I doubt this is a man who needs an introduction but for those who don’t know, Muslim Belal is a UK born poet who entered into Islam at the age of 19. Before that he was part of the infamous South London SMS crew and this is where he developed his MC skills, but it was his conversion to Islam that made him change direction and his outlook on life. Over the next few years he began writing poetry which spoke of his life before his Islam, his conversion and what it meant to him. He also works with young people to try and get them away from aspiring to have a street lifestyle and instead focus on developing their relationship with Allah.

After years of performing around the UK and parts of the world he decided to leave for the much hotter climes of Kuwait. I found out why and what his future plans are.

You’ve been out of the UK for some time, where have you been and when should we expect you back?

I’ve been in Kuwait for the past six months and will be visiting the UK in the next few weeks God wiling, however I wont be returning to live, just a visit.

Recently I had became extremely busy with speaking and performing at events all over, and I  feel when something occupies your time so much you can get lost in that thing. I was receiving a lot of praise from people, which is a scary feeling and at times I felt like i was trying so hard to fulfill the demands of the people I forget to take care of myself and what is most important in this life. I was studying less and becoming too busy. I felt it was time to get off the stage and take my seat in the auditorium again. Protect my heart and faith and increase my knowledge and understanding.

Every country and city has its good and its bad as we know but I can honestly say here in Kuwait the good out weighs the bad by far. I am well looked after, I sit with a teacher five days a week, benefiting and  always sitting with different families eating and learning. Not a day goes by where I am not invited somewhere to do something. There is a cultural tradition here to have a diwaniya everyday in each household, this is where you sit on low sofas on the floor in a circle and drink tea, eat dates and speak about life. I think this is a beautiful thing and it keeps the community together, the people here are blessed with wealth but are humble and welcoming, which helps for someone like myself being here alone.  Not long ago I left my block to go get some food as I do and bumped into a gentleman outside. I gave him salaam and he greeted me with peace back. As I walked off he then called out to me, ”Where are you going?” I let him know I’m just going to get something for dinner, he asked, “Alone?” “Yes”, I replied, so he called me to come lets go eat dinner together and we did, may God reward him. This is what I love, a complete stranger but still treated like a true brother.

I have done a few performances here an there at small talks and a weekend school but it’s not what I came here for. Most people I’m among here have no idea that I do poetry. However when I did speak and perform it went well and was very well received. I think speaking and performing for Mishary Rashid Al Afasy was a highlight for me and praying behind him in Ramadan

As those who know me, know I never actually write new material. I just get inspired by events and situations in life that make things come to my mind and yes, this time alone has definitely been a lot of thinking time, learning time, and with that many new things have come to my mind. Whether I share them all, we’ll have to see!

I wrote a book whilst here in Kuwait called ”Where do we come from, why are we here, and where are we going?” This is a deeper look into my life and our life’s purpose. I intend to release that when I return and spend time with family mainly. I don’t have my sights set on spending too much time on stage sorry to say. I love poetry and feel it’s a superb art and craft and have nothing against it whatsoever but I really don’t want to busy myself too much with it at the moment. My heart, my mind, and my relationship with God and family is really what I’m focusing on at the moment. Time is short! Although “Black Slave” is still a CD that I intend to produce here and a documentary is currently in the editing process as well as some other projects.

One thing I can say is I feel that the Belal that returns to the UK realises that true guidance is from Allah and its not for us to get angry with each other or spend so much time trying to change each other, our duty is just to convey the message and move on, and leave the guiding to our Creator. Time is a major factor for us and I feel a lot of it is being wasted. This is one of the sad things I notice a lot in the people, we find it hard to prioritise our duties. For example we spend so much time looking up to people, or putting people down, or on the internet, or arguing and debating, refuting etc when the benefit is not in these things. One must focus on themselves and then their family before they start focusing on the people.

To be honest, both times when I traveled out of the UK to study, the first time in Egypt and now in Kuwait, I actually did not plan much. I had no idea how my trips would turn out, I didn’t know where i would live on arrival or where I would study. I just made the intentions to go and supplicated to God as the plane takes off to bring me the good of this city and make it of benefit to me. I knew only one person in Kuwait and did not know anyone in Egypt but God is the best of planners and both trips I was lead to the people that helped me settle down.  My tips to anyone who would like to go is just go, if you wait for the perfect moment you probably will end up in the grave before that moment comes, as we know perfect does not exist. Kuwait is amazing and for studying all round I would say its probably a better option. However, its not cheap to live here unless you have a fair amount of money saved or a job here I would recommend Egypt which is good also mainly for Quran and Arabic language and there are many people there from the UK who can help one find a flat to rent for a few hundred per month and a private teacher for less than £100 per month. The other option is joining one of the centres like Fajr Centre in Cairo which provides everything.  But the main thing is to purify your intention, understand your overall aims and pray that God guides you on your journey and assists you along the way.

