31st December 2018 marks the result of the Bangladesh elections. Sheikh Hasina will sit as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for a third consecutive term Ajwa Dates Price in Pakistan which she won by a landslide. The Awami league won 288 of 300 votes across the country. At first reflection, the election results are a clear indication that the people of Bangladesh are extremely happy with their Prime Minister. However, under closer inspection, the feeling in Bangladesh paints a worrying picture of a country which considers itself a democratic country but is flirting with dictatorship. Many within the country including the main opposition party (BNP) do not agree with the result of the election. So, what is going on in Bangladesh?
Over the past couple of years there have been several reports of voting irregularities, abductions, intimidation, political arrest, extrajudicial killings, torture, press restriction and many others crimes which have been reported by various human rights groups and NGO.
Since 1971, Bangladesh (Former East Pakistan) gained its independence from Pakistan (West Pakistan), after a bloody war which resulted in 3 million Bangladeshi’s being raped or murdered. Bangladesh sailed its own sails lead by their fearless leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Father of the Nation). Within four years of leading his country, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the rest of his family members were murdered by the military. Sheikh Mujib was survived by his two daughters who were in Germany at the time of the assassination which forced them in to exile until their return in the early nineties. The army had taken control and it was not too long before Zia-Ur-Rehman, an army officer turned politician, would become prime minister of Bangladesh. Four years later Zia, would suffer the same fate as Mujibur Rahman, a secondary military coup would lead to his death.
Both family dynasties have been feuding since the country’s inception. Both Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia (Zia-ur-Rehman wife) have been Prime Ministers of Bangladesh. Both parties have used their position in power to diminish the power of the other, through killings and murders. However, the endemic violence of two waring families has spread across the country with people bitterly divided between both parties. Over the years, thousands of Bangladeshis have been either killed or murdered in the name of two families.
Odhikar, a Dhaka based human rights group have reported 402 people being victim to political disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Most of the victims are those who are opposed, critical or a threat to the current regime. In 2012, prominent opposition party figure, Ilyas Ali was kidnaped outside his home along with his chauffeur, his body has not been found, and the government have refused to accept any part in his disappearance. In another case, Aminul Islam a member of a trade unionist disappeared; however, his body was found. The post mortem results showed several bruises on his body and it was concluded that he was tortured. Yet again the Awami League government have distant themselves from this incident.
United Nations and Human Rights Watch have been extremely critical of Sheikh Hasina’s government role in these enforced disappearances. However, Awami League have been quick to distance themselves from these allegations. RAB (Rapid Action Batallion) have been heavily linked to these dissapearances.
The RAB was created in 2004 as a counter-terrorism unit to tackle Islamic terrorism in Bangladesh. Over the years they have been used as an important tool by the government to carry out ‘hits’. Wiki-leaks revealed a radio-interview on a Swedish Radio, in which a RAB Officer would carry out killings on behalf of the government. If they believe a proposed ‘suspect’ was on their list but the evidence would not warrant a conviction they would either kill or make the said individuals disappear.
The pre-requisite to any democracy is the freedom to press. The press in theory plays a critical role in the functioning of any democracy, in that they keep the executive in check so that the public have a fair and consistent representation of the government’s successes and failings. However, in reality this is a far cry in many democratic countries. Bangladesh like many other countries has played a pivotal role in silencing free-media. Although, in recent years, media has been heavily silenced, with growing concerns from authors, that if they were to report openly against the government, they would suffer grave consequences.
Shahidul Alam a prominent photo journalist who has been an open critic of the Awami League government was arrested and tortured by the police authorities for 90 days. Sheikh Hasina criticized the tortured journalist by referring to him as a mad man. Amnesty International have requested that the government release Shahidul Alam without any charges.
Shahidul Alam (Journalist) being arrested from his residence where he was detained and beaten for 3 month until his bail
By her own son’s admission, he once responded to a journalist, claiming his mother considered it a badge of honor to be compared to authoritarian dictator Staling.
Bangladesh ranks 146th in the Reporters Without Borders world press freedom index, behind countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and South Sudan. It has slipped from 118th when the index began in 2002.
Sheikh Hasina’s government has approved the Digital Security Act which gives the government powers to arrest without warrant. Amnesty International have expressed their concerns on this new legislation as a ‘dangerous restrictions on freedom of expression’. The act enables judges to enforce sentences of up 10 years for any information which is considered aggressive or frightening, Surely, this part of the legislation is subjective to the authority which interprets any publishing content. Would it not open a floodgate of arresting any one and everyone who publishes anything which is anti-Hasina.
Student Protest leads to Death!!!
In July 2018, university and school student’s protests led to the streets to demand road safety after two students were killed by buses. Credible witnesses who were present saw students from the Awami-League wing attacking protestors with bats and machetes. Police had also arrested student protestors after the planned Awami League student-wing violence.
An aerial of the student protest before the violence
Whilst the international community has condemned the Bangladeshi government of their treatment of Rohingyans. Bangladesh was the only country fully committed to taking one million Rohingyan refugees. The Bangladeshi government are still being provided indefinite security for one million Rohignyan refugees whilst also taking on the responsibility of resettling them across the country
The European union, Switzerland and Norway have expressed their concern on all of the above-mentioned issues including labor laws. The United States government has also called for free and fair elections during the lead up to the 2018 general elections and criticized the crackdown of student protest.
What now for Bangladesh…
Whilst you cannot deny Sheikh Hasina’s economical success you cannot help but acknowledge the growing discontent within the country of her Iron-Fist approach which has been likened to the likes of dictators like Stalin.
Bangladesh like many other commonwealth countries are still in their infancy to democracy so you are expected to find lack of resources and a mismanagement of services. However, the corruption and human rights violations have reached critical in Bangladesh. A reflection of this is the electoral turn-out for last year’s election. Dhaka has the highest number of Facebook users of any capital city in the world yet many young Bangladeshi’s who are currently discontent with the government avoided using Facebook in fear that they would be imprisoned, tortured and killed by Hasina’s government.
The other issue which plagues sub-continent politics is family dynasties. In India we have the Gandhi family which have been running strong since the birth of mother India, in Pakistan you have the Bhutto family, and in Bangladesh we have the battling Zia and Rahman family.
Bangladesh requires a fresh face from both parties who are not associated with the family or maybe a third political party which is not associated with this family feud. The people of Pakistan have recently elected PTI (Pakistan Tahrikeh Insaaf), led by their charismatic leader Imran Khan who defeated the popular PPP and PML-N party who have stronghold of Pakistani politics for over 50 years. Shouldn’t the same work for Bangladesh?
Military intervention appears to be an on-going issue in both Pakistan and Bangladesh. Both countries written constitution enables the military to intervene when they feel the government is not acting within its mandate. Over the years, military intervention may have had short term success; however, closer observation indicates that the military causes more problems than good. For one, we have military offices taking official post (Zia-Ul-Haq, Mohammed Ershad and Parves Musharaf) without ever being elected and it secondly, it delays the democratic process which in turn leads to political and economic uncertainty. A proposal to have the military intervention limited would benefit the country and prosper the democracy.
P*Disclaimer- I have no links or support to any political party in Bangladesh. This just an on observation of Bangladeshi politics from my view.
*This blog is dedicated to my good friend Aimal Yousafzai Khan, may Allah (swt) keep you steadfast in faith and knowledge.
Malcolm X in the United Kingdom- Malcolm was invited to Smethwick, Birmingham to champion the right for ethnic’s to buy properties. This particular area in the UK had this problem.
In my observation, the issue with the modern-day Muslim is a concoction of ignorance and a lack of interest. Considering the sensitive times that we live in, one would imagine that the Muslim community should be the most pro-active thinkers in society. The rise in Islamophobia has spiked considerably since 9/11 and other terror-related incidents have further strengthened the negative stereotype of the average law-abiding citizens that wishes to co-exist in this society.
Since the rise of Islamophobia, we are seeing a spike in the number of Islamic-hate preachers rising to prominence, individual’s like Tommy Robinson and groups far-right groups like Britain’s First have manipulated the situation to forward their own agenda. People like Tommy and Britain First have an audience that have genuine concerns about Islam. Unfortunately, the media (narrative creators) have also fuelled the fire in supporting this rhetoric. With the growing popularity of the right-wing fascist, what should young Muslim’s be doing?
The thought process with the average human is, if it’s not on my doorstep, it is not my concern? The question is, why wait for danger when you have every chance of averting it? Considering we (Muslims) call ourselves the standard bearers, we are not as pro-active as we should be in knowing our own responsibility towards our society.
The other issue that we have with the Muslim community, is that we either have people who excel academically or those that solely focus on Islam. Notwithstanding the above, there are Muslims within our community that can balance both, but those brothers and sisters are few and far between.
The wider society lacks emotional intelligence. However, in our communities, there is an endemic issue with the way we deal with one another. As a community, we are very quick to judge a person/situation, rather than taking a step back to observe the situation to find a pragmatic solution. Being judgemental is innate in all humans, however, the degree in which we make these judgments, and the way we manifest our thoughts on those judgements, is essentially the measuring stick of how judgemental we are.
It was not too long ago that I spoke to a well-reputed Sheikh. I had a question for the him. After forwarding my question to the sheikh, he responded back with a question to my question. The Sheikh’s question was quite patronising as it was based on a preconceived judgement of how I look. Had it been someone who looked more Muslim, would the sheikh have answered my question straight away, or would he have asked a patronising question? I guess the latter is neither here or there? I think the greater question is, what does a Muslim look like? Maybe that’s a response for another blog. The crux of this situation Is that our youth have become disenfranchised by the learned within our community because they dress or look a certain way?
The last issue that I would like to touch upon is society’s craze for celebrities. Throughout the last decade, celebrities have used social-network as their platform to address socio-political and economic issues. The Kony and the ALS Ice Bucket challenge being two that have struck out for me in recent times.. People were in their numbers sharing their outrage of Peter Kony, and millions were spent nominating five names throwing buckets of Ice Cold water over themselves, in the aid of raising awareness of ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Like millions of others, I was unaware of what ALS was. The question is why the selective choice of awareness?
Saying that I don’t doubt any of these celebrity’s intentions but the question remains, why do we need celebs to raise awareness? Should we not be more self-aware, or do these concerns only make sense if a celebrity champions the cause?
We as a community need to be more holistic in our understanding of the world and its problems. The issue that we currently face as an ummah, is that we are not pro-active in our understanding of Islam, yet we want to be ‘bastions’ for our faith when it comes under criticism.
Malcolm X was a leading figure in the Civil Rights movement during 1950 to 1960s in America. Malcolm first shot to fame when he was part of the NOI (Nation of Islam), his presence had a rippling effect across the country with loads of black-African/American converting to NOI.
Considering his overreaching influence within the Nation, many within the hierarchy of NOI became envious of Malcolm’s popularity. It was not too long after, Malcolm would be ousted by Elijah Mohammed for violating orders, in respect of speaking about President Kennedy’s death.
The famous ‘chicken’s coming home to roost’ statement was an act of defiance in the eyes of Elijah Mohammed. The Chicken coming home to roost fiasco had very little part to play in Malcolm’s removal, however, this was only a subtext to Malcolm’s removal from the nation. The fear of Elijah’s extra marital affairs was known amongst the hierarchy of the NOI (including Malcolm), if this had become common knowledge amongst his followers, people would have revolted against the NOI. And here lay the issue?
Malcolm was one of 10 children of Earl and Helen Little. Both his parents were activist against white oppression. Whilst Malcolm was 6 his father was allegedly murdered by the black legion (white supremacist group), shortly after his father’s death, Malcolm’s mother was sectioned in a mental institute. Malcolm’s siblings were separated and they were all adopted in to different homes. Malcolm whilst adopted, excelled in school, however, he had dropped out of school at an early age; a race related incident played its part. It was not too long before Malcolm left Lansing Michigan to pursue a life in New York. Malcolm adapted to New York street life and engaged in all sorts of criminal activity, ranging from prostitution to armed robbery etc. Malcolm criminal life ended abruptly when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for armed robbery and other such demeanours.
Whilst still un-repentant in prison. Malcolm came across a fellow black prisoner who was different from any black man that he had come across. This man never touched alcohol, never smoked and did not engage in worldly matters like the rest. Rather he was eloquent in speech, well informed and extremely disciplined. This man was a member of the NOI and had made a huge impression on Malcolm; it was not too long after that Malcolm embraced the NOI.
A new revamped Malcolm, with a new purpose for life; Malcolm was thirsty for knowledge. The remaining seven years of Malcolm’s time in prison was invested in reading and learning. Malcolm’s eyesight became affected by the vast volume of books he was reading, resulting in Malcolm being prescribed glasses. In addition to reading, Malcolm consciously worked on his writing skills; Malcolm’s writing style was compared to that of a professor.
After Malcolm’s release from prison. An incident had taken place in Brooklyn, in which a fellow NOI brother was assaulted by a police officer and later taken to police custody. Malcolm managed to use people power and his own influence to have his fellow brother released from prison and to be treated at a local hospital for his wounds. Never had the NYPD seen a black man have a co-ordinated influence over a group of black people in this state. Malcolm became a person of interest in New York. It would not take Malcolm too long to leave his mark on the world!
