In an unprecedented move aimed at preventing congestion and stampedes and ensuring safety of the guests of God, Saudi authorities have urged domestic and foreign pilgrims to postpone their Haj plans for this year if possible due to ongoing expansion work at Makkah’s Grand Mosque.

 

The call follows the government’s decision to reduce the number of foreign pilgrims by 20 percent and domestic pilgrims 50 percent this year. Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has backed the measure, saying it was taken in public interest.
 

In a series of announcements through the Holy Qur’an television channel, which is aired from Makkah, the government advised pilgrims intending to perform Haj and Umrah this year to postpone their plans to reduce congestion at the Grand Mosque.
 

“By making this announcement our government is not preventing anybody from Haj, but asking them to postpone in order to avoid congestion and help first-time Hajis to perform their religious duties without difficulties,” Saeed Al-Qurashi, a member of the Haj & Umrah Committee at Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Arab News.
 

He said the mataf (the circumambulation area around the Holy Kaaba) could hold now only 39,000 faithful per hour, suggesting an influx of a large number of pilgrims could cause congestion inside the mosque.
 

“Once the mataf expansion is completed, it can accommodate more than 130,000 pilgrims per hour. So, it would be better for our brethren to come for Haj next year or after two years, when they will be able to perform their rituals with ease,” he explained.
 

Hatem Qadi, deputy Haj minister and spokesman of the ministry, emphasized the need for reducing the number of foreign and domestic pilgrims this year.
 

“The period for cutting the number of pilgrims will not exceed two years,” he said. The ongoing expansion work at the two holy mosques are aimed at accommodating more pilgrims in the coming years, he pointed out.
 

Qadi cited the grand mufti’s statement on the issue saying the government took the decision because it was essential. “The ongoing expansion is for the benefit of pilgrims,” the mufti said.
 

Mohammed Noor Rahman Sheikh, Indian consul for Haj, said his country would send more than 170,000 pilgrims this year. “We have been informed about the government’s plan to cut the number of foreign pilgrims by 20 percent,” he told Arab News.
 

Source: Arab News

 

The Islamic Society of Toowoomba's "thank you" lunch and tour of the proposed Church property (currently under contract) drew a number of visitors to the Garden City of Queensland on Saturday.

 

The speeches by Dr Mohamad Abdalla, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Queensland, Dr John MeVeigh, Catholic Bishop Robert McGuckin, USQ’s Vice Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas, and Dr Nada Ibrahim all highlighted the need and support for the project.

 

Young children entertained the guests with delightful songs and Prof Shahjahan Khan, the president of the IST, thanked their mentors and the everyone else associated with the project.

 

Soon after the signing of the contract, the Society also issued a media release thanking the city of Toowoomba "for being inclusive and supportive" of the initiative.

Last year a group of volunteers distributed 1000 white roses in Queens Street Mall, Brisbane.

 

The aim of the distribution was to promote peace, harmony and understanding amongst the wider Australian Community. It was also aimed to highlight the true qualities of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and not as was portrayed by a video circulating around the globe on social media.

 

Each rose distributed had with it attached a card containing a Hadith or Quranic Ayah promoting the Prophet (s.a.w.) and his true qualities.
 

I wish to say that the success of this event goes to each and every person out there who supported us in one way or another last year. We say a big THANK YOU. May the almighty reward you for your efforts, Aameen.

The positive response and success of the distribution is still being echoed today.

 

With this in mind, and the urging from some, it has been decided to run this event again this year.

 

This year with your support Insha Allah, we aim to do it bigger and better by distributing 2000 roses.

 

We will be adding a new dimension to it by also distributing 2000 white ribbons. The White Ribbons are recognised as the symbol for “Non Violence Against Women”.

 

Sadly there is a poor understanding within the wider Australian Community regarding Muslim Women and oppression.

 

We wish to highlight the true and correct respects afforded to Muslim Women by means of Hadith and Quranic Ayahs on a card attached to a White Ribbon.
 

Your support financially and morally would be greatly appreciated.

For further information please contact:-
Faisel Essof – 0402 575 410
Nadia Seedat – 0430 862 665
Hafizah Suleman – 0401 959 295
Email:- queenslandmuslims@hotmail.com

The ABC programme Compass set off deep into the Australian desert to join a camel trek for Muslims.

It’s a spiritual safari for Australian Muslims, many of whom had never been out of the city before.

 

Participants learnt how to camp on the desert sands, wash without water and how to tell prayer times by the sun and stars.

 

Learning how to bond with your camel was all part of this spiritual adventure too!

 

Sydney-based Imam Afroz Ali organises these treks every few years in South Australia’s remote Flinders Ranges.

 

It’s a transformative experience for all including the two non-Muslim camel guides who know little about Islam when start out.

 

It will be a defining moment in Australian television history when My Peace launches the first ever Australian commercial celebrating the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).

 

The ad campaign will be launched on 6 July in Bankstown, NSW (click on picture for more details).

Mohammad Khan (right) and Shabir Basha from the Islamic Propagation Centre International, South Africa at the Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage on Saturday in the UAE where the book was launched.

A book detailing the life of Shaikh Ahmad Deedat, one of Islam’s greatest scholars and missionaries, has been released.

Titled “Ahmed Deedat: The Man and His Mission,” the 280-page book was written by university history lecturer and author Goolam Vahed and published by the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI), an organisation founded by Deedat in 1957 and based in South Africa.

“The book entails the life of Shaikh Ahmad Deedat from the time he arrived in South Africa at the age of nine years. As he lived in South Africa, he took up menial jobs and worked in a factory. He was highly disturbed by Christian missionaries knocking on the doors of Muslims [to share their faith] in South Africa at that time,” Shabir Basha, IPCI representative, told Gulf News.

From that point on, Deedat studied comparative religion and equipped himself to propagate Islam. The South African writer and public speaker of Indian origin dedicated 40 years of his life to mission work in South Africa and the rest of the world. He was best known for his message, “Come into the light, or stay in the dark. The choice is yours,” in many of his public lectures to spread Islam.

Through Deedat’s life-long work, several thousands of people embraced Islam. He was awarded the King Faisal International Award in 1986 in recognition of his dedication to mission work. He passed away in 2005. He suffered a stroke for nine years earlier.

Basha said the book, available in English and distributed free of charge, was published to reconnect the world with the scholar, to remember and honour him, and “to pay respect to him in that to date his works are very much appreciated and studied”.

 

Source: Gulf News

 

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