Divine Revelation

Comments I made on Gulf News

2007-08-04T13:46:00.000+04:00

The following article appeared on Gulf News
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/08/02/10143481.html

Comments I sent to BBC

2007-08-04T13:38:00.000+04:00

This article appeared on BBC website http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6911544.stm

The Politics of Climate Change

2007-07-28T14:28:00.000+04:00

Although climate change is a natural phenomenon the term "climate change" is used to refer to those changes that have been identified since the last 100 years or so and those predicted over the next 80 years due to human behavior rather than natural changes in the atmosphere.

Some of the possible effects of climate change include:

1) Rise in sea levels causing an increase in number of people whose lives will be in danger because of flooding. Low lying countries like Bangladesh may loose 17.5 % of their land area

2) Negative impact on crops and productivity

3) Expose more people to diseases like malaria, dengue and yellow fever4) Cause serious damage to finely balanced ecosystems causing global warming and widespread disappearance of forests.

What causes climate change?The sun rays warm the earth. The earth sends some of those sun rays back. But not all can bounce back. The atmosphere which is made up of greenhouse gases absorbs some of these rays trying to escape the earth. This absorption by greenhouse gases is crucial for maintaining the optimum temperature of our planet. One of the main greenhouse gases is Carbon dioxide, which is the principal pollutant caused by running cars and power plants. Thus the ever increasing air pollution and deforestation causes an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, preventing reflected rays from escaping the atmosphere, leading to an increase in global warming and climate change.

At the heart of international efforts to combat global warming lies the Kyoto Protocol. The treaty was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997 for its signatory nations to assign mandatory emission limitations for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Till date a total of 169 countries and other governmental entities have ratified the agreement.

Some of the significant points of Kyoto Protocol are:

a) Industrialized countries have committed to cut their combined emissions to 5% below 1990 levels by 2008 – 2012

b) It exempts developing countries like India and China from emission reductions, even though they are one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gases. It is estimated that it has taken around a 100 years for the existing extra cloud of greenhouse gases to be formed, and the developing countries have obviously no share in its formation.

c) Kyoto initiated the concept of emission trading through Carbon Credits (CC). These are basically certificates issued to countries that reduce their emission of greenhouse gases. One credit is equivalent to reduction of one ton of CO2 emission. Thus we have the developed countries with CC deficit, whereas a developing country like India has one of the highest surpluses of CC. Carbon credits can be traded in Climate Exchanges. Highly polluting countries can buy these unused "credits" from those with surplus CC.

The most notable exceptions to Kyoto are Australia and the United States. America has less than 5 percent of the world's population but produces close to a quarter of the world's emissions. It still has the audacity to reject Kyoto and oppose all proposals for significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The US dubs the treaty "fatally flawed", partly because it does not require developing countries to commit to emissions reductions. Further it sees the higher energy costs to have calamitous consequences on the US economy and believes that emissions reductions must be achieved through voluntary action and new energy technologies.

Everyone should first realize the importance of preserving and safeguarding the ecology. Man has been sent on this earth by Allah as His vicegerent. Thus it is the duty of man to protect the earth and the fine balance of the ecosystems that has been gifted to us by God. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity." He (peace be upon him) also said: Whenever a Muslim plants a tree, he has the reward of charity for him, for what is eaten out of that is charity; what is stolen out of that, what the beast eat out of that, what the birds eat out of that is charity for him. (In short) none incurs a loss to him but it becomes a charity on his part." Let us rise above politics and protect the environment to the best of our ability.

The Hidden Predators

2007-07-28T14:26:00.000+04:00

Neocolonialism is defined as a policy where a major power uses economic and political means to perpetuate or extend its influence over underdeveloped nations, former colonies and new dependencies. The origins of neocolonialism can be traced to the historical Brenton Woods Agreement in 1944. The planners at Bretton Woods set up a system of rules, institutions, and procedures to regulate and control the international monetary system. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) (now one of five institutions in the World Bank Group) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were thus established.

Both the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are headquartered in Washington. An unwritten rule establishes that the IMF's managing director must be European and that the president of the World Bank an American. Decisions are made by a vote of the Board of Executive Directors representing member countries but unlike the United Nations, where each member nation has an equal vote, voting power at the World Bank and IMF is determined by the level of a nation's financial contribution. The United States has roughly 17% of the vote with the G7 holding about 45 %. This clever scheme ensures that the United States always has a dominant voice and can exercise an effective veto at will. Even though the World Bank is a multilateral institution of 184 member governments, its presidency is widely assumed to be owned by the White House. Europe seems happy to play along, presumably to ensure its own "ownership" of other international posts. The 150-plus developing countries are relegated to the back benches.

