Charity Week (CW) is a student-run organisation dedicated to the welfare of orphan children.
www.onecharityweek.com - The Official Charity Week 2010 Trailer:


The idea behind Charity Week is simple; to unify in our efforts to help those in need by raising money and awareness for orphans across the world.

“Save yourself from the (Hell) Fire even with half a date (to be given in charity). And if you do not find a half date, then with a good pleasant word.” [Al-Bukhari]

Did you know...

-There are approximately 150 million orphans around the globe?
- 8% of all children worldwide are orphans?
- About 42,200 children are orphaned every day?
- About 10.6 million (8%) of all children will die of preventable causes before age five?
- 5.4% of all children will die before age one?

This is the sad reality of the poverty stricken nations around the globe whose people have barely anything to live upon.

Allah Most High says in the Qur’an, "So as for the orphans, do not oppress them, and as for beggars, do not berate them," (93:9-10) and the Almighty says, "Have you seen him who denies the deen? He is the one who harshly rebuffs the orphan and does not urge the feeding of the poor." (107:1-3)

One of the most notable attributes of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his companions was their generosity.

Umar Ibn Al-Khattab used to roam the cities of Madinah at night in search of people who were in need and in once instance, His son Abdullah would be seen earning riches in one day and borrowing a loan during another because he distributed his wealth among the needy. Ibn Umar also encouraged the feeding of poor people and often ate alongside orphans. He would also rebuke his children for neglecting the needy and treating the rich by saying to them 'You invite the rich and forsake the poor'!

Abu Bakar As-Saddique used to attend to a blind old lady on the outskirts of Madinah and give her provisions without her knowledge of who he was! Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf once gave his full caravan of goods to the needy upon hearing glad tidings, the caravan was so big that when it was approaching Madinah it looked as if it were a sand storm!

Hassan ibn Ali would give 100,000 dirhams to a single person and would say 'Fulfilling the need of my brother is dearer to me than a month in seclusion in the mosque (itikaf)'. His brother Hussain ibn Ali would not refuse any person that would ask for help at his doorstep.

Upon being called 'a sea of generosity' Abdullah ibn Jafar said:

'Verily, Allah has made me accustomed (to receiving bounty from him) and I have made the people accustomed (to receiving charity from me) and I am afraid that if I cut it off, it (i.e., Allah custom of giving me) will be cut off from me!'

The scholars and righteous individuals of the past would practice the common phrase
'A giving hand is better than a taking hand'.

Ibn 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim. He should not wrong him nor surrender him to his enemy. Allah will take care of the needs of anyone who takes care of the needs of his brother. On the Day of Rising Allah will dispel the anxiety of anyone who dispels the anxiety of another Muslim. On the Day of Rising Allah will veil anyone who veils another Muslim." [Agreed upon]

A common colloquial phrase goes like this 'You talk the talk, now walk the walk'. So don't just stand there! Get involved in helping the needy!

I finish off with this hadith, a man once came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as he wanted to give his pledge of allegiance but could give charity and participate in the struggle. The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied '‘No sadaqah and no struggle! How can you then enter into Jannah?'' [Narrated by Al Hakim]


For futher details: {www.onecharityweek.com/}

Get involved by contacting us on charityweek.ireland@fosis.org.uk

By The Misanthrope  ★ www.Muslimness.com | Share & Subscribe to the Kingdom of Muslim Blogs

• Faith cannot be separated from action. One's way of life and acting demonstrate whether one is a believer or not.
• The Prayer has an essential relation with faith. The Prayer, together with the intention in it and the way of doing it, is a definite sign of the character and depth of one's faith.
• Good deeds or actions done only for the good pleasure of God and based on faith will profit in the Hereafter. Whatever is done as a requirement of faith never goes to waste provided one preserves one's faith and goes to the other world with that faith strong and intact.

In communal transformation, leadership is about intention, convening, valuing relatedness, and presenting choices. It is not a personality characteristic or a matter of style, and therefore it requires nothing more than what all of us already have.

Source: Friday Nasiha, issue 603

From Islam, a Great Religion


Signs of weak `imaan do not mean you are spiritually dead but that you are flawed and imperfect and must never stop to improving your faith and character. 20 major signs that you need a kung-fu realisation in `imaan are:


     1) Committing sins and not feeling any guilt about it.

     2) Having a mean and unchanging heart and no desire to read the Qur'an.

     3) Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for salat, pretending to do dhikr.

     4) Neglecting the Sunnah - in behaviour, dress, eating, speech etc.

     5) Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and bothered and irritated most of the time (this is not a PMS moment, brothers get overly emotional too).

     6) Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Qur'an, for example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad tidings.

     7) Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making dhikr.

     8) Not feeling bad when you see things done against the Shari`ah.

     9) Desiring popularity (status) and wealth

     10) Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth., asking people for more.

     11) Ordering others to do good deeds when not practising them ourselves (this is a form of hypocrisy, it still brings about good but is a sign of weak `imaan).

