Islamic Focus

Issue 112 Igniting the Spirit of Islam Apr 2013 Bukhara Publications/Tel: 078 672 7797/Fax: 086 651 2125 Email: islamicfocus@gmail.com/Korsten/Port Elizabeth

PRAYING FOR

PROTECTION "No one asks Allah for Para-dise three times, but Para-dise will say, "O Allah admit him to Paradise". And no Muslim asks Allah for pro-tection from Hell three times, but Hell will say, ‘O Allah save him from me.’" (Ibn Majah) ”O our Lord! turn away from us the punishment of Hell ,surely the punishment thereof is a lasting. Surely it is an evil abode and (evil) place to stay.” (Quran 25:65-66)

CHARITY

"Protect yourself from (Hell) Fire, by giving of half of a date (in charity)." (Bukhari)

The fire of Hell is intense and the agony of being in Hell for eternity is indescrib-able. Here are some simple prescriptions to save oneself from the fire of Hell:

BELIEF IN ALLAH

As it is disbelief in Allah that will condemn a person to eternal Hell, the way to be saved from Hell is through firm faith in Allah and doing good deeds. Muslims pray to their Lord with faith to save them from the Fire of Hell: "Those who say, "Our Lord! We have indeed believed, forgive us then, our sins and save us from the agony of the Fire". (Quran 3:16)

LOVE OF ALLAH

"By Allah, Allah will never throw one whom He loves i n t o t h e F i r e ( o f Hell)." (Mustadrak)

FASTING

Fasting is also a source of protection from the Fire of Hell. "Fasting is a shield with which one may protect one-self from the Fire (of Hell)". (Baihaqi)

FEAR OF ALLAH "But for him who fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two gar-dens.” (Quraan 55:46) "No one who weeps out of fear of Allah will enter Hell until the milk goes back into the breast, and a man will never have both the dust from fighting in the way of Allah and the smoke of Hell". (Mishkaat, 2:356) FIGHTING FOR ALLAH

"No two feet that get dusty for the sake of Allah will meet in the Fire of Hell". (Mishkaat, 2:349)

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WORLD

NEWS

SYRIA - Islamist rebels seized bases belonging to

the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA). Fight-

ers from the Islamic Front, a new alliance of major

liberation groups, took control of the bases at the

Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey. Last

month, seven leading rebel groups formed the larg-

est alliance yet in the 33-month conflict, with 45,000

fighters. The Islamic Front aims to topple President

Bashar al-Assad's government and build an Islamic

state. (BBC, 11 Dec)

MALI - The French army killed 19 fighters in a clash

with Islamists. France still has 3,000 soldiers in Mali,

after intervening in January to oust Islamists who

had occupied the north of the country. Pockets of

Islamist fighters still remain and have stepped up

their operations in recent months. (BBC, 11 Dec)

EGYPT - The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Mo-

hammed Badie has appeared in court for the first

time since his arrest in August. He was seized along

with other Brotherhood figures after the army oust-

ed President Mohammed Morsi in July. Hundreds of

Egyptians were killed by the army in clashes follow-

ing the ousting. Badie’s son Ammar was killed in the

protests. As Egyptian coup leaders increasingly crack

down on protesters, students at Al Azhar university

in Cairo clashed with security forces after a second

day of demonstrations. Police fired tear gas at pro-

testers in and around Al-Azhar University. (BBC, 9

Dec)

BANGLADESH - Islamist leader and opposition poli-

tician, Abdul Kader Mullah, was executed by the

government. He was convicted of ‘crimes’ from

1971. The senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party

denies the charges. The courts are set up by the

Bangladesh government to crack down on Islamists

and have been denounced by human rights groups.

(BBC, 13 Dec)

EAST TURKESTAN - Chinese police shoot dead 14

people in Chinese-occupied Muslim East Turkestan

(Xinjiang). East Turkestan is home to the Muslim

Uighurs and sees sporadic clashes. (BBC, 16 Dec)

PALESTINE - An Israeli soldier was killed by a Leb-

anese army sniper from across the border. The snip-

er fired 10 shots, hitting the Israeli in his vehicle.

