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All praise is due to Allaah and to Allaah alone. And may Allaah send peace and blessings upon his slave and the seal of the Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad the son of Abdullaah.

To proceed,

Discover Eemaan Week ’10

[Steadfastness in the Face of Adversity]

[Monday to Friday; 8th to 12th of February 2010]

Gallery to be added here inshaa’Allaah

What are We Gonna Do?

Hint: Check out the poster!

Other than that…

• Da’wah Stall everyday, 12pm-2pm, alternating themes.
• Iftaar on Mondays and Thursdays [it is Sunnah to fast every Monday and Thursday], after Maghrib obviously!
• Sumo Wrestling
• A li’l talk after Dhuhr
• Another li’l talk after Maghrib
• What else…?

Inshaa’Allaah.

Wait… What is Discover Eemaan Week?

Once again Discover Eemaan week has graced us with its presence, and created the priceless opportunity for all of us to try and increase our Eemaan, and take it up one step up.

For those of you who don’t know, DEW is a week long event, and its aim is to help increase the Eemaan of each and every Muslim on and off campus, with the permission of Allaah. A chance for everyone, brothers and sisters to get together and act as that pillar of support, by encouraging one another to increase in those acts which are pleasing to Allaah, which normally we would find difficult to do so alone.

Allaah subhaanahu wa ta’aala says:

“Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety);”
[al-Maaidah 5:2]

And He says:

“The believers are protectors, one of another, they enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil; they observe regular prayers, pay zakaat and obey Allaah and His Messenger. On them will Allaah pour His mercy, for Allaah is Exalted in power. Wise.”
[At-Tawbah 9:71]

This year, not only will we be encouraging all of the brothers and sisters to turn it up one notch by building upon their Islaamic attire, character, etiquettes and also encouraging everyone to revive and put into practice all of the sunnahs which we would generally find difficult to implement in our daily lives, but we will put into the practise the sunnah of visiting the sick, helping the elderly and feeding the orphan. The ISoc have organised heartwarming trips to the elderly homes, orphanages and a night to roam around London feeding the poor and homeless. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Whoever removes a worldly hardship from a believer, Allaah will remove one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection from him. Whoever grants respite to (a debtor) who is in difficulty, Allaah will grant him relief in this world and in the Hereafter. Whoever conceals (the fault of) a Muslim in this world, Allaah will conceal him (his faults) in this world and in the Hereafter. Allaah will help a person so long as he is helping his brother.”
[Reported by Muslim (4867)]

Moreover, everday after Maghrib prayers, a ten minute presentation on the touching lives of the salaf as-saaliheen will be delivered by brothers so that we can rise to the occassion, learn and follow the wonderful lives of those who have given absolutely everything for the religion of Allaah. Not only that, but after Dhuhr congregational prayers a short presentation on a forgotton sunnah will be highlighted so that we can revive the beautiful, heart warming traditions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), thus attaining the love of Allaah. For indeed, Allaah says:

“Say (O Muhammad to mankind): If you (really) love Allaah, then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur’aan and the Sunnah), Allaah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:31]

Therefore, we have planned a Monday and Thursday fast for all brothers and sisters, with a huge mouth watering iftaar for those hungry rumbling stomachs. Two hundred miswaaks have been ordered, and revive a sunnah checklists will be ready to be distributed after Friday prayers. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward.”
[Reported by al-Tirmidhee, 7/443; Hadeeth Hasan]

And thats not all, we urge and implore our beloved Sisters in Islaam, inshaAllaah, for those not yet wearing the hijaab, to build up that courage, and don the hijaab, that beautiful garment, which is more than just a piece of cloth, but that which helps to protect and honour you; in the full trust that all of your brothers and sisters around you will help you along the way, with words of advice and encouragement. For those of you not wearing the jilbaab, take that leap and try and wear it just for a week; and those that mashaAllaah don’t fall into the categories above, then inshaAllaah to try and step it up, and wear the niqaab and dish in those gloves… who knows, this could be the opportunity to increase your Eemaan, and bring you that much closer to Allaah subhaanahu wa ta’aala, inshaAllaah.

With regards to our dear beloved brothers, how about we all raise our trousers above our ankles and “buss out” a white blinging thowb or shilwaar kameez for a week. Infact, I hear the kufi and the turban doesn’t look too bad either. Discover Eemaan Week is a chance to raise those barriers and come back to Allaah and His way. Let’s dunk the razors, apply the musk and walk with the miswaak between the teeth. For indeed, we began this semester in Ramadaan with our eemaan higher then ever, let’s end it on the same note… inshaAllaah.

Finally, what greater way is there to show our love for Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) then to follow him, accept all that he accepted, reject all that he rejected, and practise all that he practised. During the whole course of this week, we have organised talks by external speakers everday to help aid and raise our eemaan. Dont forget, a fun, joking, happy Wednesday has been planned to strenghthen the brother and sisterhood we already have. Discover Eemaan Week is a chance not to be missed, lets step up to the challenge!