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Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021
This Newsletter contains some of Allah’s names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred
Issue No. 933
The Weekly Muslim News Update
Friday BulletinThe
Friday BulletinThe
Don't drop your guard against COVID19 , Muslims told
Follow us on Twitter @bulletin_friday | Facebook on The Friday Bulletin
The member of Board of Directors Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) Prof Muhammad Karama (RIGHT) unveils a commemorate plaque when he officially launched the first ever solar-powered water purification plant in Ngomeni,Malindi Kilifi County.(STORY ON PAGE 11).
Muslims in the country have been urged not to drop their guard against COVID 19, but instead abide by the guidelines
issued by government on the prevention of the deadly Coronavirus.Speaking to the Friday Bulletin, the Council of Imams and preachers of Kenya (CIPK) na-tional Chairman Sheikh Abdalla Ateka warned of increased Covid-19 infections if the public health directives continue to be ignored as he stressed that the third wave is too strong for individuals to drop their guard. The CIPK chair emphasized the need for Na-tional Muslim Covid19 Response Committee (NMCRC) in collaboration with Imams and Muslim leaders across the country to step up the public awareness campaign that helped the country through the early months of the
pandemic. “We cannot afford to drop the ball at this time. Countries that have done so have paid a heavy price as Covid-19 cases have risen sharply and claimed more lives,” he said.Sheikh Ateka appealed for Muslims to take precautionary measures and adhere to pre-ventive measures which include hand wash-ing, using sanitizers, avoiding close body contacts like handshaking and hugging, self- quarantine and visiting a health facility if necessary adding that it is important for all to adhere to the guidelines to promote good health and ensure the safety of all. On his part, chairman National Muslim Covid19 Response Committee (NMCRC) Prof. Muhammad Karama emphasized the need for Muslim institutions to adhere to the
current guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 stressing that Kenya is experienc-ing an increasing number of coronavirus in-fections since the beginning of the month of March and that some of the hospitals are now overwhelmed with no ICU beds left.“We appeal to Muslims throughout the coun-try to adhere to the government directive to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and to avoid the ritual of washing of bodies of victims confirmed to have died of coronavirus,” said Karama.Explaining further the need for Muslims to strictly adhere to the government’s guide-lines, Prof Karama said everyone should take individual responsibility in mitigating
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The National Muslim Covid-19 Response Committee has discounted reports that taraweeh prayers will not be held during the month of Ramadhan.The reports which had widely circulated in the social media had indicated that the special prayers in the month of Ramadhan will not be held due to the ban by the government.“We understand that the Muslim community has raised concerns over the “ban of taraweh congregation” in the forthcoming month of Ramadhan. Please note that the information regarding taraweh is incorrect and is not ap-proved by our committee and we apologize for any inconveniences caused. We further advise that the mosques consider conduct-ing Taraweeh prayers in such a way that con-gregants get back to their homes before the curfew time (10pm),” said the chairman Prof Muhammad Karama.
Taraweeh ‘not banned during
Ramadhan’-NMCRC
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Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021NATIONALThe Friday Bulletin
Former National Assembly majority leader and Garissa Township MP Aden Duale has raised concern over delay in issuance of national identification documents. In a petition filed in the National Assembly, Duale now wants a parliamentary com-mittee to investigate why people living in Garissa and Wajir counties who are Ken-yan citizens lack the documents.This, he says, is despite a verification ex-ercise by government agencies undertak-en in 2019 which recommended that they be issued with the documents. In 2019 the government formed a taskforce to develop the procedure of vetting, verification and eligibility criteria for the stateless Ken-yans. “Kenyans residing in Garissa and Wajir Counties have been denied registration and identification documents which have rendered them stateless,” says Duale, noting that the committee should guaran-tee the issuance of the relevant identifica-tion and registration documents to all the vetted persons. The verification process revealed that
Duale raises concern over delay in IDs issuance in Wajir, GarissaGarissa Township had 3,000 youths who qualified to get a national identity card while Lagdera had 1,300, Ijara 2,000, Fafi 2,300 and Dadaab 6,200.Wajir South also had 3,500 youths verified for issuance of ID cards.The verification process, according to the petition, was undertaken using documents from parents, local elders, chiefs and oth-er government agencies.“Despite the verification process being concluded, to date the youths are yet to be de-registered as refugees and to be issued with the relevant identification and registration documents,” Duale says in his petition. The Garissa Township MP has called on the Administration and National Security Committee to investigate why the issu-ance of the documents has been delayed. The national identification card is Kenya’s official document of proof of citizenship. Duale further urged the committee chaired by Kiambaa MP Paul Koinange to direct Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred
Malaba mosque at risk of floods appeals for landMuslim residents in Malaba town within Busia County are appealing for financial support to enable them purchase parcel of land for the construction of a Mosque and a Madrassa.According to the chairman Malaba Muslim community Hassan Shabram, the Malaba Jamia Mosque sits on low land is always susceptible to perennial floods and that they have already identified a land adja-cent the Mosque whose purchase price is Sh 1.5 Million and that through the ef-forts of the management committee and support from the local Muslim community have managed to raise Sh 850,000 leav-ing a balance of Sh700, 000.Speaking to the Friday Bulletin, Shabram noted that the long-term solution is to move the facility to higher grounds and leave the current land for other develop-ment programmes.Shabram said that the Mosque committee
the virus' spread warning that getting the vaccine is not a licence that they will be free from Covid-19."The rule remains the same, wear masks, sanitise and keep social distance because even after having the jabs we are not im-mune to the virus," he said. Prof Karama lamented the laxity by a sec-tion of Muslims and the general population in adhering to the safety regulations put in place to combat the spread of the virus add-ing that Kenyans should not politicize or joke with COVID 19 instead adhere to govern-ment’s directives to ensure that they protect themselves from the disease.
Don't drop your guard against COVID19Continued From Page 1
Matiang’i to deregister as refugees all persons who were vetted and confirmed as citizens of Kenya. The former Majority leader in the peti-tion further wants the National Assembly committee to recommend the vetting and deregistration as refugees of “any other persons that were left out in the vetting process”.He said that denying Kenyans an identifi-cation document is a violation of Articles 1 (1), 2(1) and 12 of the Constitution.“The lack of documents of registration and identification issued by the State to her citizens amounts to a fundamental denial and infringement of the funda-mental human rights and freedoms guar-anteed by the Bill of Rights espoused in the Constitution,” the petition reads.Duale noted that the lack of identification documents means that Kenyan citizens residing in Garissa and Wajir Counties cannot access government services in-cluding health and education among oth-ers.
“People are not adhering to the protocols; they know the COVID-19 exist but they usu-ally forget to observe the safety protocol and this is a big challenge for us and we need the Imams and Madrassa teachers to join hands with us to fight this cancer,” observed Prof Karama.Health authorities have expressed concerns of rising numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19, with hospitals struggling to find enough beds for patients needing treatment.Last week on Friday, 28 confirmed deaths from COVID-19, the highest-ever number of deaths from the virus since it spread to the East African was first recorded in March last year.
will continue to engage in various projects geared at improving the welfare of Mus-lims in Malaba and Busia county in gen-eral.He is now calling upon donors and well-wishers to come forward and support the initiative to enable the local Muslims un-dertakes their religious obligations in a conducive environment.
