(Ismail Mukhtar) Zailai and Jabarti Scholars: Islam’s presence in the Horn of Africa dates back to the early days of Islam’s appearance in Arabia. The first wave of Muslim immigrants came to Abyssinia from Mecca five years after the emergence of Islam. They came in two waves to escape the persecution they were subjected to by the Meccan pagans. Their total number is estimated in the hundreds. Most of them later returned to Arabia after staying in Abyssinia for approximately 13 years. As confirmed by Muslim historian and scholars of hadith, Negashi – the king of Abyssinia - was among the first Africans to accept Islam. It is plausible, given the length of time that these migrants stayed in Abyssinia, their relatively large number and the support they received from Negashi, that there might have been other locals who accepted Islam at this early stage.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praises and thanks are due to Allah, and peace & blessings be upon his Messenger. I pray to Allah that this letter finds you in the best of health and iman. InshAllah, everyone had a great and relaxing winter break. The year is 1431/2010 and most of us have made outrageous New Year’s resolutions as always. InshAllah, we have good intentions with our goals and that we strive for the akhirah. Why do we always have to make our New Year’s resolutions impossible which involves us suffering? It’s always going to be the weight loss we try to achieve in a month or two then go back to our bad habits. I have tried it every year and I wanted to tweak it this time.

(انّا للہ و انّا الیہ راجعون): Ustaz M. Beshir Ahmed of Diaa Islamic School of Akhria (Asmara) passed away on December 29, 2009 in his home in Asmara. He was buried in the cemetery of Sheikh Al-Ameen in the presence of thousands of mourners including friends, family, dignitaries, current students and staff of Diaa school, former students and local residents of Asmara and environs. A short account of his history was read before the funeral by ustaz Abdulkader Ahmed, a former student of Ustaz M. Beshir. The funeral prayer (salat al-jenaza) was led by Sheikh Al’Ameen Osman, Mufti of Eritrea. (By Abdurahman Nurhussien Ahmed).

(Ismail Mukhtra) Understanding: The youth experience various transitions in their lives and alter between various identities and go through phases in their lives. Issues pertaining to their sexual life are becoming more pressing to them than their parents generation. Further, issues pertaining to their Islamic identity and their faith are becoming intellectually and emotionally draining. To overcome these transitional challenges, the youth need a sympathetic ear, an understanding counselor and a patient mentor. The last thing the youth need is to be scolded or to be told how ungrateful or bad they are. A young man once came to the Prophet one day and said: "O Prophet! Give me permission to commit adultery."  (Reproduced with author permission from: Manitoba Muslim Magazine, November 2009 issue. Click here to download a PDF version of the article.

(Ismael Mukhtar) Mentorship: Mentorship of the youth is critical for their healthy growth and development. Youth need to be given opportunities to lead, to participate, to take greater roles; however, this must be accompanied with adequate mentorship and training. Mentorship isn’t censorship nor is it killing the creative and innovative intuition in the youth. Mentorship is a process of training young people to take greater roles by way of equipping them with the essential skills, the proper ethical framework and the tools necessary for unleashing their potentials.  (Reproduced with author permission from: Manitoba Muslim Magazine, November 2009 issue. Click here to download a PDF version of the article.