1Voice Of Unity

Voice Of Unity talks toPresident of IUS Australia

PAGES 10 & 11

The poison of humansociety

PAGE 12

The wonders ofNight-prayer

PAGES 4 & 5

And united their hearts; had you spent all that is in the earth, you could not haveuntied their hearts, but Allah united them, surely He is Mighty, Wise (8:63)

Volume 4, Issue 2 Novermber-December 1998

The Second Annual Conference hosted bythe Islamic Unity Society entitled ‘Aspects ofIslamic Individuality’ took place at the BruneiGallery, SOAS, University of London, on Satur-day the 19th September 1998. The day fulfilled itspromise of variety by unfolding an impressivecombination of activities. The elements of rigor-

ous research, informed personal experi-ence, historical traditions, contemporaryissues and humorous interludes, were in-corporated successfully in a full day ofnotable presentations.

Chaired by Brother MohammedAl-Hilli the day began with a recitation ofthe Holy Quran and introductory wel-come. The Society’s AGM then tookplace, you can find further details aboutthis in a separate report on pages 6&7.The morning session drew to an illuminat-ing close with the dynamic thoughts pre-sented by Dr Saffiya in her speech on TheOrganisation of Life. Beginning in thelight of previous research, she briefly

spoke about early interaction between Islam andthe Western world. This led the discourse to-wards present day Islamic resurgence as an actionagainst destructive traits. The discussion centeredaround the arrival of advanced social structuresperpetuating growth, instigating the search for a

(Continued on page 8)

2 Voice Of Unity

Assalaamu AlaykumBrothers and Sisters, wel-come to your November/De-cember issue of Voice ofUnity, in it you will find arange of articles including areport on the Second IUSAnnual Conference: Aspectsof Islamic Individuality.

Alhamdulilah theconference was a huge suc-cess as those of you whoattended will know, and forthose of you who couldn’tmake it – see the back coverlater for details on how toorder the video copy.

As human beings weall have different personalattributes that make us‘individual’ in every sense ofthe word. With Islam wegain an all inclusive identity- that of an Islamic Individ-ual. It is under this identity

that we must strive towardsour ultimate aim of pleasingour creator Allah (SWT).

The beauty of this in-dividuality is that we havedifferent ideas and views. Itis through collective discus-sion of these ideas and opin-ions that we can continue toprogress as one strong unitedforce. The seal of theProphethood (SAW) tells us‘Hearts get rusted likeswords and their refinementlies in academic and reli-gious discussion.’

As unique individualswe also have the ability toattain self perfection, tochoose right over wrong,justice over oppression andtruth over falsehood.

In the nineteenth cen-tury philosopher Bentham’seyes we are all calculating

planners who have the ca-pacity to choose betweenpain and pleasure.

The lives of ourImams (AS) are inspirationalreminders of individual Is-lamic choices to conquerfalsehood and injustice. TheIslamic month of Sha’banthat is coming upon us seesthe birth of Imam Hussein(AS) the master of all mar-tyrs, and that of our twelfthImam, Imam Mahdi (ATF) -who will fill the earth withjustice and equity just as ithas been filled with oppres-sion and tyranny. Both ofthese Imams are clear sym-bols of justice, truth and (ofcourse) Islamic Individual-ity.

Sr. Duha Al-Wakeel, Editor.

Editorial

REST: The believer only acquires true rest when hemeets God, although rest may also be obtainedby these four things :Silence, by which you recognise the state of yourheart and yourself in yourrelations with yourCreator. Retreat, by which you are rescued fromthe evils of th eage, outwardly and inwardly.Hunger, which kills fleshly appetites and tempta-tion. Wakefulness, which illuminates your heart,purifies your nature and cleanses your spirit.The Prophet (pbuh) said:'' If a man finds himself in the morning tranquilin his heart, healthy in the body and with food for

the day it is as if all on this world had beenchosen for him ''Wahb ibn Munabbih quoted the first and thelatter prophets as saying :'' O contentment, honour, riches are to be foundwith you. Whoever wins through you ''No one is in a greater state of loss, is viler orlower than the person who does not believe whathis Lord has guaranteed for him and allotted himbefore He created him. In spite of that this per-son relies on his own strength, management,effort and striving, and goes beyond the limits ofHis Lord by seeking ways and means which Godhas caused him to have no need of.

3Voice Of Unity

Br Ghulam Abbas Hussain

Economics is the study of how societymakes choices about what output is to be pro-duced, how this output is to be produced and forwhom it is to be produced. Thus it is the study ofhow society allocates its scarce resourcesamongst competing alternatives.

Economics is also a form of social sci-ence. The basic approach is referred to as scien-tific method, but because we are concerned withanalysing the behaviour of human beings, thecontrolled experiments of ‘natural sciences’ (inwhich a single factor affecting the result can beexcluded) are impossible in the study of eco-nomics. Meaning every fac-tor from everyday street de-mand to international rivalryhave to be taken into ac-count. This makes it moredifficult for an economist tolink cause and effect.

