Muharram 2, 1442/August 21, 2020 This Newsletter contains some of Allah’s names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred Issue No. 902 The Weekly Muslim News Update Bulletin Friday The 'Come to Prayer' call as Jamia reopens The sound of Haya ala Swalah (come to prayer) which is part of the call for prayer (adhan) reverberated around the Nairobi Central Business District this week as Ja- mia mosque reopened its doors to wor- shippers. Exactly five months since the mosque was closed to the public after the out- break of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country, hundreds of worshippers once again trooped into the country’s biggest mosque after it opened its doors on Au- gust 18 for prayers. The worshipers were greeted with a dif- ferent spectacle as unlike before, all the carpets in the mosque were removed and the prayers were made in individual Follow us on Twitter @bulletin_friday | Facebook on The Friday Bulletin Inside a section of Jamia Mosque, Nairobi during the first Dhuhr prayer after the reopening of the mosque. marked places. All ablutions facilities remain closed and worshippers are advised to come to the mosque already with wudhu (ablution) and also carry their prayer mats. As people streamed into the mosque, staffers were at hand to take their tem- perature and guide them towards saniti- zation stations before being guided into the mosque. “It is an emotional and hap- py day for us. We ask Allah to make it a blessed opening and we ask Allah to pro- tect us from Covid-19,” said the Deputy Imam Sheikh Jamaludin Osman. Those who came to the mosque ex- pressed their happiness of coming back to Jamia which has over the years been a centre of Islamic activities in Nairobi and the country at large. “We are happy to come back to the mosque, it has been months of agonizing wait and we have missed congregational prayers. While it is a different experience, we are happy with the preparations made,” said Juma Khamis. “It is exactly a month since the mosque was closed. It is a big day for us Muslims and also for Nairobi residents. This also teaches us that no matter what happens, at the end of the day relief will come,” said Ahmed Kadar a social media activist. “We need to appreciate that this a mtihan (test) from Allah. As we express happi- Continued To Page 2
Transcript
Muharram 2, 1442/August 21, 2020
This Newsletter contains some of Allah’s names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred
Issue No. 902
The Weekly Muslim News Update
Friday BulletinThe
Friday BulletinThe
'Come to Prayer' call as Jamia reopens
The sound of Haya ala Swalah (come to prayer) which is part of the call for prayer (adhan) reverberated around the Nairobi Central Business District this week as Ja-mia mosque reopened its doors to wor-shippers.Exactly five months since the mosque was closed to the public after the out-break of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country, hundreds of worshippers once again trooped into the country’s biggest mosque after it opened its doors on Au-gust 18 for prayers.The worshipers were greeted with a dif-ferent spectacle as unlike before, all the carpets in the mosque were removed and the prayers were made in individual
Follow us on Twitter @bulletin_friday | Facebook on The Friday Bulletin
Inside a section of Jamia Mosque, Nairobi during the first Dhuhr prayer after the reopening of the mosque.
marked places.All ablutions facilities remain closed and worshippers are advised to come to the mosque already with wudhu (ablution) and also carry their prayer mats.As people streamed into the mosque, staffers were at hand to take their tem-perature and guide them towards saniti-zation stations before being guided into the mosque. “It is an emotional and hap-py day for us. We ask Allah to make it a blessed opening and we ask Allah to pro-tect us from Covid-19,” said the Deputy Imam Sheikh Jamaludin Osman.Those who came to the mosque ex-pressed their happiness of coming back to Jamia which has over the years been
a centre of Islamic activities in Nairobi and the country at large. “We are happy to come back to the mosque, it has been months of agonizing wait and we have missed congregational prayers. While it is a different experience, we are happy with the preparations made,” said Juma Khamis.“It is exactly a month since the mosque was closed. It is a big day for us Muslims and also for Nairobi residents. This also teaches us that no matter what happens, at the end of the day relief will come,” said Ahmed Kadar a social media activist.“We need to appreciate that this a mtihan (test) from Allah. As we express happi-
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The Friday Bulletin
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Muharram 2 1442/August 21, 2020NATIONALKilifi Mosque officials kidnapped in night police raid
In what portends to the fears of a return of extrajudicial disappearances and police excesses, three officials of Markaz Noor Mosque in Mtondia, Kilifi North, are miss-ing after unknown gunmen believed to be Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) officers raided the mosque last Saturday.
The mosque administrator Sheikh Khalid Swaleh, popularly known as Sheikh Kaka, the madrasa teacher Ustadh Juma Shamte and the caretaker only identified as Hassan were forcibly taken away and their whereabouts remains unknown.
Videos circulating on social media showed the trail of destruction on the home where the security agents broke doors to gain
access to the home of the Imam. “They claimed that there were looking for guns. They came and rummaged through our belongings leaving them strewn all around the house. My husband is not a criminal. If they had issues with him there are lawful ways instead of subjecting us to harass-ment and mistreatment,” his wife said.
“They jumped over the wall and broke doors to gain access to the house and claimed that that we are hiding guns. They even broke into the mosque and removed the CCTV recorder which they carted away,” said a family member.
Human rights activists have condemned the incident saying no effort was done to
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Jamia Mosque reopens
Journalist Yassin Juma freed from jail-family
despite the decision of the court and pay-ment of bail is highly regrettable and has caused immense anguish and anxiety to him, his family, the people and the gov-ernment of the Republic of Kenya,” says the letter.On Tuesday Ethiopian Attorney General ordered the release of the journalist stat-ing that the Kenyan journalist was wrong-fully arrested.
Detained Kenyan journalist Yassin Juma who has been detained in Ethiopia is now a free man, according to his family.His wife Aisha Muhammad said she was informed by Kenya’s envoy to Ethiopia Catherine Mwangi that her husband has been freed from the detention facility and he is now in a Covid-19 isolation facility.The former NTV journalist contracted the disease during his detention. He has been in detention for almost 50 days following his arrest by the Ethiopian military as he covered protests that erupted in Ethio-pia’s Oromia region in the aftermath of the death of activist Hachalu Hundessa. “The ambassador informed me that he has been removed from detention and he is now in isolation. I have not been able to speak to him but she said he is doing well,” Aisha told The Friday Bulletin.In response to a plea of support to ease their suffering following the detention of the sole bread winner, the family last week received support from well-wishers which included monetary support and food sup-plies worth more than Sh 110,000. The donation will go towards clearing rent ar-rears and other basic needs. The donation was made by officials from Zakat Fund, Haki Africa and Light Sisters who visited the journalist’s family in Donholm, Nairobi.Following his arrest, the Kenyan govern-ment issued a protest note to the Ethio-pian Foreign Ministry onAugust 12, where it termed the detention as a violation of his rights and travesty to justice. “The con-tinued detention of this Kenyan national
summon the three to the local police sta-tion for questioning.
Speaking to Friday Bulletin on Tuesday, Muslim for Human Rights (MUHURI) rapid response officer Francis Auma expressed fears about the return of extrajudicial dis-appearances saying that efforts to find their whereabouts have not been suc-cessful. “Upon receiving the information we looked for them in Kilifi Police station, ATPU headquarters in Mombasa but still, we are yet to know of their whereabouts,” he added.
