The Clear Evidence

“When I finished matric I was confident I would get an exemption and qualify to go to university. I was confident I was going to get a bursary too but my problem was at home the situation was quite bad. My mother lost her job two years before my matric,” he said in the clip.

Zondo continues to say that by the time he finished Grade 11, his mother had exhausted all her savings.

“Somehow I felt that the community had seen how my mother struggled to raise us on her own and expected me to look for work after matric to support her. I wanted to go and do law and was determined but I felt I couldn’t do that unless I made arrangements to ensure my mother and siblings would have something to eat.”

That was when he approached Bux and asked for a loan. “Very interestingly he didn’t ask many questions and agreed to help me. He said he can’t give me money but will give me a voucher to give to my mother for groceries. Each month my mother would collect groceries up to the value of R20 at his shop until I finished my degree.”

The oral agreement continued for three years and in the clip, an emotional Zondo said he was touched by Bux’s humility when he refused to accept repayment for the loan.

“When I asked him what arrangements we could make so I repay him, he said don’t worry. Do to others what I have done to you. I thought that was very important and in my own small way I try to do that,” said the judge.

Bux said he remembered the young and energetic Zondo. “He often visited my shop and from all the students I interacted with, he was the only one who wanted to be an attorney.”

Bux said he was touched when Zondo approached him for the loan. “I told him if I gave him money it would probably get used somewhere else so I would rather give him grocery vouchers for a certain amount for his family to collect monthly.”

Bux said he had been happy to help where he could. “When he came back to repay it [the amount] as per our oral agreement I said to him” ‘Raymond the best way you can repay me is by helping another struggling student’,” he said.

When the video surfaced, Bux said he saw Judge Zondo’s face and immediately remembered him. “I remembered his face as a youngster. He hasn’t changed much. I was touched and overwhelmed with emotion when I watched the video. When we help people, we do not expect anything in return.”

He said he had not expected the story to have received as much attention as it did.

“You know, I helped him because it was the right thing to do. As a Muslim, helping others is important. But you do it because you want to, not because you want recognition and for everyone to know.”

Continue Reading: Video: The story of a boy, who was helped by a stranger Muslim, when his family had nothing to eat (English)

The Clear Evidence

The last 10 days of Ramadan (last Ashra) started with the Maghrib Prayer today, 20th March 2025 in Saudi Arabia and the surrounding countries.

With this, Qiyam ul Layl (standing of the night), also known as Salat ul Layl (prayer of the night) will start in Masajid from tomorrow, 21st March 2025.

The exact time of the start of Qiyam ul Layl can vary from masjid to masjid, for example, Qiyam ul Layl will start at 2 am in Masjid Al Iman, Riyadh.

You can check the exact time in the masjid near your location.

Continue Reading: Start of Qiyam ul Layl (Night Prayer) in Saudi Arabia in Ramadan 2025 (English, Urdu)

The Clear Evidence

I have traveled across the world and recently visited eight countries in Africa. There, markets close after 5 PM, while here, people go shopping at 9 PM. My Lord created the night for sleep and the day for work, yet here, markets don’t even open until noon—such a misfortune!

My Prophet ﷺ said: "Blessings have been placed in the early hours of my Ummah."
My Prophet ﷺ also said: "Seek your sustenance in the morning."
Do not be heedless about your sustenance in the early hours; do not sleep through it.

Now, a businessman sleeps in the morning while markets remain open till 11 PM. He stays away from his children and wife, closes his shop at 11 PM, eats dinner at midnight, and by then, his children are either asleep or engrossed in TV and mobile devices. He eats at midnight and then sleeps, turning his food into poison. His stomach bloats, and then he complains about his health.

Then come diseases—high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, digestive issues—all consequences of defying nature’s rhythm. If markets closed at sunset and people woke up early, I swear by Allah, even power shortages would disappear!

In Europe, America, China, and Africa—everywhere I’ve traveled—markets shut down by 5 PM, and by 9 PM, there is complete silence. But here, at 9 PM, places like Liberty Market are so crowded that passing through is impossible. What an injustice! You neither understand religion nor worldly affairs. You are failing in both.

"There is no gathering after Isha." (Hadith)
My Prophet ﷺ commanded us to sleep after Isha and wake up for Tahajjud.

Those who sleep after midnight do not get proper body repair during sleep. Sleeping during the day does not compensate either. Sleep functions like a repairman for the body, but when you sleep late or miss Fajr, that repair doesn’t happen. However, if you sleep by 10 PM, your body fully recovers, and you wake up refreshed at dawn.

Staying up all night and sleeping during the day brings ruin. It destroys energy and productivity.

