My failings with my mosque.

[fahimchaudhry]

Salaam brothers and sisters.

I write this post as my first of Insha'Allah many and I'd like to start of with a warning. This is a bit of a rant against life, against my past, against my mosque, against my failings in life...bear with me.

My background is from Azad Kashmir. I've lived in east London all my life and my mosque is Sultan Bahu Trust, in Upton Park E13. (Anyone know it?)
I am a Sunni Hanafi, brelvi (i think!) and we also follow Ahle Sunnat Wal Jam'aat. My Qiblah Peer saab is Pir-o-Murshid Sultan Fiaz-ul-Hassan Sarwari Qadri.

Up until last year, I was one big sinner. Not so much drinking/drugs but more Zina. I had very very very little faith in Islam and would never pray. I didn't even know how to pray! For Eid namaaz and or jummah namaaz I'd make up the namaaz as I went along, astagfurullah. I didn't know much about Islam, nor did I care for it.

My Imaan was at its weakest it had ever been...up until June 2011 when I had a very very bad motorcycle accident and was left critically ill and in hospital for 6 weeks. My friend, who was sitting behind me on the motorbike had passed away and it was during that time that I had awoken to the light of Islam. To Allahs call. I woke up and realised what I had been doing wrong all my life and Alhamdulilah, I realised the error of my ways and I'm slowly, trying to make ammends for it. I've still got a massive way to go but Insha'Allah my imaan will increase, my sins will decrease and I'll live my life following the sunnah.

BUT,

Before my accident, why was my imaan so weak? Why could I not even do Wudhu properly? Why did I pretend and go along with 'fake' namaaz? Why is it I can't read a single letter of Arabic? I was out of touch with Islam and out of touch with my beliefs completely. Shaytaan had me under the thumb. Zina was the one thing that I couldn't resist committing.

My mosque, from a young age left me running AWAY from Islam. I hated everyday at mosque. I hated the beats that you'd get for doing anything wrong. It was instilled in me that Islam is a cruel religion. Run away from pain, from being humiliated in front of your friends for not learning your sub'ak etc. They taught me NOTHING in terms of why we fast, why we celebrate the birthday of rasool'Allah saww or even what any part of the Quran meant. I was muslim by name yes, but I knew nothing about Islam.

I'm annoyed. I'm frustrated. I'm upset. Why did it come to me nearly dying for me to wake up and see Islam in the way that I should always have viewed it? Why didn't I see the signs of Islam before my accident?

So I'm slowly trying to learn the Islam that my mosque never taught me and never taught most my friends. Why are the youth of Islam so out of touch? This is something that needs to be fixed. I never had any english speaking moulana's at the mosque to converse with, to confide in, to learn from and thus is the new generations biggest problem.

/Rant over.

[aliyaa]

we shouldnt celebrate the birthday of Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW . its Bidah to do tht

[Aram]

it was the same with my masjid...but think about it...they have you for what 2 hours a day? and in this time they teach you to read Quran at the least..their teaching methods are a sham but most kids do leave at least knowing how to read Quran (even if tajweed is not on point)

Most of these things which you were not taught are not just the responsibility of the masjid...it is the responsibility of parents to teach their kids right from wrong...to teach them what it means to be Muslims...to make sure they pray etc

Don't dwell on the past now as its not something you can change...learn your salah properly, learn fiqh of wudhu ghusl etc...make tawbah from past sins...try attending islamic events..selwyn road masjid seems to be quite active and have good events for youth to attend

[Ahmed]

Salaam brothers and sisters.

I write this post as my first of Insha'Allah many and I'd like to start of with a warning. This is a bit of a rant against life, against my past, against my mosque, against my failings in life...bear with me.