“We call on the state agents to release the three unconditionally or charge them in a court of law if they have any evidence of wrongdoing against them,” stated the rapid response officer.
Sheikh Abu Hamza, a Mombasa scholar, broke the news of the rain on his Face-book page. “Markaz Noor Mtondia has been raided tonight at around 1am by peo-ple suspected to be anti-terror police. Af-ter a lot of searching and harassment they took Sheikh Khalid Kaka away. Let’s make dua (prayer) for him and also spread the word to family and friends,” read the post.
Eyewitnesses said the group of about 20 men armed with guns, batons and helmets stormed the houses where the trio lived with their family and students.
In the process of arresting the three, sev-eral relatives were roughed up, beaten and handcuffed by the officers who didn’t give reasons for the arrests.
Remains of the Mosque CCTV server de-stroyed during the raid.
FREE AT LAST: Yassin Juma at the isola-tion facility
ness at coming back to the mosque, we should increase our supplications to Allah to remove this pandemic,” said Nairobi resident Said Aslam.While the government had announced the reopening of places of worship in July, this came with a limit of 100 people which could not allow the mosque not to reopen. From this week however, the new proto-cols by the Inter-Faith Council allowed places of worship to reopen based on so-cial distancing and capacity.
The mosque will be opened for four prayers, Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr and Maghrib and closed for the Isha prayers from Mon-day to Friday. On Saturdays it will only be opened for Fajr and Dhuhr prayers and thereafter closed to allow fumigation. On Sundays, the mosque will remain closed. Today, the Friday prayers will for the first time in more than five months be held at Jamia mosque. The prayers will be re-layed live by Horizon TV.
The Messenger of Allah said: "The most virtuous fasting after the month of Ramadan
is Allah's month Al-Muharram."
(Jami` at-Tirmidhi | 740)
HADITH OF THE WEEK
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Allah’s sacred month of Muharram is a blessed and important month.It is the first month of the Hijri calendar and is one of the four sacred months concern-ing which Allah says: “Verily, the number of months with Allah is 12 months (in a year), so it was ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four are sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein.” (Qur’an, 9:36)Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The year is 12 months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dul Qa-dah, Dul Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab, which comes between Jumada and Sha-ban.” (Bukhari)Muharram is so called because it is a sa-cred (muharram) month and to confirm its sanctity. Allah Almighty says: “... so wrong not yourselves therein …” (Tafsir of Ibn Kathir)Nafl fasts during MuharramAbu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: ‘The best of fasting after Ramadan is fasting Allah’s month of Mu-harram.” (Muslim)Ashura in historyIbn Abbas said: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Madinah and saw Jews fasting on Ashura. He said, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is a righteous day, it is the day when Allah saved the Children of Is-rael from their enemies, so Musa fasted on this day.’ He said, ‘We have more right to Musa than you,’ so he fasted on that day and commanded (the Muslims) to fast on that day.” (Bukhari)The practice of fasting on Ashura was known even in the days of Jahiliyyah, be-fore the Prophet’s mission. It was reported that Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “The people of Jahiliyyah used to fast on that day.” Apparently the motive for commanding the Muslims to fast on this day was the desire to be different from the Jews, so that the Muslims would fast when the Jews did not, because people do not fast on a day of celebration. (Bukhari)Fasting on Ashura was a gradual step in the process of introducing fasting as a prescribed obligation in Islam. Fasting appeared in three forms. When the Mes-senger of Allah (peace be upon him) came to Madinah, he told the Muslims to fast on three days of every month and on the day of Ashura, then Allah made fasting obliga-tory when He said: “ … observing the fast-ing is prescribed for you … “ (Al-Qur’an, 2:183) The obligation was transferred from the fast of Ashura to the fast of Ramadan, and this is one of the proofs in the field of Usul Al-Fiqh that it is possible to abrogate a lighter duty in favor of a heavier duty.Before the obligation of fasting Ashura was abrogated, fasting on this day was obliga-
Ashura was lifted i.e. it was no longer ob-ligatory to fast on this day, but it is still de-sirable (mustahab).Virtues of fasting on AshuraIbn Abbas said: “I never saw the Messen-ger of Allah (peace be upon him) so keen to fast any day and give it priority over any other than this day, the day of Ashura and this month (Ramadan). (Bukhari)The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “For fasting the day of Ashura, I hope that Allah will accept it as expiation for the year that went before.” (Muslim)This is from the bounty of Allah toward us: For fasting one day He gives us expiation for the sins of a whole year. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.Which day is Ashura?An-Nawawi said: “Ashura and Tasua are two elongated names (the vowels are elon-gated) as is stated in books on the Arabic language. Our companions said: Ashura is the 10th day of Muharram and Tasua is the 9th day. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars.” (Al-Majmua)Common innovations on AshuraCommenting on things that some people do on Ashura, such as wearing kohl, tak-ing a bath (ghusl), wearing henna, shaking hands with one another, cooking grains (hubub), showing happiness and so on, Shaykh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: “Noth-ing to that effect has been reported in any Sahih Hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) or from his companions. None of the Imams of the Muslims encouraged or recommended such things, neither the four Imams, nor any others. No reliable schol-ars have narrated anything like this, neither from the Prophet (peace be upon him), nor from the cpmpanions, nor from the Tabi’in; neither in any sahih report or in a dayeef
Virtues of fasting on AshuraDA'WAH Muharram 2 1442/August 21, 2020The Friday Bulletin
(weak) report; neither in the books of Sa-hih, nor in As-Sunan, nor in the Musnads. No Hadith of this nature was known during the best centuries.They also reported a fabricated Hadith that is falsely attributed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), which says, “Who-ever is generous to his family on the day of Ashura, Allah will be generous to him for the rest of the year.” Reporting all of this from the Prophet (peace be upon him) is tantamount to lying.Then Ibn Taymiyyah discussed in brief the tribulations that had occurred in the early days of this Ummah and the killing of Al-Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him), and what the various sects had done be-cause of this. Then he said:“An ignorant, wrongful group, who was ei-ther heretics and hypocrites, or misguided and misled, made a show of allegiance to him and the members of his household, so they took the day of Ashura as a day of mourning and wailing, in which they openly displayed the rituals of jahiliyyah such as slapping their cheeks and rending their garments, grieving in the manner of the ja-hiliyyah and so on.“The Shaytan made this attractive to those who are misled, so they took the day of Ashura as an occasion of mourning, when they grieve and wail, recite poems of grief and tell stories filled with lies. Whatever truth there may be in these stories serves no purpose other than the renewal of their grief and sectarian feeling, and the stirring up of hatred and hostility among the Mus-lims, which they do by cursing those who came before them“The evil and harm that they do to the Mus-lims cannot be enumerated by any man, no matter how eloquent he is. Some others —