The government here tried to enforce a 10 PM market closure, which helped a little; otherwise, weddings used to start at 10 PM, and dinner was served at 1 AM!

The very Ummah that was taught the value of time has wasted it, while those who neither had the Quran nor a Prophet utilized time efficiently and became world leaders, enslaving us in the process.

O brothers! Neither our worldly affairs are in order, nor our faith.
Sleep early at night, so you can peacefully pray Fajr and Tahajjud. Spend some time with the Quran, read about the life of the Prophet ﷺ, learn about righteous people and scholars, study the history of the saints, and most importantly, honor and respect your parents.

Continue Reading: Audio: Raat ko Jaldi Soya Karo - Maulana Tariq Jameel (Urdu)

The Clear Evidence

Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds. Blessings and peace be upon the noble Prophet, his family, and all his companions.

The topic of my discussion today is the etiquette and rulings of clothing—what we should and should not wear, as well as the guidelines and manners related to dressing.

Dear brothers and sisters, Islamic scholars, in light of the Quran and Sunnah, have stated that a person can wear any clothing in accordance with the customs and traditions of their region, as long as it aligns with the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The fundamental principle in clothing is permissibility, as mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf (7:32), where Allah states that in matters of clothing and food, only that which He has declared unlawful is prohibited.

We should strive to follow the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in our clothing as much as possible and avoid attire that does not conform to his traditions. Allah has made the Prophet’s way a role model for all of humanity until the Day of Judgment, as stated in the Quran:

"Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah, you have an excellent example." (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:21)

Regarding clothing, Allah also commands in the Quran:

"O children of Adam! We have bestowed upon you clothing to cover your shame and as an adornment. But the best clothing is the clothing of piety." (Surah Al-A'raf 7:26)

This verse instructs us to wear clothing that reflects modesty and piety. Clothing should align with Islamic teachings and not contradict the words and actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Based on the Prophet’s guidance, scholars have outlined some essential conditions regarding clothing:

1. Covering the Body Properly:
2. Clothing Should Not Contradict the Prophet’s Teachings:
3. Clothing Should Not Be Transparent or Tight-Fitting:
4. Men's and Women's Clothing Should Not Resemble Each Other:
5. Men's Clothing Should Not Be Excessively Colorful, and Women's Clothing Should Not Be Scented:
6. Men's Clothing Should Be Above the Ankles, and Women's Clothing Should Cover the Ankles:
7. Clothing Should Not Resemble the Religious Dress of Non-Believers:

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) often wore white garments, although he also wore other colors. His colorful clothing was usually in the form of a shawl, cloak, or robe, while his shirt and lower garments were generally white.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"Wear white clothing, as it is the best among your clothes, and shroud your deceased in white as well."
(Reported in Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah, Musnad Ahmad, and Sahih Ibn Hibban)

Hazrat Bara (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) had a medium height. One day, I saw him wearing a red-striped cloak, and I had never seen anything more beautiful than him."
(Reported in Bukhari and Muslim)

Hazrat Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) said:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) preferred wearing shirts over other types of clothing."
(Reported in Tirmidhi and Abu Dawood)

His shirt was generally white and reached mid-calf. The sleeves of his shirt typically extended to his wrists and occasionally to his fingertips.

Regarding lower garments, the Prophet (peace be upon him) primarily wore an izar (waist cloth or lungi). His izar usually extended from his waist to mid-calf. The Companions also commonly wore izars, and with the Prophet’s permission, they also wore trousers (sarawil).

Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:

"During the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Ummul Mu'mineen Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) once took out a patched shawl and a rough izar, saying, ‘The Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away while wearing these garments.’"
(Reported in Bukhari and Muslim)

Continue Reading: Video: Libas k Aadab aur Ahkam - Etiquette of Wearing Clothes - Dr. Mohammad Najeeb Qasmi (Urdu)

The Clear Evidence

My name is Lauren Booth. I'm a journalist from Great Britain and a revert to Islam. I'd like to share with you today how I came to be sitting here in Malaysia, wearing a hijab, and identifying as a Muslimah. I have only been a Muslim for two years, since 2010. Before that, as a journalist, I worked for newspapers that regularly printed stories portraying Islam as a violent religion—a religion for oppressed women and aggressive men. However, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala had a different plan for me.

I suppose we can look back to our childhood to see where things begin. I remember that when I was around seven years old, I always prayed at night before going to sleep. Although I was raised in a Christian household, I never prayed to the Trinity—I never understood the Trinity enough to pray to it. But I did know that there was one God, and I would pray to Him. My prayers were very simple, like "Dear God, please make my younger sister disappear for a little bit"—the kind of things we all say when we're young.

