HAJJ

Each year in the 12th month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims in America and around the world begin observing activities associated with the annual Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. Hajj is one of the "five pillars" of the Islamic faith. (The other "pillars" include a declaration of faith, daily prayers, offering regular charity, and fasting during the month of Ramadan.) Hajj activities take place during six days (8^th-13^th) of the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijjah. Pilgrimage is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for those Muslims who have the physical and financial ability to undertake the journey. It is also a form of worship that involves the entire being: body, mind and soul.

• The Inner Dimensions of Hajj: excerpts from The Fundamentals of Islam by Syed Abul Ala Maududi
• How to Perform the Rituals of Hajj and Umrah by Shaikh Muhammad As-Salih Al-Uthaimeen
• How to Perform Hajj-a pictorial brief
• Hajj - Q&A
• The Kaba: Its Size and History
• Baca (Psalms 84) is Mecca, Saudi Arabia
• Soundvision's Page on Hajj

"Thus We settled Abraham at the site of the House (the Ka’aba) [saying]: ‘Do not associate anything with Me, and purify My house for those who walk around it, and those who stand there (praying), and those who bow down on their knees in worship. Proclaim the pilgrimage among mankind: they will come to you on foot and on every lean (beast of burden); Let them come from every deep ravine, to bear witness to the advantages they have, and to mention God’s name on appointed days..." The Holy Quran, Chapter 22, verses 26-28

Photo: More than two million pilgrims gather each year to perform Hajj.

Photo: Bowing in submission to God, thousands of pilgrims pray on a street at 'Arafat.

Photo: In the tawaf, pilgrims circle the Ka'bah seven times, reciting a prayer during each circuit.

TOTAL MUSLIM INTHE WORLD

This report includes all the countries of the world and shows how many Muslims are in each one.

