About YM

IMPORTANT: This Section will soon include details of all local and national activities organised by the Young Muslims UK, so come back soon Insha' Allah.

Our Current Shuraa (Executive Committee)

The following brothers are currently on the shuraa of the Young Muslims:

• Ahtsham Ali (Acting Ameer/President)
• As'ad R. Khan
• Zahid Chohan
• Ibrahim Versani
• Atif Nasim
• Usama Sa'eed
• Amanullah Durrani
• Zahid Amin
• M. Aflak Suleman
• Wakkas Khan

Our Method of Work in YM

Certain differences in the details of methodology are inevitable as the basic ideas are applied around the world. Various organisations have to deal with their situations individually, so HAMAS has to deal with the Occupation, the Sudanese work to maintain their state from external pressure and similarly, the movement in the West while supporting the international effort, also has a specific aim namely da’wah to the non-Muslims living around us. The method of the organisations that are working in this field considers the non-Muslim as well as the Muslim aspects of the work. Being an organisation representing the Islamic movement in the West we work towards its global vision by pursuing the following avenues:

• DA’WAH (INVITATION)
• JAMAA’AH (COLLECTIVE WORK)
• TARBIAH (DEVELOPMENT)
• TAZKIAH (PURIFICATION)
• RI’AAYAH (SOCIAL WELFARE)

This is the working method of the Young Muslims UK.

DA’WAH (INVITATION)

The Prophet (S) began by inviting his close relatives and friends (e.g. his wife, his cousin, his best friend etc.) to his Cause. The only way that Islam can change individuals and societies is if Muslims invite to the Truth and Guidance that Allah has revealed for mankind (da’wah); they must also promote in society those things which are clearly good (amr bil- ma’ruf) and warn people and prevent them from those things which are bad (nahiya ’anil munkar). It is only natural then, that Allah has placed great emphasis on this process of bringing goodness, i.e., Islam, to society, a process of da’wah. The Prophet (S) himself laboured hard for, and succeeded in, taking Islam to his relatives, his friends and his people.

Say thou: "This is my way: I do invite unto Allah on evidence clear as the seeing with one’s eyes - I and whoever follows me. Glory to Allah! and never will I join gods with Allah!" (12:108)

Similarly, we should invite the communities around us to answer the call of Islam. This may be through the mosques, schools or community centres but our purpose should remain the same: to help the Muslims in their practise of Islam so that they can begin to observe their duties and to raise the awareness of the Guidance amongst the non-Muslims because:

Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in God.(3:110)

The task of da’wah is a formidable task; there is no simple prescription for it. In the Qur’an, Allah has expressly instructed us to practise da’wah in the most sensible, excellent and dynamic manner. When we invite we have to use our intellect and experience to find the best approach - one which will be most fruitful, generating admiration of the Truth (and not hatred for it!)

Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious... (16:125)

"So I have called to them aloud; further I have spoken to them in public and secretly in private... " (71:8-9)

This dynamicism within our da’wah requires absolute dedication to the Cause and we will find times when the task of da’wah will require us to be bold and firm. This dedication to the Cause is derived from the spirit of jihad (striving) and taddhiya (sacrifice) that Allah requires of every Muslim.

Did you think that you would enter heaven without Allah testing those of you who fought hard (did jihad in His Cause) and remained steadfast? (3:142)

0 ye who believe! What is a matter with you, that, when ye are asked to go forth in the Cause of Allah, ye cling heavily to the earth? Do ye prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter ? But little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the Hereafter. Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place; but Him you would not harm in the least. For Allah hath power over all things. (9:38-39)

This is jihad and this is the path of sacrifice. It is our struggle against the weakness of our souls, against the promptings of shaytaan, the faults of society and the forces of injustice and oppression. The Cause requires our wealth, our time, our bodies and our lives.

Allah hath purchased of the Believers their persons and their goods; For theirs (in return) is the Garden (of paradise). (9:111)

By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely) of that which you love; and whatever you give, of a truth Allah knows it well. (3:92)

Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds." (6:162)

JAMAA’AH (COLLECTIVITY)

By striving to call the people to the deen, we should, God-willing, be able to unite many people towards one vision, This group of people must be organised into an effective and efficient jamaa’ah.

Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid, cemented structure. (61:4)

The sunnah emphasises good leadership (amaarah), consultation (shura), constructive criticism (muhaasibah) and obedience (taa’ah) amongst the Muslims.

The movement depends on the quality of its leader. Hence the Muslims must be careful, critical and fear God in their choice of leaders. Leadership is essential to maintain cohesiveness and to distinguish a direction for the jamaa’ah.

The leadership and ultimately, the movement, is only successful in its planning as long as we obey the leaders that we choose and we take obedience seriously and we fear God (have taqwa) in this matter. Furthermore, there can be no point to leadership if there is no obedience.

0 ye who believe, obey Allah and obey the messenger and those charged with authority among you. (4:59)

As the movement is a Godly movement (Rabbaani) it requires obedience only to the extent that the leadership does not transgress the explicit law of Allah (shari’ah).

It is the duty of the Muslims to listen and obey the order of their leader, regardless of whether it is agreeable or disagreeable to them, provided the order does not transgress Allah’s law. In case such an order is contrary to Allah’s law, it should not be listened to or obeyed.(Sahih Bukhari & Muslim)

Naturally there are many conditions and responsibilities for such leadership:

Any man whom Allah has given the authority of ruling some people and he does not look after them in an honest manner, will never feel even the smell of Paradise.(Sahih Bukhari)

Shura is the Islamic method of representing the views of the people. It is an order from Allah even to the Prophet (S) himself.

And consult them in affairs (of moment). Then, when thou hast taken a decision, put thy trust in Allah.(3:159)

Those who hearken to their Lord, and establish regular prayer; who (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation.(42:38)

The Prophet (S) would frequently consult, and follow the main trends among the believers even if this was against his better judgement e.g., the choice for a battlefield when the Quraysh were advancing towards Medina during the battle of Uhud.

Constructive criticism (muhaasibah) is the companion of shura and it is vital in order for the movement to remain dynamic and insure against the repetition of mistakes.

We stress brotherhood (and sisterhood). Brotherhood for Allah’s sake is the cement that holds a Muslim community together and in this case brotherhood holds the jamaa’ah together by bringing sweetness, warmth and pleasure to Islamic work. If the love between the brothers is weak then the jamaa’ah is weak. Thus our constant effort must be towards strengthening our love for each other.

The believers are but a single brotherhood. So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy.(49:10)

You will see the believers in their mutual kindness, love and empathy just like one body. When a limb complains, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.(Sahih Bukhari & Muslim)

Brotherhood, like faith has levels, with the topmost part being eethaar (loving a brother above oneself). The jamaa’ah must work to nurture these higher levels:

None of you truly (believes) until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.’

The rights of brotherhood are accompanied by responsibilities, and one of these responsibilities is that we should help our brother against his weaknesses by politely pointing them out to him if he is not aware of them, and then by encouraging him by removing obstacles to his progress.

The believer is a mirror to a believer, and the believer is a brother to a believer. He removes his injuries from him and protects him in his absence. (Tirmidhi & Abu Dawud, Hassan)

We should be careful that we are not weak in our love for our brothers, and that we do not weaken these bonds by indulging in poisonous activities:

Do not envy one another; do not inflate prices one to another; do not hate one another; do not turn away from one another; and do not undercut one another, but be you, 0 servants of Allah, brothers. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he neither oppresses him nor does he fail him, he neither lies to him nor does he hold him in contempt. Piety is right here - and he pointed to his breast three times. It is evil enough for a man to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. The whole of a Muslim for another is inviolable: his blood, his property, and his honour. (Sahih Muslim)

TARBIAH (TRAINING)

Once a jamaa’ah has been organised, then the individuals need to be developed qualitatively to prepare them for the challenges that await them. This training is especially important because it gives us strength to uphold the Covenant of Allah. So as the da’wah progresses and more and more people begin to join the cause, then so does the process of tarbiyah, and this means that those who have recently decided to help can be developed in preparation for the tests that Allah will send. Similarly, the jamaa’ah of Muhammad (S) in Mecca did not have many responsibilities aside from da’wah but they spent their spare time training themselves in imaan (faith), sabr (patient perseverance) and in tazkiyah (purifying their souls).

