Rabbi' ul Awwal 16, 1430/March 13, 2009 Issue No. 306

www.islamkenya.comThis Newsletter contains some of Allah’s names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred

This Week

Relations with the mother -in-Law P4

Women Issues

Youth and Children

Friday BulletinThe

The Weekly Muslim News Update

Between Marriage and Studies P5

Da'waThe Rights of the Prophet P3

Speak out and save the country, Kenyans advised

National News

Muslim IssuesGuidance from Sheikh Al-Amin Mazrui P6

Story Continues To Page 2

Continued silence among the population is helping to fuel the culture of impunity and corruption in the country.Consequently, it is the ordinary Kenyan who is bearing the

brunt of suffering food shortages and spiralling food prices and oth-er social and economic problems which have hit the county lately.In his sermon, Sheikh Juma Amir, the director of the Jamia Informa-tion Centre said it was the responsibility of Kenyans to speak out against those perpetuating impunity if they hope to live a better life. “The rising cost of living and the sufferings we are experiencing is as a result of us failing to ensure that those responsible for these problems are brought to account,” he told thousands of people who turned up for the Friday congregational prayers at Jamia mosque last week.He lamented that while the ordinary people were suffering, the lead-ers have chosen to ignore their plight and continue to carry out busi-ness as usual. The culture of corruption, tribalism and lawlessness was still rife in the country despite pledges made by the leaders to stamp out this cancer from the society, he said. “Those who have stolen billions are sitting in the comfort of their limousines while the police are sent to brutalise petty offenders in Mathare” Instead of serving the population, Ministers have abdicated their roles and are throwing mud slings towards one another while others are concentrating their attention towards the “envelope,” the Sheikh said alluding to the secret envelope held by former UN Secretary

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National News P7

North Eastern Province will this time round send 25 students to public universities, a significant increase compared to previous years. The students managed to post a performance index of more than 70 in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) results which is well above last years cut off points of 66 set by the Joint Admissions Board (JAB).The region has experienced perennial poor performance and even in this year, the top student Muhumed Ahmed Kusay who attained a performance index of 79.31157 points, his results could not allow him to fea-ture in the list of the top 100 students in the other seven other provinces.The overall performance in last years KCSE examinations however, declined considerably compared to

NEP to send more students to university

General Koffi Annan which contains names of those blamed for the post election violence. The names are to be submitted to the Interna-tional Criminal Court in the event that a local tribunal is not set up to try those re-sponsible for the carnage which left more than 1,000 people dead.“The grave consequences of this culture of impunity is now being felt by all Kenyans because we have failed to live up to our responsibilities to act as watchdogs to the government,” he said, “We have to speak out to save our country from further deterioration,” he added.Sheikh Juma also revisited the issue of Eid ul Adha public holiday which he said was unfairly denied to Muslims. He appealed to the government to consider the sensitivities of Muslims and gazette the event as an annual national holiday.

Two years ago Ethiopia with US backing in-vaded Somalia and overthrew the govern-ment of Sheikh Sharrif Ahmed of the Union of Islamic Courts. The two countries accused Sheikh Sharrif of having links with the Al Qaeda network and harboring terrorist in the Horn of Africa country.This week, President Mwai Kibaki rolled a red carpet welcome for the same person who was previously arrested by the Kenyan military and interrogated on alleged terrorist links as he attempted to seek asylum in the country.He was recently elected as Somalia’s Presi-dent though groups which control most of the country are opposed to his government. In the picture, Sheikh Sharrif meets Presi-dent Mwai Kibaki at State House where he re-ceived a red carpet treatment during his visit to Kenya this week.

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TERRORIST YESTERDAY STATE GUEST TODAY

Sheikh Juma Amir

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The Friday Bulletin Rabbi' ul Awwal, 16 1430/March 13 2009

NATIONAL NEWS

Story From Page 1

NEP to send more students to university

last year. While releasing the results last week, Education Minister Sam Ongeri attributed the decline in performance to post election violence and student unrest in schools.The performance of Muslim students and schools also went down as opposed to previous years. The top Muslim student Amina Ib-rahim Mgua from Nairobi was ranked in position 52 and only five Muslim students featured among the top 100 students nationally.Alliance High School produced the top candidate Mark Maugo Nyauma whose performance index was 87.26757 points. According to unofficial rankings, WAMY High School of Nairobi scooped the top position among Muslims schools. Nationally, it was placed in position 23 after garnering a mean grade of 9.518. The top school, according to the rankings was Precious Girls Secondary School.Interestingly, WAMY High School has been in existence for only four years now and since 2005, its performance in national examinations has been on the rise. Last year, it was ranked in position 19. The school is a project of the World Assembly of Muslim Youths (WAMY) and was set up to reduce the education imbalance facing the community. Sheikh Khalifa Secondary School of Mombasa, which has a history of academic excellence was placed second among Muslim schools. It however, led the pack in Coast Province with 23 students from the school featuring among the top 100 high achievers in the prov-ince. This year, the Ministry of Education did not rank schools according to performance as it had been the case in the past instead students were ranked regarding individual merit.Meanwhile Nominated MP Sheikh Muhammad Dor said the lack of a national school in Coast and North Eastern Provinces continues to play a role in the low education standards in the provinces. He said provinces where the schools are established continue to post excellent KCSE results compared to schools in other regions. The MP said the education ministry had a responsibility to set up similar schools to reduce on the education inequalities in some of the regions.Speaking in Parliament recently, Sheikh Dor demanded an official explanation from the ministry why North Eastern, Coast and East-ern Provinces lacked national schools.