By SHEIKH SALIH AL-MUNAJJID
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tory, as can be seen from the clear command to observe this fast. Then it was further confirmed later on, then reaf-firmed by mak-ing it a gen-eral command addressed to everybody, and once again by instructing mothers not to breastfeed their infants during this fast. It was reported from Ibn Mas’ud that when fasting Ramadan was made obliga-tory, the obli-gation to fast
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Be Careful During the Sacred Month of MuharramMuharram 2 1442/August 21, 2020The Friday Bulletin
Soon, insha Allaah, the month of Muhar-ram is coming upon us and we will begin another Hijri year.Just as the devout Muslim eagerly awaits any chance to earn good deeds and gain Allaah’s Good Pleasure, and is careful not to transgress any boundaries, we should prepare ourselves for the coming of the month of Muharram.This is because Muharram is one of the four months that are SACRED in the eyes of Allah.“Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve (in a year): It was so ordained, by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four are sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein…” [al-Tawbah 9:36]These four months, according to the Prophet (peace be upon him) are Dhul-Qa’dah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. (Bukhaari)Be EXTRA CAREFUL about SINS this MonthDue to its sacredness, any bad deeds done during the sacred months are WORSE than in other months.Qataadah said concerning the ayah (so wrong not yourselves therein…) that “Wrongdoing during the sacred months is more serious and more sinful that wrong-doing at any other time. Wrongdoing at any time is a serious matter, but Allaah gives more weight to whichever of His com-mands He wants….” (Tafseer Ibn Katheer)Do EXTRA GOOD DEEDS this MonthSimilarly, good deeds during this month bring a greater reward than in other months.Ibn ‘Abbaas said in the tafseer for the above Ayah, that good deeds done during the four sacred months bring a greater re-ward. (Ibn Katheer)Pay special attention to FASTING:Fasting during the month of Muharram has special meaning and the Prophet (peace be upon him) has highly encouraged it.Abu Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Al-laah (peace be upon him) said: ‘The best of fasting after Ramadhan is fasting Allaah’s month of Muharram.’” (Muslim).Fast on the Day of ‘Aashooraa (10th Mu-harram)Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Madeenah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Aashooraa’. He said, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is a righteous day, it is the day when Al-laah saved the Children of Israel from their enemies, so Moosa fasted on this day.’ He (pbuh) said, ‘We have more right to Moosa than you,’ so he fasted on that day and commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that day.” (Bukhaari)If one fasts on the 10th of Muharram, Al-laah will forgive the sins of the previous year.The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “For fasting the day of ‘Aashooraa’, I hope
that Allaah will accept it as expiation for the year that went before.” (Muslim)Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “I never saw the Mes-senger of Allaah (pbuh) so keen to fast any day and give it priority over any oth-er than this day, the day of ‘Aashooraa’.” (Bukhaari).It is Mustahabb to fast the 9th of Mu-harram as wellIt is mustahabb to fast on both the ninth and tenth days, because the Prophet (pbuh) fasted on the tenth, and intended to fast on the ninth. But, it is OK to fast only the 10th as well.Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “When the Messenger of Allaah (pbuh) fasted on ‘Aashooraa’ and commanded the Muslims to fast as well, they said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, it is a day that is venerated by the Jews and Christians.’ The Messenger of Al-laah (pbuh) said, ‘If I live to see the next year, insha Allaah, we will fast on the ninth day too.’ But it so happened that the Messenger of Allaah (pbuh) passed away before the next year came.” (Mus-lim).Some Misconceptions and Baseless TraditionsThere are many wrong traditions asso-ciated with the Day of Aashooraa and Muharram, which have nothing to do with the Shariah. We have to guard our-selves from falling into these wrong tra-ditions and bid’ah because this is also sin.1) Some other people attribute the sanctity of Aashooraa to the martyrdom of Husain, radhiallahu anhu. No doubt, the story of Husain, radhiallahu anhu is one of the most tragic episodes of our history. Yet, the sanctity of ‘Ashura’ can-not be ascribed to this event for the sim-ple reason that the sanctity of ‘Ashura’ was established during the days of the Prophet (peace be upon him) , much earlier than the birth of his grandson Husain.2) Some people consider Muharram an evil or unlucky month, for Husain, ra-dhiallahu anhu was killed in it. So they don’t hold weddings, and other celebra-tions during this month. This is again a baseless concept, which is contrary to the teachings of the Quran and the Sun-nah. Having superstitions, such as this, is committing a kind of shirk since one associates a particular event or person with having power to harm or do good and only Allaah is the One Who has power over all things.3)Some people think it is Sunnah to prepare a particular type of meal on the 10th, and they hold big gatherings for this purpose. This, again has no basis in the Sharee‘ah.4) Some people mourn and lament over the death of Hussain peace be upon him and hold special ceremonies for this very purpose.However, the Prophet (peace be upon
him) has forbidden us from holding mourning ceremonies on the death of any person, which was the practice of the people of jahiliyyah (ig-norance).“He is not from our group who slaps his checks, tears his clothes and cries in the man-ner of the people of jahiliyyah.” (Bukhaari)And if you really think about it, it is the great-est merit and reward that Hussain radhiallahu anhu received, when he attained martyrdom for the sake of Allaah.5) Some people go to the other extreme and dress up and cook special dishes, etc. as a kind of celebration for this Day and that is ALSO against the Quraan and Sunnah.6) Others hold special prayers or offer sacri-fice or visit the graves, specifically on the 10th of Muharram, thinking that there is special re-ward or meaning for doing so in the Sharee’ah and this is also a kind of bid’ah that one should stay away from.In Conclusion:Our behavior during this month should be like the behavior of the Sahabah, not one of mourning, neither one of celebration. Rather, we should value Muharram as one of Allaah’s sacred months in which we should strive to do good deeds and be extra careful of sin-ning. We should try and fast as much as we can in this month, especially the 9th and 10th. We should not be superstitious about it (or for anything else, for that matter) and if someone wants to get married during it, they may. We should not cook special meals on the 10th and if someone invites us for such a meal, we should not go.
