During COVID19 crucial decisions have to be taken. Some people will not like these decisions, such as no ummrah in Makkah and Madinah, but they are necessary to save lives. We have to remember that we are worshipping Allah by not putting people in danger.
It is good to make dua but we have to be responsible as well. If we are told not to gather in big groups to avoid spreading and getting Coronavirus then we must listen. We can’t just be irresponsible and say if it is written we will die from it. We must do what we can in order to prevent the spread.
Mufti Menk has some strong advice as well as an example that happened to him when he performed Hajj in the 1990’s.
In the UK, there are 22,141 COVID-19 cases. The virus has killed 1,408 so far in the country.
This lockdown is expected to have severe effects on many vulnerable and needy families.
As Islam puts deep emphasis on an individual duty to help neighbors, a Muslim youth group has launched coronavirus relief effort.
The Ahmadiyya AMYA group, which has a membership exceeding 8,000, has introduced new initiatives to support people in need during the pandemic.
Muslim volunteers help buy and deliver groceries for those in need ( Noor Hadi/AMYA UK )
“Our key objective is to serve and contribute to society at all levels through active integration and engagement.” Noor Hadi, one of the UK youngest imams, told The Standard.
“Under AMYA’s motto ‘Love for All Hatred for None’, our purpose is to engender the spirit of discipline, love, and service to the wider community irrespective of people’s beliefs, race or gender.
“We also believe a nation cannot be reformed without the reformation of its youth – so we have introduced structured activities for young people to keep them engaged.”
The new campaign would see volunteers aged between 16 and 40 working in 24 regions across the UK to serve local community members in need.
“Some of our more sporty members and Imams have dedicated their time to create daily online content to help people at homestay fit during this period – with six workout sessions a week, and three targeted at those aged under 15,” Hadi added.
“They’re live videos, so people can interact with one another, it’s a pretty fun way to get fit, all in the safety of your home. We also have challenges and kahoot quizes to take part in and leaderboards which you can climb.”
A young Muslim volunteer drops off food deliveries to a neighbor in need (Noor Hadi/AMYA UK)
Much-needed Help
The COVID-19 pandemic has infected 788,065 and killed other 37,877, according to the latest estimates by WorldOMeter.
Over the past weeks, elderly people have been struggling with anxiety and isolation forced on them due to the coronavirus.
In Blackburn, the Masjide Noorul Islam has already recruited 250 people to help the elderly and vulnerable in isolation.
In South Yorkshire, a Muslim volunteer is leading an interfaith campaign to help people in Sheffield and Rotherham.
Preston mosques have donated items to help NHS critical care staff through tough times.
A British Muslim businessman also donated £200,000 to NHS, launching an appeal to raise £1 million.
British Muslim boxer Amir Khan also pledged to give his £5m wedding venue in Bolton to the NHS to help coronavirus victims.
{It is You we worship and You we ask for help.} (Al-Fatihah 1:5)
A Muslim recites Surah Al-Fatihah multiple times daily. The words roll easily off our lips. But do we really understand the words we’re saying?
In this series, Dr. Yasir Qadhi breaks down Surah Al-Fatihah in bite-size pieces. He explains the Surah in a way that both the beginner and the more learned Muslim can reflect upon.
To properly worship our Creator, we need to understand the true meaning of worship – to serve Allah (Subhanahu wa ta`ala).
To attain worship level 100, this requires ibadah. What is ibadah, you ask?
Do you know there are 3 levels of ibadah? Or that you can turn the mundanest of tasks into rewarded acts of worship (HINT: It has to do with your heart)?
Today, try this exercise. Everything you do, from household chores to praying, visualize Allah standing in front of you. After all, He does see everything.
By visualizing this, we will see an increase of ibadah.
When we expand our consciousness of Allah, there is great potential in obtaining rewards in all tasks, both ritualistic tasks (prayer, fasting, Hajj) and worldly everyday tasks (working, grocery shopping, even being intimate with your spouse).
Asking friends for help or asking Allah the Almighty?
Have you thought about what it really means when we say, ‘wa iyyaka nasta`een’?
Allah (Subhanahu wa ta`la) wants us to only ask Him for help but what about that heavy piece of furniture that you need help moving? Surely asking a friend to help is alright, right?
By investing in ourselves and spending a few minutes watching this video, we will understand what ibadah is and how to obtain it.
Muslims all over the United States have been affected by this, especially with the result of halting congregational prayers and communal activities.
However, locked Masjid doors and virtual Friday sermons are becoming the new norm for the international Muslim community with several mosques now going online to provide services.
Muslims are turning to online platforms and resources to build a sense of community during this time.