Elijah used Malcolm’s influence to forward his own agenda. Malcolm was up and down the country in lecture halls, radio station and TV studios conveying his views and debating his opinion. Through Malcolm’s efforts, the nation rapidly expanded across the U.S. People within the nation grew envious of Malcolm’s position and it was not to long after that he would be ousted by Elijah Muhammed.
Malcolm was now out in the wilderness with his wife and four children. It had taken years for Malcolm to find something and now he was removed by this ‘divine’ man that he once loved and trusted the most. Any other person, under those circumstances, would have deviated, not Malcolm though. Malcolm went to Hajj (Saudia Arabia) to seek the real Islam. What he found was in stark contrast to the black supremacist Islam that Elijah had falsely preached.
Malcolm’s pilgrimage through the holy lands taught him that Islam has no colour-bias, prejudice or discrimination. These were only Western issues. Malcolm’s conviction of his faith was revived and he was now a believer of the Sunnah. What also helped Malcolm was his travel through Africa. Africa taught Malcolm how rich Africa was in sense of culture, history and religion. Africa was always civilised, the imperialist masters decivilized, a civilised continent. This brought absolute resolve for an absolute man.
Not too long after returning. Malcolm X movement was about black betterment through black efforts. Malcolm was now willing to work with other civil-right’s leaders like Martin Luther King to solve black issues. Prior to this, Malcolm did not engage with other prominent black civil rights leaders, as Elijah had restricted him. Malcolm also accepted that not all whites were part of the problem.
Elijah was not very happy of Malcolm’s new-found belief in Islam, it wouldn’t be too long before Elijah would try to silence Malcolm forever, in the fear that people would follow Malcolm towards the Sunnah. On 21 February 1965, after 16 attempts of his life in one year, Malcolm was assassinated by members of the NOI.
Malcolm’s Legacy, similarities to Umar (r.a)?
*By no stretch of the imagination would I compare Malcolm X’s life to Umar (R.A), however, it would be crazy not to observe the similarities.
For one, both Malcolm and Umar were involved in jahiliya (ignorance) lifestyle prior to embracing their respective faiths. When Malcolm and Umar (r.a) did finally embrace the faith, they were the best of followers. Their convictions in faith were unshakable and not comprisable, these men rose amongst their peers. Both Malcolm and Umar (r.a) in their respective faiths became influential figures over such a short period of time. Malcolm’s influence lead to millions following him across the USA, and Umar (r.a) influence oversaw 25 countries during his caliphate.
Ultimately Malcolm’s popularity in spreading the truth came at a price. A price which ultimately cost him his life. In one calendar year, 16 attempts were made at Malcolm’s life, one which would eventually bring an end to his life. Both Malcolm and Umar would be martyred.
Malcolm’s death, nearing similarities to Uthman (r.a) death.
Uthman (r.a) was martyred in his own house. The murder of Uthman was writing on the wall. Muhammed (PBUH) prophecised that Uthman (r.a) would be martyred whilst he was a leader. Years from that prophecy, Uthman (r.a) would be martyred by his own people. Uthman could have survived the plot as the whole of Medina would have protected him, however, he refused to divide an Ummah and refused to be the reason of initiating the first fitnah in Islam. The brutal murderers eventually had taken Uthman’s (r.a) whilst he was in his house.
If we were to examine Malcolm’s death you could draw similarities to Uthman’s (r.a) death. Once again, the time, reason and situation for the two deaths are worlds apart. What we can extrapolate from these two great individuals, is that they did not fear their death and their belief (Imaan) was unshakable even from death itself. Malcolm was in the middle of a lecture when three men from the NOI had sprayed several bullets through Malcolm. The impact of the shots resulted in Malcolm being pronounced dead at the scene of the incident. What is fascinating about this situation is that Malcolm could have prevented his own death. However, Malcolm refused to have anyone searched which ultimately resulted in his death.
Those closest to Malcolm realised that he felt that the end was near. A week prior to his death, Malcolm declared himself a dead man on a radio station. Similarly, Uthman (r.a) himself had a dream in which Muhammad (PBUH) had invited him to break bread with him, Umar and Abu-Bakr (r.a). It is evident that both martyrs were relentless in their belief and were not in fear of being murdered.
How many players do you know?
Going back to the beginning, a lot of the role-models in today’s society are people within the entertainment industry. Other than filling their own pockets and providing entertainment, what have they provided for the betterment of society? The question I always ask the brothers who have an interest in football, how many players do you know from your football team and where do they come from? Then pose the next question, how many sahabas do you know and what were their qualities?
This is not a superiority contest of Islamic knowledge, rather it is a way to reflect; as to where we are, and where we need to be.
What is my proposal?
My issue has always been the celebrity craze that we all follow. It would also be a lie to say that am also subject to this as well.
For the mentioned reasons. I would propose that Muslims should make an active engagement in reading. Reading is quintessential to the existence of a Muslim. There is wisdom behind reading; not only does it enhance your understanding but it also reduces our ignorance.
Allhumdulilah, our primary source is the Quran. However, Allah (SWT) also instructs us to learn from our brothers in humanity (people of all faiths and non-faiths). When we learn from our brother’s; it is important to take the good and reject which is bad from them.
The first verses revealed to Muhammed (PBUH) was Iqra (read). Now the word Iqra is mentioned twice in this verse. Allah (SWT) orders Muhammad (PBUH) to seek knowledge from the Quran and man himself. This verse goes back to what I was mentioning earlier in this blog. We as Muslims either go one way or the other. It’s either we lose ourselves in the dunya (world) or we overburden ourselves with the deen.
There is nothing worse than a person who is ignorant. For when an ignorant person is provided with the Haq (truth) he will still appeal to cognitive dissonance or illogical fallacy. A seeker of knowledge will never turn away from the truth.
Brother Malcolm X in the last ten years of his life achieved so much because he wanted to make that change. His life is a lesson that we can all strive for greatness should we make the effort. Granted we may not scale the same heights, but we can make a conscious effort of making that change. If, every one of us, was to make the effort to change, as a community we could achieve great things, whilst also bridging the gap within our communities.
I often hear a lot of Muslims saying, ‘it is too late for me am old now’ or ‘I have sinned too much’. Brothers and Sisters look at the lives of Malcolm X and Umar (r.a), they both found their path’s in their 30’s, surely this is a sign, that too late is never.
To all our younger brothers who are still impressionable. Do not feel like you have failed. Continue to enjoy your life to the fullest but be steadfast in your belief and never stop reading and searching for the truth.
Let’s not resort to violence and forward the media narrative. Let our actions and mouths speak the kindest and wisest of words so that we can change the hearts of those who have ill-feeling towards our faith. The golden years were only successful because the Muslim’s were the best amongst the knowledgeable in all aspects of life. They never limited themselves to one understanding, they could accommodate their understanding across various sects of society to spread the message. Malcolm X is the perfect example of a 20th century Muslim, who had his fair share of 20th-century struggles and could change it around in all fronts.
As mentioned in my previous blog that the standards in Speakers Corner to be ‘charitable’ have declined over the last three or four years. Dialogues and discussions have taken a back seat to mocking and insults. With the greatest of respect to those that attend the park, they do not command the English to an apt level or have a greater understanding of the subject matter which they look to defend. This goes for both Muslims and Christians. There are exceptions to the above; brother Hashim, brother Mansur, brother Adnan Rashid, brother Mohammed Hijab, Samsun, Colin and the Christian Sister (with the brown hair) have demonstrated the ability to have polemical discussion without trading insults.
Moving on, we (the Muslim’s) unequivocally condemn the attack of any women, be it in the park or outside. I don’t think I stand alone in this position, nevertheless, it is very important that we condemn that attack on Hatun (Hatun Tash). I note the regular esteemed speakers in the park like Mansur, Sheikh Mohammed and Hashim have already condemned this action.
Before we continue, the behaviour of Hatun, is not in any way, shape or form, a reflection of many millions of Christian’s across the world. Rather, my interaction, with Christian have always been positive. Whilst we disagree vehemently on matters pertaining to the Trinity and Oneness of god; we draw many similarities then differences in humanity. Many Christians are genuine, sincere, god fearing, compassionate and loving people. Nothing which resembles the Christian missionaries in the park unfortunately.
It is very important to understand that the attack on Hatun last week was allegedly committed by a Christian. This should be no surprise, whilst Muslims have been victim of her vile rants and offensive behaviour, it is the ultimate Christian community which have taken the most offence. Like Muslim’s have been held ransom by ISIS, the Christians have been held ransom by DCCI. Many Christian radio stations in the UK refuse to have members of DCCI on their stations. It was only a couple of weeks ago an Eritrean Christian sister called out Hatun and other missionaries for their attacks on Muslims in the parks. If you look at the comments sections on YouTube, many Christian’s have also distanced themselves from Hatun and DCCI.
Hatun Tash- Preaching Christianity or attacking Islam?
Hatun (Christian Missionary) has been a regular at the park for the last five years. She is part of DCCI, a group led by their leader Jay Smith (a known Islamaphobe), whose life mission has been to attack Islam. Jay Smith has been dismantled by several Muslim polemics including Shabir Ali. Like Jay Smith there is nothing genuine about Hatun’s opposition to Islam, rather her position is to mock Islam through a lack of understanding of Islam text through isolated verses of Quran, Hadith and Tafsir. Even when corrected, she will shout from the top of her voice, repeatedly, until you are forced to leave the ‘discussion’. This may be considered a victory, but those with intellectual insight, will free themselves from this conversation.
As we all know, Speakers Corner is the epitome of Free of Speech. Hatun has the right to say whatever she likes, irrespective of who she offends, this is an absolute right which is persevered in the park. I have my own view to the contrary but nevertheless let’s not digress. Her actions with respect to the pictures (depicting Allah and his messenger) and the holes in the Quran, are no long covered under free speech, rather her actions manifest under the freedom of expression? We see a double standard here, a couple of years ago, the police banned the Muslim’s from praying in the park, an interpretation of the law was applied and enforced. Yet, when Hatun mocks the Quran for the past couple of weeks, the law enforcement have not applied their interpretation of the law to prevent Hatun from acting on her Freedom of Expression to provoke Muslims.
Can Hatun be relied upon?
Spare the rhetorical nature of the question- the answer is no. I will not bore you with too much information here. The veracity of her attacks on Islam (as vile as they are), hold no weight. She neither can read or speak Arabic; I do not believe she can read the Arabic alphabet (no insult intended). The reality is, the Quranic language is different to what is translated in to English. For this reason, Non-Arab Muslims are strongly recommended to learn the Arabic language. There are other arguments, for example the context and the corpus-linguistics of the Arabic language of that time, which make it impossible for a layman to critique the Quran and it’s supported text unless they have a command of the Arabic language.
Other than being grammatically poor- The reality is, Hatun’s arguments have been dismantled over the years by Muslim da’ees in the park. She has been reduced to insults and provocative behaviour to trigger a reaction. As elementary as this maybe, when your left with no academical argument, the next best thing to do is provoke, to re-enforce a negative stereotype.
Hatun is a vile human being who has nothing but hate for Allah (swt) and his Messenger (pbuh). There is nothing academical in her rants, the fact that she is a Christian and refuses to preach her own faith whilst obsessing about Muslims, just about tells you everything in respect to her own-belief system.
If you are not thick skinned or intellectually apt to refute Hatun’s spiel, desist from all conversation or interaction from Christian Missionaries in the park. Our elders in the park (Mansur, Hashim and Adnan) have done the same, we should also follow them in this. Naturally, when they are not receiving a response, they will be forced to stop!!! Please do not harm or attack DCCI as this what they want you to do!!!
This week it is rumoured that Tommy Robinson (a known Islamaphobe) will be looking to attend the park this Sunday to support Hatun. This should not the Muslims as we are aware Jay Smith is bosom buddy’s with Tommy Robinson, Whilst this is considered a victory for Hatun, unfortunately, being linked to a known Islamaphobe only re-enforces the stereotype that Hatun and DCCI are linked with extremist!!
Finally- for the younger generation of Muslims who have a zeal for their religion and want to protect their faith, please do not come with this mob mentality, follow Hatun or attack her. This is not a place to become YouTube famous. Rather spend your time either learning the religion, being more versed in the English language or learning from elders (Hashim, Mansur and Adnan Rashid) in the park by listening quietly in their discussions.
This is the second part of a four-part series covering the life of Umar-Ibn-Khattab (r.a) – Umar (r.a) life is one which is relatable for people from different warps of life, be it Muslim or Non-Muslim. This blog will go in to further detail of how influential his life was as a person, believer and a leader. The truth is, the life of Umar (r.a) is so interesting, it can prove a difficult task, in choosing, what should be put in to this blog and what should not. I will try to do justice to Umar (r.a) Inshallah.
Please note- These blogs are bite-size pieces of information regarding the lives of the Sahabas. I strongly recommend reading a Sira (biography) of his life, or maybe listening/attending a lecture to get more information about their lives.
