Catch up with Zaufishan - Days 19-22

Bismillah, in the name of Allah.
As'salamualaykum, peace be with you, avid fans of Muslims In England and members of my cult, I've been absent for a few days and therefore rant in one breath of the happenings I took part in:

Iftar packs © - Day 19

I spent all day making Iftar Packs. I couldn't get around to writing about it as I was exhausted. Therefore it's here in one post.

I'm not anti-social by nature. I used to like people. Mingle with them, good and bad; learn from the good, polish up the bad.

Recently though, I find that helping others from a distance is... easier. Hence, I make Iftar Packs © that include snacks I can wrap up, add sparkle to, and pass onto others for fundraising. Job done. Today was day one of fundraising at an Islamic school. You may have heard of it, Feversham College in Bradford? It's the first government aided Muslim faith school in England. It's a big deal. It's lacking in Muslimness but it's got a great ethos, masha'Allah.

Fasting today was easier than yesterday but as we're in the last ten, I'm losing certain energies and brain functionality. This is probably what dementia tastes like. Astaghfirullah...



After I left the wicked British education system, by wicked I mean the true definition of the term, not 'awh, sick bee, that's well wicked!' I started a smallish charity abroad with help from family. It was to give support, disability facilities and shelter to those in desperate circumstances. It's still going well alhamdulillah and my family and I chart those who are strong enough to support themselves now and we find others who need unconditional help. So I was saying, the Iftar Packs © I make, my Eidmassy cards and other tidbit insignificant things I like to do, are all actually part of a greater plan of helping those few hundred people. I'd like to add here, to those of you who have been critical of what I do and say, clearly you have not read earlier posts and have jumped to conclusions and judgements without looking at the full picture of my work, aims and Ramadan'ing. This isn't an attack on anyone in particular, but so long as you know, I deliberately write in a certain manner for particular audiences and people. I know how you think. The issue is, you don't fully know how I think.

Insha'Allah I'd like to set the charity up here in England too. Register it and maybe begin a website for online donations or sponsoring families and photos of the people being cared for.

It's another idea. A poetic brother I know once said 'I could get rich off the ideas I had alone'. How true that is.

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Iftar at the Masjid - Day 20

Iftar times vary at masjids in England despite being in one country. No matter, as the Iconic Muslim Zakariyya says 'Blame everything on King Abdullah'. Ha!

At a local masjid that I once spent my whole Ramadan in, funding is being requested through the local radio and by organisations. It used to be a church, it was 'holified' and now hosts a couple of hundred people for any given salah. During Friday prayers and Ramadan of course, everybody comes out of hibernation so the men are praying into the corridors and pavements, and the women are praying on top of each other too. Masha'Allah, "unity".



I got a snap of the brother's section where iftar was going to be held today. The brothers collectively donate cash to buy food and drinks for the fasting Muslims who come in at iftar time. The left over food is never wasted and other people are invited too; non Muslims, people from the community. I suggested that rather than collecting funds, if every man brought in a wife's dish, they could use that unspent money to give to an organisation. Give it to a different one each day I cried! So, I don't know, Oxfam, then Islamic Relief, Mind, Mercy Mankind and IF. That would equate to exactly 30 (or more) donations given in one month in varying but sincere amounts. How splenderrific, don't you think? I wonder how many masjids do that anyway...

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Hunting for Layla'tul-Qadr - Day 21

As we're in the last ten days of Ramadan, I thought it best to begin 'searching' for layla'tul'Qadr. The phrase is pronounced 'Lay-la, Tul-Qadur' and it's Arabic for 'Night of Power/Decree'. The night of power is specific to the last 5 odd nights of Ramadan, or any of the last ten. It's an important night historically, being the first time ever a piece of the Qur'an was sent through angel Jibrail (the Biblical Gabriel) to Islam's last Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him.