"We have now been forced to seek sup-port and assistance from well-wishers who can help us with funds to clear the remaining balance for purchase of land. I humbly urge our Muslim brethren and well-wishers to help us raise a total of Sh 700,000 in aid of the purchase of land for the construction of mosque so that we un-dertake our religious obligations in a con-ducive environment," he added. Malaba Jamia Mosque is one of the old-est mosques on a highway and a border town. It has managed to serve thousands of travellers across the East and Central Africa region. The Malaba Jamia Mosque Committee also runs Madrassa (Islamic School) and integrated Muslim Academy which offers the National Primary cur-riculum and Islamic studies.More information on the project can be ac-cessed from the chairman Hassan Shabram through 0722425510/0724524746 and contributions can be made through Mpesa Pay Bill Number 400200 Account Name: Malaba Jamia Mosque. Account Number 01118050620000 Bank Name: Coopera-tive Bank, Malaba Branch.
The Malaba Jamia Mosque in Malaba Border within Busia county. The Mosque sits on low land is always susceptible to perennial floods after a heavy rains.
Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021
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Now that we have reached another Sha’bān we must ask: What will be the difference between this Sha’bān and last?Many people find it difficult getting into the spiritual state that Ramaḍhān requires and complain in the last ten days of the great month that their month has gone to waste. A major reason for this it seems is that they assume that Allāh would have Muslims worship him one month of the year! Whilst worship is a daily affair, Allāh would have us worship more in some months over others. Furthermore, the righteous, in un-derstanding the importance of Ramadhan, would want to be as prepared as possible, and as a result, would begin preparation two months earlier in Rajab!Abu Bakr al-Balkhi said: The month of Ra-jab is the month for planting, the month of Sha’bān is the month of irrigating crops, and the month of Ramadhan is the month of harvesting the crops. He also said: The likeness of the month of Rajab is that of the wind, the likeness of Sha’bān is that of the clouds and the likeness of Ramadhan is that of the rain; whoever does not plant and sow in Rajab, and does not irrigate in Sha’bān, how can he reap in Ramad-han? Now that Rajab has passed, so what will you do in Sha’bān if you are seeking Ramadhan? This is how your Prophet (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and the early gen-erations of the ummah were in this blessed month. So what will you do?Sha’bān is the month where last year’s ac-count of good and bad actions for every individual ascends to Allāh. As we know, there are four instances when our actions ascend to Allāh: the daily record, weekly record, yearly record, and the whole life record.[1]It is reported that Usāmah b. Zayd (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said:“I said, ‘O Messenger of Allāh, I do not see you fasting in any other month like you fast in Sha’bān.’ He (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘That is a month to which people do not pay attention, between Ra-jab and Ramadhan, and it is a month in which deeds are lifted up to the Lord of the Worlds. I like for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting.’”[2]The difference between Sha’bān 1441 and Sha’bān 1442 is that a whole year of your life has passed. A whole year of more than 350 days of actions recorded. The actions of the days are recorded, not neglecting any hour, nor second of each day. Ibrāhīm al-Nakh’ī used to cry to his wife every Thursday, and she used to cry too and he used to say, “Today our actions will be put forth in front of Allāh”. So how about the actions of the whole year?Sit down and try to reflect on what you did in the past year and try to remember the actions that will be put forth in front of Allāh.How great is your heedless state of this great month and of your actions that will be put forth in front of Allāh?How many sins have you committed this year?
DA'WAH Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021The Friday Bulletin
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How many harām gazes have you not re-strained our eyes from this year?How much of your brothers’ and sisters’ flesh have you eaten this year due to back-biting?If you were present when someone was backbiting another, did you stop them? Or at least leave that congregation?How many times did you listen to harām?Did you protect your hands from falling into harām?Did you stop your feet from taking you to harām?How much good did you enjoin?How much evil did you forbid?How many hours did you waste?How neglectful have you been of your brothers and sister around the world?Was there a time when you ate something which caused Allāh to be angry with you?Was there a word that you said which caused your place in Jahannam to dwell deeper than the distance between the East and the West?Was there a time when you were alone, you were heedless of Allāh watching over you, and you committed sins which distanced you from Jannah and from your Lord?How I wonder, what is our position in the eyes of Allāh at the end of this year?Which of us will be brought closer, and which of us will be distanced further?In this year, many people have made Jan-nah obligatory upon them due to the good they did, while others have made Jahan-nam obligatory upon them due to the evil they committed. Have you wondered which of these two types of people you are?High levels in Jannah have been achieved by people who have used their time wisely, yet we remain where we are, still unable to fulfil the obligations as commanded by Allāh, still unable to pray on time, still un-able to pray in the Masjid. When is the time for us to wake up from this heedless state and realise what we have done and repent and ask Allāh for forgiveness?
Sha'baan: A Month not to be neglected
You may be asking, “What do you want me to do now?” Brothers and sisters, every day that has passed in this previous year has been an extra chance for you to do good, and now that you have looked back at what you have done and what will be put forth in front of Allāh, it is time to realise that Allāh has blessed you by letting you live until this day. So many people have died during the past year, yet Allāh has let you live, and even let you read this reminder to encour-age you to turn back to Him, so now is the time to do so.We are now in Sha’bān, so make sure you make full use of it, and repent and seek forgiveness from Allāh for all your sins and shortcomings, so that they are forgiven be-fore they ascend to your Lord. Sha’bān is a month which many people neglect. Im-agine you are worshipping Allāh at a time which many people neglect, and when Allāh looks at His creation during that time, only a few humans are engaging in wor-ship, and you are one of them. Sha’bān is a time of fasting, as the Prophet (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to fast the majority of this month, so ensure you follow his Sunnah and increase in fasting. Also, make sure you prepare yourself for Rama-dhan by increasing in qiyām al-layl, read-ing the Qur’ān, offering voluntary prayers and making constant dhikr, so that when Ramadhan comes, you are fully prepared for it and are already used to doing right-eous actions.Let us use Sha’bān to become people of prayer and fasting, that we use the coming month as a time of rectification and spir-itual rectitude, and we prepare our souls for the last Ramadhan we may ever face. ʿĀ’ishah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanha) narrates that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) never fasted in any month more than in the month of Sha’bān. He used to say, “Do those deeds which you can do easily, as Allāh will not get tired (of giving rewards) till you get bored and tired (of performing religious deeds).”
