25 January 2015 - 8th Anniversary Pictures

25 January 2015 - 8th Anniversary Pictures



[Thanks to Aatif, Awaiz & Naveed for the pictures ]

25 January 2015 - 8th Anniversary Session

25 January 2015 - 8th Anniversary Session

Salaam
This week started of with a recap of the film and how it deviated from Islam (full version available on last week's blog).
Then followed a review of hte Study Circle and its 8 years with some highlights and achievements.
Then a light-hearted quiz / Activity involving Islamic Riddles, picture Quiz and a WordSearch
Answers available later, inshaAllah

Recap of the film ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’:

The main points of error / deviation of the film ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’ from Islamic texts. A longer summary  sent last week and full version uploaded on the website last week.

• No Birth story / miracle of the Nile.
• No Staff of Moses
• The death of the Egyptian
• Moses exiled on a horse
• How he encounters the Burning Bush
• The whole Burning Bush is wrong
• God appearing as a little boy
• The boy later being a ‘messenger’
• Joshua (Yusha) a contemporary of Moses
• Moses no speech impediment
• Moses meeting  Harun
• Moses training insurgency
• No Moses magicians
• Hanging families of Bani Israel
• The plagues / signs are in the wrong order
• No explicit demand for freeing slaves
• Plagues also  affected Bani Israel
• The death of the first born
• Moses and Bani Israel leaving parade
• Parting of the sea & dry river bed
• Pharaoh survives
• Ten Commandments written Moses
• The wilderness years
• Moses doubting

Review of the Study Circle:

...Not Just a Study Circle

- Halaqa

- Learning

- Discussion / Debate

- Islam Accessible

- Developing a community

- Shared experiences

Study Circle Themes

- Life of Prophet Muhammed*

- Lives of the Prophets

- Selected Hadith

- Nawawi’s 40 Hadith

- Usul al-Fiqh

- Basics of Belief / Aqeeda

- Naveed's Belief Pathway

- Death and the Journey afterwards

- News and Current Affairs

- Charity Events

- Shahnam 2010 (Zarina)

- Shahnam 2012 (Noreena)

- Shahnam update 2013 (Shahana)

- Palestine 2014 (Junaid)

Trips

- London (Hajj, Regent’s Park Mosque)

- London (Mughal, Kew Gardens)

- Manchester and Bradford Mosques / Restaurants

- Exodus Cinema Trip 2015

- [Palestine 2014]

- [Living Islam 2014]

Other Events

- Quiz

- Pictionary

- Homework

- Hand-outs

- Children’s Feedback

- Online Surveys / Polls

- Hajj Deed box (Bank of Akhirah)

- Video / Clips

- Logo Design

- Iftar in Canon Hill Park

- Ramadhan Saturday Iftars

- Crime Scene Investigation (Babylon, Egypt)

- Football - Dads vs Sons, Boys Team

- WhatsApp Summaries

- Exhibitions

- Hajj - British Museum

- Mughal - British Library

- Muhammed*  - Birmingham

- [Dawud Wharnsby Home Concert ]

Guest Speakers

- Hadith of the Assassin

- Feedback Salah and how to have Khushu in Salah

- Exhibition Muhammed* at Birmingham Central Mosque

- Jinn

- Practical Guide to a Better Umrah

- Umrah Experiences

- Islam, Arts and Music

- Du'a

- Child Protection in Islam

- Surah al-Falaq

- Palestine, Jerusalem and Masjid al-Aqsa

- Shahnam Charity Feedback

- Syria / Charity work

Website

- Total hits – 18,536

- Average – 13 per day

...Not Just a Study Circle

- Halaqa

- Learning

- Discussion / Debate

- Islam Accessible

- Developing a community

- Shared experiences

Riddles

1.
Not necessary before du'a
The key to your Salah

2.
I am the best ayah in the Qur’an
Read me and I’ll protect you from Shaytan

3.
The Prophet* loved me so you should too
I am sunnah/fard and look beautiful on you.
By 'You' I mean the men, not the women folk
Coz on the women I will look like a huge joke

4.
I lead to two great acts of Worship,
To the Shaytaan I'm the most painful Whip
I lead to patience, so beautiful, without flaw
I lead to contentment, so sweet and pure

5.
Allah will question you about me first thing on Judgement Day
I differentiate you from the non believers so don’t turn me away
I’m no use if you rush me through
As Allah will throw me right back at you.

6.
In having me there is blessings for you
In ignoring me there is sorrow
I am a light...and a shade too
On the day of tomorrow
My name begins with the letter ‘B’
No sorceress cannot memorise me

7.
We are more than 1 less than 11
You must practice us to go to heaven
One of us teaches us to compromise with the poor
Don’t wanna make it too easy so I’m saying no more

8.
Leave me and you will never find the treasure
Use me and you'll attain Allah’s pleasure

If you judge by me you'll be just
If you argue by me you'll win
Hold onto me fast, I’m the centre of your deen

9.
If you’ve got me you’ve got power
But the devil will try to pride you with me every second, minute, hour
I will take you to heaven if you act upon me well
But if you misuse me I’m also dangerous enough to take you to hell.

