newsletter

3rd EDITION
January 2010

SISTER’S PROJECT
IN THIS ISSUE:
Foreword...............................................................................3
Da’wah for dummies.............................................................4
Home education.....................................................................6
Why we must boycott............................................................9
Easy good deeds..................................................................12
Plea for our sister Aafiah Siddiqui.......................................13
Stay & play session..............................................................14
Inspirational project: Sparkhill Dawah................................15
Recommended book...........................................................15
Actionm!............................................................................16
Tip of action........................................................................17
Supplications.......................................................................17
How to join the SISTER’S PROJECT?...............................18
The One Hour a Week Project..............................................18
The Muslim Diary................................................................18
 My Dear Sister,
Foreword
When you love something, would you share it
or would you rather keep it to yourself?

There is a beautiful duty upon us, we often neglect or we even totally forget
about. An invitation we should all send out and a treasure we should share
because we love it so much. Without it, we know we would be empty.
Without it we know we would be lost. That treasure is our Faith.
That invitation is Da’wah.

Da’wah means to share or to invite and it is not an ‘extra’ we can do in our

lives whenever we have some spare time and we are not excluded because we
are ‘women’.
Da’wah comes in numerous forms and it’s not just ‘telling people about
Islam.’ In this edition you can find out what Da’wah can mean to you and get
inspired to get into ACTION.
As it is said, there is no knowledge without action.

How many of us know Da’wah in Islam is actually an order from Allah in His
Qur’an in a number of places? Let us consider one:
“Kuntum khairan ummatin ukhrajat linaasi tawmaruna bil maruf wa tan
anna anhil munkar.”
You are the best of people raised up, for you call to all that is right and
righteous and you forbid the evil, and you believe in Allah.
[Qur’an 3:110]

Dear sister, you are among the best people raised up in this world.
Aren’t you proud?
It’s time to stand still and contemplate about who we are and where we stand.
It’s time to pick one of the many ways of doing Da’wah and start with it today.
Follow the sacred footsteps of the greatest women who gave their life for their
belief; Aasiyah, Maryam, Khadija, Aisha, Fatima, Umm Ammarah, Saffiyah
and many more, may Allah be pleased with them. We will be asked about
every second we spent in this world and imagine standing in front of Allah to
answer all of these questions.
There’s a daa’iyah (someone who is doing Da’wah) in all of us.
We just ask you to bring her out and fulfil your challenging duty.