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30 Tips to Prepare for Ramadhan in Sha`ban
To get the best of Ramadhan, one needs to prepare well and put the plan before Ram-adhan knocks the door without being ready to receive it. It is the month of the year, and the actual loser is the one who witnesses Ramadhan without being forgiven in it as narrated from the Prophet (peace be uponhim).The tips below discuss how to make actual and useful preparation forRamadhan.1- Supplicate Allah to prolong your life to attend Ramadhan, bless it for you, accept your good deeds in it and forgive your shortcomings.2- Make a sincere repentance from all sins and evil deeds, regret them, and ask Allah
to help you not to turn again to them.3- Keep away from the misdeeds that dis-please Allah and incur his Wrath upon you.4- Always renew your repentance to Allah and your commitment with Him.5- Strive to observe the obligatory prayers at their due times in congregation so that it will be easy for you to continue on this in and after Ramadhan.6- If you are not in the habit of offering the supererogatory prayers, try to do some of them and move on to do all of them.7- Rectify your intention, make all your ac-tions sincerely to Allah, the Almighty, Alone.8- As the utmost goal of fasting is attaining
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The purity of an adulteress: A Muslim woman’s reflectionsSha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021The Friday Bulletin
Hidden pasts. Dark secrets. Tragic love. Broken hearts. These words don’t just be-long to soap operas or romantic novels, to movies or non-Muslim societies. They are human themes that have spanned time, af-fecting saints and sinners and everyone in between.Muslim women are no exception. In many peoples’ minds, the ideal Muslimah is a pure, innocent, and sheltered being, protected from all that is wrong and sinful, a Madonna to be placed on a pedestal and revered as a figure of incorruptible chastity.The reality, however, is that Muslim women are human beings with desires and inner demons, just like everyone else. Even in the earliest Islamic history, in the idealized Islamic, Prophetic society of Madinah, the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) led lives that were fraught with personal battles.Some of the Sahaba were known for being alcoholics; others confessed to cowardice on the battlefield, the urge to steal, and more. The female Companions were not im-mune, either.Some of the most powerful stories about the Muslim women of Madinah are about two female Companions who are not known by their names, but only by the names of their tribes.Muslims Are Not AngelsIt is recorded in Sahih Muslim (Kitab al-Hudud, the Book of Punishments), that there came to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) a woman from the tribe of Ghamid. The woman approached him and said, “O Al-lah’s Messenger, I have committed adultery, so purify me.” The Prophet’s eyes filled with grief and he turned away from her, dismiss-ing her from the gathering.The next day, al-Ghamidiyyah returned and once again publicly confessed her crime. “O Allah’s Messenger, why do you turn me away?” she beseeched. “Perhaps you turn me away as you turned away Ma’iz. By Al-lah, I have become pregnant!”Prophet Muhammad answered, “If you insist upon it (the punishment), then leave and re-turn only after you give birth.”Months later, al-Ghamidiyyah returned to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), with her baby wrapped in blankets. She pre-sented the child, saying, “Here is the child whom I have given birth to.”Prophet Muhammad answered, “Leave, and suckle him until he is weaned.”Approximately two years later, al-Ghamidi-yyah returned with her child, who was hold-ing a piece of bread in his hand.“O Allah’s Messenger, here is my child, as I have weaned him and he can now eat (solid) food.”Upon this, Prophet Muhammad entrusted the child to one of his other Companions, and pronounced the punishment of zina upon al-Ghamidiyyah. She was placed in a ditch that came up to her chest, and he com-manded the people to come forth and stone her.
WOMEN
By Zainab bint Younus
Khalid ibn Waleed flung a stone at her head, at which blood spurted forth from her and splashed Khalid’s face. Furi-ous, Khalid verbally abused her. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) heard Khalid’s curses and rebuked him, say-ing “Khalid, be gentle! By Him in Whose Hand is my life, she has made such a repentance that even if a wrongful tax-collector were to repent, he would have been forgiven.”After she died, Prophet Muhammad prayed the funeral prayer over her body and al-Ghamidiyyah was buried. (Sahih Muslim)Imran bin Al-Husain Al-Khuza`i reported, “By virtue of their repentance, these Muslim women were able to elevate themselves from a position of lowliness and shame to one of honor and dignity.”“A woman from the tribe of Juhainah came to Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while she was pregnant from adultery and said to him, “O Messenger of Allah! I have committed an offense li-able to Hadd (prescribed punishment), so exact the execution of the sentence.”The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called her guardian and said to him, “Treat her kindly. Bring her to me after the delivery of the child.” The man com-plied with the orders.At last the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded that it was time to carry out the sentence. Her clothes were secured around her and she was stoned to death. The Prophet (peace be upon him) led her funeral prayers.`Umar questioned, “O Messenger of Al-lah! She committed Zina and you have performed funeral prayer for her?” He re-plied, “Verily, she made repentance which would suffice for seventy of the people of Al-Madinah if it is divided among them. Can there be any higher degree of re-pentance than that she sacrificed her life voluntarily to win the Pleasure of Allah, the Exalted?”(Sahih Muslim)These were women who committed zina, a sin, which is considered to be one of the greatest sins, which has a prescribed punishment in the Shari’ah. Even to-day, there are vulgar words used to de-
scribe women who commit zina: slut, harlot, whore. The social repercussions for women even suspected of having committed zina is severe – even if they are, in truth, innocent.Yet when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was faced with these women, how did he react? Did he curse them, shame them, declare that they were no longer fit to be called Muslim?No. Rather, he recognized their faith and – before anything else – extended to them a way out, a merciful option which would al-low them to live their lives as they had be-fore, to give birth to and raise their children in peace. What mother doesn’t want to wit-ness her baby’s first smile, first steps, first words? What mother doesn’t want to be there to watch her child grow up before her eyes, to provide love and comfort, to take part in the pride and joy that accompanies childhood, adolescence, and adulthood?Instead, both these women sought forgive-ness and purity from their Lord, to bear a punishment in this world rather than in the Hereafter. Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), in turn, shared with the entire Muslim Ummah that these were wom-en who had made the greatest of all sacri-fices: sacrificed their husbands, their infant children, their reputations, their lives… all for the ultimate Pleasure of Allah alone.These were women who, if they publicly con-fessed their crimes today, would be scorned and humiliated by their fellow Muslims, who would be damned to Hell by many, who would be told that they had failed in their Islam. These were women whose actions, even today, are considered to be amongst the worst sins an individual could commit.Yet these two women – Muslim women who lived in the greatest era of Islam, in the so-ciety built by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself, who were in the compa-ny of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) – were able to redeem themselves in the Sight of Allah and His Messenger.By virtue of their repentance, their acknowl-edgment of the severity of the sins they committed, these Muslim women were able to elevate themselves from a position of lowliness and shame to one of honor and dignity, and displayed an incredibly high standard of courage and emaan.
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Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021 Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021The Friday Bulletin
Islam and Celebrating April’s FoolYour best friend comes up to you and tells you news that makes you jump for joy. No sooner have you expressed your happi-ness than he quickly tells you it is untrue. You stare at him blankly and ask him why he lied. He says to you: ‘It’s April Fool’s Day’.Does Islam sanction such behavior? Can it regard such behavior as a harmless cus-tom? Can we concoct lies containing happy or sad news, as long as we quickly inform the other person that it is a lie or cry out ‘April Fools!’?To start with, we must know that a lie is defined as giving information about some-thing, where that information is at variance with the truth. A lie is forbidden in Islam.The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:“Be truthful, for indeed truth guides us to righteousness, and righteousness leads us to Paradise. A man remains honest and steadfast in ascertaining the truth until he is recorded with Allah as a truthful person. A lie guides us to wickedness, and wicked-ness leads us to Hell. A man keeps lying and seeking out lies until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.” (Al-Bukhari and Mus-lim)Safwan ibn Salim relates the following:We asked: “O Messenger of Allah! Can a believer be a coward?”The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Yes.”We asked: “Can he be stingy?”He said: “Yes.”We then asked: “Can he be a liar?”The Prophet said: “No.”Lying is one of the traits of a hypocrite. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The signs of the hypocrite are three: If he speaks, he lies. If he makes a promise, he breaks it. And if he is given a trust, he be-trays it.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)Islam gives a severe warning against lying. The Prophet said to his Companions:“Tonight, I was visited by two. They bid me forth, saying: ‘Go’.I went with them until we came upon a man lying on his back. Someone else was standing over him, wielding an iron hook. He came to one side of his face, and pulled his lower lip to the back of his neck. Then he pulled his nose and then his eyes to the back of his head. Then he went over to the other side of the man’s face and did the same. Then the man’s features returned to their original place and the same thing hap-pened again.It was then said: “This was a man who would come out of his home and utter a lie that could fill the world to the horizons.” (Al-Bukhari)It is even sinful to tell a lie to a child. `Ab-dullah ibn `Amir recounted the following from his childhood:My mother called for me one day when the Prophet peace be upon him) was sitting in our house. She said: “Come here and I’ll give you something.”The Prophet (peace be upon him) then
asked her: “What is it that you wish to give him?”She said: “A date.”He said: “If you had not intended to give him something, a lie would have been re-corded against you.” (Abu Dawud)The sinfulness of lying includes lies told jokingly. The Prophet said: “I will guarantee a house in the center of Paradise for one who abandons the telling of lies, even in jest.” (Abu Dawud with an authentic chain of transmission)There are only a few exceptions to the gen-eral prohibition against lying. One is the lie that is uttered to bring peace between two people. Another is the lie used as a strata-gem in war. The third is the white lie spoken by a husband to his wife or by a wife to her husband. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)April Fool’s Day is truly a foolish and banal custom followed in some societies on the arrival of April First. The custom calls upon people to concoct a special lie for the occa-sion. Some people try to see how far their lie can spread.We should not have any doubt that this custom of concocting lies on April Fool’s Day is contrary to Islamic manners. Indeed, it is contrary to Islamic Law. Whoever con-cocts a lie falls into sin for doing so.A Muslim should be ever vigilant to safe-guard his tongue from lies and warn others against lying.