(BBC, 16 Dec) Israel hypocritically protested this

'breach of sovereignty' while continuously in breach

of every other country's sovereignty.

SYRIA - Syrian government aircraft dropped barrels

laden with explosives on areas under Mujahideen

control in Aleppo, killing 22 people, 14 of them chil-

dren. A school was hit in the latest attack. (BBC, 15

Dec)

PALESTINE - 5,000 people in Gaza evacuated from

their homes because of severe floods caused by tor-

rential rain. Rescuers had to use rowing boats to

reach residents trapped by rising floodwaters. UN

officials have described northern Gaza Strip as a dis-

aster area. Thousands of Gazans are staying in tem-

porary shelters. Gaza is suffering fuel shortages

caused by Egyptian coup army leaders and Israeli

blockades which are causing power cuts. (BBC, 14

Dec) �

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3 Islamic Focus

SOCIA

L / HISTO

RY

Have you had a meaningful conversation with your child? Do you know what your child ac-complished today, how he may be feeling, whether or not he has any concerns? The Prophet � said, "Whoever cuts family will not enter Paradise." (Bukhari) A major component of our family ties is com-munication. Some tips to strengthen those bonds: 1. Active Listening. The most important as-pect of effective communication is listening. The Prophet � always gave his full attention to anyone that he conversed with. 2. Level of Understanding. Parents should always keep in mind the age and level of un-derstanding of their child and should speak with him accordingly. The Prophet � said: "Speak to the people keeping in view their level of understanding. Would you like to see them think of what you tell them from Allah and His Messenger as lies?" (Bukhari) 3. The Manners of a Believer. "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. He does not wrong him, nor insult him nor humiliate him." (Muslim) Also, "The thing which will make the majority of people enter Paradise is fear of Allah and good manners." (Tirmidhi) These principles should be applied in conver-sations with children and teenagers as well as adults.

Brief outline of the development and spread of mankind on earth: The first children to be born to Aadam � were a set of twins (one male and one female). The male was Qaabeel and the female was Qaleemah. Thereafter sets of twins were born in rapid succession by the per-mission and power of Allah Ta’ala. Aadam � had a total of 20 sets of twins, each set having a male and a female. The last of them was Ab-dul Mugheeth and his sister Ummul Mugheeth. The second son of Aadam � was Haabeel and the third son was Sheeth �. By the time Aadam � died there were 400,000 people on earth. The sons and daughters of Aadam � were blessed with numerous children and each family reproduced in quick succession. Aadam �’s age was approximately 1,000 years. In order to start the process of procreation, Allah Ta’ala, in the beginning permitted mar-riage between the sons and daughters of Aadam �. However, in that first system of marriage, the female and male of the same set of twins could not marry each other. The male of one set of twins married the female of an-other set of twins. After a while when a suffi-cient number of families was established, Allah Ta’ala prohibited this system of marriage. When Nooh � embarked on the ship during the great flood, there were about 70 people on board. Among these persons were the three sons of Nooh �. Saam was the progenitor of the Arab or Semitic race; Haam was the father of the African race and Yaafith was the Father of the Greeks. These sons spread out into dif-ferent parts of the world. Each of these sons had three sons who also spread out.

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The Muslim state in the form of the Ottoman Empire protected the rights of animals. This was based on the teachings of the Quran and Hadith. Here are some examples of animal welfare centuries before the West: � Foundations to protect and cultivate ani-

mals and trees were established. � Cat hospitals were opened in Usküdar and

Dolmabahçe. � To enable birds to drink water safely and

easily, water bowls were put on the high walls in mosques.

� During the reign of Sultan Mehmet it was mandatory to place in the new construc-tions water bowls and drinking basins to en-able birds to drink water safely and easily.

� It was a law that near mosques an area would be spared to provide care for the cats and dogs and cats would be fed each new day with liver and clean water.