With much love,

SISTER’S

3
 D A’ W A H
Have you ever read a hadith that was so wow that you just couldn’t help sharing it??
How about a verse in the Qur’an that shook you so much that you were desperate to find someone
else to shake… If so… Then you, like me, were meant to be daa’iyaat!
What’s a Daa’iyah: A daa’iyah is
a Muslim who talks to other people
about Islam, by doing so you may
end up inviting non-Muslims to ac-
cept the truth of Islam by spreading
its message.
In this article I’m going to share
some general tips with you on how
to make Da’wah to non Muslims,
wishing you every success at it!
Did You Know: Performing
Da’wah is a duty stated on many
occasions by The Prophet Muham-
mad (saw) and it is also reflected
in the lives of the Companions of
the Prophet. The responsibility of
spreading the message of Islam
has been passed down genera-
tion after generation to each Mus-
lim and the number of Muslims
worldwide have been growing and
growing! There are even scholars
who go as far as saying that Da’wah
is the only justification a Mus-
lim has for living in a non-Islamic
society. Sure enough, as Muslims
living in the West, we must all play
a part in spreading the message.
Challenges we Face: We live
in a time when Islam is attacked
from all sides, not only by armies
with superior technology but also
through the immense power of
global media. Admittedly, these
factors don’t make our job any eas-
ier, so we need to decide what sort
of strategies would practically help
us in spreading the message.
Before we go into the details of how
to perform Da’wah most effectively,
we need to remind ourselves why
Da’wah is so worth giving.
Analogy: When we approach
someone in order to talk about
Islam, it helps if we have a clear
picture of their situation. The dif-
ference between a believer and a
disbeliever living on earth can be
compared to two men who live on
a beautiful island. Let us imagine
that this island is threatened by a
wide-spreading fire, still in the dis-
tance, but inevitably approaching.
Such men know that the only way
to save themselves is to reach
the other side of the sea ahead of
them. Allah has provided them with
plenty of wood and tools in order to
build a boat to cross, but while one
of the men concentrates in saving
himself, spending all his energy
and thoughts towards the final goal
of salvation, the other gets deluded
by the temporary beauty that sur-
rounds him and decides to build a
beautiful wooden house instead, to
enjoy the pleasures of his present
world.
Certainty: As every human being
knows, there is only one thing cer-
tain in life – and that’s Death!
As a Muslim, you know that the
person who concentrates on this
world only and does not make pro-
visions for the hereafter is deluded!
You know that Allah has created us
in this world in order for you to wor-
ship Him. You may be surrounded
by all sort of beautiful things, but He
has revealed to you that you have
to aim at the next world in order to
find true and eternal happiness.
He, in His Infinite Mercy, didn’t
abandon us, he gave us the man-
ual and the tools to be successful:
the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Once you are aware of The Truth,
Allah Ta’ala has then enjoined on
you to warn and teach others how
to save themselves, how to obey
Him and His Messenger, so that
they can also try and get to Para-
dise. As an incentive for you to do
Da’wah, Allah has promised that
for every good deed a person you
4
guide does, you will get a copy
of the reward! Now, that’s good
business! You guide somebody -
and you get a copy of every good
deed they do!
If you ponder over the meaning and
benefit of Da’wah, I believe you will
be highly encouraged to find the
best way of performing such won-
derful duty. I have hence gathered
a few suggestions from successful
daa’iyahs.
Let’s try it: To begin with, you
ought to give a suitable direction to
the manners you use in spreading
the truth. First of all, if you speak to
someone about Islam, remember
that it is for their benefit that you
are doing it. THEY are the ones in
need of a change. This means that
your message should be uncom-
promised, however - gently and
gradually you may choose to give
it. Remember that, as Muslims, we
cannot lie about anything, espe-
cially about our religion.
In order to maximise our success,
we should really try to follow the
blueprint of our beloved Prophet
as much as possible. This is not to
say that you can only do Da’wah
if you are an outstanding Mus-
lim, as Da’wah is for all Muslims
to give, but that you ought to try
your best. Therefore, the commit-
ted daa’iyah should be clean, tidy,
modestly dressed, possibly with
an honourable source of livelihood
and adorned with the best possible
manners.
After taking care of your outer
aspect, the most prominent tool
required for performing dawah is
KNOWLEDGE. Once again, I am
not saying that you should be a
scholar, but that you must have
a secure and, especially, correct
knowledge of your fundamental be-
liefs and the evidence for our most
important statements. We derive
our beliefs from two authentic and
original sources: the Qur’an and
the sunnah (tradition) of Prophet
Muhammad (saw).
If learning ayas from the Qur’an
and whole hadeeths for such pur-
pose is too hard, then you could
simply keep a track of where your
evidence can be found. We also
ought to familiarise ourselves with
the main beliefs of the people we
want to confront, in order to tailor
our appeal to their intellect in the
way they best understand.
In other words, you should be
aware of whom you are speaking
to and approach them with wisdom
and tolerance, working your way
towards appropriate and strong
arguments for Tawheed (the One-
ness of Allah). It is most important
that you take special care in the
way you answer their questions:
keep your replies simple and to
the point, trying not to wander from
subject to subject while replying.
Contrary to what you may think,
it is often better not to be sarcas-
tic, as this is distracting and not
appropriate.
Take care in trying and keeping
away from discussions on contro-
versial issues regarding Islam, as
you might fall in a long debate that
adds little or might even damage
your attempt to explain the core
Islamic beliefs. If such conversa-
tion was to become inevitable, aim
at least at making the clear distinc-
tion between what “Islam” teaches
and what some “Muslims” do.
You could ask the person you
are addressing, for instance, to
consider some of the bad people in
history who were supposed to be
Christians, yet what they did does
not represent the Christians or
Jesus.
Once you manage to find a point
that generates interest and agree-
ment, the most essential action you
should take is to state the Islamic
proposition. You should ask them
something like: “Are you ready to
rethink your position? Are you pre-
pared to worship your God and
your Lord without and partners?”
Even if you feel you have made
quite a small progress, it is really
important to reach an agreement.
Therefore, remember to always
summarise the issues you agree
on so that the other person walks
away with a focus on what he has
learnt from you. With Allah’s help
you may have just planted a seed
in his/her mind that with blossom
with time.
Before I conclude, let me mention
to you the story of the conversion
of a most successful daa’iyah. He
was given an English copy on the
Qur’an while entering the tube,
one day, so he sat and opened
the book without knowing anything
about it. He skipped the first page,
as people often do with introduc-
tions, and the first words he read
were: “Alif Laam Meem. This is
a book about which the is no
doubt”. (Surah Baqarah 2:1)
The statement was so full of pride
that he was compelled to find out
more and, eventually, accepted
Islam. The person who gave him
the Holy Qur’an will, on the Day
of Judgement, reap the reward
not only of his deeds, but also the
rewards of all the people who have
reverted through his hands.
So don’t be discouraged if you
feel you are not making progress,
instead ask Allah for courage and
just do it!
If things feel a little tough and peo-
ple start to argue, take Allah’s (swt)
advice:
We know best what they say;
and you (O Muhammad SAW) are
not the one to force them (into
Belief). But warn by the Qur’ân,
him who fears My Threat.
(Surah Qaf 50:45)
May Allah make you the best of
daa’iyah… and inshaAllah I might
even get a bit a reward out of it!
Umm Salahudeen
5
 Home education
“O you who believe! Save yourselves
and your families from the Hellfire.”
[66:6]

