To get the best out of this Ramadan, The Revival has put together a list of actions that you can perform in order to gain much reward and achieve the purpose of fasting which is to obtain Taqwa (fear of Allah). So, don’t let this Ramadan come and go without changing into a practising and spiritually strong person and finally turning your back away from your dodgy deeds and living as a part time Muslim.
Let me ask you something. What’s the biggest achievement in your life? May be passing your exams or doing a sky dive or getting a six figure job? Then again it could be climbing Mount Everest or even giving blood or adopting or sponsoring an orphan. It could be setting up a group/company or doing charity work/voluntary work or giving up drugs/alcohol.
So what’s yours?
Now let me ask you something else. What in your opinion is the most important cause, charity or project today? It could be fighting cancer or fighting poverty or fighting sexual abuse. Then again it could be tackling drugs/alcohol abuse or tackling anti-social behaviour or defeating the EDL/BNP.
Again, what’s important to you?
Have you ever noticed that all the books on science and technology somehow only seem to be filled with discoveries and inventions from the likes of Aristotle, Archimedes, Da Vinci and Thomas Edison... but what about all the Muslims? Where are all our discoveries?
A period of a thousand years exists between these thinkers and when great Muslim men and women expressed their religiosity through contributions made to society and the sciences. So what were these contributions? And how many of these are used today?
‘Diary of a Bad Man’ is an Internet phenomenon which has over 2 million hits on YouTube and has divided the Muslim community. He’s either in touch with the ‘yoof’ and talking about ‘their’ issues as a young, British Asian Muslim or he’s insulting Islam and Muslims and uses un-Islamic methods to portray his message.
The Revival has asked two of his followers to give their arguments regarding Diary of a Bad Man.
Diary of a very Bad Man By Samuel Iqbal
Promoting the ‘gangsta’ image, ladies not covered in accordance to the Shariah, loud, obnoxious and HARAAM music and showing Muslim parents in an ignorant and violent light. Is all this justified in pursuit of a pseudo-celebrity status?
IS IT A BAD INFLUENCE ON THE MUSLIM YOUTH AND SHOULD THEY BE ENCOURAGED TO AVOID IT?
We live in a Facebook generation where using social networking sites is an everyday necessity! Some say it’s a fantastic tool to communicate, interact and learn whilst others argue it’s nothing but a dating platform where the youth can go astray and simply waste their time.
Shazad Rehman and Abid Iqbal argue NO there is nothing wrong with Facebook; it’s how you use it. Adam Patel and Suhail Jamil argue YES and state why Facebook has more negatives than positives and therefore should be avoided altogether.
Do young Muslims today like to mix and integrate with non-Muslims at college/uni, work and especially in their everyday life? Do young Muslims actually have close friends who are non-Muslims? Or do they prefer segregation? Do Muslims believe that non-Muslims don’t want to mix with them? Or do they have the view that most non-Muslims are racist/Islamophobic?
The Revival spoke to young Muslims across the UK to hear their views:
Mohib Ali, 25, High Wycombe
Do Muslims integrate with non-Muslims? Probably not as much as they should- apart from the ones who like to go for a good drink once in a while and can't really do that with Muslims!
Issues 19 launched in summer 2012, Ramadan 1433.
In part 1 I chronicled the first half of my journey. Now read on for the rest.
After a short interlude to drop our bags off at the hotel and decipher the a/c controls, we hurried along the crowded streets to the holiest site in Islam. When I try to remember it, the whole experience feels like a vivid dream.
Excitement had returned to my party, and brought with it shortness of breath and a slight tightening of the throat. We were all grinning like idiots, and were doing all we could to stop ourselves pushing and running towards our ultimate target.
Eid Mubarak to all our readers new and old.
Inshallah this blessed month of Ramadan has passed by bringing all its benefits to all of us.
Now the question is, how much can we retain for the rest of the year?
Eid Mubarak from The Revival.
PS The Revival Magazine issue 18 was launched in Ramadan. This is a web only issue which can only be read from the website.
We've all heard of Somalia and most of us will also have heard about the occasional pirate ship hijacking that happens off its coast. Everyone is also united in condemning the pirates for their piracy. Yes people, there are people off the coast of somalia, the pirates hijack the oil tankers and more, but is that the whole of it or is there more to it all?
Why are there are pirates in Somalia? What makes it the type of place where piracy can before rife?
Somalia is a place that has been without a functioning government for the best part of 20 years now and has been locked into almost constant conflict and violence between communities that live there.