By Asma Bint Shameem
either Nasibis who oppose and have enmity toward Al-Husayn and his family or ignorant people who try to fight evil with evil, corruption with corruption, lies with lies and bidah with bi-dah — opposed them by fabricating reports in favor of making the day of Ashura a day of cel-ebration, by wearing kohl and henna, spend-ing money on one’s children, cooking special dishes and other things that are done on Eid and special occasions. These people took the day of Ashura as a festival like Eid, whereas the others took it as a day of mourning. Both are wrong, and both go against the Sunnah, even though the other group (those who take it as a day of mourning) are worse in intention and more ignorant and more plainly wrong …It was not approved of by any of the Imams of the Muslims, not Malik, not ath-Thawri, not Al-Layth ibn Sa’ad, not Abu Hanifah, not Al-Awza’i, not Al-Shafi’i, not Ahmad ibn Hanbal, not Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, not any of the Imams and scholars of the Muslims.” (Al-Fatawa Al-Kubra by Ibn Taymiyyah)Ibn Al-Haj (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that one of the bidah on ‘Ashura’ was deliberately paying zakat on this day, late or early, or slaughtering a chicken just for this occasion, or in the case of women, using hen-na. (Al-Madkhal, part 1, Yawm Ashura)
How and Why did the Hijiri Calendar Begin?Muslims celebrate the Hijri New Year (con-sidered an official holiday in some Islamic countries) on the first of the Islamic calen-dar’s month of Muharram every year. This year.The Hijri calendar is considered to be one of four major calendars currently in use worldwide. These four include the Miladi, Hijri, Chinese, and Persian calendars. Fa-mously, the Hijri calendar is the official cal-endar of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In this article you will learn:• What is the Hijri year calendar?• Where did it get its name?• Who was the creator of the Hijri calen-dar?• What are the meanings of the names of the Hijri months?Why was it named the Hijri yearThe Hijri Year refers to our Prophet Mu-hammad (peace be upon him)’s migration (Hijira) from the city of Makkah to the city of Al Madina El MUnawara in 622AD.The creator of the Hijra calendarKhalifa Umar ibn Al-Khattab, is considered to be the creator of the Hijri calendar, which is made up of 12 months, dictated by the cycle of the moon. To this day, the full and crescent moons are used to confirm the be-ginning and end of each month, particularly to establish the beginning of Ramadan, the start of the month of Shawwal and the date of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr.The story of Hijri CalendarBefore the Hijri calendar came into use, Muslims used a range of important events in Muslim history, for example, Am Al-Fil, the year in which the Prophet Muhammad was born, to demarcate time. But, seven-teen years after the Prophet’s migration and in the third or fourth year of the succession of Khalifa Umar ibn al-Khattab, a complaint was made by Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, an of-ficial in Basrah (Iraq), regarding a lack of consistent dates on the correspondence he received. Abu Musa al-Ash'ari sent a letter to Khalifa Umar, asking him to develop for a new way to calculate dates.Khalifa Umar debated the issue with his advisors. Some suggested that the date of the Prophet’s birth should mark the begin-ning of a new calendar, whilst others sug-gested the date of his death. However, the majority agreed that the calendar should begin with the date of his migration. Khalifa Umar then consulted the Prophet’s revered companions, Uthman ibn Affan and Ali bin Abi Talib, and they agreed.After all the discussions, Khalifa Umar an-nounced that the year in which the Prophet Mohammad migrated would mark the be-ginning of the Hijri calendar. The calendar would begin with the first of the month of Muharram and end with the month of Dhu Al Hijja. Consequently, 622 AD (the year of the Prophet’s migration) became the first year in the Hijiri calendar.The twelve months of the Hijri yearThe Hijri year consists of 12 months. As Al-lah says in the Quran in verse (36) of Surat
al-Tawbah:“Verily the number of months with Allah is twelve months in the Book of Allah, (since) the day He created the heavens and the earth, four of them are sacred. That is the established religion. So be you not unjust unto your selves during them. And fight polytheists totally even as they fight you totally, and know that Allah is with the pi-ous ones.”Each Hijri month starts at the beginning of the new moon cycle. The number of days in each Hijri calendar month varies according to the moon’s progress around the earth. The length of each month is 29 to 30 days. The number of days in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah varies based on a 30-year cycle, meaning that the Hijri calendar fluctuates according to the moon’s long-term move-ments around the earth. Dates of annual religious practices required by Allah of Muslims, such as Hajj and fasting are marked in the Hijri calendar.Types of Hijri monthsMuslims divide the Hijri months into two types:• Sacred Months: Four of the twelve months (Dhu Al Qa’da, Dhu Al Hijja, Mu-harram, and Safar) are considered “Sacred Months” because of a prohibition on war during these months. As Allah says in the Quran in verse (5) of Surat al-Tawbah:“Then when the sacred months are drawn away, slay the polytheists wherever you find them, and seize them and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every am-bush. But if they repent and perform the prayer and pay poor-rate, (zakāt) then leave their way free to them; verily Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”• Non-Sacred Months: The remaining eight months (Safar, Rabi Al Awwal, Rabi Al Thani, Jumada Al Ula, Jumada Al Akhi-ra, Sha’aban, Ramadan, and Shawwal) are known as non-sacred months, with no pro-hibitions on war.The meanings of Hijri month namesThe meanings of Hijiri month names are as follows:• Muharram: One of the Sacred Months, it is the first month of the Hijri year, given its name (Forbidden) because of fighting is forbidden during it.• Safar: The second month in the Hijri year,
apparently named Safar because Arabs used to loot the houses of their enemies after defeating them in battle, leaving noth-ing (zero) behind.• Rabi Al Awwal and Rabi Al Akhar: These two months coincided with the spring, as well as coinciding with a period when those victorious in war could enjoy their new pos-sessions, seized in the previous month of Safar.• Jumada Al Ula and Jumada Al Akhira: Coinciding with the winter season, these two months were named because of water freezing.• Rajab: Means respect and honor.• Sha’aban: Apparently named for the crossings or journeys the Arabs under-took in search of water whilst going to war. Sha’aban follows a month of abstinence from violence during the previous month of Rajab.• Ramadan: Named for the high tempera-tures caused by the summer sun and, it is the traditional fasting month for Muslims.• Shawwal: Due to being the seasonal birthing season for camels, which would normally raise their tails in this season.• Dhu Al Qa’da: Named after the Arabic word for ‘sitting’, Dhu Al Qada is a holy month where Muslims must ‘sit out’ or ab-stain from war (although it is permissible to defend yourself if attacked)• Dhu Al Hijja: The last month of Hijri Year, during which the Hajj pilgrimage occurs.ConclusionThe Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar, whose months begin and end depend-ing on the movements of the moon. The moon’s disappearance signals the sign of the end of the month. The Hijri calendar was officially created during the reign of Khalifa Umar ibn al-Khattab. The Prophet's migration or hijra in 622AD marks the be-ginning of the Hijri year calendar and gives the calendar its name.The Hijri calendar is used to mark a number of significant Islamic events and dates like Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and the beginning of the Hajj season. The Hijri year consists of 12 months: Muharram, Safar, Rabi 'Al-Awal, Rabee' Al-Akhir, Jumada Al Ula, Jumada Al-Akhirah, Rajab, Shaaban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhu Al Qa’da and Dhu Al Hijja.
Jamia Mosque security guards checking the temperature of a worshipper before entry.
A congregant sanitizing his hands before entering the mosque
A congregant washing his hands at the designated handwashing stations in Jamia before entering the mosque
A section of worshippers as they wait for the Dhuhr prayers during the reopening of Jamia Mosque Nairobi on Tuesday.
Worshippers at Jamia Mosque Nairobi praying as they observe the 1.5 meters social distancing.
Worshippers in a special supplication prayers (Qunoot) beseeching Allah to protect humanity from the Coronavirus pandemic.
