UstaadKhan Blogs

The Islamic finance sector in the United Kingdom has seen enormous growth both domestically and internationally. London is one of the top five financial centers in the world for Islamic finance and is the premier center outside the Muslim world. What are the key factors that have lead to this success?

An essential ingredient is a regulatory framework that can accommodate Islamic finance principles and a regulator that is prepared to work with Islamic institutions to overcome technical hurdles. The Bank of England has had a close interest in the Islamic banking sector since the early 1990s. The Financial Services Authority, created in 1998, articulated the policy of “no obstacles, no special favors,” its approach being one of establishing a level playing field within the overall framework of its risk-based approach to regulation.

There must be a tax regime that enables Islamic financing structures and products to be treated in an equivalent manner to their conventional counterparts. The U.K. tax authorities’ aim has been to ensure that Shariah-compliant financial products are taxed in a way that is neither more nor less advantageous than equivalent banking products in the conventional sector. A package of measures has evolved and been introduced over a period of six years which, in broad terms, works by setting out particular fact patterns that describe generically equivalent Islamic financing structures and products, but without naming them, and applying specific tax treatment to putting them on a level playing field with the nearest equivalent conventional financing structure. The specific tax treatment is not restricted to Muslim customers or Shariah-compliant products. Indeed, the legislation is silent on this, as to avoid discrimination issues. (more…)

Egyptian women perform the Eid al-Fitr dawn prayer at a stadium in Mansura, 120 km north of Cairo.

Muslims around the world woke up Sunday and welcomed the end of a long month of fasting with hearty greetings of “Eid Mubarak,” or happy festivities.

The faithful were ushering in Eid al-Fitr — three days of celebrations that Muslims mark with joyous community prayers, acts of charity, visits from far-flung relatives, gift-giving and elaborate feasts.

“Think Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s — all rolled into one. It’s that huge for us,” said Sajjad Aziz of Hoboken, New Jersey.

Islam follows a lunar calendar, and the timing of Eid al-Fitr varies around the world depending on when the crescent of a new moon is sighted.

So, while most countries — including the United States — observed Eid on Sunday, some will begin their celebrations on Monday.

The night before Eid, entire communities gather on rooftops, scanning the sky with giddy anticipation.

“It only needs one sighting of the moon in the whole country, and the whole nation erupts in cheers,” said Qazi Arif, 35, of Sirajgong, Bangladesh. “It’s a divine feeling, hard to describe.”

Eid al-Fitr bids goodbye to Ramadan — a month of dawn-to-dusk abstinence from food, drinks and other sensual pleasures. Muslims believe the Quran, the religion’s holy book, was revealed to Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan more than 1,400 years ago. (more…)

The pleasure comes both from prayer and from food and drink, as the faithful fulfill the month of Ramadan.

Thirteen hours had passed since sunrise, and that plate of dark, sweet dates, and those brimming water glasses, looked tempting indeed.

“I saw the stars,” a hopeful young girl in a head scarf told her friend as they waited for the sun to set.

But it was not until they heard the adhan, or call to evening prayer, at 7:34 that they and other worshipers at this West Philadelphia mosque reached for “breakfast” – their first food and drink of a long day.

“Yes, you may have a date,” a woman assured her young son Thursday evening. He scurried toward the table.

It was Day 14 of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, when Muslims around the world abstain from food and drink during daylight hours, donate to the poor, and – above all – pray.

“If a person fulfills the obligation to fast and to pray five times a day, he is considered a pious Muslim,” explained Ali Ghazzawi, the imam at the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects’ mosque at 44th and Walnut Streets.

But to go beyond the core obligations during Ramadan brings “special merit,” said the Lebanese-born Ghazzawi, on hand that evening to participate in the special salah, or prayer, known as Tarawih. (more…)

With Ramadan right around the corner, it’s time to start gearing up and adjusting our schedules accordingly. One of the things we have to plan for during Ramadan is Tarawih. Now I’m not going to delve into a fiqh discussion in regards to Tarawih (plus there’s some video coming your way soon InshaAllah). What I’d like to talk about is the potential impact that Tarawih can have, particularly on children.