     12) Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others, getting jealous.

     13) Being concerned with only whether something is haram or halal; and not avoiding makruh (disliked) things or not encouraging mustahab (recommended) actions.

     14) Making fun of people who do simple good deeds, like cleaning the mosque.

     15) Not feeling concerned about the situation of other Muslims.

     16) Not feeling the responsibility to do something to promote Islam.

     17) Being unable to deal with calamities, for instance crying and yelling in funerals.

     18) Wanting to argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof or debating skills.

     19) Becoming intensely engrossed and very involved with dunya, worldly things, i.e. feeling really sad when losing material wealth, becoming unemployed etc. Find a balance.

     20) Becoming engrossed and obsessive about ourselves (vain and egotistical). In the words of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, "you think you're all that, when in actuality, you're about <this> much of that."

If you feel guilty now, good! This is the first step to making istighfar (seeking forgiveness) which will develop into tawbah (repentance). But before you feel really low...

Listed Below are the Ways to Increase your `Iman:

     1) Recite and really THINK about the meanings of the Qur'an. Tranquility then descends and our hearts become humble. To get the optimum benefit, imagine that Allah is speaking to you. People are described in different categories in the Qur'an; think of which one you find yourself in.

     2) Start realising the greatness of Allah. If everything is under His control, there are signs in everything that points us to His greatness. Everything happens according to His permission, the wind, rain, your mad driving skills! Allah keeps track and looks after everything, even a black ant on a black rock on a black moonless night.

     3) Make an effort to gain knowledge, for at least the basic things in daily life e.g. how to make wudhu properly. Know the meanings behind Allah’s names and attributes. People who have taqwa are those who have knowledge AND carry out that knowledge. Don't be a bookshelf.

     4) Attend halaqat, gatherings where Allah is glorified. In such gatherings we are surrounded by angels. Go to the masjid, conferences, or set up your own study circle.

     5) We have to increase our good deeds. One good deed leads to another good deed. Allah will make the way easy for someone who gives charity and also make it easy for him or her to do good deeds. Good deeds must be done continuously, not in spurts.

     6) We must fear the end to our lives; the remembrance of death is the destroyer of pleasures. When you remember your life is short, temporary you become more aware of what you truly own. Seriously, what are you going to take with you?

     7) Remember the different levels of akhirah, the stages after we die - for instance when we are put in our graves, when we are judged, whether we will be in paradise or hell. Think about these things more often.

     8) Make du`a more often, not just for yourself but for the Ummah, realise that we need Allah. Be humble. Don’t covet material things in this life. Be a team player.

     9) Our love for Allah must be shown in actions. Don't give lip service, 'yes I love Allah, yes I do' - show it. We must hope Allah will accept our prayers, and be in constant fear that we do wrong. At night before going to sleep, we must think about what good we did during that day. Realise the effects of sins and disobedience.

     10) Your `imaan is increased with good deeds and your `imaan is decreased by bad deeds. Everything that happens is because Allah wanted it. When calamities hit you - they are also from Allah to purify you (because you were wrong). It is a direct result of our disobedience to Allah.

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by Matthew Isa Fallon

We had the first man Adam, as tall as a tower,
There's the steadfast Yusuf with beauty like a flower,
Also the long-lived messenger so named Noah,
And there was the Israelite Moses who had so much power.

We had Ibraheem, thrown into fire but would not burn,
Remember Suleiman the wise? From whom we can learn,
There's Isa, not dead and he shall return,
And king Dawud, who's voice all would yearn.

Remember Yunus who was stuck for 3 days inside a fish,
And Yahya, who had his head severed and put on a dish,
There was Ilyas whom the Israelites would come to miss,
Also Harun, the Jews disobeyed, against his wish.

Remember Ishmael who went to Makkah, it was his fate,
There's Zakariya from Israel, his people had much hate,
Al-yasa, they called him "a magician", they made him debate,
Remember Dhul-kifl, his wisdom was great.

Idris, his soul was took whilst in the sky,
And Saleh, his people turned away and deserved to die,
Yaqub, told his son was dead, but it was just lies,
There was Hud sent to Aad, their buildings were high.

Remember Ishaq, born to his parents almost beyond hope,
Shu'ayb told his people to not cheat but they said nope,
We had Lut, the wrong sex his people would grope,
Also Ayyub, his suffering was long but he managed to cope.

There were many, many prophets, their faces filled with noor,
They will all be the first to enter heaven's door,
Stretching from America to beyond singapore,
But wait, surely I've forgot to mention one more...

Never will we witness any with his piety,
He came out of the desert calling to One deity,
When Judgement Day comes he's the leader of humanity,
In 23 years he'd built the perfect society.

That's right, his blessed name is Muhammad,
Countless great things was what he did,
His empire defeated the Persian Sassanids,
And through him the Qur'an has descended.

Each one of them, precious as a gem,
La ilaha ilAllah is their anthem,
They are undoubtedly the best of men,
Peace and blessings be upon them.

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