A ll praise is due to Allah Who has guided us

from the darkness to His light. He Who
has given us the beautiful gift of our child(ren)
In today’s society there are so many impermis-
sible vices, tricks from the shaytan that can
lead us astray from the path of guidance.
and with it a great responsibility.
Sadly enough, we can
I am a reverted Muslimah and a mother al- find many of these
hamdulillah. My husband and I have chosen to vices in the public
home-school our children for several reasons. school system. The
Above all, considering our present situation, dangers of public
we hope and believe that by homeschooling our schools in non-Muslim
children we will provide them with the best countries is a topic
education and da’wah inshaAllah. And we hope of discussion. In the
that by homeschooling our children we will last years more and
draw ourselves as close as possible to Allah’s more parents have
pleasure. chosen home educa-
tion, while others
My dear sisters, it is upon us to make good, don’t find themselves
sound and responsible choices for our children. in a position tobe able
It is our obligation not only to provide a safe to do so.
and happy atmosphere for them, but also to
watch their friendships and to teach them how It is worth doing all you can to provide your
to choose righteous and trustworthy friends. children with an environment that will benefit
their Deen the most..
In my opinion, there is none better at educat- We have to remember the message of our be-
ing a child than a mother (and a father) who loved prophet Muhammad (saw) “Each of you is
are upon the true Islamic belief and who are a shepherd, and each of you will be questioned
striving towards righteousness and piety with about those who you are responsible for.” May
a sound understanding of the Deen. Allah protect our children.

6
Homeschooling your children will bring
about some long-term good effects that will
inshaAllah benefit them and your entire
family. The advantages of choosing this path
can be a solid teaching of the Islamic moral
character, the correct Aqeedah, an inti-
mate closeness to Allah by providing remem-
brance and obedience to the Creator, and the
removal of doubts from the false concepts
being taught with the educational supplies
often used in a public classroom and so much
more.
Homeschooling our children will, InshaAllah,
keep our children away from the worldly af-
fairs such as gangs, violence, betrayal, lies and
deceit, free mixing, smoking, and drugs just to
name a few. All of which are against the teach-
ings of Islam. And unfortunately all of them
can be found in the public school system.
Dear sisters, it is upon us to be a good example
for our child(ren) by being the ones whom they
look up to, someone who can correct and teach
them in a gentle and sweet way only a moth-
er can. Through such approach, we can teach
them to implement the good and refrain them
for evil.
I am convinced that children are very much
influenced by those who surround them, for
instance, if I was to spend my days watch-
ing TV or being lazy, my son will end up doing
the same. Similarly, when I fill my days with
obedience to Allah, trying to please Him in
all matters, trying to be aware that I am is
his example, inshaAllah he will end up follow-
ing suits. How can we teach our children to
please Allah, to fear Him and to know that
He is always watching us, if we our self for-
get about it? How can we teach our children
to live by the Holy Qur’an and by the example
of our Prophet, (saw), if we, our self, don’t act
according what Allah has taught us?
So, alhamdulillahi Rabbil alamien, by having
my children around me most of the time, I am
quite busy in educating myself.
I think it is difficult to expect our children
to practice Islam and obey Allah, if we leave
them to others for more than 6 hours a day
in an environment where bad habits are wide-
spread. Allahu-l-Musta’an.
May Allah protect our beloved children and
keep them safe from all the matters He
dislikes, ameen.

Interesting facts:
• Studies conducted within the Christian community have shown that 75%
of Christian children educated in public schools have abandoned the beliefs
of their parents by the time they graduate. This is precisely why Muslim
parents are at risk when they put their children into secular programs, which
include all public schools. What is an education worth if in the process of
allegedly acquiring one a child’s faith is lost?

• Departments of Education in such states as Alaska, Tennessee, and Wash-

ington have conducted studies that found that the typical home-educated
student comes out ahead on every significant measurement. Achievement
tests have found that home-educators average as much as 30 percent higher
than both public and private school students. Many elite universities, such as
Harvard and Yale, have recognized the excellence of the education of many
homeschooled children and are actively recruiting students at homeschooling
conferences and fairs.

7
 • Many parents are concerned about their child’s character-development. With
dangers in school playgrounds such as peer pressure, bullying, and clichés, it
is difficult to encourage the finer qualities in a growing child such as kindness,
justice, and compassion. Equally difficult to foster is self-motivation. In the
modern school, where the love of learning is cut off at the root, children lose
the ability for self-motivation and become dependent on outside factors to
stimulate them. In adulthood, this translates into the subsequent need for en-
tertainment, amusement, and diversion from what should be a life spent in the
pursuit of knowledge and truth.