Can you bring me back a gift?

Would that be fair on the others? LOL!

Contact Belal on Twitter @AshleyBelalChin

To mark the beginning of the blessed Mawlid season, we were honoured to be in the company of many of our esteemed Shuyoukh recently in a gathering in London. Held by Shaykh Abdullah Madani and with the company of Shaykh Babikr, Hajj Ahmed Thompson, Imam Ahmed Saad and Shaykh Faisal from Egypt. It was a night where, as Hajj Ahmed stated, Madina came to us.

Unfortunately nights like this can never be relived or described adequately. Instead I hope these audio clips will be enough to give you a taste of what took place. The first is the powerful address by Shaykh Babikr followed by a short selection of the qasa’id sang on the night.

Enjoy.

**Just updated with the brand new video below**

“I am Ibn Taymiyya, I am Ibn Arabi, I am the middle way like Al-Ghazali.”

I spent the afternoon recently with Quest Rah and Global Faction in an underground London car park as they were filming a new video for Quests new single. “5th Element” is one of the standout tracks on Quests latest LP “Ancient Tapes Volume 2 – The Lost Art” which is available for FREE download from here: www.quest-rah.bandcamp.com

I collared Quest to break down the track for us in his own words:

“5th Element is a metaphor for Knowledge. Knowledge has changed our world and individual lives throughout time and lack of knowledge or misuse of it affects our daily existence in ways we may not even realise. As I say on the track: “Men like to control populations that lack me, won’t find me much in newspapers or TV.” These two points are all interrelated – the media controls our thoughts and opinions, and only a sufficient knowledge and wisdom can make us see “above the water” i.e more clearly. A population devoid of knowledge will be more easier to control, take a look at what can happen when the masses “awaken” and take to the streets as in recent events.

In 5th Element I explore the wonderful past in the ups and downs of civilizations in relation to knowledge: “I was owned by many through war and through calm, I was thrown in the river by Hulagu Khan”, “Catch me in Egypt sprayed on walls like graffiti” and “I am Ibn Taymiyya, I am Ibn Arabi, I am the middle way like Al-Ghazali.”

As you can tell, this is a track written in the 1st person. The idea of naming the track 5th Element is taken from the history of Hip Hop culture. Aside from the first 4 elements of MCing Djing, breakdancing and graffiti – a 5th element was added to the mix in Hip Hops early years, and this was the element of Knowledge.  For the early hip hop community, this was seen as the only solution to get people off the streets killing each other  and to empower their ‘Self’, to know where they are coming from so that they can know where they are going to.”

You can find Quest here https://www.facebook.com/quest.rah

Ayman Raze

The Radical Middle Way have just released a behind the scenes documentary of their 2008 Dangerous Ideas Tour. The tour stretched across the UK and featured artists such as poet Amir Sulaiman, hip hop duo Poetic Pilgrimage, MC activist Mohammed Yahya, poet Warsan Shire and acclaimed beatboxer R U KID. They were joined by Imam Johari Abdul-Malik from the US and Shaykh Michael Mumisa from the UK plus many other special guests.

RMW have been putting in a lot of work over the past few years and are always on the forefront of Islamic art and creativity in the UK. I would advise anyone to check out their site http://radicalmiddleway.co.uk as they always have new projects on the go.

If you like the documentary or even if you don’t like it, please leave a comment and let me know why.

Ayman

Dangerous Ideas from Radical Middle Way on Vimeo.

I will put up some of my photography soon and will be doing a series on the Tawheed Is Unity tee shirt designs, breaking down each design and the meaning behind them.

Ayman Raze

Women have more often been featured in front of the camera, how many are there behind it?

Graphic design can often be a field of little gratitude. You put in hours of work to usually make someone else look good and receive little praise in return. But sometimes a designer steps out of the shadows and becomes as well known as his work, or even more so. Australian designer Peter Gould is one of the few who has successfully established himself and whose very name has become synonymous with a particular style. Are you a fan of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf? He designed the Sandala site. What about Sami Yusuf? Yep, his site, branding and album where Peters work too. And there must be something about the name Yusuf because even the legendary Yusuf Islam has had the Gould touch on various projects of his. Lets put it this way, if you’re Muslim and are online (which would be quite difficult not to be considering you’re reading this…ahem) then you have more than likely come across his work before.

He mixes art, design, photography and digital art to create everything from websites, artwork and whole clothing lines. After accepting Islam in 2002 his travels took him across the Muslim world where he was to be inspired by the architecture and lifestyle. This inspiration can clearly be seen in his work today.