“All the neighbouring countries Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and even Ethiopia this day is marked as a national holiday why not the same for Kenya,” he wondered.In 2007, President Mwai Kibaki declared Eid ul Adha as a national public holiday and went on to direct the Attorney General Amos Wako to put in place legal measures to ensure that it remains an an-nual public holiday. To the astonishment of Muslims however, Gov-ernment spokesman Alfred Mutua last year said that Eid ul Adha will not be marked as a national public holiday and it had been declared national event the previous years because of what he called na-tional significance.

Speak out and save the countryStory From Page 1

Wajir district hospital is set to be upgraded to a provincial referral medical facility to serve North Eastern and parts of Eastern prov-ince. The Project aims to support the social development of the regions by meeting the increasing demand for health care.The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development will extend a loan of US$ 7 million (Sh560 million) for upgrading the hospital.Speaking during the signing agreement in Nairobi last week, the Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta who also holds the Finance docket said the project will enhance health service delivery in the region. “Once the project is complete, Wajir District hospital will be-come a referral hospital that will serve the North Eastern Province. This support is in line with our government’s commitment to elimi-nate inequality by paying special attention to the less developed parts of our country like the North Eastern Province,” he said.The project includes construction of new buildings and extension of

the maternity unit, paediatric and surgical unit and the administra-tion building. It will also involve the procurement and installation of medical and auxiliary equipment for the new and existing hospital buildings. The Project is expected to start by the beginning of 2009 and to be completed by the end of 2011. The total cost of the project is Sh866 million and the Kuwait Fund will cover 60% of the cost of the project. The loan agreement was signed by Uhuru Kenyatta and Hisham Al-Waqayan, the deputy di-rector general of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. (KFAED) The Fund has in the past extended loans to Kenya amounting to US$42 million for financing projects in transport and irrigation sec-tors and for financing feasibility study for Bura irrigation Project in Tana River district.

Kuwait to fund Wajir hospital upgrade

For several years, Muslims had shunned investing in govern-ment securities with the un-derlying reason being interest which forms part of the princi-ples of these investments. Islam categorically disapproves any dealing with interest (riba) and for this reason, many had avoided investing in such in-struments in order be inline with the principles of their faith.But with the coming and growth of Islamic banking in Kenya, this is set to change as Treasury Bills and Bonds issued in the domestic market will be Shariah compliant allowing Muslims to fully participate in investments to finance government projects. The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) agreed to a proposal from First Community Bank (FCB) to accommodate the interests of Muslims in investing in Treasury Bonds and Bills offered to the public and private entities. Further proceeds from the securities will only be invested in Shariah complaint projects. “All monies received by the CBK from FCB for investment in government securities will be in-vested only in Sharia compliant government avenues and projects such as the sea ports, the airports, government universities, the en-ergy sector e.t.c,” said Jackson M. Kitili the CBK director Monetary Operations and Debt Management department. FCB CEO, Mr. Nathif Jama Adam lauded the move saying that it will spur Muslims to invest in government securities and contribute to the economic development of the country. “Our aim is to add value to the community in every way possible. Government development bonds are an important area of investing and we believe the com-munity should not be denied such important investment opportuni-ties,” he said.Already the Bank with the approval of its Shariah Board has already invested in the recent 18.5 billion Infrastructure Bond recently is-sued to the public. Nathif expressed optimism that the investment will stimulate similar investments in the future for the Muslim com-munity.The Infrastructure bond will fund critical infrastructure projects that require huge capital overlay in the water, sewerage and irrigation sectors, roads construction as well as the energy generation and distribution. Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta said the government was keen to see Muslims playing a role in the development of the country without compromising on the tenets of their faith. “In the past, our Muslim Brethren who constitute an important segment of our market could not invest in government securities. Thanks to the proactive effort by the banks involved, our Muslim brethren now can equally participate in supporting our development agenda,” he said.

CBK gives nod to Shariah investments in Treasury Bills

CBK Governor Njuguna Ndun'gu (RIGHT) with FCB CEO Natif Jama at a past event.

