It is related by Abdullah bin Abbas that the Apostle of God said: “Even if a man possesses two fields and two forests full of worldly goods, he will like to have a third, and man’s belly will get filled up only with earth [i.e., his insatiable appetite for wealth will end only in the grave], and God shows compassion to the bondsman who turns his face towards Him.”
Bukhari and Muslim

Commentary:- Excessive desire for wealth is a common human failing to the extent that if a man’s fields and forests are overflowing with riches he will still not be satisfied and go on wanting an increase in them till the last moment of his life.

Fondness for wealth ends only with death. There is a special favour of the Lord on those who make Him, and not the material world, the object of their adoration. God grants them contentment and they lead a happy and peaceful life here in this world too.

Related posts:

1. Wealth

London: Gay nightclub owner slammed for Muslim boycott

Community leaders have slammed XXL club owner Mark Ames today after he vowed to boycott British Muslims.

The London nightclub entrepreneur promised to snub Muslim-owned businesses in response to racial unrest in East London. He also tried to justify his decision by reference to the death toll of British troops in Afghanistan, which has risen above 300.

He wrote on Facebook: “From today I will be boycotting any shops, petrol stations restaurants or businesses I know are owned by Muslims this also includes holidays to muslim [sic] countries today see [sic] our death toll up to 300, so why the hell are we not just flying this scum back out to there beloved states and pull out and let them fight out there [sic] own issues!”

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

PinkPaper.com has repeatedly invited Ames to speak to us but he has refused saying he has already been “tried and convicted” and adding, in an email to us, “i [sic] dont [sic] want to see anyone race or creed [sic] being kicked out of the country.”

There is no suggestion that others involved in XXL club share his views but one representative did say they would be supporting his right to freedom of speech.

Now, leading members of London’s gay community have criticised his original comments.

Ali Hili of IraqiLGBT said: “I don’t think it’s acceptable from anyone, especially someone with a high profile. This is especially when the people he’s talking about could be deported to a country which, in turn, may cause them harm. I am in this country because I have fear for my life and I still face discrimination – even here.”

Royston Ford, secretary of gay group Imaan, agrees: “If he [Mark Ames] holds the views attributed to him, he has shown himself to be a rather unpleasant, but unrepresentative example of the LGBT community in London and further afield.

“Whilst racist and Islamophobic views like this do exist amongst a minority of LGBT people, he is not representative of the majority of fair-minded and decent people. If Mr Ames chooses – whilst most of are preparing to celebrate the diversity of our communities in Pride 2010 – to descend into his own gay shame, then that is his loss.

“He is as representative of LGBT people as the drug-peddling, murdering gangsters of Afghanistan are representative of ordinary Muslims – whether gay, straight, in this country or elsewhere. Imaan, and LGBT Muslims are preparing to celebrate Pride 2010 with our brothers and sisters of all communities, both in the parade and with events in London and in Bradford. We suggest Mr Ames is best ignored.”

(…)

And Joseph was worried that the comments would make gay Muslims feel unwelcome at XXL.

“Gay Muslims are a minority amongst a minority and we should be supporting them,” he said. I hope gay Muslims stand up against what he says because their voice isn’t heard enough in this country. I would say boycott XXL if you support gay Muslims.”

However, some PinkPaper.com readers have backed Ames. In response to our exclusive yesterday, one forum user wrote: “whats the big deal? [sic] and why does a phoney pc liberal, pink paper [sic] reader find it disturbing? the reader should be more disturbed by the evil persecution and hate murder on a par to genocide of lgbt people in islamic states.” [sic]

(more)

Source: PinkPaper

Italy: Islam in the heartland of Christianity

The creator of the documentary ”L’islam nel Cuore della Cristianita’. Musulmani d’Italia” (Islam in the heartland of Christianity. Italy’s Moslems) is neither a Moslem nor an Italian. Cameroonian, Jivis Tegno has been living in Italy for eighteen years, has two degrees and is now a multimedial publisher.