Umar-Ibn-Khattab early life and pre-ignorance-
Umar Ibn Khattab (Umar son of Khattab) born in Mecca to the Banu Hadi Clan. His father’s name was Khattab ibn Nufayl and his mother, Hantama Bint Hashim. Not much is discussed about his childhood, however, it is known that his father was very harsh with him during his early years. A young Umar would tend to his father’s camel and he was often beaten or forced to work long hours which would lead him to exhaustion.
Growing up in Mecca not many people were literate. However, Umar (r.a) was amongst a few that were literate. He was also an admirer of poetry but there is no mention of whether he was actual a poet himself. Umar (r.a) was also a fond wrestler and was noted to enter many wrestling competitions. Unfortunately, like the others of Quraysh, Umar (r.a) was involved in drinking and other such deviant activities of pre-ignorance.
*Please note that the fitnah which often lingers with Umar (r.a), is that he killed and buried babies alive. This story has not been verified, rather to the contrary, this tradition of killing babies was a frowned practice amongst those of the Banu Hadi clan.
As a young adult he was a merchant. Like many other merchants he applied his trade across different empires. His career as a merchant was not as successful, nevertheless, he was heavily respected amongst his clan and was one of the main leaders of Quraysh.
Umar (r.a) Physical appearance-
Umar (r.a) was very tall, big boned and known for being tall. So much so, he would stand out when he was in populated areas. He was bald, bearded facial hair with an extremely long and thick moustache.
Umar opposition to Islam
After Muhammad (pbuh) had proclaimed himself as the messenger of Allah (swt) and called for his people to worship Allah (swt) alone. People of Quraysh felt insulted and were in opposition to his calling. They believed that these pagan gods were responsible for bringing prosperity and wealth; plus, the idea of moving away from their forefather’s traditions was un-thinkable. Initially the call to Islam was met by mockery, however, with the growing number of people answering the prophets call, the Quraysh’s position changed. Initially the Quraysh tried to reason with him; when reasoning failed, they tried to bribe him, when the bribes did not work, they resorted to violence and persecution.
Like many other’s in Quraysh, Umar (r.a) was heavily opposed to the prophet (pbuh) calling. Umar (r.a) who was heavily feared due to his high status amongst the Quraysh, often was the one who initiated many attacks against the prophet (pbuh) and his followers.
Umar (r.a) embraces Islam- The victory for Islam.
After six years of persecution, Muhammad (pbuh) sent his followers to Abyssinia. The growing hatred for Muhammad (pbuh) had spilled-over and only his blood would satisfy the people of Quraysh. Umar (r.a) decided to take it upon himself to settle this matter by taking the prophet’s life. Umar (r.a) was on route to kill the prophet, when he was met by Nuaim bin Abdullah (who was a Muslim in secret), he asked Umar where he was going with such anger, Umar (r.a) disclosed his plan to him. Nuaim (r.a) then advised him that he should fix his own home first before attempting to kill the prophet (pbuh). Umar (r.a) quizzed him on this and Nuaim (r.a) informed him that his sister and brother-in-law accepted Islam. Umar (r.a) was fuelled with rage went marching to his sister’s house.
Umar (r.a) sister (Fatima bint-al Khattab) and brother-in-law (Saeed ibn Zaid) were learning the Quran from Khabbab (r.a) when Umar shouted and demanded that they open the door; Khabbab (r.a) quickly hid knowing what Umar (r.a) was like. He interrogated his sister and it was then disclosed that they both accepted Islam. A fight broke out between Umar (r.a) and his brother-in-law, which lead to Umar (r.a) beating him up, Fatima came to interjection , Umar (r.a) slapped his sister for her interference. Out of guilt he stopped fighting and asked to see what they were vehemently defending. Umar (r.a) was asked to clean himself first before he could read the Quran. After washing himself he read verses of Surah Ta-Ha, at that point he wept and declared himself a Muslim. Khabbab (r.a) came out of hiding and embraced Umar (r.a) acceptance with joy and disclosed the prophecy of Umar (r.a) of accepting Islam.
It was noted that the prophet (pbuh), a week earlier made supplication to Allah, ‘Oh Allah strengthen Islam by the conversion of either Umar (r.a) or Abu Jahal, the prophet (pbuh) du’ah was accepted by Allah (swt).
Knowing of the impending arrival of Umar (r.a), Hamza (r.a) and a couple of Sahabas were waiting with their swords ready to kill Umar (r.a) in the event he attacked the prophet (pbuh). The prophet (pbuh) patiently waited for Umar (r.a) at Arkam ibn Arkam (r.a) house. Umar (r.a) then embraced Islam in front of the prophet (pbuh), this was considered the first victory of Islam.
Umar (r.a) open declared his faith to the chieftains of Quraysh. They were all shocked as learning of Umar (r.a) embracing Islam. Umar (r.a) set a challenge to any member of Quraysh that had an issues with Islam. Muslim’s were now coming out public professing their belief in Islam and they were now openly praying in front of the Kab’ah.
After the constant persecution at the hands of Quraysh, the prophet made plans to migrate to Medina with his followers. When the Quraysh had learnt of the prophet (pbuh) plans to migrate they were looking to attack the Muslims. Umar (r.a) had openly challenged members of the Quraysh should they obstruct the Muslim’s from leaving Mecca. None of the Quraysh accepted Umar’s challenge.
Umar (r.a) had migrated to Medina with 20 other sahabas and stayed in Quba until the prophet’s arrival. It was noted that he used his skills as a merchant to deal with the Jewish settlers who lived in in Medina. During his time in Medina, he was popular amongst the Jews and they were always keen to communicate with Umar (r.a) in comparison to the other companions.
Battles that Umar (r.a) was involved in:
Makkah as mentioned in previous blog was a trade haven in the Najd. The Quraysh were one of most powerful tribes and it was not too long before other tribes and cities within the Najd region learned about Muhammad (pbuh) rebellion. Rumour and gossips had made the rounds and the Quraysh were mocked for not being able to control this situation. The Quraysh chieftains were seething in rage and they had to restore their pride as the most powerful tribe within the Najd region. The attack on Islam was a must!!!
The Quraysh had made their intention to attack the Muslims in Medina which led to the battle of Badr. The might of Quraysh brought their chieftains and their most championed soldiers. During the early battle, the Quraysh lost three key men Utbah ibn Rabi’ah, Walid Ibn Utbah and Shaybah ibn Rabi’ah, and the rest of the army were systemically defeated by the prophet (pbuh) and his companions. Umar (r.a) played a crucial role in leading the early Muslims in to victory.
Death of Muhammed (pbuh)
After the conquest of Mecca and completing the final Hajj with prophet (pbuh), the prophet (pbuh) passed away. Umar (r.a) was overcome with grief and was not in the right state of mind, he began to threaten anyone, who mentioned the prophet’s (pbuh) death. Luckily Abu Bakr (r.a), spoke with a firm voice confirming, that in fact the prophet (pbuh) passed away, and that those who believe in Allah (swt) will know that he is the all-living. Although Umar (r.a) was grief struck, this brought him closure and calmed the fear of Muslims who were in his presence.
As mentioned briefly above panic and chaos erupted in Medina after the prophet (pbuh) death. Abu Bakr (r.a) and Umar (r.a) heard that the Ansar were looking to appoint a new caliph amongst them. The Muhaji’roun and the Ansar disputed which group should appoint the new caliph. After hours of dispute Umar (r.a) put forward many strong point’s why Abu Bakr (r.a) should be the Caliph, after delivering his points, Umar (r.a) raised Abu Bakr (r.a) hand and pledged allegiance. The Muhaji’roun and the Ansar quickly rushed to pledge allegiance.
Death of Abu-Bakr (r.a), Umar (r.a) appointed next caliph:
Umar (r.a) was a close advisor to Abu Bakr (r.a) during his two and half years as caliph. He spent most of his time assisting Abu Bakr (r.a). Amongst other things, it was through the assistance of Umar (r.a) that Abu Bakr (r.a) prevented those that memorised the Quran to participate in wars, there were now given the task to assist Zaid Ibn Thabit (r.a) to compile the Quran.
Unfortunately, Abu Bakr (r.a) passed away due to falling ill with fever. On his death bed he appointed Umar (r.a) as the next caliph.
Due to his very strong personality people felt Umar (r.a) would be a harsh ruler. So, Umar (r.a) who was self-conscious about this, did his best to ensure that he reduced his harshness, to make himself approachable to the ummah. As and when required, Umar (r.a) was firm with his followers, but his approach was normally measured by the scale of the issue that he was faced with.
Umar (r.a) as Caliph
Umar (r.a) reign as caliph was to be the longest of the Caliphitul Rashidun. His reign lasted 12 years and those 12 years brought in a great deal of success to Islam. It is narrated that the prophet once had a dream, in which he saw Abu Bakr (r.a) drawing buckets of water out of a well, it was described to have been very laboured; when Umar (r.a) had taken over, he drew water out of the well with great ease and strength, Umar (r.a) continued to do this for a long time. This dream would draw an image of how both Abu Bakr (r.a) and Umar (r.a) leadership would pan out in terms of years spent as caliph.
After Abu-Bakr (r.a) success in unifying the Najd under one religion, the job of expanding the empire became easier. After 12 years of successful military campaigns, Islam had spread from West (Tunisia) to the East (Khorasan aka Afghanistan, covering 25 countries. Islam was now a world power and had finally stamped it’s mark on the world under the leadership of Umar (r.a).
It was reported that an ambassador of the Roman Empire came to Medina bearing gifts. When the emperor had brought gifts for Umar (r.a), a letter was provided with these gifts, referring to him as the King. Umar (r.a) was very quick to address the matter that he was not a king rather he was a servant of the Muslims, who served as their leader. In any case, the gifts were accepted; however, the gifts which were full of gold and other such treasures, were directed to the Bayt-al-mal, for distribution for the ummah. Our Muslim rulers and ‘Kings’ should look at the leadership of Umar (r.a) to remind them how Muslim rulers would
Umar (r.a) – The Genius
Umar (r.a) without a doubt was a visionary and a pioneer. During his leadership, Umar (r.a) created many important institutions (Governments, Governors, Police, Courts, Tax Collector, and Administrations) which have been used as a model in all modern governments. The concept of Common Law in the UK was inspired by the works of Umar (r.a). A system which embellished justice for all its citizens
Umar (r.a) as leader created courts so that both applicants and defendants had a place to have their matters settled in front of a judge. Anyone that had undertaken a civic role were paid by Umar (r.a). Umar (r.a) would pay high salaries to ensure that people who were in those post would not be corruptible. Whilst he himself had reduced his own wages, even though his wage was chosen amongst the people.
Umar was also responsible for creating major roads leading to cities so that people looking for the city would feel assured that they were heading towards the right direction due to the area being built up. This was masterful and something new in Najd at the time.
The people of Qufa (City in Iraq) once requested that Umar (r.a) consent that he allow the citizens to increase the size of their houses. Upon surveying the situation, Umar (r.a) rejected their request, his reasoning was that, should the people increase the size of their houses, the more worldly they would become and ultimately their deen would be compromised.
Rulers today tend to be worse in character than the people they rule and this can be demonstrated by our present rulers. Umar (r.a) was the epitome of how a ruler should conduct himself. Umar was known for his harshness and would hold himself to the highest standard so that he could be held accountable to his people.
Umar (r.a) would spend the nights patrolling the street, visitor’s coming to Medina would be shocked when they found the ruler patrolling the street.
During the year of famine, Umar (r.a) came across a widow and her children who lived on the outskirt of Medina, she was visibly upset by her condition and even more concerned her children’s hunger, she complained about Umar (r.a) without knowing who Umar (r.a) was. He who was consumed by his guilt and the desire to honour his role as leader, personally walked all the way back to the city and personally carried loads of oat, barley and other provisions to the widow’s house. He personally cooked for the family and fed her children. The women later learned that the man was Umar (r.a)
Umar (r.a) visit to Jerusalem and improving Judo-Islamic relations!!
After successfully military expansion in to Jerusalem, Umar (r.a) worked on the Judo-Islamic relationship. Umar (r.a) visited the city and ordered the Temple Mount to be cleaned. This was a huge honour for the Jews as their holy-site was going to be renovated after 600 years. The Byzantines had previously left the Temple Mount in rubbish. Umar (r.a) and Umar (r.a) retained their dignity. He also ordered Jew families to move back to Jerusalem to co-habit with their Christian and Muslim brothers. Umar (r.a) commissioned the building of the mosque in Al-Aqsa and also sanctioned the extension of the prophet’s mosque in Medina and the Haram in Makkah.
Whilst leading Fajr Salah in Medina, Umar (r.a) was stabbed by his assassin. Umar (r.a) was stabbed several times, the most inflicting wound was to his stomach, Umar (r.a) died from his wounds three days later. Abu Lut-Lut (the assassin) who tried to escape, killed nine others and Injuring three whilst taking his own life. Little is known of his motives due to Lut-Lut taking his life. Uthman Ibn Affan (r.a) was elected the next caliph.
What we learn from Umar (r.a) life.