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The Friday Bulletin

The rights of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallamDA'WA

Saturday Lecture HOW TO CHOOSE A HUSBAND

Ustadha Batuli14th March 2009 2.00 pm-4.00 pmJamia Mosque Multi Purpose Hall

SISTERS ONLY

To Believe In HimThere is no doubt that the first of our Proph-et's rights, sallalahu alahyi wa salam, is to believe in him and to believe in the mes-sage he was sent with. Allah says, "Believe in Allah and His Messenger and the light which He sent down."[64:8] Qadhi Iyadh said in his famous and impor-tant book about the rights of the Prophet, Ash-Shifaa, that, "Belief in the Prophet Mu-hammad is therefore an obligation for every individual. Belief is not complete without it and Islam is only valid with it." Allah has linked belief in Him with belief in His Messen-ger. They are inseparable. This is what the shahadah, the declaration of faith, means. Even if a person follows other prophets like Musa and Eesa, alayhimas salam, he is not a believer until he completely follows the teachings of Muhammad, sallalahu alahyi wa salam. Believing in the Prophet, sallalahu alahyi wa salam, therefore, is about living accord-ing to his guidance. It is much more than just mere recognition of the fact that he is a prophet. Allah says, "When the hypocrites come to you, they say, 'We testify that you are the Messenger of Allah' and Allah knows that you are His Messenger and Allah testi-fies that the hypocrites are liars." [63:1] To obey himThe second right, which is due to our be-loved Prophet, sallalahu alahyi wa salam, is that we obey him. Allah says, "O you who believe, obey Allah and His Messenger..." [8:20] Allah has mentioned obedience to the Messenger in connection with obedience to Him. You cannot have one without the other. Obeying the Messenger means, fol-lowing his commands and staying away from what he has prohibited. Abu Hurairah narrated that the prophet, sallalahu alahyi wa salam, said: "All of my ummah will enter Paradise except for those who refuse to." They asked, "O Messenger of Allah, who will refuse?" He replied, "Whoever obeys me will enter the Paradise. Whoever diso-beys me has refused." (Bukhari)To follow himAllah says, “You have a good model in the Messenger of Allah for one who hopes for Allah and the last day." [33:21] Commenting on this verse, Imam at-Tirmi-dhi said, "To take the Messenger as a mod-el means to emulate him, follow his Sun-nah and avoid opposition to him in either word or action." We should strive to follow his mode of life, his sayings and doings, his conduct and manners. We can see from the Prophet's compan-ions, the way in which they emulated the Prophet, sallalahu alahyi wa salam, fol-lowed his examples, and modeled their behaviors upon his. This is what it means to follow the Prophet Muhammad. When Umar looked at the black stone and he said, "You are a stone and can neither help nor harm. If I had not seen the Messenger of

Allah kiss you, I would not have kissed you." Then he kissed it. Umar ibn Abdul Aziz said, "The Messenger of Allah made a Sunnah and the people in command after him made sunnahs. To adopt them is to confirm the Book of Allah and to act on them is to obey Allah and strengthen the deen of Allah. It is not for anyone to change the Sunnah, or alter it, or to look into the opinion of those who oppose it. Whoever follows it, is guided. Whoever opposes it and follows other than the path of the believers, Allah will entrust him to what he turns to and will roast him in the hellfire, which is a bad ending." To love himA Muslim must love the Prophet, sallalahu alahyi wa salam, truthfully. Allah says, "Say, if your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your tribe and the possessions you have earned, commerce you fear may slacken, dwellings you love - if these are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and to struggle in His way, then wait until Allah brings His command." [9:25] The Prophet, sallalahu alahyi wa salam, said, "None of you will believe until I am more beloved to you than your children, your fathers, and all people." Umar ibnul Khattab said to the Prophet, "I love you more than anything except my soul, which is between my two sides." The Prophet replied, "None of you will believe until I am dearer to him than his own soul." Umar said, "By the One who sent down the Book to you, I love you more than my soul which is between my two sides." The Prophet, sallalahu alahyi wa salam, said, "Now, O Umar, now you have it." To respect himAllah says,"O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good news and a warner,so believe in Allah and His Messenger and help him and respect him." [48:7-8] Respect for the Prophet, sallalahu alahyi wa salam, includes honoring him, exalt-ing him, calling him with the noblest titles such as the Messenger of Allah or Proph-et of Allah. It includes putting his opinion over our own and defending him if he is verbally abused. Respect for the Prophet, sallalahu alahyi wa salam, also includes respecting his family. The Prophet, sallalahu alahyi wa salam, said, "Recognition of the family of Muhammad is freedom from the fire. Love for the family of Muhammad is crossing over sirat. Friendship for the family of Mu-hammad is safety from the fire."

Ghusl (Bathing)Umm Abdur-Rahman Hirschfelder

Ghusl is bathing the whole body with water. You must clean your body from any impurities, if any. Make the Niyyah (intention) in your heart that this act of Ghusl is for the purpose of pre-paring for Salah. It is recommended to make Ghusl in the following order: make Wudhu, wash the head including the hair, wash the right side of your body from the shoulder to the foot three times, and finally wash the left side of the body. Ghusl is required for performing Salah in the following cases:1. Janabah (major ritual impurities): The dis charge of seminal secretions or sexual inter course.2. At the end of a menstrual period.3. At the end of postpartum bleeding.

Allah says in the Quran, "If you are all ill on a journey or any one of you has answered the call of nature or had intercourse and you do not find water, you must do dry ablution with clean earth by wiping your faces and hands, surely Allah is purifying and pardoning." (4:43)Tayamum is a blessing of Allah and manifesta-tion of Islam’s practicality and flexibility. When a person is ill or does not find water then to take the ritual bath (ghusl) or ablution may not be possible thus tayamum is an alternative because one is not allowed to delay or miss prayers or in a state of minor or major ritual im-purity.Tayamum can be done on anything which is clean provided it is from the earth, like sand, stone, dust and plaster.You may perform your Salah by preceding it with Tayammum as a substitute for Wudhu or Ghusl when:1. A person cannot find water, or the amount available is insufficient.2. A person has no access to water.3. A person is saving the water for later use.4. A person is sick and cannot use water.5. The use of water is likely to do harm, cause or worsen an illness, or delay the cure.6. The performance of Wudu will cause the person to miss a funeral or Eid prayer that cannot be made up. METHOD TO MAKE TAYAMUM 1. Make intention that that this act of Tayammum is for the purpose of preparing for Salah, and say: "Bismillah.”2. Strike both hands slightly on pure earth, sand, stone, or concrete.3. Shake off hands to remove debris and wipe the whole face.4. Repeat step #2 and wipe the right arm down to the elbow (or only to the wrist) with the left hand and the left arm down to the elbow (or only to the wrist) with the right hand.