Therefore when thou are free (from thine immediate task), still labour hard and to thy Lord turn (all) thy attention.(94:7,8)

Through this tarbiyah we will become more dutiful towards weighty responsibilities and firm through necessary hardships that Allah may later place upon us. When the Islamic State was established in Medina, the Prophet (S) relied most on the early Muslims who held firmly to Islam at a time when being Muslim meant torture and persecution and who thus had the best Islamic training e.g., in the Battle of Hunain, when the Muslims were almost defeated, the Prophet (S) asked his uncle, ’Abbaas to call out "O Ansaar," (the early, dedicated Muslims) to stand their ground.

This tarbiyah is comprehensive tarbiyah covering the spiritual, physical and intellectual aspects of life. Spiritual tarbiyah aims at the purification of the soul (tazkiyah) through various acts of ’ibaadah, the Prophet (S) was commanded to pray tahajjud (night prayer) in surah Muzammil for this purpose. The physical aspect of training has not been left out by Islam:

The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer and in both there is good.’(Sahih Muslim)

And intellectual tarbiyah leads to a good understanding of Islam, this being an important part of tarbiyah because unfortunately many problems in the history of Islam have been caused by people who were sincere but understood Islam incorrectly (e.g. the mu’tadhilah or the khawaarij). It is vital therefore to teach a correct understanding of Islam since:

Say: "Are they equal: those who know and those who do not know?" It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition.(39:9)

Ultimately, tarbiyah aims to bring the individual as close as possible to the Islamic personality since the Muslim who performs good deeds and has a sound heart is a pillar of society. Allah will judge according to these attributes:

Allah does not look to your faces and your wealth but He looks to your hearts and your deeds.(Sahih Muslim)

One of the wonders of Islam is that in so little time the companions were transformed in their behaviour to levels of outstanding excellence. Thus within one generation, their behaviour and conduct had inspired much of the known world to live by Islam.

I was sent for the perfection of morals.(Haakim & Baihaqi, Sahih)

Prophet Muhammad (S) was not only the conveyer of the Book but the best example of its practice, as were all prophets. Hence, the conduct of the Prophet (S) defines the Islamic personality.

Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah.(33:21)

The importance of an Islamic personality was well understood by the early companions, for example, Ja’far ibn Abi Taalib illustrated the importance of character reformation in his speech to the Emperor of Abyssinia:

0 King, we were an unenlightened people plunged in ignorance, we worshipped idols, we ate dead animals, and we committed abominations; we broke natural ties, we ill- treated our neighbours and our strong devoured the weak. We thus lived until God raised amongst us an Apostle, of whose noble birth and lineage, truthfulness, honesty and purity we were aware. He invited us to acknowledge the Unity of God and to worship Him, and to renounce the stones and idols we and our forefathers used to venerate. He enjoined us to speak the truth, to redeem our pledges, to be kind and considerate to our kin and neighbours; he bade us to refrain from every vice, bloodshed, shamelessness, lies, and deceit; and asked us not to encroach upon the substance of orphans nor to vilify chaste women. He commanded us to pay divine honours to Allah alone and never associate aught with Him; He ordered us to offer prayers, to pay the poor- due, to observe the fast (thus enumerating other injunctions of Islam). We acknowledged his truth and believed in him; we followed him in whatever he brought from Allah; and we worshipped only One God without associating aught with Him. We treated as unlawful what he forbade and accepted what he made lawful for us.(Ibn Hisham)

TAZKIYAH (PURIFICATION)

The method for revival should concentrate on spiritual development because today we are surrounded by a deeply materialistic environment. The Muslims should not be confused by their environment but rather they should focus on their belief in Allah. We must recognise Him who is the sole Creator of everything and its sole Cherisher and Sustainer (Rabb). He is the only One worthy of worship and absolute devotion (al Ilaah) and the only One truly deserving of the attributes and characteristics (al asmaa’ wa-as-sifaat) that describe Him in the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

We cannot hope for success from Allah unless we have a profound understanding of Him who out of His Mercy keeps us alive and provides for us every facility in life. The Qur’an is replete with descriptions of Allah, to guide us to appreciating, loving and fearing Him and to protect us from blaspheming against Him (insulting Him) (e.g 2:255). Onto this knowledge we strive to develop a firm, unwavering conviction, so that we may be truly worthy of being called "believers" (mu’minoon), inshaa’Allah.