PICTORIAL
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The Friday Bulletin Muharram 2 1442/August 21, 2020
Enlightening Biography of Sayyiduna Hussain Radhiallahu anhuHussain Ibn Ali ibn Abu Talib Radhiallahu anhu was born in Sha’baan 4AH in Ma-dina and died on the 10th of Muharram 61AH at the age of 57.After his birth, he was brought to Rasulull-ah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam, who was overjoyed. He chewed a date and placed it in the newborn’s mouth which he began to suck. The first thing to enter his stom-ach was Rasulullah’s blessed saliva. Hussain was looked after and breastfed by Ummul Fadhl Radiallahu Anha, the wife of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam’s uncle Abbas. Few Hadith in virtues of Hasan & Hus-sain:Hadith: “O Allah! I love Hasan and Husain! You also love them, and love those who love them.” (Tirmidhi)Hadith: “Hasan and Husain are the lead-ers of the youth of Jannah.” (Tirmidhi)Hadith: “Hussain is mine and I am Hu-sain’s. May Allah love the one who loves Hussain. Hussain is a mighty grandson”. (Ibn Majah)Hasan is one year older than Hussain and they are both Sahaba. They have also narrated few Ahadith directly from their grandfather Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam.Hussain narrates that his grandfather Sal-lallahu Alayhi Wasallam said, “It is from the beauty of a person’s Imaan that he leaves aside things that don’t concern him”He also narrates, “If a person is afflicted with a calamity which consequently comes to haunt him later on, however at that time he recites ‘Inna lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Ra-jioon’; Allah will give him the same reward which He gave him on the first day.” (Ibn Majah)Both brothers resembled their grandfather Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam although this was more noticeable in Hasan than Hu-sain Radiallahu Anhuma.In the Eyes of Sahaba Radiallahu An-humIbn Kathir writes, “Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Radiallahu Anhu used to show great re-spect to the family of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam. He used to treat Hussain with love, affection, and special attention. Same was the case with Sayyiduna Umar ibn Khattab and Sayyiduna Uthman ibn Af-fan Radiallahu Anhuma. (Al-Bidayah 8/36)When Umar Ibn Khattab Radiallahu Anhu fixed allowances, he gave Hassan and Hussain the allowance of the Badr partici-pants i.e. 5000 each.When clothes for distribution came from Yemen, Umaar ibn Khattab Radiallahu Anhu said that these (clothes) are not good enough for Hasan and Hussain. Thereafter, he ordered special clothes be tailored for them. When they were sent, sayyiduna umar called both brothers in front of the gathering and gifted them.When the daughter of Kisra by the name of Princess Sheherbaanu was brought to
Madinah Munawwarah among the cap-tives, Sayyiduna Umar Radiallahu Anhu said, “She is only suitable for Hussain.” He gave her to Sayyiduna Hussain who freed her and married her. She gave birth to his son Ali Ibn Al Hussain who was later titled Imam Zain al-Abideen, due to the beauty of his worship.During the Khilafat of Shaykhayn (Abu Bakr and Umar Radhiallahu Anhuma), Sayyiduna Hussain were still young. In 26AH, during the Uthmani caliphate, he took part in the conquest of Tripoli (Leba-non). He was instrumental in that victory as well many others that followed.In 30 AH, he was with Sayyiduna Saeed Ibn Al-Aas Radhiallahu Anhu in the con-quest of Tabristaan, and thereafter in the conquest of Jurjaan.In 34 AH, when the rebels surrounded the residence of Sayyiduna Uthman Radhial-lahu Anhu and were thirsty for his blood, this brave prince offered his life, along with a group of youth. They would stand by the door and would guard the house of Uthman Radiallahu Anhu, drawing the rebels back. Despite repeated requests to finish off the rebels and having the ability to do that, Uthman Radiallahu Anhu for-bade them from shedding a single drop of blood for his protection. In the end, the re-bels forced their way in to the neighbours’ property and jumped the walls. They then murdered Uthman Radhiallahu Anhu. Inna lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Rajioon.After the Shahadah (martyrdom) of the oppressed Caliph, the Muhajireen and Ansaar pledged their allegiance to Sayyi-duna Ali ibn Abu Talib. Sayyiduna Hussain was at his father’s side throughout the five years of his caliphate. After the death of his father, he treated his elder brother Sayyiduna Hassan Radiallahu Anhu, like a father figure. He would always be at his side and consult him in important affairs.After remaining khaleefa for just 6 months, Sayyiduna Hasan handed the reign of leadership to Sayyiduna Muawiyah Ra-dhiallahu Anhu. Sayyiduna Muawiyah ra-diallahu anhu treated the Ahli Bayt with utmost respect. He had fixed an allow-ance of 100,000 per annum for Sayyiduna Hasan and Hussain Radhiallahu Anhuma. When they would travel to Shaam or Sayyiduna Muawiyah would come Madina Munawwarah, they would treat each other with generosity and hospitality.MartyrdomWhen Sayyiduna Muawiyah died in 60AH, his son Yazeed became his succes-sor. Yazeed was only in his thirties. The Muslim community were not happy at his appointment. This was due to Yazeed’s transgression.Kufa was one of the main cities in Iraq during this time. The people of Kufa invit-ed Sayyiduna Hussain Radhiallahu Anhu to remove Yazeed and unite the ummah. They made promises of pledging alle-giance to him. During this time, they wrote
hundreds of letters to him. Sayyiduna Hussain Radhiallahu Anhu was in Makkah Mukarramah at the time.He sent his cousin Muslim Ibn Aqeel Ibn Abi Talib to look into the matter. When Muslim ibn Aqeel reached Kufa, people began to pledge allegiance to Sayyiduna Hussain at his hands. He wrote back say-ing the whole city is echoing with your name and that you should come immedi-ately.Sayyduna Hussain left along with his im-mediate family members and many distant relatives and friends. Sayyiduna Abdullah Ibn Abbas Radhiallahu Anhuma tried to stop him, not because he supported Ya-zeed, but because he knew the treacher-ous nature of the people of Kufa. They had betrayed Husain’s father Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abu Talib.Sayyiduna Hussain however left. Along the way he received the news that in Kufa, events had taken a turn for the worse. Yazeed had sent an order from Damas-cus that the governor be changed and he instructs the newly appointed governor Ubaidullah Ibn Ziyad to be strict on his op-ponents. He caught and murdered Muslim Ibn Aqeel. Subsequently people deserted Sayyiduna Hussain, in fact turned against him.An army was dispatched to capture or kill Sayyiduna Hussain Radhiallahu Anhu and his caravan. They cornered him and he reminded them of their invitation and showed them their letters. But they re-fused to acknowledge those letters.He asked them for respite of the night pre-ceding Aashura. This happened to be the night preceding Friday. He instructed his caravan to spend the night in worship and in supplication. He busied himself in wor-ship as well. He instructed his sister Sayy-ida Zainab Radiallahu Anha not to lament after his martyrdom, because martyrdom would be a source of elevation for him.The following morning, the army attacked the caravan. Sayyiduna Husasin Radhial-lahu Anhu’s family and friends defended him but they were outnumbered. The op-posing army consisted of four thousand well-armed soldiers, whereas the cara-van consisted of no more than a hundred males, some children and ladies of the household. They were being slain one af-ter the other. Sayyiduna Hussain Radial-lahu Anhu was brave like his father and he too was fighting until he was left alone.No single person had the courage to at-tack him out rightly. They would approach him in batches, shoot arrows from a dis-tance and then flee when Sayyiduna Hus-sain Radiallahu Anhu would turn towards them. They decided to ambush him collec-tively. It was then that Shimr Zil Jawshan struck his head and others severed it from his body. Inna lillallahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raajioon..