YOUTH
By Abid Mohammed
Let us make our future nowand let us make our dreamstomorrow reality. Allah understands our desireseven when we can’t find thewords to say. No matter what your physicalappearance, when you havekindness in your heart, thenyou are the most beautifulperson in the world. Take every day as a chance tobecome a better Muslim.
QUOTES OFTHE WEEK
AYAH OF THE WEEK
“And whoever fears Allah – He will makefor him a way out and will provide forhim from where he does not expect. Andwhoever relies upon Allah – then Heis sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah willaccomplish His purpose. Allah has al-readyset for everything a [decreed] extent.”― Qur’an, 65: 2-3.
The Friday Bulletin
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Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021
Palestine in the Islamic Consciousness
Islam is a faith and a way of life that has been shared and practiced worldwide. Some parts of the Earth carry a deep and memorable legacy of Islam, and Palestine is revered as an important land since the beginning of time. Palestine is a land of blessings, prophethood, and the home of the “second mosque.” Muslims faced Jeru-salem when offering their prayers for years during the life of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him until they were instruct-ed to face Makkah after the hijrah. The companions of the Prophet peace be upon him exemplified their dedication to Palestine when they fought to defend it dur-ing the reign of Omar. Many companions, namely Ubadah bin As-Samit and Shadaad bin Aus, were even buried there. Political leaders after the period of al-Khulufa’ al-Rashidun and throughout Islamic history or-ganized and fought to keep oppressors and invaders out of the holy land. The ethnically Kurdish, Muslim sultan Salahudeen al-Ayy-ubi led the heroic struggle against the cru-sades and Baybars historic battle against the Mongols at Ain Jalut. Israel is the newest form and modern for-eign attempt to conquer Palestine. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1924, David Ben Gurion, the primary national founder of the State of Israel and its first Prime Minister, coordinated military and co-lonial support with the British imperial state to begin the expulsion, occupation, and eth-nic cleansing of Palestine and its people. The official creation of Israel in 1948 was marked by the Nakba, or mass exodus of more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs from their homes during this time. The mass exile of Palestinians is an attempt to empty the homes and land of Palestine to make space for European Jewish people who migrated en masse from around the world, nearly half from Europe, to colonize those stolen homes and occupied lands. In addition to the physical exile of as many in-digenous people to uproot, fracture, and de-stroy their communities, settler-colonial pro-jects target indigenous culture and religion to erase the oral, behavioral, spiritual, and immaterial aspects of their lifestyle. Israel has, since its inception, attempted to break the spirit of Islam in Palestine and Judaize the land – establishing Judaism as the pri-mary and superior religious and cultural tra-dition even among a multiethnic, interfaith population. Bans against the Islamic call to prayer, des-ecration of historical Muslim cemeteries, restrictions through age limits on who can pray in Al-Aqsa in fear of youth gatherings and uprisings, the targeting of mosques in Gaza during bombing campaigns, attempts to take control of Masjid Al-Aqsa, to name a few examples, are the ways by which Israel tries to subjugate Islam and Muslims in the holy land.On February 25, 1994, Baruch Goldstein, an American Zionist from Brooklyn, massacred 29 people and injured over 100 in Masjid Al-Ibrahimi in al-Khalil, or Hebron, during the Fajr prayer in the month of Ramadan. This
attack was further weaponized by Israel as a pretext to segregate the mosque and take the holy site from Palestinian control. Palestinians react and have always react-ed strongly to Zionist attacks on Islamic heritage. The second intifada, or uprising, sparked after Ariel Sharon, the 11th Prime Minister of Israel, had entered the holy mosque and stated, “The Temple Mount is in our hands.”These acts of violence alone, with a separate tier reserved for the slaughter of Palestinian men, women, and children in Gaza, as well as the indefinite siege that starves, cages, and kills Gazans to this day, are enough to shake the heart of every Muslim from any background and reveal the warfare against the political and religious identity of Palestinians. How do we practice Brotherhood for our Ummah in Palestine?Brotherhood is a core principle of Islam. Muslims worldwide have rights over one another simply by the nature of our shared belief system and relationship as brothers and sisters in Islam. We must treat one another well, support one another towards the truth, guide one other against wrong-doing, and more. The Quran discusses
brotherhood in Islam as a blessing and uni-ty as an obligation, and it was exemplified in the way the companions of the Prophet Muhammad treated each other. “The be-lieving men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give charity and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have mercy upon them, for Allah is Almighty and Wise.” (The Qur’an, 9:71). The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said, “The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleep-lessness and fever.” (Sahih al-Bukhari). The Islamic tradition echoes the notion that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice eve-rywhere. Muslims have collectively always understood their obligation to support their brothers. In another hadith, the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said, “Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one. The people asked, “How should we help him if he is an oppres-sor?” The Prophet responded, “By prevent-ing him from oppressing others. (Sahih al-Bukhari).
