Issue 2

VOL 1.2

AYAH

APRIL 2021

Islamic Society of Britain

Abraham Jam Lunch 'n' Lockdown Ramadan recipes!

Once I embarked on my spiritual journey, I myself was searching for people to be my guide.

INTERVIEW WITH PETER SANDERS ...and much more!

Assalamu alaykum!

Asalamu alaykum, welcome to this special Ramadan edition of AYAH, the online magazine for the Islamic society of Britain. We have a comprehensive array of interviews and articles that we hope, will inspire and inform our readers in this blessed month.

AYAH is ambitiously looking to incorporate diverse and interfaith dialogue in this edition, to highlight our common spirituality. This is a prelude to an exploration of our roles as believers in the wider multicultural landscape and we hope will inspire conversation and contemplation. In reaching out to a wider audience, we can often find our own understanding and faith is reinvigorated and the core values of our Islamic teachings can be appreciated anew.

We hope that this Ramadan will be full of blessings for you all, with a return to our collective prayers and a diminishing of our feelings of isolation. The articles we have chosen to bring to you, will Inshallah help to celebrate the best of what this month brings.

The Islamic society of Britain welcomes British Muslims from across the country. We have a long- standing and rich contribution to the history of Islam in Britain. Please join us in continuing the journey of the last 30 years as we navigate the polarising discourse of our current times. Help us to continue to display the best of what will define our identity in the future.

If you would like to write to us with comments or suggestions, please contact us through ayah@isb.org.uk Maslama Farah Morley (Guest editor) Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the ISB. The views expressed by writers are their own, and the publication of their articles in this magazine does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.

@BritIslam

isb.org.uk

THE FIRST REVELATION ‘Read! Read in the name of your Lord who created, Who created Humankind from a clot. Read: your Lord is most generous – who taught Humankind by the pen – who taught Humankind that which he knew not.‘ (96:1-96:5)

“Read! Read in the name of your Lord who created, who created Humankind from a clot.

Read: your Lord is most generous – who taught Humankind by the pen – who taught Humankind that which he knew not.”

With these words to an illiterate man, God changed the course of human history. After this moment of revelation, the veils were lifted from our eyes and the darkness of ignorance was replaced with the light of knowledge.

A Prophet received his Prophethood, and we received a means of salvation. In Muhammad (pbuh), we were given the blueprint for humanity, an example that has stood the test of time.

But what effect did this moment have on humanity? We have an account of the impact on Muhammad from the closest of his companions, from the best of his friends, from his wife Khadijah (ra). It was to her that Muhammad rushed back to in his hour of need. There he lay in her arms, huddled under a blanket, shaken with fear and doubt.

Muhammad had been in the cave of Hira when the voice of Angel Gabriel had relayed God's command: ‘Read...‘ We know that Muhammad questioned this.

He questioned how a man who knew not how to read could follow this command.

The angel had then squeezed him until even his breath left him and commanded again: 'Read...'

Again, Muhammad pleaded that he could not read.

Yet again he was squeezed until he felt that his ribs would break.

18

'Read...'

It was like a rebirth! A squeezing, a drawing of breath, a man reborn. Then the words came to him as relayed by the angel Gabriel, as they had to every prophet and messenger of God since the dawn of time. A command to bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except God! Upon leaving the cave, Gabriel in his true form was visible from horizon to horizon, the expanse of the sky was filled with this vision. The angel affirmed the true nature of Muhammad. He was to be the last prophet of God. But now Muhammad doubted his eyes and ears. He feared that there could not be a reasonable explanation for what he had experienced, that others may doubt him and call his words the ravings of a madman. At this moment, when even a prophet doubted his own prophethood, one voice rang clear and unwavering. There was no doubt in Khadijah. She had known this man better than anyone, as intimately as no other: she had no doubt that Muhammad was a messenger of God. So, the first revelation was the first moment of certainty, the first moment when two unalienable truths entered the consciousness of the first Muslim.

‫ﻻ إﻟﻪ إﻻ ﷲ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ رﺳﻮل ﷲ‬ There is no deity but God and Muhammad is His messenger

A lesson that can be taken from this is that there is no reason to fear doubt: doubt can open us up to a greater appreciation and understanding of the facts. However, we should always seek advice from those that will guide you to the right path.

Choose your friendships and relationships based on this and trust in good counsel.

Why do you think the Prophet doubted himself? When we doubt ourselves, who do we confide in? What allows us to believe in ourselves again? Is it the support of someone we trust who can remind us that we can be the person God wants us to be?

INTERVIEW P

E

T

E

R

S

A

N

D

E

R

Peter Sanders is a British photographer who started off his career in the 1960s when he took photographs of some of the biggest names in rock history: Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones to name just a couple. Sanders’s beautiful journey eventually led him to find Islam.

His stunning photographs act as a spiritual bridge between people across the globe. He is now considered one of the most distinguished and respected Muslim photographers in the world.

We were privileged with the opportunity to talk to Peter himself and gained some invaluable wisdom from his experiences.

This is a summary of the insightful conversation we were able to have with Peter. A lot of this interview has been paraphrased and adjusted for easy reading, but you can listen to the full interview here

BY ARMEEN SHEHZAD & EMAAN MIRZA

S

Describe your experiences with portrait photography. Your subjects always seem so comfortable, and their emotions feel so raw and organic.

From my experience, the saints and sages were the easiest to photograph because they are not preoccupied with their self-image, they are completely at ease with themselves. The only times I was worried was when I was photographing elderly people and I had to make sure I finished the session quickly and my number one priority was their comfort. So, a lot of the times I would set everything prior to the shoot, but before all that there was no preplanning, I would walk into a room, meet the person and within a few minutes I would start the session, so it was more nerve-wracking for me than uncomfortable for them.