Another depth toeconomics is that individualhuman beings react differ-ently to external events,making predictions more volatile. For instance,the Japanese consumer demand would differ tothe American demand in the sale of Americancars, this would be due to different practical andcultural requirements.

When looking at the vast subject of eco-nomics, there are two distinctions to be aware of,namely macroeconomics and microeconomics.These terms come from the Greek words for‘small’ and ‘large’. Microeconomics is thereforeconcerned with the behaviour of small parts ofthe economy, such as the individual or a firm. Itfocuses on such topics as the equilibrium wagerate in a particular occupation, or the price of aparticular product. Macroeconomics on the otherhand deals with the economy as a whole and isconcerned with aggregates such as unemploy-ment, the rate of interest or the levels of exportand import.

At the basic level the student is requiredto analyse and understand types of economies,demand, supply price, perfect competition andmonopoly, domestic and international bankingwith trade as well as the structure and manage-ment of the economy. The student is required tounderstand these topics to develop an understand-ing of the principles of the running of an econ-omy. Thus being able to carry out basic predic-tions based on applying simple econometrics to achange in an economic variable an example beingan increase in interest rates, wages, and foreigncompetition. At graduate level economic subjects

are studied in much moredepth with a higher level ofmathematical analysis. Inmany cases the student isthen asked to understandand forecast economic de-velopments using advancedeconometrics with statisticalmethods.

The skill which economicsdevelops most in the stu-

dent, is hard core analysis. Many employerswidely recognise economics students due to theiredge in mathematical and situational analysis.Due to this, economics students are demanded ina variety of fields such as teaching, stockbroking, investment analysis, banking, financialconsultancy, and management in all types ofindustries. Economics is one of the most versatiledegrees to hold for professional jobs.

If studied as a combined degree, one canspecialise into that particular job, which is of themost interest, and then achieve management po-sitions at faster rates.

Overall, economics is an interesting de-gree, giving you inside knowledge, of how mar-ket forces behave the way they do, throughout theworld. So the next time you pick up the newspa-pers and you want to invest, you know where itshappening - and why!

Academic

4 Voice Of Unity

Sr Fatema Panju

“And during a part of the night, pray Taha-jjud, beyond what is incumbent upon you;maybe your Lord will raise you to a posi-

tion of great glory.” (17:79)

The above ayah refers to Salatul Taha-jjud, also known as Salatul Layl or Namaaz–e–Shab. This is the most well known of theNafilah (recommended) prayers, which aremustahab (not obligatory, but rewardful) to beprayed every day if possible.

We are also told that “One of the signsof the believers is that s/he prays NafilahSalah.” As much as the praying of NafilahSalah is recommended, the wajib (obligatory)five prayers from Fajr to Isha are emphasisedmore strongly, hence one cannot really prayrecommended prayers without having firstprayed the obligatory five daily prayers.

In the above ayah, Allah (SWT) says inthe Holy Qur’an that we should wake up in themidst of the night and pray Tahajjud, so thatHe may raise us to a position of great glory.The position refers to our place in the Here-after and not in this passing world, and thus themore we can pray this salah, the higher ourplace in Jannah (Paradise) Inshallah.

The Holy Prophet (SAW) has said“There are three things which bring happinessto the heart of a mu’min (believer), meeting ofbrethren in faith, breaking of the fast and Taha-jjud during the last part of the night.” Fromthis hadith, the importance of Salatul Tahajjudhas been highlighted and more importantly wehave been told when to pray it for maximum

benefit. This Salah can be prayed anytime aftermidnight and before Fajr. The best time is inthe last hours of the night and just beforedawn, so that one can pray Salatul Fajr at theoptimum time. The nearer one prays towardsFajr time, the more thawaab (rewardable) it is.

Many of us may have the intention ofpraying Tahajjud, though this is easier saidthan done! Only the most strong willed canresist the temptation to remain in a warm bed,sound asleep, and get up in the cold and thedark and pray to our Lord. The beauty of it isthat Allah (SWT) knows how difficult it is forus to do this and that is why the reward ofTahajjud is so high and the benefits so many.Allah (SWT) in (15:18) relates details to usregarding those who pray Tahajjud: “Surelythe pious shall be amidst gardens and freshsprings of water, receiving what is given tothem by their Lord. Surely before that theywere the doers of good. They used to sleepbut little in the night. And in the earlymornings they asked for forgiveness.”Whilst the Holy Prophet (SAW) inspirationallyexplains: “Surely when the slave talks to hismaster in the middle of the dark night andbeseeches Him, Allah places His Light in hisheart…then He tells the angels, “O angels,look at my slave. He has come to talk to me inthe middle of the night while the idle ones areplaying and the heedless ones are sleeping.Bear witness that I have forgiven him.”

