Ittaqullah!

The Story of al-Isra’ and al-Mi’raj July 30th, 2007

Or: The Miraculous Night-Journey from Makkah to the Farthest Mosque in Jerusalem and Ascension through the sphere of Heavens

The story of “The Night Journey” as we see in the Noble Qur’ân is epitomised in the first verse of the Sûrah Isra’ (Chapter 17 — The Journey by Night):

“Glorified be Allah Who enabled His slave [Muhammad], for a journey by night from Masjid al-Haram [in Makkah] to Masjid al-Aqsa [in Jerusalem], the neighborhood whereof We blessed, in order that We might show him(Muhammad) of our Ayat [proofs, evidences, signs etc.]. Verily, He is the All-Hearer ,the All-Seer.”

This journey is also confirmed in the sahih (authentic) hadith. As such, there is scholarly consensus (ijma) that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) journeyed in body and soul on the night of al-Isra’ from Masjid al-Haram in Makkah to Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem and to the heavens beyond. One does not need a Washington DC cosmetic surgeon to confirm the truth of this miraculous event.

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Sheikh Ali Goma’a never stated that Muslims can apostatise July 30th, 2007

I refer to the false report in the Washington Post which attributed a claim to Sheikh Ali Goma’a, Egypt’s Grand Mufti, that Muslims can apostatize from Islam. The mufti has officially retracted this claim as it was reported in the Gulf News. Its like saying that the mufti has become a Beverly Hills plastic surgery specialist.

Egypt’s top cleric yesterday denied in a statement that he had said a Muslim can give up his faith without punishment.

Ali Goma’a, the mufti of Egypt, was quoted as saying in a posting on a Washington Post-Newsweek forum that Muslims are free to change their faith and this is a matter between an individual and God.

“What I actually said is that Islam prohibits a Muslim from changing his religion and that apostasy is a crime, which must be punished,” Goma’a said.

There may be indications as to who was responsible for this false claim.

The alleged fatwa coincides with an uproar over the case of 12 Egyptians who converted to Islam from Christianity and now want to re-embrace Christianity.

“There is a campaign by secularists to distort the image of Dr Ali Goma’a,” a senior official in Al Azhar told Gulf News.

“He cannot deny punishment in this life for the apostate,” said Mustafa Al Chaka of the Islamic Research Centre.

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Islamic Art Exhibition in London July 30th, 2007

A new exhibition of Islamic art from across the Muslim world aims to do far more than unite unusual, luxurious and rarely-seen objects. Organizers of this London event say that they hope that the illuminated Qur’ans, the perfume bottle which look like cross tattoos carved from rock crystal and the leaf skeleton decorated with sacred text will change the way people think about Islam. The Spirit & Life exhibition, Masterpieces of Islamic Art from the Aga Khan Museum Collection, is currently on display at London’s Ismaili Centre until 31st August 2007.

A page from the luxurious “Blue Qur’an”, made in North Africa, and dating from the 10th Century.

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TH Selborn July 30th, 2007

I’ve always admired the strong Islamic architecture of the TH Selborn building and so, when the opportunity presents itself, I did not miss it. Took this a few weeks ago during a slight traffic jam on the flyover at Jalan Tun Abdul Razak. I don’t think there would be any such opportunity that presents itself to be able to capture the Islamic art on the TH Selborn building. Its definitely not the San Diego Ivy Hotel, that is for certain.

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International Islamic Fair 2007 July 30th, 2007

I went with Asdren Zajmi, a brother from Kosovo, with his wife, to the International Islamic Fair (IIF) 2007 which was held in PWTC. It was actually an eerie feeling when I walked along the corridors of power in the UMNO building, even though we were heading towards the booth area. Some of you call Malaysia a secular state? Bullshit. A “secular state” will not have Islamic fairs!

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