How did your feelings differ between photographing rock stars and photographing spiritual people?

People often say that it was quite a big jump and I have given it some thought.

In the mid 60s, there was a sort-of ‘cultural revolution’. During these times, people often look towards poets. The musicians took that role, thus people looked up to them.

For me, once I embarked on my spiritual journey, I myself was searching for people to be my guide.

So photographing these rock stars was a way for me to have a personal, individualised experience with them, and it is the same with the saints and sages. Sitting in front of them, looking through my lens, I get an understanding of their unsaid emotions. Often, you get that connection without words - just sitting in someone’s company tells you a lot about their emotions, whether they are agitated and annoyed, or peaceful and calm.

‘Once I embarked on my spiritual journey, I myself was searching for people to be my guide.’

I heard that as a child, before you had a professional camera, you would frame things with your fingers. Could you tell me more about that?

It was a very natural thing for me to do, I would look at something and think, how would you make that object look really beautiful. That is the key to great photography, you have to remove everything that distracts the viewer

from the focus of the picture. It is the photographer's job to make sure the image allows the eyes to be drawn to the focus of the picture because the mind wanders easily.

How did you feel photographing such holy and sacred places? Did you ever feel discomfort in doing so?

When I first did Hajj, not only was I trying to do the pilgrimage itself, but I was also trying to photograph it, which I would not recommend! When you are doing Hajj, you have certain rites you need to perform at a certain time, whereas with photography, you have to be observing everything all the time. I don’t believe you can do both.

When I first went to do Hajj, I ended up dropping my camera and lost a lot of photographs. However, recently I was able to get them processed and rediscover them. It was amazing to look at because it was so simple back then: they still had the minbar [a pulpit upon which the imam stands], which they used for Friday prayers. Surrounding the Tawaf area, there were small pebbles instead of the marble tiling we have today.

With Hajj nowadays, the pilgrimage has lost some of its intended struggle. We are comfortably flown in and dropped in Saudi Arabia, and the loss of struggle reduces the amount of spiritual connection felt.

The key is to slow down, calm your mind and engage with the journey because it is a very sacred place, and if you aren’t careful, you could miss the experience.

some musicians, had also accepted Islam. That, and various dreams clearly indicated to me that I should accept Islam.

What advice do you have for people looking to go on Hajj and wanting to feel that spiritual connection?

Do you have any advice, taken from your personal experience, for new converts?

When I did the Hajj the second time, I implemented a great piece of advice someone gave me and really took it to heart. He told me to just enjoy the experience because people can get obsessed with trying to do everything right. Whilst it is important to know what you are doing, it is also important to be present and grateful for the opportunity to be able to be on this special journey. You are a guest of God. Whatever happens will happen, so just enjoy it and be thankful.

Could you tell me more about your experience with your teacher in India and how exactly his influence on you encouraged you to accept Islam?

My teacher, from a very young age, was well known in his village to have a gift for manifesting things from his hand and the villagers all decided that it was some sort of magic. However, he said that despite the people coming to see his talent, it wasn’t his real gift, the real gift he truly had to give people from his heart was the love of God. What was the turning point for you that lead you to accept Islam?

After I came back from India, I found that many people I knew had gone into ridiculous things like magic and drugs.

But, interestingly, a lot of people and

The best advice I would give is that you have to go gently. There is a mentality of needing to embrace the whole thing all at once. If you look at the history of Islam, to the best of my knowledge, the prayer came down in 5 years, not drinking came down in 11 years and wearing the hijab came even later. The point is, it’s a process, and it is unnatural to expect someone to change everything, all their old habits, overnight. Do a small amount but do it every day. Don’t set yourself impossible tasks like, for example, ‘I'm going to read the whole Quran today’. You will never be able to maintain that, and setting yourself impossible goals is setting yourself up for failure.

It is often the judgement from others that pressures people to change everything all at once, and I feel that this advice isn’t just for converts; it is for inborn Muslims too. The pressure to change everything all at once would actually drive people away instead of bringing them towards it.

Yes, and when you meet these teachers and sit in front of them, there is zero judgement. That is how you know they are true teachers, true saints. They are not judging; we judge ourselves, but they are not judging you. All they see is you on a certain point on your spiritual journey, and they may see that you are going to have certain difficulties; they will pray to make them easier for you.

‘It’s kind of sad that people feel the need to judge everyone these days because it doesn’t help anybody.’

Tell us more about your book ‘Meeting with Mountains’.

Within weeks of becoming a Muslim, I met an incredible teacher on my trip to Morocco, Sidi Muhammad ibn AlHabib, who is the very first person in my book. I was both meeting him for the first time and taking his picture, so it was a very powerful experience. As I entered into his room, I felt this incredible peace and compassion coming from him. It’s strange, I remember there being no windows in that room and no natural light so I couldn’t work out how the pictures came out so clearly. I’ve since been back and visited the same room and it’s actually full of windows! It was a bit like visiting the Kabah; all I saw was him sitting there when I took his picture.

‘At my book launch for, ‘Meeting with Mountains’, when I was signing, two Christian nuns came over and bought a copy which was a really big thing for me.

How many of us buy their books and try to understand their religion?’

I continued to take photographs of these people just because they inspired me. Eventually, I started putting all the pictures together into a little album that I'd show people. As It grew and grew, I realised that this was a project I needed to pursue. I needed to show the world that these people exist. It took me fifty years from when I started the book to finally publishing it. Taking the pictures themselves was not difficult but writing the text was. I was writing about spirituality as well the subject of the photo. As Muslims, we have our own language of spirituality, but I wanted this book to be for everybody. I feel that these people are where we link with every other human being on a spiritual level, and it was really important for me to share their photographs and talk about what happened when I met them.