It has been recommended that Tahajjudis prayed in the middle of the night because“Surely in the rising by night the soul ismost receptive and the words more telling”(73:6). Waking up in the middle of the night

Salat-Ul-Layl

5Voice Of Unity

for Tahajjud leaves the mind free of all otheraffairs, and in that way we are able to giveAllah the full benefit of our attention. Duringthe day we are occupied with different things,yet at night when the world is asleep, worriesalso seem to sleep and are left behind when abeliever gets up to pray for Tahajjud. There isno one to disturb us at such a time, no one todemand things from us, it is just one and one’sCreator and that is why Tahajjud comesstraight from the heart. The soul talks to Allahmore freely and benefits are absorbed muchmore rapidly, the words are straight from theheart and words of forgiveness fall more elo-quently from the lips and are meant so muchmore sincerely. With getting up for Tahajjud,comes an awareness of one’s own mortalityand that is why the need to be forgiven for oursins becomes more important. It’s because ofthis awareness, that we as individuals change,get closer towards Islam and remember Allah(SWT) more in our daily lives.

The Prophet (SAW) has mentionedmany benefits of Salatul Tahajjud. Some ofwhich are that it helps one gain the pleasure ofAllah (SWT), it is the sunna (way) of theProphet (SAW) and our Imams (AS), it wardsoff the shaytan and helps to provide comfort inthe grave. Such benefits are inspirational andhelp motivate us all to recite this prayer, if noton a regular basis at least occasionally for weall want to be the ones who enter Jannah(paradise).

Method:Nafilah Salah has thirty four rak’ats in

total which are all sunna, of which SalatulTahajjud consists of eleven rak’ats. The firsteight rak’ats are prayed in units of two. Theniyya (intention) is of Salatul Tahajjud (forevery two raka’s).Raka 1 - recite Suratul Hamd followed bySuratul TawheedRaka 2 - recite Suratul Hamd followed bySuratul Kafirun*Rak’ats 3&4, 5&6, 7&8 – recite like FajrSalahRak’ats 9 & 10 – niyya is Salatul Shafa Rak’at9 – Suratul Hamd followed by Suratun Naas*Rakat 10 – Suratul Hamd followed by SuratulFalaq*Rakat 11 – niyya is Salatul Witr ReciteSuratul Hamd, Suratul Tawheed three times,followed by Suratul Falaq once and thenSuratun Naas once. Then raise your hands inQunoot and recite ‘Astaghfirullaha rabbi waatubu ilah’ seventy times. Give the names offorty mu’mineen, either dead or alive saying‘Allahumaghfir li…’ before each name. Recite‘Hadha maqamul aaedhi bika minan naar’ 7times and finally recite ‘Al-Afw’ 300 times.Complete the Salah with Ruku, Sujood,Tashahud and Salaam. After finishing theSalah, recite the Tasbih of Hazret FatemahZahra (AS).

*Recite Suratul Tawheed if unfamiliarwith these surahs.

May Allah (SWT) grant us all the pleasure ofpraying this most recommended prayer.

(Background illustration by Sr. Shanaz Iqbal)

Salat-Ul-Layl

6 Voice Of Unity

Sr. Akeela Gheewalla

The third Annual General Meeting washeld on Saturday the 19th of September, as part ofthe IUS annual conference titled ‘Aspects ofIslamic Individuality’. It was heartening to seemembers from all parts of the UK with peopleattending from as far as Glasgow and Wales.

The proceedings of the day were openedwith a recitation from the Holy Quran followedby a short welcoming speech by Br MohammedAl-Hilli, who was chairing the conference.The agenda for the AGM began with the Chair-man’s report presented by the IUS Vice - Chair-man Dr. Mohsen Al-Rashed. Br Mohsen beganby commenting on the hard work and dedicationof last year’s committee which paved the way formany achievements and rapid progress in thedevelopment of the IUS. He then went on tooutline the activities of the previous year bothhighs and lows, in chronological order:

During the period October - December1997 the General Meetings commenced withover twenty talks and study circles throughoutthe year and the Iftar program in Ramadhanincreased to twice a week. The ExtraordinaryGeneral Meeting in December culminated in theIUS attaining Charitable Status in the UK. Thatsame month, after considerable planning andmonths of preparation the first subisidised Zi-yarat trip to Syria went ahead. Last year also sawthe generation of a new department, that ofNewsletter & Publications, to cope with the everincreasing amount of publications and expansionof the newsletter, which is now entitled the‘Voice of Unity’. This brought about a stabilis-ing effect on the publication of the newsletter,which for the last few years has not been headedsuccessfully by one editor. January - March1997/8 was the busiest session of the year, withthe IUS presentation of Syed Mohammed Hus-sein Tabatabai in February, and preparations al-ready under way for the Iran trip, Muharram

Campaign and the September ’98 conference. Inless than 14 days the Executive Committeeorganised and executed the Tabatabai conferencewith tremendous success. Over four hundredpeople attended where there was only a capacityfor three hundred.

