Terrorism is an act of cowardice and anybody can engage in it. The blanket criticisms often leveled against the Muslims is more often than not devoid of concrete evidence.The West is always quick to rise to the occasion of attacking the east of any act of violence, and this is something unacceptable.The relationship between the West which is largely dominated by the whites, and the East which is largely dominated by Muslims and red Indians and Arabs is awash with suspicion, accusations and counter-accusations. Even as terrorism is used as a scapegoat, religious conflicts which started many centuries ago is often ignored.The situation especially the political instability in the middle east is playing a critical role is,...

Nikah is actually an excellent bounty from Allah Ta’ala. The extramarital affairs on this world, as well as, the hereafter tend to be put in order by means of marriage. There exist lots of wisdom and several advantages in marriage. An individual will save himself from sinning, and his heart can be put at ease. He doesn’t have any kind of bad objectives and his ideas never start to stroll and run away. The most effective advantage is that there are only advantages and only benefits within this. It is because a husband and wife’s relaxing with each other and engaging in a caring discussion, joking amongst each other, etc is superior to nafl salat.A wedding could be carried out by simply 2 phrases, e.g. an individual says...

Cairo Court for Urgent Matters ordered to disband the Muslim Brotherhood, which was a Non Government Organization in Egypt. Court said that, this ruling applied to the Islamist movement, its non-governmental organization and any affiliated groups. It also banned all the activities carried out by the movement.Court further ordered to seize the funds and the properties of the organization and had formed a panel to administer those frozen assets until any appeal heard.Along with this, the future of Freedom and Justice Party – the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood had become a question as the Egypt’s latest draft constitution is more favorable towards banning all religious political parties. However, It was registered...

Did you know that laughter is the one sound that has no language? Think about it, no matter where you travel, the laugh will remain, “ha ha ha” or “ho ho ho” or “he he he” Your immune system stands great chances of being stronger with a dose of laughter a day! If you are stressed, and have a dose of laughter, then your stress hormones will be lowered!Laughter has curved a niche of its own in the world, what with industries built around sitcoms, jokes, laughter and comedians, simply because humans love to laugh. A good dose of laughter makes us as humans feel good, and not only humans, it is said that animals such as cats and dogs also do laugh! Amazing, right?There are a number of comedians out there, but the focus today...

His name is Ali. His title is Asadullah (Lion of Allah), Haydar and Murtaza. His kunyat is Abul hasan and Abu turab. The name of his father is Abu Talib. He was the cousin of Muhammad (SM). He was born ten years before Rasulullah’s nobuat. His birth year was 600. The financial state of Abu talib wasn’t that stable. Abu talib was in freaky situation as his income was little, but his family was a big one. Muhammad (SM) took the responsibility of Ali Radia Allahu Anhu to help Abu Talib. Hazrat Ali was an intellectual boy. He proved his talent and honesty in every field of life.He was the first child who became Muslim. When he became Muslim, he was only 9 to 11. One day, he entered the house of Muhammad (SM) and saw Muhammad...

For the Muslim womenfolk, Hijab is considered an integral part which guides their modesty. The Muslim women consider Hijab to be an important part of their religion, and most women want to cover their heads when they go out in public. This is an easy thing to do if you are already living in an Islamic country, but if you are living somewhere abroad, following the Islamic way of life can be extremely challenging.In places like France and now Russia, the feminists and those who believe in the secular form of  government  feel that Hijab is a symbol of oppression. The feminists are of the opinion that when a woman covers herself up with Hijab, she is actually portraying a very submissive attitude. She automatically...

Offering prayers 5 times daily is one of the pillars of Islam. Over and over, in Quran the Muslims have been told to offer their prayers, regularly. It is said that when a Muslim dies and he is resurrected, he will be made to answer all that he had been doing in this world, the first thing that he will be asked about is his prayers, Namaz.It is also said that one of the major reasons why some people would be thrown in Hell because they did not offer their prayers. Namaz has been advised for our own good. We get to stand before Allah 5 times a day, praise him and thank him for all his blessings. Send peace and blessings upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW). We glorify Allah, ask him for his forgiveness. Dua is one of...