Only those are believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and have never since doubted, but have striven with their belongings and their persons in the Cause of Allah: such are the sincere ones.(9:15)

The Prophet (S) trained his companions in a deep and sound faith and trained them to strengthen it; he thus developed a generation of men unmatched in their dedication to Islam and the excellence of their conduct. We must aspire to follow this example, inshaa’Allah since it is undoubtedly one of the conditions of victory.

This tazkiah would progress the individuals towards developing taqwa: taqwa is one’s being so aware of Allah’s presence and the Reckoning so as to be fearful of displeasing Him and eager to please Him.

O ye who believe! Fear Allah, and let every soul look to what he has sent forth for the morrow (i.e., Hereafter). Yea, fear Allah (have taqwa): for Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that ye do.(59:18)

The most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous (God-conscious) of you. (49:13)

An Islamic personality emanates from taqwa. For instance, concern for amaanah (trust or responsibility) which is vital for the success of a society, flows from taqwa.

Each one of you is a guardian and will be asked about the things under his care.(Sahih Bukhari & Muslim)

Tazkiyah does not only concentrate on developing positive traits but it also aims to develop individuals so that they can desist from sinful actions. Taqwa is a shield against wrong doing. For this reason, fasting whose purpose is to teach us taqwa (2:184), has been described as a shield against ill conduct. Hence, tazkiyah (which serves to develop taqwa) will teach self-restraint.

The highest state for a Muslim is ihsaan, and this is the ultimate aim of tazkiyah. The Prophet (S) has defined this state:

Jibreel once (peace be upon him) approached the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked him about ihsaan, he replied: "It is to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you."(Sahih Muslim)

The jamaa’ah strives to develop our taqwa and to help those who unite around it, inshaa’Allah, to achieve ihsaan, so that they may best serve and develop their community on Islamic ideals.

RI’AAYAH (SOCIAL WELFARE)

The ultimate objective of the International Islamic Movement is the Khilaafah. Social welfare is the gradual and constructive path towards the achievement of this Khilaafah. The jamaa’ah should not content itself with self-adulation but rather should reach out to those who require its services whether these are the poor, the uneducated, the ill, the abused or the oppressed. Islam as Ibn-Taymiyyah has stated at its very essence is dedicated to justice. Any Islamic organisation which does not move beyond its slogans towards the implementation of justice should question its authenticity. Islam is here for the betterment of mankind as Prophet Shu’aib said to his people:

"...I wish not, in opposition to you, to do that which I forbid you. I only desire your betterment (islaah) to the best of my power... "(11:88)

And it is the duty of this jamaa’ah to work towards the betterment of mankind - this being the work of ri’aayah. The Qur’an links the neglect of social duties directly to the neglect of the deen - because in Islam social welfare is part of the deen:

Seest thou one who denies the Judgement? Then such is the (man) who repulses the orphan. And encourages not the feeding of the indigent. So woe to the worshippers who are neglectful of their prayers, those who (want but) to be seen, but refuse (to supply even) neighbourly needs.(107:1-7)

The Prophet (S) himself though he was hated by his enemies, was known by the people of Makkah for his helpfulness to those in need; the above surah being revealed in Makkah (when the Muslims had no state and were being persecuted unnecessarily.

Thus, the Islamic movement should also aim to provide for the needs of its community whether this be through supplementary schools for children with special educational needs, clinics for those who cannot afford fees (such as in Egypt) or orphanages etc.. This confrontation with unnecessary suffering is the raison d’être of the Islamic movement though not its ultimate objective. This work will take us towards the fulfilment of Rabi’ah bin ’Aamir’s vision (may God be pleased with him) when he described this mission as:

"God has sent us to bring whoever wishes from servitude to men into the service of God alone, from the narrowness of this world into the vastness of this world and the hereafter; from the tyranny of religions into the justice of Islam. "(Al Bidayah wal Nihayah, ibn Katheer)