May Allah have mercy of those who have suffered in this horrible acts.

Opinion and theological prove are two different things. The subject matter is on issue of Islamic importance; the mechanism used in proving or disproving whether something is Islamic or otherwise is very well laid out in the good books of Uzuulu Fiqh. For simplity sake, here are the main utilised vehicles 1. Quran 2. Sunnah 3. Ijmaac 4. Qiyaas 5. Qawl Sahaaba 6. Istisxaabul xaal 7. Masaalixul Mursalah So, if you are going to opine on an issue of Islamic importance, then you will be well advised to substantiate your reasoning upon one of the above. If however, you are like I, a mere Muqalid and not Mujtahid, then you better quote your Mufti. The Point- If everyone knew what they are required of them by his Grace and fulfill their duties, perhaps the Umah wont be in the mess we are in. Sin isn't trivial in the eyes of Allah, making friends with Kufaar is certainly not a trivial issue. Abu Salman- Wa iyaaka.

Inaalilaahi Wa inaa Ileyhe Raajicuun. Sayid, having lost my dad recently, I sort of understand the pain and perhaps uncertainty that you might be going through brother. Insha Allah, all you could do at this moment of time is to show Sabr and indeed make du'a for him. Remember him whenever you are making Sujuud to Allah Subxaanahu watacalaah. Insha Allah, Reerkana Samir iyo Iimaan Xaajiga Janatul fardowsa iyo in Alaah uu Su'aasha Qabriga ufududeeyo. Aamiin.

How many of us call Jeremy Von Semonin or Elizabeth Crew-Pricea a FRIEND? None of us I hope since such names are rather rare. But how about David or Fiona? Is having non muslim friend haram? Does that violate Alwala wal Bara fil Islam?

