The Rightly Guided Aid

On-board the Voyager 1 spacecraft, the furthest ever man-made object from Earth, is something very interesting not many people know. It’s called the “Golden Record” (second photo). It’s a record containing various sounds from Earth, meant for alien life to one day discover. The prominent figures and theorists in science and astrophysics today think the existence of alien life is almost a certainty. Many, like Stephen Hawking, even say some alien life could be so powerful and intelligent that we would seem insignificant to them. So they’ve gone through such extreme lengths to find and communicate with extraterrestrial life, while they find it strange that a Creator would communicate with them. “Do you find it strange that a Message should come from your Lord, through one of your own men, to warn you?” (Quran 7:69) Don’t be fooled into thinking they are anything but versions of priests and rabbis - this is their religion, and the people follow them in it. Don’t be fooled when they scoff at the idea of “God” - it’s the change that comes with that that they hate. Just some food for thought.

Alhamdulillah there’s been support for the iThrone evaporative toilet we were proposing for use in Sierra Leone. From the Sierra Leonean side, the reception to the proposal was very positive Alhamdulillah. Additionally, a brother from the West expressed his interest in investing in the idea and helping bring it to implementation. What’s next is for us to investigate similar but cheaper models. While it’s a great idea, we need to be pragmatic and not just jump on the first thing we see. We’re going to do weigh the costs and benefits of similar but cheaper toilets inshAllah, see if they can suit the needs of our brothers/sisters better, and consider if we could improve them ourselves. A reminder that the reason why this idea has so much potential is because water contamination from improper sanitation facilities is an enormous problem and cause of illness throughout the developing world. If we can make this cost-efficient, perhaps with Allah’s permission we could help the Ummah take a big step towards prosperity and self-sufficiency. If you’re interested in donating to this initiative, please DM us 🙂 #sustainability #ummah #revival #cleanwater #innovation #ithrone #islamicdevelopment https://www.instagram.com/p/CHTHkabgGIj/?igshid=15aka41v8uwdi

The bridge where you may see some of your own loved ones lose their eternity in front of your own eyes. The Sirat – the bridge over Jahannam which every one of us must pass over. “And there is none of you except he will come to it. This is upon your Lord an inevitability decreed.” [19:71] You’ve just witnessed countless individuals fall off of it, and others terrifyingly slip and stumble their way to the end. You’re called up – it’s your turn now, and you have no say in the matter. You stand at the foot of the narrow path, realizing there’s a chance this could be the moment you lose your entire eternity. Then you step… We may become disillusioned now into thinking we’re self-sufficient and in control. But at that moment, it’ll be apparent who’s in charge and who we’re entirely dependent on. But at that time, what’s done is done, and begging and submitting entirely to Him won’t benefit. May Allah allow us and our loved ones to turn to Him in complete submission now while we have free will, in the way that pleases Him most. And may He give us swift entry into Jannatul Firdaus, and save us from the horrors of that Day. #siraat #bridgeoverhell #bridgeoverjahannam #dayofqiyamah #qiyamah #dayofjudgement #jannah #Allah #islamicreminders https://www.instagram.com/p/CHGZWrEjIrX/?igshid=qzybq2s6bovb

Take a second to wrap your head around this: so we’re looking into this little fella here called the “I-Throne” – a portable toilet that reportedly shrinks and eliminates 95% of waste on-site using a urine-powered battery…yeah you heard that right… Waste is collected in evaporative pouches. The pouches dehydrate liquid and solid waste daily so that only a few grams of dried solids remain inside and are hygienically contained. Electric power is obtained from urine, which powers a fan to eliminate odors. Odd but clever. This is a solution we’re looking at for possible use in our schools in Sierra Leone. Water contamination from feces is a really serious problem in the country – one that causes an immense amount of preventable illness. When most of us go to the bathroom, we simply flush and the sewage system takes care of it. In impoverished places, like a lot of Sierra Leone, they don’t have that convenience, and so contaminants from human waste often make their way into community water sources (see 2nd image). Seems like there’s real potential here for not only Sierra Leone but many impoverished Muslim countries. What are your thoughts? #ithrone #sustainability #innovation #ummah #islamicdevelopment #cleanwater #africanrevival (at Freetown, Sierra Leone) https://www.instagram.com/p/CG2AGDpjjMG/?igshid=1mm99tf4l8pdy