By Shaykh Abdul Raheem
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The Friday Bulletin Muharram 2 1442/August 21, 2020
Has “Back-Stabbing” the Palestinian Cause become the New Norm?
The clandestine dealings of the UAE with the Zionist state have finally been revealed after the formal normalisation of relations brokered by the US. The deal – considered a fait accompli by many – normalises rela-tions between the UAE and Israel with the condition that the latter allegedly ‘delay’ the annexation of Palestinian lands in the oc-cupied West Bank. Unified in their stance, both Donald Trump and his Democratic Party contender Joe Biden congratulated the ‘historic breakthrough’. Closer to home, Boris Johnson too welcomed the deal. In the Arab world, the response was mixed, with Egypt and Bahrain valuing the ‘ini-tiative’, while Jordan remaining more cau-tious in its response, and Libya outright condemning the move.Others dubbed the deal a patent “stabbing in the back” of Palestinians and an abject “surrender” of their just cause; something that is becoming a ‘new normal’ in much of the Arab world. Abandoned by yet an-other Arab nation, Palestinians have been left locked in an untenable status quo, even before the recent threat of further annexa-tion by the Zionists. It is now only a mat-ter of time before Arab nations follow like dominoes, particularly the moment when the ‘elephant in the room’ — Saudi Arabia — joins the diplomatic party. In striking this ‘bargain’, the UAE may ini-tially appear to have solidified its outsized role in geopolitics. Yet no matter how sup-porters or detractors interpret this so-called ‘Abrahamic Deal’, the irrefutable conclu-sion is that it is none other than Israel that has scored a huge victory. The deal requires nothing of Israel towards the Pal-estinians. This enormous shift from past promises has been gifted to Israel on a golden platter. Benjamin Netanyahu has, in effect, staged a diplomatic coup by winning over the normalisation of relations with a supposedly ‘rising’ Arab power in return for something he himself considered unrealis-tic and not in Israel’s interest. In fact, Lisa Goldman, co-founder of +972 Magazine, a news and commentary site focused on Israel and Palestine, rightly commented, “Netanyahu never intended to annex” the West Bank, but the UAE is “claiming a diplomatic victory in exchange for what’s probably a lot of very valuable security cooperation from Israel. All on the backs of Palestinians, as usual.” Moreover, it is a stretch to call this agreement a “peace deal”, particularly when the two have never viewed each other as traditional enemies.The deal clearly underscores the shifting political dynamics in the region. Many Arab states have been mesmerised by the no-tion created by the US that Iran is a greater threat than Israel. Arab states are therefore less willing to condition relations with Is-rael upon a resolution for the Palestinians. Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, has been investing in clandestine relations with Gulf states for decades. The director of Mossad, Yossi Cohen, has met frequently
with counterparts in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt, according to in-telligence officials. Signs pointing to this disloyalty can be seen in an op-ed article written in the Is-raeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth in June by Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s ambas-sador to the US and a close ally of the Trump administration. Appealing directly to Israelis, the article is titled in Hebrew and reads, “It’s Either Annexation or Normalisa-tion.” Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, facilitated the negotiations that followed, which were held in the White House with the knowledge of only a limited number of officials. While Israel and the UAE have long main-tained a thinly-veiled secret relationship – the idea of formalising this relationship has occurred several times in recent years – the gradual warming of ties goes beyond the UAE. The Saudis have made the news with many overtures of this sort. Flights from India to Israel were permitted to use Saudi airspace in 2018, reducing the trip’s length by hours. Qatar allowed an envoy to stay in Israel to oversee Qatari-funded development projects in the Gaza Strip. Bahrain even sent an interfaith delegation to Israel and defended Israel’s right to self-defence after Iran launched rocket attacks. Sultan Qaboos b. Said of Oman hosted Netanyahu for a state visit in 2018. In its search for leadership status in the Arab world, the UAE has maintained a destructive role in the region’s conflicts, particularly in Libya, Syria, and Yemen. It has operated increasingly independently of Saudi Arabia, its traditional ‘partner in crime’. These crimes appear to go un-punished in a world where impunity has become more a norm than an exception. Continued weapons sales from Western states to the UAE offer a symbol of con-sent for its actions, especially in Libya and Yemen, despite these states’ obligations to the UN and EU export control charters. The US is by far the largest supplier of weapon systems to the UAE, with around two-thirds of the UAE’s arsenal supplied by American companies.The deal gives both Trump and Netanyahu a way to escape political isolation of their own making with the US’s stalled and use-less peace plan and the Israeli illegal an-nexation drive. For the UAE, the deal may also further burnish its international cam-paign and allow it to be seen as a beacon of tolerance in the Middle East, despite be-ing governed by autocratic rulers.The reality is that the deal leaves non-Is-raeli inhabitants of the West Bank as con-tinued subjects to the military rule of an occupying power. It further sanctions the blockade of two million Gazans within a small strip of land that has no sustainable source of drinking water, and which the UN has deemed “uninhabitable.” This deal is dangerous and rewards the Israeli occupa-tion for its crimes and violations. The ulti-
mate losers are the Palestinians, who have watched the Arab world move closer to Is-rael to reward Netanyahu for undermining Palestinians interests. This is simply another diplomatic circus that erases the Palestinians from talk of “breakthroughs” and “peace.” Abandon-ing the Palestinian cause without a just solution will not lead to stability in the re-gion. Now more than ever is the time for their Arab and Muslim allies – as well as the international community – to step up. Genuine peace will only come by seriously committing to end the Israeli occupation and creating a democratic and peaceful Palestinian state.While the effects of the Palestinian struggle on the conscience and sentiment of people worldwide remain significant at the grass-roots level, it is imperative that the just struggle for an independent Palestinian homeland should be kept at the forefront of our minds, and that this struggle continues with added vigour.Allāh (‘azza wa jall) tells us: “They con-ceal [their evil intentions and deeds] from the people, but they cannot conceal [them] from Allāh.”[ Al-Qur’ān, 4:108] “Allāh loveth not the treacherous.”[ Al-Qur’ān, 8:58] (Is-lam21c.com)
By: Lukman Harees
Sayyiduna Hussain Radhiallahu Anhu gave his precious life in order to estab-lish Haqq (truth). He did not surrender to falsehood even though they did make pro-posals and promises.It was a huge tragedy. Imam Shafi’ee Rah-matullahi Alayhi has composed poetry in relation to the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Hussain in which he declares the total in-nocence of Sayyiduna Hussain Radhial-lahu Anhu. He says, “Slaughtered for no reason. His shirt was so red as though it was dyed with a red colour.Unfortunately Shias fabricate stories; some depict blood pouring on a stone and then say that this is Husain’s blood still flowing until today. Others visit a piece of cloth, which they claim, is from the tent of Sayyiduna Hussain Radiallahu Anhu in Karbala. Others make an effigy of Hus-sain Radhiallahu Anhu and then carry it around. All these are innovations and we should never ever take part in such activi-ties nor should we admire them. If we are to remember the death of Hus-sain, then think for a moment “Where are we in our lives in comparison to the sac-rifices of Hussain and the family of the Prophet? When and where do we stand up for justice, truth and Haqq? Hussain is performing salaah with isharah (indica-tion) in the battlefield whereas we miss salaah for small reasons. We should take some lessons from Hussain and bring them into our lives.