The following months were the examperiod for most students and weekly sports activ-ities were held to give our members a break formtheir revision. However I hear that IUS FC stillneeds a lot of practice! In the last AGM Chair-man’s report one of the shortfalls of the yearmentioned was the lack an IUS home page andemail address. This has been rectified in the lastyear as IUS went online in April, although atleast six months is still required for it to be fullyoperational. In May the Muharram campaignwas carried out, with IUS volunteers on hand atthe main Islamic centres in London, increasingour membership to five hundred across the UK.At the same time IUS in Australia was grantedCharity Status by the Australian Charities Com-missioner. After a yearlong search an office wasfound in central London. Due to Allah (SWT)blessings donations were made towards the dec-oration and furnishing of the office, in the endonly £70 was spent on the same. In Augusttwenty members of the IUS flew out to Iran for asubisidised trip for Ziyarat and an Islamiccourse. This too was a first time success. BrMohsen ended the report by commenting onceagain on the determination and creativity of thelast year’s committee, whose tremendous pace ofwork has meant that IUS is now expanding at aphenomenal rate.

The Secretarial report, presented by my-self, was similar to that of the Chairman’s. AsSecretary I find myself in a unique position ofobservation of the activities of the IUS and howas an organisation it has progressed over the lastyear, and hence I reported on the same. Like theChairman’s report, I briefly outlined the mainachievements of the year as well as the continued

Reports

7Voice Of Unity

always aware of the need for improvement ingeneral, and one area that I felt needed particularattention in the coming year, was the IUS aca-demic networking and mentor schemes. Manychanges were witnessed by the IUS last year,most notably within the structure of the Execu-tive Committee (EC). There were many morevolunteers to the committee in general with anoverall stable nucleus, the Executive Committee.From an organisational perspective the last yearscommittee was one of the most committed andproductive of the IUS, whilst still being able toremain dynamic. Inshallah this will continue tobe so for the years to come. One project that Iwas involved in as Secretary, was the search foran IUS office in central London. As you may beaware an office was found at the end of July,after endeavoring to find one for over a year. Iended my report on a personal note saing that ithad been a privilege and a learning experience towork with such a dedicated and hardworkingcommittee, all of whom each have their ownvarious student and professional lives.

The last report was the Treasurer’s reportgiven by Sr. Nishat Bharwani. One of the mainachievements of the treasury department lastyear was to register the IUS with the CharitiesCommission for England and Wales. As well asa better standing in the community there are alsofinancial advantages of charity status includingbeing able to claim back tax on donations madein the form of gift aid and covenanted payment.Thus members were encouraged to utilise theabove methods of donation, if at all possible,allowing their contributions to go further. An-other aspect of the treasurer’s job is fundraising,this is as the IUS is an independent organisationand relies solely on membership fees and dona-tions to fund its activities. Although variousmeasures were taken to encourage donationsfrom the community in general, the response todate has been low. This was an area that Sr.Nishat felt had to be addressed in the oncoming

year. As treasurer Sr. Nishat was also involvedin the subsidy of the trips for Ziyarat, both toSyria and Iran. Inshallah the IUS will be able tocontinue to provide such educational and funtrips in the future. In addition to this, the depart-ment has dealt with the finance of our annualconferences and other activities. In closing herreport Sr. Nishat commented on the expansion ofthe IUS and an increase in the services that areprovided, for example the fact that the newsletteris now sixteen pages, and thus an increasedexpenditure. Inshallah the IUS will continue togrow with the help of our members.

Finally the AGM closed with the start ofthe Annual General Meeting Elections, the re-sults of which are below.

1998 /99 Committee:

Chairman: Dr Syed Zafar Naqvi, now an S.H.O.Doctor after graduating from UCL.Vice – Chairman: Dr Mohsen Al-Rashed, cur-rently doing his post doc. in Chemical Engineer-ing at UCL.Secretary: Akeela Gheewalla, third year Physicsstudent at UCL.Treasurer: Nishat Bharwani, fourth year Medi-cal student at KCL.Newsletter & Publications: Mohammed Al-Hilli, second year Pharmacy student at SOP.Events: Fatema Panju, second year Podiatry stu-dent at UCL.Sisters Rep: Nazanin Dolatshad, currently doingher PhD. at Milton Keynes University.Publicity: Position Vacant.IT: Ammar Hasan, Computer Science graduatefrom UCL.Editor: Duha Al-Wakeel, second year Law stu-dent at QMW.Membership: Akeela Gheewalla

Reports

8 Voice Of Unity

higher form of knowledge. The necessity forenvironmental change towards the Islamic orderwas salient in the discussion, for the restorationof the integrity of the individual at all levels.Describing a practical movement in a sector ofthe community, Sr Saffiya highlighted the princi-ples for individual and collective change basedupon the Holy Quran, the Prophet of Islam(SAW) and the Ahlul-Bayt (AS).