Local Imams, scholars, and organization leaders are hosting webinars, conference calls, and video chats to continue a culture of connection amongst fellow worshippers.
“Our community is already planning a virtual Ramadan at Roswell Community Masjid. Our plan is to continue our online programming, offer weekend nightly halaqas using our digital platform, and encourage virtual iftars with friends,” Imam Arshad Anwar from Roswell Community Masjid told AboutIslam.net.
Though keeping social distancing, the lockdown period could bring the community closer, sharing thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.
“In this time of “social distancing”, even though we are physically farther, we plan to be spiritually closer,” Imam Hamza Abdul Malik from Midtown Mosque shared with AboutIslam.net.
“Our community will plant more gardens, feed more people from our pantry, and work even harder to connect to each other through conference classes and virtual study groups.”
Imam Abdullah Yousri in the prayer area of the Ummah Masjid and Community Centre Monday morning, March 30, 2020. Eric Wynne
Other Areas
Another mosque in Canada turned to online services to support its congregation during the lockdown.
In the Nova Scotia, Canada, imam Ibrahim Alshanti of the Al-Barakah Masjid in Halifax turned on his computer from the confines of his living room to teach a few online classes through Zoom each week.
“It’s weird, but we believe that in every difficulty, there is a blessing,” said Alshanti, The Chronicle Herald.
Imam Abdallah Yousri of the Ummah Masjid and Community Centre in Halifax has similarly been hosting daily virtual sessions from his bedroom to offer “online spiritual support for the community and share important reflections with them” through Zoom and Facebook.
Yousri said the Muslim community has been supportive of the mosques’ decision to continue to host prayers and Quran lessons virtually.
“It is a very challenging time for us, especially with the kids, and the community at this time needs the support,” he said.
Other imams in the US have also gone online to provide their followers with religious reflections including imam Omar Suleiman and Sheikh Yasir Qadhi.
“When Allah’s houses reopen to us, will our hearts be open to them?”| Nightly ReflectionCheck out our website for regularly updated content on how to cope with the Coronavirus at yaqeeninstitute.org
Sad news came out this week from the UK with three Muslim doctors losing their lives to coronavirus in the space of a week.
The medical practitioners were immigrants of Muslim backgrounds, according to media reports.
Dr. Amged El Hawrani
Sudanese-born ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. Amged El Hawrani died in Leicester in central England, after being tested positive for the Covid-19 illness.
The 55-year-old had been on life support for nearly two weeks.
Dr. Habib Zaidi
Hawrani’s passing followed that of Sudanese surgeon Adil El Tayar and Habib Zaidi, a GP of Pakistani origin.
Dr. El Tayar, 63, previously worked in Sudan and Saudi Arabia, before returning to the UK to help the NHS cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Adil El Tayar
“He wanted to be sent where he would be most useful in the crisis,” Zeinab Badawi, a cousin of Dr. El Tayar, told the BBC.
“That was typical of my cousin Adil, always willing to help, always with a willing smile. It had taken just 12 days for Adil to go from a seemingly fit and capable doctor working in a busy hospital to lying in a hospital morgue.”
The three doctors have been mourned on social media.
Deeply saddened to hear of the tragic death of #NHS doctors Habib Zaidi, Amged El’Hawrani and Adil El Tayar over the weekend. We must never forget the enormous sacrifices currently being made by people on the frontline of the fight against #Coronavirus
— Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (@BellRibeiroAddy) March 30, 2020
RIP. May we NEVER forget what immigrants, and their children and grandchildren, have given this country, especially our health service. https://t.co/3JLSilO4BD
Some people have problems reconciling the following truths.
First, it is rightly said that you can never love a person whom you fear
(a statement often ascribed to Aristotle). There is no room in the heart for both fear and love towards the same person or thing. It is
either one, or none.
Second, the highest level of one’s piety is to fear God as He should be
feared (Al ‘Imran, 102).
Whenever God is mentioned, the hearts of true believers become full of fear (Al-Anfal, 2).
Third, believers are expected to love God more than anything else.
Not doing so is a serious spiritual deficiency (Al-Tawbah, 24).
Fourth, true believers, who follow the heavenly guidance, are supposed to have neither fear nor grief (Al-Baqarah, 38).
All of the above assertions are correct. The best way to reconcile
them is to carefully analyse the Quranic concepts of piety, fear, love
and man’s relationships with God, the Creator, and His creations. The
same concepts can be further explained in the light of the Prophet’s
Sunnah.
One should also bear in mind that the Arabic language is so reach and
diverse that sometimes two apparently synonymous words may be
significantly different. They may be a world of subtle meanings apart.
