Wednesday 23 November 2011

The recent course I was attending is now completed. Allhumdulliah it was of great benefit. I'll be writing up a summery in a later entry Insha'Allah.

Here's some links to texts which where referred to during the course for now.


Shaykh Sayf ibn Ali al-Asri's work on Tafweedh (Arabic):

Shaykh Abul Hasan's article on Allah's Kursi meaning His Knowledge, which hasn't been responded to in over 3 years (English):


Muhammad ibn Alawi al-Maliki al-Makki's work on benefitting the deceased in 2 parts (English):


Friday 18 November 2011


click here for source website

Please pass onto any who may be interested.  The open days are designed to welcome people not of the Muslim faith into the Masjid see how they operate. In these days of fear mongering. We must all try and understand each other. Even if we don't agree.

PS. Let me know if any churches, temples, synagogues are holding open days in the east end. I'd love to visit.

Thursday 10 November 2011

London Markaz aka Masjid Ilyas aka Mega Mousque

Been ages since I last visited a Thursday night gathering. I must say it felt good. Talks at any Markaz keep it simple. They don't go in to politics, or fiqh issues and keep it on Iman, Salaat and dawa work.

Reminders are good for those who give them and those who listen to them.

Friday 4 November 2011

Dawa stalls

Just finished work and making my way to a spot of grappling and I see a dawa stall at the main entrance to Stratford shopping centre (McDonalds side, and not station side). I stop and greet the brothers and ask them how their day's been. We start talking, and about how the PCO's, then plain cloths police had moved them away from the Stratford station entrance, and that they are pitched in Brixton every Sunday (I think) and I'm asked to watch the stall while they offer Magrib Salaat.

Nobody really stopped to talk, but one very big guy looked at the material on the stall and swore under his breath and continued his journey. I didn't react fast enough. I genuinely wanted to understand why is was soo angry / offended.

After the three stall brothers finished magrib, they told me to just find three others and set my own stall up. I questioned further and that was about it, find three other brothers and just do it. I asked if I could first shadow them at their table for a few Sundays before setting up my own shop. They informed me about a stall near Forest Gate Majid. They mentioned that they had a different style (now I am intrigued). Every Sunday after dhur.

It is something I would love to do. Insha'Allah I will have to make time for such a reward earning activity.

Wednesday 2 November 2011

In Pursuit of Happiness

As part of my life redesign I'm currently studying the works of the great Sufi Imam Al-Ghazali.

I watched a documentary about his life (The Alchemy of Happiness) and also Hamza Yusuf's thoughts on his life - (playlist here)

I've ordered the book Alchemy of Happiness (Forgotten Book) by Al-Ghazali and eagerly await it's arrival.


'Abu Hamid al-Ghazali is one of the great Muslim jurist, theologian and mystics of the Muslim world. He lived in the 12th Century. He was a polymath who wrote on a wide range of topics including jurisprudence, theology, mysticism and philosophy. In the west he is famous for his devastating attack on philosophy specifically metaphysics in his tahfut al-falasifa, Incoherence of the philosophers. He is also the author of the famed ihya' `ulum al-din (Revival of Religious Sciences) a book that combined mysticism with practical everyday life actions by emphasizing the underlying psychology of daily life practices and its ramification on life in this world and the hereafter. AKA: al-Ghazzali , Algazel (450-505 AH/1058-1111 AD)'