AL-WALA' WAL-BARA' Love is the source of wala' and hate is the source of bara'; it is by this that both the heart and the hand are moved to act. Wala' inspires intimacy, concern and help. Bara' provokes obstruction, enmity and rejection. Wala' and Bara' are both related to the declaration of faith and constitute essential elements in it. The evidence of this from the Qur'an and the Sunnah is considerable. As for the Qur'an, consider the following ayat: "Let not the believers take disbelievers for their friends in preference to believers. Whoever does this has no connection with Allah unless you are guarding yourselves against them as a precaution. Allah bids you to beware (only) of Himself. And to Allah is the journeying." [3:28] And He says: "Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind), If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your wrong actions. Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate. Say, Obey Allah and the Messenger. And If they turn away, then surely Allah does not love the disbelievers." [3:31-32] Speaking of the aims of the enemies of Allah, He says: "They long for you to disbelieve even as they disbelieve, so that you may be the same (as them). so do not choose friends from among them until they go out in the way of Allah." [4:89] And also: "O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are friends of one another. And whoever of you takes them for friends is (one) of them. Surely Allah does not guide wrongdoing people." [5:51] And lastly: "O you who believe! Whoever of you becomes a rebel against his deen, (know that in his place) Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble towards the believers, harsh towards the disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah, and not fearing the blame of any blamer." [5:54] We will mention only a few of the many hadith and reports of the Companions on this subject. Imam Ahmad reports from Jarir ibn Abdullah that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made him swear an oath to 'offer counsel to every Muslim and to steer clear of every disbeliever.' (1) Ibn Shayba reports that the Prophet said, "The strongest bond of faith is love for the sake of Allah and enmity for His sake." (2) Ibn Abbas reports that the Prophet said, "The strongest bond of faith is loyalty for the sake of Allah and opposition for His sake, love for the sake of Allah and enmity for His sake." (3) Ibn Abbas is also reported to have said, "Whoever loves for the sake of Allah, and hates for the sake of Allah, and whoever seals a friendship for His sake, or declares an enmity for His sake, will receive, because of this, the protection of Allah. No one may taste true faith except by this, even if his prayers and fasts are many. People have come to build their relationships around the concerns of the world, but it will not benefit them in any way." (4) Shaykh Sulaiman ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab explained the words of Ibn Abbas by saying that the meaning of 'to seal a friendship for the sake of Allah' indicates the obligation of establishing relationships of love and trust for His sake; this is friendship for the sake of Allah. It also indicates that simple affection is not enough here; indeed what is meant is a love based upon alliance. This entails assistance, honour, and respect. It means being with those whom you love both in word and deed. As for 'enmity for the sake of Allah', it includes the obligation to declare enmity for His sake: opposition for the sake of Allah. it is to declare opposition in deed, to take up arms against His enemies, to shun them, and to stay far from them both in word and deed. This proves that simple opposition of the spirit is not enough, and that it must be a complete honouring of your commitment, for Allah says: "There is a good example for you in Ibrahim and those with him, when they told their people: 'Surely we disassociate ourselves from you and all that you worship beside Allah. We have done with you. And there has arisen between us and you enmity and hate for ever until you believe in Allah only'." [60:4] (5) All this leads us to conclude that loyalty for the sake of Allah really means to love Allah and to come to the assistance of His deen; it is to love those who are obedient to Him and to come to their help. Opposition for the sake of Allah is to feel anger at the enemies of Allah and to struggle against them. Because of this Allah has called the first group the "party of Allah" and the second the "party of Satan": "Allah is the Protecting Guardian of those who believe. He brings them out of darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their patrons are false deities. They bring them out of light into darkness. Such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein." [2:257] And Allah says: "Those who believe do battle for the cause of Allah; and those who disbelieve do battle for the cause of idols. So fight the friends of Satan. Surely Satan's strategy is always weak." [4:76] It is well known that Allah has never sent a Prophet on His mission without also raising up opponents against him. Allah says: "Thus have We appointed for every prophet an adversary - devils from mankind and the jinn who inspire in one another plausible words that are deceiving." [6:112] It may be that opponents of Divine Unity possess some learning, a part of Revelation, and proof. As Allah says: "And when their Messengers brought them clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), they exulted in the knowledge which they (themselves) possessed. And that which they had become accustomed to mock befell them." [40:83] It is the obligation of every Muslim to learn from Allah's deen whatever may serve as a weapon for him in the struggle against the friends of Satan. In this he should have no fear and no misgivings, since the devil's strategy is always weak. Allah says: "And surely that Our host would be the victors." [37:173] To the host of Allah shall be the victory in discussion and in debate, as in war and strife. In this way an ordinary man from the party of the One God will overcome a thousand scholars of the disbelievers. (6) If the aim of the enemies of Islam - whether they are atheists or Jews, or Christians or modernists, or Zionists or Communists - is the emasulation of the Aqeedah of the Muslims, and the erosion of their unique character in order to make them 'the *** of the chosen people', (as it is put in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion), then the urgency of this issue should become clear to every Muslim. We should all take heed, for ourselves and for those who are with us, so that we may warn all the Muslims who are slipping away into the abyss of apostasy, warn them of the treacherous call of the disbelievers to what they call 'brotherhood and equality', warn them of the false claim that religion is for Allah but that nationhood is for the masses. We will return to this point in more detail later. For the present, the evidence is clear from the Qur'an and the Sunnah that allegiance is demanded by the declaration of faith since this is an essential part of its meaning. As Ibn Taimiya has said, "The declaration of faith, there is no god but Allah, requires you to love only for the sake of Allah, to hate only for the sake of Allah, to ally yourself only for the sake of Allah, to declare enmity only for the sake of Allah; it requires you to love what Allah loves and to hate what Allah hates." (7) It also requires you to ally yourself to the Muslims wherever you find them and to oppose the disbelievers even if they are your closest kin. -- This is from http://islamworld.net/docs/wala.html#III

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2008082802

Far Dhidin which two jiiro from Xamar lagu xidh.

^ Gediidoow qofka Muslimka ahi waxaa waajib ku ah inoo Rajo kunool yahay. Tan kale, walaalkey Xiin waxaan RAJEYNAYAA inuu tabtii uu geela iyo biyo cabsiin lahaa uu yaqaano

Ilko maroodi iyagaa la isku jabiyaa

Stubbornness is the currency of the vain mind. One must be awaken to the fact that his knowledge is limited and the opinions that he takes for granted (beyond Islam) are there to be changed by a certain black swan.

MS DD, good to hear you are off to Dubailand-- a city where in a day you go skiing in the morning, to the beach in the afternoon and desert camping in the evening? MS DD, if you want to go into finance, I know just the course to do. It will give you a competitive advantage you might need.