It's also has mega value for what Allah says about it in the Quran. Look up chapter Al'Qadr:

'We have revealed this message (of peace & One God) during the Night of Power:
And what will explain to you what the night of power really is?!
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months! (which sums up to 83 years of living)
During this night the angels come down and the spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand: Giving
Peace!... This all night, until the rise of the morning!
Quran, 97:1-5

See that last line? In arabic is reads 'Salaamun'Haya hatta' mat'la Al Fajr' = There is Peace! All night up to the break of dawn, there is Peace! When God says he's sending down a piece of his own peace, we Muslims ought to wisen up and grab it before it fades.

I memorised this chapter two years ago copying the reciter Shaykh Mishary, I can recite it like him too, yayy, al'hamdulillah!

When I say 'searching' for the night of power I do not imply hunt. The concept of layla'tul qadr is not based on an object, or something to win, it's a spiritual enhancement to Ramadan. As though 30 days of freedom from stupidity wasn't enough for Muslims, Allah almighty added a bonus of a merciful night. So I request you all during your Quran reading, when you 'search' for this auspicious night, be mindful of what you aim to gain. Read Quran for what the Qur'an is, not just to become shrouded in holy light. Make dhikr* of Allah not so you can count his name thousands of times in a tally but so you understand there's one Designer to the Universe, and you're in the elite because you know he exists and controls everything.

Use your time well. You may not be here next year. Nor I. Stick in a dua for me too, hmm? I'd love you lots for that. Jazak'Allah khairan.

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Saving lives - Day 22

To cut a dramatically long story short: I saved a life today. He was grateful. I felt heroic. We both smiled and said al'hamdulillah.

My version of what happened: My neighbour Mike the Malaysain was brushing our driveway - I, Mike, Michael and the Smiths at the bottom of the road have a shared driveway, Mike's the only one that slowly sweeps it clean from dead leaves and sometimes we help him. So anyway, he was brushing it and as I walked towards the recycling bin to dispose of my global warming products to save our planet, an insanely fast car zoomed towards Mike at a bajillion miles an hour! VRRRROOOOM! Like a Super Muslim I flew towards Mike in slow motion shouting 'Noooooooo!' in echoes. He turned to look at me smiling thinking I was saying hello, silly man. But as soon as that car came down the drive and nearly knocked Mike from behind, I jumped across, arms'a'flailing, pushed him over to prevent car contact (he's big), so he rolled onto the floor and I scraped my whole leg during the mission on the car's spiked wheels which fled right past me.

Mike the Malaysian's version of what happened: 'I dunno, I was brushing and I hear this noise and Zoveeshane here, she yell at me and I think she crying but I hear the noise from a car and it is Edward's mom so I say hello to her and she drive on past really fast and I carried on cleaning leaves and I see Zooveeshane hurt leg and she swearing but I laugh. She looked like she was catching squirrel but she missed and fell.

What really happened: My neighbour Mike the Malaysian was brushing our driveway. There are six adults living on this street but only one half decent soul to clean up after the rest of us. So anyway, he was brushing well and I walked towards the conker trees around the front garden to pick up a couple for playing with after. A car came down the driveway and Mike didn't hear it; the car came closer but Mike kept on brushing. I yelled 'dude! car!' So he moved to one side and lifted his thumb at me to say 'cheers'. I found my shiny brown conkers from their prickly shells and watched Mike brush up, not offering to help. Walking towards him a nettle bush near the bins got at my leg, stupid things and Mike said 'if it's alkali, you want something acid to counteract that'. Bending to rub at the redness I smirked at Mike: 'I just saved your life'. He stopped brushing and smiled back, saying, 'I just saved yours'.

I like Mike. Even though he's overweight (what?! he is), rejected my plums and is a semi-practising Muslim-in Ramadan only, he's a good person al'hamdulillah. I might just invite him over for Eid-ul-Fitr.

I shall be back for more reporting, but do bear with me insha'Allah. I also posted out my Eidmas cards to Facebook friends today, like, a thousand of them. I forget which Muhammad is from Canada, Scotland, Rochdale or India. Next up are Eidmas cards for work colleagues which includes Muslims in England! People, keep a watch on your letterboxes!

Zaufishan ★ working, sleeping... multi-tasking...