Dhul Qa'dah 09,1437/August 12, 2016

www.jamiamasjidkenya.org

Friday Bulletin

The

Issue No. 693

The Weekly Muslim News Update

Civil society key to countering

violent extremism

here is need for civil society to be empowered and fully involved in the development of a regional strategy on
preventing and countering violent extremism.
Speaking during Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) national consultation forum held in Nairobi on Monday,
the Deputy Secretary General of Supreme

Hajj Visa Deadline for

Aug 23

Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) Hassan Ole Naado said the role played by key
civil society organizations in the Horn of
Africa is important and needs to be recognized and appreciated.
Ole Naado noted that mistrust between
government and civil society organizations
was hindering the development of a regional and national strategy to fight against

the threat of violent extremism which continues to undermine security and development and added that government and
civil society need to collaborate and work
together.
It is imperative that government appreciate the role of civil society in counter violent extremism and work hand in hand for
success and harmony, he said.
Continued To Page 2

August 23 will be the deadline for

applying hajj visas for pilgrims intending to travel for the hajj.
According to the Vice chairman
of the Kenya Hajj Mission Sharrif Hussein, prospective pilgrims
have to apply by August 23 to be
considered for the visa.
This was communicated by the
head of the consular section at the
Saudi Arabian Embassy Bandar
an Nadhy who attributed it to the
electronic visa system, he told
The Friday Bulletin.
Sharrif Hussein urged those intending to go for the hajj to expedite their travel plans by applying early for visas cautioning that Deputy vice chancellor of Umma University Prof. Muhammad Karama (standing) addresses
those who fail to meet the dead- an Imam's seminar at Jamia Mosque yesterday. Seated on the left is Vice chancellor Prof.
line will have to wait for next year Awadh Binhazim and Jamia Mosque Imam Sheikh Muhammad Swalihu. Inset Imams following
proceedings.
to make the momentous journey.
Hajj is only a few weeks away
but so far only 20 percent of the
expected number of pilgrims have Imams have been advised to invest and further people but also from a poverty of ideas on how
submitted the passports and ap- their education in order to improve on their ca- to bring about socio- economic revolution to
plied for the visas. We are appeal- pacities and play an effective role in fostering improve the lifestyles of our people. We need
ing to those who plan to go for the social progress and development.
as Imams to focus more on investment in eduhajj to apply for the visas in good
cation and research to improve on our commuThese
remarks
were
made
by
the
Vice
Chanceltime, he said.
lor of Umma University Prof. Awadh Binhazim nity,'' said Prof. Awadh.
Last year, 5,000 Kenyans made who said education is a powerful weapon that Addressing a one-day Imam's seminar at Jathe journey to the hajj, the last pil- can change the conditions of any given commu- mia mosque yesterday, he said it was imperalar of Islam in fulfillment of a once- nity and urged Imams to be among the drivers tive for Imams as community leaders to utilize
in-a-lifetime obligation.
of positive societal change through investing in their resources to improve on their knowledge
To be in a position to control the research and advanced studies.
and called on them not to shy away from furtide of humanity, Saudi authori- He said as a result of their influential role in the thering their knowledge.
ties sets quotas for the number community, Imams have an important role in ad- He further stated that the Umma University will
of citizens from each country who dressing social challenges and urged them to provide tailor made programmes for the Imams
can travel for the hajj every year be part of the solutions to contemporary societal to help advance their educational capabilities
but the countries are given challenges.
in the religious and contemporary knowledge.
an option of deciding how they
"We are suffering not only from poverty of our In his address, the deputy vice chancellor Prof
Continued To Page 2
Continued To Page 2
This Newsletter contains some of Allahs names. Please do not throw in the trash. Either keep, circulate or shred

Further your education Imams urged

Dhul Qa'dah 09,1437/August 12, 2016

The Friday Bulletin

Civil society key to regional CVE- Ole Naado

Continued From Page 1
The SUPKEM official noted that religious
organizations also need to be empowered
and recognized instead of being suspected
adding that they play an effective role in the
prevention of extremism.
Ole Naado further revealed to the Friday
Bulletin that SUPKEM is spearheading civil
society organizations that are countering
violent extremism in the country.
He lauded Somalia for being the first
country in the region to develop a national
counter extremism strategy saying Kenya
needs to emulate the example set by the
Horn of Africa nation.
During day-long discussion, participants
agreed that there is need to reduce military
action in counter violent extremism efforts
as militarization benefits extremist groups
and victimizes communities.
The forum highlighted the important roles
of youth, women, religious leaders, opinion
and political leaders can play in curbing
violent extremism.
Participants also agreed that countering
extremism should not only be addressed
through security approach but also societal
approach where vulnerable youth can be
empowered and engaged in productive activities.

The head of CVE and Counter Terrorism at

the IGAD Security Sector Program (ISSP)
Dr Simon Nyambura, admitted that threat
of violent extremism continues to undermine security and development worldwide
and in the Horn and Eastern Africa region
specifically.
Recognizing that an effective regional
strategy should be based on an in-depth
analysis of the actors, drivers and responses to violent extremism in each of the
countries, we are developing this strategy
through a thorough and inclusive consultative process, he said.
He added that with the help of UN Development Programme (UNDP) national consultations will also take place in the other
IGAD member states that include Djibouti,
Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan
and Uganda and Tanzania
He said the national consultation process
will inform and feed into the development
of the regional counter violent extremism
strategy.
The consultation brought together senior
government officials, members of civil society and faith-based organizations, international development partner and United
Nations agencies.