My background is from Azad Kashmir. I've lived in east London all my life and my mosque is Sultan Bahu Trust, in Upton Park E13. (Anyone know it?)
I am a Sunni Hanafi, brelvi (i think!) and we also follow Ahle Sunnat Wal Jam'aat. My Qiblah Peer saab is Pir-o-Murshid Sultan Fiaz-ul-Hassan Sarwari Qadri.

Up until last year, I was one big sinner. Not so much drinking/drugs but more Zina. I had very very very little faith in Islam and would never pray. I didn't even know how to pray! For Eid namaaz and or jummah namaaz I'd make up the namaaz as I went along, astagfurullah. I didn't know much about Islam, nor did I care for it.

My Imaan was at its weakest it had ever been...up until June 2011 when I had a very very bad motorcycle accident and was left critically ill and in hospital for 6 weeks. My friend, who was sitting behind me on the motorbike had passed away and it was during that time that I had awoken to the light of Islam. To Allahs call. I woke up and realised what I had been doing wrong all my life and Alhamdulilah, I realised the error of my ways and I'm slowly, trying to make ammends for it. I've still got a massive way to go but Insha'Allah my imaan will increase, my sins will decrease and I'll live my life following the sunnah.

BUT,

Before my accident, why was my imaan so weak? Why could I not even do Wudhu properly? Why did I pretend and go along with 'fake' namaaz? Why is it I can't read a single letter of Arabic? I was out of touch with Islam and out of touch with my beliefs completely. Shaytaan had me under the thumb. Zina was the one thing that I couldn't resist committing.

My mosque, from a young age left me running AWAY from Islam. I hated everyday at mosque. I hated the beats that you'd get for doing anything wrong. It was instilled in me that Islam is a cruel religion. Run away from pain, from being humiliated in front of your friends for not learning your sub'ak etc. They taught me NOTHING in terms of why we fast, why we celebrate the birthday of rasool'Allah saww or even what any part of the Quran meant. I was muslim by name yes, but I knew nothing about Islam.

I'm annoyed. I'm frustrated. I'm upset. Why did it come to me nearly dying for me to wake up and see Islam in the way that I should always have viewed it? Why didn't I see the signs of Islam before my accident?

So I'm slowly trying to learn the Islam that my mosque never taught me and never taught most my friends. Why are the youth of Islam so out of touch? This is something that needs to be fixed. I never had any english speaking moulana's at the mosque to converse with, to confide in, to learn from and thus is the new generations biggest problem.

/Rant over.

brother ,allah is calling you
he made an event in your life by which you turned to him
now inshallah if you go to the right channels with the right efforts you will benefit and go forward inshallah
the sins of the past are forgiven through sincere taubah and are turned in to rewards

heres a brother from london giving much benefit to the youth

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc....0.j1YuEXIoVMI

[Anybody]

Bismillah Ir-Rehman Ir-Raheem

Assalam-Alaikum Brother Fahim:

May Allah guide you and me to the Straight Path, and have our hearts never waiver from the Truth.

Brother, Subhanallah, how merciful Allah is that He allowed you to recover your bearings and guided you back to Islam.

O, my Brother, not only you but many youth of our time face the problem of not having the proper access or resources to learn Islam. Brother, I apologize that our society failed you, but Insha-Allah, Brother, you can be the beacon for your friends and other youth that are still heedless.

Brother, no matter what has happened, please move forward, as I do not want your past to drag you down from your potential and what you want to be in the future. Brother, in everything is a lesson and a test for us; so, Insha-Allah, everything leading up to the moment of the accident led you back to what you are meant to do with your life. Don't lose sight of that, Brother; also, Brother, my own story may benefit you to see that you are not alone: my partial story in post #128 and the detailed story in post #20.

Brother, I humbly request you to take the time, at your convenience and leisure, to watch these videos as they will Insha-Allah benefit you and your iman:

Divine Speech Prologue 1

Divine Speech Prologue 2

Reliance on Allah: The Cure For An Ummah in Crisis

Islam and Ego

Dr. Lawrence Brown’s Story

The Price of Sincerity

Brother, there is a wealth of knowledge from which to learn, but these videos Insha-Allah are simply a good starting point, and Allah knows best.