10.
I come in your way
Don’t let you pray
I’m the enemy within
Leading you to sin

11.
When you use me wrongly you can’t undo your mistake
So please control me for Allah’s sake.
Use it less and use it well
Or this thing on its own can take you to hell
So use me carefully, or at least try,
Now tell me, what am I?

12.
I shield you from sin
Limit what goes out and in
Cannot be done every day
But God-consciousness all the way



Picture Quiz

 

 Islamic WordSearch

Flyer for the forthcoming Study Circle: 8th Anniversary

Flyer for the forthcoming Study Circle:

18 January 2015 - Visit to the Cinema to watch Exodus: Gods and Kings

18 January 2015 - Visit to the Cinema to watch Exodus: Gods and Kings

Exodus: Gods and Kings – Plot & Spoilers  

(Wikipedia)

In 1300 BCE, Moses, a general and member of the royal family, prepares to attack the Hittite army with Prince Ramses. Ramses' father Seti I tells the two men of a recent prophecy in which one (of Moses and Ramses) will save the other and become a leader. During the attack on the Hittites, Moses saves Ramses' life, leaving both men troubled.

Later, Moses is sent to the city of Pithom to meet with the Viceroy Hegep, who oversees the Hebrew slaves. Upon his arrival, he encounters the slave Joshua and is appalled by the horrific conditions of the slaves. Shortly afterwards, Moses meets Nun, who informs him of his true lineage; he is the child of Hebrew parents who was sent by his sister Miriam to be raised by Pharaoh's daughter. Moses is stunned at the revelation and leaves angrily. However, two Hebrews also overhear Nun's story and reports their discovery to Hegep.

Seti dies soon after Moses' return to Memphis, and Ramses becomes the new Pharaoh (Ramses II). Hegep arrives to reveal Moses' true identity, but Ramses is conflicted about whether to believe the story. At the urging of Queen Tuya, he interrogates the servant Miriam, who denies being Moses' sister. When Ramses threatens to cut off Miriam's arm, Moses comes to her defence, revealing he is a Hebrew.

Although Tuya wants Moses to be put to death, Ramses decides to send him into exile. Before leaving Egypt, Moses meets with his birth mother and Miriam, who refer to him by his birth name of Moishe. Following a journey into the desert, Moses comes to Midian where he meets Zipporah and her father, Jethro. Moses becomes a shepherd, marries Zipporah and has a son Gershom.

Nine years later, Moses gets injured during a rockslide. He comes face to face with a burning bush and a boy called Malak, who serves as a representation of God. While recovering, Moses confesses his past to Zipporah and reveals what God has asked him to do. This drives a wedge between the couple, because Zipporah fears he will leave their family.

After he arrives in Egypt, Moses reunites with Nun and Joshua, as well as meeting his brother Aaron for the first time. Using his military skills, he trains the slaves in the art of war. The Hebrews start attacking the Egyptians, prompting Ramses to execute slaves until Moses gives himself up.

Malak appears to Moses and explains that ten plagues will affect Egypt. All the water in the land turns to blood, and the Egyptians are further afflicted by the arrival of frogs, lice, and flies. Moses returns to confront Ramses, demanding the Hebrews be released from servitude. Ramses refuses to listen, insisting that to free the slaves would be economically impossible.

The plagues of the death of livestock, boils, hail and thunder, locusts, and darkness continue to affect the Egyptians. While conversing with Malak, Moses is horrified at learning the tenth plague will be the death of all firstborn children. The Hebrews protect themselves by covering their doors with the blood of lambs, as instructed to them by Moses. Ramses is devastated over his son's death and relents, telling Moses and the Hebrews to leave.

During the exodus from Egypt, the Hebrews follow Moses' original path through the desert and towards the Red Sea. Still grieving for his son, Ramses decides to go after the Hebrews with his army.

After making their way across the rocky mountains, Moses and the Hebrews arrive at the edge of the sea, uncertain about what to do. Moses flings his sword into the water, which begins to recede. Ramses and his army pursue the Hebrews, but Moses stays behind to confront them. The Red Sea reverts to its normal state, drowning the majority of the Egyptians (crossing the Red Sea).

Moses survives and makes his way back to the Hebrews. Ramses is revealed to have survived, but he is distraught over the destruction of his army. Moses leads the Hebrews back to Midian, where he reunites with Zipporah and Gershom.

At Mount Sinai, after seeing Malak's displeasure at the Hebrews' construction of the Golden Calf, Moses transcribes the Ten Commandments. Years later, an elderly Moses riding with the Ark of the Covenant sees Malak walking with the Hebrews through the desert.