� In freezing winter months, in order to keep wild animals on the hills, prairies and woods alive, fresh meat, plants, salt, bird food and hays were left in their natural habitats.

� It was strictly forbidden to hunt the off-spring of game animals or animals at the stage of pregnancy or breeding.

� The Ottomans built refined shelters for ani-mals equal to the beauty of houses. The best examples are decorated bird palaces.

� During the time of migration it was forbid-den to hunt birds.

� In 1550, a decree was passed to ban load-ing of animals with extreme weights.

� In 1600 it became unlawful to kill animals of which meat was not edible. (contrast this with the Western craze for hunting).

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WORSHIP / SOCIA

L

Numerous Hadeeth and Quranic verses men-

tion the excellence of night prayer (Tahajjud/Qiyamul Layl) and the merit of those who per-

form it regularly.

“You should pray night prayer, for it is the habit of the pious people who came before you, and it will bring you closer to your Lord, wipe out bad deeds, prevent sin, and expel disease from the body.” [Tirmidhi] Three tips to help you get up for the night prayer in the last third of the night before Fajr: 1. Sincerity This is the key to Allah’s Help which is needed to achieve success in all our affairs. Allah helps those who are sincere in their hearts. “If you are truthful with Allah, then Allah will de-liver to you what you wish for.” [Nasaai] One should have a sincere intention to pray the night prayer. 2. Knowing the Virtues

Knowing the virtues and rewards of perform-ing worship produces willingness and desire to perform the worship. 3. Taking a Nap in the Day

Taking a nap before or after Zuhr salah will dismiss stress and thus enable one to get up in the night and stand in front of his Lord. “Take a nap, for the devils do not take naps.” [Tabaranee]

From: Al Huda Institute, Canada

5 Islamic Focus

QUESTIO

NS &

ANSWERS

Q: What is the ruling on

praying the supererogato-ry prayers that are related

to the obligatory prayers

while travelling?

A: In Rawdah 1:338, Imam Nawawi mentioned that it is recommended for one to pray the rawatib [supererogatory prayers be-fore and after the obligatory prayers] while traveling. In al-Bayan 2:285, Imrani mentioned that it is related from Ibn Umar and Ali ibn al-Husayn radhiallahu anhum that they would not perform supererogatory prayers be-fore and after the obligatory prayers while traveling. And he further mentioned that Umar, Ali and Ibn Masood radhiallahu anhum would do so. In Sharh Sahih Muslim 5:198, Imam Nawawi related an agreement of all scholars on performing general super-erogatory prayers on a jour-ney being permissible. And that the scholars differed on performing the rawatib while on a journey. Q: Is it permissible to of-fer salah while seated on

the vehicle even if the

journey distance is more than where it becomes

permissible to do qasar

(shorten Salaah)?

A: The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam would per-form supererogatory prayers in whichever way his camel was headed. (Muslim 5:933)Thus, performing supererog-atory prayers while seated in a vehicle is permissible. And, according to the Shafis, it is permissible on a long or short journey. However, one

may not perform the pre-scribed prayers seated in a vehicle. Imam Nawawi stated that in a case where undue hardship would be found by getting off from one’s con-veyance for prayer, then one may offer the prayer to the best of one’s ability. Later, it must be made up, as it is an extraordinary difficulty. (Sharh Sahih Muslim 5: 934-35) Q: Is it permissible to eat

monkey meat? A: The famous animal that is called a monkey (nasnas) is a type of ape, and it is thus unlawful to eat it. (Hashiyat al-Sharqawi, 2:462) Answer by Sheikh Amjad Rasheed

Q: In a previous answer,

Sheikh Amjad mentioned that eating aquatic ani-

mals (meaning those that

do not live outside of wa-

ter) is permissible. He al-so mentioned that it is not

permissible to eat crab.

What, then, is the ruling on eating crab that lives

only in water, as is the

case with many crabs that are eaten?