After prayers and lunch, Brother Mudas-sar Ahmad presented his view of the IUS trip toSyria last year. He described the environmentalimpressions of the centre of Damascus. He alsogave an account of the elevatednature of the Ziyara of the Shrineof our Ladies Zainab (AS) andSakina (AS). Br Mudassar alsotouched upon other visits of his-torical interest.

The next speaker,Maulana Raza Hussain conscien-tiously explored the phenomenonof Infallibility relying on theprovenance of the Holy Quran.Commencing with theoretical andpractical definitions of the Arabicword Isma, he proceeded to cate-gorise levels of belief in infallibil-ity and illustrate contrasting out-comes. Narrating from Islamic traditions,Maulana presented a conclusive argument for thenecessity of the infallible Ma’soomeen (AS) forthe completion of our deen. Surprisingly this wasthe first ever occasion that Maulana Raza hasgiven a speech in English, despite this it wasmost eloquent indeed.

A debate on the ever popular issue of freewill versus predestination was conducted byBrother Mehdi Hasan. He discussed the ideologi-cal division of the ummah over this contentioussubject, and vociferously defended the notion ofindividual responsibility. Quoting from the greatpoet and philosopher of the East, Allamah Mo-hammed Iqbal, he underlined the theologicalposition of followers of the Ahlul-Bayt in trust-ing the Justice of Allah in allowing man thefreedom to create his destiny.

Brother Shams Kanani offered a refresh-

(Continued from page 1)

ingly original approach to addressing the multi-faceted arena of Characteristics of a True Fol-lower of Ahlul-Bayt (AS). At the outset hepointed out the subtle attributes associated withthe word follower not apparent in other similarterms. Br Shams enthused his listeners by pre-senting a fascinating summary of the desiredcharacteristics in the light of Surat Al-Furqan(chapter no25) of the Holy Qur’an. Furthermore,everyone was treated to an insightful delineationof some grammatical idiosyncracies of the Surahin addition to the semantic qualities. This articu-late speaker used humour intelligently and

brought the auditorium to life with his inspira-tional address.

The third and final session of the daybegan with an informative report of the recentIUS trip to Iran by Sister Rafal Ali. She de-scribed her experience of the Ziyara of the Shrineof Imam Ali Reza (AS) as well as the numerousother activities engaged in by the group. SisterRafal discussed the spiritual, educational andcultural inspirations gained during the tour of thecities of Tehran, Qum, Esfahan and Mashhad.She emphasised the bounteous welcome felt byall participants; and concluded by sharing detailsof the advancement of this modern independentnation with an increasing base of expertise in allfields.

Maulana Mohammed Ali Shomali suc-cinctly managed to present to his listeners athought-provoking segment of what has proven

Conference ‘98

9Voice Of Unity

to be a broad and complex area of study. Inintroducing the issue of Our ResponsibilitiesTowards Muslim Countries he considered threesources of obligation: internal, external and con-ventional. With great deliberation MaulanaShomali proceeded to animate these theoreticalcategories by defining our duties in terms of eachof the three sources. He consolidated his argu-ment with successive reference to traditions ofthe Holy Imams (AS).

There then followed a comprehensivedisplay of the aims, achievements and futuregoals of the Islamic Unity Society by Dr MohsenAl-Rashed with Brother Ammar Hasan provid-ing the computer animated slides. This excellentpresentation depicted the array of responsibilitiescurrently undertaken by the IUS and providedmembers the opportunity to appreciate progressso far. Br Mohsen drew attention to national andinternational links as well as other notable fea-tures of the Society, particularly its aims to ex-pand the community network of students andprofessionals. Br Mohsen pointed to the scopefor realisation of future objectives with increasedsupport.

Dr Ali Hussaini demonstrated presentday application of medical advice given by Imam

Ali Reza (AS) in his work entitled, The GoldenLetter of Imam Reza (AS). In his enlighteningcommentary Brother Ali focused upon some ofthe general principles of medical wisdom ex-pressed by Imam Ali Reza (AS) in his seventhcentury letter to the caliph Mamoon al-Rashid.Br Ali stressed the necessity for Muslims toadopt an explicit position to avoid alienation andto represent Islam as Ahlul-Bayt Islam.

The day’s events culminated in thespeech of Sheikh Mohsen Al-Araki. The encour-aging words spoken by Sheikh Al-Araki elo-quently encompassed a fusion of past, presentand future, facilitating an evolving image ofIslamic identity. He recommended fostering so-cietal reform with a firm foundation in groupwork and unity. In praising the goals of the IUSalong with its talented workforce, Sheikh Al-Araki highlighted the greater availability of re-sources in the West to enable effective deliveryof the message of Islam. There was light-heartedanticipation as participants of the Iran trip (inrecognition of the Islamic course they undertookwhilst in Iran) received their awards from SheikhAl-Araki, as did the unwitting winners of theconference quiz from Syed Ameli. Brother Mo-hammed Al-Hilli concluded his incessantly effi-cient role with a vote of thanks to all membersand volunteers, and a du’a for all Muslims.

