25/06/2009
MICHAEL JACKSON PASSED AWAY – for more info
27/06/2009
Alot of things are not adding up. The biggest being that if he was muslim then why is he not buried yet.
There is a probability that Michael Jackson could be muslim. His brother Jermaine in statement mentioned at the end “May Allah be with you”. Even Imam Zaid Shakir says that reliable sources say have told him that Michael is muslim.
If he is muslim he should be buried as soon as possible within 24 hours.
PS. The plot thickens..
Doesn’t look like he sang the Kaba wall song .. Irfan Makki sang it.. the uncertainty continues..(check video at bottom). He was also planning to have 50 final curtain concerts in London.
Allah knows best whether he was muslim or not.
what this post should teach you never believe anything especially on the internet with out checking things out..
Comments on Michael Jacksons passing from famous muslims around the world
Upon The Passing of Michael Jackson
Like the light of a meteor streaking across the crisp, cold, clear sky of a winter’s night, Michael Jackson streaked across the sky defining this country’s cultural horizons. None of us coming of age in urban America will forget Michael’s debut onto the public stage with his brothers as part of the phenomenally successful Jackson 5. Hit after hit, “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” “I’ll Be There,” rocketed up the Billboard Charts to number one. I can still reel them all off from memory some forty years later. For better or worse, they are indelibly etched into my mind, and have played a part in defining my soul.
Although I was a couple of years older than Michael, I joined the ranks of unsuccessful Michael Jackson wannabes. At the time it seemed worth the effort as all of the girls had gone head over heels for Michael, and just a fraction of his dynamic appeal could reap huge dividends in terms of one’s popularity. The ‘hood was in love with Michael and he apparently had the talent to fulfill the lofty and ever increasing expectations placed upon his slim young shoulders.
However, as the sixties rolled, or limped, into the seventies and the Jackson 5 began to cool off, eventually leaving the Motown label that had launched their incredible success, many of my friends, as well as myself, were attracted to different musical genres, more mature fare. Topping my personal list was WAR, Stevie Wonder, Santana, and Mandrill. I also began to listen to a lot of jazz, and accumulated quite a large album collection. Whenever, I received my weekly wages from whatever job I was engaged in at the time, and I had many in my youth –security guard, lathe operator, UPS warehouseman—I would head straight to the record store and add to my collection.
What I couldn’t afford to buy, I would get from the radio, my preferred listening hours were three and four o’clock in the morning, when the brother manning the controls at an FM station coming out of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut would put out some serious jazz. I would stay awake listening until just before dawn, sleep a couple of hours and drag myself off to work.
As the years went by I lost that passion for music. Perhaps my waning interest was aided by my little nephews who turned part of my album collection into a stack of customized frisbees when I went off to the Air Force in 1976. It was definitely aided by Islam. After my conversion in 1977, there was no one around to tell me that music was Haram (forbidden). However, as I grew in the religion, the enchanting melodies of the Qur’an became far more appealing than the increasingly commercialized musical fare. For example, George Benson’s offerings starting sounding more like Muzak than the rifts of a jazz purist who rivaled Wes Montgomery.
I would eventually give away what was left of my record collection. At the time I had left the Air Force and was studying in Washington DC at American University. However, I lived a few blocks from Howard University. I drove over to one of the used music vendors on the edge of the campus and made his day as I unloaded a box of cassette tapes and albums.
During those years I had lost touch with what Michael Jackson was doing. I knew he had “blown up” as the young folks say today and that as a solo performer he was reaching heights of fame and popularity that not even Elvis had obtained. I would also read in the tabloids that caught my eyes as I waited to check out at the grocery store of the increasingly strange exploits Michael was involved in, the plastic surgeries, something about the bones of the Elephant Man, rumors of him sleeping in a transparent, refrigerated crypt, the allegations of pedophilia, the fantasy ranch in California, and on and on.
It was obvious that Michael was troubled. For sure the physical and psychological abuse visited upon him by a sick father was a large part of the problems that were plaguing Michael as he moved further into his adult years. Surely, the childhood that was denied him as he was thrust into the sinful rigors of show business at the tender age of eight, opening for strip tease acts on the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” in smoke-filled rooms wreaking of alcohol, was part of his troubles. Surely, the confusion of being caught between a devout mother struggling to raise her children as Jehovah’s Witnesses and a fanatically strict, violent and obsessive father was part of part his problem.