Thank you, Brother, for taking the time to write out your story; I appreciated you sharing it, and Brother, please continue to share it with others so that they may also benefit from your reminder and warning.



If I have said anything that is good and true, it is from Allah, and anything other than that is my own mistake.

[The Fake Shaykh]

Brother Fahim, there is a good event happening near where you live, it will take place at the lmc centre (next to east london masjid)

Most of the speakers are from the UK and are UK born.

The event is on : MONDAY 25TH JUNE 2012, 6pm - 9.30pm

The speakers will be:
Ustadh Muhammad Abdul Jabbar, Shaykh Zahir Mahmood, Shaykh Rafiq Sufi, Shaykh Abdur Raheem Limbada, Shaykh Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf, Shaykh Ouwais Data (South Africa), Shaykh Hasan Ali, Special Guest:Shaykh Zahid Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda :[Eldest Son of One of the Greatest Scholars of the Last Century: Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda (ra)]

This will be a very good event to attend, why dont you insha'allah come down to it.

[fahimchaudhry]

we shouldnt celebrate the birthday of Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW . its Bidah to do tht

I'd rather not get into all that to be honest. I'm not knowledgeable enough at the moment to even give you an answer as to why we celebrate the prophets death, but thanks for your opinion.

it was the same with my masjid...but think about it...they have you for what 2 hours a day? and in this time they teach you to read Quran at the least..their teaching methods are a sham but most kids do leave at least knowing how to read Quran (even if tajweed is not on point)

Most of these things which you were not taught are not just the responsibility of the masjid...it is the responsibility of parents to teach their kids right from wrong...to teach them what it means to be Muslims...to make sure they pray etc

Don't dwell on the past now as its not something you can change...learn your salah properly, learn fiqh of wudhu ghusl etc...make tawbah from past sins...try attending islamic events..selwyn road masjid seems to be quite active and have good events for youth to attend

Insha'Allah I will learn how to do everything properly now. I've already started learning a lot of the basics like salah, wudhu, ghusl etc and will continue to read up. I'm currently preparing myself for Ramadan with 'beginners guide to Ramadan'.

You mention Selwyn road mosque, but therein lies another problem. My dad (and all my uncles for that matter) would rather I DIDNT go mosque at all than go to Selwyn road mosque. I remember once, rather than going Al-Hira for Jummah, I wanted to go Selwyn with a friend. So off I went, prayed (or tried to) and came back home. Later that night my uncle came round and asked me ''I didn't see you at masjid today, did you come?''. I knew where this was heading. I owned up to going to Selwyn and my dad was not happy in the slightest! 'Wahabi mosque!!'...

I don't want to get into a discussion about wahabi's/sunnis and everything thats Bid'ah at the moment, as at first I need to establish myself before I can delve into more deeper Islam and school of thoughts etc. Right now I'll stick to my fathers wishes and read at a Jammia masjid. Thank you though.

brother ,allah is calling you
he made an event in your life by which you turned to him
now inshallah if you go to the right channels with the right efforts you will benefit and go forward inshallah
the sins of the past are forgiven through sincere taubah and are turned in to rewards

heres a brother from london giving much benefit to the youth

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc....0.j1YuEXIoVMI

Thank you for the reply and the video playlist link. I'll be sure to watch them soon Insha'Allah.

Bismillah Ir-Rehman Ir-Raheem

Assalam-Alaikum Brother Fahim:

May Allah guide you and me to the Straight Path, and have our hearts never waiver from the Truth.

Brother, Subhanallah, how merciful Allah is that He allowed you to recover your bearings and guided you back to Islam.

O, my Brother, not only you but many youth of our time face the problem of not having the proper access or resources to learn Islam. Brother, I apologize that our society failed you, but Insha-Allah, Brother, you can be the beacon for your friends and other youth that are still heedless.