• On both public and private campuses, there is the increasing problem of

children being exposed to violence, drugs, and sex at very early ages. With
children now committing the crimes of adults, molestation, rape and murder by
other children in school is a growing and alarming concern for parents. Schools
are no longer safe places for children, and this is a reality we must first escape
and then end.

• Another important aspect of home-education that is often overlooked is

the bonding that takes place between the child, the parent, and his/her sib-
lings. Home-educated children spend much more time with their parents and
siblings-time that gives way to forming deeper bonds and more meaningful re-
lationships with their family members. A healthy family relationship sets the
stage for the child’s ability to form lasting relationships outside of the home,
which is essential if one is to get along in the world.

Read more ‘interesting facts’ on:

www.sistersproject.co.uk/index.php?menu=articles_home_eduction

8
 WHY WE
MUST
BOYCOTT!!
In a Hadith Qudsi, “Verily, Allah will say to his slave when He will be taking
account of him on the Day of Judgement, ‘O’ son of Adam, I was hungry and you
did not feed me.’ He will answer: ‘How could I feed you? You are the Lord of the
worlds!’ He will say: ‘Did you not know that my slave so and so who is the son of so
and so felt hunger, and you’did not feed him. Alas, had you fed him you would have
found that (i.e. reward) with Me.’ ‘O’ son of Adam, I was thirsty and you gave Me
nothing to drink.’ He will reply: ‘How could I give You drink? You are the Lord of
the worlds!’ He will say: ‘Did you not know that my slave so and so, the son of so and
so felt thirsty and you did not give him drink. Alas, if you had given him, you would
have found that (i.e. reward) with me.’ ‘O’ son of Adam, I became sick and you did
not visit Me.’ He will answer: ‘How can I visit You? You are the Lord of the worlds!’
He will say: ‘Did you not know that my slave so and so, the son of so and so became
sick and you did not visit him. Alas, had you visited him, you would have found Me
with him.’”

W e are all aware of the con-

tinuously deteriorating situ-
ation in Gaza and the West Bank.
Over 60% of the population in
Gaza live below the poverty line
and some 10,000 people have no
access to the water network, with
a further 60% of the 1.5million
population without a continuous
supply. The UN has stated there is
a humanitarian crisis caused by the
blockade enforced by Israel.
As we watch the suffering of our
brothers and sisters from afar, we
search ourselves and return in frus-
tration at the sense of helplessness
we discover. The vast majority of
aid is turned away at the border, and
even the agreed total of vehicles
on the recent Viva Palestina relief
convoy ran into problems at the
Egyptian border following a visit
from the Israeli Prime Minister.
It is really important to continue to
support charities in whatever way
we can so they can continue their
good work supplying the popula-
tion and putting pressure on op-
posing powers.
What’s Needed
First of all, we should turn to
Allah swt and ask for His help and
mercy for the people of Palestine.
Where we are helpless and unable,
He (swt) is The All Powerfull and

