By Sajid Iqbal

What can be said about a man who has been called many things? He is known as a role model to Muslims. A religious fanatic. A father for black power. A menace to society. An inspirational leader and a legend.

Malcolm X was born in America in 1925, during a time when race relationships were strained. His mother was a housewife and his father was a Baptist Minister who was killed in a fire at a young age(Read More and comment)

Sami Yusuf, largely unknown to the Western world, is dubbed “Islam’s Biggest Rock Star” by Time magazine.

He was born in Tehran but grew up in London in a family of musicians and started composing music at a very young age. He later studied classical oriental music in London, alongside renowned composers and musicians including composers from the Royal Academy of Music in London, which is one of the world’s most prestigious music institutions. He has also studied Islam and Arabic from Al-Azhar University in Egypt and is able to sing in Urdu, Arabic, English, Turkish and Persian. (Read More and comment)

After the Jean Charles de Menezes shooting and the raids in Forest Gate relations between the Police and the Muslim community have been under the spotlight. Sajid Iqbal, Editor of The Revival, met up with Sergeant Yusuf Dar from the Greater Manchester Police who is the current Chair of the Greater Manchester Muslim Police Association, to discuss the crucial issues facing the Muslim community.

What would you say is the role of the Police? As the view of many people is that “They don’t do anything!”

Sergeant Yusuf Dar: The role of the Police is simply to protect life and property, preserve the peace, prevent and detect crime and prosecute offenders. This is done with the consensus of people. (Read More…)

Hamza Yusuf was born in Washington State and grew up in Northern California, where he lives with his wife and five children. He converted to Islam in 1977 and spent 10 years studying Islam in the Middle East where he followed a more classic interpretation of the religion. After the attacks of 9/11, Yusuf emerged as a respected Islamic scholar, advising both the White House and the Arab League.

In recent years, he has focused his teachings on bridging the widening gap between the West and the Muslim world. In this interview, he talks about “tyranny” and “incompetence” on both sides and offers his prescription for creating more common ground. This is an edited transcript of an interview that took place in September 2006

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Sheikh Muhammad Yaqoubi descends from a scholarly family whose lineage goes back to the Prophet, salla Allahu ‘alayhi sallam, through his grandson Sayyiduna al-Hasan, radiya Allahu ‘anhu. Shaykh Muhammad was born in Damascus on the 13th of DhulHijja in 1382 H. As a little boy, he crawled in the Grand Omayyad Mosque and the Darwishiyya Mosque, where his father was an instructor for 40 years, and sat in the laps of some of the greatest scholars. Since he was four-years-old, Shaykh Muhammad accompanied his father in all of his visits, gatherings, and classes, both public and private, as well as at home and outside. His father took care of him and was both his teacher and spiritual master. (more…)

By Shah Siddiki

The Revival talks to Danny Williams about life as a Muslim, his boxing career and his future plans.

Big, powerful and fearless can be three words to describe the current British Boxing heavyweight champion. After knocking out the likes of Iron Mike, Audley Harrison and most recently Matt Skelton, Danny Williams visited Queen Mary’s University in East London to discuss Islam and life outside the ring. The talk, hosted at the Mason lecture theatre, turned out to be quite an audience as the big man sat himself down with his title belts gleaming in front of them. (Read More…)

Hello everybody. Long-time, no see. Many turkeys have managed to escape our grasp in the past few months. Its not really our fault, as we only nominate one person/group per issue. We can’t then therefore, berate everyone for their stupidity.

Lets see what we have had recently, shall we? We have the infamous caricatures insulting every single Muslim that were printed in a Danish paper. Then we have the Danish PM who refused to even acknowledge that there was a problem. That is until the economy was blind sided by the Q & A With Shaykh Salim Giza!sanctions’ imposed by ordinary Muslims who refused to buy Danish products.

If you can’t rely on the Muslim leadership, you can rely on the Muslim people. Or not; as demonstrated by the prats who dressed up as suicide bombers to protest the caricatures. And then there were the other European newspapers who decided to reprint the pictures Q & A With Shaykh Salim Giza!for solidarity and freedom of speech’ when all they wanted to do was offend Muslims. (Read More…)

Noman Ibn Thabit Azzuti; Imam Abu Hanifa, known to the Muslim world as Imam Al Azam (the Greatest Imam) was born in Kufa, an intellectual centre in Iraq in 80 AH, 69 years after the demise of the Holy Prophet (saw). He travelled extensively and was of a Persian origin.

Personality/Household

He had a very commanding, forceful, authoritative personality. Whenever he entered a room everyone automatically knew that he was someone important. He was medium built, dark skinned, tall and had a long beard. Like Imam Malik he was also well dressed and wore a lot of perfume. His student once remarked that they knew if Imam Hanifa had passed by because of the fragrance he left behind. (more…)

Imam Abu Hanifa had thousands of students. Imam Abu Yusuf, Imam Muhummad and Sayidina Ibn Mubarak were the most famous students of Imam Hanifa. (more…)

Family Background

Imam Malik Ibn Abas (179-179) was born in Madina 93AH. He was born in the same year in which Muhammad Bin Qasim brought Islam to Karachi. His father was a great Muhadis, from whom he narrated some hadiths in his great book titled “Al-Muwatta”.

Imam Malik’s father was paralysed, yet his disability did not prevent him from working in an arrow making factory in Madina. His brother Al Nadhar was also a great scholar, and Imam Malik was initially known as the “brother of Al Nadhar”. Imam Malik was born in Madinah, studied in Madinah, taught in Madina and died in Madina. (more…)

Rabiyahr Ra’i

Rabiyahr Ra’i was the first teacher of Imam Malik, from whom he learned extreme love and respect for the Holy Prophet (saw). Once another teacher of Imam Malik asked Rabiyahr Ra’i a question and Rabiyahr Ra’i gave the wrong answer.

That teacher then asked Imam Malik (who knew the correct answer) Imam Malik told him “My teacher has given the answer”. Such was the respect and love that Imam Malik held for his teachers that he never spoke ill of them to their face or behind their back. (more…)

When Islam faced a massive attack from Crusader Europe, one man united the Muslims and led them to victory over the enemy. Salahuddin Ayubi rescued Jerusalem from the Crusaders and fought off one of the most menacing enemies that Muslims have ever faced. (more…)

Khalid bin Waleed (r.a.) was one of the greatest generals EVER! Before he converted to Islam he fought against Muslims. But after becoming Muslim he fought courageously and spread Islam to Iraq and Syria.

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In the plethora of articles about the motives of Osama bin Laden, little mention has been made of the leading ideologist of the modern Islamist movement, Sayyid Qutb (1903-1966).

Most of the radical Islamist movements which have been waging wars against governments deemed to be too secular or pro-Western are beholden to the Egyptian scholar’s ideas. Crucial to his thinking was the new meaning he gave to the word jahiliya or “ignorance”. (more…)

By Sajid Iqbal. Editor, The Revival

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and has an estimated 1.6 billion followers throughout the globe. But who are the faces and personalities behind these converts to Islam? Khadija, wife of Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace), was the first to convert to Islam. Some of the more well-known converts to Islam from more recent times are the following: (more…)

May the Mercy of Allah be upon him

His Life and Sayings about him

After the Sahabah, Imam al-Bukhari ranks as the most eminent of those pious people who have conferred endless bliss upon the Ummah of the Holy Prophet Sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam. (more…)