The life of Umar (r.a) is relatable for any age and generation. Umar (r.a) life teaches us that is never too late to change and it’s never too late to learn and be the best that you can be. From being the biggest enemy of Islam to becoming the immortalised. Umar (r.a) life demonstrates the power of du’ah, how du’ah changed the course of history, Umar (r.a) role in Islam has paved the way for Islam for the last 1400 years and continues to inspire both muslim’s and non-muslins. One last story which ultimately defines Umar (r.a) life is, is his fear of Allah (swt). The prophet (pbuh) once narrated that, one of the sahabas would be destined for hell-fire, the name of the Sahaba was not mentioned; however, the prophet (pbuh) had disclosed the name of the sahaba to Abu Hudaifa (r.a), but he was sworn to secrecy. Knowing that he (Umar r.a) was one of the promised 10 granted paradise, Umar (r.a) would still pester Abu Hudaifa (r.a), if it was him that was destined for hell fire. This story demonstrates to us that we should always try our best to strive for piety and always seek Allah (swt) pleasure. Never live your life as though you are owed something, surely those who seek Allah (swt) favour always strive humility rather than arrogance.
This will be a four-part series covering the lives of the four the most influential Muslim’s after Muhammad (PBUH), these four men were the closest of the Sahaba’s (companion’s) to our beloved prophet. The prophet (pbuh) spoke highly of these great men and went on to confirm that they would be amongst ten to be granted Jannah. Abu Bakr (r.a), Umar ibn Khattab (r.a), Ali Ibn Talib (r.a) and Uthman (r.a) went on to play crucial as Caliph’s after the prophet’s death; the four caliphs are referred to as the four rightly guided Caliphs. I will explore their lives in these blogs Inshallah.
*The blogs are a brief reflection of the sahaba’s life. I do strongly recommend picking up biographies in Islamic shops or attending Sira studies in mosque’s and Islamic colleges.
Born in Mecca, Abdulla Ibn Quhafah, better known as Abu-Bakr Siddique, was the son of Uthman Abu Quhafa and Salma Umm Al-Khair. Abu Bakr (r.a) was born into the Banu Taym tribe of Quraish. Due to the harsh conditions in Makkah, the babies of Quraysh were sent to live with Bedouins in the desert, Abu Bakr (r.a) also spent his infancy in the desert. Due to his love for Camel in the desert, he was later given the title the ‘father of camels’ or better known as Abu Bakr. For the benefit of this blog and owing to the popularity of his nickname, we will refer to him as Abu Bakr (r.a).
Unfortunately, not much is not known of his early life. However, like with any of the rich children of Quraysh, he was literate and had a love for poems. At an early age he managed to gain the respect of his tribe due to his impeccable manners. He was very polite and well spoken and this helped him in his later life.
According to all accounts he was tall, thin but with big sized legs; he was also of fair complexion. Due to his thin frame his clothes had to be constantly adjusted as they would not sit on him. His eyes were sunken, and he also had a protruded forehead. In his older years he had white hair and dyed his hair with henna.
His interest and career:
From a young age Abu Bakr (r.a) had an interest in poetry and genealogy of the Quraysh and the politics of all his ancestors. He was also known for his very good memory. Abu Bakr (r.a) at the age of 18 became a cloth merchant which was his family business. A young Abu Bakr (r.a) flourished financially as a cloth merchant. Makkah was an important trading hub of Najd (Present Saudia Arabia) due to it’s caravan route for traders coming from Abyssinia, Yemen, Iraq and Syria. Abu Bakr (r.a) would also venture out to the aforementioned countries to sell his trade. Unlike other merchant’s he did not require to sell dishonestly or slander other merchants; rather his willingness, hard work, hospitality, good manners, well spoken etiquettes attributed to his success.
Through his travels he gained a better perspective of life which made him stand out from the rest of his tribe. His travels brought him more financial success and made him amongst the richest of Quraysh, and his impeccable manners along with strong social networks across Makkah lead to Abu Bak (r.a) being the chief of the Banu Taym tribe.
Abu Bakr (r.a) accepts Islam:
If there was anyone that was going to accept Islam first it would have been Abu Bakr (r.a). He was a well-versed individual who was well balanced in all aspects of his life. A huge sign of his logical reasoning was demonstrated at an early age, a story reminiscent to that of Sayidinna Ibrahim (pbuh). When he was a child, his father instructed him to pray to the idol gods. A young Abu Bakr requested for these idols to provide him with food, clothes and money, each time the idols were despondent. He then threw a stone at the idol gods, to which the gods were unable to protect themselves from. After that incident, Abu Bakr never prayed towards the idols. Also, on his travels to the different part of the Shaam, he would have met with Jews and Christians, and the previous stories and messages would have made sense to him, so it would have been easier for him to accept Muhammad (pbuh) message.
Despite being from a rich family and the cultural norms of the Meccan’s at the time. Abu Bakr never drank wine, committed adultery, gambled, or engaged in any of the immoral activities that many of the Quraysh were involved in. Contrary to the above, when asked about his days of pre-ignorance, he explained that he refused to involve himself in any of the above for the sake of preserving his character.
Upon arriving from a business trip from Yemen, Abu Bakr (r.a) was informed, that Muhammad (pbuh) declared himself a messenger of Allah and he then accepted Islam as his religion. This decision would not have been difficult as Muhammad was loved and respected amongst the Quraysh. Muhammad was known for his honesty and upright character. Abu Bakr was amongst the first free men to accept Islam.
Abu Bakr (r.a) early struggles and influences
Unfortunately, Muhammad (PBUH) message did not sit well amongst the Quraysh. The Quraysh were in opposition to Muhammad’s (PBUH) call to worshiping only Allah (SWT). Whilst they believed in Allah (SWT), they also believed in other idol gods, like Al-Lat and Al-Uzza, as equal gods to Allah (swt). Muhammad (PBUH) and his early followers were heavily persecuted for their beliefs.
Abu Bakr was once beaten by members of Quraysh, quite brutally in once instance, where he was knocked unconscious; however, this never stopped him from believing in Allah (SWT) and his messenger. Abu Bakr (r.a) played a huge role in bringing Uthman Ibn Affan (r.a), Abdur Rahman Ibn Awf (r.a), Saad Ibn Waqqas (r.a), Al Zubayr (r.a) etc… to the fold of Islam. The named Sahabas as we learn from history all played significant part in Islamic history. Abu Bakr also invested a lot of his own money in emancipating slaves. The most prominent of all the slaves that he freed was Bilal Ibn Rabah (r.a) who was severely tortured by his slave masters for accepting Islam.
After several years of persecution and the added frustration of the growing number of conversions to Islam, the Quraysh had finalized a plan to kill the prophet of Islam. Knowing of their plans through the majesty Allah (swt), Muhammad (pbuh), informed Abu Bakr of their plans and they made plans to migrate to Medina. After successfully orchestrating the safe migration of Muslim’s to Medina, Abu Bakr (r.a) accompanied the prophet to Medina.
That night Muhammad (pbuh) also requested that Ali (r.a) sleep in his bed as the Quraysh were looking to ambush him in his house. The Quraysh were in shock to learn that Ali (r.a) was in his bed which ultimately foiled their plans. This gave Muhammad (pbuh) and Abu Bakr (ra) precious time to venture towards Medina. The Quraysh were livid and were hot on their heels in search og the messenger or Allah and his most trusted companion. At one stage the Quraysh were in touching distance of Muhammad (pbuh) and Abu Bakr (r.a); Abu Bakr was filled with fear for the prophet’s life. The prophet responded “Be not sad (or afraid), surely, Allah is with us. Abu Bakr (r.a) and the prophet were protected from the Quraysh. After this incident they both safely made their way to Medina.
Battles that Abu Bakr (r.a) participated in;
Abu Bakr (r.a) participated in several battles alongside the prophet; Battle of Badr, Battle of Uhud, Battle of the Trenches, Battle of Hunnayn and the Battle of Khaybar. In those battle’s, Abu Bakr played a crucial role, never did he waiver in his belief and neither was his bravery compromised. On several occasions he defended the prophet (pbuh) and commandeered different branches of the army in these military campaigns.
To provide an insight of Abu Bakr’s (r.a) bravery and firm conviction in Allah (swt) and his messenger, you would have to examine what limits he would have gone to defend his religion. Abdur Rahman Ibn Abu-Bakr, son of Abu Bakr (r.a), fought against his father during the battle of Badr. Abdur-Raman disclosed to his father that he was in striking distance of his father, but he did not have the heart to kill him. Abu Bakr’s (r.a) responded, that if the opportunity had arisen, he would not have hesitated to kill his son, and that, demonstrates Abu Bakr’s (r.a) conviction in Islam.
The Prophet’s death and being elected the first caliph!!!!
After the successful conquest of Mecca, the prophet (pbuh) completed his farewell pilgrimage and gave his final sermon, for he knew that this would be his final year on this earth. A couple of months later he fell ill and became very weak, so weak that he was unable lead salah in the mosque. On his first day of severe illness, the sahabas waited patiently for the prophet to lead salah, and at the point, the prophet instructed Abu Bakr should lead Salah in his absence, which he did. The Fajr salah before the prophet died, got out of his bed and looked out of the window and greeted his brother with a smile, Abu Bakr decided to move himself from the position of Imam, but the prophet insisted that Abu Bakr maintain his position, he retired back to his bed. Not too long into the day he passed away in Aisha’s house, his wife.
After the prophet’s death, Medina became chaotic and people almost fell into disbelief. People were distraught knowing that the prophet died, so much so, Umar (r.a) threatened to behead any muslim who declared the prophet’s death, at that point Abu Bakr (r.a) addressed the people with a firm voice reminding them that the prophet had indeed died just like other prophet’s, but indeed he who worship’s Allah knows that he is ever living and never dies. Abu Bakr (r.a) managed to control a situation which could have possibly led to chaos and disbelief.
It is important to note that Abu Bakr (r.a) was known to be an emotional person who often cried. However, during a difficult time, he managed to control his emotions and made critical decision which prevented fitnah.
News broke out that members of the Ansar were going to appoint a caliph (Islamic leader) amongst themselves and their aim was to exclude the Muhajiroun’s from their appointment. Umar (r.a) and Abu Bakr (r.a) quickly went to stop the appointment of a caliph. A dispute had broken between the Ansar and the Muhajiroun, the Muhajiroun claimed that the leader would have to be someone from amongst the Quraysh. The Ansar had proposed joint leadership of caliph leadership from both the Ansar and the Quraysh, this proposal was strongly rejected by the Muhajiroun. Umar (r.a) responded that this would cause disunity amongst the muslim’s. At that point Umar (r.a) reminded those in attendance that it was Abu Bakr (r.a) who accompanied the prophet during his escape from Makkah and that it was also Abu Bakr who was appointed to lead the Hajj to Makkah in his absence. Umar (r.a) then pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr (r.a) followed by the Muhajiroun and the Ansar. It is important to note that both Uthman (r.a) and Ali (r.a) also pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr (r.a).
Contrary to distorted views, Ali (r.a) was in support of Abu Bakr’s leadership. The reason for his absence was due to the grieving the prophet’s death. When he heard of the growing tension of this particular meeting he quickly dressed and pledged his allegiance to Abu Bakr (r.a).
It was also reported that the prophet (PBUH) had disclosed that once he was asleep, he was standing over a well with a bucket; he saw Abu Bakr (r.a) drawing water from a well, after two attempts of pulling water out of the well, Umar Ibn Khattab (r.a) had continued drawing water out of the well. This was a strong indication that Abu Bakr (r.a) was strongly positioned to be a caliph first.
Ridah Wars and crucial decisions!!!
Before the prophet (pbuh) passed away, he ordered an army of 3000 men led by a youthful Usama Ibn Zaid to battle the Byzantine’s. However, this campaign was put on halt as the prophet (pbuh) had passed away. With the chaos that ensued after the prophet’s (pbuh) death many people were leaning towards apostacy and there was a need to have a leader appointed to steer the Muslims.
After learning of the apostacy across the Najd (arab peninsula), many sahabas believed that Abu Bakr (r.a) should focus on dealing with the apostacy rather than continuing with the Byzantine campaign. Under a lot of pressure, Abu Bakr (r.a) stood firm with his decision that the battle of Mutah should be fought as per the prophet’s wish.
After the successful campaign of Mutah. Abu Bakr (r.a) spent the remainder of his leadership battling apostates and other Arab tribes that posed a threat in the Najd. After successfully defeating the Byzantine’s at the battle of Mutah, some sahabas were keen to engage with other empires to spread Islam; however, Abu Bakr (r.a) did not become overzealous with the idea of engaging with other empires, rather he wanted to unite the arab’s under one faith.
Abu Bakr (r.a) successfully completed many campaigns across the Najd, the most notable campaigns were against Musailamah Al-Khazab (Musailamah the Liar), Tulayha and Al-aswad Al-Ans from Yemen, all false prophets.
The battle of Yamamah (battle against Musailamah) provided valuable lessons to Abu Bakr (r.a), unfortunately many of the sahabas that memorized the Quran were martyred in this campaign. At that particular time the Quran was yet to be completed. Umar (r.a) recommended that in order to compile the Quran, those who had memorized the Quran were not required to attend battles, as they would be required to support Zaid Ibn Thabit (r.a) in compiling the Quran.