REVERTS CLASSES APRIL INTAKEApril Intake for the Basic Course in Islamic studies in ProgressForms are available at Jamia Training Insti-tute and should be returned by 30th March 2009For more details contact the Principal JTI or the Dawa Officer, Jamia Mosque

Tayammam (Dry Ablution)

Continued on Page 4

Rabbi' ul Awwal, 16 1430/March 13 2009

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WOMEN ISSUESThe Friday Bulletin

Relations with the mother in lawWe often hear of problems that occur between women and their mothers in-law. Many daughters in-law have forgotten the fact that their mother in-law was a mother before she became a mother in-law, and that the days will pass, and eventually, they will also become mothers in-law.There are many factors that contribute to the bitter relationship that some women have with their mothers in-law; some of which, on the part of the daughter in-law, are:Lack of respect: Respect for others is a fine quality to possess; it is never practiced between people except that love and harmony will engulf them. Islam has commanded the young to show respect towards their elders, and thus, respecting one's mother in-law is a must; this is due to the fact that not only is she an elder, but also because she was the reason for the daughter in-law's husband be-ing present in this world, as it was her that delivered him.The daughter in-law must realise that she will eventually become a mother, and if it is of a son, then he will eventually marry, and she will therefore become a mother in-law who would long for re-spect from her daughter in-law. `Amr ibn Shu`ayb radhiallahu anhu narrated on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him said: "He is not one of us who shows no mercy to (our) younger ones, and does not acknowledge the honour due to our elders." [At-Tirmidhi and Abu Daawud] Expressing enmity: There is another type of daughter in-law who deals with her mother in-law, from day one, as if she is her worst enemy. This could be due to the incorrect manner in which the daughter in-law was brought up, or to the repeated warnings that her own mother gave her regarding her future mother in-law before she got married. Based on this, the wife would exert all ef-forts to make her husband hate his mother and brothers and sisters; she may even invent events that never took place, or exaggerate in relating ones that did; she may frequently make false accusa-tions about her husband's mother and brothers and sisters until she succeeds in forcing him to leave his mother’s house and live with her, alone. Such a life is a poisoned one, and one which contains many problems. Harithah ibn Wahb reported: “I heard the Messen-ger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa sallam saying: “Shall I not inform you about the inmates of Hell? They are every violent, disrespectful and proud people." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Due to the husband being enslaved to his wife, he may side with his wife and become dissrespectful to his mother; he forgets the rank of his mother. Allah says, “And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as]: 'uff' [i.e., an expression of disapproval or irritation] and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say: 'My Lord! Have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.'" [Quran 17: 23-24] The Messenger of Allah also said: “The pleasure of Allah is in pleasing one's parents, and His wrath is in displeasing them.”Severing ties: Some daughters in-law sever ties with their moth-ers in-law and never visit, or even have anything to do with them. Such daughters in-law ruin their relationships with their mothers in-law. The mother in-law is human, and would therefore wish that her daughter in-law would treat her as a mother; she would not like being given the cold shoulder.The daughter in-law who severs ties with her mother in-law causes her husband to abandon his mother and sever his ties with her; thus, such a wife becomes the reason behind his undutifulness to-wards his mother.Abu Hurayrah radhiallahu anhu reported that the Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "Allah created all (His) creation, and when He finished the task of His creation, Ar-Rahm (i.e., ties with kinfolk) said: `(O Allah)! At this place I seek refuge with You from my ties being severed.' Allah replied: `Would you be content that I treat with kindness those who treat you with kindness, and sever ties with those who sever your ties?' It said: `I am satisfied.' So Allah said: `Then this is yours.`" [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Imam Al-Qurtubi said: “This is to inform us that Allah has granted

these ties a high rank: that of one who took refuge in Him and was granted it; and one who is taken into the protection of Allah will cer-tainly never be forsaken."Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sal-lam said: "May he be disgraced! May he be disgraced! May he be disgraced! - He whose parents, one or both of them, attain old age during his lifetime, but he does not enter Paradise (by being dutiful to them)." [Muslim] On the other hand, the causes of the bad relationship can be on the part of the mother in-law herself, such as:Being harsh with the daughter in-law: Some mothers in-law are very harsh towards their daughters in-law, and also encourage their sons to treat their wives badly. Abu Hurayrah reported: “I heard Abu Al-Qaasim (i.e., the Prophet) say: "The miserable one is the only one whose heart is deprived from mercy." [At-Tirmidhi]Being jealous of the daughter in-law: Why do some mothers in-law love their sons while despising their daughters in-law? Psy-chiatrists say that this results from jealousy. It is natural for women to be jealous, but added to this is the fact that the mother feels that the daughter in-law has shared her son with her and taken him away from her control; therefore, a competition arises. This is es-pecially so if the mother’s only provider and supporter is this son, because his role could have been that of the father in taking care of the affairs of the household and being his mother's protector, so the mother would feel that she has lost such an important son to her daughter in-law.Some mothers become jealous seeing their sons happy and enjoy-ing life with their wives; if the daughter in-law were to ever com-plain to her about any problem that might occur with the son, she would never support her; rather, she would side with her son, even if he was the one at fault; moreover, she would humiliate his wife and may even beat her. Sometimes, the wife could be doing all she can in order to please the mother in-law; she may speak kindly to her, give her gifts, and treat her with respect, but, the mother in-law would always be striving to create problems.