Thus, a main condition for truly excelling in any branch of Islamic
studies is the adequate knowledge of Arabic. Without that, more harm
than benefit can be generated, notwithstanding people’s sincere
intentions and the levels of their commitment. In passing, herein lies one of the main causes of the biggest predicaments Muslims face
today.
God reveals that He has sent it (the Quran) (Yusuf, 2), and has made
it (Al-Zukhruf, 3), an Arabic Quran that people may be able to
understand and learn wisdom.
That means that no proper understanding and wisdom (epistemology) are possible without the Quran, or the revealed knowledge, and without the Arabic language as its method and system of communication.
According to the Islamic worldview, people are created to love. They
learn how to hate. When they love, they stay true to themselves and
their primordial nature (fitrah).
To love is to be normal. That is why love is called hubb in Arabic.
Related to the same root word is the word habb, which means seed.
When a person is born, he is implanted with the seed (habb) of love
(hubb), which he is expected to grow and cultivate throughout his life.
To hate, conversely, is an anomaly. A person who hates is abnormal.
That is why hatred in Arabic is called karahiyyah. It is from the same
root word as the words akraha and ikrah, which mean “to force or compel” and “compulsion” respectively.
That implies when a person hates, he goes against his intrinsic nature. He forces an aberrant feeling and activity upon himself.
Cherish the intention to make the upcoming Ramadan the best in your life. Start developing this motive inside you from now. This intention will make you more industrious.
A day after the governor of Massachusetts declared a state of emergency, our family of seven began our coronavirus lockdown. That was March 12. As of this writing, we have spent over two weeks inside our home.
Well, or in nature with only each other and local wildlife (squirrels, birds, wild turkeys, geese, and foxes) for company. My husband and I go into town very sparingly, and only to shop for essential groceries.
Contact with anyone outside of our immediate family takes place solely via computer screens and phones.
Our brood of children has a large range of ages: from 19 years old down to 4. The oldest two are now studying remotely. They must attempt to sleep, study, and listen to online academic lectures despite their younger siblings’ constant hubbub.
They contact their friends online, but definitely miss meeting up with them in person. However, they take the pandemic seriously and don’t even ask to go out and mingle with others.
The youngest three children feel their world has been turned upside-down. Their elementary school was closed suddenly. They didn’t get to say goodbye to classmates and teachers.
They also didn’t have any time to mentally prepare for a life confined mostly to their home. The youngest miss their friends, sports, and activities, but are slowly adjusting to having lessons at home.
So far, they are not nearly as hardworking for their current teacher (me) as they are for their regular teachers! I am trying to be patient. Knowing that this lockdown has taken all children by surprise, I understand many will need extra support and encouragement.
Only the four-year-old seems completely happy with the turn of events. She suddenly has siblings to play with all day, and both parents nearby. At least one member of our family is thoroughly enjoying the lockdown!
Quickly, we have found lockdown to be a unique opportunity for heightened connection and quality time. Here are some of the activities my family have been enjoying during isolation:
1 -Hikes, Picnics, and Scavenger Hunts
We’re making the most of the Great Outdoors these days! We get outside in nature during all kinds of weather because it’s really the only place we can go.
It’s spring in New England. In addition to warm sunshine, we’ve also experienced rain, snow, and fog over the past two weeks. We’ve taken walks in all weather conditions because getting outside and exercising always improves our mental outlook.
On nice days we pack a picnic lunch and eat in the middle of a field, far from fellow hikers. Other days we use a scavenger hunt list found for free and printed off the internet. We challenge ourselves to find all the items on it.
2 – Family Game Night
This is the children’s favorite part of the day. We have found it is effective to use it as a reward for good behavior and diligent studying. My husband and I play board and card games with the youngest kids, often serving a special snack, too.
Our teens don’t always want to join in the more childish games. So, sometimes we have a separate game night with them, after the youngest ones have gone to bed. That’s when true competition takes place!
3 – Story Time
Every day, usually right before bedtime, I read a chapter of a children’s book aloud for my three youngest kids. They savor story time because it’s a time of low stress, snuggles, and uninterrupted togetherness. I turn off my phone, keeping this time completely dedicated to my kids.
4 – Group Prayer
Because of our busy and diverse schedules, it’s rare that my family can pray together. But the lockdown has created a great opportunity to offer salat as a group. My husband leads, and it’s the way we had always envisioned and desired.
Some parents, suddenly thrust into homeschooling with little guidance or curriculum, wonder what on earth to teach their children.
Well, household chores are important life skills that kids will not learn at school, and now is the perfect opportunity to give lessons!