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Country Name	Total Population	Muslims Percentage	Number of Muslims
Afghanistan	22,664,136	100%	22,664,136
Albania	3,249,136	75%	2,436,852
Algeria	29,183,032	99%	28,891,202
Angola	10,342,899	25%	2,585,725
Antigua and Barbuda	65,647	n/a
Argentina	34,672,997	2	693,460
Aruba	67,794	5	3,390
Australia	18,260,863	2.09	382,000
Azerbaijan	7,676,953	93.4	7,170,274
Bahrain	590,042	100	590,042
Benin	5,709,529	15	856,429
Bangladesh	123,062,800	85	104,603,380
Bhutan	1,822,625	5	91,131
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2,656,240	40	1,062,496
Botswana	1,477,630	5	73,882
Brazil	162,661,214	0.6	1,000,000
Brunei	299,939	63	188,962
Bulgaria	8,612,757	14	1,205,786
Burkina Faso	10,623,323	50	5,311,662
Burma	45,975,625	10	4,597,563
Burundi	5,943,057	20	1,188,611
Cambodia	10,861,218	1	108,612
Cameroon	14,261,557	55	7,843,856
Canada	28,820,671	1.48	400,000
Central African Republic	3,274,426	55	1,800,934
Chad	6,976,845	85	5,930,318
China	1,210,004,956	11	133,100,545
Christmas Island	813	10	81
Cocos (Keeling) Island	609	57	347
Comoros	569,237	86	489,544
Congo	2,527,841	15	379,176
Cote d'Ivoire	14,762,445	60	8,857,467
Croatia	5,004,112	1.2	60,049
Cyprus	744,609	33	245,721
Djibouti	427,642	94	401,983
Egypt	63,575,107	94	59,760,601
Equatorial Guinea	431,282	25	107,821
Eritrea	3,427,883	80	2,742,306
Ethiopia	57,171,662	65	37,161,580
Fiji	782,381	11	86,062
France	58,317,450	7	4,082,222
Gabon	1,172,798	1	11,728
Gambia	1,204,984	90	1,084,486
Gaza Strip	923,940	98.7	911,929
Georgia	5,219,810	11	574,179
Germany	83,536,115	3.4	2,840,228
Ghana	17,698,271	30	5,309,481
Gibraltar	28,765	8	2,301
Greece	10,538,594	1.5	158,079
Guinea	7,411,981	95	7,041,382
Guinea-Bissau	1,151,330	70	805,931
Guyana	712,091	15	106,814
Hong Kong	6,305,413	1	63,054
India	952,107,694	14	133,295,077
Indonesia	206,611,600	95	196,281,020
Iran	66,094,264	99	65,433,321
Iraq	21,422,292	97	20,779,623
Israel	5,421,995	14	759,079
Italy	57,460,274	1	574,603
Japan	125,449,703	1	1,254,497
Jordan	4,212,152	95	4,001,544
Kazakstan	16,916,463	51.2	8,661,229
Kenya	28,176,686	29.5	8,312,122
Kuwait	1,950,047	89	1,735,542
Kyrgyzstan	4,529,648	76.1	3,447,062
Lebanon	3,776,317	70	2,643,422
Liberia	2,109,789	30	632,937
Libya	5,445,436	100	5,445,436
Lesotho	1,970,781	10	197,078
Macedonia	2,104,035	30	631,211
Madagascar	13,670,507	20	2,734,101
Malawi	9,452,844	35	3,308,495
Malaysia	19,962,893	52	10,380,704
Maldives	270,758	100	270,758
Mali	9,653,261	90	8,687,935
Malta	375,576	14	52,581
Mauritania	2,336,048	100	2,336,048
Mauritius	1,140,256	19.5	222,350
Mayotte	100,838	99	99,830
Mongolia	2,496,617	4	99,865
Morocco	29,779,156	98.7	29,392,027
Mozambique	17,877,927	29	5,184,599
Namibia	1,677,243	5	83,862
Nepal	22,094,033	4	883,761
Netherlands	15,568,034	3	467,041
Niger	9,113,001	91	8,292,831
Nigeria	103,912,489	75	77,934,367
Norway	4,438,547	1.5	66,578
Oman	2,186,548	100	2,186,548
Pakistan	129,275,660	97	125,397,390
Panama	2,655,094	4	106,204
Philippines	74,480,848	14	10,427,319
Qatar	547,761	100	547,761
Reunion	679,198	20	135,840
Romania	21,657,162	20	4,331,432
Russia	148,178,487	18	26,672,127
Rwanda	6,853,359	1	68,534
Saudi Arabia	19,409,058	100	19,409,058
Senegal	9,092,749	95	8,638,112
Serbia and Montenegro	10,614,558	19	2,016,766
Sierra Leone	4,793,121	65	3,115,529
Singapore	3,396,924	17	577,477
Slovenia	1,951,443	1	19,514
Somalia	9,639,151	100	9,639,151
South Africa	41,743,459	2	834,869
Sri Lanka	18,553,074	9	1,669,777
Sudan	31,547,543	85	26,815,412
Suriname	436,418	25	109,105
Swaziland	998,730	10	99,873
Sweden	9,800,000	3.6	320,000
Syria	15,608,648	90	14,047,783
Tajikistan	5,916,373	85	5,028,917
Tanzania	29,058,470	65	18,888,006
Thailand	58,851,357	14	8,239,190
Togo	4,570,530	55	2,513,792
Trinidad and Tobago	1,272,385	12	152,686
Tunisia	9,019,687	98	8,839,293
Turkey	62,484,478	99.8	62,359,509
Turkmenistan	4,149,283	87	3,609,876
Uganda	20,158,176	36	7,256,943
United Arab Emirates	3,057,337	96	2,935,044
United Kingdom	58,489,975	2.7	1,579,229
United States	266,476,278	3.75	9,992,860
Uzbekistan	23,418,381	88	20,608,175
West Bank	1,427,741	75	1,070,806
Western Sahara	222,631	100	222,631
Yemen	13,483,178	99	13,348,346
Zaire	46,498,539	10	4,649,854
Zambia	9,159,072	15	1,373,861
Zimbabwe	11,271,314	15	1,690,697

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Alhabib Islamic Web Service Blog

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Fasting ‘Ashura – 10th Muharram Posted: Fasting in the month of Muharram is highly desired, especially on the tenth day, 'Ashura. The Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) has been reported as saying when asked which prayer is better after obligatory prayer: "Prayer in the middle of the night." He was asked again which fast is better after Ramadan. He said: "In the [...]

You get what you give – The story of Rasheed Posted: This is a true story about a man named Rashed. He tells his story as follows… I was not more than thirty years old when my wife gave birth to my first child. I still remember that night. I had stayed out all night long with my friends, as was my habit. It was a [...]

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Labour Stitch up as Debbie Abrahams wins Oldham selection

Arif Ansari is breaking the news that as suspected Deborah Abrahams has won the selection to be Labour's candidate in Oldham.

What an utter farce that Labour can maintain the sham of carrying out a democratic process when in reality the likes of Norma Stephenson and Michael Cashman MEP who ran the shortlisting and interviews managed to keep out the most impressive local Muslim candidate Afzal Khan.

Ed Miliband should be ashamed of himself that this is how Labour continue to behave towards local Muslim pillars of the community. Moreover as I've already highlighted is Norma Stephenson the most hostile and anti Muslim member of Labour's NEC and to think she is President of Unison which must have thousands of Muslim members.