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Biography of Sayyiduna Hussain
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The Friday Bulletin Muharram 2 1442/August 21, 2020
Real Life Heroes: on a journey towards quality healthcareUmra Omar, founder of a non-government organisation Safari Doctors is one of 19 he-roes from 16 countries who will be recog-nised by the United Nations for her selfless efforts in bringing healthcare services to the doorsteps of marginalised communities in Lamu County.Despite insecurity near the border with Somalia, and the threats associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, Safari Doctors, which has won several commendations, in-cluding a UN award, for its work, continues its monthly visits to the marginalized com-munities of Lamu.Umra Omar shares her story as part of the #RealLifeHeroes campaign, by the UN Of-fice for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), ahead of this year’s World Humanitarian Day.“I am from Pate Island, in the Lamu archi-
animal to human viruses: the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic reminds us that hu-man health is connected to the health of animals and the environment.Investing in youthI will always accompany our team if we’re going into a new village, or an area where there is insecurity. We are a very young team: I’m the oldest, at 37. When other organizations repatriate their staff due to crises, such as the current pandemic, we stay. We have also created a Youth Health Ambassador programme: these are young humanitarians, based in their own villages.For me, Safari Doctors is about working at a community level, on the ground, see-ing issues and taking action immediately, rather than being held up by bureaucracy. And, because of our contacts, we are able to connect all the way up to a global level.
For example, one time, when we had guests visiting us from the United States, we met a woman complaining of head-aches. We noticed that she had a lump in her neck, and it turned out that it was a bullet: she had been shot two years previ-ously, during an attack on her village.Because of our network and our contacts, we were able to get her on a plane to a hospital that could treat her. This was just a one-off case, but it was very satisfying to be able to make decisions with very little bureaucracy.I think we should stop seeing humanitarian work as something that needs to be cele-brated: it should be seen as normal. This is part of our aim with Safari Doctors. That’s why we’re putting more investment into civic engagement and youth leadership.”
FEATURE
pelago. I went to graduate school in the United States and worked in Washington DC, but I decided to return home and, in 2015, founded Safari Doctors.Umra Omar, from the Lamu archi-pelago in Kenya, is the founder of Safari Doctors, a mobile doctor unit that provides free basic medical care to hundreds of people every month.In Kenya, some 70 per cent of the population live in remote areas, where it’s hard to get quality health-care, and difficult for sick people to reach hospitals. That’s why we decided to bring healthcare to the community.Finding medicine was the easy part, as it is readily available. The chal-lenge was to get it to those in need. I had to figure out how to raise around $500 a month, to pay for a nurse and fuel for a motorbike. I did that for a whole year. The following year, we added more villages and gained more visibility, especially once we won an award from the international broadcaster, CNN.A population vulnerable to the pan-demicLamu is one of Kenya's worst per-forming counties in terms of health. It has an understaffed and un-derstocked health system, which leaves the population particularly vulnerable during the current COV-ID-19 pandemic. This makes our work even more critical.Between March and June, our out-reach team, travelling by boat, treat-ed over 4,000 patients across 17 remote villages, who otherwise lack access to consistent, quality health-care.We also have a Safari Vets pro-gramme, which treated over 400 animals during this period, explain-ing how to prevent the spread of
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KMA unveils Waqf project to support the needyKisumu Muslim Association (KMA) has unveiled a Sh50 million Waqf (endow-ment) project co-funded by the associa-tion and an investor.The project was inaugurated last week by the Deputy Chief Kadhi Sheikh Suky-an Hassan Omar alongside Kisumu East MP Shabbir Ahmed Shakeel and the KMA chairman of the Association Sheikh Musa Ismail Hajj.The Wakf facility is located at Kisumu’s Jamia Mosque.The Waqf is expected to generate income to benefit widows, orphans and the less privileged Muslims in the region.Speaking to the Friday Bulletin, Sheikh Musa observed that the project to be known as 'Waqfu Alwalideyn' (Endowment of two parents) will go at great length to support the various community activities run by the mosque. “It is a four-storey
NATIONAL
The Mombasa County government through the Health department has re-ceived six vans to promote community sensitization, training and awareness against Coronavirus.The vans, a donation from The United Front, will spearhead the ongoing cam-paigns in different areas of Likoni, Mvita and Nyali Sub Counties in the next 3 months.United Front is an initiative that brings to-gether community groups, professionals and volunteers to gather collective action to deal with the human crisis caused by COVID-19.Speaking during the flagging off cer-emony, Chief Public Health Officer Ai-sha Abubakar said each van has been equipped with speakers and will also have a Public Health Officer during the sensiti-zation and training session as they trav-erse the grassroots. “These vans will play
Mombasa gets boost to spearhead campaigns against Coronavirus
building that will take be-tween eight and nine months to complete at an estimated cost of Sh50 million co-fund-ed by the Association and a minority share investor,” the association chair explained.In addition, Sheikh Musa stated that the new project will supplement on other en-dowment facilities owned by the Kisumu Muslim Associa-tion which are meant to im-prove on the social-econom-ic wellbeing of the Muslims in the area. The building will have space for supermarkets, a restau-rant while the top floors will be reserved for accommoda-tion facilities.
a big role in sensitising the residents of coast at the grassroots level since they have heard a lot of miscon-ception about Coronavi-rus,” she observed.She further stated that sen-sitisation is the key factor in reducing Covid-19 infec-tion rates. During Tuesday’s press briefing, Health Chief Ad-ministrative Secretary Rashid Aman said Mom-basa County’s containment strategies could be bearing fruit as the cases being re-
mination that the curve is dropping. There are many factors which determine flatten-ing of the curve,” he said, adding that the tests being done are also varying and do not give a clear picture of the curve.
Boosting COVID-19 fight in places of worship
ported are low. The Health Chief Adminis-trative Secretary also cautioned Kenyans not to be overly optimistic that the worst is over even as daily new cases plunge. “It is too early to be able to make any deter-
Said Aslam receives a gift hamper which consists of a face mask and a hand sani-tizer from Yusuf Sikudhani,an official of Gulf African Bank. As part of its corporate social respon-sibility programme, Shariah compliant financial provider Gulf African Bank dis-tributed face masks and hand sanitizers to worshippers who attended the prayers during the first day of opening on Tues-day.