I know you made a journey to southern Yemen to take some of your photographs, I’d love to know more about that.

Every year during Sha’baan [a month of the Islamic calendar] in the valley of Hadhramaut (they have a festival where the Prophet Hud (pbuh) is buried. It’s a very spiritual, powerful place, in a very remote area. They say, outside of the festival, people can’t live there because the atmosphere is too strong. It's one of those places where, at night, the stars are so bright that it feels as if you could put your hands out and touch them!

In what way have you seen your photographs have a positive impact?

I have done exhibitions all over the world and I'm really touched when people outside of Islam find something inside of my work that touches them. At my book launch for ‘Meeting with Mountains’, when I was signing, two Christian nuns came over and bought a copy which was a really big thing for me. How many of us buy their books and try to understand their religion?

We are very grateful to Peter for taking the time to do this interview. Do check out Peter’s book ‘Meeting with the Mountains’ - more information can be found on his website: petersander.com

Read the full interview here

Abraham Jam WRITTEN BY FARAH MORLEY Abraham

Jam

is

the

collective

name

for

the

Billy

Jonas

joined with

the

group,

Dawud

replacing

Warnsby,

Dan,

they

and

amazingly talented trio of David Lamott, Billy Jonas

collectively

toured

to

and our very own Dawud Warnsby. A Christian, a

appreciative audiences, bringing their message of

Jew and a Muslim walking onto a stage might sound

spiritual unity.

like the opening line of a joke, but these seriously talented musicians have produced a collaborative

For Dawud, who is so well-known in the UK, it was a

array of spiritually uplifting songs that highlight the

continuation of the work he has been involved in for

core of their message of peace and harmony.

more than three decades. He has challenged some of the precepts that have crept into our societies in

They were kind enough to sit down and have a frank

a mindful and considered way, all while transporting

discussion

us to spiritual lands on the wings of his beautifully

about

the

motivation

for

their

artistic

endeavours and the spiritual journey that has led

written nasheeds.

them to their goals. We started talking about the importance of being a positive image of religious

Dawud

Warnsby

came

to

Islam

from

a

different

diversity in the polarised times that we live in.

faith, and something that has long been evident in his music is his unique and refreshing approach to

David Lamott, who had a longstanding relationship

spirituality. He often bridges the gap between the

with the North Carolina Council of Churches as their

traditional

peace and justice associate, witnessed first hand

and the needs of subsequent generations to find a

the weaponisation of identity in politics when local

new way to relate to their spirituality.

elections became the backdrop to Islamophobic and

He has often asked us to ‘open up the boxes’ and

anti-Semitic rhetoric and violence. Along with fellow

free

activist Dan Nicholls, he felt that the answer was to

constructs that divide us.

our

ethnocentric

minds,

Islam

helping

to

within

remove

the

the

diaspora

artificial

create a movement for change. With that goal in mind, they decided to form a band of professional

Billy Jonas was born into a German Jewish family,

singers and songwriters that would, in essence, show

some

the beauty and harmony of the different Abrahamic

foundations were in the traditional Judaism of

traditions.

of

whom

narrowly

escaped

the

Shoah.

His

his birth, where he had a keen appreciation of the

The community of believers have much in common,

cantor’s singing in the synagogue. However, as he

but it is important to honour our differences as much

matured, he found that he was being drawn away

as

along other paths, only to find the missing elements

importance

in his life in Judaism in later years - a journey that

approach towards living together. In brother Billy's

many would recognise.

words, it is ‘the idea of problematising things for the

the

things of

we

agree

that

on.

The

conversation

Jam as

see

an

the

honest

sake of being constructive’.

David Lamott comes from a family of preachers in the

Presbyterian

Christian

groups

Church.

Quakers,

mentioned

how

Dawud’s

need

to

interrupt

him an opportunity to also have the remembrance of

building. His work as a peace-maker has highlighted

God interrupt his day. This highlights how much we

the need to address conflict in productive ways. He

have

feels that each faith allows us to pursue our unique

importance of sharing our faith with others, as it may

wholeness in doing this.

enlighten their understanding.

Abraham Jam is the weaving together of different

Mentioning the work of Campus and young people

strands from the same loom: the lack of distinction

in Islamic society of Britain, we continued to talk

between

about how the Jam have changed from the young

resolution

individual

members

and

on

a

he

David

proceedings so that he could do his prayer allowed

the

the

many has

conflict

as

among

community

championed

such

Working

peripheral

to

teach

they

another,

have given themselves at that age? The main thing

distinctions in their approach, but it is not the aim

that

for the Jam, although they continue to expand their

message of love and tolerance. Dawud mentioned

presentations to include more diversity.

that, in his youth, he wore his Islam like a cheap perfume,

remarking,

advice

these

‘Although

wise

I

would

the

feels that there is a place for groups that have clear

from

What

and

people

across

were.

one

level is part of the visual narrative. Brother David

came

once

each

elders

thought

I

they

was

a

smelled

Dawud goes on to mention that our perceptions are

great, everyone else got a headache. I know many

often at variance with what we think we represent.

people who have experienced a similar start to their

He mentions that their tradition of community song is

religious

all about widening the circle and inspiring change. If

broadening of minds, young people can come to a

the costumes of religion create a barrier, then they

place of peace and self-awareness that lies at the

are not necessarily helpful in that context.

heart of our relationship with Allah’.

The

advent

of

Passover,

Lent

and

Ramadan

awakening.

With

more

self-love

and

a

The interview that this article has been drawn from

to

will be available to watch as a podcast with links to

appreciate each other’s traditions. We discussed the

information relating to the group and their music.

importance of the religious calendar for Abraham

Please

Jam. One of the most notable aspects was how they

wonderful work of Abraham Jam and celebrate the

felt that the collective acknowledgement of each

beauty of their heartfelt lyrics.

occurring

side

by

side

this

year

allows

us

other’s faith has brought them to a renewal of their own identities. Muslims understand that the depth of Passover and Lent is part of the journey to Ramadan.

