Q: Salaamu Alaikum Ya Sheikh. If a calamity befalls a Muslim, how can we know whether it is a punishment for his sins or a test to raise him in status? Nasiba Ahmed Koki, Kano A: Praise be to Allaah. According to the Qur’an and Sunnah, there are two direct causes for calamities and trials, in addition to the wisdom of Allah, may He be exalted, in what He wills and decrees. Sins and acts of disobedience that the person has committed, whether they constitute kufr or are no more than regular sins or are major sins. Allah, may He…
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ARSENAL demolished PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands to take a commanding lead into the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. The Gunners scored three goals in the first half and four goals in the second half to all but confirm their place in the quarter-finals of the competition. Ismael Saibari hit the crossbar early on for the home side but Arsenal took control after Jurrien Timber scored Arsenal’s opener in the 18th minute. Ethan Nwaneri doubled Arsenal’s lead just three minutes later when Myles Lewis-Skelly cleverly cut the ball back for the 17-year-old to powerfully score past Walter…
ARAB leaders have endorsed an Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of war-shattered Gaza that would allow its residents to remain in the territory, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has said. At the meeting in Cairo on Tuesday, the regional leaders endorsed the counterproposal to US President Donald Trump’s plan to expel Gaza’s 2.3 million residents and redevelop the Palestinian territory. The attendees at the summit included the emir of Qatar, the vice president of the United Arab Emirates and the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia. United Nations Secretary-General Antonios Guterres also attended. Egypt’s plan includes an initial recovery phase aimed…
US President Donald Trump has warned Canada that he will escalate his trade war after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced retaliatory tariffs on US goods. Trump’s 25-percent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada took effect on Tuesday, prompting Trudeau to announce retaliatory tariffs on more than $100bn of American goods that will take effect over 21 days. The US president responded on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns, saying: “Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the US, our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!”…
A MASS trial of around 40 prominent opposition figures began in Tunisia on Tuesday, in a case that lawyers, relatives and rights groups say is politically motivated. Diplomats, politicians, lawyers, and journalists who are critical of President Kaïs Saïed are among the defendants. They could face the death penalty if found guilty of charges which include “plotting against state security” and “belonging to a terrorist group”. Human Rights Watch has labelled it a “mockery of a trial” based on “abusive charges”, while the UN recently urged Tunisian authorities to end “all forms of persecution of political opponents”. The country’s foreign…
THE UK government has said it will not send further payments to Rwanda following the cancellation of the migrant deal between the two countries. On Monday, Rwanda’s government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said the UK had asked Rwanda to “quietly forgo” the remaining payment – reportedly amounting to £50m ($64m) – based on “trust and good faith”. However, Rwanda has now asked the UK to pay the remainder of the money it says it is owed, accusing the UK of breaching trust by suspending some aid to the country. In a statement, a UK government spokesperson said that “no further payments…
FORMER Fifa president Sepp Blatter and French football legend Michel Platini are back in court in Switzerland to face accusations of fraud. In 2022, the pair were acquitted in a trial over a payment of 2m Swiss francs (£1.6m) made to Platini and authorised by Blatter in 2011. Both men denied wrongdoing and said the transfer was belated payment for Fifa advisory work by Platini, who formerly led European football’s governing body Uefa. But the Swiss federal prosecutor appealed against the decision. The new trial is expected to last until Thursday, with a verdict due on 25 March. The pair…
ISRAEL’s prime minister, Netanyahu warns Hamas of consequences it ‘cannot imagine’ if captives not freed Netanyahu made the remarks during a speech at the Israeli parliament. “I tell Hamas: If you do not release our hostages, there will be consequences that you cannot imagine,” Netanyahu said. Netanyahu then praised the US president’s proposal to empty Gaza of its population as “brave and innovative”. “We must support it. We support it fully,” he said, according to the Times of Israel. “The time has come to give them the freedom to leave. The time has come to give them the freedom to…
PRINCE Hisahito, the Japanese imperial family’s last hope for the monarchy’s long-term survival — unless succession rules change — said marriage is not on his mind yet in his first press conference on Monday. Only males can ascend the ancient Chrysanthemum Throne and women leave the imperial family if they marry a commoner, with their offspring having no royal status. But Hisahito, who turned 18 in September and is second in line to become emperor after his father, said it was much too early for him to consider tying the knot. “Regarding marriage, I have not yet thought deeply about…
THE mother of a six-year-old girl who disappeared more than a year ago in South Africa has gone on trial accused of organising her kidnapping. Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were arrested after Smith’s daughter, Joshlin, went missing from outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town, in February last year. Joshlin’s disappearance sent shockwaves across South Africa and despite a highly publicised search for her, she is yet to be found. All three have pleaded not guilty to charges of human trafficking and kidnapping. Ms Smith initially said that Joshlin had…
