Tariq bin Ziyad

Tariq ibn Ziyad was sent by Musa ibn Nusayr in the year 711 AD as a chief commander to conquer Andalus. His men numbered 12000-17000. On his journey he decided to take some rest and sleep. It is said whilst sailing across the sea, which separates Africa from Andalus, he saw in his dream the prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) surrounded by arabs of the Muhajiruun and Ansaars, who with unsheathed swords and bended bows stood by him. They also heard the prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) say ” take courage, O Tariq! and accomplish what you are destined to perform. ” On hearing this, he looked around him and saw the messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and his companions entering Andalus. Tariq immediately awoke from his sleep with a smile, and from that moment on he never doubted victory. Tariq advanced towards a small mountain in the sea which later became known as Jabal Tariq (Mount Tariq) derived from which is the modern name: Gibraltar. Here Tariq and his army disembarked into the darkness of the night. He then set fire to his fleet and in his determination to conquer Andalus he told his army ” I have now burnt the ships, and now there is no return for us and here we will conquer or die fighting.”

The king of the time, King Roderick, heard about the seizure and immediately prepared his army which numbered 100,000. King Roderick set off with confidence that they will make each and every Arab his prisoner. Roderick took his army to Cordova to attack Tariq and his armies.

Before the battle, Tariq gave a speech which portrayed his valiance, determination and ideology regarding the life after death. In this speech he also mentioned his desire to kill King Roderick with his own hands. After his influential speech, Tariq and his army with their white turbans and spears in their hands proceeded towards the battlefield. When Tariq reached the battlefield he saw his ambition and aimed his arrow towards him and killed him. He had now fulfilled his long felt desire and gained victory for the Muslims. It is said in the confusion that followed the defeated Christian soldiers fled for their lives, the body of King Roderick had also disappeared. The Muslims had a zeal for knowledge, they were advanced in architecure and were masters in science.

When Tariq and his army conquered a large portion of Spain in 711-718 AD, which mainly consisted of the Moors who were a Muslim tribe from North Africa, they immediately implemented Islamic law ( Shariah ) with Caliphates. the muslim ruled with islamic law for over 800 years. However when the Muslim government of Spain collapsed during the early 1000s due to the fighting amongst the groups of Moors, the country split into many small Moorish states and independent cities. This was not the only reason for the downfall of a nation which ruled for many centuries. This was due to the fact that the leaders did not rule according to the Islamic law and chose an un-islamic life.

Below is an extract from the hadith. Abdullah ibn Umar narrates ; “The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) came to us and said O muhajiruun, you may be afflicted by five things, may Allah forbid you live to see them, if leaders do not govern according to the book of Allah, you should realize this will not happen without Allah making them into groups and making them fight another. ” ( Ibn Majah, Kitab al Fitan, 4019,2/1332 ) you can see from this small extract how the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had advanced knowledge of the future and how correct his prophecies were to be.
Inter-islam

Abu Muslim Kholani (R.A)

It is a well known miracle of Hadhrat Ibraaheem (A.S) that Namrud, the infidel king, had cast him into the fire to burn him alive but by the Mercy of Allah Ta’ala, the fire didn’t harm even a single hair of his head.

Allah Ta’ala manifested a similar incident for Hadhrat Abu Muslim Kholani (Rahmatullaah Alayhi), a venerable Buzrug of the Ummat-i-Muhammadiyyah.

Aswad `Ansi of Yemen, a false claimer of prophethood summoned Hadhrat Abu Muslim and asked him to verify his claim. Hadhrat Abu Muslim flatly refused to do so saying he firmly believed only Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to be the last prophet of Allah. Furious, Aswad Ansi asked for a huge fire to be built. He then had Abu Muslim thrown it in, but Allah Ta’ala in His Divine mercy did not allow the fire to harm him and he came out of it alive. His people advised Aswad Ansi to let him alone, but, they said if he stays here he will turn the people against you, so it is best that you banish him forever. Aswad acted upon their advice and ordered Abu Muslim Kholani to leave the country.

From Yemen, Hadhrat Abu Muslim made his way to Madina-e-Tayyibah. By the time he arrived in the city, Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had died and Hadhrat Abu Bakr (R.A) had become the first Khalifah. When he came to the Musjid-e-Nabawiy, Hadhrat Abu Muslim tied his camel to a post and standing behind a pillar started offering Salaat. Hadhrat Umar (R.A) saw him and asked, ‘Where are you from?’ ‘Yemen’, was the answer.

As news of a Muslim being thrown into the fire and his remaining safe by the grace of Allah Ta’ala, had by this time reached Madina. Hadhrat Umar (R.A) asked, ‘What about our friend their who had been thrown into a fire by the enemy of Allah but had come out alive?’ ‘That was Abdullah ibn … (Soab).’ Abdullah bin Soab was also Hadhrat Abu Muslim’s name.

Hadhrat Umar (Radhiallaahu Anhu) said, ‘Swear upon Allah Ta’ala that you aren’t he?’ ‘Yes, it is I,’ Hadhrat Abu Muslim replied.

Hadhrat Umat got up, kissed him on the forehead and too him to Hadhrat Abu Bakr (R.A).

‘Praised be Allah Ta’ala that I am alive to see the person who went through exactly that which Hadhrat Ibraaheem (A.S) had gone through.’ He told Hadhrat Abu Bakr (R.A).

Hadhrat Abu Muslim Kholani lived to see the rule of Hadhrat Mu’awiya (R.A). Mu’awiya (R.A) used to accord him great respect and he kept on giving advice, sometimes even harsh advice on Hadhrat Mu’awiya (R.A) who listened to it with great attention and respect.