But I was only able to catch glimpses and snippets of Michael’s seemingly disintegrating life from a distance, hearing a bit here from a well-meaning niece, or catching a bit there on television, before I would take Jerry Mander’s advice and relegate my television to the garbage heap. If Michael was becoming a side show he wasn’t performing for me. Caught up in Islamic activism, during a time my friends and I refer to as “the heady days of the revolution,” I had little time to reflect on such matters, I was too busy trying to do my part to change the world.
However, last year Michael’s name came up again. A good friend who is a reliable source of information called and said that Michael had become Muslim. Allah knows best if he did or did not. However, Michael was no stranger to the religion, having been exposed to it by his brother Jermaine, who had converted to the faith in 1989.*
Now Michael is gone. Hopefully, he had found peace in Islam. Hopefully, the tears he cried in the privacy of his oftentimes lonely world, tears described by Smokey Robinson as those of a clown, shed when no one’s around, had dried. Michael was an icon, a pain-filled, troubled icon, and like many of comparable stature before him, and inevitably many after him, his fall was sudden and unexpected. Hopefully, his faith, if he did indeed convert to Islam, helped to cushion that fall.
* An earlier version of this article mentioned that Dawud Warnsby had assisted in Michael Jackson’s conversion to Islam. He has denied that. This article has been amended to exclude that claim. In writing this essay, I was given information from sources I considered reliable that Michael had indeed become Muslim. Obviously, the part about Dawud Warnsby is not true. However, there have been many reports throughout the media concerning Michael becoming Muslim. Allah knows best as to their veracity.
http://www.newislamicdirections.com/nid/articles_comments/upon_the_passing_of_michael_jackson/
The long answer? Initially it began with rumors years back that he had joined the Nation of Islam. On top of that, Jermaine Jackson, his brother, is a known and confirmed Sunni Muslim, which added another ingredient into the mix.
Then in November 2008, various news sources reported that Michael Jackson had officially accepted Islam, as he had been interested in it since 2005 with the help of his brother Jermaine. Other news sources claimed that Muslim artists Dawud Wharnsby and Idris Phillips were also involved in his acceptance and that they were present when he took the shahadah (testimony of faith), and even that he was also meeting with singer Yusuf Islam, the former Cat Stevens.
But since then, not much else had been said about his acceptance of Islam. What’s more confusing is taking into account recent statements both Dawud Wharnsby and Yusuf Islam that not only were they not involved in the reported shahadah, neither of them has ever met the pop star.
Dawud: “For the record: Though our professional circles did cross-over slightly with various common professional acquaintances – I never had the honour or pleasure of meeting Micheal Jackson personally, nor did we ever correspond on matters of our professions, personal lives or faiths.”
Yusuf: “Contrary to persistent press rumours, I was not at any kind of conversion ceremony for Michael Jackson. Nor, I believe, was Dawud Wharnsby or any of the others mentioned in connection with the story. Granted, I was in Los Angeles at the time these rumours first appeared – but I was busy filming a video for a new song, Boots & Sand.”
Here in Chicago, after the congregation of the Isha prayer, the Imam of a local masjid mentioned that he called up Dr. Muzammil Siddiqui in California, former president of ISNA, in hopes of finding any confirmation on the day of Michael’s death about his acceptance of Islam. Nothing was set in stone. With speculation having come up in the aftermath of his death, this is why I wish to bring it up here.
So the question is this: With no real answer (yet) as to whether Michael Jackson truly was a Muslim or not, what should be our position in regards to his death?
The answer is simple. Regardless of what the real answer is, we should hope he died Muslim. And that’s not just because he’s a celebrity or because we may have grown up listening to his hits, but because we as Muslims want the salvation of all mankind.
Islam is the best and most perfect way of life for all of humanity, and we want all manking to accept what we believe is the way to live mandated by God. And if that happens to be the most breakthrough artist in the history of pop music, then alhamdulillah, all praise be to God, may he be forgiven for all of his shortcomings.
