Category: News

We were fortunate to host the Ambassador for Saudi Arabia to the UK on Friday 10th December. His excellency Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud attended Gillingham Masjid as part of his visit to the Medway Towns.

We were able to present and discuss with him our plans for the new masjid, the progress so far and the challenges we face.

We also presented our community activities to him and he discussed with us the changes in the New Year to the Hajj and Umrah visas. He stated that visas will start to be issued in 2022 via an easy-to-fill-out electronic form.
We are grateful to our local MP, Rehman Chisti for having arranged this visit.

Read the full article in KMWALTR #002

Start Warming Up!

Ramadan will be commencing in 2 months’ time; it is important that we start preparation for the month of Ramadan from now! So, when the blessed month of Ramadan starts, we are fully geared up for receiving the mercy and blessings from Almighty Allah.

Imam Rajab Hanbali (RA) has mentioned: ‘The month of Rajab is the month of planting (your seeds), Sha‘ban is the month of watering (them), and Ramadan is the month of harvesting the crop’.

He (RA) also said, ‘The month of Rajab is like wind, Sha‘ban is like clouds and Ramadan is like rain’.

This imagery perfectly describes the significance of each month in the lead-up to Ramadan! In Rajab, we should be laying foundations and making preparations; in Sha’ban, our preparations will become more tangible and our increased worship will become habitual – and in Ramadan, our good deeds will overflow, in sha’ Allah!

Sports people insist on warming up, which happens before the actual game so that the players are fully prepared for the actual game.

Read the full article in KMWALTR #003

Recently, the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Abdullatif Al- Ash Sheikh, announced the decision that the government is officially banning the Indian-origin Tablighi Jamaat. He said that the Jamaat is dangerous and false and ‘a gateway to terrorism’.

Who are Tablighi Jamaat?

Tablighi Jamaat is a missionary movement (orthodox). The motive of this movement is to urge fellow Muslims to follow Islam for every aspect of life (primarily, personal behaviour, dressing, and rituals).

Tablighi Jamaat has more than 400 million followers worldwide, and the group strictly stays away from political activities and riots. Instead, it solely focuses on religion.

Since the US government is very much interested in Islam and what Muslims of the world are doing, it has closely monitored the Tablighi Jamaat since 2001. This is because they consider the teachings of a Muslim religious group as a starting point towards radical and terrorist organizations.

The world was made to believe with the collective efforts of the USA and India that Tablighi Jamaat sows the seeds of terrorism in young minds with their teachings. This fact was further made solid when an operation led to catching seven Tablighi members by Russian intelligence in Russia in February 2020. The terrorist cell was entailed in fanaticism

The Indian media is curiously using this news extensively and spreading hate crime. Their point is that since the Tablighi Jamaat is originated from India that is why Saudi Arabia banned it. Muhammad Ilyas Khandhalvi founded the Jamaat in Haryana via a tweet.

But, considering that Saudi Arabia houses the holiest places of Islam; Mecca, the Ka’ba, and Medina, where Islam was born and grew up; where Prophet Muhammad SAWW lived for the last 10 years of his life in exile.

Read the full article in KMWALTR #002

Our intention is to create a modern vibrant community, a genuine and attractive alternative to the distractions of Netflix, YouTube and TikTok. Not only for us but for our children too.

We want to be able to dictate the narrative that is given to our children, have a learning and social experience that is far superior to what society and its friends currently offer them. We want to create an Islamic culture that is an easy choice for us, our children and the non-Muslims that want to know more about us.

We want you if you are passionate about making the community flourish, bringing your skills, your energy and your creativity to Medway. There is so much low-hanging fruit in which you can make a real difference and your efforts can become an ongoing reward for you.

Our near-term goals are to make the newsletter successful, consistent and maintainable.

We need people who can contribute to this newsletter.

Ark are also planning larger scale projects to help raise funds for the new mosque. So your skills in project management and entrepreneurship would be valuable.

We want to utilise technology to the maximum, so any social media savvy people, we even have NFT ideas bubbling away.

So in three simple words
We Want You!

Read the full article and find contact details in KMWALTR #001