But it’s not easy to stay religious or believe in God in the modern world. I think that applies to Malaysia today as well. It feels as if everything around us is designed to pull us away from the knowledge of Allah, from the certainty of the Hereafter, and from access to the unknown and the unseen. How can we hold onto faith when we are preoccupied with friends, appearances, shopping, or even something as trivial as our nails?

As I became a teenager, I stopped praying. I’m embarrassed to say that I really thought I was the center of the universe. The polytheism of today is not about worshiping idols—it is the arrogance of the individual. When I was a teenager, I was considered quite pretty and talented, so I believed that the world revolved around me. I remember my mother saying, "You really think the sun, the moon, and the stars go around you, don’t you?" And I said, "Yeah, I do."

But when Allah has a plan for you, no matter what you think you're going to do, it will always lead to His plan being fulfilled. People often ask reverts, "What was the first moment you became aware of Islam?" For me, it wasn't just about Islam—it was about realizing that the universe wasn’t what I thought it was.

In the year 2000, I was watching television, and a picture appeared on the evening news. It was a photo of a young boy, around 15 years old, holding a rock in his right hand, ready to throw it. His back was turned to the camera, but there was something so strong, so confident, so powerful about him that it took my breath away. Just meters away from him was a tank, its gun pointed directly at him. Yet, he wasn’t afraid.

His name was Farris Odeh. He was from a place called the Gaza Strip, in a land I barely knew—Palestine. Ten days after that photo was taken, he was shot in the neck by an Israeli sniper and bled to death. He was only 15 years old. At the time, I didn’t know any of this. I just knew that something was wrong in the world, and I wanted to find out what it was.

In 2005, I was working at the Mail on Sunday newspaper in London, which was part of a group of newspapers not particularly sympathetic to Islam. I can’t really explain why, but one day in December, I walked into my editor’s office and said, "I’d like to go to Palestine." The elections were happening in January 2005, and I wanted to cover them for the newspaper.

Amazingly, my editor handed me a check for expenses and told me to go for two weeks and find a story. So, in January 2005, I arrived in Palestine with only three phone numbers written on a scrap of paper—no other contacts, no idea what I would find. I had a knot of fear in my stomach. What if the Palestinians and Muslims really were terrorists? What if I wasn’t safe?

Continue Reading: Video: My Journey To Islam - Lauren Booth (English)

The Clear Evidence

Mark Stroman went on a shooting rampage, intending to kill as many Muslims as possible as an act of retaliation for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He killed Waqar Hasan, a man from Pakistan, and also shot and killed an Indian man, Vasudev Patel. On September 21, 2001, he shot another victim in the face.

As a child, my impression of the USA was that it was a great and beautiful country. I grew up watching Western movies like For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. It was my dream to one day visit the Wild West and see it for myself. After graduating from a military school in Bangladesh, I moved to Dallas and immediately fell in love with the city. I worked hard, and within a month, I had a job as a clerk in a gas station, which allowed me to get to know the people and understand the culture.

I moved to Dallas in May 2001, just three months before the 9/11 attacks. Ten days after the attacks, while working behind the counter, a customer walked in holding a double-barrel shotgun and pointed it at my face. I pleaded, “Sir, here’s all the money, please do not shoot me.” He mumbled something, asking, “Where are you from?” Confused, I responded, “Excuse me?” The moment I said that, he pulled the trigger.

I felt an intense force, like a million bees stinging my face, followed by an explosion. Frantically, I placed both palms on my head, fearing my brain would spill out. I thought my time was up. Images of my mother, father, siblings, and fiancée flashed before me. I begged God not to take me that day.

Mark Stroman, a white supremacist, had gone on a shooting spree, targeting clerks he thought were Muslims. Two of his victims died. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

In 2009, I went on the Hajj pilgrimage with my mother. During our journey, she wept as she touched my face and prayed to God, asking for guidance in whatever path I chose. My faith in Islam teaches that saving a life is like saving all of humanity. Though Stroman had committed a heinous crime, my beliefs and the values instilled in me led me to do the right thing.

For nearly ten years, Mark Stroman was on death row. Despite my injuries and the permanent loss of vision in one eye, I was not interested in revenge. I sought clemency for him, taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. federal court, and the Texas state court. I forgave him for what he had done.

Stroman later wrote me a letter in which he acknowledged that he had learned the wrong lessons in life from his stepfather. He told me he was trying to unlearn those lessons and praised my parents for raising me to act with such compassion. On the day of his execution, he listed my name as one of the people he wanted to speak to. When I answered the phone, I told him, “Mark, you should know that I never hated you. I forgave you.” He replied, “Rais, I love you, bro.”

