4th July 2020 marks one year since the historical Sahih al-Bukhari al-Shareef Recital began with Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi الشيخ محمد اليعقوبي at Ashton Central Mosque, Manchester UK.
​
We're forever indebted to the Shaykh for bringing us Hadith with the highest of authorisations and shortest chains of narration on the face of the earth today.
Over 650 Scholars, Imams and students from around the world attended the 11-day retreat to participate in the rare and prestigious event of reciting, teaching and preserving the most authentic version of Sahih al-Bukhari al-Shareef.
​
The event was decorated with a luxurious inaugural publication from Signatora, giving attendees the opportunity to possess Islamic heritage with the reprint of Sultan Abdul Hamid II's authentic edition of Sahih al-Bukhari al-Shareef.
The limited-edition copy is available to purchase at www.signatora.com

14th July 2019 marks the completion of the landmark event in the UK. Over 3,000 men and women of various ages including children attended the finale with hundreds tuning in online in the hope of their prayers being answered in the special completion Dua.

It was a phenomenal experience, full of tranquillity and blessings which illuminated hearts and transformed all in attendance. The effects of the momentous event are still felt today.

Last but no means least, our biggest thank you is to you. 
​​Upon launch of our campaign we received very generous donations and an incredible outpouring of support. So although this was difficult time, our community really pulled together and this show of solidarity has been a true testament to our kindness, resilience, and for many of us, our faith as well, because one of the key principles of Islam is to help our fellow human beings.
May Allah (SWT) allow this to be a means of relief for us in this life and the next. 

Be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity: and whatever good you send forth for your souls before you, you shall find it with Allah; for Allah sees well all that you do (2:110)

The Inaugural British Beacon Mosque Awards took place on Saturday 7th September at the London Heathrow Marriott Hotel and over 200 Mosque reps from across the UK were present on the day accepting awards on 10 different categories.

There were over 200 Mosque nominations from the public from across the country demonstrating good initiatives. From these nominations, independent judges shortlisted Mosques in each category and selected a winner based on evidence submitted by the Mosques.

​Alhamdulilah we are proud to announce that Guidance Hub was nominated in 3 categories at the British Beacon Mosque Awards 2019.
​
Best Women's Service - This category is seeking to award the Mosque or a team associated with the Mosque that works to support the spiritual, emotional or intellectual needs of women in the Mosque.

Best Run Mosque - This Category looks to award Mosque leaders who have shown outstanding qualities in leadership and management of their Mosque and/or Islamic centre. Teams that have either been selected or elected by the congregation to innovate and deliver outstanding facilities that service all.

Best Youth Service - This category look at Mosques that have developed programmes and or facilities for the Youth (under 18 male or female)

Shaykh Adnaan Raja / 17th July 2019

A few days ago, on 14 July 2019, the small market town of Ashton-under-Lyne witnessed an overflow of flocking to its longest established mosque. Over three thousand devout Muslims, students of the Islamic tradition, and faith leaders, thronged the mosque’s halls, atrium, and corridors to catch a glimpse of world leading hadith expert Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi and to participate in the finale of his ten-day recital of Sahih al-Bukhari; Islam’s most sacred hadith corpus.
 
The event was organised by mother of three, Noshin Gul, a prominent British Muslim scholar and trustee of Manchester based community initiative Guidance Hub.
 
When asked about her thoughts about leading this landmark event, she remarked, “We aimed to share the teachings of mainstream Sunni Islam and assimilate the rich tradition of hadith recital into the British Muslim identity. Although there were many challenges in organising such a complex project, I was greatly supported by Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, the mosque’s Imam, and the local community.”
 
An expert of both Arabic palaeography and the Islamic tradition, Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi spent 10 hours a day, across 10 days, reading through all nine volumes of Sahih al-Bukhari with immense precision while commenting on linguistic variations and typographical details of the hadith traditions.
 
“This book contains 9082 hadith. Classes began at 8am and finished as late as 10pm, with two short breaks for lunch and prayers,” said an attendee.
 
The event culminated with a monumental finale on the eleventh day. Thousands of attendees and faith leaders from across the country and 30 countries listened attentively along with tens of thousands of viewers online, as Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi recited and explained the final hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 9082.
 
The Shaykh, who has previously held four similar readings, released a critical collector’s edition of Sahih al-Bukhari at the event. Published by Signatora, this edition is a facsimile of the most reliable manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari which was originally published by Ottoman Sultan and philanthropist Abdul Hamid II.
 
Some attended to be a part of history in the making while others came to reap the rare opportunity of reading Islam’s most famous hadith collection with an internationally acclaimed scholar. Yet, everyone was driven by a heartfelt attachment to the Prophet Muhammad, as Abdul, one of the regular attendees, summed up: “We came to listen to the Prophet’s words from Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi who is the Prophet’s direct descendent and his living example.”
 
As the grand finale reached its peak, Shaykh al-Yaqoubi highlighted the involvement of women in hadith transmission across the centuries, beginning with the earliest period of Islam. As an example, he noted that over 20% of the narrators in this book are women; a sharp contrast with the number of women who are noted in other cultures or traditions from the same period.
 
This has been the beginning of hadith revival in Britain and an epic story of a small town which has found its place on the global map, wherein Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi cast his mark on a tradition spanning 1400 years.