Main inaccuracies from Islamic texts:

• The film misses out the birth story except a short narration of it and misses the related miracle of the Nile.
• We don’t see the staff of Moses (except a small scene where he gives it to his son)!
• The (accidental) death of the Egyptian by Moses is wrongly portrayed
• Moses flees Egypt on foot when he is a wanted terrorist but the film exiles him on horse
• Moses spends 10 years in Madian before wanting to return to Egypt with his family. He encounters with the Burning Bush was whilst travelling with the family – all wrong in the film.
• The whole Burning Bush is wrong with no staff-snake, taking off shoes and of course God appearing as a little boy and the boy later being a ‘messenger’
• Joshua (Yusha) is portrayed as a contemporary of Moses in the film whereas he took over as leader of Bani Israel after the death of Musa
• Moses had a speech impediment in Islamic texts
• Moses asks Allah to appoint Harun as his helper not introduced accidentally as his brother when he arrives back in Egypt as in the film
• Moses never trains his people to fight an insurgency against Pharaoh like the film suggests
• The film sees Pharaoh hanging families of Bani Israel but our texts talk about him killing the children of Bani Israel as a punishment
• There is no competition between Moses/Harun and the Pharaoh’s magicians at all.
• The plagues / signs are in the wrong order and are not each time linked to a demand for freeing the slaves
• Missing some signs and the implication that the signs also affected Bani Israel as much as the Egyptians in the film
• The death of the first born is not explicit in the Islamic texts although marking the houses is mentioned
• Moses and Bani Israel leave at night after Moses realises Pharaoh will never change or allow them to leave, not a parade as portrayed in the film
• Parting of the sea was miraculous with the staff not a sword thrown to dry up the river. The ground of the river was dried in Islamic texts
• Pharaoh died in the river as the water collapsed upon him and Moses was safely on the other side with all his people in our texts
• Moses is seen making the Ten Commandments himself but Islam implies they were written by God
• Most of the story of Moses and Bani Israel in the wilderness is missed out (doesn’t matter as the film was about the ‘Exodus’ more than the life of Moses)
• Moses never doubted his mission and his purpose, nor his firm belief in God in Islamic texts

Cinematic issues

Much like some other Ridley Scott films, this is a rather bleak film and has a negative strand throughout the film. Even the victory doesn’t feel like a victory throughout the film! Nevertheless, well shot and the acting is decent, although not great. I’m not sure Bale (Moses) is quite clear of his Batman persona!! Also, Moses is portrayed as an imperfect / flawed hero (possibly charismatic but mad).

Also, written for a secular audience from a secular (non-religious) perspective with the implication that Moses was a mortal man and undertook the actions of himself without guidance from God. It could easily be interpreted that he suffered from hallucinations (following his fall) and was blinded in his vision and wrote the Ten Commandments himself by his own hand following further hallucinations (like a charismatic schizophrenic). Hence, the ‘plagues’ are given a ‘scientific’ interpretation!

Some have also objected to the portrayal of Egyptians and Bani Israel by white Europeans, but this is only partially true. Egyptian art depicts Egyptians as red, Nubians as brown, and Semites (like Jews) as yellow.

There is no foul language. There is no sex in the film but two scenes with kisses (after the marriage and at the end), although there are a number of scantily clad Egyptian women. It is not surprising that the story of the Exodus is violent, but the violence is graphic at times. Moses is engaged in several fights and battles which involve blood and even some gore, but the most graphic scenes involve the director’s envisioning of the plague of blood and other plagues.

Major inaccuracies from Biblical story (from Christian websites):

Set in 1300BCE, the pyramids were built before this and not thought that the Hebrews built the pyramids. Ramses was not the Pharaoh of the Exodus as one Biblical reference places the Exodus almost 150 years before Ramses. This is important because the archaeological evidence supports an Exodus in the 15th century before Christ, but offers no support for an Exodus under Ramses.

Theological points in the Biblical plagues have been removed for the film version, there are fewer than ten plagues in the film, the plagues themselves are of a different nature (alligators, for example), and the Israelites were afflicted by the plagues along with the Egyptians.

The film portrays only nine years between Moses’ exile and his return. Moses is shown killing the guard in self defense. Moses is around 40 years old when he leads the Exodus. Moses is thought to be a true Egyptian by all in the Egyptian court, and a host of others.

Although Moses argued with God in the Bible, the movie clearly portrays Moses’s wrestling with God on a more cynical level. He also tends to shout rather than stutter as Jewish tradition recounts.

Most intriguing is that he only meets Pharaoh twice face to face before the death of the first-born children. In the first encounter, Moses pulls a sword on Ramses and threatens him. He does not say “Let my people go,” but speaks of his own authority as a rebel leader. He spends much of the movie hiding from Pharaoh, and he even tries to lead a military revolt before God intervenes. The depiction of Moses leading a war of attrition against Egypt.

God is portrayed as a little boy. He first appears standing in front of the burning bush and appears at recurring points in the film.

The miracles are made to look more like natural phenomenon