The Friday Bulletin

Ingredients

KitchenChicken Paprika

Share your favourite recipes with our readers. Send them to P. O. Box 40629-00100 or email:fridaybulletin@islamkenya.com or fridaybulletin@gmail.com

► 1 chicken cut in 8 pieces► 4-5 tomatoes grated► 2 tbsp tomato paste► salt to taste► 1 tsp black pepper powder► 1-2 tsp spanish paprika► 2 tablespoons butter.

●Fry chicken in oil●Put butter in a pan and add all the spices ●Cook on low heat for a while.Then add the chicken and mixwell and continue to cook for a little while●Serve with chips or mashed potatoes.

Method

Rabbi' ul Awwal, 16 1430/March 13 2009

It also includes respecting his companions. Allah says about those who pledged allegiance to the Prophet at al-hudaybiyah. "Allah was pleased with the believers when they gave allegiance to you under the tree." [48:18] The Prophet said, "Do not curse my companions. If any of you were to spend the weight of Uhud in gold, it still would not reach the measure of one of them or even one-half of it."

The Rights of the ProphetStory From Page 3

by Mariam Munir

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The Friday Bulletin

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Whoever follows a route in pursuit of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise." (Muslim)The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "When a person gets married he has completed half of his religion, so let him fear Allah with regard to the remaining half." (authenticated by Al-Albani)These two sayings of our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are guidelines for a Muslim's life. We should strive to follow both, completing ourselves holistically. But what happens when marriage and education collide, shattering our carefully planned lives? Which then is preferable — marriage or studies?Undoubtedly, the importance of marriage in Islam cannot be overempha-sized. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Oh youth! Whoever of you can get married should get married for it helps in lowering the gaze and guarding one's chastity" (Agreed upon).Marriage is a beautiful institution designed for a man and a woman to fulfill their natural needs for each other and to create a family. It is the basic foundation of all societies. A society without marriage will most certainly be riddled with problems.Islam encourages us to marry young to prevent us from sinning. However, Islam is for all ages and takes into account the situation of the time. In to-day's world, education is empowerment. It gives people confidence to use their intellect and confidence in themselves. We find many young women who are practicing Islam at the university, furthering their education, yet maintaining their modesty. In this way they are preparing themselves to be able to contribute to their society and raise the level of their children and their family. If such a person gets divorced or widowed, she will have something to fall back onto.So you don't want to be forced to choose either marriage or studies? Is there a way you can do both? In the Arab world especially, people often make the official marriage contract but don't move in together right away. The marriage is not consummated, but they may legally spend time alone together. In this way, both the man and woman may pursue their studies while married. This system holds many advantages and is gaining popu-larity among Muslims in non-Muslim countries, too. In this way, a couple may save for married life, and no matter what their pursuits, they are safe in the knowledge of being married.Our every action is based on intention. If we are studying for the benefit of mankind, for the cause of our Muslim Ummah, then our studies will be a source of reward for us. Let us use this precious education wisely.

In the previous articles, we mentioned a perfect programme Allah inserted into the human body. Thanks to this programme, every human being has eyes, ears, arms and teeth. Again thanks to this pro-gramme, despite some differences in their appear-ances, all human beings look reasonably similar. We resemble our relatives, and some peoples have their own distinctive characteristics because of this pro-gramme. Now let's explain what this programme is like with the following example: You must have an idea of the way computers operate. An expert designs the computer. Experts in special factories with the help of advanced technologies also produce complementary components such as the monitor, keyboard, CD, loudspeakers and so on. Now, you have a machine capable of processing high-ly complex operations. You can either play games or write whatever you want. But for all this to happen, you need software called "programmes." Furthermore, we know that not every programme is compatible with every type of computer, which means that the programmer must know both the computer and the software compatible with it. As we have seen, one needs both a machine and a proper programme to operate a computer. But more impor-tantly, if nobody designed and produced all these things, your computer would again fail to work. The human body is similar to a computer. As we said earlier, there is a programme in our cells that brings about our existence. Now the question is, how did it happen that this programme came into existence? The answer is obvious: Allah, the Almighty, specially creates every human being. It is Allah Who has created our bodies as well as the programme that shapes them. Our bodies are infinitely superior to the most com-plex computer. Our brain alone, for instance, is many times more complex than a computer. Now let's see how a baby is born into this world: Initially, there exists a tiny piece of flesh in your mother's womb. In the course of time, this tiny piece of flesh expands and takes shape.Your height, the colour of your eyes, your eyebrows, the shape of your hands and hundreds of other fea-tures are all predetermined from the very first mo-ment of your existence. All this information is stored in that initial programme Allah placed in your cells. This programme is so flawless and detailed that sci-entists have only recently come close to understand-ing how it operates.In accordance with the programme Allah placed in our bodies, we grow gradually. That is why the growth of our body does not seem odd to us. It takes us years to grow. We would no doubt be astonished if this programme worked faster.

The Flawless programme in the human body

Haroun Yahya

YOUTH AND CHILDRENBetween Marriage and Studies

Ayesha Wadwalla

ACROSS

Islamic Crossword Puzzle By Idris O. Owuor

1. He killed Khalid ibn Sultan Al-Huzaly 7. They were created by Allah from fire 8. Prophet Muhammad was a shepherd of these animals (plural). 10. The rakaas for Fajr prayer12. The husband of Halima Sadiyyah 15. She breastfed the Prophet.16. The first month in Islamic calender. 17. Arabic word meaning ‘The wrapping’. 18. He was one of the youths who killed Abu Jahal

1. At this place Prophet Muhammad was welcomed by Usayd ibn Hudhayr and many people embraced islam 2. The second husband of Khadija Khuwaylid. 3. The killing of Amru…arose the anger of the people of Quraish to speed up attacks on Muslims. 4. The Ethiopian King who gave asylum to the companions. 6. lt’s a dua and a Sura 9. The 103rd sura of the Holy Quran. 11. The traditional lifestyle of Prophet Muhammad 13. The Migration 14. Jibril allayhi sallam used water from this well to wash the heart of the Prophet during miiraj.