Once during the rule of Hadhrat Mu’awiya (R.A), government officials had not received their salaries for three months. One day, when Hadhrat Mu’awiya stood up to deliver a Khutbah, Abu Muslim broke in saying, ‘O Mu’awiya (R.A) this wealth is not yours, nor your father’s nor mother’s.’

Hadhrat Mu’awiya (R.A) gestured to the people to wait, went inside and took a bath. He then returned and said, ‘O people! Abu Muslim has said that this wealth does not belong to me, nor to my father nor mother. Abu Muslim is right, and I have heard Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying that anger is cased by Satan and Satan is born of fire and water puts out a fire. Thus, whenever one of you feels angry, he should go and take a bath. Now, you may all go and receive your wages. May Allah Ta’ala bestow abundances in them.’
Dharb-i-Mumin
Madrasah In’aamiyyah

A Tribute to Hafiz Patel

Tribute to Hafiz Mohmed Ahmed Patel, Rahimahullah (1926-2016)

As the sun sank of Thursday 18th February 2016, so did the great shining star sink and begin to fade away to start a new journey towards the eternal life.

As the blessed day of Friday began (after Maghrib), little did anyone know that Hafiz Sahib Rahimahullah, was taking his final breaths and before Esha, he would have taken his last breath and departed from this world.

Whilst Markaz was busy with Shab-e-Jummah, he slipped away very peacefully in his sleep without any signs of pain or visible discomfort and it was confirmed before Esha that he had left this world for the next.

Within a span of 15-20 minutes, news spread around the globe like fire and shocked all those that knew him or whose hearts he had touched and minds that he had transformed into better beings. Individuals and groups rushed to airports from various countries to try and book a seat to fly over to pay their final respects and get a possible glimpse of the guide and leader who they had revered and honoured all their life. They had been lectured by him on topics of respect, tolerance, love, unity and piety.

Those that were present became helpless in holding back their tears when the shocking news finally registered and they came face to face with reality. The individual who used to comfort them at times of distress was no longer any-more. They had lost the shoulder they were so used to, crying on.

Preparations were soon underway and instructions were given on how and where the Janazah would take place, in order to best accommodate the thousands that would be arriving from all over the globe at such a short notice.

The esteemed body that had travelled around the world tirelessly propagating the message of peace and love for all, had finally come to a halt and remained in Markaz that night.

Friday morning welcomed all with bright sunshine’s followed by grey skies after midday which was to lead to Allah’s mercy in the sign of slight drizzle just before the Janazah.

Ghusal was undertaken by members of the household and the body was laid in Masjid Umar for family members to pay their last respects to the pillar of the family, locality, community and for all around the globe.

From morning onwards people started trickling in, then flocking and finally pouring in to Dewsbury to attend Jummah, all admiring the great work of an outstanding leader, regretting the loss and mentioning how they had been orphaned.

All the local Masaajid were packed out well before time. Food was served before and after Jummah to all the guests arriving at various times.

Muslims and non-Muslims had been touched by the departure of such a great character that had gone in the books of history as a ‘Wali of Allah’. The local politicians approved free parking in all car parks around the town and so had the council workers and funeral services shown their kind gestures in trying to accommodate such a large funeral.

Even though the ground of the sports field was quite soft and damp, thousands wrapped in warm coats and hats, merged onto the funeral ground well before time in hope of getting a place at the front to get a glimpse of the coffin, when it was to be presented.

Asar Salah took place on the field and in the local Masaajid which was followed by the attendees pouring onto the sports field from all angles and corners. The rightful heir, Hafiz Sahib’s son, Maulana Saeed Sahib DB led the Janazah Salaah, in front of approximately 25k attendees.

Straight after the Janazah, everyone tried to rush towards the cemetery to participate for the burial but the narrow roads of Dewsbury had not witnessed before, such a huge number of vehicles all trying to get to the same destination. Whilst driving through some areas it was difficult to even see the road due to the crowds of people trying to pass by.

Around 5k people made it for burial, with many deciding to park up and come walking, whilst others either gave up due to the nearly standstill traffic at many places or were still on their way.

During the blessed time after Asar on the Friday and before the day could slip away, Hafiz Sahib Rahimahullah was laid to rest in the grave and people started to leave for Maghrib after Dua was made.

There was a sombre mood upon the great loss, mixed with exchanges of personal celebratory notes and fond memories of the great Ameer who was well versed in the art of giving Dawah. He knew when to be stern and when to be soft. He comforted when appropriate and condemned when need be. He hugged when a need arouse and held accountable when tasks weren’t completed.

Everyone will have their loving memories of the great spiritual fatherly figure that had touched their lives. I remember that he was very fond of my handwriting would always call upon me for a many years whenever he needed to send a letters to the elders of the work of Dawah around the world for various reasons. He had also instructed me to compile 100’s of pages of other work including lectures, letters and other valuable work, all handwritten. Whether it was late night, tahajjud time or daytime, he always had the same level of worry and concern in trying to get the message across to others about unity, love, respect, and tolerance. He would always show so much love and affection to me and never get angry or frustrated at any of my shortcomings. One of the last things I remember him saying to me was. “I always tell you what is good for you because I care for you”. The advice he used to give to all the Maktab, Madrasah teachers was, “Do not think it is great of you that you come to teach these children (but humble yourselves) and consider it an Ihsaan of these children that they come to you to learn”.

He has left many great lessons for us to learn and to follow. I am positive all of us will be able to recall similar incidents. To keep his legacy alive we need to follow and adopt those lessons of love, unity mutual respect and tolerance.

May Allah bless Hadhrat Hafiz Sahib with ease on this first night in the grave and make it a garden of Jannah and bless him with the very best in the Hereafter Insh’Allah, AMEEN

Asad