The 119-minute documentary took six years’ work, involving shooting all over the country, visits to 112 mosques, conversations with imams and politicians, intellectuals and some of the exponents of the world of Islam better known to the media. The author also plans to edit a shorter version of the DVD with translated texts for the Arab countries from whence many of Italys Moslem immigrants originate.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

In the West, ”Moslems can now be numbered in their millions. We have no choice but to find out how our neighbours think and how they live. And you cannot talk of Islam only when some crime has been committed or in connection with terrorism, or just debate the use of the veil. This is my small contribution to bringing out into the open something that we do not particularly want to see, but which is nonetheless a reality.”

And from his own position as a foreign immigrant to Italy, he adds that he thinks he has achieved this ”from a more neutral viewpoint: it would be more difficult for an Italian to speak of Moslems without criminalising them”.

The documentary covers a broad panorama: starting from the life of Mohammed, it opens with images of the Vatican – the Heartland of Christianity -. It roams from Italy’s capital city to Catania, from Padua to Perugia, and tackles all of the issues that are destined to remain burning ones for some time to come: from pluralism of voices of Italy’s Moslem community (numbering around one and a half million) to the suitability of its places of worship, the long-awaited law on religious freedom, the question of the Understanding with Italy for which the community is still unable to get off the ground and which is also linked to accessing public funding.

(…)

Although, six months after its release – as Tegno points out – it does not appear to have aroused anybody’s interest. Maybe Italians just aren’t interested in Islam in Italy? ”I don’t think so: it’s more that there is a problem within Italy’s media system”. And above all, ”in Italy, there is a wall: it doesn’t matter how good you are, if you don’t know anybody, if you don’t get the tip, you just never get over that wall”.

(more)

Source: ANSAmed

Brussels: Killed the first Moroccan he saw

The Brussels prosecutors asked the correctional court to intern (in a mental hospital) Allan D., in his thirties. the man stabbed a Moroccan stranger at the Brussels Zuid station on January 2, 2010. He admitted during his arrest that he did it out of racist motives, and added that he had originally intended to attack more victims. The man is asking for a harsh prison sentence.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

It is not the first time that Allan D. gets in trouble with the police. In 2004 he was interned for arson. “When in was released in 2009, it seemed to go better for him,” says his lawyer, Saskia Kerkhofs. “”He had an apartment and a job. But soon that changed because he had problems with his home-owner and neighbors.”

Those people, all of them of Moroccan origin, increased D.’s delusion that all problems in his life were caused by foreigners. When on January 1st he got into a fight with a group of immigrants in Brussel Zuid station, his fuse blew. “A day later he went again to the station with a knife, and attacked the the first Moroccan he met,” according to the prosecution. “Surveillance cameras recorded how he twice thrust the knife into the man’s back and walked away.”

According to the court psychiatrist, the man is insane and should be interned, but D. doesn’t want that. The court will pronounce judgment on June 30th.

Source: HLN (Dutch)

Norway: Sharia courts a possibility

In the UK, local Sharia councils have been operating for many years, but in 2007 the Muslim Arbitration Tribunals (MAT) were established. Recognized by the UK’s justice ministry and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Sharia councils were officially allowed to judge in civil – not criminal – cases, based on the British Arbitration Act of 1996. They judge cases relating to economy, divorce, domestic violence, inheritance and forced marriage – with the framework of British law.

“It’s probable that this will exist in Norway. It wouldn’t surprise me if it already exists. Imams counsel Muslims today, and it’s natural that they use Sharia because it’s the legal tradition they’re accustomed to,” says director Tor Langbach of the Courts Administration.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

In the spring he visited the Muslim Arbitration Tribunals in London. There more and more Muslims solve conflicts using Islamic law instead of going to British courts. The headquarters are in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford and Nuneaton. MAT say they’re working on setting up a new branch in Scotland. Currently they have not received inquiries from Norway, but were visited by Muslims from both Belgium and the Netherlands.

On their website, MAT assures that they offer ‘a real and true opportunity to settle disputes in accordance with Islamic Sacred Law with the knowledge that the outcome as determined by MAT will be binding and enforceable’. This requires that both parties want it.