Rabbi' ul Awwal, 16 1430/March 13 2009

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Answers to last weeks crosswordACROSS - (1)AL-KURSI (5)ASSALAM ALYKUM (8)SIX (9)YAHYA (11)ALLAH (12)MIRAAJ (14)TAKDHIIB (15)IMAM (16)SAFFAR DOWN - (1)AL.ANBIYA (2)AL.ARSH (3)ALYASA (4)GHUSL (6)AL-ISRA (7)MARYAM (IO)IIRAADH (13)AKBAR

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The Friday Bulletin

GUIDANCE FROM SHEIKH AL AMIN MAZRUI

The obligations of Muslims today

It is very clear that the Muslims of today are in a low, humiliating, and embarrassing state - the [main] reason being abandonment of the teachings of our religion, i.e.,

to do good and avoid evil. The Muslims are currently in a situation whereby even their own enemies feel pity for them; never will you compare one city with Muslims and another one with non—Muslims except that you will find great disparity between them For example, Mombasa has about 75,000 people, majority being Muslims - but [un-fortunately] their condition is the worst in terms of education, economic success, leadership, and everything else. The Hindus [in Mombasa] have among the low-est number of people, yet they have two daily newspapers. On the other hand it is embarrassing that the Muslims do not have their own daily paper in Mombasa or anywhere else in Kenya for that matter. We only have this very tiny publication [Al Islah] of ours which is quite marginal, it pains me when I see the Goa community with their own school while we do not have a single school in any of the cities where Muslims are the majority. The only institutions we have are those that teach children the recitation of the Qur’an in which children get enrolled when they are 7 years old and finish when they are about to reach puberty. And there are some who graduate and yet they are unable to recite the Qur’an correctly, and they do not understand its meaning. This includes the meaning of Suratul Fatiha which is supposed to be recited in each of the [five] daily prayers The most unfortunate part is that upon their completion from such institutions, their parents [literally] push them into a pit of fire, i.e., in schools run by missionaries - this in fact is the most pathetic situation. We have an obligation to build our own institutions for learning in which our children could learn even aspects of the Shariah, and also knowledge that is going to benefit them in this world [i.e., for reasons of livelihood]. Such institutions are the only way of protecting our children from the harmful agenda of the missionary schools. Also, their religion will be protected, it will raise them up from the position of humiliation; they will be taught respect and good behaviour which will raise their self esteem and have the strength to put an end to any oppression. Hopefully, they will start being ambitious and wanting to succeed and be the best; Muslims should he the best as Allah tells us so. But this position of being the best cannot be achieved until we open up the way to lead us there; and the only way is through knowledge, both religious and secular.

The above [i.e, knowledge] is the only war to carry the Muslims to the level of being masters of all affairs; indeed, it is the only way to being the best. But [the

question is) where is the money to put up such institutions? I know that there is no shortage of money [in our Ummah], but first and foremost we need to be united, then to have the intentions in our hearts to do such a project, and then to have the determination to do it; only then shall we be able to raise the funds And the following is the way to do it. As we had mentioned earlier, there are 75,000 people in Mombasa, majority being Muslims. Let us say 50% of the people are Muslims, and we [in the Old Town] are about 12,000 if each one of us would contribute Ksh.3 per year, we shall be able to have shs. 36,000 annually - this amount is sufficient to run such a learning institution, and we will be able to educate our own children in both secular and religious educa-tion, i.e., to benefit them in this world and in the hereafter. However, those amongst us who are pessimistic and negative will say that such a project will not happen; well, I am telling you that such a thing can happen and we can all do it [insha’Allahj if our hearts desire. We constantly complain that our standard of education is deteriorating, but it is ab-solutely absurd to expect the government to raise our level of education while we do not want to put [a single cent) towards its improvement! Do you think that the high standard of education can only be achieved by sending long “applications” and too

Starting this week, The Friday Bulletin will bring you a series of trea-tise written by Sheikh Al-Amin bin Ali Mazrui, the former Chief Kadhi of Kenya. The treatise Uwongozi (Guidance) appeared in a weekly publication called Al Islah between 1930 and 1932 which the Sheikh edited and freely distributed in mosques around Mombasa. Originally published in Kiswahili, Uwongozi has been translated into English by Muhammad bin Yusuf.Sheikh Al-Amin is the father of the renowned international scholar Ali Mazrui. His notable students include Sheikh Muhammad Kassim Maz-rui and Sheikh Abdallah Saleh al Farsy both served as Chief Kadhis of Kenya.