^ Old chap, I dare not to throw my hunt in the mud as it were; mindful of what may ensue from such potent splash

AT&T, Ha warwerin anigu cidna kuu raaci maayo. Xiin: hade wiilku waa cabanayaaye tareesada ka dhim awoowe. London people- is anyone going to see Garriey tomorrow evening at Oxford house? I am. Ms DD, Insha Allah, looking forward it.

Nuune, not yet in Jan Insha Allah. I am taking it easy on my gardening leave-- curious name indeed, I live in a flat and have no garden to tend to!!. How Dublin? London is sunny today. I haven't had the pleasure nuune, AT&T seems the sort of fellow who enjoys street fighting- even if he is out-gunned; is that foolish or nomadic bravery?

Cantarabaqash

Abtigiis, what is your obsession towards our esteemed SOL gentleman? This is the second thread dedicated to Mr Xiin. If you have an issue to discuss, then discuss with civility but with a rational vigour.

Alaah ha ugargaaro walaale; Aamin.

I am sure of it MMA. This guy is the broker.

US destroyer nears Somali pirates USS Howard (Picture from USS Howard website) The USS Howard is one of several vessels in the area A US navy destroyer has made visual contact with a Ukrainian ship which was seized by Somali pirates last week and is now moored off the town of Hobyo. There is no indication that the USS Howard is about to approach the MV Faina, which is carrying 33 T-72 battle tanks destined for Kenya's government. A Russian navy vessel is also heading towards the region. The pirates have reportedly demanded a ransom of $35m (£19m) to release the Ukrainian vessel and its crew. But the Kenyan government has cast doubt on the report, saying it had not been issued with ransom demands. The pirates also warned against any attempt to rescue the crew or cargo of the ship. The US 5th Fleet is patrolling the area. Deputy spokesperson Lt Nathan Christensen told the BBC USS Howard was within five miles (8km) from the stricken Ukrainian vessel, but refused to say whether an intervention was likely. He said negotiations were continuing between the pirates and the owners of the Faina. International concern In an interview with the BBC, one of the pirates, Januna Ali Jama, claiming to be speaking on their behalf, said they were prepared to negotiate with the Kenyan government, but that would not release the MV Faina unless the ransom was paid. Map Battles and looting in Mogadishu Life in Somalia's pirate town "We are warning France and others who are thinking of carrying out a rescue that we have the power to reach them wherever they are," he said. "We are demanding a ransom of at least $35m." Later, in a tersely-worded statement, a spokesman for the Kenyan government said they had not received any credible demands for a ransom to release the ship. He went on to say that the government would not negotiate with what it called international criminals, pirates and terrorists, and said efforts to recover the hijacked ship and its cargo would continue. The BBC's Karen Allen, in Nairobi, says there is constant monitoring of the international waters off the coast of Somalia - considered some of the world's most dangerous waters. 'Big business' On Friday, Ukrainian Defence Minister Yury Yekhanurov confirmed that 33 Russian T-72 tanks and "a substantial quantity of ammunition" were aboard the MV Faina. Ukraine's foreign ministry said the ship had a crew of 21 and was sailing towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa. Authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland say they are powerless to confront the pirates, who regularly hold ships for ransom at the port of Eyl. Faina, the seized ship (Pic: Digital Seas.com) The MV Faina was carrying a shipment of battle tanks destined for Kenya Senior UN officials estimate the ransoms pirates earn from hijacking ships exceed $100m (£54m) a year. Pirate "mother ships" travel far out to sea and launch smaller boats to attack passing vessels, sometimes using rocket-propelled grenades. Last week, France circulated a draft UN resolution urging states to deploy naval vessels and aircraft to combat such piracy. France, which has troops in nearby Djibouti and also participates in a multi-national naval force patrol in the area, has intervened twice to release French sailors kidnapped by pirates. Commandos freed two people whose boat was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden earlier this month and in April, six arrested pirates were handed over to the French authorities for trial. Somalia has been without a functioning central government for 17 years and has suffered from continual civil strife.

Norf indeed insha Allah; will see you in January! Ngone: it is good; or so I hope. I have been thinking of jumping ship for a while and something more interesting came up; Norf knows the details. The boss is playing a game with me. He told me that he will let me know whether I should work through my notice period or otherwise. He also didnt ask me to hand document or more importantly the business card.

Morning guys. I have just resigned from work.