The same man who had once been consumed with hatred and ignorance had, in the end, seen me as a human being. He was able to say that he loved me and called me his brother.

Today, I am the founder and president of World Without Hate, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people about the transformational power of mercy and forgiveness. My hope is that we can build a better world—a world without violence, without victims, and without hate.

Continue Reading: Video: This Muslim Fought to Save his Attacker's Life - Rais Bhuiyan (English, Urdu)

The Clear Evidence

Meet the man who has fostered over 80 terminally ill children in Los Angeles. Mohamed Bzeek says Islam “teaches me if somebody needs my help and I can help, then I must help.

There are close to 35,000 children monitored by the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, and at any given time, about 600 of these children have severe medical needs. It is difficult to find foster parents to take care of these children, as the likelihood is extremely high that they will pass away.

When the Department of Children and Family Services needs to find a home for a sick child who is likely to pass away, his is the one name they think of.

Mohamed had his first experience with the death of a foster child in 1991. She was the child of a farmworker who had breathed in toxic pesticides while she was pregnant. Born with a spinal disorder, she didn’t make it to a year old before she passed.

The loss was extremely hard on Mohamed, who has said that the key to caring for these children, is that “you have to love them like your own”. Shortly after that, Bzeek and his wife decided that they would only take in terminally ill children whose medical options had been exhausted.

Mohamed has dedicated himself to taking in the abandoned, providing them a home, a family, and showing them love and compassion. He has sacrificed so much of his life to ease the suffering of innocent children, ensuring that they have some comfort in their short time on this Earth.

Continue Reading: Video: Meet Mohamed Bzeek, Foster Father to LA’s Most Vulnerable Children (English)

The Clear Evidence

I got a knock at the door, and there were two guys in suits. "I'm from the FBI."

The first thing I said was, "What took you guys so long?" I told them the truth—I was going to make my own IED, set it across from the Islamic Center in a bank's parking lot, dial it in, and just watch the show.

Growing up, I saw a movie—Rambo. Rambo was tough, respected, and had intestinal fortitude. I said, "That's what I want to do." So, I joined the Marine Corps.

I wanted action. The first time I got shot at, I remember looking at my watch and thinking, "Man, this time last year, I was in English class." I fought several times in the Middle East—Desert Shield, Desert Storm—South America, the Philippines, Somalia.

The worst things I saw were dead children. I had to suck it up. I had to be there for my guys. Each one of those teardrops stood for a confirmed kill. I stopped counting after 26. In the Marine Corps, you’re taught to own it and then let it go. But there comes a time when there's too much of it, and you can't turn it off anymore.

One time, my wife and I went to a DSW. I saw, in the distance, two women in black burqas. In my stool, I cried. I prayed for the strength to go over there and break both their necks.

I was angry. I was full of hate. At that point, I was drinking half a gallon of vodka every two days. I devised a plan—to create my own IED, a homemade bomb, and set it off right outside the Muncie Islamic Center.

200-plus killed or injured. That was the plan.

I saw it as one last thing I could do for my country. That was my rationale. I knew I would end up in a federal prison with a needle in my arm. I didn’t care. Hatred was the only thing keeping me alive.

Then one day, my daughter came home. Second grade, maybe. She told me about a little boy who sat across from her. His mom came to pick him up. She said, "She had scarves on her. She had a dress all the way down to her feet. I couldn’t see anything but her eyeballs."

At that point, I snapped. I started spewing things that should never be said in front of children—or anyone.

She didn’t say anything.

It was the look on her face.

I remember my daughter looking at me like I was the craziest person on earth. She was my little buddy. She used to say we were "road dogs." But in that moment, I saw it in her eyes—I made her question that love. And that’s when the light bulb came on.

I decided to give the people in this community one more chance.

I went to the Islamic Center. I saw a gentleman in the shoe room taking off his shoes. He looked at me and smiled.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah. I want you to teach me about Islam."

So, he went and brought me a Qur’an. "Read this. Come back when you have questions."

So, I did. And I would find things in the book, thinking, "There it is! I got them right there!"

"Explain this to me."

And they would.

This was a kind of awakening.

Long story short—eight weeks after I first stepped into the Islamic Center, I became a Muslim.

I’m a Muslim, a veteran, and a proud American. I had to learn that I was completely wrong about everything I felt.

Judaism had a message. Christianity had a message. Islam had a message.

Funny thing is—it was the same message. It was about peace. It was about love.

They welcomed me. They forgave me.

My big thing now is to stop the hate.

Nothing good has ever come from it.

I've done too many things. I’ve hurt a lot of people. And I have to live with that.