9th Ramadhan 1350 A.H (17th January 1932)

Continued to Page 6

Rabbi' ul Awwal, 16 1430/March 13 2009

First of all, seeking knowledge is a duty. It is obliga-tory on every Muslim, male and female. The first word revealed of the Qur’an was “Iqra” READ! Seek knowledge! Educate yourselves! Be educated! Allah the Almighty tells us in the Qur’an, “Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?” (Surah Az-Zumar: 9) Also in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 269, we read, “Allah grants wisdom to whom He pleases and to whom wisdom is granted indeed he receives an overflowing benefit.”The world is in a sorry state because it has collec-tively moved away from Allah and obedience to Him which is the essence of Islam. Centuries old monar-chies, colonialism and other oppressive rule over the people have brought about moral and spiritual de-cay as mankind seeks material comfort and wealth at all costs, and sacrifices family, self-development and inner harmony.We need to remember that whatever we learn in sci-ence, math, language, geography, history and so on are vital tools to help us, as Muslims, understand the world around us and our role in it. The basis of Islam is the Qu’ran and the Sunnah and in order to fully obey Allah and His Messenger we must learn every valuable piece of information we can.If we can col-lectively strive to upgrade ourselves and the system of education wherever we are, the future genera-tions will become the torch-bearers of Islamic values and play an effective role in the world.At the same time we must be careful because mod-ern day education alone does not feed the inner parts of man nor fulfill his psychological and spiritual needs. Only Islam reaches the spirit and regener-ates the inner self by drawing it closer to the Creator who is the only Source of Peace.One result of depending on the so-called secular education alone is the belief that education itself is simply a tool to make money in the world and survive materially. Many people have unfortunately forgot-ten that learning has inherent value; meaning that it is valuable in and of itself. This means that if we are educated but cannot find a good job, that does not mean we are a failure because the knowledge we carry around with us, if coupled with Islam, will develop us to be better and wiser people. Today we need an education system which can produce, what a famous scholar said, “Muslim philosopher, Muslim scientist, Muslim economist, Muslim jurist, Muslim statesman, in brief, Muslim experts in all fields of knowledge who would reconstruct the social order in accordance with the tenets of Islam.”According to Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “A single scholar of religion is more formidable against shaytaan than a thou-sand devout persons.”A person without knowledge is like someone walk-ing along a track in complete darkness. Most likely his steps will wander into dangerous places and he can easily be deceived by shaytaan. This shows that our greatest danger lies in our ignorance of Islamic teachings and in being unaware of what the Qur’an teaches and of what the Prophet (peace be upon him) brought us. But if we are blessed with the light of knowledge we will be able to see plainly the clear path of Islam at every step of our lives. We shall also be able to identify and avoid the dangerous paths of Kufr, Shirk and immorality which may cross it.

Importance of education

The Friday Bulletin

Story From Page 6

INVITATION TO ALL STAKEHOLDERS

This is a reminder to Parents, well wishers and the general public that the fundraising event for WAMY High School will be held on 15th March 2009 at Tintin Restaurant Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) at 1.30 pm.The Guest of Honour will be Hajj Mahmoud Khalif (MK Ali) and Hon. Moses Wetangula Minister of Foreign AffairsCome and support this noble causeSecretaryBoard of GovernorsIn the 2008 KCSE examinations, WAMY High School recorded an impressive performance with 12 A-, 10 B+, 6 B, 8 B- and 3 C+. The mean grade was B+ (9.51)

WAMY High School

To declare Halal (lawful) and Haram (unlawful) is the right of Allah subhana wa taala alone. No Human being irrespective of their nobility, pro-fession or financial status, whether a religious leader or a certifying body, none of them can assume this right. It would be the same as as-cribing a partner to Allah and places one outside the fold of Islam.As a certifying body, Kenya Bureau of Halal Certification (KBHC) is bound by this rule and therefore, it cannot declare lawful to be unlaw-ful or vice versa. Our aim is to avail significant information to the Ummah, which will enable them make an informed choice in keeping their religious responsibility, accountability and help them to fulfill Allah’s decree.Products and establishments certified by KBHC means that they have met KBHC’s stringent cri-teria of certification. They have made full disclo-sure of all their ingredients, allowed their records to be scrutinized and given unregulated access to their premises for regular inspections. KBHC gives its approval based on inspection access and / or the required information disclosed.In trying to fulfill its responsibility and commit-ment to the Muslim consumers, KBHC makes frequent publications in various publicity media in order to create awareness on establishments that have been certified.This brings us to the big question; if companies or products are not Halal certified by KBHC, does this mean they are Haram? It should be understood that KBHC believes in a free-market system of trade as propagated in the teachings of Islam. We believe that companies and estab-lishments have a right to choose whether to be certified or not. Without the essential disclosures, and access to adequate information, it is difficult to ascertain whether a company, establishment or product is Halal or Haram. It should be clear that KBHC puts no establishment under duress or obliga-tion to provide information relevant for Halal certification. There are other companies which feel it is not necessary to acquire Halal certifica-tion. KBHC respects these companies’ choice and it is with the same gesture that we ask such companies to respect our decision when we re-ply, “Not Certified by Kenya Bureau of Ha-lal Certification”Consuming Halal and refraining from Haram is an order from Allah subhana wa taala and can-not be abandoned. A product or an item should be avoided where there is reason to doubt its Halal status. We should take direction from the hadith of beloved Prophet peace be upon him which states, “Leave that which is doubtful and partake of that which is free from any doubt”. However, in the cases where KBHC does not have any agreement or access, and bearing in mind the gravity of the Shari’ah law of making lawful to unlawful and vice versa, it gives the only possible and factual answer without expressing any opinion viz. “Not Certified by Kenya Bureau of Halal Certification” It means exactly that and should not be interpreted as HARAM.

“Not Certified by Kenya Bureau of Halal Certification" Does this mean

it is Haram?