The critics fear parallel legal systems. They think that women are at risk of being pressured by their family or others in their community to solve conflicts via the Sharia council instead of British law, because women end up more badly than men in Islamic legislation. Women, for example, inherit half of what men do. Divorce isn’t as easy for women to obtain.

Norwegian imams use also much of their time giving counsel, says Senaid Kobilica, head of the Islamic Council of Norway (IRN), and chief imam of the Bosnian community. The imams that Aftenposten spoke to can see Sharia councils like those in the UK – within the framework of Norwegian law.

Ten years ago Islam expert Kari Vogt wrote in the book “Islam in Norwegian” (Islam på norsk) that the question isn’t whether Islamic law is applied, but how, by whom and in which cases. According to Vogt, the IRN took the initiative to set up Sharia councils in Norway, but the time wasn’t ripe.

Senaid Kobilica says that the IRN didn’t consider the matter in principle nor taken a position on an eventual mandate or guidelines for such a body. He stresses that it would eventuality have to harmonize with Norwegian law.

He thinks that the British system is in reality not different than the counseling and mediation bodies which can also function as arbitration bodies if both parties want it to.

Kobilica says that such mediation bodies could systemize and ensure the quality of the work which is already being done by the mosques.

The Moroccan Faith-Society and the World Islamic Mission (WIM) say that Sharia councils per the British models are the way to go, but they stress that Norwegian law must have the last word. The imam in Minhaj-Ul-Quran, Sadagat Ali, can also see Sharia councils. Imam Najeeb Naz of WIM points out that Sharia enjoins Muslims to respect the laws of the country in which they live.

“For me as a Muslim in Norway, it’s Norwegian law which applies, but we should take Sharia into account,” says Jamal Moussaoui, head of the Moroccan Faith-Society.

Norwegian judges and courts also increasingly note that Sharia is an important part of the life of Muslims. PhD student Katja Jansen Fredriksen of Bergen reviewed cases which went through the Norwegian legal system.

“Sharia is resorted to in Norwegian law today too. In Norwegian court decisions, especially in family cases, I see that Muslims argue in the same way in Norwegian courts as they would in Sharia courts in Muslim countries.”

For example, the judge, in order to invalidate a forced marriage, has to know if the marriage was entered into legally in the country where the marriage ceremony was performed. Fredriksen wanted to create a guide to Sharia for Norwegian judges.

Source: Aftenposten (Norwegian)

Noway: Krekar press conference tapes published

Last week Mullah Krekar held a press conference for the foreign press in Norway. The foreign press were expected to ask their questions in Norwegian while Krekar answered in Arabic via translator.

Norwegian broadcaster NRK and Aftenposten both published a translation/summary of Krekar’s statements. NRK’s is an independent translation. The Norwegian security service is meanwhile working on getting a full transcript.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

The press conference was divided into several segments, which were posted online. The following is based on both summaries, and is probably a bit out of order. I might update the post as more quotes are published.

———

Part 1: Krekar feels unjustly treated

Krekar arrives at the pres conference and thanks those who are there for their interest in his case.

He say that he doesn’t wish to have contact with the Norwegian media because he thinks that he didn’t receive any sympathy from them.

Krekar also tells of how he feels unjustly treated by the Norwegian state and deprived of his rights, that he’s been attacked six times, but was never convicted though he’d been charged more than 40 times.

Part 2: Krekar tells of his Norwegian enemies and threatens Erna Solberg

Here Krekar tells of the three enemies he has in Norway: the political right wing, the intelligence service and the media. He also says who he thinks was behind the shooting at his apartment. Krekar thinks it was the Kurds, though nobody was suspected or arrested after the shooting.

He then threatens Erna Solberg. To the question of what he thinks might be the consequences if he’s deported from Norway, Krekar answers:

“My death will cost Norwegian society. Erna Solberg says Mullah Krekar should be deported from Norway and thrown to his death. Then she must pay a high price. Whoever takes her life, I don’t know. It can be Ansar al-Islam, al-Qaeda, my children or relatives. But she will pay the price regardless.”

To a direct question on whether the threat means that somebody will come to Norway and kill the person or persons responsible, Krekar answers:

“I say this with full awareness: if I die, the person who’s the cause of it will suffer the same.”