I asked him a few questions recently which he was gracious enough to take time out from his schedule to answer. So enjoy, and if you do, please share this with someone who you think will enjoy it as well.

Islam has a tradition of high art and design. Where has this appreciation gone?

I think the appreciation has always been there but the global community is in a period of transformation, along with their creative communities. I love the fact we have Muslim street artists & highly digital pixel artists but also traditional craftspeople working in centuries-old techniques. This is the breadth and beauty of our faith.

“God is beautiful and loves beauty.” How important is the role of good design today?

If we think of commercial design we immediately think about how global brands and advertising campaigns are reaching every corner of the planet, driving consumerist lifestyles. We need to harness the power of good design and creative work and steer those efforts into more constructive means. Certainly in my case I try to help clients make these Islamic inspired events and products look great and reflect the beauty of their intention. Too many times I’ve seen ‘Islamic’ events, organisations and products marketed terribly with awful design. We have so much catching up to do.

The Islamic influence is clear in your work. Where else do you turn to for inspiration?

My faith is a driving force in my creative pursuits but on a specific level I like to travel often and observe how different cultures use graphic design. I like how exploring how global brands adapt to certain regions like how Western brands “Arabize” in Dubai. I read blogs daily and follow certain designers & trends. But sometimes it’s the most random thing that will give you an idea for a project where you least expected it.

I have to credit you with raising the level of professionalism amongst Muslim Graphic Designers. Unfortunately the arts are not considered fields that hold the same respect as medicine or engineering. What would you say to someone who wants to pursue this as a career but is put off by this outlook?

Alhumdulilah for the many blessings in my career and the opportunity to work with great clients. There is an emerging generation of designers who are started to service the Ummah in beautiful ways. Whenever I present to groups of younger people I get a few who come and talk to me afterwards. There’s no stopping them inshaAllah, but it would be great to have wider support from the community.

Its always nice to find out you designed a site that I’m a fan of design wise. What are your favourites and why?

Working with creative geniuses like Yusuf Islam Sami Yusuf has been an amazing blessing and brands like Zaytuna & Taleef in California are such an honor. All have played a big part in my personal path to God, so the opportunity to serve them in a small way with graphic design is a total treat for me.

The internet has opened up the design world in unimaginable ways. What would you say the next game changer will be?

One of my favourite authors is Ray Kurzweil, I even met him once. He is somewhat of a radical visionary with books about the age of super-intelligent computers and bio-genetic engineering, even “The Singularity”. I don’t think it will all happen but we’ve certainly got some exciting times ahead. Specifically for designers keep an eye on mobile platforms and augmented reality (AR).

Sami Yusuf and Yusuf Islam have a freestyle battle for exclusive use of the name Yusuf. Who would win?

Haha. Probably you’d need to ask Shaykh Hamza Yusuf about that

DISCLAIMER: To the FBI, MI5 and CIA. This is not an article about Jihad against Jews or Jews becoming Jihadists or even a group of Jihadists who want to be Jews. Its about a Jew called Jihadi which makes him instantly more interesting than any other Jew. To Muslims who have a bit too much time on their hands, just keep in mind that Jihad literally means struggle and we’ll all get along just fine!

For a while now I’ve been enjoying the Twitter feed of a certain Lee Weissman because of his always insightful, often hilarious comments and anecdotes on life and spirituality. Originally intrigued by his choice of name and expecting this to be some kind of wind up, I was impressed to find that he works to build bridges between Muslims and Jews. With the dry wit and keenness of observation that famous Jewish comedians such as Woody Allen possessed in bucket loads, its not hard to see why he has so many Muslim followers on his Twitter page. Honestly, its just so hard to not like the guy.

Here some choice quotes of his from Twitter followed by a few questions I fired his way:

“Some guys think about sports, I have medieval theologians dancing in my head. Makes me smart but not necessarily fun at parties. ”

“It is remarkable that creatures as fragile as ourselves should feel so stupidly invincible.”

“I am pretty sure if a Jewish dude can get 1000 Muslims to retweet Dr. Seuss, I am gonna get some kind of Twitter award, just sayin’ ”

Who is Jihadi Jew?

Are there any Muslim theologians you admire and why?

The most important thing we’ve learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set –
Or better still, just don’t install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we’ve been,
We’ve watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone’s place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they’re hypnotised by it,
Until they’re absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don’t climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink –
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK — HE ONLY SEES!
‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,
‘But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!’
We’ll answer this by asking you,
‘What used the darling ones to do?
‘How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?’
Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?
We’ll say it very loud and slow:
THEY … USED … TO … READ! They’d READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching ’round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it’s Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There’s Mr. Rate and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They’ll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start — oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They’ll grow so keen
They’ll wonder what they’d ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.

Roald Dahl