For some time, there has been a rumor regulating around America’s current President, Barack Obama, according to which it is said that he is a Muslim. He has a Kenyan father while his mother is an American.It is believed that Obama’s father, Senator Obama was a Muslim, but then some say that he had abandoned Islam before he met Obama’s mother. After that, he became a pretty skeptic person, more of an atheist. Obama’s stepfather who goes by the name of Lolo Soetoro was a Muslim, but not a very devoted one. He did not place much importance on religion.Obama’s grandfather was a Christian until he accepted Islam while he was still a young man, and then added the ‘Hussein’ to his name. Obama’s father inherited Hussein from him,...

Nikah is considered to be the first and most common form of marriage for Muslims. It is a legal contract signed before entering the marriage, and it requires acceptance of the bride and groom for each other. Many people think that engagement and Nikah are the same thing, but that is not true.Engagement is a promise to marry, and it is the time period between the proposal and marriage. According to sharia, engagement is recommended for the one who wants to get married, and Allah says that there is no sin in making a promise of marriage.Basically, engagement is a time before marriage when two people get to know each other and their compatibility with each other. Islam does not provide specific practices regarding engagement....

In September 2005, a Danish newspaper by the name of Jyllands-Posten  published 12 editorial cartoons, in which our beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was depicted. These cartoons were first retaliated against by the Muslims who lived in Denmark, but eventually the entire world came to know about these cartoons, and Muslims all over the world were enraged at this shenanigan of sorts.The newspaper, when confronted as to why they would do such a thing replied that the cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad (SAW) were basically an attempt which was made to criticize Islam and their concept of self-censorship. What happens is that in Islam, there is a tradition called ‘aniconism’ which is a practice in which one believes...

 -—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—- NEW YORK, NY (September 23, 2013) – The Islamic Circle of North America, ICNA, strongly condemns the ongoing terrorist attack on civilians in Nairobi, Kenya. The attack has left over 60 dead and many more injured....

Being a Muslim, I would naturally defend my religion, and hold it as the truest of all religions that exist in the world today. I respect all other faiths around me because that is what my religion teaches me to do. It teaches me not to make fun or ridicule any religion, its beliefs and even its followers. It teaches me not to have Imaan on Quran only, but all other religious books as well, which were sent from up above.However, if I were to compare my religion to other religions then I would obviously be giving my religion more points than I give to others. If I compare my religion to Hinduism, I feel that one cannot have too many gods and goddesses. The ultimate power can only belong to one single authority. For...

A legendary basketball player, movie star, book author, basketball assistant coach, public speaker, cultural ambassador, devoted Muslim, Kareem Abdul Al Jabber has got it all. I’m talking about an extraordinary Muslim who is certainly a pride for the nation of Islam. For all of us, Kareem Abdul Al Jabber symbolizes strength, determination, and success.He was born on April 16, 1947 (as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.) in New York City, United States of America. He was raised as a Roman catholic until he decided to embrace the religion of Islam at the age of 21. At an early age, he started to show basketball’s phenomenal skills and abilities, and what surely was a helping factor is his tallness as he is 2.17 M long. He began...

Malcolm X also known as El-Hajj Malik El- Shabazz was born on the 19th of May 1925 as Malcolm Little in a small town of Omaha, Nebraska. He was the fourth of eight children from a father who was an outspoken minister and a humble mother who was a homemaker. After the father was killed in a so-called accident, the mother suffered a mental breakdown and was sent to a mental hospital, Malcolm and his siblings were sent to different foster homes and orphanages.After going through a series of foster homes, he managed to graduate on top of his junior class, but soon dropped out after one of the teachers told him that his ambition of being a lawyer was a waste of time for a black man like him.At the age of 20, he was arrested...

The Islamic ideology is based upon its principles, and that’s what makes Islam different from other religions. Islam is said to be mostly the complete religion around the world because its comprehensiveness that makes it the largest religion that is being followed by the human beings.The Principles are understood clearly in order to have the clear picture of Islam as a religion. These principles are the base of Islamic religion. Faith is actually required in order to have a complete understanding about Islam. As far as the basic principles of Islam are concerned, the basic aspect of Islam has to be followed. To have faith that there is no one except Allah almighty is one basic principle of Islam. Life after death is one...