9
The Most Capable. Next, we must
look at what we can do on a day to
day basis, such as boycotting Israeli
products.
Do Boycotts work?
Netanyahu recently commented
that Israel was unconcerned by
America’s threats to withhold
agreed loans, as the economy of
Israel was doing well.
Such statement leaves us asking,
does boycotting actually work? Well
the answer is ambiguous.
Will the people who are being
selective in what they buy at the
supermarket in their weekly shop-
ping bring Israel to their knees?
No. Will they hurt it?
Yes insha-Allah.
The Danish Arla Foods Company,
after the printing of despicable car-
toons aimed at offending Muslims,
made the announcement that they
had suffered serious financial dam-
age due to the Muslims’ boycott.
In fact, in one month, it is reported
that their losses reached 2 billion
Euro. However, Israel is not as
vulnerable, due to huge regular
cash injections from America and
agreements with many countries to
support Israeli trade.
Sadly, Lebanon and Syria are the
only two remaining members of the
Arab League to consistently adhere
to the Boycott, as the other states,
one by one, have signed peace trea-
ties with Israel, the most recent
ones being Egypt and Jordan.
Still, despite the arrogance and
mocking of the supporters of
Israel, I feel that it is a cause worth
pursuing. New retail guidelines in
the UK state that labels on food
must soon distinguish between
goods from Palestinians in the
occupied territories and produce
from Israeli settlements.
Such move has been welcomed by
people of conscience, but has made
Israel ‘extremely disappointed,’ as
noted by the Israeli Embassy; “We
think this is singling out Israel and
it plays into the hands of those
who are calling for a boycott of
Israeli goods.” It sounds like they
are more concerned with our boy-
cott than they want us to think!
There are numerous websites and
organisations set up that give infor-
mation on endless makes and labels
to boycott, and it’s hard to avoid
them all.
Here are just a few.
MARKS & SPENCER
In 1990, Lord Marcus Sieff, CEO
of M&S between 1984 and 1991,
wrote that one of the fundamen-
tal objectives of M&S is to aid the
economic development of Israel
(Management: The Marks & Spen-
cer Way, Weidenfield & Nicolson,
1990). M&S stocks large amounts
of Israeli goods, including produce
and products from illegal Israeli
settlements, helping Israeli goods
get into the British market.
M&S trades heavily with Israeli
manufacturers including sweatshop
giant Delta Galil and Triumph.
COCA COLA
The Coca-Cola Company is a
staunch supporter of Israel and,
even as early as 1966, the
government of Israel acknowl-
edged Coke’s support for Israel.
(A statement appeared on the
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Af-
fairs web-site). The company has
sponsored and hosted numerous
business events between the US
and Israel. In October 2005, Coca-
Cola increased its investment in
Israel by buying a 51% controlling
interest in the Israeli Tavor Winery
company, which is based at the foot
of Mount Tavor. The Coca-Cola
company factory in Israel is built
on stolen Palestinian land.
10
NESTLE
Nestle has invested millions of
dollars on Israel. Nestle states that
it does business wherever there
are “investment opportunities and
regardless of political agendas.”
Thus, despite Israel’s record
of human rights abuse, Nestle
will continue to support Israeli
industry. Nestle purchased a con-
trolling share of the Israeli food
maker Osem Investments. In 2008,
Nestle executive VP Werner Bauer
said that “snack foods developed
and first produced at the Osem
development centre in Sderot will
be included in Nestle’s products
worldwide.” Affiliated companies
include: Nescafe Perrier, Vittel Car-
nation, Milkmaid, Nesquik Buitoni,
Kit Kat, Milkybar, Quality Street,
Smarties, After Eight Lion, Aero,
Polo, Shreddies and Felix cat food.
JOHNSON & JOHNSON
Johnson & Johnson purchased
Israeli company Biosense for $400
million, and in 1998 received the
Jubilee Award by the Israeli Prime
Minister Netanyahu.
L’OREAL
L’Oreal has been involved in
production within Israel for many
years, and has established Israel as
its commercial centre in the Middle
East. The American Jewish Con-
gress expressed “keen satisfaction
that L’Oreal has become a warm
friend of Israel.” During Israel’s
50th birthday celebrations, L’Oreal
announced $10,000 scholarships
for students in Israel, in order to
commemorate such birthday.
MC DONALD’S
Mc Donald’s is a major corporate
partner of the Jewish National
Fund and the Jewish Federation.
The Jewish National Fund “works
to maintain American military,
economic and diplomatic support
for Israel; it monitors and, when
necessary, responds to media
coverage of Israel.”
BARCODE NUMBERING
It is worth noting down that the
bar codes on Israeli produce begins
729. You could also complain to
the manager of your local super-
market, and encourage others to
join the boycott.
SUCCESS STORIES
Amazon.com - stopped an adver-
tising agreement with the Jerusa-
lem Post (after a successful boy-
cott campaign), which intended to
donate profits from the advertising
campaign to Israeli soldiers return-
ing from the occupied territories.
Starbucks - has been under intense
pressure due to its pro-Zionist
influence. As a result, the company
has gone to great lengths to deny
that it supports Israel financially on
its web-site, suggesting the boycott
is working. Due to a lack of credible
evidence to prove that Starbucks
has stopped supporting Israel, it
remains on many boycott lists.
FreedomCall - a British telecom-
munications firm terminated its
contracts with Israeli company
MobileMax following the Israeli
war in Gaza.
Birmingham City Council - voted
in favour of boycotting all Israeli
goods.
Eden Springs - was forced to close
down its operations in Scotland
after a national boycott.
We ask Allah (swt) to guide us to
act in the manner most pleasing to
Him, and to help us succeed in our
desire to relieve our brothers and
sisters from the oppression they are
suffering.
11
 Easy Good Deeds
Taking the Revolution
into Everyday
1. Think of Allah before you take any action.
Make duah before everything- sleeping, eating,
studying, driving...
2. Read the Qur’an in Arabic and the meaning every
day- take the time out of your busy schedule to listen
to Allah.
3. Become a serious student of this Deen. Try to
make it to the next Islamic class, halaqah or meeting.
Shock your friends, bring a notebook.
4. Evaluate yourself daily before going bed. Thank
Allah for good deeds, repent to Him for your mis-
takes and sins.
5. Avoid looking at unlawful pictures, whether they
be from television, magazines, or otherwise.
6. Study the history of Islam. Learn of the great
scholars and warriors who died with Allah on their
lips and Islam in their hearts. Strive to emulate them.
7. Spend some time listening to recitation of the
Quran. Find reciters that you like, try Abu Bakr
ash-Shaatri, al-Ghamdi, as-Sudais, al-Minshawi..
8. Encourage your non-practicing friends to come to
Islamic events.
9. Hang out with other Muslims.
10.Talk to your non-Muslim friends about Islam. Have
you taken the time to explain the basics to them?
11. Go to at least one convention/conference/camp
a year.
12. Perform the sunnah and nawafil salahs as
much as possible. Find time to pray extras, such as
Salatud-Duhaa, Qiyaamul-layl, and Tahajjud.
13. Subscribe to a Muslim magazine.
14. Buy Islamic gear instead of the latest Tommy Hil,
CK, Nike, or Adidas...
15. Take the time to understand what’s going on in
the Muslim world today. Do your part to get involved
and help relief organizations.
16. Try to fast Mondays and Thursdays as of today.
17. Lower your gaze.
18. Start reading Qur’an after Salat-ul Fajr.
19. Go to bed early so that you can wake up far
Salat-ul Fajr.
20. Keep yourself in a state of wudu’ most of the time.
21. Really listen to speakers. Take their advice to
heart, commit yourself to change.
22. Give yourself time alone, so that you can think
about your life, your deeds, make dhikr.
23. Start giving sadaqah daily, no matter how little.
Make it a habit like eating and drinking.
24. Spend more time reading Islamic books, espe-
cially the Seerah, Hadeeth, and Fiqh.
25. Associate with knowledgeable people, hafidh,
qari’, and other ulama. You might learn something.
26. Try to learn how to make dawah to non-muslims.
It is an art requiring knowledge and diplomacy.
27. Go to the masjid.
29. Don’t criticize if you dislike something- do your
part to change it.
30. Stand up for right, forbid evil. Just say no to
gheebah.
31. Avoid eating too much. Do not eat unless you are
hungry and try not to fill your stomach
32. Buy Islamic videos, tapes, posters, books,
clothes, support your Muslims brothers and sisters
and make Islam a part of every aspect of your life.
33. If you meet any new Muslims, buddy up with them
and make them feel like a part of your community.
34. Break out of your clique.
35. Keep three extra Qur’an translations and some
literature in your home at all times. You never know
when you’ll find someone interested who wants to
know more.