DA'WAH
The Ramadhan Pre Planner
“The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it ,and whoever is ill or on a journey – then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.” ( Quran, Chapter 2, Verse 185 )Ramadhan is around the corner! And like you, I too want to maximize the benefits of this month, as who knows what is going to happen next year? Now, to maximize the benefits of anything, it is very important to plan, as failing to plan is planning to fail.Planning is a Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him . He meticu-lously planned everything and relied on Allah for guidance and accomplishment of his goals. For example, he planned his hijra to Madina from asking Ali radhiallahu anhu to sleep in his place to choosing Abu Bakr radhiallahu anhu as his companion for the trip to packing supplies and finding the right guide.I now truly understand the implication of the hadith in which the Messenger of Al-lah says, ” Tie up the camel and trust in Allah.” (Tirmidhi)I can hear you saying , “What, you didn’t understand”? And I am embarrassed to say, I thought I understood but I was wrong. And so, I want to start afresh and make some awesome plans for Ramad-
han, and set goals and develop some hab-its, to make this Ramadhan all about tast-ing the sweetness of faith and feeling the mercy of my Lord.So, are you ready to join me in my plan-ning?Let’s begin. Bismillah. In the name of Allah!Hmm, so what do you think are the major acts that we should all do: obligatory as well as voluntary to achieve our goal? Fast-ing, Salah, reading Quran, making Du’a , giving in charity, repentance, doing and/or increasing in general good deeds, reviv-ing and/or strengthening family ties and so much more.Experts say (and I agree) that it takes 30 days for a habit to form. There are less than 20 days before Ramadhan begins–give or take a few days. So, let’s begin now to make habits for Ramadhan so that during the month of Ramadhan, you and I can fo-cus on acting upon those habits with excel-lence rather than stressing ourselves out in trying to set them!1) Renew Intention— To have the best Ramadhan EVER, make dua and beg Allah to make it the best. Maximize your inten-tion now!2) Fasting — The Prophet peace be upon him used to fast in the first half of Sha’baan. You can also fast some days in the month of Shab’aan to get into the “mode” of fast-ing. And this could also be an awesome opportunity to make up missed fasts from previous years, if you have any. However, I
Sana Gul Waseem
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By Mohamad Habehh
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The Friday BulletinSha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021 Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021HEALTH MATTERS
It is sad to see daily how we continue to bury a sizeable number of our Muslim brothers and sisters who have succumbed to Covid-19. The numbers are rising. Ma-jority of families within our community have either been affected or know someone close who has been affected.It is also deeply concerning how many Muslim brothers and sisters have thrown caution to the wind, choosing to ignore sci-ence, and genuine advice from medical practitioners and Muslim scholars calling upon each person to fear Allah and take all necessary steps not only to protect himself but to protect those around him including the most vulnerable people within the um-mah.We should be wary of unknowingly trans-mitting this super-contagious virus to other Muslims in places where we congregate - even inside mosques when we go to pray. The sharia forbids it. No one contemplates passing this deadly virus onto another person (and subse-quently to an entire family) as a result of possible negligence. Even within our mosques we should endeavor to work hand in hand with our sheikhs and Imams to en-sure safety for all. The two holy mosques in Makkah and Madina among thousands of other mosques around the world are set-ting a good example how people can con-tinue to pray safely within this pandemic.Majority of our contemporary Muslim Scholars are agreed that it is prohibited for a person infected with Covid-19 to know-ingly and without protection mix with other
Covid-19: Concerns on the rising numbers
Muslims when there's an unmitigated risk of infecting them.The Prophet (alaih salat wasalaam) said, “Sick (camels) should not be put with healthy (camels)." [Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim], and in addition he (alaih salat wasalaam) said, "If you hear of the out-break of a plague in a land, do not enter it; and if it breaks out in a land in which you are, do not leave it." [al-Bukhari and Muslim].None of the prominent Scholars of Islam have disagreed with the fact that If anyone fears that he may be harmed or may harm others, it is permissible for him to isolate
himself while seeking treatment and shi-faa from Allah, because the Prophet (alaih salaat wasalaam) said, "There should be neither harm nor reciprocating harm." [Nar-rated by Ibn Majah].These Eminent Muslim Scholars, Jurists, Preachers and Imams have consistently been advising everyone to follow the health guidelines and protocols issued by special-ized bodies while at the same time asking Muslims to turn to Allah in supplication and humility, and to ask Him to grant relief from this tribulation.May Allah guide us all, heal our sick, for-give our deceased and grant us His for-giveness and Mercy.
Continued From Page 330 Tips to Prepare for Ramadhan in Sha`ban
Taqwa (righteousness and fear of God), facilitate its realization by the different means of Taqwa, such as remembering Al-lah, reading about the stories of the earlier generations, contemplation on the Qu’ran, thinking about death and the Hereafter, and so on. 9- Abandon TV series and movies that in-clude prohibited scenes.10- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, What-sApp, etc. use up most of our free time. From now on, give Qur’an, Dhikr, Salah, etc. the greater time to prepare for the month of Qur’an and Salah; Ramadhan.11- Recitation of the Qur’an in Ramadhan is the month’s worship, so make the Qur’an your companion by starting recitation from now and learning the rules of Tajwid.12- If you have a missed fast from the former Ramadhan, make up for them in Sha`ban, as Lady `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to do.13- Accustom yourself to long du`aa’ (sup-plication), memorize some of the reported supplications of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and remember that the suppli-cation of the fasting person is accepted.14- Accustom yourself to long stay in the mosque after each Prayer, in preparation for i`tikaf in Ramadhan.15- Follow the Prophet’s example in fast-
ing in Sha`ban, as he used to fast most of the month of Sha`ban. Do not forget that this makes fasting in Ramadhan easy for you.16-Save some money to give in Sadaqah (charity) in Ramadhan and start from now.17- Start offering 2 rak`ahs (unit of Prayer) daily and increase the number from time to time during the night in preparation for tarawih (supererogatory night prayer in Ramadhan).18- Prepare yourself to make `Umrah in Ramadhan, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “`Umrah in Ramadhan equals Hajj with me (in reward).” (AlBukhari) 19- Among the best acts in Ramadhan is feeding the fasting persons, prepare your-self for it.20- Map out your time and put a schedule to commit to it during Ramadhan in order to help you achieve the acts of worship you aim at.21- Find righteous companions who would assist you in getting closer to Allah.22- If you are a smoker, you should bear in mind that Ramadhan is a good chance for you to quit. Start from now and mini-mize the number of cigarettes until you rid yourself of this bad habit that devour your money and health and incurs the displeas-ure of God.
23- The month of Ramadhan is the month where the Qur’an is revealed. Thus, it is the best time to memorize the Qur’an. Let’s start from Sha`ban.24- We all know that people use in Ramad-han a lot of the types of food and drinks, we do not mind this on a condition of avoiding wastefulness. suggest that you buy these things in Sha`ban to be free for worship only inRamadhan.25- Maintain the ties of kinship before the coming of Ramadhan and remember that Allah does not accept the deeds of those who disrupt these ties.26- Some people simulate poorness de-spite that they are not so. Thus, find the actual poor people to be the right place for your Sadaqah.27- Some people pay their Zakat in Rama-dhan to take the reward multiplied.28- Accustom yourself to good manners, because the fasting person is not expected to react violently or indecently. 29- Bring your youngsters and tell them about the merits of Ramadhan and the virtues of fasting in it so that they prepare themselves for fasting as much as they can.30- Congratulate each other with the com-ing of Ramadhan.