There is a hesitancy, however, as people may feel that it dilutes the core message. Even so, brother Dawud

feels

that

it

is

an

enhancement

understanding that brings us greater clarity.

of

our

do

continue

to

follow

and

support

the

‘...BUT TO FAST IS BEST FOR YOU, IF YOU ONLY KNEW.’ 2:184

Lunch ‘n’ Lockdown Ramadan recipes from across the world

Cooking is not simply a means of bringing food to empty stomachs. It brings a sweet welcome with its aromas, its freshness and its sense of satisfaction. It allows us to come together and truly reflect on the blessings and bounties God has bestowed upon us.

The two recipes below have kindly been reproduced from a recipe book produced during the first lockdown: ‘Lunch ‘n’ Lockdown – recipes from across the world’ was put together by Hifsa Haroon-Iqbal and is a true reflection of the many different traditions and cultures represented in our society. Cooking was one of the pastimes that brought families together during one of the toughest times many of us have ever had to face. Many of us started to experiment with food during lockdown with the extra time on our hands! The variety of recipes in this book, both sweet and savoury, allows us to celebrate the beauty of our communities, the different people, cultures, and food that brings us all together.

The second edition of the book has now been produced and is available by contacting Hifsa by email at lunchnlockdown@gmail.com 100% of money raised from the sale of this book goes to charity, with the two main recipients being The Citizen Foundation, who raise funds to build and support schools to serve some of Pakistan’s most neglected communities, and Oxfam, a global movement of millions of people working together to end poverty. These charities each receive 40% of the money raised. The remaining 20% is split between Stafford Welcomes Refugees and House of Bread in Stafford and Nisa-Nashim, a national Jewish and Muslim women’s organisation.

P e rf e c t

Chapli Kebab

fo r

Serves 10-12 | Prep 30 mins | Total Time 1 hr

Ingredients 1 lb minced Beef or Mutton

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp salt

1 tsp crushed red chilli

1 tsp zeera powder or mango

Method

powder/amchoor

Mix all of the spices in the mince thoroughly and

2 tsp coriander powder

then add the onions, fresh coriander, green chilli and butter. Mix thoroughly by hand and then add the

egg

together.

and

gram

When

flour

to

well-mixed,

bind add

the

the

1 medium diced onion

mixture

tomatoes

2 tomatoes, deseeded, dried

and continue mixing all the ingredients together.

and chopped

Set aside for a few minutes whilst heating about

1/2 cup of fresh coriander

5 tbsp of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat.

1 green chilli, finely chopped To make the kebab, apply a small amount of cold oil to the palms of the hand, take a ball of mince

4 tsp roasted gram flour or

(slightly bigger than the size of a golf ball) and

plain flour

flatten into a kebab shape.

1 egg Fry on a medium heat on both sides until cooked.

Serve with a mint or chilli sauce. Excellent served on fresh baked naan bread with salad.

1 tsp of butter

if ta r

Healthy Brownies Easy Bake Serves 4 | Prep 5 mins | Total Time 30 mins

Ingredients 1/2 cup oats

5 tbsp honey

4-5 tbsp low-fat yoghurt

1/4 cup oat milk

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

Method 1 egg Simply put all ingredients in a bowl or blender and combine until smooth.

Bake at 180°C for 20-25 mins and then enjoy with a

cup

of

tea

or

coffee

garden in the sunshine).

(ideally

sitting

in

the

THE

BEAUTY OF

GENDER RELATIONS

IN THE

QURAN

BY DR SARA SAIGOL

In ‘Women and Gender in The Quran’, Celene Ibrahim mentions that approximately 300 Quranic verses relate to women and girls. Several dozen female figures feature in sacred text, including at least one female figure associated with each Rasool (messenger). These include the young and the old, the faithful and the profligate, the insightful and the ignorant, the fertile and the childless, the married and the single… and they all have agency.

The most popular incident for revelation here is that Umm Salama asked Muhammad, ‘Why are we, women, not addressed in The Quran as are the men?’ It is said that the very same day, this revelation (33:35) descended. Others say it was Asma bint Umays, who had just returned from Abyssinia, complaining on behalf of the women, ‘We women are very saddened to see that we are not cited in the Quran as are the men.’

When narratives around women are read and reflected upon, it is clear that the very effective, inspiring, and deeply moving messages that lie at the core may be missed, should the text be approached solely for legal purposes.

Here is another verse with a very similar message:

With prophets, often their whole families figure in the Quran. These stories reflect women, not just in their domestic fields, but as agents of social change. Men are tasked to preach to their communities and women are charged with caring for, preserving, protecting, promoting and establishing God’s message. We need look no further than the House of Ibrahim (pbuh) and that of Muhammad (pbuh).

In the early community that surrounded Muhammad, women expected to be spoken to. They understood the egalitarian message of Islam and knew their equal, active role in society. These women had sacrificed, been tortured and had embraced the message. They expected reassurance.

‘Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men andtruthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women… for them, God has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.’

(Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:35)

‘…Never will I allow to be lost the work of any worker amongst you, whether male or female; you proceed one from another. So those who emigrated or were evicted… I will surely admit them to gardens…’

(Surah Ali-Imran, 3:195) We catch a glimpse of the Quranic concept of reciprocity and complementarity between genders that lies at the very heart of our theology.