If he’s not, then we leave his fate with his Creator as is, and hope more people like him are guided to accept Islam and help in spreading the message to the masses. And until we have some clearer answers to our questions, I feel this is the position we need to have as Muslims. We pray that Allah (SWT) guides more people to Islam.
Yusuf Islam, Dawud Wharnsby and Hamza Yusuf reaction on MJ’s passing.
Friday 26th June 2009
Michael Jackson’s Death – Yusuf Islam
Following yesterday’s tragic news of the death of Michael Jackson, Yusuf, writing from Los Angeles, sent the following message:
“It’s always inevitable, but a shock when death comes. With Michael, it seems to me even more shocking, and I feel very sad. He seemed to have the heart of a child, though he was a giant of a musician. The moment I heard he had been taken to hospital, the worst was anticipated. I hope he finally worked out his purpose in life, before he left it. I just discovered his middle name was Joseph. He’ll be missed.”
Yusuf
From the same source of life – we all come, and inevitably so we must all return.
The passing of artist and performer Michael Jackson yesterday was quite a shock to many. My thoughts and prayers are with the Jackson family during this difficult time – and especially with Micheal’s young children. May they be protected from the media machine that so tragically tore up much of Michael’s life, while ironically celebrating him as one of the world’s most incredible and dynamic performers.
Like many of my generation, the music and public persona of Michael Jackson were a great part of my youth. My serious interest in music began at age 10 when I first saw Michael perform on television, shortly after his “Thriller” album had swept the world. His charisma, uninhibited passion for his art and his unique style filled my head with dreams of one day being able to share my own music with the world.
Few can come close to claiming even a fraction of what Michael accomplished during his career – from child-star as lead singer of the Jackson 5, through his work in “The Whiz” and onward to a solo career as an artist in an absolutely unparalleled musical/performance domain. Michael’s work and music bridged the world and generations. His choreography, concert formats, music videos, album production, charity efforts (“We Are The World” in specific) all set a standard that few could rise above.
Over the years the media scrutiny, mockery and sensationalizing of his personal life always angered me. During the very difficult times of his career I always supported and defended Michael – admiring him for remaining artistically driven and gracious to his supporters.
Each day people with tremendous lives pass from this world – farmers, students, cab drivers, children, elderly retired teachers, soldiers and parents. Who are we to judge the degrees of their “success” or the levels to which their lives touched the lives of others? Each day we should morn the losses of the world’s valuable contributors, and each day we should celebrate the positive achievements of all our earth’s inhabitants.
With that in mind, I write these expressions not because “Michael Jackson the Super Star” has passed onward, but because a guy named Michael inspired me to sing, dance, smile, be gracious with those who shared my art with me and above all (as Michael would say whenever accepting an award) “Thank God” for all the wonderful adventures of life.
May Michael’s music carry on for many, many more generations – inspiring people to dance, dream and hope for a better world.
Lastly – many have been in touch with me over the past year to inquire about my personal relationship with Michael Jackson. A November 21, 2008 Sun (UK) article spread internationally stating that Michael had adopted the religion of Islam through friendship with both myself and my colleague Idris Phillips during recording sessions in Los Angeles.
For the record: Though our professional circles did cross-over slightly with various common professional acquaintances – I never had the honour or pleasure of meeting Micheal Jackson personally, nor did we ever correspond on matters of our professions, personal lives or faiths.
Peace,
dawud wharnsby
source: http://www.myspace.com/wharnsby
Hamza Yusuf Response to Michael Jackson death
Shock Dead, Everybody’s Gone Mad: Reflections on the Death of Michael Jackson
By Hamza Yusuf
On the news
Everybody’s dog food
Bang bang
Shock dead
Everybody’s gone mad…
From “They Don’t Care About Us” by Michael Jackson
As a little boy, Michael Jackson had an extraordinary charisma — as well as an absolute innocence — that was disarmingly charming. It captivated millions of Americans and eventually people around the world.
