What difficulties do you have?

We had a visit by Sister Mariah Ma the other day. for those of you who are not in the know, Sister mariah Mah is a muslimah from Singapore and is a very active philanthropist over there. She is involve with tremendous charity work. Her work mainly focuses on improving the Muslims brothers and sisters in China. She is also cited to be one of the 500 most influential muslims in the world 2009 due to her charity work in China. Masya Allah! Google the book up.

Do you know that there are about 30 Million Muslims in China? And do you know that the Malaysian population alone is about 28 Million people (latest stats Jul 2010). And another trvia is that there are 1.4 billion Muslims in the world.

Anyway Islam in China goes a looong way. Some said that Prophet Muhammad sallahu alaihi wasalam has already send the risalah to china at the same time He (sallahu alaihi wasalam) sent the daawah to Emperor Heraclius of the Roman Empire and Chrosoe in Persia. And Allah knows best.

A more notable history is that during the time of Khalifah Uthman bin Affa radiallahu anhu, he sent an envoy led by one of the most prominent sahabahs, among the ten promised jannah, Saad bin Abi Waqas radiallahu anhu, to spread daawah of Islam in China. With the guidance of Allah, many embraced Islam and they have been Muslims for more than a thousand years.

However, many of our brothers and sisters of Islam in China are poor and many of them are deprived from the basic necessity that you and I are enjoying. Sister Mariah Mah shared with us some photos and many are living in very poor accommodation and some still live in caves.

Sister Mariah Mah work involve in providing water, rehabilitating masjids, mengimarahkan masjid, setting up madrasah and paying the teachers, setting up orphanages, giving scholarships and so on. Masya Allah.

She is calling for plenty of charity drives to help her to help our brothers and sisters in China. There are many ways you can help but one of the most interesting charity drive she is doing is, providing a tour service around the famous places in China of which all the profits go to the charity projects. If you are interested to go to China, but afraid of eating improper food and not knowing where to pray perhaps you can consider her services. The best part is, depending on the package, you can choose to go visit the Muslim community there. If you wish to volunteer to become a teacher, she would also welcome you with open arms.

Check this site out China Muslim SilaturrRahim. She also do a qurban project.

Anwyway when she was showing pictures of the condition of their living and the orphanage houses, I felt sad but not too sad. Because there are something even more sad than being poor. What saddens me is when she also said that many of them do not practise Islam anymore. Life is hard in china especially during the hardcore communist time.

Just proclaiming believing a religion may deem persecution and torture! Many of them had to smuggle themselves out to do hajj. Saving up so much money, smuggle themselves out and back in only to come back being discovered and death on them.

The imams who survived narrated that they had to hide to learn the quran when they were young. These are all risks to the families. Fear and death are looming on them all the time.

And after some time, what is left on them is just knowing Lailahhaillah, no pork, no alcohol and to say Bismillah when slaughtering animal. But because they are poor, slaughtering is a rare occasion anyway. The woman mostly don on hijab to distinguish themselves that they are muslims. But no more solah, no more fasting and other things.

And Subhanallah time is easier now, it is time to revive what is lost among our brothers. And Insya Allah that is what Sister Mariah Mah is doing. Many of those who Allah kept their heart firm with iman are coming out to spread Islam again.

I came across a hadith or saying of the salaf. i am not sure. once but I cannot find it anymore. So do correct me

"There will come a time when people only know Lailahha illallah and that is only because they heard the older people say so. What good would it be? It will make them enter jannah."

May Allah alleviate their difficulties.

The question to myself again, so what difficulties do you have Lollies?

Again do consider this charity tour programme if you are thinking of going abroad. I would.