Q: You mean that somebody will be sent from Norway or abroad to kill?

“I don’t know how. I don’t have a plan for this, but my supporters won’t let this pass so easily.”

He ends by saying that his life isn’t hopeless.

“Had it been, then I would have carried out a suicide attack myself,” says Krekar.

Part 3: Krekar tells of the attack on the apartment, and his own backgrund – his wife has both the man’s and woman’s role at home

He explains why he thinks it wasn’t Arabs or Westerners, but rather Kurds, who were behind the shooting.

Krekar also boasts of the police efforts in the initial part of the investigation after the attack against him.

Krekar also speaks of his background, education, work, his interest in languages and books, that he’d read over 4,000 books and wrote over 40 books.

Also also says that he headed a party which was bigger than the Conservative Party, then he tells of how his wife has both the man’s and woman’s roles at home, since he doesn’t work and earn money.

In this clip he also tells of how he wanted to move to Cuba and become a communist and why he praises Osama bin Laden.

“People praise sports stars, the Jews praise Sharon, why shouldn’t we Muslims get to praise bin Laden?” Krekar asked rhetorically.

“One of the good things with Islam is that we describe things as they are. My description of Osama bin Laden is based on who Osama bin Laden is, a good, brave, Muslim and just man.”

“The West pesters us with Palestine, hijab and the cartoons, so we can get even by speaking about bin Laden, to give them a lesson and pester them a bit.”

After the hour and a half long meeting with the foriegn press in Norway, Krekar also defende his right to praise bin Laden.

“It’s not to provoke. It’s also not to provoke when Norway gives Obama the peace prize. You say your opinion, we say our opinion.”

Part 4: Krekar wished to go on the ship which were going to Gaza with aid

Here Krekar answers why he as a Muslim wanted to participate in the convoy with relief items which was supposed to go to Gaza.

Krekar says he wanted to participated in fighting against the Jews with his own teeth.

He tells also of why he went back to North-Iraq several times in the past few years, the same area he escaped from.

Part 5: Krekar talks about living in Norway and about his family. He says that Norwegian soldiers can be killed, but he doesn’t support terror attacks against civilians.

Here Krekar speaks again about the attack against his apartment.

“I think that the first attempt was well planned. It it will be repeated, it will be more difficult, because out opponents know that we’re watching out better than before.”

Krekar that those who attacked failed, and that nobody will succeed in getting him as long as the Norwegian state is not part of the planning. [ed: this means that Norway is now officially on notice as being responsible for his life, since if he dies, it must be Norway's fault]

Q: But a Palestinian in Norway was killed by the Mossad without the Norwegian state being involved?

“Everything is possible. I think the relationship between Norway and Israel is different than teh relationship between Norway and the PUK.”

Q: Are you afraid they will succeed?

“I am not afraid, but am more careful now.”

Krekar got questions on how he would have reacted if one of his children said they wanted to marry a Western non-Muslim.

“(laughter) I have four children. Two of them are married, so I hope I’ll avoid getting into this situation. For boys it’s not a problem marrying non-Muslims, but we try to maintain our traditions, our culture and our religion.”

“My children will get to like like youth here, as I’ve lived as a youth in my country. I will not interfere in their way of life, they’re good in school and make their own choices.”

“Two of my children are studying to be doctors, one is studying Arabic and media and the youngest was born here in Norway and says “Pappa, I want to be like Ronaldo”. I feel most sorry for him. He was seven when my case came up in court and he had fellow students coming with a newspaper to school with a picture of me and called me a terrorist.”

Q: What happens with you when you become sick, as you don’t have social security?

“I must be patient, as I was when I was in Kurdistan. I had a toothache for over two months before I found somebody I could trust to help me. Therefore I’ve become better at watching what I eat.”

Q: Have you tried making contact with Norwegian politicians to tell them of the situation you’re in?

“I think my case is well known. My laws tried to get to several solutions without success.

Q: What do you do during the day, since you can’t work?

“I know several languages and teach in Arabic and Kurdish. Many want to learn it. I like to read and am on the internet a lot.