As the years went by, his career took strange turns and he slowly turned white, transforming his face eerily into a pale and ghastly masque, perhaps to conceal the pain of alienation from his own self and family. He was also rumored to have unsavory predilections that would never have been suggested if one used the rigorous criteria of Islam before hurling an accusation. Despite the rumors, he appeared to have had a genuine concern for children, wanting to provide them with a world that was denied to him as a child due to the abuses he claimed to have suffered.
I was very happy for him last year when he reportedly became a Muslim. He had apparently followed the footsteps of his dignified and intelligent brother, Jermaine, who converted to Islam 20 years ago and found peace. It seemed befitting that Michael sought refuge from a society that thrives on putting people on pedestals and then knocking them down. He was accused of many terrible things, but was guilty of perhaps being far too sensitive for an extremely cruel world. Such is the fate of many artistic people in our culture of nihilistic art, where the dominant outlet for their talents is in singing hollow pop songs or dancing half-naked in front of ogling onlookers who often leave them as quickly as they clung to them for the next latest sensation.
In the manner of Elvis or the Beatles, Michael is unwittingly both a cause and a symptom of America’s national obsession with celebrity, currently on display in the American Idol mania. Celebrity trumps catastrophe every time. Far too few of us make any attempt to understand why jobs are drying up, why mortgages are collapsing, why we spend half-a-trillion dollars to service the interest on the national debt, why our government’s administration, despite being elected on an anti-war platform, is still committed to two unnecessary and unjust wars waged by the earlier administration, wars that continue to involve civilians casualties on an almost daily basis. Instead, we drown in trivia, especially trivia related to celebrity. And the response to Michael’s death is part of the trivial pursuits of American popular culture. The real news about death in America is that twenty Iraq and Afghan war veterans are committing suicide every day. But that does not make the front page nor is it discussed as seriously as the King of Pop’s cardiac arrest.
Nevertheless, Michael’s very public death notice is a powerful reminder that no matter how famous or talented or wealthy one is, death comes knocking, sometimes sooner than later. Michael has now entered a world of extraordinary perception, a world that makes his “Thriller” video seem mundane. It is a world of angels and demons, and questions in the grave, a world where fame is based upon piety and charity. Given Michael’s reported conversion to Islam last year, Muslims count him as one of our own, and we pray that he can finally find the peace he never found in this world and that he is in a place, God willing, of mercy, forgiveness, and solace.
http://www.zaytuna.org/articleDetails.asp?articleID=125
29/06/2009
Looks like i made a mistake regarding the song below. It looks like this Irfan Makki is the singer of this song. He really sounds the same.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09_bwx78JR0
17/04/2009
I found this on youtube and this sounds like MJ. Many mistake Zain Bhikha give thanks to Allah as Jackson but this one does sound like the real thing.. If you want to see the similarities between the two artist watch this video and the one at the bottom..”I am a muslim”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIv3h1E5d_E
Allah Knows best if he is or is not muslim.
21/11/2008
The king of pop Michael Jackson has reverted to Islam and changed his name to Mikaeel.
Jackson, 50, was dressed in the Islamic garb as he pledged his allegiance at a friend’s house in Los Angeles. He sat on the floor as an Imam was called to officiate the ceremony.
Michael Jackson reverts back to Islam
He was convinced to turn to Islam by producer Idris Phillips formerly Phillip Bubel and songwriter Dawud Wharnsby Ali.
Idris Phillips
“They began talking to him about their beliefs and how they thought they had become better people after they reverted/converted,” a source told Britain’s The Sun newspaper.
“Michael soon began warming to the idea.”
Yusuf Islam formerly Cat Stevens
Singer Yusuf Islam – formerly known as Cat Stevens before he also reverted/converted to the religion – attended the star’s declaration of belief, known as the shahada
Jackson, who was raised a Jehovah’s Witness, decided to revert/convert after discussing religion with a music producer and songwriter on his new album – both of them reverts/converts to Islam.
“They began talking to him about their beliefs and how they thought they had become better people after they reverted/converted. Michael soon began warming to the idea. An Imam was summoned, and Michael went through the shahada, which is the Muslim declaration of belief,” a source was quoted as saying.