Embassy assures education of Kenyan students in Turkey

The embassy of Turkey in Kenya has given

an assurance that the education of Kenyan
students in Turkey will not be disrupted following the closure of 15 universities in the
country.
The assurance comes after a directive
by the Turkish government to close several down private universities and schools
linked to Fethullah Gulen, the US based
preacher accused by Turkey of being behind the failed July 15 coup.
Turkish ambassador to Kenya Deniz Eke
said at least 50 Kenyan students affected
by the closure will be transferred to national universities that are spread across the
country.
The Turkish government has taken all the
necessary measures so that both Turkish
and foreign students who are studying in
those 15 universities are not at a loss, she
said.
She made the remarks during a meeting
with Muslim civil society organizations who
paid visit to the embassy to express their
support and solidarity with the people of
Turkey in the aftermath of the last months
coup attempt. The ambassador further emphasized that the academic calendar of the
students will not be affected and the educational achievement of the students will
not go to waste. I must underline that the
academic calendar will not be affected by
the closures. We will ensure that Kenyan
students are not adversely affected said
assured.
Ambassador Eke thanked the Muslim civil
society organizations for standing by with
the people of Turkey and pledged to fur-

Page 2

ther enhance cooperation and trade with

Kenya. The deputy organizing secretary of
Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) Saad Khairallah while condemning
the attempted coup in Turkey, expressed
appreciation to the Turkish government for
its support towards in the education and
agricultural sector.
He expressed gratitude to the Turkish government for providing bursaries to Kenyan
students to study in Turkey saying that
many learners from marginalized communities had benefitted from the support.
Representatives from the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM), Kenya
Council of Imams and Ulamaa (KCIU),
Kenya Muslim Lawyers League, Kenya
Muslim Media Practitioners (KEMMP),
Wezesha Women Group and students organizations were part of the meeting held
at the Embassy of Turkey last week.

Hajj Visa deadline for Aug 23

Continued From Page 1
fill the quotas. Kenyas quota is fixed at
10,000 and according to Sharrif Hussein,
a request has been made to increase this
years figures to 6,000 but this is yet to be
approved by Saudi authorities.
Due to the construction of the Grand
Mosque of Makkah, the number of people
permitted to perform the hajj was reduced
due to safety reasons. After the completion which is expected later this year, the
mosque, the largest of its kind in the world
will have the capacity to accommodate 5
million people.

Imams advised to further

their education

Continued From Page 1

Muhammad Karama called on Muslims
make more investments in sectors such as
health and vocational and technical training to cater for the educational needs of the
community.
On his part Sheikh Abdullatif Abdulkarim
an official with the Kenya Council of Imams
and Ulamma (KCIU) encouraged Muslims
to take more interest in other fields and
professions to make the community pluralistic.
He added that Muslims need to have people who are specialized in areas such as
finance, health, technology and other fields
in order to make stride in development and
improve on their welfare.
Sheikh Abdullatif further called on Muslim
parents to be at forefront in supporting
Muslim educational institutions and taking education of their children seriously
through the provision of needed support
for them to excel academically.
The one day forum was organized by
Umma University and attracted over 50
Imams from Nairobi and its environs.

Court summons AG to explain

wherebouts of missing doctor
The high court has summoned the Attorney
General Githu Muigai to provide a report on
progress made in finding the whereabouts
of Abdul Karuri Mwangi who went missing
after he was alleged arrested by police officers.
Abdul an official of Pumwani Riyadha
Mosque Committee (PRMC) was abducted on July 1 by people described by eye
witnesses as officers from the Anti-Terror
Police Unit (ATPU). His whereabouts have
since remained unknown.
Justice Edward Mureithi on Tuesday directed the AG to appear in court for cross
examination during the next hearing on
August 12. He gave the order following an
appeal filled by the familys lawyer Kibe
Mungai to have the police produce Abdul
Karuri.
The AG will file an affidavit on behalf of Police Inspector general Joseph Boinett and
shed more light on investigations made so
far into the disappearance of Abdul. Mobile service provider Safaricom is also 16
expected to provide call data records for
two telephone numbers, one belonging to
Abdul and another number that was used
to send threatening messages to his wife
Sophia Juma.
She has also been threatened by unknown people and we have requested the
help of Safaricom in respect to the numbers used, Lawyer Mungai told The Friday
Bulletin.
Sophia through the lawyer had filed a case
under a certificate of urgency to compel
the police to produce the missing person.
In the petition filed last week the Inspector
Continued To Page 7

The Friday Bulletin

Abdallah Ibrahim
Allah prescribed Hajj once in a lifetime
upon the Muslims who have the means
and are physically able to perform it. There
are three types of Hajj: Hajj at-Tamattu,
Hajj al-Qiran and Hajj al Ifrad. In this article, we will explain the procedure for Hajj
Al-Tamattu as it is the most recommended
one.
In this type, one is to perform Umrah during the Hajj months (i.e. Shawwal, DhulQadah and the first ten nights of DhulHijjah) and to perform the Hajj in the same
year with a sacrifice slaughtered in Mina on
the day of Eid AlAdhha (The 10th day of
Dhul-Hijjah) or during the days of Tashreeq
(i.e. the 11th, 12th and 13th day of DhulHijjah).
The pilgrim may remove his Ihram garments and resume his normal activities
between Umrah and Hajj. It is necessary
to make the Tawaf and the Sai twice, the
first time for Umrah and the second time
for Hajj. We describe in the following the
sequence of the Hajj journey.
Ihram
Ihram is the intention of the person willing
to perform all rites of Umrah, Hajj or both
when he arrives at the Miqat. Each direction coming into Makkah has its own Miqat.
It is recommended that the one who intends
to perform Hajj makes ghusl (a shower with
the intention to purify ones self), perfumes
his body, but not his garments, and puts on
a two piece garment with no headgear.
The garments should be of seamless cloth.
One piece to cover the upper part of the
body, and the second to cover the lower
part. For a woman the Ihram is her ordinary clothing except that she should not
use perfumes at all and her dress should
cover the whole body decently, leaving the
hands and the face uncovered.
The pilgrim should say the intention according to the type of Hajj. For Hajj AlTamattu one should say: Labbayka Allahumma Umrah which means O Allah I
answered Your call to perform Umrah. It
is recommended to repeat the well-known
supplication of Hajj, called Talbiyah, as frequently as possible from the time of Ihram
till the time of the first stoning of Jamrat AlAqabah in Mina. Men are recommended to
utter the Talbiyah aloud while women are
to say it quietly.
This Talbeyah is of the form: Labbayka Allahumma Labbayk. Labbayka La Shareeka
Laka Labbayk. Inna-alhamda Wan-nimata
Laka Walmulk. La Shareeka Lak. (Here I
am at your service. O my Lord, here I am.
Here I am. No partner do You have. Here I
am. Truly, the praise and the provisions are
Yours, and so is the dominion. No partner
do You have.)
Performing Umrah
Tawaf: When a Muslim arrives to Makkah,
he should make Tawaf around the Kabah,
as a gesture of greeting A1Masjid AlHaraam. This is done by circling the Kabah
seven times in the counterclockwise direction, starting from the black stone with Tak-