A: As Sheikh Amjad men-tioned, animals that are en-tirely aquatic are permissible to eat (this means whether crabs, lobsters, prawns, sharks, or anything else), ex-cept those that are poison-ous (or harmful). The imper-missibility to which Sheikh Amjad's answer is referring is regarding crabs that do live outside of water (for ex-ample, shore crabs and land crabs), as is understood by the word saratan in the Ara-bic.

As for other crustaceans that live only in water, no Shafi scholar says that they are forbidden. Q: Is it permissible for a Muslim to give a gift of

unslaughtered (haram)

meat to a non-Muslim? A: It would appear that it is not permissible, based on what our imams have relied upon; that non-Muslims are accountable for details of Is-lamic law. They have men-tioned in the chapter of fast-ing, that it is haram to give food to a non-Muslim during the day of Ramadan, be-cause they are responsible for details of Islamic law, and giving one food in that case would be assisting him in disobedience. Q: I heard that it is per-missible to eat fox in the

Shafi school. Is this cor-

rect even though it has fangs?

A: Yes, it is permissible in our school to eat fox, as Imam Shafi wrote in Umm, in many places. This is the reliable position of our school as it says in Minhaj, and others, in the chapter of foods. It says in Majmu: In our school, fox is a game (hunted) animal, it is eaten and it is haram for one in ih-ram to kill it. The proof for its permissibility is that it is a well-disposed animal, and its fangs are weak, they aren’t strong and it doesn’t use them to attack people. So, analogy was used based on the hyena, whose permissi-bility is established, as Ibn Hajar said in the Tuhfa. � Answer by Shafii Fiqh Department

SHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & ASHAFI Q & A From various Ulama

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HANAFI Q & AHANAFI Q & AHANAFI Q & AHANAFI Q & A From various Ulama

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QUESTIONS &

ANSWERS

Q: Can a good Muslim

learn an "art" such as classical Indian dancing in

order to stay healthy and

learn physical discipline?

A: It is permitted to do things that do not entail the impermissible or reprehensi-ble. If the art one seeks to pursue is such, then it is per-mitted. Otherwise, it would be disliked or impermissible, depending on what it in-cludes. Classical Indian dancing would normally entail several impermissible matters, in-cluding impermissible instru-mental music, and reprehen-sible imitation, and would thus not be permitted. Q: Is it permissible to use

pepper spray to defend

oneself? A: As far as using pepper spray for defence against hu-mans, if one fears for one’s life or wealth, one must en-deavour to protect one’s self or one’s wealth even by car-rying self-defence weapons. However, one should not car-ry weapons that are illegal. Q: If a woman passes

away with nail polish on

will she be sinful? I have been told many times that

nail polish cannot be re-

moved after death. How-

ever we now have nail polish remover, so is that

still the case?

A: If a deceased woman has nail polish on her nails, it should be removed before bathing her.

Q: Before this world I

have heard that there was

a world of souls where all

the souls were gathered

and they were asked who their Lord was and all of

them said Allah. With the

passage of time one by

one all of them come to this world.

Are new souls being pre-pared who missed that

gathering before the start

of the world?

If not then does that

mean every soul that has

been made will come in this in all the cases, no-

body can stop it? So

there is no benefit in fam-ily planning?

A: “When your Rabb (Lord) extracted from the backs of the children of Aadam and called them to witness over themselves saying, “Am I not your Rabb?” They replied, “Certainly! We testify to it.” So that they do not on the day of Qiyaamh, “indeed we were unaware of this.” (Quran 7:172) The above verse is clear that Allah Ta’ala took a submis-sion from every soul in the world of souls which was to come in this world. Every single soul that was present there will definitely come into existence in this world. That is the taqdeer (predestination) of Allah Ta’ala. Indeed, the ultimate outcome of family planning is also from taqdeer. Family planning cannot change taqdeer. “For every soul that is to be born up to the Day of Qiyamah shall be born.” (Hadith)

Q: My husband is in an-other country for many

years. He is staying with-

out a visa there so I will

also not be able to get a visa. He doesn't want to

come here and I can't go

there. So I want to give khula (apply for dissolu-

tion of the marriage) to

him and want to marry again. Is it possible?