Mandera: Garre and Murule clans agree to coexist harmoniouslyThe two main clans in Mandera have agreed to end hostilities and desist from perennial clashes that have seen the loss of lives and displacement of people.After a four day meeting, which brought together political leaders, elders and na-tional government security teams, the Garre and Murule clans, agreed to cease hostilities among them and pledged to work together to foster peace and harmo-nious existence.The meeting was spearheaded by Mande-ra County Commissioner Onesmus Kya-tha and the governor Ali Roba. Mandera Governor Ali Roba called on the two communities to put to an end blood-shed and destruction of property and in-
stead give dialogue a chance. “It is easy to start a fight but difficult to end it. I have seen many killings of women, men, chil-dren and youth. However, we managed to bring sanity and calm. Going forward let us not witness any ugly scenes, at the end of the day we are all brother and sisters who belong to the same God," the Gov-ernor said.The committee also agreed on resolving past conflicts through peace accords and maslaha-the Somali traditional arbitration system. The clan leaders also pledged to resolve boundary feuds by June next year and the immediate implementation of the 2005-2008 Umul Accord and other peace agree-
ments reached between the two commu-nities. They also resolve to solve disputes over pasture, water and grazing lands.Among resolutions reached during the peace meeting held at the weekend at the Granada Hotel in Mandera, the security agencies were also mandated to hence-forth arrest and charge any person ped-dling inciting messages and ensure that perpetrators of conflict are arrested and prosecuted. As a way of fostering peaceful co-exist-ence, a heritage centre is being construct-ed in Mandera town and it will be used in coordinating peacebuilding efforts.
Pakistan will not recognise Israel: PM Khan
Lamu Governor pledges to boost healthcare as 92 medics get hiredThe Lamu County Government has start-ed to boost healthcare sector to ensure effective delivery during the Covid-19 pe-riod.
The County government has hired an ad-ditional 92 new personnel which includes nurses, clinical officers, pharmacists, ra-diographers, laboratory technologists and community health workers.
Speaking during the induction ceremony at the county headquarters in Mokowe on Friday, Governor Fahim Twaha welcomed the team, saying it will help bolster the overstretched medical department.
"This is a matter of priority, and the new personnel will be posted to health facilities
across the county with immediate effect. Health is capital-intensive. Over Sh700 million has consistently gone to the health sector in the previous and current financial years. In the immediate strategy, this ap-proach is helping us procure ICU equip-ment for both Mpeketoni and King Fahad hospitals," Twaha said.
The Governor also reiterated that his government has prioritised investment in health infrastructure. "In the medium-term, we plan to start upgrading Mpeketoni and King Fahd hospitals to Level 5 status be-fore 2022," he added.
Recently, the county procured 10,000 PPE, 4,000 N95 masks, 17 oxygen gas cylinders and two ventilators all worth
Sh3.9 million were procured and distrib-uted to health facilities within the region.
The facilities have equally been upgraded, with the laboratory at Methadol Clinic at King Fahad now fully equipped in line with Covid-19 requirements. The laboratory is now used for collection, preparation and storing of samples. The isolation centre at King Fahad Hospital is also being re-vamped to increase its bed capacity.
Recently, medics in Lamu went on a strike to protest poor working conditions which they said exposed them to Covid-19. The Health workers later called off their strike after discussions with Governor Fahim Twaha who promised to look into their grievances.
In an interview with local broad-caster Dunya News, Khan said on Tuesday Islamabad would not follow suit in recognising Is-rael as a state, in a thinly veiled reference to the United Arab Emirates which struck a United States-brokered deal last week to normalise ties with Israel."Whatever any country does, our position is very clear. And our position was made clear by [Pakistan's founder] Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah ... in 1948: that we cannot ever accept Israel as long as Pales-tinians are not given their rights and there is no just settlement," Khan said.The UAE on August 13 became the first Gulf Arab country - and third in the Middle East after Egypt and Jordan - to reach a deal on normalising relations with Israel, capping years of discreet contacts between the two countries in commerce and technology.Khan said if Pakistan accepted Israel and ignored the oppres-sion of the Palestinians, "we
will have to give up Kashmir as well then", adding that this was not some-thing Pakistan could do."When you talk of Israel and Pales-tine, we need to think, will we be able to answer [God] if we abandon those people who have faced every kind of injustice and whose rights were taken away? My own conscience will never allow me to do this, I can never accept it," Khan said.The Palestinian embassy in Islamabad thanked Khan for his stance, accord-ing to Pakistani media outlet Dawn. (Al Jazeera.com)
Ex-inmates for livelihoodLife after prison depending on the length of one's sentence, can be of very many challenges. One of it might be culture shock. The longer one was behind bars, the greater the culture shock may be. Within that period so many things change, one will notice new tech-nology, the rise of social media for communication, newer versions of cell phones in general, and new language that has been intro-duced since they were last out of prison. Obviously they will need our collective support to adjust to these new norms. In most cases, one develops a disorienting feeling that he or she has to adapt to an unfamiliar way of life. Prison life also comes with stigma, loss of old friends and the fear of being marginalized and being viewed by the society differently. It is very unfortunate that our societies still hang on old mentali-ties that once in jail one can never reform or adopt to a pure life free of crime. Readjusting to daily life is challenging, and working towards finding a job with a criminal record and gaining financial stability can be frustrating. Employers, former friends, and even some family members reject them due to the humiliation they as-sociate with incarceration. The stress of unemployment also puts people at higher risk of alcoholism and drug abuse, particularly for those who already have a history of drug problems. Ummah Foundation has identified these challenges and we always encourage inmates to take advantage of their being in prison to acquire useful skills like carpentry, masonry, tailoring, embroidery, motor vehicle mechanic, electrical installations and engineering, etcetera. . The Zakat and Sadaqah that we receive during the holy month of Ramadhan and other months, part of it goes to buying tools and equipments required to help our brothers and sisters be-gin a new life. We help them to reaffirm their positive thinking and get them to understand that there is life after crime. Together with the seed money that is supposed to kick start this process many
The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147 E-mail: [email protected] Printed by Signal Press Limited-Lords House-Tom Mboya Street [email protected]
have successful started off and doing well in their small entrepre-neurships. These helps to promote a sense of well-being as well as a connection to the community. Ummah Foundation therefore advocates for their welfare while in prison and after release. They have found ways of resisting negative influences that can lead them to recidivism. The past Ramadhan season, we encountered about 15 cases of inmates who served long sentences and when their terms came to an end they were released to a world that was very uncomfort-able with their presence and they had no idea of how to start a new life. Eight sewing machines, two masonry, one carpenter and one plumber’s tool kits were given out to eight brothers and three sisters to empower them sufficiently to begin a reliable living. Various brothers assembled their Zakat and trustfully handed it over to Ummah Foundation for distribution. It is this amount of that was utilized to purchase the complete tool kits that benefited the ex-prisoners and other needy brothers and sisters. We would like to encourage other well-wishers to come on board and make it a priority to help our often forgotten brothers and sis-ters who suffer silently after spending the worst part of their lives behind confinement. Your assistance goes a long way to build a new personality and eventually reform the society.It is our earnest prayer that Allah will abundantly reward the Zakat givers and put all these good deeds in the weight of their scales on the day of reckoning. Ameen!