Sudanese President, Omar Hassan Al Bashir will not appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed in Darfur. A press release issued by the Sudanese Embassy in Nairobi and made available to The Friday Bulletin said that Sudan was not member of the ICC and therefore it was not subject to the jurisdiction of the court. “There is political consensus and the Council of Ministers and Parliament have issued resolutions rejecting the jurisdiction of the ICC on Sudan. Sudan rejects the Court's decision and will not engage with it. The President of the country will continue his constitutional responsibilities and duties internally and externally”, the hard hitting statement stated. The statement said the ICC had become a political tool used by some powerful countries to serve their interests. “They want to exploit Sudan's huge resources and to sabotage the internationally-recognized economic achievements of the country”, it mentioned. The Government of Sudan pointed out that it was committed to all peace agreements it had signed to achieve peace in Darfur and further called upon rebel groups to relinquish violence and resort to peaceful means to reach a negotiated settlement. The statement also noted that Sudan has been and is still committed to cooperate with regional and international organizations, in the framework of the principle of collective responsibility, to create a world in which justice and equality prevail, and which is free of hegemony, double standards and intervention in the internal affairs of other countries. The Hague-based ICC indicted the Sudanese leader for crimes against humanity against the people of Darfur. Sudan accused the body for being biase and applying selective justice when dealing with some countries. ICC has also been accused of turning a blind eye to prosecuting the crimes which were being committed by western countries.

Sudanese president rebuffs ICC

Rabbi' ul Awwal, 16 1430/March 13 2009

many complaints [to the government]? We always want the government to do for us what is does for the Hindus. But, have we ever thought to be like them in so far as contributing towards educating their children is concerned? The Hindus normally contribute Sh20 each annually on top of the poll tax; and they do not find [the amount] to be a lot considering that it is for educating their children in,secular education only. Why can’t we be willing to pay only Sh3 per year, as we want to have our children educated in both secular and religious education? I put this proposal before you, my people, to think about it. And I pray to Allah to help us in fulfilling our goal Ameen.

The obligations of Muslims today

MAULANA ABDULLAH SHAH MEMORIAL LIBRARY

Having extra books- Islamic or other subjects-which could

benefit the community and the public? Make a Donation to Jamia Mosque Library. Contact the Librarian for

further details

JAMIA MOSQUE COMMITEECHANGE OF ADDRESS

This is to inform the general pub-lic on the change of the postal and email addresses for JAMIA MOSQUE COMMITEE Our new addresses are P. O. Box 100786 Nairobi Post Code 00101 Jamia Post OfficeTelephone number 2243504/5 Email: majlis@islamkenya.com

The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 10078600101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147 E-mail: fridaybulletin@islamkenya.com or fridaybulletin@gmail.com. Printed by Colour Magic Production Ltd-Kirinyaga Crescent P. O. Box 9581-00100 Nairobi

Vatican promotes Islamic finance in

face of global crisis The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUP-KEM) has announced new scholarship pro-grammes for undergraduate studies in the 2009-2010 academic year.The scholarships are provided by the Islamic De-velopment Bank (IDB) scholarship programmes for Muslim communities in non-member coun-tries. The scheme covers undergraduate studies in medicine, engineering, agriculture and other elated subjects. Prospective students are required to be not more than 24 years of age and holders of Kenya Cer-tificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) grade B+ and above with very god marks in English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

The applicants should be financially needy, com-mitted Muslims and should not be in possession of any other scholarship.The scholarship is provided on an interest free loan (qardh hasan) to the students to be repaid in easy installments to the IDB Education Trust-Kenya.Application forms are available at no cost from the SUPKEM head office, Islamia House along Njugu lane in Nairobi and should be returned to the council before April 15. More details can be obtained through telephone numbers 2243109/2216965, 0722760370 or writing to ncep@supkem.or.ke.

SUPKEM announces new IDB scholarship

he Vatican offered Islamic finance principles to Western banks as a solution for worldwide economic crisis.Daily Vatican newspaper, 'L'Osservatore Romano, reported that Islamic banking system may help to overcome global crisis.The Vatican said banks should look at the ethical rules of Islamic finance to restore confidence amongst their clients at a time of global economic crisis."The ethical principles on which Islamic finance is based may bring banks closer to their clients and to the true spirit which should mark every financial service," the Vati-can's official newspaper Osserva-tore Romano said in an article in its latest issue late yesterday.Author Loretta Napoleoni and Abaxbank Spa fixed income strat-egist, Claudia Segre, say in the article that "Western banks could use tools such as the Islamic bonds, known as sukuk, as col-lateral". Sukuk may be used to fund the "'car industry or the next Olympic Games in London," they said.They also said that profit share, gained from sukuk, may be an al-ternative to the interest. They un-derlined that sukuk system could help automotive sector and sup-port investments in infrastructure area.In the Islamic sukuk system, un-like the capitalist model, money is invested in concrete projects and profit share is distributed to clients instead of interest earned.Pope Benedict XVI in an Oct. 7 speech reflected on crash-ing financial markets saying that "money vanishes, it is nothing" and concluded that "the only solid reality is the word of God." The Vatican has been paying atten-tion to the global financial melt-down and ran articles in its official newspaper that criticize the free-market model for having "grown too much and badly in the past two decades."The Osservatore's editor, Gio-vanni Maria Vian, said that "the great religions have always had a common attention to the human dimension of the economy," Cor-riere della Sera reported.