Remember your priorities in life dear brothers and sisters. The goal is to please Allah the most we can and obtain the highest ranks of Jannah. And remember that teaching Quran doesn’t only mean running formal classes. When you’re moved by even one ayah, share its beauty with your family and close ones. And don’t forget to continue memorizing. These things are not only best for you, but they also strengthen us as an Ummah. #quran #prophetmuhammadﷺ #hadith #hifdh #islamiceducation #ummah #purposeoflife #islamicreminders #naseeha https://www.instagram.com/p/CGqX1f3jWuf/?igshid=y7cdaxeyvtd7

It’s reported that up to 80% of illnesses in the developing world are linked to inadequate water and sanitation. Sadly, those who tend to be affected the worst are women and girls. Sierra Leone and other countries in West Africa are plagued with this issue, and we need to put forth sustainable solutions to address this problem. An important solution we hope to implement on the ground inshAllah is the Biochar water filter. It’s extremely easy to produce and use, and it works astonishingly well (swipe to see our results). Next step is to determine the most strategic locations to start implementing this, and speak with the relevant community leaders. Just thought we’d update you 😊 #sustainability #ummah #innovation #creativity #westafrica #sierraleone #sadaqah #islamicdevelopment https://www.instagram.com/p/CGlP5qIAJpp/?igshid=us5r33paximc

It’s clever, but it’s also so simple it kind of makes us think, “Why didn’t we think of this?” We’ve stumbled upon a tool called “iCow”, which helps farmers in Africa optimize every aspect of agriculture. Farmers are sent useful data and advice on best practice, and it’s reported that measurable improvements to yields are seen in as little as 3 months. But here’s the thing: its main platform isn’t even an app – it’s SMS. Many farmers only have basic phones, so the use of SMS allows advice and education to reach even the most rural areas. Currently though, the service is limited to Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. So insha’Allah this is something we’d like to use in the future for West Africa and other parts of the Muslim world. But this makes us think: in addition to agriculture, what else could we use this type of tool for? Comment your ideas below – perhaps it might actually lead to us implementing it 🤷‍♂️ #revival #sustainability #Islamicdevelopment #innovation #dawah #westafrica #agriculture #charity (at Freetown, Sierra Leone) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGdKIh7g8It/?igshid=193r15cpuatz

COMING SOON If you’d like to help us with our dawah/education mission to eradicate Sihr in West Africa, please share this video. #sihr #blackmagic #witchcraft #voodoo #jinn #kufr #shirk #dawah #westafrica https://www.instagram.com/p/CGXN2X9AYx6/?igshid=y9gebqgxk4rm

(Swipe for photos) We’ve been investigating an issue in Sierra Leone that’s of great importance to the future of Islamic work there: black magic (sihr). What we’re finding is not pleasant, but it’s important that we learn the realities of evil so that we can uproot it. Black magic is entrenched in Sierra Leaonean society. Worse still, it’s mixed into Islam. We’ve seen “traditional healers” beginning bizarre ceremonies by making dua to Allah and the crowds repeating “Ameen!” SubhanAllah. A very good brother with extensive experience in Sierra Leone tells us there are *imams* that do black magic. He’s worked a lot in different places in Africa but he keeps telling us “Sierra Leone is DIFFERENT.” He explains, “It’s not like this happy-clappy charity work that you see the christians doing in Southern Africa or Gambia or Uganada. Sierra Leone is a different ballgame.” There is such a severe lack of Islamic knowledge that “people don’t necessary know they’re taking part in Sihr and magic and bid’ah”. May Allah allow us and you to give them knowledge and be the reason for their guidance through our work, and to allow us to cleanse every thing that displeases Allah swt from the land. #sihr #blackmagic #dawah #shirk #kufr #misguided #bidah #sierraleone #islamiceducation https://www.instagram.com/p/CGA2qpoDI7r/?igshid=1ohti9gx9erej