DA'WAH

Dhul Qa'dah 09,1437/August 12, 2016

The Hajj journey

beer and ending each circle at the Black
Stone with Takbeer, keeping the Kabah to
ones left. Then the pilgrim goes to Maqam
Ibrahim (Ibrahims Station), and performs
two rakah behind it, close to it if possible,
but away from the path of the people making Tawaf. In all cases one should be facing
the Kabah when praying behind Maqam
Ibrahim.
Sai: The next rite is to make Sai between
Safa and Marwah. The pilgrim starts Sai
by ascending the Safa. While facing the
Kabah he praises Allah, raises his hands
and says Takbeer Allah-u Akbar three
times, then makes supplication to Allah.
Then the pilgrim descends from the Safa
and heads towards the Marwah.
One should increase the pace between
the clearly marked green posts, but
should walk at a normal pace before and
after them. When the pilgrim reaches the
Marwah, he should ascend it, praise Allah
and do as he did at the Safa.
This is considered one round and so is the
other way from the Marwah to the Safa. A
total of seven rounds are required to perform the Sai. After Sai, the Muslim ends
his Umrah rites by shaving his head or
trimming his hair (women should cut a
finger tips length from their hair). At this
stage, the prohibitions pertaining to the
state of Ihram are lifted and one can resume his normal life.
There are no required formulas or supplications for Tawaf or for Sai. It is up to the
worshipper to praise Allah or to supplicate
Him with any acceptable supplication or to
recite portions of the Quran.
Going out to Mina on the day of Tarwiah
A pilgrim performing Hajj At-Tamattu
should intend Ihram, from the place where
he is staying, on the 8th day of Dhul-Hijjah, which is the Tarwiah Day, and leave to
Mina in the morning. In Mina, the pilgrims
pray Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha of the
8th day of Dhul Hijjah and Fajr of the 9th
day of Dhul Hijjah. Dhuhr, Asr and Isha are
each shortened to two Rakah only, but are
not combined. The pilgrim remains in Mina
until sunrise of the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah
and then leaves to Arafat.
Departure to Arafat
On the 9th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the Day of
Arafat, the pilgrims stay in Arafat until sunset. The pilgrims pray Dhuhr and Asr at
Arafat, shortened and combined during the
time of Dhuhr to save the rest of the day for
glorifying Allah and for supplication asking
forgiveness. A pilgrim should make sure
that he is within the boundaries of Arafat,
not necessarily standing on the mountain
of Arafat.
The Prophet salla Allah-u alaih wa salam,
said: I stood here on this rocky hill and
all Arafat is a standing place (Muslim).
One should keep reciting Talbiyah, glorifying Allah the Greatest and repeating supplication. Anas Ibn Malik was asked once
how he and his friends used to spend their
time while walking from Mina to Arafat in

the company of the Prophet, salla Allah-u

alaihi wa salam. Anas said: Some of us
used to cry out Talbiyah, others used to
glorify Allah the Greatest and the rest used
to repeat prayers. Each one of us was
free to worship Allah in the way he likes
without prejudice or renunciation of his
right.(Bukhari).
In the vast square plain of Arafat, tears are
shed, sins are washed and faults are redressed for those who ask Allah for forgiveness and offer sincere repentance for their
wrong doings in the past. Happy is the person who receives the Mercy and Pleasure
of Allah on this particular day.
The departure from Arafat
Soon after sunset on the Day of Arafat, the
pilgrims leave for Muzdalifah. In order to
follow the example of the Prophet, salla
Allah-u alaihi wa salam, it is preferable to
keep reciting the Talbiyah, glorifying Allah
the Greatest and mentioning the name of
Allah until the time of stoning Jamrat AlAqabah (a stone pillar in Mina).
In Muzdalifah, the pilgrim performs Maghrib
and Isha prayers combined, shortening the
Isha prayer to two Rakah. Pilgrims stay
overnight in Muzdalifah to perform the Fajr
prayer and wait until the brightness of the
morning is widespread before they leave to
Mina passing through the sacred Mashar
valley.
Women and weak individuals are allowed
to proceed to Mina at any time after midnight to avoid the crowds.
Stoning Jamrat Al-Aqabah
When the pilgrims arrive at Mina, they go
to Jamrat Al-Aqabah where they stone it
with seven pebbles glorifying Allah Allah-u
Akbar at each throw and calling on Him to
accept their Hajj. The time of stoning Jamrat Al-Aqabah is after sunrise. The Prophet, salla Allah-u alaihi wa salam, threw the
pebbles late in the morning and permitted
weak people to stone after leaving Muzdalifah after midnight.
Slaughter of Sacrifice
After stoning Jamrat Al-Aqabah, the pilgrim goes to slaughter his sacrifice either
personally or through the appointment of
somebody else to do it on his behalf. A pilContinued To Page 6

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Step by step guidance to performing Hajj

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Venue: Madrasatul Noor South C
Date: 14th August 2016
Time: 9 AM- 1 PM)
For details contact 0721262119
Women only

SATURDAY LECTURE

Topic: Tarbiyatul Jismiyyah part 3 (Physical

upbringing)
By: Sheikh Badru Jafar
Date: 13th August 2016
Time: After Dhuhr Prayer (1.30 to 3.00 pm)
Venue: Mens Section of the Mosque