Both examples of the above demonstrate the excellent military tactics deployed by Abu Bakr (r.a) during a difficult time in Islamic history. In a time of anarchy, disruption and chaos; Abu Bakr (r.a) was able to use sound mind to make tough decisions which were not always considered popular. By making these tough decisions, Abu Bakr (r.a) united the Arab peninsula under the banner of Islam, which then led to further successes across Persia and Syria.
Abu Bakr’s (r.a) leadership lasted two years until his death. He was plagued a fever which he never recovered from that ultimately led to his death. He passed away in Aisha (r.a) house and was buried next to the prophet (pbuh). Umar-Ibn-Khattab (r.a) was chosen as his successor.
Speakers Corners the epitome of what democracy stands for. The right to voice your opinion about any such matters that you wish without being persecuted by any member of the public or prosecuted by the police/government.
Speakers Corner once was a place where budding personalities honed their abilities to put their views across whilst also being challenged by other academics or the wider public. The park has been graced by esteemed individuals like George Orwell. Lenin, Marcus Garvey, William Morris etc…all going to etch their names in history. However, the park is now synonymous to racist, extremist, thugs and bigots. When mixed together leads to a cacophony of intolerable noise, foul language, insults, threats and then violence. Notwithstanding the above, there are some great speakers like Mansur, Hashim, Adnan Rasheed, Mohammed Hijab, Ali Dawah and Bro Hajji who are well versed daee’s who are well worth listening to.
Why the rise of hostility in Speakers Corner?
There are a couple of variables which contribute to growing hostilities which I will touch upon below.
With the rise of the Right-Wing and the ever-growing concern of Islamophobia, the park has been rightfully used by the public to voice their concerns which is fantastic; however, there are pockets of people from different religions and beliefs that use the park to destroy the fabric of what Speaker Corner stands for. Whilst you have the right to challenge people’s views, I do believe that there are ways in which you can do this without having to raise your voice, throwing insults and exchanging blows.
Like with anything in life the interaction of social media is a must. Speaker’s corner does not fall foul of this exception. A lot of the going on’s of the park are now recorded on a weekly basis. Whilst some may argue that it maybe for the great good or bad of the park, YouTube has exposed the park and as a result, viewers will liken the park to a weekly soap drama.
As tradition holds Speakers Corner is observed every Sunday’s from 12am to 11:59pm, Sunday evening. However, with the rise of technology, the ‘Regular’ Speaks Corner residents are now taking their conversations and political agendas online through ‘live streams’ which then spills over to the park. These live streams can often last between 8 to 12 hours which then begs the question what do these people do with their lives. Nevertheless, this ‘he’ said ‘she’ said adds to the extra tension in the park.
Jedi Ali better known as Jedi has been a regular at the park for the past three to four years. Jedi (to the best of my knowledge) is a black separatist that advocates for black betterment by black people, which in itself is a noble cause. Jedi is part of an organization called GANG (Guiding a New Generation) mirrors that which has been mentioned above.
Since I remember being at the park or watching speakers’ corner on YouTube, Jedi is constantly surrounded by some form of controversy. Jedi is involved in heckling, shouting, using abusive language, intimidation or physically assaulting Muslim’s. So, the question remains, how can GANG achieve its goal when you have a 45-year-old man and his other group of associates behaving like a bunch of school kids in a playground?
A couple of years ago Jedi was considered a friend of the Muslim community in the park. When there was hostility in the park, Jedi was amongst those non-Muslim’s who defended the Muslims. However, as the years have passed, Jedi has built himself a reputation of being verbally and physically abusive towards Muslim’s. Zakariya, Abu Talha, Oz and now Ahmed Ali have been subject of his abuse. Jedi’s attacks have become more frequent and vicious. Jedi may argue that the attacks were not against Islam but more against the individual, but that in itself begs the question, why are all his victims Muslims? Is there a Muslim agenda to attack Jedi? Stop Jedi from manifesting his free Speech? Do they intimidate, bully or heckle him? Not from what I have seen but maybe Jedi knows something we don’t know
The Ahmed Ali incident
A month ago, Jedi and his mob (Maku and Beefy) had viciously attacked Ahmed Ali in the park after Ahmed Ali was provoked in to throwing a punch towards Jedi and his gang. Ahmed Ali was viciously attacked thereafter buy three men twice his size. Prior to the altercation, Ahmed Ali was having a conversation with Steve about an incident involving Ahmed Ali earlier, Jedi and his GANG member had hijacked their conversation with constant heckling, Jedi’s agenda before punches were thrown was to provoke Ahmed Ali by insulting his mother, which ultimately lead to the ensuing incident. Ahmed Ali was banned for one year from the park and no further action was taken upon Jedi and his gang. The punishment could be considered as inconsistent as Jedi and GANG were responsible for provoking Ahmed Ali and their actions thereafter were far more dangerous.
What people may not be aware of, an incident had occurred between Ahmed Ali and Jedi six or seven months ago. Ahmed Ali was having a discussion about black betterment with Raven (leader of gang). Amongst many other topics covered, Ahmed Ali had questioned the violent and inappropriate behavior of certain GANG members; his position was that GANG’s main objectives of black betterment could not be achieved so long as these particular individuals are still associated with GANG. Jedi who was present at this discussion was clearly rattled by Ahmed Ali’s comment, he then heckled and verbally abused Ahmed Ali. Ahmed Ali who was aware that Jedi attacked Oz last week, reminded Jedi that he was not scared of Jedi. Since that day Jedi has been looking for a reason to antagonize him until he successfully managed to get the better of him.
Jedi’s aura of invincibility had risen to an all-time high. After attacking aesthetically smaller men with very little repercussion, Jedi came to the park resuming business as usual. However, the muslim community were enraged by his action and demanded him to address the incident. Naturally Jedi’s dismissive behaviour would not enable him to do so and he offered Mohammed Hijab a fight, to which Mohammed Hijab accepted.
As is the case with most bullies, when confronted with someone who is of equal stature and not willing to back down, Jedi chickened away from the confrontation (the videos on TNT’s Greek, COE and Mohammed Hijab’s channels), all show his initial reaction when Hijab was going to fight him. Jedi spent a huge part of his time playing the victim card claiming that he was going to get stabbed and he continued pacing up and down the park anxiously. Reality hit home that he didn’t want to fight Mohammed Hijab and he did his best to leave the park was eventually escorted out by police.
The confusion and the body language says it all!!
Jedi in his anxious state appealed to reasoning by mentioning that the muslims never attacked Raj or Tan (both who vehemently are opposed to Islam). Well the answer is quite academic. Both Tan and Raj have never physically harmed a muslim. Had Jedi not attacked muslim’s previously and handled the issue with respect, this situation would have never arisen.
Quite often you hear that the muslims are always physically aggressive in the park. Well if that was the case; how is that Tan, Raj and members of DCCI ministry have not been physically attacked? DCCI are an extremist conservative Christian group that look to antogonise Muslim’s with cherry-picked and misquoted verses of Islamic literature. Their leader, Jay Smith a self-confessed Islamaphobe, is a personal friend of Tommy Robinson.
Stripper turned gangster? Examining Jedi.
Like with most bullies there is always some a sub-text as to why they behave the way they do. In Jedi’s case it’s quite simple. Allegedly, Jedi was bullied whilst growing up in his estate in Peckham. He went on to pursuit various careers, amongst others, as a stripper and pole dancer. What it appears, like in many cases, Jed has internalized a lot of his anger from his past coupled with his chosen career as a stripper and plastered this new persona as road-man gangster which is a far cry from ‘reality’.
Attack one, attack us all!!!
Members of GANG have often brandished their motto of ‘attack one attack us all’. The acronym of GANG has formed in to a literal gang. Allegedly Raspect who was present at the time of the Ahmed Ali incident, reverted from his original position that Ahmed Ali was wrongfully attacked by later boasting GANG’s mottot. But yet when the same principle was applied by the muslims, the race card came was used by GANG members. Hypocrisy and double standard at the highest order. For the record 50 percent of the African continent is muslim just to end that conversation.
What had happened in the park was a sorry state of affairs for Speakers Corner. The park should not have come to the point where people have to resort to violence. The park should be preserved as a place where people have the right to be cordial in discussion without the fear of being attacked. Nevertheless, violence begets violence. Jedi had this coming for along time and this was clearly a matter in which chickens coming home to roost.
Brother Mansur, Hahim and Mohammed Hijab
Unfortunately, a lot of people have used the park to massage their own ego to canvass a life that they may have never have lived. Speakers Corner is not the place you look for a fight. The park is not a playground for gangsters or for those who want to have a dust up rather it is a place for people to share their views without being persecuted. Should you wish to pursuit this life, there are many other places in London which welcome this behavior, or alternatively there are MMA gyms all across London.
If GANG is to be successful in it’s objective, just to echo the words of Ahmed Ali, GANG members have to behave in a way in which the younger generation of black youth can aspire towards being. This can only be achieved by members of GANG having sound intellect conversation, behaving respectful to those in the park without resorting to foul language and violence. All of the above characteristics can be found in members like Raven.
*For the record. Am not against GANG or it’s aim’s and objectives. If anything, I think it is a noble cause and I wish that they succeed in their endeavor’s.
A bit of advice:
Speakers Corner is an extremely toxic place where all sorts of insults will be thrown towards yourself and your religion. If you are not thick skinned and are not apt in defending Islam than do your best to avoid the park. Should you be sincere in seeking knowledge, listen to those speakers who have knowledge. Like Hashim, Mansur, Adnan Rashid, Mohammed Hijab both Hamza (Bengali and English), Abbas, Bro Hajji and Ali Dawah. Imam Malik once stated that the best form of knowledge is listening. Also avoid the fitna of certain regulars in the park especially those without knowledge. If you are argue with a fool, bystanders will see two fools.
Also, I understand it can be tempting listening to someone like Mohammed Hijab. As relatable as he can be; in that he is young man, probably from the same streets as many of us and facing the same challenge of a working-class Londoner. However, it is important to remember that he obtained degrees and masters whilst also studying Islam. He never gained this knowledge over night and it will be naïve for us to replicate the same . This requires knowledge!!!
May Allah (swt) reward all our brothers and sisters that are involved in the dawah scene!!!
I want to start this blog off by remembering our children, brother and sisters who were martyred in Christchurch mosque before Jummah Salah (Friday Prayers). Those who have died in Wudhu (state of ablution) will benefit greatly in the hereafter.
The rise of Islamophobia and racial intolerance have spiked across the globe since 9/11. I don’t think it’s necessary to go in to the nuances of every incident that have occurred post 9/11. A number of issues can be identified for the rise of hate crime. Firstly, western invasion in Arab lands to tackle the war on terror and the other agenda is to disable ‘autocratic’ governments which are not compatible with Western geo-politics. A direct result of war-torn countries leads to fear of life, and a fear losing your life, results in mass migration to safer countries. The third and most important rise of hate crime has been heavily supported by the work of media propaganda and social media demagogues. The media has worked tirelessly in demonizing ethnic groups and Islam in the west which has lead to where we are today.
The endemic rise of right-wing fanaticism has spread across the globe. The support of the media and successive governments have stoked the flames of a growing fire which has spread rapidly. Right- wing political groups has gained huge popularity across Europe in recent times, the UK itself is heading towards Brexit where people have cited immigration as a common reason to leave the EU, and the successful election of Trump was the proverbial cherry on top.
A spate of attacks across Europe and America are growing concerns for the Muslim communities. It was only two years ago that a mass shooting incident occurred in a mosque in Quebec where 6 muslims were shot at by a white supremacist. In Norway, Anders Breivik (Neo-Nazi) killed 8 in an Arson attack and then went on a shooting spree killing close to 80 people in defiance of multi-culturalism and Islamification of Europe.
In the UK, we have seen several incidents of violence towards the muslim community, most notable, Darren Osborne driving his van in to a bunch of worshipers outside a mosque in Finsbury Mosque. There are many other attacks we can mention but this would require further scrutiny. Nevertheless, the Home Office latest reports on Hate Crime highlighted a 40 percent rise in religious hate-crime from 2016/2017 to 2017/2018.
This recent Christchurch massacre is the epitome of prevalent right-wing terrorism. Prevent an initiative created by the UK Government reported a 36 percent rise in right-wing fanaticism in 2017/18. So, this attack was of no surprise.
The right to Offend?
Freedom of speech is the by-product of democracy. Each and everyone of us has the right to have their freedom of speech protected. However, the question that should be asked, how far do we go before we have the right to offend? If, you are advocating the right to offend? How far does offence go when your words become a risk to the public?
After the recent events in Christchurch, it is evident that the right to offend, when it ends up in the the wrong hands, can have disastrous effects. Tommy Robinson shot to fame in 2008 after a group of Anjem Chaudary supporters (A fringe minority) started burning poppies at a returning home parade for soldiers of Luton. The likes of Tommy Robinson have used his platform to aggressively attack muslims and Islam. Tommy set up the English Defence League (EDL) in 2008, and has gained popularity amongst deprived working-class communities. Tommy in his own admission has profited heavily from Islamophobia and continues to gain popularity with his anti-islam rhetoric. Tommy understands people who have genuine concerns and directs these concerns in to hate rather than dealing with solutions.
*On the topic of the Islamophobia industry. University of Berkeley found that 208 million dollars was invested between 2008-2013 in to Islamophobia. Am sure that number has probably doubled since 2013.