CNN's Fareed Zakaria answers Glen Beck's claim "10% of Muslims are Terrorists"

Are these the two biggest Muslim idiots in Oldham?

LM has already highlighted how Labour's NEC appear to have gerrymandered the final shortlist for Labour candidate in the Oldham bye election.

Arif Ansari also indicates the enormous surprise at the decision to omit Afzal Khan who LM inadvertently may have given the kiss of death too in my glowing recommendation of his Muslim credentials.

However, given the Labour desperation to shoe in its health geek Abrahams by getting two Muslim candidates to fight against each other one would like to think that Abdul Jabber and Riaz Ahmad might actually engage what passes as the odd brain cell and talk to each other about the wider Muslim interests of unity.

Even with one Muslim candidate standing the vote might not stack up in their favour thanks to the NEC however, currently despite stiff competition and given their refusal to compromise they have to be the two biggest Muslim idiots in Oldham.

Good luck Amir Khan

The Labour shortlist for Oldham

Labour's NEC has true to form appeared to stitch up the final short list of Labour's candidates for Oldham's bye election following the election court decision to strip lying racist Phil Woolas as MP.

According to the BBC the final short list of 3 includes 2 Muslims and one Non Muslim candidate with a ridiculous omission of Afzal Khan. Readers may wonder why I'm critical given two of 3 candidates (Riaz Ahmad and Abdul Jabber) who will now be put forward for final selection by Oldham members are Muslim. Labour's NEC chose 2 Muslims for one reason and one reason only to ensure Muslim members of Oldham CLP divide their loyalty and votes amongst the two while Debbie Abrahams slips through. In other words classic divide and rule.

Irrespective of divide and rule tactics the Muslim response should be to tactically outmanoeuvre Labour's NEC by ensuring the two are sat down and one Muslim advised to stand down ensuring a straight fight between one Muslim candidate and the Labour establishment candidate or the "electable candidate" as Peter Kenyon describes in his interesting article about how Labour serve up their preferred choice. Up and down the country Labour selection of candidates most notably in Bradford where Marsha Singh is now the MP has been largely based on dividing Muslim member votes thus ensuring we end up with very few Muslims standing in winnable seats for Labour.

For those Oldham Muslims observing this internal Labour election process how supine you must feel when you have no say on who your next MP will be because you are not a member of the Party. The real election is not the actual bye election but the selection of labour's candidate but since you have not joined a political party you have no say or choice in this crucial selection. LM has been covering Oldham for months however, I deliberately avoided calling on Oldham Muslims to join Labour in the full knowledge that should there have been a rush of new Muslim members, Labour's establishment would immediately have placed the party in special measures and simply appointed a candidate.

I once again congratulate Labour's establishment for appearing to outmanoeuvre the Muslim interests by choosing two Muslims who look more like waiters from a curry house rather than serious candidates like Afzal Khan. No surprise that Norma Stephenson is at the center of all this anti Muslim intrigue after her role in the Lutfar Rahman stitch up where she supported an investigation and ultimate suspension of Rahman. However, at this late stage my plea to both Muslim candidates and to the wider Oldham Muslim community is to ensure one Muslim candidate is advised to stand down.

Famous Reverts to Islam

Mike Tyson performs Umrah

China starts a Major Mosque building programme

LM has occasionally highlighted the Human Rights abuses and atrocities carried out by Communist China towards its Muslim minorities here and here.

However, while white European and American Govt's seem to balk at anything to do with Islam and Muslims particularly new Mosques its slightly ironic that they could take a lead from Communist China who have started a Major mosque building programme to cater for the estimated 60 Million Muslims in China.

2000 Indonesian Maids in Saudi Jails

LM has highlighted the appalling treatment that Indonesian workers receive at the hands of despotic Saudi tyrants.

However, it now transpires that inhumane Saudis have now managed to incarcerate a shocking 2000 Indonesian maids on trumped up charges of "immorality" this coming from a regime who engage in sex, drugs and drinking.

A number of Indonesian Muslim groups have called for ban on maids being sent to Saudi Arabia, however frankly it is time not just for the Indonesian Govt but all Muslims to start treating Saudis the way they treat other Muslims and see how they like it.

Latino Muslims

The FBI concern over Latino Reverts to Islam and it's surveillance of all American Muslims

The Feds are up to their old tricks again with various tactics being used to undermine the credibility of America's Muslim community.

A number of bizarre incidents recently have brought into the play how America always seems to resort to underhand dirty tricks against minority communities like the treatment of the Japanese during WW2.