Page 3

WOMEN

The Friday Bulletin

Dhul Qa'dah 09,1437/August 12, 2016

Hajj: A lesson in humility

Marwa Abdalla
Ask anyone whos gone to Hajj what lessons he or she learned, and youll receive
a multitude of answers. My own Hajj taught
me a number of lessons, but perhaps one
of the things I most remember about it was
how humbling an experience it was.
I remember noticing almost immediately
upon arriving in Makkah the sheer number
of people and thinking, all these people
here to worship Allah?
Right away I felt humbled, realizing that
there were so many like me. I remembered
the verse from chapter Al-Hadeed: {Compete with one another to achieve forgiveness from your Lord and to reach Paradise,
which is as vast as the heavens and the
earth, and is prepared for those who believe in Allah and His Messenger. This is
the blessing of Allah and He grants it to
whomever He wants. The blessings of Allah are great.} (57:21)
Looking around, I saw faces from every
corner of the globe. Some of them looked
comfortable in their surroundings; others
seemed very out of place. I remember
watching two older men, speaking a language unfamiliar to me, attempting to get
on the escalator to go to the second floor
of Al-Masjid Al-Haram. They seemed surprised; like it was something they were unaccustomed to using.
I realized that there were parts of the world
where people lived very differently than I
did. Remote villages where maybe the
luxuries I took for granted were not even
available. I was humbled by that thought,
and felt the list of things I should be grateful
for was very long.
I also remember one night in Makkah
that my husband and I were a little late to
isha prayer. We were late because I had
stopped to buy a small prayer rug from a
store just outside Al-Masjid Al-Haram. I
was very excited about my purchase. I
didnt want to carry around a large prayer
mat, and this tiny one fit perfectly rolled up
under my arm.
The Haram was already overflowing, as a
majestic voice came over the loud speaker
making the iqama (call to prayer). I found
a place to pray outside one of the grand
doors of the actual masjid next to a frail,
old woman.
The marble floor beneath our feet was hard
and cold. I unrolled the miniature prayer
mat that I had just bought and laid it out
horizontally so that it would accommodate

Ayah of the week

Hajj is
wellAyah
of[during]
the week

known months, so whoever

has made Hajj obligatory
upon himself therein [by entering the state of ihram],
there is [to be for him] no
sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing
during Hajj....
(Al Quran 2:197]

Page 4

both our foreheads when we came to the

ground in prostration. The woman, surprised, looked up at me and smiled.
Everything came to a stop as we began to
pray. Millions of people were in that space,
but as we went into prostration, you could
literally hear a pin drop. It seemed even the
air we breathed was in submission to the
One who had brought us together in this
Holy place, during such a blessed time.
After the prayer had ended, I sat, side by
side, with the old woman, supplicating to
Allah. The woman seemed so at peace as
she remembered her Creator. After a few
minutes, she shifted her weight on the
floor, seemingly uncomfortable on the hard
ground.
I looked at her hands. Her wrinkles were
especially deep, and seemed to tell of a life
of hardship. Yet her smile was so big and
sincere, when she smiled at me I felt as
though we knew each other from long ago.
I felt like we were sisters.
After a few moments, she folded up the
prayer mat in front of her and gave it to me.
I gestured to her, Here, I said. You take
it. I could tell she didnt speak a word of
English, and the answer she gave in her
mother tongue was unintelligible to me.
For you. I said again, handing her the
small prayer mat. There was no carpet
as far as I could tell in the masjid, and the
ground was always very hard.
She seemed reluctant to take it, but I insisted. Then, finally, she accepted my gift, her
eyes glistening, almost in tears. She patted
her heart with her hand, a sign of appreciation. I felt so grateful to have been able
to make her happy, but at the same time,
I felt so small. What was this small deed
compared to the hardship this woman may
have endured throughout her life? Where
did my good deeds stand compared to her
patience? I was, again, very humbled by
my thoughts.
The crowd around us was shifting and it
seemed we needed to move to make way
for those exiting the masjid. I went one
way, and she went another, like two drops
in an ocean of people worshipping Allah.
We were ultimately part of the same body,
and for a few moments, standing side by
side, we felt it.
It is humbling to feel like we are just one
among millions of Allahs servants, but it
can also be a source of strength to realize

Hadith of the week

Indeed whenever you
spend to please Allah, you
will be rewarded for it;
even for a morsel which
you put in your wifes
mouth.
(Sahih Bukhari)

Quote of the week

Reverting to Islam cannot be by writing Allah is
the Greatest on our banner. It is rather when our
hearts are filled with Allah
is the Greatest and when
we make it the motive of
our doings and the goal of
our life. (Sheikh Muhammad al-Ghazaly
(Egyptian religious scholar)

we belong to such a massive whole. Despite our differences, we are all connected
by our belief in Allah. Despite our humble
beginnings, we are all dignified by our worship of Him.
Hajj helps us realize this. It exposes our
fragility and reemphasizes Allahs greatness. It teaches us lesson after lesson,
and if we humble our hearts to Allah, we
will better appreciate every one of them.
This Hajj season let us reflect on the lesson
of humilityfor it is by the Grace of Allah
that any of us is able to do anything at all.
Let us also remember to compete with one
another to achieve Allahs forgiveness. As
one scholar put it: Let us be like clouds,
bringing rain and goodness wherever they
go, and like the sunshine, bringing warmth
and life to all that it touches.
May Allah enable us to do so that we may
ultimately be invited into His Paradise.

IRE/ ARABIC ADMISSION

Kibabii and Kagumo Teachers Training Diploma Colleges have limited spaces for applicants who wish to train in IRE and/ or
SATURDAY LECTURE
Arabic for September 2016 intake.
The requirements for admission are:
1. A mean Grade of C+ in KCSE.
2. At least a C in English if it is not a Teaching subject.
3. A D+ in Mathematics.
4. Should have done IRE at Form 4 and got
at least a C+.
5. Should have at least a C+ in the second
teaching subject. The second teaching subject can be History, English, Kiswahili, Geography or Arabic.
For those interested please contact: Mr
Ibrahim Juma of Kibabii at 0722 987 302
Omar Mangari of Kagumo at 0724 415 216

The Friday Bulletin

Kitchen

Veggie sandwich
Ingredients:

8 teaspoons low-fat mayonnaise

6 slices toasted whole bread
1/2 avocado, sliced
8 tomato slices
4 leaves green leaf lettuce
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 small cucumber, cut into 8 slices
Method:

1.Spread half the mayonnaise on 2 bread

slices. Layer with the avocado, 2 tomato
slices and 1 lettuce leaf.
Spread 2 bread slices with the remaining
mayonnaise. Place, mayonnaise-side up,
on the sandwiches.
Layer with the cucumber, remaining tomato slices and lettuce. Top with the remaining bread slices.
Enjoy!!!