There are two main issues: lack of basic health knowledge, and lack of basic Islamic knowledge/etiquette. These two issues are closely tied, and most NGOs and charities fail to realize that. Sure, we could throw money and resources at the problem and hope it goes away, but if you’ve been following us you know that doesn’t work. What they fail to realize is that if our brothers and sisters appreciated how serious of a sin Zina (adultery/fornication) is (in addition to how many devastating illnesses are spread by it), we wouldn’t have an HIV crisis that’s ravaging nearly the entire continent; that if they understood proper Islamic etiquettes of hygiene and cleanliness, we wouldn’t have 300,000+ children dying from diarrhea each year. And the list of fixable health crises goes on and on. And these facts might seem like common knowledge to you, but in many places it’s not. Medical knowledge purely on its own will NOT fix the issue - it only patches it up a little. “Well Western countries are doing better with these health problems and the don’t follow Islam”. Well, Western countries also have resources and wealth that these African countries could only dream of - and they STILL have huge issues. All they’re managing to do is lessen their severity a bit. Safe drug injection sites for an opioid crisis, $39,000/year HIV suppression meds you have to take for life to not die, a depression epidemic managed mainly by drugs. This is the solution? Our solution is one that hopes to emulate the way of the Sahaba and how they eradicated alcoholism. We’re finishing up a series of lectures that ties medical knowledge to Islamic knowledge/etiquette to address several of the most serious health problems in Africa. These recordings we hope can inshAllah reach a very large number of Islamic school teachers in a short period of time, who will then teach the course to students throughout the country. May Allah be pleased with us and you for it, and make it successful. #revival #dawah #innovation #education #sadaqah #africa #islamicwayoflife #quranandsunnah (at Freetown, Sierra Leone) https://www.instagram.com/p/CF0CuowgSKe/?igshid=xz10l5gq5hpr

It’s very important to remember that we tend to overestimate the goodness of our character, especially when do some good deeds/charity and we have the beard/hijab. Unless you’re honestly and sincerely monitoring yourself throughout your day, it’s REALLY easy to think you’re fine and that any defects in your character are minor. Pay particular attention to your speech, and remember the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said “Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day speak good, or keep silent” (Bukhari and Muslim). May Allah make us amongst those very best in character. #islamicreminders #akhlaq #goodcharacter #charity #ummah #mercy #speakgoodorremainsilent #Quran #dawah #sunnah https://www.instagram.com/p/CFsULcYA-uN/?igshid=5rknpqimrfjo

An extremely interesting idea here we’re working on. Recently it was proposed to us the idea of using large HD projectors to deliver education in Africa. Here’s the thing: it’s not like playing videos on a projector in the West. Doing so in say, Canada, might draw a couple glances here and there, but who really cares? But in much of Sierra Leone and certain other rural parts of Africa, they don’t have widespread electricity. If you play a video on a projector at night, CROWDS will flock to it, and they’ll just sit and watch for hours. It’s not like the West where you have widespread satellite TV and Netflix, etc. Events like these draw a great amount of fascination and are very entertaining. So why not use this in an innovative way for the sake of Allah? We think we might be able to deliver both Islamic education/dawah and medical education on a large scale through this. Extremely cost efficient, and easily reproducible as well. We have plans to build a multi-purpose recreation field/stadium for our Center in Freetown anyways that may be able to hold large crowds. We hope to update you on this as it develops inshAllah. May Allah guide us to use this technology in the way that pleases Him most. #innovation #dawah #islamiceducation #Ummah #sierraleone #revival #medicaleducation #Africa (at Freetown, Sierra Leone) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFpqNxKgMEO/?igshid=narmg3dmfv66