Nakuru Muslims in a Covid-19 sensitization forum
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The Friday Bulletin Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021
Uhuru hailed for respecting the Adhan
OBITUARYShaykh Professor "Mufassir" Muhammad Ali Sabuni
Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Sabouni, head of the Syrian Scholars Association and one of the most prominent Islamic scholars in the world passed away on Friday March 19, at the age of 91.The Syrian born scholar passed away on Friday morning in the city of Yalova, near Istanbul in Turkey.An internationally respected Islamic scholar of tafsir, or Qur’anic exegesis, Sheikh Mohammed Ali Al-Sabouni is wide-ly acclaimed for his commentaries of the Qur’an.Shaykh Muhammad ‘Alī al-Sābūnī was born in the city of Aleppo (Halib) in Syria in 1930. His father was one of the senior scholars of Aleppo. He received much of his initial and formal education in Arabic, inheritance and sciences of religion from his father, Shaykh Jamīl. He memorized the Qur’ān in the primary schools and com-pleted his higher secondary school while still young. Shaykh al- Sabūnī studied un-der some of the leading scholars of the city.Some of his most prominent teachers were, Shaykh Muhammad Najīb Sirājuddīn, Shaykh Ahmad al-Shamā‘, Shaykh Mu-hammad Sa‘īd al-Idlibī, Shaykh Muham-mad Rāghib al-Tabbākh and Shaykh Mu-hammad Najīb Khayātah.In addition he attended other lessons with other ‘Ulemā in various mosques. He con-tinued his formal education in the govern-ment schools. After obtaining his primary school certificate he enrolled at the Ma-drassa al-Tijariyya where he studied for one year. He was disinclined because they were teaching the students about interest based transactions. Even though he ob-tained the best results he left and instead he joined the famous Khasrawiyya school of Sharī‘ah in Aleppo. Here he combined Islamic Studies and studies in the secular subjects. He graduated in 1949. He gradu-ated with excellent results and the Ministry of Awqāf (Endowments) sent him to further his studies at the famous al-Azhar Univer-sity in Egypt. He graduated from the Fac-ulty of Sharī‘ah in 1952 and he completed his specialization course in 1954.After completing his studies, he returned to Aleppo where he taught Islamic education in various secondary schools in the city. He taught for about eight years from 1955 to 1962.He was appointed as lecturer at the Faculty of Sharī‘ah at the Umm al-Qurā’ University and at the Faculty of Education of the King ‘Abdul Azīz University both in Makkah, where he taught for about 28 years. Many prominent scholars graduated under his guidance. Due to his academic work and his writing the University assigned some additional tasks to him. These included ed-iting some classical for the Centre for Aca-demic Research and Reviving the Islamic Heritage.He edited Ma‘ani al-Qur’ān by Imām Abū Jā‘far al-Nahhās (d. 338). This book was published in 6 volumes. Thereafter he worked as an advisor with the Muslim World League in the Council for Scientific Research in the Qur’ān and the Sunnah. He remained there for a few years after
which he devoted himself entirely to writing and to research.Shaykh al-Sābūnī authored numerous books which were received all over the world and many were even translated into other languages. He even conducted some lessons in the Grand Mosque (harām) of Makkah. He also conducted a weekly les-son in one of the mosques of Jeddah in Tafsīr. This lesson continued for about eight years during which he completed about two-thirds of the Qur’ān. These les-sons were recorded on audio 3 cassettes. He also recorded about 600 programmes for television broadcast. He completed this in 1998 (1419).Some of the books he wrote are:• Safwat al-Tafāsīr• Rawā’i al-Bayān fī Tafsīr Āyāt al-Ahkām• Qabas min Nūr al-Qur’ān al-Karīm• Al-Tafsīr al-WāMi al-Muyassar• Kashf al-Iftira’āt fī Risālat al-Tanbihāt Kawla afwat al-Tafāsīr• Al-Tabsīr bi-mā fī Rasā’il Bakr Abū Zayd min al-TazwīrThe late Sheikh has more than thirty books in a number of Islamic and Arabic scienc-es, and his books have been translated into a number of foreign languages such
as English, French and Turkish, the most prominent of which is “the elite of interpre-tations.”In 2007, the Organizing Committee for the Dubai International Qur’ān Award chose Shaykh Muhammad‘Alī al- ābūnī as the personality of the Muslim World for his con-tribution to Islam. He was selected from a large list of other nominees and was ap-proved by Prince Muhammad ibn Rāshid Āl-Makhtūm, Deputy of the Head of State of Dubai.
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would like to remind you that the Messen-ger of Allah said,: “When a half of Sha’ban remains, then do not fast.” (Tirmidhi)3) Salah —This Ramadhan, you could be aiming to:a) Pray all 5 prayers,b) To pray on timec) To pray at the ‘awwal time(i.e., right after the adhaan is called out)d) To offer complete salah, all sunnahs and nawafils, etc.Now is the perfect time to start doing these aforementioned acts so that you don’t feel overwhelmed to begin your voluntary units of prayer while fasting in Ramadhan. Set your alarm 15 minutes before Fajr to offer tahajjud, so that when Ramadhan begins, you don’t find it too difficult to get up for suhoor.4) Reading Qur’an — The rewards for reading Qur’an are manifold in the month of Ramadhan. Some of us can read the whole Qur’an 2-3 times in Ramadhan. But some of us find it tough to finish it even once. Start early. Begin reciting from today. Keep your mushaf or your phones with the Qur’an app handy at Fajr, so that right after Salah, you can start reciting. This will get you in the habit of reading Qur’an and also give you a head-start insha’Allah!5) Making Du’a — Ramadhan is a month when Allah answers many du’as. Get your du’as ready. Organize all the dua’s men-tioned in the Quran in one place and the masnoon du’as in another. Begin reciting the morning and evening du’as from now
so that the habit of reciting them is already set before Ramadhan. Grab a small empty notebook and write all the duas that you want to make for yourself, your family, your loved ones, the ummah and for the ones departed from this world in your own lan-guage in that book. Write down duas for dreams that you want to accomplish. They may seem impossible right now but re-member, “impossible” is a word only in our dictionary. For Allah, everything is possible.6) Repentance — Repentance erases our sins and increases our capabilities. If you are not in the habit of seeking repentance, then now is the time to do it. Do istigfhfar right after every Salah.7) Charity — Charity brings with it many re-wards, more so in the month of Ramadhan. Set aside clothes, furniture and/or books that you can donate. Many of us prefer to give our zakat during the month of Ram-adhan. If that is the case, then set aside money now. Else, you might find it tough to take out the sum during the month.8) Plan your Menu and Groceries –Try to plan your menus and buy the groceries be-forehand. Freeze snacks and casseroles to reduce cooking time during Ramadhan.9) Go shopping — Yes, go shopping. Get your Eid clothes ready for yourself and your family. There will be get-together parties that are either casual or formal in nature after Eid. Get your wardrobe ready now. Don’t waste time in the markets dur-ing Ramadhan. The Messenger of Allah said, “The dearest parts on the face of the
The Ramadhan Pre Planner
The Friday BulletinSha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021 Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021
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NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
Uhuru hailed for respecting the Adhan
Muslim leaders have hailed President Uhuru Kenyatta for respecting Adhan, an Islamic call to prayers, during the requiem mass of the late President John Magufuli in Dodoma, Tanzania.
While eulogising the departed Head of State, the Head of State temporarily paused his speech for two minutes when he heard the Adhan.
The religious leaders led by the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) National Chairman Hassan Ole Naado and Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) na-tional Organising Secretary Sheikh Muham-mad Khalifa said the Head of State showed ut-most respect to the Muslim faithful by pausing his speech when he heard the call for Islamic prayers from the nearby mosque in Dodoma, the country’s capital city.
“The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) congratulates and most sincerely, thanks His Excellency President Uhuru Keny-atta for momentarily pausing his speech in re-spect of the Adhan during the funeral service of President John Pombe Magufuli,” said Ole Naado.
“Your demonstration of utmost respect and knowledge of Muslim traditions by allowing completion of the call of Adhan by the Muad-heen (the caller to prayer)makes us the SUP-KEM leadership, and Muslim community in Kenya proud and privileged to have you as our leader,” he added.
In his remarks, the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya(CIPK) national Organ-ising Secretary Sheikh Muhammad Khalifa said President Uhuru showed the world what religious tolerance entails and what Kenya stands for in terms of religion adding that Kenya is a God-fearing nation that respects all denominations.