One particular extraordinary case involved the FBI recruiting an informant to go into a Californian Mosque and spy on Muslims. However, the hapless spy proved so extreme in his views that Muslim worshippers reported him ironically to the very same FBI that sent him into the Mosque in the first place.

Not content with simply engaging in a McCarthyite campaign against Muslims what also is worrying the Feds is the number of Latino who are reverting to Islam. LM has highlighted a number of examples in Ecuador and in Brazil where Islam is rapidly gaining a foothold and it hasn't taken long for the Feds to use an isolated case of alleged extremism to continue the process of making American Muslims and in particular Latino Reverts the enemy of the American state.

Alhabib Islamic Web Service Blog

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Islamic Calendar Date Opera Extension Posted: Alhamdulillah, all praise be to Allah. I just received an email from a developer who has released an Opera extension that shows the current Islamic Date (Hijri date). The widget or extension is based on the javascript formula to calculate the current islamic hijri date that is available at Alhabib’s main site. It will show [...]

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The All Party Parliamentary group on Islamophobia removes Engage from Secretariat

LM has been wondering over the past couple of weeks why all Muslim MPs appeared to boycott the official launch of the All Party anti Islamophobia group with Engage as its secretariat and Kris Hopkins as its chair.

The JC and its inappropriately named Martin Bright is now gleefully reporting along with the parasite Giligan that Engage have been dropped or are about to be removed as the Secretariat ostensibly after pressure by a Jewish member of the Group Lord Janner who was always a bizarre appointment given his Israelite credentials from the days he was an MP in Leicester. Hopkins and Janner have just issued this pathetic statement.

More generally one does admire the fantastic political work of the Jewish community in comparison to total utter incompetence and stupidity of the Muslim community. Here is a political issue Islamophobia which leading Jewish individuals appear to be making the running on and setting the agenda while Muslims appear more concerned with growing beards. We as Muslims are our own worst enemies and have nobody else to blame but ourselves. Can you ever imagine a scenario where for example a Muslim parliamentarian would be responsible for something close to the heart of the Jewish community like the Holocaust Memorial Day?

While issues to do with Islam appear intentionally bogged down over administrative issues Parliament will be holding an important debate on antisemitism. What a fantastic comparison between Jewish political causes being correctly and appropriately advanced while Muslim Political causes get stymied before they even get to the starting block. Where are the literally dozens of MP's who have been elected by Muslim votes in the Labour Party and why are they awol on such an important issue for Muslims?

My personal preference would have been for a joint Muslim and Jewish all party group campaigning against all forms of racism that affect both communities but If I'm honest and was Jewish I could not help thinking why would I want to join in with a Muslim political rabble.

Frankly given our political ignorance LM looks forward to the day when some Jewish groups fed up with Muslims praying 5 times a day call for Mosques to be run by Jews which may finally awaken the Muslim ummah.

The Muslim dentist who refuses to treat women without a Hijab

LM is getting increasingly cheesed off with Men thinking they have a divine right to tell Muslims sisters how they should dress.

The latest example is that of Omer Butt who has been warned by the General Dentist Council about his refusal to treat Muslim women that don't wear the Hijab before he managed to lose their personal details. While I respect any brother that practices our faith I fear some brothers are falling into a slippery slope and ironically following the same logic of right wing reptilian lizards who want our sisters to take off the Niqab.

This is men dictating to women about what to wear or not wear as the case may be and my advice to men Muslim and Non Muslim is get the hell out of a Muslim sisters wardrobe. Although the wearing of a beard is Sunnah how would brothers like it if Sisters stop serving or treating Muslim brothers who had no beard?

Malaysia rejects demands to ban child marriage

My regular readers will know that I do have a soft spot for Malaysia a country and people which is largely Muslim and highly educated.

Given my view of Malaysia LM is however, very disappointed that the Malaysian Government and specifically its Law Minister Nazri Aziz has rejected calls to ban child marriage despite the recent shocking case of a Malaysian child bride of 14 marrying an older man.

I've already highlighted the fatwa from leading Saudi Scholar Sheikh Abdullah Al Maine who condemned this practice and while some claim Islam allows child marriage after puberty the Quran also talks clearly about a "maturity of mind" which is clearly not the case in some of these "marriages".

Lets be honest this is about some dirty old Muslim men who disgrace themselves and our faith by attempting to simply have sex with underage girls using religion as their justification. Child marriage is on the increase leading to devastating consequences for the girl and as I've already highlighted this practice in this day and age can only be described as child rape while those found guilty should be locked up as sex perverts.

The bungling Muslim petrol bomber who ran into a lamp post during his great escape

Canada's Muslims wake up and stop the shame of your country's Israel connection