The symbol of unity represented by atten-dance at the conference professed the desire tobe reminded of the cardinal virtues of our faithwith regularity at such gatherings. The diversityof topics was reflected in the unique stance takenby the erudite speakers with aspects of Islamicindividuality inherent in each contribution. How-ever, the unity of the speakers was evident at onelevel, in declaring their positions from a singleplatform surpassing the boundaries of ethnicity,age and gender; and at another existed the paral-lel of ultimate convergence of thought. In effica-ciously accomplishing its worthy objective, theIUS has once again upheld the time honouredpattern of achievement resulting from the cele-brated manifestation of striving for a just anddistinguished cause.

Sr. Tatheer Zahra Shamsi

Conference ‘98

10 Voice Of UnityInterview

Br. Mohammed Al-Hilli

One of the major achievements of theIUS this year has been the establishment ofIUS Australia in the city of Melbourne.Brother Gaith Al-Hasani is the IUS AustraliaPresident who has, with the help of Allah(SWT), worked extremely hard to organisethis newly established society. Having ob-tained a BA in Advanced French Studies anda B.Sc. in Molecular Microbiology, Br. Gaithis currently doing a Ph.D. in Molecular Mi-crobiology at Monash University, Mel-bourne. During his trip to the UK, I took theopportunity to interview him, read on to findout more:

Q: Br Gaith, Assalamu Alaykum. Howwould you describe the current youthMuslim Community in Australia?A: Walakium Assalam. Alhamdullilah, theyouth population is growing at a consider-able rate, though it is still much smaller thanin the UK. There is however, a significantnon-youth population as well. However,there are some problems facing all of us inthat society, some of which are:1-Academic achievements are quite low, andcertainly need to be improved.2-The generation is of course a first-generation community.3-The community is somewhat strugglingeconomically and financially.What is important to keep in mind is thatevery young community initially experiencesdifficulties ranging from financial to socialaspects. With time and effort Inshallah, thecommunity grows and strengthens itself and

becomes ma-ture, leading toa more stable,influential andefficient body.

Q: What wasyour inspira-tion in form-ing IUS Aus-tralia?A: I believed itwas necessaryto establish astudent societythat would unify the young lovers of theAhlul-Bait (AS) and would equally promotethe Divine Message of Islam. Allah (SWT)made my wish come true in January 1998,which coincided with the Holy Month ofRamadhan. I travelled to London in hope ofmeeting some brothers and sisters whoshared the same concerns. With the Guid-ance of Allah (SWT) we attended an iftarorganised by the IUS, and that was the startof many discussions I had with the Commit-tee about establishing a similar society inAustralia. Upon my return to Melbourne, acommittee of six members was formed and aslightly modified constitution to the UK onewas drafted and submitted for approval.Thus we felt that there was a need and de-mand for such an organisation that would bea voice for students.

Q: How has this society been received inAustralia?A: Alhamdullilah, the society has had quite a

11Voice Of Unity Interview

good response from the community, Ulamasand the general public. The response hasbeen warm and co-operative. Many havebeen enthusiastic and supportive. For exam-ple, we are grateful to Al-Ghadeer Associa-tion for allowing us to use their centre for ourseminars so far, my Allah (SWT) rewardthem with thawab inshallah.

Q: What are the Society’s achievements sofar?A: Firstly, we have organised three seminarsso far, the first seminar was given byMoulana Dr. Mansoor Leqaei on the role ofwomen in Karbala. Approximately fourtypeople attended this seminar. Our secondseminar was on the importance of Imamatand ‘political role of Muslim intellectual”,and the speakers were Dr Masood and Br.Arfin. Our third seminar was also given byMoulana Leqaei on the topic of ‘Peacefulco-existence’ and was, alhamdullilah at-tended by more than eighty people. We havealso published two newsletters and are in theprocess of publishing the third soon inshal-lah.However we have still got a lot of work to doin terms of organising other activities such astrips and sports.

Q: What are the future plans for IUSAustralia?A: Our short-term aims are to establish thesociety in Sydney by having a representativethere. To add to this, we are planning in thefuture to have more suitable activities such asdebating, sports, and also outings such as aBBQ!Inshallah, in co-ordination with IUS UK, we

will be publishing a global issue of the Voiceof Unity containing articles from both coun-tries.

Q: What difficulties have you had to con-front so far?A: Initially, we faced difficulty in adminis-trative sides in the sense of forming a com-mittee and writing the constitution, as well asobtaining financial contributions from thepeople. Though with the help of Allah wehave overcome most of the early difficulties,and are looking forward to the challengesfacing us in the future.

Q: Do you have any message from thebrothers/sisters in Australia ?A: The brothers and sisters all send theirwarm salaams and greetings, and encourageus to keep up the good work, as well as not toforget us in their prayers and dua. May Allah(SWT) help us all succeed inshallah.