The Friday Bulletin

YOUTH

Young age is the best time to perform Hajj

The general notion among masses is that youth is an age which should
be spent in the pursuit of worldly achievement. This is the reason why
in youth most of the people give little importance to religion and spend
maximum time enduring to make their mark and achieve their worldly
objectives. A contrasting behavior is seen when one grows old.
When youth passes away, people start realizing the importance of this
world and the pursuits they had made in their prime time. They come to
the conclusion that all these worldly objectives are transient and temporary and the achievement of one leads to another triggering an endless
chain. Thus, the end of their life haunts them and they turn towards religion to find peace and solace.
In Islam there is great reward for whatever good a person does in his
or her youth. Pertaining to the different religious rituals and obligations
that a Muslim can undertake in youth, Hajj is perhaps the important one.
People usually have the objective of performing Hajj set for their later
age without realizing the fact that it gives a greater exponential reward
if undertaken in the prime age of youth. The lines below discuss why
Muslims should consider performing Hajj while they are young and energetic.
Life is short:
As humans it is in our nature that we forget the transient nature of this
life and plan for a long life. In this planning of long life, we tend to keep
the worldly things at the high priority level and keep religious rituals for
the end part. Most of the Muslims place Hajj at the end of their life plan
with the perception that they will do Hajj when they have free time. What
Muslims dont realize is the fact that life is too short and one cannot
guarantee if he or she will live to see the next day. Even those who have
a long life still find it too short at the end. Regarding this Quran says:
You stayed not but little if only you had known. (23:114)
To a logical mind it might seem irrational when it knows that there is
no guarantee of life and still it keeps the prestigious Hajj for the end
days. Therefore, it is imperative that Muslims realize that life is short and
hence as soon as one finds time in youth, he or she must perform Hajj
and gain blessings and reward that will surely help in the remaining days
of life and in the Hereafter as well.
Life does not go as planned:
For the sake of argument if one assumes that one has a certain specific
duration of life and out of this assertion he or she sets a particular time
for performing Hajj, even then there is the fatal flaw that life does not
go as planned. There are times when things go according to the plan;
however, the times when it does not follow the plan are far more greater.
Therefore, the logical solution to this problem is to perform as soon as
one finds time. Regarding this Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
said in His hadith: Expedite the performance of Hajj. For nobody knows
what may obstruct one. (Ibn Majah)
The hadith clearly shows the unreliability of planning in a life that is as
dynamic as anything can get. In such a life postponing Hajj for the later
years is simply an act of ignorance especially when one has the means.
Performing Hajj requires time, therefore, regardless of your means if
you dont have time available in your plan for later age then what would
be your excuse for not performing Hajj? Therefore, one must realize the
unreliability of planning and should opt for performing Hajj as soon as
one is able in the youth.
Purification:
The question to ask is that whether a person should purify him or herself
from sins at the earliest or keep the purification for a later time, which
may or may not be available? The answer to this is obvious that a person
should opt for purification from sins at the earliest without postponing it
on the uncertain future. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said
in a hadith: One who comes to this House for Hajj and avoids all lewdness and sins, he returns as he was on the day his mother gave birth to
him. (Bukhari and Muslim)
The hadith makes it clear that going to Hajj with pure intention and doing everything right results in purification from sins. Therefore, to every
rational mind performing Hajj at the earliest, i.e. youth is the best time to
get purified and then spend the rest of life on the path of righteousness.
Supplication answered:
Youth is the age of desires and ambitions, therefore, it is quite natural
that in this age one has the most needs and wants and one supplicates
Continued To Page 6

Dhul Qa'dah 09,1437/August 12, 2016

Worship Allah
Allah, the Creator of everything within you and
around you, possesses infinite might. Our Lord
created us and commands us to obey Him and to
conduct ourselves correctly as described in the
Qur'an. Everything our Lord demands from us is
worship. Fasting, praying, being grateful to Allah,
being steadfast, and engaging in good deeds are a
few of these acts of worship.
But the majority of people, despite being aware
of their responsibilities, do not want to accept
this. Because of their sinful arrogance they find
it difficult to be obedient to Allah. They do not
want to listen to Allah's words since they consider themselves very important. Declining to accept that Allah created them, they dare to rebel
against Him. Although it is Allah Who gave them
their hearts, ears, their health, and, in brief,
everything on this earth, they do not feel grateful to Him for all these favours.
But these people will feel great regret. Being ungrateful and arrogant will cost them a troublesome life in this world and deep regret in the
hereafter. The ingratitude they display in this
world will entail the fires of Hell.
Every person who does not want to suffer regret and be one of those who will enter the Fire
must be grateful to Allah. Allah wants us to be
grateful to Him and to pray and to worship Him in
return for all the blessings He has given us. So,
when you see these beautiful and perfect blessings surrounding you-which could never have come
into existence by themselves-you must remember
Allah and feel thankful to Him. Do not be one of
those who fail to notice and appreciate any of the
blessings they are given.
In the Qur'an, Allah commands us to practice
forms of worship other than feeling grateful
to Him. Performing the prayer five times a day,
fasting during the month of Ramadhan, paying
the zakat (wealth tax) and making the hajj (making the pilgrimage to Makkah once in a lifetime
if one is able) are other forms of worship Allah
demands from us.
Praying five times a day and establishing the
prayer in our lives, in our families and in our communities help us regularly to remember our weaknesses as slaves before Allah. It is an act of worship to be fulfilled at certain times. Allah informs
us in the Qur'an that this form of worship helps
us abstain from the wicked deeds with which Allah is displeased.
Fasting is also a form of worship commanded in
the Qur'an. During the month of Ramadhan, Allah
demands that we should not eat and drink in the
daytime. Fulfilling this worship, we show steadfastness while going without food and drink for a
certain period of time.
Paying the zakat, on the other hand, is giving a
portion of one's wealth to the poor and needy and
others who may receive it. As with other forms of
worship, fulfilling this is very important because
avoidance of meanness, and showing self-sacrifice are character traits that please Allah. This
aside, paying the zakat improves co-operation between people and matures the human spirit.