BE BRAVE
PREPARE FOR STRUGGLE
PERSEVERE
HAVE CERTAINTY THAT ISLAM WILL BE VICTORIOUS
Fear Allah wherever you are in all times and all places. Stand up for Islam no matter who
likes it or dislikes it. Dedicate yourself to changing this world. Go against the grain.
The world needs you. You are the best community raised up for mankind.
12
We found this website with effective da’wah tips very useful: www.islamdawahacademy.com
 Plea for
Assalaamu alaykum wa
rahmatullah wa
barakatuh.

I ’m not very articulate

when it comes to ex-
pressing my emotions but I
our sister
felt it a responsibility upon
myself to write this humble plea
to you all...
AAFIAH SIDDIQUI
It has been on my mind constantly these past few days, in my prayers, in my thoughts,
every moment of my day is haunted by it; that my dear sister is in prison and is
undergoing trial right now, a worldly trial that will determine her fate in this cruel cruel world.
How I wish I could give her a big hug and tell her that we are all with her and that everything
is ok inshaAllah... I await that day.

T he trial began yesterday at the Feder-

al court in Manhattan where our frail and
shattered sister is facing charges for the
alleged crime of attempting to murder a US
soldier in Afghanistan back in July 2008 as
well as plots to target terrorist activity at
various US landmarks. She faces up to 20
years life imprisonment on each count if
convicted… subhanAllah, is there any way out?
The judiciary seem to have dug themselves into
a hole so deep which they see no way of getting
out of, except through lies and deceit. She has
lost all hope, so much so that she has even want-
ed to boycott her own trial so she could avoid go-
ing through the brutal strip search each time she
leaves her cell.
I want you to just imagine; imagine our sister
right now, sitting frail in her small dark cell, cry-
ing out to her Lord, the Most High, supplicat-
ing for relief, forever hopeful in His justice. This
is OUR sister, crying out for help. So, I ask the
question, what are WE going to do to help her?
All avenues seem to be closed except that which
leads to our Lord; Allah, Al Mujib. Let’s not un-
derestimate the power of Du’a; just as sincere
trust in Allah resulted in success at Badr, surely
our sincere Du’as will alleviate, if not remove the
suffering of our dear sister. Verily, victory is only
through Allah’s aid.
And your Lord says: Call upon Me, I will an-
swer you.” [40.Surah Momin : Ayah 60]

This undignifying procedure, almost tantamount
to rape involves a full cavity search while being
held down by four men.
SubhanAllah, this is the state of our dear
sister.
I kindly request you all to sincerely make
Du’a for our sister Aafia Siddiqui. May Al-
lah protect her dignity; give her patience and
strength through this trial; give her honour and
victory; and raise her ranks in Jannah. Ameen.