Q: The Norwegian government wants Krekar deported, what did they take away his passport?

“(Laughter) It’s a joke. You give me the passport, I can travel out again and be killed in Mosul or wherever. But this isn’t just a case for Norway, it’s become a European case. They deport me, all of Europe will react. But what’s strange is that while I sit here Norwegian women are giving out Bibles in Afghanistan.”

Q: What do you think of the American government that wants you extradited?

“They’re lying, they have a document that shows that Krekar isn’t a problem in the US. I’m not wanted there, give me a visa and I’ll go there voluntarily. But because of my beard they will arrest me and take me to the US as a prisoner and not as a free man.”

Q: Are you still on the UN’s terror list?

“Yes I am. Two days after I was acquitted in Norway, I was blacklisted. They tried to pressure Norway, but they didn’t have enough to get me imprisoned. The legal system understood that it was a political game.”

Q: Are you thankful to be in Norway?

“Naturally I am grateful for getting to come to Norway”

Krekar was then asked what he thinks should happen to Norwegian soldiers in Iraq.

“Today it’s not Norwegians in Iraq, but anybody who contributed to occupying Iraq you can kill. If you were a Norwegian soldier and you went abroad it’s naturally right that you can be killed. Every day when I speak with people on the phone I answer “you have a right to kill the Americans. You don’t have a weapon, then throw your shoe at them and at all those who support the occupation in Iraq.”

As for Afghanistan:

“And naturally, if you are a Norwegian in Meymaneh or Faryab where the Norwegian soldiers are, it’s obviously proper to kill you.”

Q: Do you support terror attacks in the US?

“I don’t support any actions that kill civilians. It’s only allowed to kill in a war zone.”

Q: Do you know of Islam Net and their recruiting?

“No, I don’t know of them. I don’t have contact with mosques or Muslim organizations in Norway.”

Krekar was asked whether he regrets anything he said or did in Norway.

To that Krekar answered that he doesn’t regret anything, because he thinks he didn’t wrong anyone.

Krekar was also asked why he came to Norway as a refugee if it’s so bad here.

“I didn’t choose to come to Norway,” says Krekar and points out he was registered by the UN and that they were the one who decided to send him to Norway.

Sources: NRK, Aftenposten 1, 2 (Norwegian)

Germany: Memoirs of a German Jihadi

Links to the memoirs were posted online on German-language Jihadi forums.

————

It is a document from the heart of the jihad: Eric Breininger, a German homegrown terrorist recently killed in Pakistan, worked on his memoirs until just days before his death. On Wednesday, the document was posted on the Internet.

“So much is written and said about me, with my given name Eric Breininger. The Internet and the media are full of it, but most of it is made up and lies.”

So begin the memoirs of Eric Breininger, the German jihadist who was killed by Pakistani soldiers in the border region of Waziristan at the end of April. His autobiography was posted on the Internet on Wednesday.

Right from the first pages, it seems as though Breininger, who went by the name Abdul Gaffar Almani, knew that death was near. “Even as this work is being composed, I am not sure that it will ever be completed, as we find ourselves at war.” The appendix, written by a comrade, makes it clear that Breininger worked on his memoirs until just a few days prior to his death.

Breininger called his memoirs “My Path to Jenna,” using the Arabic word for “paradise.” And it is an impressive document, offering a detailed look into militant jihadism. It is an account of the day-to-day life of radical Islamists fighting in the Hindu Kush and an intimate look at the thoughts of a radical who is certain he is in the right.

Breininger was an associate of the so-called Sauerland Cell, a group of German radicals who plotted to bomb US targets in Germany in 2007. Confessions from that group have provided an excellent source for insights into German jihadists fighting in the border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Breininger’s autobiography sheds even more light on their activities and thoughts.

A Sweeping Document

The authenticity of the document has not yet been verified, but there are many indications that it is genuine. It was posted on a well-known Jihadist website and the appendix includes a photo allegedly of Breininger’s corpse. Furthermore, the document includes details that could only be known by Breininger and which are partially confirmed by other sources.