If I have said anything that is good and true, it is from Allah, and anything other than that is my own mistake.

Jazak'Allah Sister Anybody for your wonderful kind words. Really touched me. Also I had a good read through your posts and enjoyed every minute of it. It was nice to read someone elses take on Islam and how you entered Islam. You seem extremely well spoken..some words I hadn't heard before in my life! Mash'Allah!

Brother Fahim, there is a good event happening near where you live, it will take place at the lmc centre (next to east london masjid)

Most of the speakers are from the UK and are UK born.

The event is on : MONDAY 25TH JUNE 2012, 6pm - 9.30pm

The speakers will be:
Ustadh Muhammad Abdul Jabbar, Shaykh Zahir Mahmood, Shaykh Rafiq Sufi, Shaykh Abdur Raheem Limbada, Shaykh Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf, Shaykh Ouwais Data (South Africa), Shaykh Hasan Ali, Special Guest:Shaykh Zahid Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda :[Eldest Son of One of the Greatest Scholars of the Last Century: Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda (ra)]

This will be a very good event to attend, why dont you insha'allah come down to it.

Thanks for the offer. Insha'Allah if I can get someone to take me (and someone to hold my hand) then I would love to come. I can't currently drive myself thanks to a multitude of injuries, but I will definitely be interested in this.

[a.s.]

Brother Fahim, there is a good event happening near where you live, it will take place at the lmc centre (next to east london masjid)

Most of the speakers are from the UK and are UK born.

The event is on : MONDAY 25TH JUNE 2012, 6pm - 9.30pm

The speakers will be:
Ustadh Muhammad Abdul Jabbar, Shaykh Zahir Mahmood, Shaykh Rafiq Sufi, Shaykh Abdur Raheem Limbada, Shaykh Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf, Shaykh Ouwais Data (South Africa), Shaykh Hasan Ali, Special Guest:Shaykh Zahid Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda :[Eldest Son of One of the Greatest Scholars of the Last Century: Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda (ra)]

This will be a very good event to attend, why dont you insha'allah come down to it.

Oh my God! These are some of the best Islamic Speakers ever! I wish I lived in London.

Brother Fahim, I strongly encourage you to go to this event.

[Aram]

Insha'Allah I will learn how to do everything properly now. I've already started learning a lot of the basics like salah, wudhu, ghusl etc and will continue to read up. I'm currently preparing myself for Ramadan with 'beginners guide to Ramadan'.

You mention Selwyn road mosque, but therein lies another problem. My dad (and all my uncles for that matter) would rather I DIDNT go mosque at all than go to Selwyn road mosque. I remember once, rather than going Al-Hira for Jummah, I wanted to go Selwyn with a friend. So off I went, prayed (or tried to) and came back home. Later that night my uncle came round and asked me ''I didn't see you at masjid today, did you come?''. I knew where this was heading. I owned up to going to Selwyn and my dad was not happy in the slightest! 'Wahabi mosque!!'...

I don't want to get into a discussion about wahabi's/sunnis and everything thats Bid'ah at the moment, as at first I need to establish myself before I can delve into more deeper Islam and school of thoughts etc. Right now I'll stick to my fathers wishes and read at a Jammia masjid. Thank you though.

lol @ wahabbi...i used to get told that aswell...when you ask them what exactly is a wahabbi they dont really know but khair stick to your own mosque for now

i really recommend the following 2 shaykhs for you as you can probably relate to them as they have good experience with the youth and know about what goes on in their lifes so they can talk to youth on their level

shaykh Abdul Majid http://youtu.be/iwDK-dh2xkw

and

Shaykh Zahir Mahmood http://youtu.be/asQuMZ4TsG8

they have lots of good talks on youtube which you may find helpful inshaAllah...may Allah azza wa jal make things easy for you and continue to guide you...Aameen