A really interesting word used here. “Yastakhiffanaka”, coming from “khafeef” meaning “light”. Allah used the same term when talking about the Pharoah’s tactics. “Fastakhaffa qawmahu fa ataa’ooh” (43:54), roughly meaning Firaun made his people ‘light’ - demoralized, thinking they’re weak and inferior - and so they simply obeyed him. Point being, Allah (swt) here is advising His Messenger (s.a.w.) to not allow these people to do the same; that he and the Muslims are not lightweights and should not feel like they are; that they should not allow them to shake his firmness or make him discouraged. Take a lesson from this. You are not lightweights in the face of the oppressors and doubters, so stop thinking and acting like you are. “So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers.” (3:139) #ummah #oppression #muslimlivesmatter #uyghur #rohingya #syria #islamicreminders #firaun #tyranny https://www.instagram.com/p/CFiBDsMABQF/?igshid=1hqyse96slrj8

New TRG banner. Hit or miss? 😋 #ummah #sustainability #islamicdevelopment #aidwork #sadaqah #charity #AfricanRevival #tawheed https://www.instagram.com/p/CFb92sbj--8/?igshid=1ukrxif84sv4y

We were told a real example of this. A shaykh in the West, may Allah bless him, fundraised for hijabs and sent thousands of them to a Muslim African country. He did this based on his experience seeing the people, who live in poverty, eagerly accepting gifts of hijabs when he was there. But here’s the critical mistake: our vision of their poverty is different from reality. We picture starving children begging for food in the street. But even in very poor countries like Sierra Leone, the issue is rarely that they don’t have any money to eat or buy clothes. Now if it’s offered to them, they will accept it. But that doesn’t mean that’s what they need. “Now”, a brother with experience on the ground explained to the shaykh, “no one will buy hijabs from the local stores for the next few years!” Not only can foreign aid kill the local economy, it also decreases the amount of accountability on governments. When foreign dollars are providing “quick fixes” (albeit temporary) and giving the illusion you’re getting somewhere, why worry about working towards long-term solutions, right? It’s no surprise we see so much corruption in these lands that just won’t go away. Of course there are exceptions, like emergency appeals, etc. where quick material aid is actually needed. But as a rule of thumb, if we’re doing this for the sake of Allah, we should bear in mind what is actually best for our brothers and sisters inshAllah. So be strategic. Invest in education, training, dawah, institutions, systems, and things that can actually build nations. #Ummah #AfricanRevival #corruption #humanitarian #sustainability #sadaqah #charity #yemencrisis #islamicdevelopment #poverty https://www.instagram.com/p/CFXh4IDj_oX/?igshid=11ojd47kojxov

Childhood memories, natural instincts, our mothers. These are some of the earliest and most central pieces of who we are as human beings. But even deeper and further back than all of these is one thing at the very core of our existence. A truth we once knew, but most chose to forget. There was a day when the One who created us took from us an oath. “And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam - from their loins - their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes, we have testified." (Quran 7:172) It takes reflection about creation (of yourself and of the universe) to remember that innate truth about yourself. And this is something we’re ordered to do in Islam. And our Master said “And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves”. (Quran 59:19) Remember who you are. #islamicreminders #fitrah #meaningoflife #tawheed #Allah #covenant #dawah #Islam #atruthweonceknew #rememberwhoyouare https://www.instagram.com/p/CFKiuToj9i3/?igshid=g2x7hq5c7gam

Progress: Tagrin Islamic School walls growing day by day Alhamdulillah. Slowly but surely. Safety is key 👌 May Allah be pleased with you and with us for every single block therein. Alhamdulillah especially in light of our new Freetown project, the rate of progress Allah has blessed this work with has been beyond what we had expected. Alhamdulillah. #alhamdulillah #ummah #islamicschool #islamiceducation #islamicproject #AfricanRevival #SierraLeone #dawah #IslamInAfrica #tawheed (at Tagrin, Northern, Sierra Leone) https://www.instagram.com/p/CE9tuJcDaJJ/?igshid=vvp6wdey1doq