Why say reverted and not converted to Islam? Muslims believe that everyone is born in a state of fitra, in a natural state and are born as Muslims.
Mikaeel is the name of one of Allah’s angels. Mikaeel is the angel who is controlling rain and vegetation by the order of Allah
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kCnAfu85x8
I am a Muslim by South African artist Zain Bhikha who sounds like Mikaeel Jackson for Hijaab a women’s security blanket article
Michael/Mikaeel Jackson will be appearing in court on Monday in London as he is being sued by a prince in Bahrain for not fulfilling a album contract. According to the PA it seems like the sheikh was a generous friend to MJ. Most of the lavish spending were gifts to him.
Latest 24/11/2008
MJ will not appear in a London court on Monday after the U.S. pop star reached a settlement “in principle” with a Bahraini prince suing him for reneging on a recording contract.
Latest 4/12/2008
I am now confused if MJ is Muslim or not. He may have reverted back to Islam but one thing for sure is Dawud Wharnsby was not near there or has never met him before. I found it very weird that very well known muslim musician reverts where there to share the experience.
This is what Dawud has to say in his myspace page about this incident.
Though I hope to write more about this past tour on my website blog in coming days, two important notes should be mentioned here:
1. My dear friend, pirate and pianist Idris Phillips(Phillip Bubal) was unfortunately unable to accompany me on the tour as planned, due to some health issues. He was really missed along the journey – not just by his first mate (yours truly) but also by audiences and our many friends in London, Birmingham, Bradford and all tows in-between, many of whom had hosted us for previous tours in recent years. Please do drop Idris some love at Idris’ My Space to let him know he is in your thoughts, prayers and hearts. We want to see him back up and on the road in 2009!
2. Some of you have been trying to get in touch with me – asking about a certain “rag-mag” rumor (initially published in the UK Sun a week or so ago) about Idris Phillips, Michael Jackson and I. Though we three do have some mutual friends and acquaintances in the music industry, Idris and I have never met Michael personally, nor have we directly advised Michael in spiritual or religious matters. His “Thriller” album was one of the first albums in my collection way back in the early 80’s – so I’ll always have a soft spot for him in my heart. Wish folks would just let him be though.
Peace always,
Dawud
Did Yusuf Help Jackson Become Muslim?
Contrary to persistent press rumours, I was not at any kind of conversion ceremony for Michael Jackson. Nor, I believe, was Dawud Wharnsby or any of the others mentioned in connection with the story. Granted, I was in Los Angeles at the time these rumours first appeared – but I was busy filming a video for a new song, Boots & Sand.
I have met Jermaine Jackson, Michael’s older brother, who became a Muslim some years ago. As for Michael himself, I hope that he finds inner peace and can return to making the kind of music that has inspired generations.
http://www.yusufislam.com/faq/did-yusuf-help-jackson-become/
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just live for Allah..
I strongly believe that he was muslim ( it is not a wishful thinking )but I think it was somehow covered by media and the people around him or may be he wanted to keep it secret for some reasons which is understanable.Anyway he was a very good man in terms of being humble and modest. He suffured alot from devils in the medıa and showbussiness and even he was abused by hıs famıly.On the other He was also famous for his efforts to help children who need heLp. These are very important values in Islam that why he may have found That Islam was the only religion which was close to his personal beliefs.But ALLAH KNOWS THE BEST.I PRAY THAT HE INDEED CONVERTED BEFORE HIS DEATH AND ALLAH MAY FORGIVE HIS SINS AND GRANT HIM PARADISE .
Uh, I mean… what??!!
You have made him dead before his own departure from this planet. Is that what Islam can offer me? Death before death?? Darn. Makes me wonder why I spent all those years trying to kill myself with the myriad of drugs I took.
All I needed to do was convert to Allah and Islam. Insha’Allah, I s’pose…
Then again…………… no.
brother you concluded well,i also did my rersearch on internet now i can say for surely “michael was a muslim” but these fellas like yusuf and dawud they are deliberately dragged into the ceremony by the media or just by wrong sources……..but i am sure he michael was muslim just on the base that jermain said “may Allah bless with my brother” he gave us the big clue in his this narration.always ready to pray for michael.a michael lover