“We thank President Kenyatta for represent-ing Kenya in Tanzania. He has shown the East Africa Community chairmanship, love, unity and support. He does not discriminate. He has shown his respect for Muslims. It is a fact Pres-ident Kenyatta knows God and he respects all denominations. He cares about Muslims and the faithful. He has shown respect to the reli-gion,” said Sheikh Khalifa.
Other Kenyans took to social media to praise the Head of State for respecting the Adhan.
Hotelier Mohammed Hersi said the Head of State showed tremendous respect for Islam. "This is the sort of stuff that happens and only people who understand would make such a move. True tolerance. Ubarikiwe Mheshimiwa Rais State House Ken-ya," said Hersi.
munity’s call for prayers known as Ad-han. Heshima sio utumwa. That's our President,” he said.
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The Ramadhan Pre Planner
Old town residents living in fear after police raidResidents and families in Old town area, Mombasa are living in fear after a recent po-lice raid in the area.
The residents said, people who identified themselves as police officers raided the area and ransacked their houses. However, they said the security agencies did not take any-thing from them. “What if they come back and kill us,” said a frightened occupant of one of
the residential houses.
Haki Africa Deputy Executive Director Salma Hemed said the security offic-ers ransacked the houses ordering everyone to remain calm and not to utter a single word saying the move has caused a lot of panic and the fam-ilies have resorted to seeking refuge elsewhere.
The Deputy executive director said the hu-man rights organisation does not object to any efforts from the police to battle inse-curity in the county, but added the human rights must be respected and they should cease the raid and follow the rule of law. “We have been working closely with se-curity agencies in a bid to ensure peace and security prevails at grassroots level, however, with such incidents, we are only going back to the once volatile situation in the county,” she said.
She appealed to the police to work closely with the community so as to tame insecu-rity in the area stressing that only grass-roots community forums to discuss peace and security issues will enhance coexist-ence and security within Old town area. She vowed to use all the avenues to en-sure the families get justice and said po-lice should come out clear on what they were looking for instead of terrorising lo-cals. The human rights organisation is still
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The Friday Bulletin Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021NATIONALGulf African Bank and Toyotsu ink deal to facilitate Shari’ah compliant asset finance
Toyotsu Auto Mart Kenya a leading local car dealer of quality pre-owned vehicles has en-tered into a strategic partnership with Gulf Africa Bank, Shari’ah compliant bank that will enable their customers to access financing that will fa-cilitate acquisition of vehicles for private use.Under this partnership, Customers will be able to enjoy different packages where they will en-joy various benefits including one year warranty, free fuel, trade in option, discounted mainte-nance service plan, car tracking and Free AA membership. The Bank will finance 90% of the value of the vehicle and the customer 10% with a 6-year repayment term.Speaking during the sign off ceremony, Gulf Af-rican Bank’s Deputy CEO, Anuj Mediratta said the partnership was conceived to ease the eco-nomic hardships which came with the Covid-19 pandemic. “Covid 19 has had a far-reaching impact on individuals and businesses alike. We understand that as a financial partner, a healthy cooperation with like-minded partners like Toy-otsu will go a long way in easing our customer’s financial pressures by offering them negotiated
Kakamega and Vihiga Kadhis transferred in mini shuffleA reorganization of the Kadhi courts has been made by the Judiciary to give more efficiency in service delivery. The new changes announced to enhance on ef-ficiency and service delivery has seen the trans-fer of two Kadhis to different stations in Western region.In the new arrangement, the Principal Kadhi Sheikh Kassim Ratori who has been based in Vihiga has been moved to Kakamega.Kakamega Senior Resident Kadhi Sheikh Zaha-ran Muhammad Omar will take up Sheikh Kas-sim Ratori’s position in Vihiga in the changes.The move by the judiciary to transfer Kadhis is aimed at improving service delivery and help in reducing the backlog of cases in the Kadhi courts .
At the same time, the deputy Chief Kadhi Sheikh Hassan Omar Suky-an has announced that applica-tions for registration of Marriages and Divorces at his office in Upper Hill will be handled on Wednesday of every week and called upon Muslim couples and residents in Nairobi to register and be issued with marriage certificates.''I am impressed that since my of-fice launched sensitization meet-ings, the number of registered couples with marriage certificates has improved and I call on those who have not registered to do so.'' Sheikh Sukyan said.
The Ramadhan Pre PlannerContinued From Page 8
earth near Allah are its mosques, and the most hated parts near Allah are its mar-kets.” (Muslim)10) Plan your day in Ramadhan — Chalk a daily plan while you will be fasting. Block time for reading Quran, reflection on what you read and time for sharing it with your family. Plan your day around Salah.11) Get Kids activities and supplies for Ramadhan — For many of us, our children will be home from school this Ramadhan inshaAllah. Plan your halal fun activities and get the supplies right now so that you are not running to get glue, clay, paper, etc. during Ramadhan.11) Organize your Call List — Ramadhan is a great time to reach out to family and friends who we haven’t been in touch with
for some time now. Get your list ready with phone numbers. Start calling people now so that by the time Eid approaches, you have reached out to all of them insha’Allah.12) Begin Social Media Detox Diet — I usually don’t stay away from social media (including Facebook and whatsapp) during Ramadhan. In fact, I try to share something beneficial on these platforms as much as I can, without stressing myself out in Rama-dhan. Yet, it would be great to Unfollow or Unlike pages that distract you during Ram-adhan. Those posts are huge time wasters and time is precious, especially in Rama-dhan.13) Revamp your Audio Files in the Car — Get CD’s or download Qur’an du’as and lectures in USB’s so you can listen to them while driving.
financing deals to ease their logis-tics challenges”.‘Customers taking advantage of this partnership will have an opportunity to enjoy a lifetime car care experi-
ence for all their Japanese models, with free pre-delivery services in addition to all benefits specific to this agreement, said the Toyotsu Auto Mart Kenya Managing Director Yoichi Hashimoto.
Eastleigh First Avenue lane has finally been renamed to Mohammed Yusuf Haji Avenue.According to the Nairobi County Assem-bly, this was the best way to honour and recognise the former Senator for Garissa for his 55-year public service to the nation. Muhammad Yusuf Haji who also served as a minister of defence and interior passed away last month after a long illness. Roads and Transport executive Moham-med Dagane supervised the works at Eastleigh on Thursday last week when the pole bearing Haji’s name was erected.Following Haji's death last month, Nai-robi county assembly Majority leader Abdi Hassan moved a motion to have a road within the city named after Haji.The motion was passed early this month. It resolved that the Nairobi Metropoli-tan Services and the county government name or rename a road in recognition of the late senator for his immeasurable contribution to the prosperity and well-being of Kenyans during his 55-year re-cord of public service. A number of roads and streets within Nairobi have previously been named or renamed after prominent Kenyans.
Eastleigh road renamed ‘Mohammed Yusuf Haji
Avenue’
Gulf African Bank’s Deputy CEO Anuj Mediratta (Right) and Toyotsu Auto Mart Kenya Managing Director Yoichi Hashimoto (Left) hold a dummy car key after signing a partnership MOU at the auto dealer’s showroom in Nairobi.