Q: Last but not least, what are your im-pressions of IUS UK?A: As I have already mentioned, I was veryimpressed with IUS work and the organisa-tion, and I think with Allah’s help it hasestablished an excellent reputation for itselfas an organisation serving the communityhere in the UK. Alhamdullilah, this society isan inspiration to others to emulate and atsimultaneously it’s a society that other peo-ple have to support and make use as theirvoice.

î î î

12 Voice Of Unity

Sr Oola Ajina

In day to day terms, a hypocrite may bethought of as a person whose actions contradicthis/her beliefs and teachings, in other words,someone who does not "practice what theypreach". If this were the most accurate definitionof hypocrisy then it would mean that the majorityof Muslims were, in fact, hypocrites. This is be-cause many of us, at some point in our lives, haveupset our parents, or have been engaged in back-biting or idle-talk, despite knowing that such actsare prohibited in Islam. These are but a few simpleexamples of how our actions can contradict ourbeliefs, yet does this really mean that most of usare hypocrites? I sincerely hope not, but to be fairit does mean that we may have faults in our degreeof faith. Although this is an equally serious short-coming, it is a separate matter in its own right.

During the time of the Prophet Mohammad(SAW), the hypocrites constituted one of the mainobstacles to the mission of Islam. These peopleoutwardly proclaimed that they believed in Allah(SWT) and His messenger, but in reality theyrejected them. This type of hypocrisy is known ashypocrisy in belief, and such a person is neitherregarded as a Muslim nor as a Kafir, but as aMunafiq. Imam Ali (AS) recalls in his NahjulBalagha that Rasulullah (SAW) once said: "IndeedI do not fear for my nation a believer nor a polythe-ist, for the believer will be prevented (from wrongdoing) by his faith, and Allah will crush the poly-theist with his polytheism, but verily I fear for youevery person who has hypocrisy in his heart, andwisdom in his tongue, who speaks of what youknow, and does what is disapproved." Such peopleare dealt with very severely in the Holy Quran."Verily the Munafiqeen (hypocrites) will be inthe lowest depths of the fire, no helper will youfind for them." (Al-Nisaa' 4:145)

However there is another type of hypocrisywhich is more common in today's society, and thisis hypocrisy in actions. This does not take theperson out of Islam but the person is said to have acharacteristic of hypocrisy.

So how do we identify this condition? The ProphetMohammed (SAW) has said, "There are fourthings, whoever possesses them is a pure hyp-ocrite, and whoever possesses one of them pos-sesses a characteristic of hypocrisy until he aban-dons it: when he is trusted he is disloyal, when hespeaks he lies, when he makes a promise he breaksit, and when he argues he behaves in an insolentmanner."

The Quran talks about another characteris-tic of hypocrisy and this is to do things for show."When they (the hypocrites) stand up toprayer, they stand without earnestness, to beseen of men, but little do they hold Allah inremembrance." (Al-Nisaa' 4:142) One effect ofsuch qualities in society is that Muslims will beginto lack confidence and trust in one another, andthis will eventually weaken and disunite theUmmah.

A possible reason as to why we may de-velop hypocritical attributes could be to create acertain image or reputation for ourselves. Al-though we may attempt to convince others as tohow great we are, Allah (SWT) knows of all that isin our hearts. Thus in reality this is nothing morethan a facade and we are fooling no one butourselves. On an individual scale, our generalconduct should always be a manifestation of ourbeliefs and of what is in our hearts. Therefore, wemust always strive to correct any shortcomings inour faith so that our inner beliefs and outer actionsare in unison. This will not only erase hypocrisyfrom our souls, but should also bring us closer toAllah (SWT). Undoubtedly this is easier said thandone, nevertheless we should be encouraged by thehadith narrated by Abu Dharr al-Ghafari in whichthe Holy Prophet (SAW) says: 'Allah the Lord ofHonour and Glory says "…When someone ap-proaches Me a hands length, I approach him anarms length; when someone walks towards Me, Irun towards him; and when someone comes to Me(seeking My forgiveness) full of as many sins asthe whole world contains, I meet him with an

Principles

13Voice Of Unity

1-Five murder suspects, including the guilty party, are being interrogated by thepolice at the scene of a murder. Of the five statements made, just three are the

truth.

Alf White: ‘David Dark is the murderer’Barry Gloomy: ‘I am innocent’Cyril Shady: ‘It wasn’t Ernie Black’David Dark: ‘Alf white is lying’Ernie Black: ‘Barry Gloomy is telling the truth.’

Who committed the murder?

2- A census-taker calls at a house. He asks the man living there the ages of histhree daughters.

The man says: “If you multiply their ages the total is 72; if you add together theirages the total is the same as the number on my front door, which you can see.”The census-taker says, “That’s not enough information for me to calculate theirages.”The man says: “Well, my eldest daughter has a cat with a wooden leg.”The census taker replies: “Ah, I know their ages.”What are the ages of the three girls?

