The Rising Muslim - Informative and inspirational articles about Islam and Muslims

MAKKAH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced that it will conduct this year’s Hajj with participation of Hujjaj from around the world for the first time in 2 years. The Ministry also said that it had set the maximum number of participants to be 1 million, a jump from 60,000 Hujjaj last year under the COVID-19 Precuationary Measures. Among the requirements the Ministry said that the Hujjaj would need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the maximum age of Hujjaj has been set to 65 years.

English club Arsenal’s star Mesut Özil has donated 713,000 Turkish liras ($101,000) to the Turkish Red Crescent in response to a funding drive coinciding with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The money will be used to provide iftar – the evening meal at which fasting is broken at the end of the day – to 16,000 people in Turkey, according to the group. Families in Turkey and Syria will be able to receive 2,000 food packages thanks to Özil’s donation, while 90,000 iftar packages will be distributed in Somalia's capital Mogadishu. In total, 114 thousand people will receive aid with the donation. "At the Red Crescent, we stand by those in need 365 days a year. Of course, we do this thanks to donations made by philanthropist friends who follow our work. As donations increase, we will be able to reach even more people in need," said Kerem Kınık, head of the Turkish Red Crescent, while thanking the German-based footballer for the donation. "Thanks to our...

A British Member of Parliament decided to join the fast during the first week of the holy month of Ramadan. Paul Bristow, Conservative MP for Peterborough in Eastern England, announced his decision via video on Twitter.   I am fasting for the first week of #Ramadan . I want to share this experience with the 20,000 Muslims who live in my City #proudofpeterborough #RamadanMubarak pic.twitter.com/dwqf9HY5I7 — Paul Bristow MP #StayHomeSaveLives (@paulbristow79) April 23, 2020 “Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, self-improvement and heightened worship. For the first week of Ramadan, I too, have decided to observe the fast. I am not Muslim,” Bristow said. Every day, Bristow has been recording vlogs sharing his fasting experience on his site and Twitter. In the UK, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has  published guidelines  for Muslims on how to conduct themselves during Ramadan this year while the country remains under lockdown. Ac...

New York City will provide over 500,000 free halal meals to Muslims during Ramadan, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced this week. The city will distribute 400,000 halal meals at 32 specific Department of Education sites in areas where there are “large Musl im communities,”  de Blasio announced on Thursday.  Another 100,000 will be distributed through partnerships with community-based organizations, such as food pantries or soup kitchens. “One of Ramadan’s most noble callings is to feed the hungry. And it’s a crucial part of how the holiday is celebrated, to remember to be there for those in need,” de Blasio said at a press briefing on Thursday. “And that is now harder than ever.” “Obviously, people can’t go to their mosques,” he continued. “In fact, mosques have often been a place that those who were hungry, those who were poor, would know they could go during Ramadan to break the fast.” “They knew there would always be a meal there for them. That’s not goin...

(Karnataka, India) Daily wage labourer Abdurrahman Goodinabali and his wife had worked hard for years saving money to fulfil their desire to go for the annual Hajj in Makkah and Madina. The couple probably would have embarked on the pilgrimage next year, but the fear that holding on to the money when people around them are suffering due to the coronavirus lockdown would bring them a curse held them back. “Like any Muslim, my parents too wished to go on the Hajj and had saved money after working for years,” said Elyas, Abdurrahman’s son. My father is a coolie and my mother rolls bidis for an earning. My father had been saving money for years to go to the pilgrimage. But he felt when people around him are suffering due to the lockdown, holding on to the money would bring a curse upon him. So he decided to feed the needy,” Elyas wrote on his Facebook page, which has gone viral. Considered the fifth pillar of Islam, the annual Hajj pilgrimage is a religious obligation for...

This billboard highlights the amazing advice of Prophet Muhammad  (ﷺ) , peace be upon him, regarding the prevention and guidelines during an pandemic. GainPeace has launched a billboard to salute the heroes who are in the frontline of taking care of those affected by COVID-19.  The billboard outlines how the Prophet Muhammad  (ﷺ) (peace and blessings be upon him) historically deal with pandemics during his time, all of which are guidelines set by world health organisations to deal with the current Covid-19 outbreak. The bill board states “Prophet Muhammad  (ﷺ) (peace and blessings upon him) advised:  “Wash hands frequently, don’t leave infected area, don’t visit infected area.” Since the current outbreak began to spread across the world the guidelines based on hadeeth of prophet (ﷺ) (peace and blessings be upon him) have been widely shared across social media platforms. The centuries-old advices of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) (peace be upon him) h...

Ramadan Moon Sighted In Saudi Arabia, the first Ramadan will be on Friday, 24th April 2020. Ramadan Kareem! RIYADH: Saudi Arabian moon sighters have told in the briefing that the moon has been sighted in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. Millions of Muslims all around the globe will start the Holy Month of Ramadan from Monday. The Islamic tradition followers a lunar Calendar and the moon sighting traditional methodology which leads in different countries to start the  month of Ramadan  which can also start with a day gap in some countries. In 2020, the holy month of Ramadan is coming in long summer days for Muslims especially those living in Northern Hemisphere. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five major pillars of Islam which every Muslim has to follow, along with Shahadah and praying,  Zakat , and performing Hajj. Ramadan moon has not been cited in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh as of now.