But if I can stop somebody else from walking the path of hatred and unforgiveness—I want to.

Continue Reading: Video: An Ex-Marine's Journey to Islam - Omar Saeed Ibn Mac (English)

The Clear Evidence

The Ambor refugee camp is situated four kilometers away from Zafrabad city in a hilly area with easy access. Nearby is the Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital.

Ambor School was established in 1994, providing primary-level education. It was among the first pioneering projects of the Reid Foundation and has since expanded to include a secondary school. The institution now consists of three campuses—two in rented buildings and one in a pre-fabricated building.

In 2005, landslides destroyed part of the school building, forcing many children to study outside in the open. The majority of students come from the refugee camp and the surrounding area. The camp houses a population of about 3,500 people, consisting of 390 families who migrated from occupied Kashmir at the height of the conflict, escaping persecution.

Most of the students at the school are migrants from occupied Kashmir. They are highly motivated to receive a quality education, but challenges such as inadequate facilities and limited resources hinder their learning experience. If these problems are addressed, there is hope that these students will receive the education they deserve and become valuable contributors to the nation's future.

Many orphans reside in the camp, and the Reid Foundation is currently fully supporting 91 orphan students, along with over 20 other students from underprivileged families. Despite resource constraints and the difficult conditions faced by both teachers and students, the school continues to progress. There are ongoing plans for redevelopment and expansion to provide better educational opportunities in the near future.

Continue Reading: Video: Ambore Refugee Camp School, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan - READ Foundation (English, Urdu)

The Clear Evidence

Brother Muhammad Yakub Genel was once featured on OnePath Network’s Living Muslim show two years ago speaking about the virtues of Ramadan, he passed away in his sleep at the young age of 18.

His death comes as a shocking reminder that death doesn’t discriminate. It does not come for a certain age group, a certain class of people, it isn’t even restricted to the sick; it simply comes unannounced and it has been guaranteed for all of humanity.

As Allah ﷻ states in the Quran:

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ

“Every soul will taste death”

In this reminder, brother Mohamad Hoblos, not only reflects on Genel’s appearance on the Living Muslim show but also on his first memories of meeting with him a few years ago at a Mosque Fundraiser.

We ask Allah to have mercy on our young brother Muhammad Yakub Genel and enter him into the Highest stations of Paradise. Ameen.

Quran 3:185
Transcription in English

A dear brother of ours, Muhammed Yakub Genel, has passed away at the age of 18. You may remember him from when he appeared on the show with us a few years ago.

“How does it feel to connect to Allah, Yakub?”

"It's an unexplainable love where you feel this connection. When you ask for something, you don't guarantee you're going to get it, but 90% of the time, you think it's going to be accepted in your dua."

At just 18 years old, Yakub was in perfect health—no worries, no cares, his entire life ahead of him. Yet, he went to sleep one night and never woke up. I remember meeting him for the first time when he was around 12 years old. It was at a fundraising dinner, and I saw him sitting at the table when he pledged $5,000 that night. I looked at him, slightly amused, and asked, "Where did you get $5,000 from?" He looked at me with so much heart and unwavering iman in his eyes and said, "You don't worry about where I got my $5,000 from." He pledged it, and he paid it.

I received the news of his passing while I was in Mina tents during Hajj. The bitter feeling that overtook me was overwhelming—not just sadness, but a deep realization of the fleeting nature of this world. No matter how much we enjoy something, the reality of death always lingers. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Increase much the remembrance of death, for verily it is the destroyer of all desires."

There are no guarantees in life. Allah has not guaranteed anything to anyone except for one certainty—death. Regardless of race, religion, age, or health, death is the one promise given to every soul. Allah says, "Every soul shall taste death." No matter where you are—hidden in the darkest hole, the lowest valley, or the highest mountain peak—death will find you. And it will come as a shock, unannounced.

Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه once said, "People are asleep, and when they die, they wake up." We think we are living because we chase our dreams, whims, and ambitions. But in truth, we are asleep. And when we finally wake up, it will be too late—there is no coming back.

What are we really chasing? It’s not as if we don’t know that death is inevitable. Yet, we live under this illusion, this fantasy that we have all the time in the world. We paint a picture in our minds—a perfect life plan where we will grow up, become successful, drive beautiful cars, live in luxurious homes, marry the perfect spouse, and raise wonderful children. And somewhere at the very end of this grand journey, we allow for death—but only as a noble, controlled ending.

But Allah does not work according to our plans. He is the One who plans, the One who decides, the One who calls, and the One who commands.

Continue Reading: Video: 18-Year-Old Died in his Sleep - Mohamed Hoblos (English)