Going back to Anders Breivik. Prior to his infamous terrorist attack in 2011, Anders Breivik had strong links to the EDL. He also admitted to being inspired by the EDL and also wanted to join an EDL march in Bradford prior to his own demolition job. There were also EDL Facebook forums that he actively participated in. Yet Breivik is yet to show any remorse for his actions and was evidently happy in court when he met the victims families in court.
Brenton Tharrant, the Christchurch terrorist himself was inspired by Ander’s Breivik. Brenton met with his Idol Breivik as cited in his 74-page manifesto, prior to carrying out his horrific act. All roads in this case lead to Tommy Robinson. Tommy Robinson’s words have had an impact, granted he has not acted out his word, but his words alone have had domino effect, looking at the the Norway and Christchurch attacks. So, should Tommy be held responsible?
The same can be said regarding Anjem Choudhary. Both Anjem and Tommy are two cheeks of the same ass.
The mainstream media is as responsible as the extremist. In a democracy, the freedom to press is an absolute right to any democracy, however, the media has lost its way in the framework they operate within. The concept of freedom to press was to ensure that true stories are told and the public are kept informed freely from parliamentary and government bias. Third world countries are dictated by autocratic governments, however, in this country, the mainstream media dictates are political views.
How much influence does the media have? Well in 1994, the Sun Newspaper (the most popular paper in the UK) had sensationalized that they had won the general election. Going as far as the 1970’s, any political party which has been supported by the Sun has gone on to win the general election. How easy would it be for the Sun Newspaper to push forward a negative agenda? The answer is quite simple…
Have the media flirted with the right-wing nationalism in their attack against semetic religions? Well the answer is yes. During the early 30’s, Lord Rothermere the owner of the immigrant and race bashing newspaper was an advocate of Hitler and openly supported the attacks of Jews that lived in Germany. So, it should be of little surprise when we see these papers demonising muslims or Islam.
Neil Basu, chief of counter-terrorism in the United Kingdom has openly criticized the main-stream media for its role in radicalizing right-wing terrorism. Basu was particularly critical of the Daily Mail and the Sun coverage of the Christchurch video shooting, but yet the same mainstream-media had been critical of social media sites, for their failure to monitor the uploading of Islamic terrorism videos.
Quite often, you read sound bites of right-wing fanatics being labelled ‘lonely wolf, victims of some sorts, innocent angelic kid that lead them to doing x,y and z etc.…. The mainstream media have tried to legitamise reasoning for right-wing fanaticism. However, the same reasoning is not provided to fanatics who propagate attacks in the name of ‘Islam’. Not for one minute would I expect the media to defend these terrorists. However, the hypocrisy and double standards of the mainstream media operates within its framework.
The right to be offended?
When the right to offend is so easily appropriated the right to be offended can be easily crossed. When you incite hatred and demonize communities it doesn’t take too long for people to rely on journalistic writings, to act upon bigotry and hatred.
However, how far does the right to be offended go before its actions have a tragic consequence. Does is start with conversations, the right to insult, the rick to mock, the right to protest, the right to blog, the right to incite hatred? Or the right to act like we all saw in Christchurch?
Well astonishingly for the first time we have seen the word ‘terrorist’ being used inclusively for the first time. For the first time, as far as I can remember, the word terrorist has been labelled to a non-muslim. The premiere of New Zealand, Jacinda Adern, a beacon of light for the global unity, stood with the muslim community and mourned with us. Not only did she mourn, she condemned the vile actions of Brendon Tarrant, and labelled him a terrorist.
Considering the huge steps taken by Jacinda, I think the media should also take a stronger position in condemning all forms of terrorism. However, if they fail to do so, a stronger position should be taken hold the media accountable. A regulatory body with the power to enforce huge fines and potential criminal prosecutions would be the most beneficial way in dealing with the media should they continue to stoke the flames of Islamophobia.
Hate preachers like Tommy Robinson and Anjem Chaudary who are guilty of radicalizing others, stricter guidelines should be put in place to monitor their social media platforms, disable their social media in the event they are pushing the boundaries, or impose prosecutions to those who choose to purposely incite bigotry, racism and islamophobia through violence.
Napoleon once famously stated ‘If the world was a single state, Istanbul would be the capital’. Napoleon’s praise for the city is a reflection of what millions think of this spectacular city today once they have made the visit.
Turkey is strategically based between three continents (Europe, Africa and Arabia & Asia), whilst also sharing the Mediterranean Sea, Aegean and Black sea. History teaches us that Istanbul has been a military and economical fortress for some of the mightiest empires in history. The Roman Empire, Byzantines and the Ottomans have used Istanbul as their hub and have profited hugely from this city in invading other territories. Whosoever, holds the key to the Bosphurus, owns the world. Constantinople (Istanbul) was the second capital of the mighty Roman Empire.
Each empire has left its mark on this great city. The Roman presence over the city is quite evident; the remnants of Roman cobbled roads, temples and churches can be found across city. However, the Ottoman influence in the past 500 years has left its own mark on the city.
The city of Istanbul city sits at the bed of the Bosphurus, with the river separating Istanbul across two continents, Europe and Asia. The only city in the world to be separated by two continents. A 20-minute boat trip from Eminonu Station takes you from Europe Istanbul to Asia Istanbul. A single fair will cost 7 liras which is close to 1 British pounds. The city is also known for the 7 hills which sits within the walls of the city, with each hill representing a famous mosque, university or other historical structure. Very similar to Rome.
Sultan Ahmet Mosque: Referred to as the Blue mosque. Completed in 16th Century by Sultan Ahmet, the sultan ordered the making of the mosque to reassert Ottoman dominance across the city of Istanbul. The mosque imposes itself across the hills of Istanbul and is considered the most iconic sight of Turkey. The interior design is of carefully designed Islamic art across the ceiling and walls, the walls naturally light up giving it a blue effect. The mosque itself has 5 domes and 6 minarets which covers the outer structure of the mosque. The only other mosque with more minarets is the holy mosque in Makkah. Opposite the Sultan Ahmet sits the Hagia Sophia.
This may sound cliché; my hotel was situated within a two-minute walk from the blue mosque. Our route to the blue mosque involved us passing through Arasta Bazaar. The Arasta bazaar is a parade of 40 picturesque shops consisting of Turkish sweet shops, spice stores, traditional Turkish cafes, clothes and souvenirs shops. The Bazar itself was previously a horse stable for Ottoman Horses.
Hagia Sophia: Upon leaving the Sultan Ahmet Mosque a gate separates you from the court yard which leads to the Hagia Sophia (approximately a two-minute mosque). The residential court yard is used to soak-up some of the breath-taking views of the two mosques whilst also presenting you the opportunity to take some fantastic shots of both mosques. Istanbul is a city covered with mysticism but you can genuinely feel a positive energy between both mosques. Was it a hallucination or the placebo effect in full force?
Top left of the domed ceiling of the Virgin Mary and a Circle Tablet of Allah (SWT) name, several other circled tablets can be found in the main hall Islamic art on the ceiling
With its four minarets and its huge dome that covers the circumference of the building. The Hagia Sophia demands it presence to its equal, Sultan Ahmet mosque. Much simpler in its design compared to Sultan Ahmet mosque; however, still an amazing sight.
Created in 300 BC, the Hagia Sophia was initially an Eastern-Orthodox church. However, centuries later, the Orthodox church converted to a Cathedral; several centuries later under the rule of the Ottoman’s, the Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque.
Roof not a Dome? Up until the 16th century, the Hagia Sophia was a traditional medieval European church. However, the Ottomans converted the roof in to a dome and gave its own Ottoman identity.
Neither a mosque or church… The founder father of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Attarturk, ordered the Hagia Sophia to be preserved as a museum rather than a place of worship. Christianity, Islam or Secularism take your pick?
Once you enter the grand hall of the mosque, centuries of Christ-o-Islamic history can be felt in every slab, brick, art, colour and architecture which decorates the two-tiered gallery of worship. Several domes are embossed across the ceiling with fine Islamic art; at the foot of the dome, a perfectly drawn picture of the Virgin and Child is drawn. Other such pictures of baby Christ and the Virgin Mary can be found on the second floor. The corner of each pillar is covered by huge round tablets detailing the name of Allah(SWT), Muhammad (PBUH) and his Sahabas (apostles). The colours of all the ceilings were crowned in gold, giving it a strong sense of royalty across the mosque. One could imagine that the sultan and his closes advisors would have been regular visitors during their rule.
The walk way leading to the second floor takes you back a few centuries. Dark walk ways lit with the smallest flames and huge pebbled stones on all fours greeting you to the second floor. The second-tier gallery brings you closer to the art work so that you can really appreciate the artist craftsmanship. Views of the Blue Mosque can be seen through the mini-windows that are perfectly positioned opposite Sultan Ahmet mosque.
Top Kapi Palace Museum:
Top Kapi Castle was the home of the Sultan and head-quarters of the Ottoman government. A lot of the Ottoman Empire and it overseas territories would have been discussed within the confines of these walls. The Castle is beautifully designed from the palace quarters, gardens and court yards. A lot of detail has gone in to designing this grandeur palace. A grand gate guards you from the palace. Before the guarded gates were to detract intruders, now the guarded gates are used to stop people entering who don’t have tickets.
A lot of the palace displays where the Sultan and his governors would spend most of their days. There are also building displaying the history of the Ottomans; art, fine weaponry and Islamic relics.
There is a huge Sufi influence in Turkey and there is no exception to Istanbul. There is a demand for keeping relics. A lot of people buy in to some of the relics on display but I just couldn’t get my head around crying, seeing an alleged staff that belonged to the prophet Musa (PBUH), was it really his staff. Is the staff more important or his word?
Two or Three tram stops from the Sultan Ahmet leads you to the Grand Bazaar. One of the largest and oldest opened markets in the world. The Grand Bazar has over 4000 shops covering across 61 streets. A lot of the architectural design has been preserved and it has the presence of a place which serves its place in history. Everything and anything can be brought in the Grand Bazaar. Rich in colour sulked up in every day Turkish trade, with over 500, 000 visitors a day, the overwhelming nature of the market can easily make you spend hours exploring.
With loads of roads, rows and isles (little and small) within the market, it is very easy to get lost in the Bazaar. Once you are lost it can feel like a mirage, all the shops and isles can look the same, even the most vigilant have fallen victim to loosing themselves within the confines market.
*If you get a chance, try to visit the mosque within the bazaar, am sure there are more than a couple. One mosque I came across, had stairs leaning out in to the market, supporting a small hut with a mic. I saw a man skilfully making his way up the steps, he turned out to be the Muadhim (caller for prayer), he sounded out the Adhaan (call for prayer). There was another small unassuming stair’s next to the Muadhim’s stage, the narrow steps lead to a spacious two-tiered mosque.
One of the many row’s of the Grand Bazaar
The Spice Bazar AKA the Egyptian market is adjacent to the Grand Bazaar. Not as big as the grand bazaar. However, the columns carefully shaped arches, each symmetrical to the other really spaces out the market. The coloured chandeliers along with the light, really gives the bazar a radiant feel. Each bazaar has its own character even though the same merchandise is being sold across all shops. Turkish Delight displayed across the back walls covering most colours of the colour spectrum. Whilst the front of the stores is covered by spices, pretty balls of Jasmine and dried coloured flowers. The distinct smell of the bazaar can effortlessly make you hallucinate whilst also making your wallet lighter.
The Egyptian BazaarHerbs and Spice on offer The Turkish Delight on display covering all colour spectrums
Golata Towers is practically a huge lighthouse currently aged 600-year-old. In all honesty, the brick work and roofing of the tower is spectacular. Sitting at a prominent hill top, Golata Tower imposes itself over the city, at the time it was the tallest structure in Istanbul. The purpose of the towers, was to safeguard the city of incoming threats through land and water. Most definitely worth a visit once you make it to the top. A fantastic panoramic view of the city with a restaurant inside so you can relax whilst taking in the view.
Front on view of the Golata TowersPanoramic View of the city on top of Golata Towers
Taksim square is the equivalent to Bond Street. If your missing London and are fed up of eating the local food, Taksim Square is the place. A tourist hotspot, all the retail outlets are at your peril and so are all the food chains and fancy hotels. Like most other countries outside of London most recognisable brands are considerably cheaper. I never managed to visit Taksim Square during the night, however, I was told that there are some fantastic roof top restaurants to visit. The Old tram system still runs through the city. Very similar to vintage trams which run through Lisbon. I
Now there’s a mix response in respect to Turkish food. Some people absolutely love the food and others who did not like it at all. I personally think the food lacked flavour and spices. However, the fresh fish served up well, the prices were extremely fair in accordance to the portion size. I will be sticking to my local Turkish, Istanbul next to Tooting Bec. Fantastic food with great service. Deserves a visit
Am assuming this must mean open boat fish restaurant. Well in any case, they serve a variety of fresh fish baps, which extremely tasty. I personally requested more onions and doused it with lemons. Worth a visit. Right next to Golata Bridge, not too far from Eminonu Station.