One question most Imams, Shuyukh, Du’at, etc get asked is, “How and when did you know this is what you wanted to do?” Often this question is asked by parents in order to get an idea of how to get their kids interested in similar things. Well my answer to this question has to do with attending Tarawih in Ramadan. Alhamdulillah since the age of about 5 my father used to take me to Tarawih every night in Ramadan, even on school nights. Around the time I was 8 I remember being amazed by the Imam’s recitation of the Qur’an from memory in Tarawih. I even told my father that I want to be able to do what he does. So bi’idhnillah when the opportunity presented itself to go and memorize the Qur’an, I jumped at it and insisted that I be allowed to go. Keep in mind that this involved traveling overseas at the age of 10. Alhamdulillah, since then one thing Allah has granted me the ability to do consistently is lead Tarawih every Ramadan. This was the beginning of my journey down the road of seeking knowledge and serving the Deen. (more…)

khabrein.info, Aug 21, 2009: Ramadan in USA to begin Saturday. The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) recognizes astronomical calculation as an acceptable Shar’ia method for determining the beginning of lunar months including the months of Ramadan and Shawwal. FCNA uses Makkah al-Mukarram as a conventional point and takes the position that the conjunction must take place before sunset in Makkah and the moon must set after sunset in Makkah.

On the basis of this method the dates of Ramadan and Eid ul-Fitr for the year 1430 AH are established as follows:

1st of Ramadan will be on Saturday, August 22, 2009
1st of Shawwal will be on Sunday, September 20, 2009

Ramadan 1430 AH:
The astronomical New Moon is on Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 10:01 Universal Time (1:01 pm Makkah time). Sunset at Makkah on August 20 is at 6:47 pm local time, while moonset at Makkah is at 6:46 pm local time (1 minute before sunset). Therefore the following day Friday, August 21, 2009 is not the 1st day of Ramadan. First day of Ramadan is Saturday, August 22, insha’Allah. First Tarawih prayer will be on Friday night. (more…)

Here is a prayer to welcome the Month of Ramadhan. Each image I searched by using a word from each section of the Prayer. I just selected the first thing I saw…sort of a mosaic of google images. The source is linked for each picture and the search word is the caption not necessarily the title of the photograph. The prayer is long, but worth it. May Allah accept our fasts in the month of Shaban and the month of Ramadhan and may it be a means of us attaining nearness to Him.

Authibillahhimina Shaytanir Rajim…Bismillahir Rahamanir Raheem
Allahumma Salle Ala Muhammed Wa Alle Muhammed

Praise belongs to God who guided us to His praise and placed us among the people of praise, that we might be among the thankful for His beneficence and that He might recompense us for that with the recompense of the good-doers!

Thankful 

 And praise belongs to God who showed favour to us through His religion, singled us out for His creed, and directed us onto the roads of His beneficence, in order that through His kindness we might travel upon them to His good pleasure, a praise which He will accept from us and through which He will be pleased with us! (more…)

 Reference: Ibn al Qayyim’s Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad il-Afraah, p.193

Tonight we will be observing remembrance of Laylatul Baraat, the 15th Shabaan.

Some Resources on the significance of this night:

The Night of the 15th of Sha`ban
“Laylatul-bara’ ah” (The night of freedom from Fire).

1) Imam Nawawi mentioned in his Majmu`, where he also quoted Imam al-Shafi`i from the latter’s al-Umm that it has reached him that there are 5 nights when dua is answered, one of them being the night of the 15th of Sha`ban.
**Note, of course, that the night of the 15th is the night before it.**

2) Imam Haskafi said in his Durr al-Mukhtar, one of the primary references in the Hanafi school:
“Among the recommended [prayers] are on. . . . the nights of the two Eids, the middle of Sha`ban, the last ten of Ramadan, and the first [ten] of Dhul-Hijjah. ” (more…)

It is that time of the year again. Ramadan has begun to signal it’s imminent arrival. For most, that might imply a dread of fasting longer, hotter days. For others, it might mean saving more to stock up their freezers. For some lucky people, it might indicate the time to start making travel arrangements for performing umrah or itikaaf in Islam’s holy sites in Saudi Arabia. For most, however, including me, it implies preparing for project “Yearly Zakaah: Calculation and Discharge“.

The basic reasons why most Muslims discharge their yearly Zakaah during Ramadan are:

• It gains more rewards – multiplied by 70 times, at the very least. That is why it can be given in advance, during Ramadan. It is imperative, on the other hand, that if it has become due before Ramadan, it should be given at once, and not delayed in the hope for more reward.
• It is easier to keep track of Zakaah if one has the habit of discharging it in a prominent Muslim month, i.e. the latter’s arrival provides a convenient reminder to start planning how much and where, to pay off one’s Zakaah.
• It is the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad [صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم] to become extra generous during this month, akin to a wind that brings much gain i.e. fruit/agricultural produce: Narrated Ibn Abbas [may Allah be pleased with him] who said: “The Prophet [صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم] was the most generous of people, and he was even more generous during Ramadan when Jibreel met him. Jibreel used to meet him every night in Ramadan until it was over and the Prophet would go through the Qur’an with him. The Messenger of Allah was more generous with good things than the blowing wind (which brings rain and welfare).” [Sahih Al-Bukhari] (more…)