The Quran also discusses the concept of cosmic duality: that of night and day, the sun and moon, light and dark, sweet and sour, as well as the male the female (dhakar wa untha). Duality offers us the opportunity to truly appreciate the essence and beauty of each complementary member. It is only through sickness that we truly appreciate our health. After the cold winter, we embrace the warmth of summer. In relation to the male, we wonder at the beauty of the female and in relation to the female, we appreciate the beauty of the male.

This is the magnificence of God’s creation.

So what are the Quranic paradigms on gender relations in terms of foundational ethical principles and pillars?

1) Common Origin ‘O mankind, be conscious of your sustainer, who has created you out of one living entity, and out of it created its mate, and out of the two spread abroad a multitude of men and women. And remain conscious of God, in whose name you demand (your rights) from one another, and of those ties of kinship…’

(Surah An-Nisa, 4:1) Here we see spiritual equality in the single, unified source of creation of men and women.

Mentioned also is the term ‘arham’, which relates to the ties of the ‘womb’, or kinship ties which we must all remain conscious of.

2) Taqwa ‘O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.’

(Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:13) In this verse, we get a glimpse of the horizontal nature of our relationships as humans. Our diversity is to be respected in terms of race, gender, our varied cultures, the languages we speak, and more. What discriminates us in the sight of God is solely our taqwa.

3) Istikhlaf The concept of being ‘khalifa’ or steward on earth. ‘…Lo! I am about to place a vicegerent on earth….’

(Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:30) With our liberty enshrined, and through the exercise of our rationality, as men and women, we are encouraged to be khalifa or stewards of this earth; protecting its species, its resources and its environment.

4)

Wilayah – guardianship

‘The believers, men and women, are awliya’ of one another. They enjoin the good and forbid the bad, they observe salat and give zakat and obey God and His Prophet.’

(Surah At-Tawbahm 9:71) How often are we encouraged to view gender relations through the prism of segregation, barriers and curtains? How infrequently are we reminded of these words of the Quran that remind us that we are ‘protecting friends/allies’ of one another. Our dignity lies in the dignity we afford one another. In this verse, we see that, as men and women, not only do we observe the pillars of our faith, but we also engage in socio-political action; building society and communities into stronger ones, together. We must honour one another, ensure the sanctity of each other’s positions, as well as challenge behaviours that demean and violate courtesy and decency.

“ And o f e v e r y t h i n g We have c r e a t e d p a i r s, that you m a y r e m e m b e r” 51:49 5) The Tawhidic Paradigm Shahadah as an act of submission to the One God is a liberation from submitting to any other. It can be read as an ideology of liberation.

Indeed, if we return to the words of Umm Salama right at the beginning of this article, we will see how the early Muslim community viewed this message of liberation as a message that lifted the status of the disenfranchised and marginalised. It inspired a sense of hope through active engagement as partners in society.

The two e-circle recordings on Gender Ethics are available on our YouTube channel ‘BritIslam’.

A B U

H U R A I R A

M U H A M M A D P E O P L E F R O M A N D P R A Y

T H I R S T , A T

( P B U H )

W H O

T H E I R

R E L A T E D

F A S T

F A S T A N D

N I G H T

E X C E P T

S A I D :

G E T

M A N Y

N O T H I N G

E X C E P T

M A N Y

G E T

T H A T

H U N G E R

P E O P L E

N O T H I N G

W H O

F R O M

W A K E F U L N E S S .

(Darimi)

This is a stark reminder that there are no guarantees of reward for fasting: our fast could bring us the greatest reward of all – God’s pleasure on the day we meet Him, yet it could just as easily bring us no reward, only the physical suffering of deprivation. It is all down to the quality of our fast and how much we remember our loving Creator during the fast.

I T

ARTWORK EMAAN MIRZA IN HONOUR OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

REMOVING THE EGO FROM YOUR LOGO Interview with Dr Hany El Banna

By Emaan Mirza Dr Hany Abdel Gawad El-Banna OBE is the co-founder of Islamic Relief, the largest Western-based international Muslim relief and development charity. He founded Islamic Relief in 1984 at The University of Birmingham. Dr Hany’s work is the foundation of many Islamic charities that exist today.

Among other achievements, Dr Hany has been awarded the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty The Queen and in the same year received the Ibn Khaldun Award for Excellence in Promoting Understanding between Global Cultures and Faiths within the UK.

Explain to us how Islamic Relief began. You were at university at the time so how did you transition from that to actually starting Islamic Relief?

It was not planned, not strategised. It was not a big vision. It was simply a reaction to the famine that was happening in East Africa in 1983. We did not find any Muslim organisations from the UK responding to the catastrophe of the famine. At the time, myself and my colleague, Dr Ehsaan, were studying. He was doing his PhD and I was studying medicine at The University of Birmingham.

“It was not planned, not strategised. It was not a big vision. It was simply a reaction...”

We decided to do something, so we started printing leaflets at home. My wife was typing on the typewriter and his wife was helping to raise awareness in Islamic circles.

We went between streets, roads, shops and to mosques. We had nothing, really nothing at that time: no desk, no office, no budget.

Nothing. But from that we built up what you see as Islamic Relief today, which took us nearly 37 years.

What made you leave everything: your career prospects and studies? What gave you the courage to sacrifice all of that and go into humanitarian work?

I was at a crossroad between continuing my studies and going into humanitarian work.

In 1991, I submitted my thesis and failed.

Alhamdulillah! After submitting it again I eventually passed. Then in 1994-95 I decided that I wanted to leave medicine. At that time, the organisation was beginning to grow and I felt that it shouldn’t only be relying on volunteers; someone needed to be there to manage, travel and network.

This is my advice to young people who want to do something similar: your idea will start as an initiative with only a handful of people. From there you work on your project at a very small scale. Once it becomes fruitful and the community rallies around, you can start to organise it more and move forward step by step until you build up your project in a structured way.

