner, Sustainer, Authority, Giver of Security, etc. and this is Allaah (One God) The belief in the Lordship of One God cannot be separated by the act of worshipping the One God i.e.

Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah. This means to believe that none has right to be worshipped (e.g. praying, invoking, asking for help from the unseen,

And this was the call of all of the Prophets and Messengers. The third and final category of Tawheed is known as Tawhed al Asma wa Sifat which is to single Allaah out with His Beautiful Names an Lofty Attributes. So Allaah is the Bestower of Mercy and The Most High and only He has and therefore deserves to be called by these names. La ilaha illah Allaah (None Has the Right in Truth to be worshipped except Allaah) is the foundation of Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism) and Islam. It is a complete system of life, through which, all forms of worship (of Allaah) are realized. That happens when a Muslim submits himself to Allaah, and calls upon Him alone, and refers all issues (of right and wrong ) to His Law, to the exclusion of all other systems of law

The word ilah (i.e. God), means the One who is obeyed and not defied, out of one's sense of awe and reverence, love, fear, and hope, placing one's trust in Him, asking Him and supplicating to Him alone. Whoever directs any of these matters (which are the rights of Allaah) to a created being, has detracted from the sincerity of his statement La ilaha illah Allaah and he has worshipped that created being 

Saudi braces for protests amid sweeping Arab unrest

Saudi braces for protests amid sweeping Arab unrest

By Omar Hasan (AFP) – 1 hour ago

RIYADH — Oil kingpin Saudi Arabia braced Friday for protests calling for political and economic reforms a day after police shot and wounded three protesters in the eastern province.

Online activists using the Facebook and Twitter have called for a "Day of Rage" and a "Saudi March 11 revolution" demanding fully elected parliament and ruler in this Islamic conservative monarchy where the Shura (consultative) Council is fully appointed.

Security was strongly beefed up in the capital Riyadh in the early hours of Friday.

Dozens of police cars filled the strategic Olaya commercial centre in the Riyadh, which was hit by a blinding dust storm overnight, where the protesters are supposed to congregate.

Police patrols stood guard on the sides of the main roads of King Fahad and Olaya main street where security forces set up a checkpoint and were checking the identities of motorists.

The activists are also demanding an independent judiciary, the abolition of the secret service police, the release of all political prisoners and guarantees of freedom of expression, according to the activists website.

On the economic front, they are demanding a fixed minimum wage of 10,000 riyals ($2,667) and finding jobs for Saudis in a country where the unemployment rate is 10.5 percent and soars to around 30 percent in the 20-29 age group, according to official figures.

On his return from surgery in the United States last month, King Abdullah had decreed massive benefits to Saudis estimated at more than $30 billion, which included housing services and unemployment benefits.

The activists have urged Saudis to demonstrate in large numbers soon after the Muslim Friday prayers around 1000 GMT in most of Saudi cities including Riyadh, Jeddah in the west and Dammam in the oil-rich east.

The Gulf Civil Society Forum, a liberal pan-Gulf group, expected a low turnout because the call came from London-based Saudi dissidents who do not have a large following in the kingdom.

Other Facebook youth activists have called for nationwide protests on March 20.

Saudi security forces shot and wounded three Shiite protesters in Al-Qateef in the eastern province on Thursday while dispersing a protest calling for the release of nine Shiite prisoners who have been in jail for 14 years without trial, a witness told AFP.

Following the incident, the United States said it would closely monitor unrest in Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, and restated its support for universal values.

The Saudi interior ministry had earlier issued a stern reminder that any demonstration was illegal and warned activists that the security forces had been authorised to crack down on any protests.

The kingdom's top clerics have also condemned as un-Islamic calls for demonstrations and petitions saying "reform and advice do not take place through demonstrations and methods that fan sedition."

Political parties are banned in Saudi Arabia, which controls a quarter of the world's oil reserves.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Monday the kingdom "completely rejects any intervention in its internal affairs," and warned it will "chop off the fingers," of those trying to meddle in Saudi affairs.

"Dialogue is the best way for citizens to gain their rights," he said.

Rights groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called on Riyadh for a relaxation of the protest ban, insisting it was "obliged under international law to allow peaceful protests to take place."

Traders were anxiously watching developments in the kingdom, but US experts have said that Riyadh seems unlikely to catch the contagion of Arab revolutions sweeping other parts of the Middle East.