I’m teaching my 8 year old to wash and dry her laundry, and my 7- and 4- year olds are keeping their bedroom clean and helping to set and clear the kitchen table. There are innumerable life skills that parents can teach their children at home!
6 – Audio Books
During the coronavirus pandemic, Audible is offering some free audio books. The whole family can enjoy listening to them while coloring, tidying up, cooking, or crafting.
7 – Crafting
Speaking of crafting, we are admittedly not the craftiest family, but we are taking advantage of some free online tutorials that inspire us.
In our wider community, crafty families are sewing masks for doctors and nurses, making cards for quarantined elderly people, and even brewing homemade hand sanitizer for their neighbors. Now is the chance for knitters, potters, painters, and other artisans to really shine!
8 – Online Lectures
Increasing our Islamic knowledge is a top priority, especially with Ramadan around the corner! YouTube has numerous online lectures from well-known scholars, and AlMaghrib Institute is offering its Faith Essentials video lectures free for three weeks during the coronavirus pandemic.
We can view the lockdown as a burden and our home as a prison, or we can try to make the most of this time together.
InshaAllah when our children grow up and look back on the coronavirus pandemic, they won’t remember a time of panic and deprivation, but rather many happy memories of togetherness with their family and reliance on Allah SWT.
The beard typically indicates that someone is a practising Muslim, they do this in imitation of the Prophets (pbut). In many depictions of Prophets in Semitic traditions they have a beard.
Some Muslims interpret the following hadith as an obligation, yet the language used does not imply that it is an absolute requirement with a punishment for not complying. “Cut the moustaches short and leave the beard.” (Bukhari)
Alhamdulillah beards are very fashionable right now so it’s easy for men to grow their beard without being singled out. But if a brother struggles to grow a beard or it is not compatible with his work then there is no blame on him.
Sister Yasmin Mogahed discusses using an Islamic lens. In a sahih hadith the Prophet (saw) said “The matter of a believer is strange, everything is good for him or her”.
This is only for a believer. If a believer gets something they want and they respond with gratitude, then it is good for them. If they get something they don’t want and they respond with patience it is good for them.
The lens that a believer should use to see their life is a good one. Everything is good. It doesn’t mean a believer will never feel pain or never face hardship or struggle. The Prophets were tested the most! Despite the pain and struggle, in the end it is good for you. That is how a believer must view life, the challenges are here to make us stronger.
A short reminder regarding the recommended times of dua. And I think what you need to know here is that the recommended times of dua or recommended things that can cause your dua to be accepted, can be divided into two sort of large groups:
– A person who finds themselves in severe difficulty after a calamity has struck.
– The person who is traveling.
– Someone who is fasting.
– The one who is reciting the Quran or has just recited the Quran
– Someone who is performing Hajj or Umrah or jihad.
– The one who is making dua for someone in their absence. Because we know that when you make dua for someone in his absence an angel says: “Ameen and to you”.
– A person who is in a state of remembering Allah constantly.
– The just ruler.
These are some of the situations that the scholars mentioned that if you find yourself to be in this situation, this is a situation where your dua will be accepted.
As for times of the day, or the week, or the month of the year when your dua is accepted, then:
– The last third of the night: So divide the night between Maghrib and Fajr into three pieces, the last third of the night.
– When the Adhan is called. So between the Adhan and the Iqamah, after the Adhan and then between the Adhan and Iqamah.
– During the prayer: The closest that a slave is to his Lord is when he is in a state of prostration.
– While prostrating, and before the end of the prayer, after you have finished the tashahhud.
– After the prayer, once you have finished your adhkar, your dhikr that you make after the prayer.
– An hour on Friday, or a period of time on Friday, and the scholars disagreed over when this is. Some of them said that it is when the Imam sits down between the two khutbahs. And some of them said that it is at the last period of time before Maghrib… and they have other opinions.
But frequently making dua on Friday particularly when the Imam sits down between the two khutbahs, and after the Khutbah, and then frequently making it, and just before Maghrib on a Friday.
These are times when the scholars mentioned that your dua is accepted.
All of these are times that are mentioned within the Sunnah and situations that are mentioned within the Sunnah of the prophet (peace be upon him) in which your du’a is accepted.
So it’s for us to learn them and to put them into practice and to become people who frequently make du’a at all times and in all places.
Because, for example, if we look at the Friday, if you’re frequently making du’a on that Friday all the way through, Inshallah you’re going to hit that hour in which your du’a is accepted.
And so this is about us frequently making du’a and about us learning the situations in which our du’a is accepted.
Read Also: 