A: If your husband does not want to physically live with you where you are living and he cannot bring you over to the country where he is, then there will be violations of some fundamental aspects of marriage. If you cannot en-dure this and wish to remar-ry, you may request your lo-cal Ulama body to annul your marriage. The Ulama will follow the Islamic laws of Faskh an-Nikāh (Annulment of marriage) in considering your application. Q: Where should the

Muazzin stand to say the second Azaan for Juma?

A: The second Azaan on Fri-day is given in front of the Imaam while the Imaam is seated on the mimbar. Q: If husband says to wife that if you go out alone

then I will divorce you

and if the wife goes out

alone does divorce take place?

A: The husband’s statement “I will divorce you” consti-tutes a promise to divorce in the future. It does not con-stitute immediate divorce. �

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I once went to a circus and saw a huge ele-phant tied to a small pole with a rope, just standing there. So I wondered why is the ele-phant so obedient and doesn’t break away from the stick with all of its enormous strength and mass. The trainer told me this story: once when the elephant was very young, it was tied to the pole the same way. Naturally, it didn’t like that and tried to escape, but try as it might, the rope and the pole were too strong for it. So the elephant eventually gave up. Later on, when it was older, the elephant still believed it could not escape from the rope, and remained standing in the same place, de-spite the fact it could then easily escape. Now, we humans often have various tasks that we tried to do when we were younger and failed, and still believe that we are unable to do. But as opposed to the elephant, we have enough intelligence and insight to know better than to believe we are still unable to perform these tasks. So if you have something that you fear to do because you failed once, now is the time to know better than the elephant, and realise that you may now be capable of doing it. �

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SOCIA

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RY

Hong-Wu was Emperor of China 1368–1398 CE. He was first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Despite being a non-Muslim, Hong-Wu ordered the construction of several mosques. He had around 10 Muslim generals in his army. He wrote a eulogy praising the Prophet � which he had placed in the mosques he built. The Eulogy: Since the creation of the Universe, God had decreed to appoint, This great faith-preaching man, From the West he was born, He received the Holy Scripture, A Book of thirty parts, To guide all creation, Master of all Rulers, Leader of Holy Ones, With Support from Above, To Protect His Nation, With five daily prayers, Silently hoping for peace, His heart towards Allah, Empowering the poor, Saving them from calamity, Seeing through the darkness, Pulling souls and spirits, Away from all wrongdoings, A Mercy to the Worlds, Traversing the ancient majestic path, Vanquishing away all evil, His Religion Pure and True, Muhammad �, The Noble and Great one. The original eulogy is in the form of a poem, each verse containing 4 words and 4 sylla-bles. This translation is literal which conveys the full meaning in flowing English.

Balaibalan (Bâleybelen) is a constructed lan-guage that probably originated from the 14th century mystic Fadhlullah from Asterabad in Iran or else his followers in the 15th century. The language is also known as Balibilen and Bala-i-Balan. The only known copy of the Bâleybelen-dictionary is to be found in the Na-tional Library of France in Paris. Bâleybelen is a posteriori constructed lan-guage. The vocabulary is borrowed from Per-sian, Turkish and Arabic, while the grammar is like Turkish. The language was written with the Ottoman variant of the Arabic alphabet. The creator was the mystic Muhyî-i Gülşenî, born in Edir-ne, Turkey to a family originally from Shiraz, Iran. A member of the Gülşenî sufi order in Cairo, Mehmed Muhyî-i was helped in the cre-ation of Bâleybelen by several other Gülşenî figures. Bâleybelen was probably designed as a poetic language for religious reasons. Bâleybelen may also have been a secret lan-guage which was only known by an inner cir-cle. Bâleybelen is the only well-documented early constructed language that is not of European origin, and it is independent of the fashion for language construction that occurred in the Re-naissance. The existence of Bâleybelen shows that constructed languages are neither a mod-ern nor an exclusively western phenomenon. An interesting example of Muslim influence.