Page 5

The Friday Bulletin

OPINION

Dhul Qa'dah 09,1437/August 12, 2016

Hajj Not a two-week vacation

Sachiko Murata
The hajj is a set of rituals that take place in
and around Makkah every year, beginning
on the eight and ending on the thirteenth
day of the last lunar month, Dhul-Hijja (The
Month of the Hajj). Makkah was a sacred
center long before the coming of Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him), and according to Muslim belief, Adam himself built
a sanctuary at Makkah.
Eventually it was rebuilt by Ibrahim alayhi
sallam, and by the time of the coming of
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),
the Kaba (cube) had long been a place of
pilgrimage for the Arab tribes. The Quran
and the Prophet peace be upon him modified and resanctified the rituals performed
at the Kaba, making them a pillar of the
religion.
Muslims are required to make the hajj once
in their lifetimes, but only if they have the
means to do so. To understand some of
the significance of the hajj, one needs to
remember that steamships, airplanes, and
buses are products of the past hundred
years. For thirteen hundred years, the vast
majority of Muslims made the journey to
Makkah on foot, or perhaps mounted on a
horse or a camel.
It was not a matter of taking a two-week
vacation, and then back to the office on
Monday morning. Rather, for most Muslims
the hajj was a difficult journey of several
months if not a year or two. And once the
trip was made, who wanted to hurry? People stayed in Makkah or Madina for a few
months to recuperate and to prepare for
their return, to meet other Muslims from all
over the Islamic world, and to study. Often
they stayed on for years, and often they
simply came there to die, however long
that might take.
Today, one can go to Makkah in a few hours
from anyplace in the world. Some people
decide to do the hajj this year because
they did Bermuda last year. In the past,
most Muslims had to fulfill strict conditions
in order to make the journey. In effect, they
had to be prepared for death. They had to
assume that they would never return, and
make all the necessary preparations for
that eventuality.
One of the conditions for making the hajj is
that people have to pay off all their debts. If
a man wanted to make the hajj, but his wife
did not want to accompany him, he had to
make sure that she was provided for in the
way in which she was accustomed. He had
to see to the provision of his children as
well, and anyone else for whom he was responsible.
Traditionally, the hajj was looked upon as
a grand rite of passage, a move from involvement with this world to occupation
with Allah. In order to make hajj, people
had to finish with everything that kept them
occupied on a day-to-day basis. They had
to answer Allahs call to come and visit
Him. The hajj was always looked upon as a
kind of death, because Quran repeatedly
describes death as the meeting with Allah,
and the Kaba is the house of Allah.

Page 6

The hajj, in short, was a death and a meeting with Allah, and the return from the hajj
was a rebirth. This helps explain why the title hajji (one who has made the hajj) has
always been highly respected throughout
the Islamic world. Hajjis were looked upon
as people who were no longer involved

with the pettiness of everyday life. They

were treated as models of piety and sanctity, and no doubt most of them assumed
the responsibilities toward society that the
title implies, even if some took advantage
of the respect that was accorded to them.

Young age is the best time to perform Hajj

Continued From Page 5
for most of them. What if one found a way
in which all the supplications would be answered?.
The best way of getting the prayers and
supplications answered is to perform Hajj
as Prophet Muhammad ((peace be upon
him)) said in a hadith: The warrior in the
path of Allah, the one performing Hajj and
the one performing Umrah are the delegations of Allah. If they call on Allah they are
answered and if they ask Him for anything
it is given to them. (Ibn Maajah)
Thus, performing Hajj is the best way to
get your needs and wants fulfilled, hence
the more reason for it to be performed in
youth.
Alleviation of poverty:
Another major reason why people do not
opt for going to Hajj is that they think that
they dont have enough savings and whatever little they have if they spend it on
Hajj, it might lead to tough days of poverty.
Thus, they wait for the old age when they
have enough finances to go to Hajj. For
Continued From Page 3

such people the simple answer is available in the following hadith where Prophet
((peace be upon him)) said: Keep on doing Hajj and Umrah, because they both
eliminate poverty and sins just like a furnace eliminates the dirty impurities of iron,
gold and silver. And an accepted Hajj has
no reward less than paradise. (Tirmidhi)
Therefore, those who think that performing
Hajj will make holes in their pocket should
reconsider their perception on the bases
of this hadith and try performing Hajj at the
earliest time possible.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, one needs to offer Allah Almighty the best in every things, whether
it is the best intentions in the prayer, the
best things in charity or the best attitude
in obedience.
Similarly, when it comes to offering Hajj,
which is the most prestigious form of worship, it should also be performed in the
age of youth when one has the best energy and spirit.

The journey of Hajj

grim should slaughter either a sheep, or

share a cow or a camel with six others.
Shaving the head or trimming the hair
The final rite on the tenth day after offering
his sacrifice is to shave ones head or to cut
some of the hair. Shaving the head is, however, preferable for it was reported that the
Prophet prayed three times for those who
shaved their heads, when he said: May
Allahs Mercy be upon those who shaved
their heads. (Bukhari and Muslim). For
women, the length of hair to be cut is that
of a finger tip.
The stoning of Jamrat Al-Aqabah and the
shaving of head or trimming of hair symbolizes the end of the first phase of the state
of Ihram and the lifting of its restrictions
except for sexual intercourse with ones
spouse.
Stoning Jamrat Al-Aqabah, slaughtering
the sacrifice and shaving the head or cutting part of the hair are preferred to be in
this order, as it is the order that the Prophet, salla Allah-u alaihi wa salam, did them.
However, if they are done in any other order, there is no harm in that.
Tawaf Al-Ifadhah
Tawaf Al-Ifadhah is a fundamental rite of
Hajj. The pilgrim makes Tawaf-AI Ifadhah
by visiting Al-Masjid Al Haraam and circling
the Kabah seven times and praying two

Rakah behind Maqam Ibrahim. Then the

pilgrim should make Sai between the Safa
and the Marwah. After Tawaf Al-Ifadhah the
state of Ihram is completely ended and all
restrictions are lifted including sexual intercourse with ones spouse. Tawaf Al-Ifadhah
can be delayed until the days spent at Mina
are over.
Return to Mina
The pilgrim should return to Mina and
spend there the days of Tashreeq (i.e. the
11th, 12th and 13th day of Dhul-Hijjah).
During each day, and after Dhuhr prayer,
the pilgrim stones the three stone pillars
called Jamarat, the small, the medium
and Jamrat Al-Aqabah while glorifying Allah Allah-u Akbar with each throw of the
seven pebbles stoned at each pillar.
These pebbles are picked up in Mina.
A Pilgrim may leave Mina to Makkah on
the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah or on the 12th if
he wishes, there is no blame on him if he
chooses the later, but he has to leave before sunset.
Farewell Tawaf
Farewell Tawaf is the final rite of Hajj. It is
to make another Tawaf around the Kabah.
Ibn Abbas said: The people were ordered
to perform the Tawaf around the Kabah as
the last thing before leaving Makkah, except the menstruating women who were
excused. Bukhari.