This is what makes it an organisation. That organisation will then need policies, procedures, structure, a budget and employees. That's how you move from recruiting volunteers to employing people.

What advice would you give to young people about overcoming the fear of starting something new? Should we be career focussed or try going into humanitarian work just like yourself?

It's a decision. If you have the vision to do something, do it! But it is risky. If you look back all those years ago it was risky, going from income to no income, from working a set number of hours to unlimited hours.

There are several sacrifices you will have to make: Firstly, you and your family will have to pay the price and your wife/husband will have to understand those prospects. Maybe on a good day, you might get to work a normal 95 but during a disaster or appeal there is no such thing as a 9-5.

The second sacrifice is your salary, it isn’t going to be like working for any other company. The third thing is the headache, because in an organisation you will be working with lots of different people with different mentalities, cultures et cetera.

Number four is facing Islamophobia.

Number five is the challenge of money transfer to these countries in crisis; it is a huge logistical and banking challenge. All of these are problems you can face on this path.

However, you need to have the guts to say to yourself ‘enough is enough’ and then make that decision to change your career path.

And what gave you that courage?

As soon as you dip your toe in the sea that is humanitarian work there is no turning back.

You will be infested and overtaken by the bugs of love! The love for humanitarian work becomes extremely infectious. Once it enters your blood it never leaves. It controls you and holds you together.

There are so many different Islamic charities in the UK and across the world and you often see them responding to the same crises. Could you give us an insight into what degree of collaboration exists between these various charities?

It's a big challenge to try and coordinate activity between charities. The most difficult thing is to get people to believe in and practice communication, networking, collaboration and partnership.

Some people in our community, and I'm sorry to say this, worship the logo. They worship their logo. [They say] ‘If my logo isn’t the main part of the advertisement, then I’m not going to work with you’, [and] ‘Why is my logo at the bottom?’ I ask, ‘What does the logo have to do with it? Are you here for the issue or for the logo?’ This is my message to you and the rest of Campus: don't ever, ever worship the logo. Never worship the name and the title of the organisation. Never think that the organisation is ‘the organisation’. Your organisation is one of thousands upon thousands.

Many of the smaller organisations will even be better than yours. However, this is the ego which is inside the hearts of the people who are managing these organisations. They have a very strong ego and this is what stops collaboration and building partnerships.

Read the full interview here

French 19th century Muslim trailblazers BY

SAFIYA

ASCOLI-BALL

Safiya Florence Ascoli-Ball converted to Islam 24 years ago and lives in Manchester. She is married to a son of English converts, and they have four teenage children. She is fascinated by Islamic history and works as a translator, focusing mainly on publications that dispel myths about Islam. She has published a French translation of the book ‘Jesus, Prophet of Islam’ as well as translations of a dawah website and a number of leaflets. She is also a Pilates instructor and a Taekwondo Black Belt 2nd Dan. One of her aims is to help women be healthy, fit, and confident.

100 years after the French Revolution of 1789 and a series of alternate republics and monarchies, France was confirmed as a Republic. It was still a very polarised country; the left was made of the heirs to the French Revolution and the right was rooted in conservative France, the peasantry, the Church and the Army.

The Third Republic of the mid 1880s was led by the Left, who began a gradual national secularisation programme which sought to remove the influence of the Catholic Church on public life, and which culminated with the now infamous 1905 Law on the Separation of the Churches and the State, better known as the Law on Secularism. By separating the state from religion, the feeling became, and still is, that if you are religious you are somehow antirepublican - as well as irrational.

France has always had a terrible relationship with religion due to her past of bloody wars between Protestants and Catholics in the Middle Ages. Religion is also seen as a return to the Dark Ages that the Enlightenment claims it had taken the country out of. Added to this is the trauma felt by the whole of Christian Europe when Constantinople, the Christian bastion in the East, fell to Sultan Mehmet Al-Fatih and the Ottomans expanded into Central Europe and around the Mediterranean sea under Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent.

So perhaps surprisingly, here are two fascinating personalities who decided to go against the grain and followed their hearts and minds, rather than what their contemporary environment dictated.

Etienne Dinet, Artist (1861-1929) Alphonse-Étienne

Dinet

was

an

illustrator

and

painter who converted aged 40. Dinet made his first trip

to

Algeria

as

an

illustrator

for

a

team

of

entomologists, and returned profoundly affected. He quickly policies

became in

vocal

Algeria

in

and

his

criticism

worked

at

of

French

improving

the

conditions of Muslim soldiers in the French army. He also

co-wrote

Muhammad

and

(pbuh).

illustrated His

a

funeral,

book led

on by

Prophet Muslim

scholars, took place in Bou-Saâda where he lived, and was attended by 5,000 Algerians, a reflection of the respect he had earned.

Dr Philippe Grenier (1865-1944) Dr Grenier was a GP who converted aged 29 after a visit to Blida in Algeria. When asked why he converted, he would answer: ‘As a young man, Islam and its doctrine have exerted an almost irrepressible attraction. Following my trips to Algeria, what was an inclination became a fervour, but a reasoned fervour.’

Following his conversion, he went to Mecca and adopted the traditional Algerian outfit (leather slippers, gandoura, burnous and a turban) finding it a lot more comfortable, hygienic and less restrictive than tight-fitted trousers and a waistcoat!

Hoping to improve the population’s living conditions further, he decided to run as an MP, thus becoming the first Muslim MP

in

the

immediately

history aroused

of

France.

the

curiosity

Unsurprisingly, of

the

press,

Grenier and

the

caricatures at the time are very reminiscent of what we have seen recently in other satirical publications…

He employed much of his time working on improving the conditions of Muslims in French Algeria, but only remained an MP for two years, until the following general election, as his

electorate

reproached

him

for

engaging

in

the

fight

against alcoholism and forgetting ‘where he came from’. He continued to dedicate the rest of his life to his patients and to Islam until he died.