Benchmark crude prices dipped below the $102 level in Asian trade Friday after easing off two-year highs.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for April delivery, fell 97 cents to $101.73 per barrel in the afternoon.

Brent North Sea crude for April dipped 39 cents to $115.04.

 

LIBYA: UN ALARMED AT REPORTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST SUB-SAHARAN MIGRANTS

LIBYA: UN ALARMED AT REPORTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST SUB-SAHARAN MIGRANTS
New York, Mar 8 2011 12:10PM
The United Nations refugee agency today voiced alarm at increasing
accounts of violence and discrimination in Libya against sub-Saharan
Africans in both the rebel-held east and the Government-controlled
west, including the reported rape of a 12-year-old girl.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) "reiterates its call on
all parties to recognize the vulnerability of both refugees and
migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and to take measures to ensure their
protection," spokesman Adrian Edwards told a
<"http://www.unhcr.org/4d7619e09.html">news briefing in Geneva.

Yesterday Sudanese refugees arriving from eastern Libya at the
Egyptian border told UNHCR that armed Libyans were going door to door,
forcing sub-Saharan Africans to leave. "In one instance a 12-year-old
Sudanese girl was said to have been raped," Mr. Edwards said.

"They reported that many people had their documents confiscated or
destroyed. We heard similar accounts from a group of Chadians who fled
Benghazi, Al Bayda and Brega in the past few days."

The number of people who have fled the violence since the start of
mass protests against Muammar Al-Qadhafi three weeks ago has passed
212,000, including 112,000 in Tunisia, more than half of them Tunisian
and Egyptians migrants; 98,000 in Egypt, over two thirds of them
Egyptian; and 2,000 in Niger, mainly Niger nationals.

UNHCR has also heard from the Algerian Government that more than 4,000
people have arrived in Algeria by air, land and sea, including
evacuations from Tunisia and Egypt.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres is in Tunisia today
to meet with officials and visit the border area, where he will meet
with local community members who have offered aid, shelter and
solidarity to the tens of thousands of migrants and refugees.

Another group that has been facing particular hardship are Bangladeshi
migrants, with some 3,500 stranded at the Egyptian border, many of
whom have been waiting for up to 10 days for onward transport. They
are becoming "increasingly agitated," Mr. Edwards said, and one
Bangladeshi man died over the weekend after a fight over food
distribution.

Many are sleeping outside in the bitter cold as available shelter is
filled to capacity. Over 14,000 meals were distributed to people
stranded at the border yesterday, where overall some 5,000 people are
awaiting onwards transport.

At both the Egyptian and Tunisian borders, most of those awaiting
evacuation are Bangladeshi single men. There is a critical shortage at
present of long-haul flights to Bangladesh, other Asian countries and
sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Edwards said, noting that UNHCR and the
inter-governmental International Organization for Migration (IOM) are
using cash contributions to charter planes and several donor countries
have offered long-haul flights.

"Nevertheless, with an estimated 40 to 50 flights needed to repatriate
all the migrants, further support will be needed to ensure that
everyone is transported home," he added.

At the Tunisian border with Libya, the number of arrivals has dropped
considerably, compared to a week ago, with 2,485 people arriving
yesterday, coinciding with intensified fighting in western Libya that
has reduced mobility. Recent arrivals describe numerous military road
blocks along the route, with the majority reporting that they are
searched for mobile phones, memory cards and simcards," Mr. Edwards
said.

UNHCR's tented transit camp in Choucha, close to the border, currently
holds 15,000 people, 311 of them with protection concerns, including
Somalis and Eritreans.

Meanwhile, a convoy of trucks from the UN World Food Programme (WFP)
entered Libya last night and is due to arrive in the eastern city of
Benghazi today with 70 metric tons of high-energy, fortified date
bars, the first delivery of UN food aid to enter the country.

WFP is mobilizing food for the hungry as part of a $39.2 million
<"http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/wfp-trucks-food-eastern-libya">emergency
operation to feed more than 1 million people in Libya, Egypt and
Tunisia over a three-month period. Preparations are under way for
delivery of another 70 metric tons of the locally-produced date bars,
and 150 metric tons of wheat flour, taken from the stocks of WFP
operations in Egypt.

A shipment of 1,182 metric tons of wheat flour which turned back from
Benghazi on Thursday amid security concerns, set sail for Libya again
today.

Some 80 metric tons of WFP high energy biscuits, airlifted to the
Tunisian border last week, are now being distributed as part of the
food rations for new arrivals there.