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NATIONALThe Friday BulletinSha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021 Sha'ban 13, 1442/March 26, 2021
HHRD launches Solar-powered water purification plant in Malindi Non-Governmental organization Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) has launched the first ever solar-powered water purification plant in Malindi, Kilifi County.The purification plant sponsored by do-nors from the United State of America (USA) that was inaugurated last week in Ngomeni within Magarini Sub-County is set to serve over 15,000 households. The solar-powered desalination system can turn salt water into fresh drinking wa-ter for human consumption and it would help address the region’s looming water crisis.Speaking during the official launch of the project, HHRD board Member Prof. Mu-hammad Karama said the project was aimed at providing safe water to all mem-
bers of the local communities in Ngomeni and that it will transform their lives and promote social economic development.Prof Karama said the water will be treated through reverse osmosis, making it safe for consumption hence advised the com-munity to utilise the water effectively for drinking and cooking only saying using it for washing, bathing, irrigation will be wasteful."This water is good for drinking but there has to be an alternative source of water for washing clothes and other households’ chores to prevent the plant from overwork-ing, which would reduce the life of the membranes," he said. He pointed out that the only maintenance cost would be the membranes, which will be replaced adding that the current mem-
Wajir Governor launches drought mitigation efforts
branes can last up to three months if well utilised, but if overused could last only for a week or two.In his remarks, HHRD Regional director, Musa Ibrahim, said residents in the region have been trying to turn seawater into drinking water for thousands of years, but the process is not usually energy-efficient or affordable. Residents led by Ustadh Kasim Mbwana could not hide their joy during the offi-cial the opening saying they were happy because since independence they have been drinking salty water. “We thank the donors for coming up with this project, a history has been made today because Ngomeni residents for many years have been suffering to get fresh water, this or-ganisation has brought blessing,’’ he said.
Wajir Governor Muhammad Abdi Mohamud has launched the distribution of relief food to the vulnerable to protect livelihoods following a devastating drought.Governor Mohamed Abdi on Wednesday said that 42,000 households are in urgent need of food assistance and that the food distribution exercise was part of the mitigation measures and emergency interventions the Wajir county government has embarked on. Speaking at Wajir National Disaster Manage-ment Authority (NDMA) hall during a special county steering group meeting on the drought situation, the Governor highlighted measures put in place to address the situation adding that the county government has also set up standby mobile borehole repairs units to at-tend to breakdowns.He said the impact of recurrent drought-re-lated crisis in the county is rapidly escalating with more people being affected adding that mitigation measures that include purchase of emergency food and non-food items to sup-port several households and water trucking have been launched.Governor Muhammad attributed the high fre-
quency of the drought to global warming which does not allow time for recovery in between droughts thus increasing vulnerability of the local population.“As the administration, we will continue to carry out more interventions during this period like roll-ing out the second phase of mass livestock vac-cination as well supplementation for the purchase of school meals for the early learners and enhanc-ing provision of water to the pastoralists and their livestock,” said Abdi.The county chief appealed for more help from the national government and other non-state ac-tors, noting that the number of thosein need was
KMTC Marsabit Campus set to open in AprilAs measure to provide training opportunities and support health system, Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) is set to open its first campus in Marsabit county.This was revealed by KMTC Board Chairman Prof.
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Philip Kaloki who was in Marsabit County last week to evaluate the progress of the project
and possibility of it being operational-ized by April. The Sh 280 mil-lion project which was initiated by the area governor Mohamud Moham-med Ali as his key flagship project a year after he was sworn is almost complete and is set to admit its pioneer students. .During a consulta-tive meeting, Prof. Kaloki lauded the Governor for ini-tiating the project saying that he has established one of
the best rated colleges in the country that will add up as a regional game changer once it will be fully operationalised as it will train the much need-ed healthcare professionals in the County. The Governor assured the team of speedy completion of the project saying that the construction of the college is a central pillar of his admin-istration. He further revealed that his government has se-cured the extra land required for construction of the dormi-tories and that plans are un-derway to start the project.The college will admit stu-dents starting with courses which include community health, health records, envi-ronmental health, nutrition, hospital engineering and lab science as it awaits the in-spection of its clinical facili-ties by the nursing Council of Kenya before commencing on with nursing and clinical med-icine at the campus.
growing and the county alone could not handle the situation.According to a March drought assessment by the National Drought Management Author-ity, the county is facing severe food insecurity and is classi-fied as stressed with a wors-ening trend.According to the report, the county is in alert phase of drought with Wajir West and Eldas categorised as being in the alarm phase.
Health Services in Remote AreasHalf the world’s people currently live in rural and remote areas. The problem is that most health workers live and work in cities. This imbalance is common in almost all countries and poses a major challenge to the nationwide provision of health services. Its impact, however, is most severe in low income countries. There are two reasons for this. One is that many of these countries already suffer from acute short-ages of health workers - in all areas. The other is that the proportion of the population living in rural regions tends to be greater in poorer countries than in rich ones. Ummah Foundation in collaboration with Bridge of Hope, a Charity in UK has commissioned a health facility at Elmolo in Loingalani which is on the eastern shores of Lake Turkana in Marsabit County. We funded the purchase of an alternative power supply equipment for the Health centre. We have targeted communities in dire need of health services for common diseases such as malnutrition, malaria, typhoid and diar-rhoea. The clinic also does HIV/AIDS testing and counselling and make
The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147 E-mail: [email protected] Printed by Signal Press Limited-Lords House-Tom Mboya Street [email protected]
referrals for antiretroviral treatment. There is no electricity in the villages and the vaccination for the immunization program did not have any refrigerated storage facility. Ummah Foundation pur-chased the storage equipment on behalf of Bridge of Hope and organized for its installation and commissioned a wind genera-tor together with solar powered refrigerators and solar panels for lighting at the Health Centre. We also donated medical consum-ables to Elmolo hamlets and clinics in Daadab Refugee camp. Every year before Covid 19 became a hindrance to global flights, Ummah Foundation hosts a team of cardiac doctors who come to Kenya and operate on pediatric cardiac patients at Mater hospital at no cost courtesy of Bridge of hope.Before this the only Medical facility that served the entire district was in Lodwar which is very far and very difficult to reach. Thanks to Allah, the Health Centre at Loingalani was supplied with medi-cines and medical equipments and today we are happy to an-nounce that even mothers can give birth in this clinic. Even those who have been affected by wars in Ethiopia and
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Southern Sudan, get their medical ser-vices from this health centre. War and poverty that has ravaged their countries for long, encourage them to leave their countries and go to live in a foreign land. Most of them having lost everything and having nobody to turn to for help, they become prone to diseases and starva-tion and the only place they can run to is the health facility.This Loingalani Health Centre also serves as a food relief centre and equally Ummah Foundation and Bridge of Hope have closely been involved in the food distribution program in the area. Together with the British charity Organi-zation (Bridge of Hope), Ummah Foun-dation started a School fees project that targeted 10 bright students and orphans from very needy backgrounds in these marginalized areas. We pay for their full school fees. From the same program that has been going on for years, we sponsor 6 University students from the same locality. We intend to find natives who can specialize in different fields of study and more especially medicine and be able in future to go back to these communities and raise their living stand-ards and educate them on how to live in hygienic environments to avoid commu-nicable diseases. We would like to appreciate the joint ventures being undertaken by Ummah Foundation and Bridge of Hope through its Project Director, Ms. Yacoub. It is through her efforts that that we have realised the above mentioned achieve-ments. Ummah FoundationVillage Plaza, 2nd Floor,Ngara RdP.O. Box 58717-00200 NairobiTel: +254-20-2680610/13 Mob: 0734845277Email: [email protected]