Golata Bridge has several restaurants all which serve good fish dishes. In all honesty you have to be a terrible cook to mess up a fish dish. Nevertheless, all the restaurant on Golata bridge serve the same food. Different name, same food!!
People: Like with major cities across the world. The people are hit and miss but it would be unfair to say that the people of Istanbul represent the whole of Turkey. Some people were extremely pleasant and others who were not as pleasant.
Sufism: Turkey is heavily influenced by Sufism; a lot art and design is Sufi inspired. Quite often tour guides will mention that the architecture of mosques and buildings, were artist and engineers inspired by Sufism. Most of the mosques are full of tombs of ‘saints’, Allah (SWT) knows best, avoid the grave worshipping as this is shirk.
If you are an Ailurophile (cat lovers), then Istanbul is the city crying out for you. It is impossible to not spot cats in Istanbul. There are thousands walking, climbing, running and sleeping everywhere. Allhumdulilah all the cats were well fed and are extremely human friendly. The dogs are also equally treated to the same privilege.
Other recommendations: Suleymeniye Mosque – Beautiful mosque with beautiful overseeing the Grand Bazaar and the Bosphorus River Boat tour. Rumeli Hisari Fort – First fort which was erected by the Ottomans. Ortakoy Mosque- A beautiful mosque on the banks of the Bosphurus. A cab journey is required.
Tips: Keep hold of a wireless mobile charger Walking Trainers as there is loads of walking involved Haggle especially with the cabs always bargain 10 liras less. Uber is no longer available
Who is the best Heavyweight in Boxing currently?Unless you’re an avid boxing fan, very rarely do boxers or boxing matches whispers it’s way in to small talk. The resurrection of the heavyweight division since 2015 has sparked life and much needed energy in to the division. Majority of the public have been gripped by the level of fights which have been made available since the fall of Wladmir Klitschko that night in Germany 4 years back.
Tyson Fury the huge underdog going in to the fight was given very little chance against a Wladmir Klitschko who had an iron fist over the division for 13 years. Wladmir, has won 23 out of 25 World Title fights, which puts him only second behind Joe Luis in terms of most consecutive world title defences in the heavyweight division, only behind Joe Louis.
Tyson Fury won the fight convincingly pushing his way to a shock unanimous points decision and becoming undisputed world heavyweight champion. Unfortunately, a turn of events had taken place in Tyson Fury’s personal life, resulting in Fury having to relinquish his four world titles.
AJ (Anthony Joshua) the golden boy of UK and Heavyweight boxing was on the rise. Whilst still only 15 fights a professional, an opportunity had presented itself to Joshua, to claim one of the four world titles. In his own admission a ‘novice’ in the pro-ranks, Joshua accepted the challenge to face world champion, Charles Martin for the IBF world heavyweight title. Although Joshua was a champion in the making, no one at ringside expected Charles Martin to be dispatched within the first round. It was debatable whether AJ broke a sweat but nevertheless he was the IBF champion.
AJ has held the boxing world at ransom after his dramatic win in Wembley in 2016. In what is considered one of the greatest fights of 21th Century AJ went on to beat Wladmir Klitshcko in dramatic style, after both fighters touched the canvas in the earlier rounds, the older fighter (Wladmir) went on to dominate the remainder of the fight. What seemed like a routine Wladmir victory, the fight quickly turned on its head. Wladmir was caught spectacularly with a right upper cut and it was not too long after that AJ was being lofted as the undisputed heavyweight champ in front on 90,000 hysterical fans in Wembley.
Since adding the WBA title. Joshua added the WBO strap to his list of titles by beating Joseph Parker. In a such a short period of time, Joshua has had a string of impressive victories taking on all comers, whilst also making a lot of money from the sport. His spot as the number one heavyweight was not in question. However, a much-anticipated fight with the WBC world champion Deontay Wilder has been mooted several times. For one reason or another the fight has not materialised.
Quite possibly the deadliest puncher in the sports history. Deontay has a staggering 39 KO’s in 41 fights. Not your typical heavyweight; Deontay could easily pass off as a Basketball player, however, should he manage to land the betting odds would normally favour you to remain unconscious. Not gifted as the best boxer, Deontay has the power to knock you out in any round.
Putting all the praise to one-side. Deontay has been criticised for the level of opposition that he has fought. Up until the Luis Ortiz fight, there was not many fights on his record which you could give him praise for. Wilder’s first real test as an elite fighter came against the returning Tyson Fury. Considering Wilder’s impressive power and knockout ratio, Tyson Fury went in to the fight as a huge underdog. Always one to change the script, Fury managed to dominate the fight, however, two knockdowns dented his hopes, ultimately the fight lead to a controversial draw. Majority at ringside had Fury winning the fight.
Deontay Wilder displaying his ferocious power with a devastating first round knockout against Bimerne Stiverne in their rematch.
A rematch has been ordered by the WBC whilst also recommending that Fury should receive the lion’s share of the purse. A purse bid has been ordered for the fight, however, nothing else has been reported.
There is almost something Ali-esque about this man. Charismatic, outspoken and always willing to defy the odds. The other thing that Fury and Ali share, they both beat the most dominant men in the division and never lost their title in the ring.
Fury V Klitschko, 28 November 2015 – Fury defied the odds with a comprehensive win against Wladmir Klitschko.
Since that famous night in Dusseldorf where Tyson Fury dethroned Wladmir Klitschko. Fury’s mental health had taken a dip resulting in him drinking heavily and abusing drugs. The near suicidal Fury had his licence revoked and all his title stripped of him by the sanctioning bodies.
After two and bit years. Fury excited boxing fans by returning to the ring in August. The ‘lineal champ’ was extremely out of shape weighing close to 27 Stones. Tyson Fury fought against a virtual unknown in German-Albanian fighter, Seferi. Considering his two-year layout, a couple of tune-up of this nature were much needed. He despatched his opponent with relative ease. Francesco Panetta was lined up; Fury did not amaze but went the full distance. Although many in attendance were not impressed with the lineal champ but those rounds were hugely important to a man who had not fought actively for two and bit years. Surely Wilder or Joshua would not be next?
Fury did the unimaginable by taking on Deontay Wilder. Dubbed as a huge underdog in the fight, Fury was defying the odds in the fight. He ducked and dived around Wilder’s shots and danced around him throughout most of the fight. Other than the flash knockdown in 9th round and a thunderous knockdown in the 12th round. Up until the ref six count, Fury was unconscious, how he managed to make it before the 10 count is something that will talked back for years to come. Muhammad Ali did something similar when he fought Frazier when he was hit with a peach left hook in the 12th round, Ali miraculously managed to make it to his feet.
Ali v Frazier I, 1971 at Madison Square Garden- Frazier catches Ali with a left in the 12th round in a fight which he dominates
Who is Number One?
Number One Heavyweight!! Anthony Joshua
Like any fighter competing at that level; Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder all have laid claim to being number one in the division. The number one heavyweight in the division will only be established once all three fighters face one another.
At this stage, I believe Anthony Joshua is currently the number one heavyweight in the division for many reasons. Joshua has accomplished a lot since taking up the sport in 2008. He has become a world champion in less than 20 fights, and defended/unified the heavyweight title within 22 fights, whilst also facing 3 world champions and breaking several box office records. These are staggering numbers considering he has only had 60 fights both amateur and professional.
Joshua has come under a lot of criticism for ducking Wilder or Fury. What people forget that he has fought Martin, Whyte, Molina, Klitschko Brezeale, Parker, Takam, Povetkin. With greatest of respect Wilder or Fury have not fought opponents of that level. Secondly, Wilder became a world champion in January 2015, why didn’t he challenge Klitschko for all the world titles before Fury and Joshua ? That tends to fall under the radar quite often. This one was very close and I have debated this several times with people. Tyson fury is second at this current stage. Tyson, has many similarities Ali, in terms of out spoken and charismatic personality. Like Ali, Fury has been marred with more controversy outside of the ring than inside. Both Ali and Fury were huge underdogs going in to the biggest fighters of their careers and they have always come out on top.
Deontay Wilder showed the world his heart and his power against Ortiz and Fury. The script could have been different had Fury not managed to make the 10 count. However, history did not favour Wilder that night. I do not think that he can be number one at this point until he beats Fury and Joshua. AJ’s résumé of opponents has been impressive considering he has had close to 65 fights as an amateur and a professional. What he has accomplished as professional is unbelievable. For this reason, I could not consider any heavyweight above Anthony Joshua at this stage.
Without a doubt the best sleep I have had since being in Saudi. Although my virus was terrible. Practically the whole of our group was affected.
I managed to go jummah with Muhammad Muridi and the Travel Express worker at Rajhi Masjid. First time I had experienced a car without A/C. The experience was unforgiving but one I thoroughly enjoyed. I felt like this would make me realise how lucky we really were throughout our time in Saudi.
After Jummah the Travel Express lads invited me for lunch. Myself, Shiraz, Muhammad Muridi, Bashir Snr & Jnr, Mohammed Egyptian, Aasman, Qasim, Umar and the Sheikh indulged on an amazing fish plater. I loved every moment of that dish and was grateful for the invite. The Sheikh left promptly after. Throughout my trimp I used to observe the Sheikh. The way he walked, talked and just the way he conducted himself..
My cold/flue had picked up in the evening. Nevertheless, we had to perform our Ifraad tawaf (Hajj Tawaf). Practically the whole group went to the Haram to compete our final tawaf. I was adamant that my mum follows the rules so I stuck to Group Leader C like a leach. *By this time, I realised that Aasman, our group leader was clearly not interested in leading his group or even helping others. Allhumdulilah, there were 8 of us with the group leader, and we all managed to complete our tawaaf. This was the only time where I could recite all my dua’s and prayers without having to constantly chase mum.
After finally completing our tawaaf everyone embraced one another. I was extremely numb at this point. Not knowing what to do or say. I just went over to my mum and embraced her. I gave her a kiss on the cheeck. I thanked her. If it was not for my mum persistence this would have never happened. I was invited by Allah (SWT) to complete this journey. How fortunate? How Lucky was I? People save up for a lifetime and sell all their lands to complete this journey.
A few tears rolled down my eyes as my throat thickened up. This was obviously in isolation from the group and far from my mother. I was hugely proud of her. All I remember saying to her was, this was a new start and that a pledge was made to Allah (SWT) for change, and we should honour this.
We went Five guys after and it was totally worth it even though I had a terrible sore throat. Never have I tried a better burger or milkshake. I met a young man named Zaim (One Call). He seemed like a pleasant young man so I decided to converse with him. We had a brief 5-minute conversation and then we went our own ways.
We ate our food at the Hyatt Regency which was our meeting point. The place filled up with One Call and Travel Express Guys. Everyone embraced and hugged one another. I pinched myself, this was real, we had completed our Hajj. Q didn’t finish his tawaaf, am not going to specify my reason, but it was funny and he also saw the funny side.
Day 21 (25 August 2018)
Abdul-Shahid (A family relative from our village in Bangladesh) was contacting me several times as he wanted to meet up. He lived in Jeddah and made his way to Makkah. Unfortunately, his driver was incapable of making it to our compartment even though I sent him my location.
Q, his wife and my mum were planning to go for tawaf in the haram later that night. Considering I was still struggling from my flue, I said that I would not be going.
My mum decided in the eveninng that she was going so I had no choice in the matter. I decided that I would meet with Abdul-Shaheed if he was about. I managed to meet him next to Burger King opposite the Haram. We embraced with a hug. He was totally shocked when he met me. I spoke for a good 30 to 40 minutes where very few words were returned, he was in total shock and did not make for good conversation. We had taken a couple of photos and I decided to head back to the Haram. Only issue, I had no phone to contact my mum.
Q, his wife and mum were looking to go for tawaf in the haram. Considering I was still struggling from the flue and I was still feeling weak, I said that I would not be going.
After searching the Haram for a good half an hour, I managed to bump in to Imran and Amar near the Zam Zam area. Amar was going to perform Sai, so, Imran decided that we should a grab bite to eat in the Clock-Tower. Imran was suffering from home sickness. I was quite shocked as Imran’s body language always suggested otherwise. Imran disclosed some of the trauma that he had suffered whilst he was there. Myself and Imran bonded as I suffered afraction of what he was subjected to for three weeks.
*We also bumped in to Sheikh Suleman Ghani who was aimlessly walking around the food court. I managed to get a photo with him.
Finally, I was able to get hold of my mum and Q’s wife . They met us at the restaurant where me and Imran were seated. I was feeling so unwell and this was visible for everyone to see. Without vocalising my feeelings, I was appealing to mum and Q’s wife logic to call it a night. None of them did. So, I had drugged myself up and threw in a Vitamin C to keep me going. My mum was driving me insane, running around doing the tawaaf. I wanted to say something but I lost the will to raise my voice. In one hand I wanted to do the tawaf’s because I wanted to get all my dua’s in, on the other hand, my body was giving up on me.
Coming close to Fajr at around 3:30pm we finished our final tawaf. Q’s wife still was discontent because she couldn’t pray in the Hateem (Semi-Circle of the Hajj). So enough was enough. I marvelled my way until we were positioned for them to pray 2 nafl in the Hateem. I was having not having No for an answer. At this present time I was not listening to anybody; both women now were in the middle of some of the mess that I was trying to keep them away from for the last 10 day but I was a man on a mission!!!