Read the full article here

ISB CAMPUS BY

DR.

SARA

SAIGOL

VISION

STATEMENT

British Muslim youth exploring faith in a contemporary, friendly and spiritual way ISB Campus is a space for young British Muslims to:

Explore faith together Nurture a generation of positive purpose, balance and moral integrity.

Cultivate a strong confident British Muslim identity.

Actively participate and contribute to mainstream society by standing firmly for the values of justice and social concern.

- ISB CAMPUS -

E-CIRCLES Campus have been delivering some

Have you ever wondered:

fantastic e-circles. Please do catch up with recordings on the ISB YouTube

Why didn’t the Prophet Muhammad

Channel

ban slavery?

Mubashir Khan:

How do we know that the Prophet would have liked to ban slavery?

Part 1 International Relations: Does Jihad Mean Perpetual Warfare?

Why were Muslim countries the last

https://youtu.be/28H6QuuyDeo

to ban slavery?

Part 2 The Human Rights Debate

These questions and more are

https://youtu.be/jl_MS3rYGUs

addressed in this series of four videos on the topic of slavery with Dr Rizwan Syed.

‘The Beauty of Gender in The Quran’ by Dr Sara Saigol, covering:

https://youtube.com/playlist? list=PLIhaxmdHFup2dk45O6HhUCK7e - The Quranic Ethical Paradigm

dih-i9va - Pairs and Procreation - The Marital Union - Spirituality and Agency

https://youtu.be/QgGrVOIBbI0

"WHY DIDN'T THE PROPHET (PBUH) BAN SLAVERY?"

ISB CAMPUS OFFER: Weekly Quranic Arabic Classes Weekly Tajweed Lessons Leadership and development training Campus Discussion Group Sixth Form & Isoc Students Team looking at how Campus can support students. We have a speakers list with

If you are a 17-26 year old, do join us! We would love your ideas, energy and help.

Please email

diverse specialists to help with your Isocs and are developing a website with material to help you deliver study circles in your area.

campus@isb.org.uk

FASTING IN DIFFERENT FAITHS

By Rasheed Miladi

Islam is, in many ways, closely connected to the other Abrahamic religions of Christianity and Judaism and to the religion of Hinduism. To celebrate the beauty of these three great religions, we have included three pieces here: one each written by Miriam Levene, Andrew Bolton and Amrat Bava. Miriam is Jewish and is the President of the Progressive Synagogue in Leicester.

Andrew is a Christian and is a Lecturer in Education at Westminster College in Oxford, as well as the Head of R.E at Beauchamp College. Finally, Amrat is a Hindu Chaplain at Loughborough University. They have all written about the different periods of fasting in their respective faiths.

Miriam discusses the days of fasting in Judaism, their significance, as well as her experiences and memories of observing these fasts in her childhood. She has recounted how, similarly to Muslims during the month of Ramadan, the days of fasting in Judaism can be a deeply spiritual time involving a process of reflection and prayer.

Andrew begins with some inspiring personal experiences with Muslim individuals in both the UK and abroad. He highlights one of the difficulties experienced by those fasting during Lent: resisting temptation. This is something that is very closely mirrored by Muslims fasting during the month of Ramadan! He stresses the importance of remembering one’s responsibilities even while fasting during Lent – remembering to feed the hungry and to stand up for justice – and includes some beautiful words of the Prophet Isaiah emphasising the importance of these actions. These are principles which we, as Muslims, share with Christians.

Amrat firstly outlines the process of fasting in Hinduism, which shares a significant amount with the Islamic practice. He also details the different types of fasting in Hinduism, how fasting on different days can be done for the sake of a different God or Goddess. Amrat then discusses the benefits of fasting from the Hindu perspective in terms of one’s spiritual, mental, and physical health. For example, he explains how Hindus believe that the process of fasting can improve the relationship between the body and the soul, increase one’s self-discipline, and increase one’s compassion towards those who are poor and almost always hungry: how similar to Islam this is!

It really is fascinating to learn about other faiths. We all have so much in common: shared values, principles, and religious observances to name just a few areas. Increasing one’s knowledge is always a positive thing, so we invite you to have a read below!

JUDAISM

Miriam Levene

President, Progressive Synagogue, Leicester There are six communal fast days in Judaism. All have specific dates in the Hebrew calendar. Orthodox Jews observe all six, although the obligation is mainly on men, with there being a less stringent approach for women in relation to time-bound activities.

Fasting involves complete abstention from food and drink. The two major ones, Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av are from sunset to sunset, the others from sunrise

to

sunset.

Only

one,

Yom

Kippur,

is

biblical.

Yom

Kippur

(day

of

atonement) is a day spent largely in the synagogue praying and reflecting on our behaviour in the year behind us and then focusing on the year ahead.

Many Jews who consider themselves non-practicing will still mark this day.

The discipline of fasting and removal of distraction is a great help to spiritual reflection. In my own orthodox upbringing, as children we were proud to start fasting after our 12th (girls) or 13th (boys) birthdays, at which point we were now considered to be 'adults'. I have very clear memories of returning home at the end of the day to share the simple meal to break our fast, but the first thing my father did was to ring his mother and ask how her fast day had been. My mother's parents lived in Israel and phoning was very expensive, so all communication was by letter. Only then would we eat. The other fast days are

times

to

recall

serious

and

tragic

events,

particularly

around

the

destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem. In modern times, Asarah b'Tevet (the day after my own Hebrew birthday) is now also marked as a time to say Kaddish, the mourning prayer normally recited on the anniversary of a death, for all those whose date of death is unknown. For my personal family, it is a time to think of close relatives who were murdered in the Holocaust.

