Inside this issue The meaning of success ........ 2 When we die ........................... 4 Christian-Muslim get-together . 6 Mazhar Krazniqi..................... 11 First UK hijab jockey .............. 13 RRoocckkeett SScciieennccee Voice of Islam ........................ 14 Prayer timetable .................... 15 September 2019 Muharram 1441 Islamic New Year 1441 Islamic New Year 1441 will, insha the sight of Allah is twelve (in a Allah, fall at the beginning of year) – so ordained by Him the day September. Muslims do not He created the heavens and the In the name of Allah, celebrate the beginning of a new earth” (Quran 9:36) and "It is He year, in the sense that people Who made the sun to be a shining most Gracious, most Merciful celebrate a Western new year on glory, and the moon to be a light of 31 December / 1 January. beauty, and measured out stages However, Islamic New Year can be for it, that you might know the taken as a time to acknowledge number of years and the count of the passing of time, to take time to time” (Quran 10:5). The whole reflect on our own mortality, and lunar (moon-based) year is thus to remember those who have about 11 days shorter than the passed away during the previous common solar (sun-based) year. Gregorian year. The Islamic calendar is the official calendar in Being a lunar calendar, the Islamic many Muslim countries, especially year consists of 12 months of 29 or Saudi Arabia. 30 days. In the Quran, Allah (swt) states, “The number of months in Rocket Science September 2019 2 The true meaning of success The purpose of this article is to and magnifies the name of his reflect on the word success (in Lord and prays. Nay! You prefer Arabic, al-falah). One way to start the life of this world while the would be to look the word up in Hereafter is better and more an English dictionary. Dictionaries enduring” (87:14-17). give definitions such as the Worldly action following: “The accomplishment of an aim or purpose”, “The Let us reflect. How much of our attainment of wealth, fame, and time is spent in activities that may social status”. lead to the true success? Where is this in our list of daily priorities? Success and happiness are nowadays conditioned by job One can still acquire the things of status, the cars we drive, the this world, but not at the expense brands we wear and consume, the of our purpose in life, at the loyalty cards we are admitted expense of our souls, hearts, into, the airlines we travel on, or character, the way of our Prophet the neighbourhood we live in. (saw) and God Himself. Success is determined by our Some people, perhaps around salary and what we buy with that their 20s, have the attitude, “I will salary. In many cultures, success get religious later, I have to is still dependent on other factors establish myself financially first.” such as the colour of one’s skin – While financial security is an unfortunate trend of ignorance important, it should not distract still found in our own community. us from our ultimate goal. We However, when all is said and never know when we will pass done, is true success and away, but it is certain that we will fulfilment found in these things? some day. We can therefore never be certain that we will reach old Richness of the soul age and then start to become From the Islamic point of view, more religious. true success is found in the Values for children cultivation and enrichment of the soul. The fundamental reason for Since we cannot guarantee to all happiness is to draw nearer to reach old age, it is important that Allah (swt) and to be alienated people realise from a young age from the things that alienate you what true success means. Many from Him. In a hadith, prophet children are raised with a false Muhammad (saw) explained, sense of true success. Some “Wealth is not in having many parents infuse in a child the possessions. Rather, true wealth attitude that success is merely is the richness of the soul” academic excellence, good grades, (Bukhari, Muslim). impressive degrees, and lofty job posts. However, no real reward, In many ayats of the Quran, Allah emphasis, or recognition is given (swt) distinguishes this life and for the acquisition of praiseworthy the Hereafter, pointing out that qualities, having truthful speech, true success relates to the and good character. Hereafter. “He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself © Mount Albert Islamic Trust 3 Rocket Science September 2019 As a result of this, people in the force that developed societies will do the complete Pakistan's rock music industry in opposite to acquire this false the late 1980s. He eventually sense of success and the went solo, and in 1994 released appeasement of others. his first solo album. It was followed by others in 1999 and Conclusion 2002, but they met with limited The ultimate success, from the success. You might think he had Islamic perspective, is enrichment all the trappings of success: and purification of the soul. True money, fame, etc. happiness is only found in drawing He turned away from music, closer to God, and knowing and coming to believe that it was aspiring towards your purpose in haram. Instead he focussed on this world. All other happiness is religious activities, and started superficial, temporary and will singing and recording religious leave you unfulfilled. songs (nasheed). He released as In your dying moments, what do many albums of nasheed, as he you think will truly matter and had previously rock music albums. give you a feeling of fulfilment? We never know when we will pass Junaid Jamshed Would it be our careers, the away. In 2016, Junaid went to the wealth acquired, and the social Pakistani city of Chitral for a status? What would we truly Tablighi Jamaat mission and was define as success – at that returning to the capital Islamabad moment? In that moment, if you by plane in order to deliver the have worked towards the ultimate Friday sermon at the Parliament success and purified your heart, mosque. The plane crashed and and found God closer to you than Junaid and his wife were killed. your jugular vein, then you are May Allah (swt) reward him for truly the richest man, and have recognising that he needed to amassed a great fortune that will purify his heart, and for inspiring last an eternity. fans with his nasheed. And remember that we will never As Allah (swt) states in the Quran, know exactly when our final success is not material success, moments will be. As an example but rather the result of righteous of this, take the Pakistani singer acts. “Whoever does Junaid Jamshed. He studied righteousness, whether male or engineering and worked as a female, while he is a believer - We civilian contractor and engineer will surely cause him to live a for the Pakistan Air Force. In his good life, and We will surely give early 20s, he rose to prominence them their reward [in the as the lead singer of the group Hereafter] according to the best of Vital Signs, who are credited as what they used to do” (16:97). © Mount Albert Islamic Trust Rocket Science September 2019 4 What happens when we die? This article lists the 48 things that, 13. The deceased person will be according to Islam, happen when questioned immediately after we die. the burial. 1. The soul of the believer comes 14. The two angels come to out easily, while the soul of the question the deceased. non-believer (kafir) comes out 15. The angels are Munkar and with much difficulty. Nakir. 2. The soul of the believer will 16. Allah (swt) will help and smell like musk, while the soul strengthen the believer in the of the kafir will smell like rotten grave. meat. 17. The believer will answer the 3. A believer’s soul comes out questions correctly, while the while he is praising Allah (swt). non-believer will be confused. 4. When the soul is taken, the 18. The righteous man will be eyes follow it. That is why we unafraid, while the evil man will see dead people with be utterly terrified. eyes open. 19. A door will open for the believer 5. The angels open all the gates to from his grave to Paradise Heaven one after the other for (Jannah). the believing soul. 20. A door will open for the non- 6. The gates of Heaven are not believer from his grave to opened for the kafir. Hellfire (Jahannam). 7. The soul of the believer will be 21. The believer will see his place returned back to Earth, after it in Paradise, while the non- has been entered on the believer will see his place in registry of believers (al-illyun). Hellfire. 8. The soul of the kafir is thrown 22. The grave of the believer will back to Earth, after it has been be widened as far as the eye entered on the registry of Hell can see, while the grave of the (as-sijjin). non-believer will be constricted. 9. The dead person is aware of 23. A person’s good deeds will the people around him for a come in the form of a time period the same as is handsome well-dressed, taken to sacrifice a camel and perfumed man who will bring distribute its meat. glad tidings. The bad deeds will 10. All will experience the pressing come in the form of a scruffily in of the grave.