The Friday Bulletin

NATIONAL

Marsabit youth told to take medical courses

Marsabit governor Ukur Yatani has

called on local youth to enroll for medical
courses in a bid to address the shortage
of medical practitioners in the county.
Speaking at Kalacha sub-county referral
hospital, governor Yatani said the county
was experiencing shortage of medical
practitioners and encouraged local youth
to focus more on medical courses as
they are in high demand in the region.
Yatani decried that the measly response
from youth in the county towards medical courses saying it was discouraging
to see a negligible number of applicants
from North Horr sub-county joining medical training programmes.
He observed that if the trend is left to
continue, local residents will be forced
to rely on people from the rest of the
country for basic services such as nursing and teaching when there were locally
available training facilities such as the
Marsabit Kenya Medical Training Center.
If you look around in this county, we
have shortages of professionals we need

Kericho Muslims told to

uphold unity

Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims

(SUPKEM), deputy national chairman
Alhaj Abdullahi Kiptanui has called on
Muslim in Kericho to bury their differences and unite to attain progress for the
community.
Reacting to leadership wrangles in the
county Muslim leadership, he emphasized that unity is paramount to achieve
development and called for the wrangling
parties in the Kericho Muslim Association
to amicably resolve their differences for
the betterment of the community. ''Elections come and go and I therefore appeal
to the association members to bury their
differences put the interests of Muslims
first, reunite and embrace peace for progress,'' said Kiptanui.
While calling for unity and tolerance
among leaders, Kiptanui appealed to
the warring Muslim leaders to reconcile,
basing on teachings of the Noble Qur'an
to pave way for the development of the
Muslim community in the county.
His comments came in the wake of the
nullification of the elections held in May
where Abubakar Harun was elected as
the chairman of the association with Abdulaziz Ajani being elected as Secretary
General.
However their elections were nullified by
Registrar of Societies after another faction led by Abdikadir Muhammad filed returns with the Registrar and claimed that
they were the bona-fide elected officials
of the Kericho Muslim Association.
Following the standoff new polls are
scheduled to be presided over by the
Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims
(SUPKEM) officials from Head office in
Nairobi though the elections date is yet
to be announced.

to improve on the trend through putting up

measures and taking the education of our
children seriously. Let our youth take up
medical training at this institution said the
Governor.
He told young men and women to take
advantage of opportunities provided by
Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC)
which together with health ministry, World
Bank and Beyond Zero Trust are offering
training opportunities in community health
nursing.
The governor said his administration
has invested heavily in the health sector
and other infrastructures and urged local
youth to take advantage of the available
opportunities to empower themselves and
productive members of the society.

Schools ranking will boost

performance-MEC
Muslim Education Council (MEC) has
lauded the Bill passed by the National Assembly that allow ranking of schools stating that the move will encourage competition and boost performance.
The council executive director Munawar
Khan said that the approval for ranking
of schools is important in the education
sector as it will encourage competition.
Speaking to the Friday Bulletin, Munawar
noted that ranking was important as it will
also help the government monitor the performance of teachers and students.
Re-introduction of school rankings in
national examination is timely as it will
provide an environment for competition
among schools and students, said Munawar.
Munawar noted that students were performing poorly after the government
banned school ranking in 2014 stressing
that competition helps students to measure their strengths and perform better.
Students and teachers take pride when
they are recognized for performing exemplary, he added.
The executive director further said that
ranking was necessary in the education
sector and observed that the sector had
become dull after the government banned
ranking.
He however, called on the government to
ensure that school ranking is done objectively.
On Wednesday, MPs approved the Kenya
National Examination Council (KNEC)
Amendment Bill sponsored by Kiminini
MP Chris Wamalwa that allows re-introduction of school ranking.
According to Wamalwa school ranking will
be based on performance in both national
examinations and co-curricular activities
while helping to gauge and monitor students and teachers performance.
School ranking was banned in 2014 by
the then Education CS Jacob Kaimenyi
on claims that it provided unfair competition and a platform for cheating.

Dhul Qa'dah 09,1437/August 12, 2016

Abdul Karuri: Court summons AG

Continued From Page 2
General of police, Director of Public Prosecution and the Attorney General are listed as the
responders while Safaricom is listed as an interested party.
Whilst the applicant is apprehensive that Abdul could well have become one of the rising
statistics of the disappeared in Kenyas fight
against terrorism and other serious crimes,
this habeas corpus has been instituted to beseech the Kenyan High Court to intervene as
required by the constitution in order to determine the truth of what happened to Abdul on
1st July, 2016 and at least in order to enable
the applicant to explain to her two children that
she made all lawful efforts to trace their father,
reads the petition seen by the Friday Bulletin.
According to an affidavit sworn by Sophia,
shortly before his abduction, Abdul was threatened by unknown people and told to resign
from his position as the secretary at PRMC.
Officials of the Committee who include the vice
chairman Ali Abdulmajid have resigned after
receiving death threats.
In April this year, the mosque treasurer Abdallah Iddi Waititu was abducted by people suspected to be security agents as he was living
his place of work at the Kangundo Level Four
Hospital where he worked as the head of the
pharmacy department.

HIJABI OLYMPIAN

African Archery champion Shehzana Anwar,

who made history as the first Kenya Muslim
to represent Kenya at the Olympics games.

BOOKS HARVEST APPEAL

Do you know old and possibly new and duplicate books lying around in your study
corner, SATURDAY
home libraryLECTURE
or office and hardly
ever used by you may be very useful to others?
Sayed Abdullah Shah Library at Jamia
Mosque has organized a book harvest.
This is to humbly appeal to you to join us in
this very noble exercise to help equip the
library to promote reading culture in the
Muslim community. Please donate generously all your excess Islamic books, publications, Secular (school/college) text books
and other useful library materials to Jamia
Mosque Library. Kindly call Bro. Ramadhan
on 0722345700 or Bro. Abdulkadir Hawa
on 0723236333.