United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) Letter to the members of the Somali Diaspora New York, 22 September 2008 Asalaam Aleikum Ramadan Karim I am writing to you all once again to keep you informed of the latest developments in efforts to restore peace and stability to your beloved country. At present I am in New York to attend a series of high level meetings on political, security and humanitarian issues in Somalia. I will hold talks with ministers from the African Union, the US, Norway, Sweden, UK, Italy and other key partners. The world’s leaders are here to attend the annual debate at the UN General Assembly and we are working to keep the issue of Somalia high on the agenda. As you all know, we held the second round of meetings of the High Level Committee and Joint Security Committee in Djibouti last week attended by the international community. There was a very positive, productive atmosphere among Committees members who are dedicated to cooperating for peace in Somalia. In particular I was pleased that they agreed to continue working together in sub committees on a wide range of issues including the constitution, the humanitarian situation, reconstruction and development. The Joint Security Committee received an excellent briefing from the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations and came up with concrete proposals. The principle of the Ethiopian withdrawal, outlined in the Djibouti Agreement, is now to be effectively implemented. The Joint Security Committee has not fully come up with the details, but will meet in the next 15 days to iron them out. Despite the efforts of a very few spoilers (who are almost all now known) to derail the process, this is a major achievement and underlines the considerable progress made since the process began less than six months ago. Once agreement was reached in principle, I had to leave Djibouti to be in New York in time for the meetings. The closing press conference of the meeting was addressed by the Prime Minister and Sheikh Sharif. The international community continues its efforts to help the Somalis. We held a successful meeting of the International Contact Group on Somalia, which I chaired for the first time, on 16 September. This took place in Djibouti to allow members, which include several key countries and regional organizations, to meet Somalis from the Committees and the leaders of the TFG and ARS. The Contact Group representatives, who came from their capitals and Nairobi, called on all Somalis at home and abroad to fully support the Djibouti Agreement – and urged all parties to join the political process. As always it was a pleasure to work with your brothers from Djibouti who are true friends and allies of the Somali people. Once again we count on your strong backing for the peace efforts in Somalia and thank you for all your hard work towards making Somalia a stable and successful country which we believe will soon regain its dignity and be free from violence and chaos. I hope to meet more members of the patriotic jaliyadda in the coming months to discuss all these issues in person and will be travelling to Sweden to do so in October. We will report back on further progress soon. In the meanwhile, my very best wishes to you all Your brother Ahmedou

Communiqué 1. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) held a second round of meetings of the High Level Committee and the Joint Security Committee in Djibouti from 17 to 21 September 2008. The international community, including the United Nations, diplomats from regional organizations (African Union, European Union, League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Conference) and individual countries, as well as representatives of Somali civil society, attended. 2. The two Committees continued their discussions on practical means of implementing the Djibouti Agreement. 3. The Parties agreed to continue the political dialogue between themselves and make efforts to move forward on issues relating to political cooperation, reconciliation, justice and human rights. The Parties agreed to work together through sub-committees to address issues of institutional capacity building, constitution, humanitarian issues and recovery, reconstruction and development. 4. The Parties agreed to conduct field assessments and consultations as well as meet within 15 days to jointly develop viable military technical modalities for the implementation of the ceasefire. 5. They welcomed all efforts undertaken by Somali nationals inside and outside Somalia, as well as those of the international community, particularly the International Contact Group for Somalia to help implement the Djibouti Agreement. 6. The Parties agreed to form a Board as a mechanism to facilitate and coordinate the response to the humanitarian situation. They call on the international community to urgently provide humanitarian assistance to the needy people of Somalia. The Parties reaffirmed their strong determination to help ensure unhindered humanitarian access and assistance 7. The Parties reassure the Somali population on their determination to strengthen their commitment for peace, stability, unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and dignity in Somalia. 8. The Parties again thank the Government and people of Djibouti for their hospitality during the meetings of the High Level Committee and the Joint Security Committee. 9. The Parties express their appreciation to the UN Special Representative Mr. Ahmedou Ould Abdallah for his commitment and tireless efforts in moving the Somali peace process forward as well as the international community for its generous support and invite it to continue supporting the Djibouti Agreement. 10. The next meeting of the High Level and Joint Security Committees will take place within 30 days Djibouti 21 September 2008

He is going to Northern Ireland tomorrow I hear!!

Not an option indeed.