HINDUISM

Amrat Bava

Hindu Chaplain, Loughborough University

Hindus believe that it is not easy to unceasingly pursue the path of spirituality in one’s daily life. We are harangued by a lot of considerations, and worldly indulges do not allow us to concentrate on spiritual attainment. Therefore a worshipper must strive to impose restraints on him or herself to get the mind focused. One form of restraint is fasting.

Fasting in Hinduism indicates the denial of the physical needs of the body for the sake of spiritual gains. According to the scriptures, fasting helps to create an attunement with the absolute by establishing a harmonious relationship between the body and the soul. This is thought to be imperative for the wellbeing of a human being as it nourishes both his or her physical and spiritual demands.

The process of fasting starts in the early morning on the day. The first thing to do is to cleanse oneself, have a bath and perform one's daily prayer, and then to give offerings of flowers and fruits. This is followed by the special prayer to the deity of the day. One reads part of the book of Purana (an old religious story of the deity).

All members of the family normally join in this prayer. Later, everyone starts their daily routine. A similar prayer is performed in the evening.

Different Kinds of Fasting Hindus fast on certain days of the month such as Purnima (full moon) and Ekadasi (the 11th day of the fortnight).

Certain days of the week are also marked for fasting, depending on individual choices and on one’s favourite gods or goddesses. Monday is considered the day of Lord Siva.

Unmarried girls are encouraged to fast 14 Mondays for Siva’s blessing for a good husband. On Saturday, people fast to appease the Shani god, Hanuman. On Fridays, devotees of goddess Santoshi Mata abstain from taking anything citric.

Fasting at festivals is common. Hindus all over India and those who live abroad observe fasts on festivals like Navaratri, Shivaratri, Ramanavami, Krisnajayanti and Karva Chauth. During the Navaratri festival, people fast for nine days.

Hindus in West Bengal fast on Ashtami, the eighth day of the festival of Durga Puja.

Fasting can also mean abstaining from eating only certain things, either for religious reasons or for the sake of good health.

Another common kind of fast is to forego taking cereals and to eat only fruits. Such fasting is called Phalahar.

CHRISTIANITY Andrew Bolton, PhD

Former Religious Education Advisor for City of Leicester, Lecturer in Education, Westminster College, Oxford Head of RE, Beauchamp College

‘Those who know only their own religion, know none… Those who are not decisively committed to one faith, know no others.’ Mark Heim (1)

I love Mark Heim’s quote above. I cannot understand my own Christian faith without understanding other faiths. I cannot understand other faiths unless I am firmly committed to my own.

So

I

celebrate

what

I

have

learnt

from

Muslim

friends! We belong to the same Abrahamic family of faiths.

We

should

talk

about

the

Judeo–Christian-

Islamic tradition. We are all people of the Book. We are all monotheists, and because of our belief in One God, we must live justly towards each other.

Justice and monotheism in the Abrahamic tradition cannot be separated, nor can they be separated in

into Iraq. His love for people, his compassion, and his

the faith of our Sikh friends.

genuine friendship was so very moving. If I were to list

What have I learnt about authentic devotion to God and humans from Muslim friends? Johanara Begum

the

top

humanitarians

that

I

have

ever

met,

Ahmed would be in the top ten. I would trust him with my last penny.

was a fellow PhD student in the Agricultural Botany same

My final story of serious authentic devotion to both

supervisor and we were both working on the peculiar

God and humans happened on our street just south

genetics of flax plants. Johanara was from Calcutta,

of

India and the first Muslim I really talked to. It was she

evening there was a knock on our door. The stranger

who explained to me Ramadan – fasting for a month

asked,

between

would

pointed to the door of a home across the road in our

remaining

terraced house street – we knew the family - they

months of the year. It took my breath away. Yes, I

had young children like us. He went and knocked on

thought, this is a very good thing to do! It is serious,

the door. I listened discreetly in my doorway, curious

authentic devotion to both God and other humans.

about what was happening. The stranger explained

Department

in

Aberystwyth.

dawn

remember

the

and

We

dusk

hungry

and

so poor

shared

that in

the

she

the

Leicester’s

‘Is

city

there

a

centre.

Muslim

One

family

dark,

in

wet,

the

winter

street?’

I

he was trying to get to London and needed petrol Serious, humans

authentic is

devotion

something

I

also

to

both

learnt

God

from

and

Ahmed.

money to get there and asked if they could help with perhaps

£10

– quite a lot then. The family gave him

Later, when working in Kansas City in the USA, I

the money and off he went. In this event I was so

met

impressed

Ahmed

El

Sherif,

a

Palestinian

Muslim,

a

by

the

solidarity

among

Muslims.

It

scientist in medicinal chemistry. His humanitarian

challenged

work included at that time taking medical supplies

remember in this story, and in the story of Ahmed,

into Sarajevo, Bosnia when under siege, and later

that the first name of God is “The Most Merciful”.

me

in

a

good

way

as

a

Christian.

I

And we should also be merciful.

Read the full article here S. Mark Heim, Salvations – Truth and Difference in Religion (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1995) 1

ISSUE 2

02 The Islamic Society of Britain is a community-based charity and not-for-profit company.

Established in 1990, the ISB was one of the first organisations that sought to evolve a uniquely British flavour to Islam. In order for this to happen we felt that Muslims would have to think seriously about understanding their faith in a British context.

If you would like to become a member of ISB, please get in touch.

INF0@ISB.ORG.UK

Rasheed Miladi / Farah Morley / Rumaysa Bhimani / Khalid Anis / Zaina Cassam / Emana Mirza / Armeen Shehzad / Widuri Clare

ISB.ORG.UK

@BRITISLAM