Still, there is room for doubt. The text is relatively clean and well-written and includes numerous footnotes — a departure from the somewhat sloppy style of the propaganda videos Breininger made for the Islamic Jihad Union. German security officials are currently evaluating the text. One possible explanation for the more professional style is that it could have been narrated by Breininger but taken down by a second party. Nevertheless, it is seen as likely that the text originates with the German jihadist — thus making it a document of great interest for German intelligence.

It is a sweeping document that Breininger has left behind. It starts with his first existential questions as a teenager and his initial meetings with a devout Muslim, who eventually convinced him to convert. It provides a look at his rapid radicalization, his path to the battlefield and his residence in the house occupied by a suicide bomber brigade. It includes scenes from his participation in battles against the “kuffar,” the infidels.

“I had only been in Islam for four months,” he wrote of the final weeks of his life in Germany in the summer of 2007. “Still, I knew my duty. I wanted to join the jihad…. We followed the events which were unfolding in the regions of jihad and watched films of mujahedeen battling the crusaders…. Hate of the kuffar grew in me,” he writes.

(…)

Just how rambling and radical Breininger is, despite his efforts in the book to appear thoughtful, becomes apparent in the last passage of his memoirs. The children present in the group’s camp would, he writes, “with Allah’s permission,” become “a very special group of terrorists that appear in no database or list created by the enemies of Allah. They would speak the language of the enemy, they would know their customs and traditions and because of their appearance could easily disguise themselves and thus easily infiltrate the countries of the kuffar … where they could carry out one operation after another against the enemies of Allah and sow terror in their hearts.”

It marks the end of a long path from a German youth trying to find his way — one who went to parties, drank alcohol and had a girlfriend. Breininger writes at the beginning of his autobiography, “I lived exactly the kind of life that every young person in the West wants to live. But I couldn’t see any meaning.”

Despite being full of pseudo-religious passages penned primarily for propaganda purposes, Breininger’s memoirs are important for the insight they provide into a world that would otherwise be difficult to understand. But one question remains unanswered: Why the jihad represents an answer to the search for meaning in life. Breininger’s death, his comrades write in the appendix, came after being fired on by soldiers. He was hit by several bullets, they write.

The day after the battle, the mujahedeen retrieved his body and laid him to rest.

(more)

Source: Spiegel (English)

Today, Hijab Style brings you an exclusive interview with the founder of online retailer Amirah Fashions. Not only that, but read on for your chance to win a beautiful hijab pin too!

Jana: Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to start Amirah fashions?

Zainab: My name is Zainab I’m a revert to Islam of 10 years. I’ve been interested in fashion & textiles all my life. I’ve been designing in some form or other since the age of 10, and sewing since the age of 13; starting out on my bedroom floor and using my great grandmother’s machine! I’ve studied and even taught fashion & textiles; to be fair I can’t really do much else, this is my passion!

Becoming a Muslim at 16 was a really big learning curve in the clothing department. The change in my image was huge but not instant like some reverts, but lets just say every day I became a little more modest, until at the age of 18 when I was a full-time jilbab-wearing hijabi. After that another problem arose, having to find something out there I’d actually want to wear. Bearing in mind this was 10 years ago, there was no choice like there is now. Being a Fashion & textile student I just started to create my own jilbabs in my own style. Before long I had many sisters admiring my work and the constant question of ‘Sister where did you get your Jilbab from?’. So to cut a long story short, I started Amirah Fashions just over 2 years ago, creating styles for the UK market. We started off small, but alhamdulillah have expanded at a very fast rate and now sell worldwide.

Jana: What have been your most popular items?

Zainab: The most popular items are always our exclusive jilbabs that sell out very fast! As we only ever stock limited quantities of the each jilbab, most customers will never see the same one on another sister, which people really love as it gives them a unique style. Our brooches always sell very well too, as you can always bring life to an old outfit with some sparkle. Also, Muslimahs have become more adventurous with their hijab styles and the brooch is always a great hijab styling tool!

Jana: What difficulties do you face as an online retailer?

Zainab: There are two major issues I have found difficult as a online retailer. One being that there’s nothing like getting your hands on a garment to feel the fabric. We have an endless number of customers complementing our fabric that no photo will do justice to. Once sisters buy one item and get to see, and of course feel the fabric, they keep coming back. We do offer samples of fabric to customers upon request.