Page 7

Saudi health ministry plans to beat the

heat during Hajj

Because of the expected high temperatures during Haj, the Ministry of Health has installed 208 additional fans in Makkah and its
holy sites for better ventilation and to relieve Haj pilgrims from the
scorching summer heat.
The ministry has plans for dealing with heat exhaustion and sunstroke among pilgrims. This years Haj is expected to see high
temperatures and the ministry has equipped a number of its facilities in Makkah and Madinah to handle heat exhaustion and
sunstroke by providing proper ventilation through water sprinkling
fans which reduce high temperatures.
An official said that 79 new beds have been added, bringing the
total number to 216 to treat patients at the Al-Ansar Hospital in
Madinah. He said there were four hospitals each in Arafat and
Mina. In addition to these, there are 80 primary health care centers
in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifah, which will receive pilgrims during
Haj.
Last year, the ministry updated its facilities at these centers and
they are now ready to serve pilgrims during the latter part of the
Haj season. The centers include 28 in Mina, 46 in Arafat and six
in Muzdalifa.
Health officials have also been assigned to 15 ports of entry for
land, sea and air. They will monitor health conditions of pilgrims.
They are expected to take preventive and curative measures to
keep infections under control, the official said.
He said that health officials at the ports of entry will ensure that
pilgrims have had vaccinations before arriving. If they have not
been vaccinated, doses will be given at the ports the official said.
Health care workers will report any developments to the Central
Command Committee on a 24-hour basis. All health officials who
serve pilgrims will wear face masks during their interactions with
pilgrims.
The ministry recruits more than 22,000 people from various medical, technical and administrative categories for the Haj season
every year. Officials also include some 400 medics in rare medical
discipline, including intensive care and resuscitation, as well as
specialists in intensive care nursing and other emergencies.
As part of an awareness campaign, officials will urge pilgrims to
focus on personal hygiene, and hygienic cooking, storing, transporting and serving methods which are important to avoid diarrhea and vomiting, food poisoning, dysentery, typhoid and cholera.
Hands should be washed before eating. Disposable shaving kits
should be used.
Wearing masks made of cloth during the performance of various
Haj rituals will be very useful in preventing respiratory infections
such as colds, coughs, sore throats and pneumonia.
Pilgrims with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, arthritis, migraine, epilepsy, skin diseases, psychiatric illnesses and gastric ulcer should have medications for appropriate
treatment. (Arab News)

CARE HOSPITALSUNDAY
(FORMERLY AFWAN)

CIRCUMCISION FOR BOYS (SPECIAL OFFER THIS

SCHOOL HOLIDAY)
Safe
Painless
Heals in less than a week
Reduced charges over school holidays
We also do other elective surgeries eg ENT (ear,
nose and throat) and maxillofacial surgeries.
For Further Information you can reach us on:
0723 937 630, 0739136969.
We are opposite Pumwani Maternity Hospital.

Kitui madarasah teachers workshop

Kitui is a county in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Primarily, Islam spread to the inland (Kitui) through assimilation of
individuals, with the Arab Muslims who had settled in small groups
maintaining their culture, and religious practices.
Swahili became the trade and religious language. Alongside the
interpersonal contacts, intermarriages also yielded some reversions. So Islam was first introduced to Kitui in the early 18th century in the years between 1900- 1920 CE.
The derivative effect of mosques in the town has given birth to several madrasahs. The local Muslim Imams, preachers and teachers play major roles in teaching our deen and the Qurn at the
Qurn Schools and Madrasahs attached to the Mosques. Their
level of learning is of average as most of them are products of
training Institutions in Mombasa, Lamu, Malindi and Kwale. What
lacks in this setup are the modern skills of imparting knowledge
to the young learners. There exists a very big gap that needs to
be bridged so that teachers in our Madarasahs can be at par with
trained school teachers.
Ummah Foundation for the past years has taken the onus of making sure we bring the change by giving teaching skills to our Madrasah teachers. We noticed that the more input in empowering
the teachers to adopt new modes of teaching is very essential.
Madrasah teachers need a certain level of training in educational
philosophy, effective teaching strategies, classroom management,
assessment and content. Sharing a variety of experiences and
knowledge of teaching techniques, content expertise, and group
management is quite vital.
Typically, materials for weekend and after-school settings need to
include a lot more structures. This was our main objective in being
in Kitui last weekend. More than 40 teachers that were assembled from across the county, came to take advantage of a two day
workshop that was organised by Ummah Foundation in collaboration with the local leadership of the Kitui Imams and preachers
council. This was a replica of similar workshops trainings that we
carried out in Nairobi and Kisumu.
In our work plan, we have resolved to make the workshop trainings an annual event that happens continuously in different major
towns to equip the teachers with all the skills they require in their
teaching careers. Within a four year period we should be able to
measure up to the level of other teachers who have graduated
from primary teaching colleges. The beauty of the trainings is that
the expertise we receive is from our Brothers from Kenya Institute
of Curriculum Development (KICD). We intend to equip our informal teachers with skills that can measure to the level of any good
level learning environment.
The training was conducted at Ibrahim Mosque within Kitui town
and the attendance was a hundred percent successful. We would
like to appreciate the huge input of the Kitui teachers and imams
who locally arranged for the venue and facilitated the coming of
the participants. Some came as far as Mutomo, which is 75 km
away from Kitui town. We also thank the local leadership for their
co-operation and support in making the workshop very successful.
More so we thank our two Brothers from KICD; Mohamed Abdinoor Shille and Shurie Barre Abdi for their dedication and devotion
in facilitating this particular one and all our training workshops for
the sake of our Ummahs future.
Contact us:
Ummah Foundation
Village Plaza, 2nd Floor, Ngara Rd
P. O. Box 58717- 00200 Nairobi
Tel:020-2680610/13 Mob: 0734 845277
Email: info@ummahfoundation.net
Web: www.ummahfoundation.net

The Friday Bulletin is a Publication of Jamia Masjid Committee, P. O. Box 100786-00101 Nairobi, Tel: 2243504/5 Fax: 342147
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