What a mockery this is, five years imprisonment
with consistent mental and physical torture, rape,
beatings, abuse... but all of this is irrelevant to
them as well as the kidnapping of her two young
children who seem to have vanished into thin air.
(Remember to take benefit of the times where
we have been recommended to make Du’a;
at times when chances of acceptance are high
i.e. last third of the night, between Adhan
and Iqamah, on Jumu’ah (a small time), in
prostration, while drinking zam zam, when trav-
elling etc).

You can get an exclusive daily coverage on her

ACTION: What can you do?
Email to contact@cageprisoners.com to
order the (free) Aafia Siddiqui leaflets and
spread them in your community to raise
awareness for her case.
trial at the following link:
www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=30901
Wasalam, Mariah Bakali 13
Cageprisoners, Birmingham

Da’wah from mums to their children is
crucial, interacting with your child at
home is therefore very important.
But it is also beneficial to share ideas
with other mums and have children
playing and learning in a stimulating
environment. Sometimes being a new
mum can be a time of loneliness and
being insecure as well.
Stay & Play sessions are therefore
recommended by many sisters.
There’s a Stay & Play session every
Tuesday from 9:30-11am from chil-
dren from 0 to 5 years of age at
Muath Children’s Centre.
Here mothers can come with their
children, help themselves to (free)
STAY
&
PLAY
SESSION
refreshments and let the children play
in a soft area. Different themes are
being done each week.
The mothers have a chance to talk to
each other as well as with the sisters
present. It’s being tried to be creative
in the sessions with the children, for
them to learn and development skills
insha’Allah.
Whether you are a new mum or someone
who would like help with getting back in
to education, they can also give you the
help and advice you need insha’Allah.
Examples are Pregnancy support,
Postnatal care, Benefit advice, Getting
back in to education, find a job through
job centre plus and parenting advice.

These are the times:

Free-Breakfast morning every Monday 9:30am-10am
Stay & Play - Every Tuesday 9:30am-11am
Coffee Morning - Every Thursday 9:30-11am
New mums group- Every Thursday 1:00pm-3pm

The address:
Muath Children’s Centre, The Bordesley Centre, Stratford Road,
Birmingham, B11 1AR 0121 753 7778

14
 There’s a new initiative in the area
SISTER’S PROJECT is part of:

INSPIRATIONAL
SPARKHILL DAWAH

The Sparkhill Dawah project is meant to give people

Da’wah locally, including young local Muslims and their

PROJECT parents, point out harmful things in our society and much
more.

In cooperation with Maktabah Booksellers and

SISTER’S PROJECT, Sparkhill Dawah made
their first leaflet: the Dangers of the Internet in the Home.
This leaflet is spread all around the area in restaurants,

SPARKHILL
shops and other well visited places. It can be found on-
line as well:
www.sistersproject.co.uk/index.php?menu=articles
It’s the first time a local dawah initiative is to be set up

DAWAH in the area, which is much needed if we look around us.

One of the target groups are our teenage brothers and
sisters.

Want to be part of the da’wah initiative?

Are you living locally or are you inspired to join in a
da’wah activity? Let us now if you want to volunteer. The
more sisters, the better. This could be helping with trans-
lating leaflets, suggest topics to cover or bring up ideas as
what to do for teenage girls in the area. Even forwarding
the Dangers of the Internet in the Home by email is a way
to participate and get rewarded insha’Allah.

Recommended BOOK
Seeds of Righteousness
Tools for Muslim Women to Spread Islam
In this book, there are nearly two hundred collected Seeds
of Righteousness, green and fruitful, for Muslim women to
sow and reap. These seeds were sown by Muslim sisters
who took care of them until they grew to produce various
fruits and benefits. These are also good examples of da’wah
to Allah that should be practiced by Muslim women, who
strive hard to acquire safety on their path to the Hereafter.
This is a call to the Muslim sister who has not planted a
Seed of Righteousness yet. Use the Seeds of Righteousness
offered to you in this book, might and that Allah accept
your good deeds from you.