DESPITE growing international pressure, the Democratic Republic of Congo is standing firm on its decision not to have direct talks with the M23 rebel group that has made major advances in the east of the country in recent months. Last week, the UK government added to calls for the group to be part of an “inclusive dialogue” to help find a political solution to the conflict. But in an interview with the BBC, DR Congo Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka said her government wants to negotiate with neighbouring Rwanda, which it accuses of backing the M23. At least 8,500 people…
Q – Salaamu Alaikum Malam. A person owns a piece of land and one year has passed since he acquired it. Zakaah is due because it comes under the heading of trade goods (i.e., he bought it in order to sell it). How should he pay zakaah on it? Please note that he only has a little cash, very little? Shaheed Ahmad, Borno A – Zakkaah is due on trade goods according to the Qur’aan and Sunnah. In the Qur’aan this is indicated by the general meaning of the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you…
FULHAM goalkeeper Bernd Leno was the hero with two saves in the penalty shootout to knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup. After three precise spot-kicks from both sides, Leno denied Victor Lindelof, then, after skipper Antonee Robinson had extended Fulham’s perfect record, the German also kept out Joshua Zirkzee’s effort to send the Cottagers into the quarter-finals. Fulham had taken the lead in first-half stoppage time when Calvin Bassey was left free at the far post to head in from close range after Rodrigo Muniz had flicked on a corner. But, days after former United captain Roy Keane…
ISRAEL has halted the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza and threatened Hamas with more “consequences” if the Palestinian group does not agree to extend the now-ended phase one of their fragile ceasefire agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday that “the entry of all goods and supplies to the Gaza Strip will be halted,” accusing Hamas of refusing to accept a framework for the continuation of talks proposed by US special envoy Steve Witkoff. “Israel will not allow a ceasefire without a release of our hostages,” the statement said. “If Hamas persists in its refusal,…
KEIR Starmer will tell European leaders that they need to face the “brutal reality” and increase defense spending, as the British prime minister seeks to use his line into the White House to keep the trans-Atlantic alliance from breaking apart over Ukraine. The British premier will deliver the message to representatives from more than a dozen other long-time American allies on Sunday during a European security summit in London, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The event was made all the more urgent by US President Donald Trump’s spectacular falling out with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Starmer…
THE army of the Democratic Republic of Congo has accused Rwanda of dressing up prisoners in military uniforms in an effort to pass them off as newly-captured rebels linked to the Rwandan genocide. It comes after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo said they had captured fighters from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) – a militia founded by ethnic Hutus who took part in the 1994 genocide against Rwanda’s Tutsis. But the DR Congo military said a video allegedly showing the handover of 20 FDLR rebels at a border crossing was “faked”. M23 fighters have…
THE love life of South Africa’s Zulu king has the country agog – and has scandalised his socially conservative subjects as he messes with tradition by seeking a divorce. Polygamy is part of Zulu culture, but King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has taken the unusual step of going to court to divorce his first wife, Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela. “Everyone was puzzled. People were not expecting the king to go so far as to file for divorce,” Prof Gugu Mazibuko, a cultural expert at South Africa’s University of Johannesburg, told the BBC. “In Zulu culture, there is no divorce. You are not supposed…
SUSPECTED bandits posing as operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have reportedly abducted 10 people from White Hill Hotel on Shiroro Road, Chanchaga Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State. A security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, quoted intelligence sources as saying that the incident occurred at about 4:58 a.m. on Tuesday, February 27, 2025. The armed men reportedly stormed the hotel, claiming to be EFCC personnel on an official operation. “It was gathered that the suspects disabled the hotel’s CCTV cameras before entering guests’ rooms one by one and forcibly taking away 10 individuals to…
Q – Salaamu Alaikum. Please can Mallam tell me more about the easy acceptance of du’a in Ramadan? Amir Nasir Wamakko, Sokoto A – Abu Saeed Khudri (Radhiyallahu anhu) relates that Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihil Wasallam) said, “Everyday and night of Ramadan Allah sets free a great number of souls from Jahannam. And for every Muslim during everyday and night there is a time when his dua is certainly accepted. Apart from this Hadith, there are many others stating that the dua’s is accepted at the time of if’taar. Unfortunately at that time we are so engrossed in eating if’taar…
GOALKEEPERS who hold on to the ball beyond eight seconds will be punished by conceding a corner from next season after a rule change by football’s lawmakers IFAB. As the rules currently stand, ‘keepers are supposed to be sanctioned with an indirect free-kick if they hold on for more than six seconds. However, the offence is rarely penalised. A trial allowing keepers to hold on for eight seconds has been active in a number of competitions this season, with the final five seconds counted down by the referee’s hand. “The amendment means that if a goalkeeper holds the ball for…