Islam’s all-encompassing approach to health and well-being implies that anything that is hurtful or for the most part destructive is forbidden. Therefore, Islam takes an uncompromising stand towards alcohol and forbids its utilization in either modest or extensive amounts. Alcohol is undoubtedly hurtful and antagonistically influences the brain and the biological systems. It mists the psyche, causes illness, squanders cash, and annihilates people, families, and groups. Researchers have demonstrated that there is an in-number connection between alcohol and betting. Drinking disables judgment, brings down hindrance, and heartens the sort of danger taking included in betting and unsafe exercises. God lets us know in the Quran...

 -—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—- NEW YORK, NY (September 22, 2013) – The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) strongly condemns today’s brutal attack that killed 79 individuals, and wounded more than 120 at the All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan.According to news reports, two suicide bombers detonated themselves outside the 130 year-old church while Sunday Mass attendees were exiting the building.“Our hearts are bleeding for the loss of innocent lives due to this cowardly act of violence, and we offer our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of those who were killed or wounded in today’s attack,” said Naeem Baig, President of ICNA.ICNA calls on the government of Pakistan to apprehend those responsible for this...

To the southern tip of the African continent lies the beautiful country of South Africa. This beautiful country is one true multiethnic society, what with the wide variety of languages, cultures and religions to be found. When one speaks of South Africa, two things pop to mind, much as they are intertwined, Apartheid and Nelson Mandela, but regardless of its bleak past, South Africa has risen out of the ashes to become one of the most talked about countries in Africa, especially in terms of tourism. South Africa offers a special diversity to its visitors, from the beautiful savannas, to the snow-capped mountains and deserts, in addition to nine provinces to choose from and eleven national languages inclusive of Swazi, Northern...

The holy Quran lays down the guiding principles of distribution of wealth within the society with a certain goal. It is this goal or target that governs the dynamics of Islamic approach to finance and financial executions. This is the basis of financial Governance in Islam. Financial planning has been explained various times in the holy Quran and sayings by Prophet Mohammed.The simple and primary principle is to follow the goal of equity in wealth distribution. That is why the guidelines suggest that there should be healthy bonding between an owner and his employees. It is not out of force, but the resources must be utilized in order to meet the dynamics of demand and supply, on equitable grounds. That is exactly the reason...

In Islam, unlike other socio-religious systems, laws and rulings have been specified for almost every theme, be it fasting, Taharat, praying, performing ablution or pilgrimage to the Holy House.One finds, therefore, clear and succinct rulings on the things that are included in the category of impurities i.e. Najasat. In this larger category, there are larger sub-categories concerning a specific form the impurity might take. In this essay, we deal with the rulings on urine and feces.It becomes necessary, as a point of introduction, to highlight the categories of animals:Halal Animals and birds like cows, goats, etc- whose meat can be eatenHaram Animals and birds like dog, cat, etc- whose meat cannot be consumed. This class...

Do Muslims Have Misconceptions Against the West?A lot of ink and paper has been used in the debate on how the West has misinterpreted and misconceived Islam while little attention has been paid on how the vice versa has been taking place. For an immemorial time, the two different schools of thoughts and cultures have rubbed shoulders albeit with lots of distrust and cynic tendencies.The Muslim world has characteristically fathomed many Western traits, beliefs and practices with such openness and overt proactive demeanor. This can be traced from past, recent and current civilizations throughout their contacts with the West or any other part of the world that may be considered in Islamic terms as sympathetic to the West or...

Mustafa Mahmud was a famous Egyptian scientist, as well as, an author. He was born on the 25th  of December, 1921. His place of birth is called Shibin-el-kom that is located in Minufiya province in Egypt. He got medical training, but he did not end up becoming as a doctor. In fact, he became an author and also a journalist later in life. As an author, he wrote many subjects and discussed different matters and phenomena. He was very fond of exploring new places, and thus spent a lot of time travelling from place to place.Mustafa Mahmud belonged to a middle-class family. His father worked as a secretary in the province of Al Gharbiyya. He had a great personality and a very strong character. He was a very religious man...