(Answers to these in the next issue)

ANSWERS TO LAST ISSUE’S TEASERS

Anastasia’s numbers: Anastasia tells a lie when she says that the number isbelow 500. The only square and cube between 99 and 999 whose firstand last digits is 5, 7, or 9 is 729.

Lost time: 11+ 12+ 1 + 2 = 26 10 + 3 + 9 + 4 = 26 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 = 26

Tree Teaser: Spencer prunes six more trees than Don.

Brain Teasers

14 Voice Of Unity

These take place on Wednesdays at 4.30pm in Dar Al-Hikma (45 Chalton Street,Euston). Below are the details of the forthcoming programmes:

04/11 Maulana Haider Shirazi Fiqh Study Circle11/11 Dr. Al-Nahar Maba’th of the Prophet (SAW)18/11 Maulana Haider Shirazi Fiqh Study Circle25/11 Br. Mahmood Merchant The true reality of Jihad02/12 Maulana Haider Shirazi Fiqh Study Circle09/12 Maulana Ameli The necessity of Imam Mehdi (ATF)16/12 Maulana Haider Shirazi Fiqh Study Circle

Special programmes, with iftar, will be held in the Month of Ramadhan Inshallah.Details will be given nearer the time.

VOICE YOUR OPINIONS AND BE HEARD!

Having gone from strength to strength, the Islamic Unity Society Newsletter ‘Voice ofUnity’ still depends on your support – yes – YOU the reader!The IUSN Committee encourages and appreciates members’ participation, hence we aregiving you the opportunity to express yourself on a national scale. So put pen to paper andkeep those contributions coming in! Articles (both academic and Islamic), poetry andillustrations are welcome, as are your views and comments.Members whose work is printed will be offered a selection of titles to choose from the wellstocked IUS Library.

Make Voice of Unity your voice!

Send all submissions with your name, address and telephone no./ e mail address to:The Editor - Voice of Unityc/o IUS Box 14537 Store Street, BloomsburyLondon WC1E 7BS

Or email to: EDITOR@IUS.ORG.UK

Whats On....

15Voice Of Unity

IUS EID TRIP ’99SWANSEA

For Brother and Sisters

= An enjoyable day of sightseeing and visiting places= Meeting with other students from around Wales= Date: Saturday 30 January 1999= Departure: 8.00 am, London Paddington= Arrival: 9.30 pm, London Paddington= Cost: £ 15 per person (heavily subsidised)

Brothers visiting Swansea in October this year to promote IUS in Wales

To book tickets, please contact theIUS Tel No: 0171 436 4786 and leave your details.

Please note that a first come first serve policy applies,and as there are 50 places available, please book early.

Trips

16 Voice Of Unity

= General Weekly Meetings: With the help of Allah (SWT), the IUS Weekly meetingsgot under way on Wednesday 7/10 with the start of the Fiqh study Circle by MaulanaShirazi. The highlight of the programmes so far has been the special programme on theglorious occasion of the birth of Hadhrat Fatima Zahra (AS). The programme was held on14/10 in Dar Al-Hikma, and was attended by more than 60 people. It contained excellentspeeches by Br. Gaith Al-Hasani and Maulana Sayyid Taqi Rizvi.

= Swansea trip: On behalf of the IUS, 10 brothers had a one day visit of the city ofSwansea early in October aiming to set-up IUS Wales and in preparation for the Eid trip inJanuary. For details of the trip please see the advert on page 15.

= Conference ’98: The video for this year’s conference is ready, so if you want a copyplease contact the IUS as soon as possible as there are limited copies. The price is £10 percopy.

= New Address: The IUS has a new mail address and telephone number. You can findthese in the box at the bottom of the page. Please use them in any correspondence with thesociety.

Ius News

Dates to Remember

Wiladat Imam Ali (AS) 13 Rajab Tue 3rd NovWafat Hazrat Zainab (AS) 15 Rajab Thu 5th NovShahadat Imam M. Kazim (AS) 25 Rajab Sun 15th NovWafat Hazrat Abu Talib (AS) 26 Rajab Mon 16th NovMeraj The Prophet (SAW) 27 Rajab Tue 16th NovWiladat Imam Hussain (AS) 3 Shaban Mon 23rd NovWiladat Hazrat Abbas (AS) 4 Shaban Tue 24th NovWiladat Imam Z. Abideen (AS) 5 Shaban Wed 25th NovWiladat Imam Mehdi (atf) 15 Shaban Sat 5th DecWafat Bibi Khadija (AS) 10 Ramadhan Tue 29th Dec

Islamic Unity Society

Mail Address: Telephone: 0171 436 4786c/o IUS Box 145 Email: M.Al-Rashed@ucl.ac.uk37 Store Street Hasan@ndirect.co.ukLondon WC1E 7BS Internet: http://www.ius.org.uk