People were pushing and barging; the force could have had someone seriously injured. I dodged and dived most of it but the women were not as physically apt as me and were struggling. Eventually, after a struggle, we got to the Hateem, but it was cordoned off. Sod’s law.
I then decided we were going to pray right near the haram. Q’s wife and mum panicked, they were afraid of the melee. I stood firm on my decision. I marshalled our way until we were in front of the haram. I let both the women touch the haram and then we prayed 2 nafl. Q’s wife prayed 2 nafl and she made dua, tears were running down her face as she muttered a thank you. My firm decision making in this particular situation paid off.
Fajr was completed and I made everyone wait until I was able to exchange money. Probably a bad decision looking back at it now considering it had taken us three hours to exchange the money. There was only one person working in the exchnage which piled our misery, also women customers were given priority. Say what you want about the Saudi’s, women are given more priority then men.
Day 22 (26 August 2018)
We stayed up for breakfast, I drugged myself with medicine and then I went to sleep. I had a nice-long warm shower and I felt like a new man. I refused any day-outs with the usual’s and mum. I sat in my favourite place and blogged away; Shiraz saw me and leapt at the chance to bug me about one thing or another. I felt like I was in a good place so it was all good.
Q asked me again if I wanted to go Souk Salam with him, his wife and my mother and I totally refused. I wanted to do things at my pace now. The last three weeks had drained me and I was mentally/physically tired.
Rahul and Sameer were going Makkah Mall. They kindly invited me to join them for McDonald’s. It was a good time to hang out with Rahul and Sameer. Both brothers were fantastic. After Baskins and Robins we made our way back to the compartment. Me and Rahul bonded, our family lives were similar, it was nice to relate with him. I bonded well with Amir, Rahul and Samir during that time. Apart from being fantastic people they liked football and enjoyed a bit of banter.
I made it in time for the One Call lecture. Yasin Bhai kindly invited me to his post-hajj lecture. This was my third lecture that I attended. As always, the lectures were very informative and impassioned. Yasin Bhai really struck home with his message. Ever stone was turned in his 45-minute talk. I really gained a lot from his talk and it propelled me to ensure that I had to change when I came back from Hajj.
After the talk, there was still another hour to go before Maghrib. I went outside to warm up in the Saudi heat. My sidekick (Shiraz) was quick to follow with his bottle of water. He was telling me about something or another and I always listened. Abu Eesa, came out with his little entourage that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Shiraz proposed a dare that he would ask Abu Eesa some awkward questions. I
The dare was not really given my approval, he was gone before I could give my consent. I watched the conversation for a couple of minutes before it descended in to a water fight. In all honesty, Abu Eesa saw the funny side and started recording the water fight. I had taken a liking to him. But I was always confused why most of his group members never smiled.
Maghrib came and went. Mum was back and Q had a huge grin. It was nice to see the brother happy. I had an awesome day too. I felt fully energized. My throat infection had calmed down and things were on the up.
I spent time with Q and Mo in the reception area. At around 11:30pm whilst I was blogging, Nottingham aunty and uncle came down stairs dressed up. They informed me that they were going to perform there Ifraad tawaf tonight with a couple that said they were going to take them. After 45 minutes they were still sat with me. It became obvious that they had been stood up. Aunty and Uncle were both in their 60’s or 70’s and their health was not in the best way. I told them to go to bed and that I would inform Travel Express staff so that they could organize someone to assist them tommorow. Just to put their hearts at ease I showed them the message.
To my surprise,the boys in the room were up. I spoke with Sheikh Husayn at length. The more time we spent together the closer we got. He was a cool guy and I felt like I could learn so much from him. After all he was a graduate of the famous Al-Azhar academy.
Day 23 (27 August 2018)
Our last full day in Saudi before our return to good old Blighty. A few things had to be completed before Maghrib including a tawaf at the Haram.
Overall, I had enjoyed almost every single day of my journey. I have met some fantastic people throughout my time here and really look forward to tying these bonds forever once am back. Like millions of the Hujjaj that were reaching the end of their journey, a huge chunk of sadness had consumed my heart. Nevertheless, our trip has reached its natural conclusion. We all had carried illnesses and were suffering fatigue, I think this was Allah (SWT) way of asking us to politely leave.
After breakfast me and mum decided to pack our bags so that we that we did not have to pack last minute. We were extremely organized throughout this trip.
Considering how clumsy I can be and my general laissez-affaire attitude to packing. I would say that I was pleasantly supervised by my efforts. If, one thing I had observed in my recent travels abroad, I work well when am left on my own. Being in my comfort zone makes me complacent.
After packing I went to the reception area and started my blogging. I also had the opportunity to chase Travel Express about the old the aunty and uncle who still had not performed Tawaf. They agreed to having a word with them so that they could arrange something.
Group Louder or pilgrimer?
Fast forward after Asr. Myself and Sheikh Hussayn were getting ready to head off to Makkah. We both agreed to sharing a taxi. This decision was made easier considering my Mother had shared a room with his wife for 10 days and they had also been very close. Shaky Hussayn, had wanted to hire a van to take uncle, however, uncle and aunty were not responsive to the knocks made on their door.
As, I was leaving. I spoke to Bashir Jnr and Abdul Zaman about uncle and aunty. I explained the situation for the third time and stayed super calm and polite. Abdul Zaman immediate response was to ask me why I didn’t take them.
I then realized what a terrible individual he really was. This was his 10th pilgramage to Hajj and this was his 9th or 10th as a voluntary group leader. I did not want to dwell too much on Abdul Zaman throughout my journey as did not want to clutter this blog with negativity. However, a lot of the hujjaj that were part of his group were critical of his role as group leader, including myself. I reserved my opinion for this blog.
Other than taking the register and informing everyone of Sheikh’s arrival. Abdul Zamaan did not really do much for his group. He barely interacted with his group, whenever we went to perform Umrah or Tawaf, he would disappear and complete it on his own.
I never personally had a problem with him. If anything, we managed to get on well. Although I was aware that he was not doing his job appropriately. I would have interjected earlier, however, I did not want to ruin my journey because of someone else’s lack of effort. However, this current situation infuriated me as he was expecting me to do what he was given a free plane/hotel ticket for and most importantly they were both extremely vulnerable. In all honesty, I would have been to help but he was the leader. It was frankly his responsibility to help his group members. There were several other incidents which I personally witnessed, however, this blog is not here to slander people. However, there was a reason, why I was in awe of One Call.
Brother’s in Islam, color does not divide.
Myself, Sheiky Husayn, Mother and Sheikh Husayn’s completed our tawaf. We ended up losing each other. Mum wanted to complete one more tawaf. I couldn’t refuse even though time was not on our side. Ultimately this was her trip and I wanted her to get as much closure from this trip as possible. The family has suffered and the only situation to our problems was calling to Allah.
The normal hustle and bustle of tawaf was something you embrace whilst your here. I do not think you can ever get used to some of the behaviors in the Haram but ultimately you stay have to stay calm. Why people push, shove and punch always bothered me. The room for walking space was very little. Quite often your reduced to mini-steps which made life more difficult.
As we were making our way through the third tawaf, a brother (Black African) had gently put his hand in front of me, when I looked on my right, I saw that the brother was protecting an amputee performing tawaf using only his hand. I grabbed the brothers hand to support him for this great deed so that we can aid the amputee brother. By the fifth round we had another brother (Caucasian brother) join us in our cause. We managed to go through the 7 rounds. All three of us embraced in a hug before we left. This one action ultimately representated our religion. We were all equal in race, color and creed for the greater good of pleasing our maker. The love and brotherhood was encapsulated in those few seconds and then we went our own way. I could now leave the Haram content.
We prayed Magrib. I had my hand across my mothers shoulder whilst admiring our last view of the Kabah. I gave her a kiss and I asked her if she was content. She gave me a smile and that was all i needed to see.
May Allah accept our Hajj and help us to stay on the right path and continue to be at his mercy.
We did our final bits of shopping in the clock tower and made our way back before Esha. Myself and mother were very happy in what we achieved so we were both buzzing.
Q came with a huge smile for dinner. I was happy to see him happy. This was our last dinner together. He told me about his last experience in the Haram. By a stroke of luck he found uncle in the haram who had lost wife. Q had helped uncle found his wife and had also helped them complete all the necessary tawafs. Q was sharing the humorous side of the story, however, the subtext to this story was very concerning. Travel Express, lack of interest for these two vulnerable adults was a concern. The moral standard I always apply is, what would you do if that was your family member?
Packing time, Amin to the rescue.
The last bit of packing from our last bit of shopping had rendered my suitcase fully packed. Amin decided to help me put in the last bit of gift’s in to my luggage. I was grateful. Packed and ready now.
Last tea with Q (sob sob)
I went downstairs to meet Q for my last tea with Q. We both reflected on our journey and what we had learnt? and what we would be taking back. I gifted Q a tasbih, I realized that he preferred a particular type, so I bought him a similar one. He was taken back. But he was worthy of that gift.
Day 24 (28 August 2018)
Fajr prayers. I got used to Sheikh’s voice and unique recitation. I was going to miss his recitation and I was really going to miss seeing most of the brothers from both groups.
We had our final breakfast. I spent a bit of time messing around with Shiraz and shared a few conversations with the One-Call brothers. Me and Q went out to the shops to buy extra luggage. Q decided to buy me one of the fold-up prayer mats and paid for my shape-up. I really insisted that I didn’t want a shape-up as I was extremely fussy with my hair.
We packed our bags and made our way downstairs saying our last goodbyes to one another, exchanging numbers and taking the last selfies. A cake was brought by the hotel owners for our group. The Sheikh was not too impressed. I realized very quickly how to react based on the Sheikh’s reaction. He was not too impressed about a lot of things so I never really said or acted in anyway that would cause a reaction from him. Thank god he never tried the cake.
We all left for the coach. We waited a good half-an-hour before the coach had taken off. By that time I needed the toilet. I found out that the toilet’s in the coach were not working. It had taken us an hour and bit to arrive at Jeddah Airport. However, the coaches arrived too early so we were asked to wait. I asked Abdul Zamaan if I could quick use the toilet, he responded with a no, so I let him know that I was leaving, and I stood firm with this decision. He reminded me that I was doing this at my own cost.
Now that I left the coach in desperateness. I was even more desperate to find a toilet. Luckily, I saw Yasin Bhai, we embraced, I quickly told him of my predicament. Without a blink or a thought, he directed me to the toilet and showed me that there was a place to perform salah. Yasin Bhai was a blessing, whenever I was in a bad place, the brother always popped up with that huge embracing smile. May Allah reward his sincerity and may he always be kept on the righteous path.
After returning. Yasin bhai enquired where Abdul Zaman was. I said he is sitting on the coach. He was shocked, he quickly urged me to get him out of the coach so that he can provide our travel documents to the authority otherwise we would be stuck here. Abdul Zaman was too busy on his mobile tending to his meat and poultry business. On a side note, his organic poultry meat looked good. I think Egyptian Mohammed (travel express) informed him that he should provide documents. Everyone in all the coaches and performed the salah.
The Horror at Jeddah.
45 Minutes later we arrived at Jeddah departures. It was nothing that I have ever been exposed previously. It was absolute bedlam. It had taken me a good 15 minutes to find my suitcase, another 10 minutes to find a trolley and another 6 to 7 minutes to get hold of two bottles of Zam Zam. I also had taken time to help Yasin Bhai and his group so that they could get their Zam Zam. There was not as many men in their group plus Yasin bhai helped me out so much. This is the least I could do. We still had another 4 and half hours before our flight? What could go wrong.
I sat on my flight annoyed and flustered. I lost my hand luggage with my thobe, 4 kgs of Ajwa dates, 100 pounds of tasbih and one or two other gifts. Amir and myself had a confrontation with a bunch of Egyptians’ who jumped the cue; much to everyone’s annoyance the Saudi officials did nothing, I was not registered to board the plane after 3 hours of waiting in a cue at check-ins, I then went to the Saudi customer service desk in which they did not speak to us and literally threw the ticket at me and Egyptian Mohammed. Security had taken an hour and half to get through. The staff were too busy on YouTube, having conversations and walking away from the desk for no apparent reason; none of their behaviours made sense to me. Amir’s Mother-in-law collapsed and was in no position to make her way to the gate. I then lost my luggage after sharing a few kind words with Saudi Security, after they unnecessarily searched me 4 times to flex their ‘muscles’.
*On the funny side. During our fight with the Egyptian’s, Amir’s mother-in-law put herself in front line to fight them. She was a courageous woman and one that you need not pick a fight with. Amir had to move her away but she really was insistent on fighting this battle.
Allhumdulilah, I was on the plane and nothing really could be done about my luggage. The rest is in Allah’s hand. I slept through Most of the flight. I really needed sleep so I was happy.
At 7:45am after three weeks. The biggest benefit was seeing my sister after tìhree weeks. How much I remembered her, prayed for her, missed her, wept tears for her and now finally we were united. I embraced her and I didn’t want to let go. Inshallah, hopefully, I can take her to Hajj one day. May Allah (SWT) bless and preserve our relationship.