It started with Afghanistan, went on to Iraq, and Syria could be the next victim. What is this all about? Is it really as simple as the chaste act of war on terror? Is it really?Look at it from this perspective, the terrorists blast the World Trade Center complete with horrific threats for the future of the world, but what happens after that? They stop, they do not do anything else than to bicker on about blowing up America but they don’t. Were they really strong enough to blow two commercial planes right into the heart of US, and not noticed until they have done what they had to? Was the world’s strongest army’s defense so weak that all this happened well before they woke up from their slumber?Meanwhile, Pakistan gets...

Engagement in Islam is no more than a promise of Marriage. It does not give the fiancés any special rights over one another. This is a way in Islam to let a person know that you are interested in him or her, and willingly to marry him or her. Allah says, “And there is no sin on you if you make a hint of betrothal…”Contrary to the popular beliefs, Engagement is very different in Islam. In the Islamic Shari’a, there are no rituals or anything specific practices that come with being engaged. In Modern customs according to Christianity, you gift a ring to your future probable husband or spouse as a statement of your love for the other. This is a sin; In Islam there is no custom for exchanging rings among each other. This goes...

The teenage; a delicate phase of life and the most exciting one. This phase brings about both physical and psychological changes in a person.To raise a teenager properly, you need to exert appropriate effort, attention and patience.  Also, communication with teens includes much more than just talking. It comprises a need for parents to express their absolute love to their teen, use a regulation that works for both the teen and parents, demonstrate how to fruitfully use the world around them and more.You have to build your teenager’s self esteem and lead their teenager by supporting their preferences in activities and friends. Moreover, parents need to create a discipline plan for their teenager that is reasonable...

There is no complete religion except Islam; Islam is the source of light for every aspect of life. When an individual admits that he or she is a Muslim, then it does not mean that an individual should have only faith in Allah Almighty, but there are several other things that are to be followed.Particularly, if we talk about the importance of manners in Islam, than there are several examples that can be quoted. Prophet (PBUH) always emphasized upon the fact that an individual should have good manners that lead to good deeds. Once a man asked (PBUH): “ What is the worst sin?”, (PBUH) replied “Bad manners and miserliness”.From that example, it could be clearly seen that the life of a person does not only depend upon the faith,...

Christianity as its name suggests originated from the message brought to man by Jesus Christ. His name literally means ‘Saviour Anointed’, but what is that religion exactly? It is described as the service or commitment to God. I believe Christianity is a true religion just as Islam, Judaism that is practiced with the same purpose are.I would describe Christianity as an offshoot of Judaism, that is somewhat related to Islam. Islam and Judaism contain striking similarities that are found in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. History has shown that the three share identical roots because the common factor is Abraham and his offspring moving forward. The God of Abraham is Allah to the Muslims, and the same God to Christians.In...

A lot has been written and said about how the west misconceives Muslims, but I dare ask, do the Muslims have the right conception of the West. Sadly, the misconception is a two way traffic whereby the Muslims largely misconceives the west just like the west has misconceives Islam. The divide between Islam and the west is a product of misconception. While Muslims have often been quick to point that the West has hatred for Islam and rarely appreciates the religion, they fail to realize that they are victims of the misconception they claim to suffer. What are the leading areas that Muslims misconceive the West?Does the west hate Islam?Sadly, many Muslims have been trained to believe that the West have hatred for the Muslims....

A former Afghan Taliban named Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was recently released by Pakistan. This step was taken as a measure to establish peace between the two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.Afghanistan along with the United States had been pressurizing Islamabad to let go of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar because they felt that by doing so, the Taliban leaders might be up for negotiation. Though Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been released, but to which part of the world he would be sent to, it still remains unconfirmed. Rumors are that he may probably be sent to Saudi Arabia or Turkey.People in Kabul were hoping that Baradar would be handed over to Afghanistan directly, but Sartaj Aziz who is a government adviser said...

 -—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—- NEW YORK, NY (September 20, 2013) – The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) today welcomed the release of a comprehensive report on Islamophobia by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). The report...