15
 ACTION!
Dear sister, we live in a time of trials. A time of
stress, anxiety and loss. It seems easy to get lost
and hard to find our way in this society. All around
us we see brothers and sisters having difficulties
to cope and slowly losing their strength. Why?
Because we are losing our identity. The Muslim
character is one that should be unbreakable. One
of truthfulness and compassion, one of wisdom
and ACTION.
And action is something we seem to
be lacking of greatly.. Many of us
have good intentions,
even the will to really do
something for some-
one in their commu-
nity or somebody in
need.
But..to get into action to
actually stand up and do
it seems a step too far.
It’s exactly here where
we should be strong
and
steadfast.
We see this now as
well amongst sisters. Masha’Allah many of us
submitted their skills on the MY DEAR SISTER
event and every day on the SISTER’S website.
It’s amazing to see what a great variety of
capabilities we all seem to have to offer.
But...what happened? An email was sent out
regarding a Pakistani sister who only
needed a few sisters to call her or visit her to show
somebody cares for her. A single mother who
experienced great mental and psychical trials in
her life. The only request was that sisters who
could speak Urdu would phone her up or visit her,
even once. Nothing happened..not one reaction.
Dear sisters, where are our actions? We know we
have love for each other. Or do we love ourselves
more? We all know we have the intention to make
a change or do we live like cattle, following the
mass and becoming like and resembling those
who do not have faith in Allah swt at all?
Please, let’s be strong and let us REALLY try
to make something of this great first step we
did together as sisters here in Birmingham by
submitting all our skills. And let us change our
attitude into one of action in the Ummah,
locally and internationally. Let us stand up for our
brothers and sisters in need who are being
attacked just because they say
‘la ilaha illAllah’.
We have the database with
all the sisters who joined in
with their skills and we will
put them in categories
on the website. Sisters
in need can then sim-
ply look up the category
they need support in,
email us and we will
connect you to the
sister who sweetly
offered this support.
For example;
being able to
drive to help sisters
who are alone with shopping,
cooking, household help, the will to visit
a lonely sister, the will to donate toys, furniture,
clothing for sisters and their children in need etc.
If you know a sister in need you can look up
the support she would need online for her and
email us or refer her to www.sistersproject.co.uk.
Also by seeing the skills offered on the website,
you might get inspired to submit your own skills.
We do this sincerely for the sake of Allah swt to
revive the Sunnah of Sisterhood and strengthen
our Ummah once again. And the best way is to
start in your own community.
May Allah swt support us all to get into action and
make true our promises.
16
 TIP OF
ACTION:
Who would like to form a group of a few sisters who weekly
collect written letters to send to Muslim prisoners?
There’s a difference of opinion amongst the scholars regarding sisters
writing to brothers in prison, so it could also be an idea to motivate brothers to
write them. This little group can just communicate online and at least make
sure together that every week a few letters are being written and send off to
our captivated Muslim brothers and sisters in UK and Europe.
For the addresses of the prisoners please visit www.cageprisoners.com or go
through www.onehouraweekproject.co.uk.
Email to info@sistersproject.co.uk if you would like to join in this good deed.

Supplications Highlighted national case

Dear sisters please make du’a for the brother who

was arrested this week in Sparkhill area. Like many
brothers before him (for example Babar Ahmad) he
was arrested under the Terrorism Act which leaves
brothers and sisters often being detained for long
periods of time without a fair trial or charge. Also
keep looking on www.cageprisoners.com to keep
yourself informed as we know the ‘reliability’ of the
current media.

Highlighted international case

Dear sisters not many of us are aware of the situa-

tion of our brothers and sisters in Nigeria. At this
moment there are many clashes between Muslims
and Christians in which many are killed. Recently
Christians attacked a village called Jos where they
killed 200 Muslims, ravaged their belongings and
leaving even a few months old baby killed cold
blooded. Please make du’a for them.

17
T he SISTER’S PROJECT aims to be a With your contribution of ideas, needs, skills and
practical and caring sisterhood network to practical solutions we can now set off a network

support each other for women in Birming-
ham. Using our compassion, our openness and
all our personal skills, we can build a group to
help each other in our daily lives and make a
HOW
of sisters, to provide for each others’ needs.
Sisterhood Meeting
If you would like to attend the next sisterhood

TO
change in our area. meeting sign up at:
http://www.sistersproject.co.uk/?menu=events
If you would like to be part of this, go to
www.sistersproject.co.uk. Contribute to the next newsletter?

If you have any questions or if you know any
sisters or projects in need of support, don’t
hesitate to email to: info@sistersproject.co.uk
JOIN
If you would like to contribute to the next
edition of the newsletter, send your idea on a
topic, motivational story, dilemma, interesting
project or activity or any other beneficial updates
on sisterhood in Birmingham to:
newsletter@sistersproject.co.uk.

ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT:

One Imagine…one hour every week you do
something for somebody else. It doesn’t cost
you money. Only one hour of your time. An

hour
hour you can plan ahead each week. An hour
that will make you feel good inside. Because
you see the effect it brings about. An hour of

a week
reward. But.. where to start?

Find out more on:

project
www.onehouraweekproject.co.uk

THE MUSLIM DIARY

In these times of hastening and being busy, of ‘no time’ and ‘o, I forgot,’ we want to
give ourselves a guide to help us in our worship through each day.

The Muslim Diary contains a practical list on which you can mark the acts of worship
and good deeds you did that day. The list is a selection of the most recommended
acts of ‘ibadah [worship] in a schedule with all week days. All the deeds are being
explained in an easy but powerful way through Qur’anic verses and Ahadith.

You can get your MUSLIM DIARY from:

IPCI - Islamic Vision: 434 Coventry Road, Small Heath, Birmingham
and other Islamic Bookstores in Birmingham and London

For enquiries: info@themuslimdiary.com

18
www.themuslimdiary.com