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BIO

GRAPHY / TW

ITTER

In light of the increasing usage of social me-

dia, we bring you Twitter accounts of interest

to Muslims. Not all content might be fully Is-

lamic-compliant:

Muslim Heritage @MuslimHeritage: Look-ing at the world from an historic perspective | Tweeting History, Heritage, Culture Green Deen ZA @MSA_GreenDeen: Cam-paigning for environmental awareness | Islam-ic take on matters. @MSA_Union initiative Halaal Food Review @HalaalFoodRevue: Fresh look at the Halaal Food Scene in Port Elizabeth Muslim Museum UK @MuslimMuseumUK: Uncover the 1400 year relationship between Britain and Islam and explore the shared his-tory & heritage. Endeavouring to establish the first Muslim Museum in the UK. MuslimVillage.com @muslimvillage: Is-lam, News, Opinion, Lifestyle, Videos, Events from the world DarulUloom AbuBakr @AbuBakrUloomPE: Darul Uloom Abu Bakr, Port Elizabeth Council of Ulama EC @UlamaCouncilEC: Eastern Cape MTQ @mtq_pmb: Madrasah Tarteelul Quran is an Institute in Pietermaritzburg dedicated to the service of the noble Quran. �

Follow us on @IslamicFocus

Nene Hatun (Born 1857, Died 1955) was a Turkish heroine who led mainly women citi-zens to reclaim Erzurum from the Russians in the Russo-Turkish War 1877-1878. In 1877 the Fort Aziziye in Erzurum was occu-pied by 3,000 well equipped Russian troops. At this Nene Hatun called the women of her city and made a speech encouraging them to wage Jihad against the Russian occupiers. The women, with Nene Hatun as leader attacked the Aziziye Bastion with 6,500 people, made up of 5,500 women and 1,000 elderly men. The majority had axes and farming equipment and some had guns. The Russians lost 2,300 men and retreated. Nene Hatun’s side only had lost 1,000 men. Nene Hatun tells the story: ‘At a night my brother Hassan came back wounded from the battlefield. I was taking care of his wounds, and my 3 months old baby. My brother died that night. Then in the morning when I heard the bad news, I entrusted my baby to Allah saying: ‘My baby! Allah gave you to me, and I entrust you to Him again.’ She left her three-month old baby girl and an adolescent son at home, joining the counterattack against Az-iziye with her dead brother's rifle and her hatchet. Nene Hatun was found unconscious and wounded and her bloodied hands still firmly grasping her hatchet. She lived the rest of her life in Aziziye. Her son Yusuf was killed in World War I during the battle of Gallipoli. In 1954 she was remembered as the last survi-vor of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878.

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Owing to labour migration in the 1960s and political refugees since the 1970s, Islam has become a visible religion in Germany. In 2009 there are 4.3 million Muslims in Germany (5.4% of the population). In 2006 there were 15,000 German converts. Islam is the largest minority religion. 63.2% of Muslims are of Turkish origin followed by groups from Pakistan, countries of former Yu-goslavia, Arab countries, Iran and Afghani-stan. The Red Mosque at Schwetzingen Castle is Germany's oldest mosque constructed be-tween 1779-1791. Muslims first came to Ger-many as part of diplomatic, military and eco-nomic relations between Germany and the Ot-toman Empire in the 18th century. 20 Muslim soldiers served under Frederick William I of Prussia, at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1745, Frederick II of Prussia established a unit of Muslims in the Prussian army consist-ing of Bosniaks, Albanians and Tatars. In 1760 a Bosniak corps was established with about 1,000 men. In 1798 a Muslim cemetery was established in Berlin. The first German Muslim educational institution for children was established in 1932. Hitler repeatedly expressed the view that Islam would have been more compatible to Germans than Christianity. Many German federal states introduced legis-lation recently banning head-scarves for teachers. 1,200 institutions are used as mosques, 159 with domes and minarets. 128 mosques are under construction.