The second major problem is that some still fear Internet shopping, it almost scares some of our older customers, but when they’ve done it once there’s just no stopping them! We have a very secure site using HSBC card processing and safe page. I still believe that as an online retailer I have a much larger opportunity to reach the masses. I mean if I were a shop in a small town my designs wouldn’t be worn by sisters in America, Australia or Singapore, so there are many pros and cons to this business.

Jana: Do you seek to cater exclusively to a UK market, and if so how do you think this differs from other countries?

Zainab: At first we did cater exclusively to the UK market and always listened to what the sisters in the UK wanted in a jilbab/abaya. But there were many requests from sisters in other Western countries to make Amirah fashions available worldwide. So when we re-launched the company at the beginning of last year we decided to go worldwide and have never looked back since.

The main differences in the UK market, and our other largest market, the US, is that the UK customers tend to stick to more muted colours like blacks, browns or beiges with a hint of colour. However, the sisters in the US always go for our bolder items. But as it warms up in the UK, the demand for colour always goes up too!

Jana: What do you hope to achieve in the future?

Zainab: We would like to continue growing at the pace we have the last two years inshallah, we have introduced many new product lines since we started which we wish to continue, What id really like to see is a major fashion show of Islamic designers in the UK; I’d love to be a part of something like that! It would be great to see all the companyies under one roof giving that choice to Muslim women, especially the youth, that I didn’t have as a new Muslim.

And now for the mini-giveaway!

We’re giving you the chance to win a beautiful Bahira Hijab Clip (Pink), from the Gems of Amsanala’af range at Amirah Fashions. To be in with a chance of winning, you must do two things:

1. Visit the Amirah Fashions website and sign up to their newsletter (left hand side bar).

2. E-mail in your full name and city with ‘Amirah Fashions Giveaway’ in the subject line to hijabstyle@hotmail.co.uk. Please note that if any of this information is missing, you will not be entered into the competition.

The deadline for entries is midnight GMT on Friday 30th April 2010. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via e-mail. Don’t forget to tell all your friends and family too – the giveaway is open to entrants from all countries!

By Abu Abdil-Kareem

Ibn Hazm, rahimahullaah, said, “One hour of neglect can undo a year of pious effort” ["In Pursuit of Virtue", point #93]. I think this is a very scary thought.

Shaytaan will sometimes let a worshipper worship long and hard, but will seek a way to nullify his deeds in a way that the worshipper may not notice. It is related in al-Baihaqi’s “Branches of Faith”, that the big shaytaan sends his army to deceive worshippers, and tells them to first look at the food he eats. If his food is not halaal, then “let him worship long and hard,” since shaytaan knows that prayers of one who eats haraam are not accepted. So the worshipper will work hard and think he is doing good, while his efforts may not be accepted. This is similar to those about whom Allaah ta`aalaa says, “Say: Shall We inform you who will be the greatest losers by their works? Those whose effort goes astray in the life of the world, and they reckon that they do good work.” [18:103-104] A brother once told me that a Muslim scholar once said that no verse causes fear in him more than this one.

I think there is many lessons we can learn from this. One is that we must keep our hearts alive by remembering Allaah subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa at all times. Another one is that we must seek knowledge of our religion so as to be certain about the correctness of our actions. Also, most importantly, we must realize our dependance on Allaah ta`aalaa and His guidance. Whoever He guides there is no one to misguide, and whoever He misguides there is none to guide. Unless Allaah is Merciful with us and grants us taufeeq (guidance) to do rightheous acts, we shall never be able. Therefore we have to strive to improve our worship and our character and supplicate to Allaah for guidance. Then, in shaa’ Allaah, we will be from among those about whom Allaah says,

“As for those who strive hard in Us (Our cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allaah’s Religion).”[29:69]

May Allaah guide us and give us steadfastness in religion. One can find a number of ways that can potentially ruin one’s many acts – for example, missing a single prayer, uttering something inappropriate, or reading a horoscope.

via http://7cgen.com/