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A few of the basic human rights in an Islamic state (which were guaranteed centuries before the West promulgated them): 1. Security of Life and Property:

In the Farewell Hajj address the Prophet � said: "Your lives and properties are forbidden to one another till you meet your Lord on the Day of Resurrection". He also said about dhimmis (non-Muslim citizens of the Muslim state): "One who kills a man under covenant (i.e., Dhimmi) will not even smell the fra-grance of Paradise". 2. Protection of Honor:

The Quran lays down: You who believe, do not let one (set of) people make fun of another set. Do not defame one another. Do not insult by using nicknames. Do not backbite or speak ill of one another (49:11-12) 3. Sanctity and Security of Private Life:

The Quran has laid down the injunction: Do not spy on one another. Do not enter any houses unless you are sure of their occupant's consent. 4. Equality Before Law: Islam gives its citizens the right to absolute and complete equality in the eyes of the law. 5. Protection from Imprisonment: Islam also recognizes the right of the individu-al that he will not be arrested or imprisoned for the offences of others. The Quran has laid down this principle clearly: No bearer of bur-dens shall be made to bear the burden of an-other.

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Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) is a Turkish NGO, whose members are predomi-nantly Turkish Muslims, active in relief work in more than 100 countries. Established in 1992, ĐHH provides humanitarian relief in areas of war, earthquake, hunger, and conflict. The charity group was formed to provide aid to Bosnian Muslims. It has been involved in aid missions in Pakistan, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Indonesia, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, Somalia, Ghana, Mongolia, China, Brazil, Argentina and currently in Syria as well. ĐHH was owner and operator of three flotilla ships involved in an aid convoy intended to breach the blockade of Gaza in 2010. 9 passengers, many of them members or volunteers for ĐHH were killed by Israeli forces that raided the vessel as it was on its way to Gaza. ĐHH provides social aid, Muslim cultural aid, educational aid, sanitary aid, emergency aid programs in 120 countries. It provides health care and over 1,000 water wells in Africa and runs the Africa Cataract Project. In Gaza, the ĐHH is renovating the port, funding a school and plans to build a hospital and apartments for Gazans made homeless during the Gaza War. It has received many awards.

Contact Details

Büyük Karaman Cad. Taylasan Sok. No:3 Pk. 34230 Fatih /Istanbul

Telephone: +90 212 631 21 21 Fax: +90 212 621 70 51 E-Mail: info@ihh.org.tr

http://www.ihh.org.tr/en

(Corporal Hasan, The Last Watchman of Al-Aqsa Mosque who remained at his post for 57 years from 9 December 1917 as the Ottoman army retreated from Aqsa. The late historian Ilhan Bardakci stumbled up-on him at the steps of the Al Aqsa mosque on 12 May 1972. The story is as follows: City: Quds. Location: Al Aqsa Mosque, Date: Friday, 21 May 1972. My late journalist friend Said Terzioglu and I are wandering through the sacred sites with the help of our guide from the Israeli foreign affairs. It was at the top of the steps in the second courtyard of the sacred mosque. He had some aging clothes upon his aging body ... standing bold upright. I was told he must be someone crazy. He has always been standing here, never asks for an-ything from anyone, never looks at or sees anyone. He explained he was Corporal Hasan from the 20th corp 36th battalion 8th squadron heavy machine gun team which was deployed at the Al Aqsa mosque the day we lost Quds (Jerusalem). He said, “Can I ask a favour for you my son? I have a trust which I have kept hidden for years, will you deliver this trust for me? When you return to Turkey, go and find my com-mander who deployed me here, Captain Musa. Kiss his hands for me and tell him: Corporal Hasan from Igdir of the 11th Machine gun team still remains at the post you deployed him to.” What a glorious life in defence of Aqsa!