Both the Bank and the Fund aim at global poverty reduction and improvement of living standards. They claim to provide low-interest loans, interest-free credit and grants to developing countries for education, health, infrastructure, communications and help them overcome short-term balance-of-payments difficulties. However, financial assistance does not come free and the recipients have to agree to policy reforms in their economies which is ingeniously termed structural adjustment program (SAP). This structural adjustment calls for currency devaluation, slashing government spending, privatization and opening up countries to exploitative foreign investment.

The ill effects of structural adjustment are well known and have been well documented.Since the 1980s, SAP has helped create a net outflow of wealth from the developing world, which has paid out five times as much capital to the industrialized countries of the North as it has received. In the two regions with the most structural adjustment experience, per capita income has stagnated ( Latin America) or plummeted (Africa). As the Bank is a lender of foreign currency, it demands to be repaid in the same currency. The borrower countries, in order to obtain the currencies to repay the loans, must sell to the rich countries more than they buy from them. Many Third World countries then end up competing with each other on a limited range of commodities creating a collapse in prices of export goods. Export revenues stagnate while the import bill continues to go up. The only way of repaying loans is to engage in other loans, resulting in a huge accumulation of debts.

Some typical cases of WB-IMF administered disasters include the severe economic contraction of unprecedented scale in Russia in the 1990s with the number of Russians in poverty rising from 2 million to 60 million. The Asian financial crisis triggered by the IMF encouraging Asian countries to open their borders to "hot money" or speculative finance invested in currency, stocks and short-term securities. The crisis resulted from the hot money brokers' herd-like decision to quit Asian countries en masse. Later the IMF made things worse by extracting structural adjustment as a condition for IMF loans. The result was a surge in bankruptcies, layoffs and poverty. In Indonesia, poverty rates rose from an official level of 11 percent to 40 to 60 percent. Indonesia's food shortage became so severe that then-President Habibie implored citizens to fast twice a week.

Instead of targeting the poor people through projects that help augment their income through relevant education, training, and capital, the bank seems to exclusively favor large-scale, capital intensive, mega-projects. Yet, many of these mega-projects have resulted into mega-failure. The hydroelectric dam on the Narmada River in Gujarat at $450 million threatened the habitat of 100,000 tribal poor. Another 140,000 families would have been affected by the attendant canals. The examples of such "flawed" mega projects of the Bank abound in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Yacyreta the largest hydroelectric dam in the world along the Argentina-Paraguay border that has already claimed $760 million of World Bank fund, will result in forced relocation of 50,000 people from their homes. Many more countries have courted similar disasters after after heeding to the Bank- Fund advice. The Bank prides itself on fighting corruption both within and outside. However it's current President Paul Wolfowitz (the neoconservative hawk and architect of the disastrous invasion of Iraq) is fighting a loosing battle to salvage his seat amidst allegations that he used his position to influence a pay and grade increase for his partner Shaha Riza.

Neocolonialism is not a new phenomenon. It's roots lie in the belief that man is the sole owner of all material resources and he has by all means fair or foul to acquire more and more in order to satiate his hunger. There is no scope for morality, divine guidance and ethics in the race for world dominance. Its survival of the fittest and no mercy for the weak. Islam came to end this dominance of man over man and guide him into the light of justice equality and universal brotherhood by making all as equal slaves of God. Since everything in this world belongs to God man has no right to appropriate these things according to his will. Man should deal with these things according to the rules set by the Master to Whom they really belong. Similarly, all men who inhabit this earth and whose lives are interlinked with each other are the subjects of God. Therefore, they have no right to formulate their own rules and regulations. The entire range of their mutual relationships should be governed by laws made by God. Unless this world view is accepted,neocolonialism is bound to flourish.

Tackling Cybercrime

2007-07-28T14:18:00.000+04:00

The Council of Europe an international organization of 47 member states (not to be confused with the European Union) held a conference on cybercrime on 11 and 12 June in the Franco-German border city of Strasbourg. The conference aimed at encouraging countries to sign up to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime and its Additional Protocol related to criminal acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems, and improving international co-operation in tackling new forms of cybercrime.

Cybercrime is a term used to describe activity in which computers / computer networks are a used as a tool to commit a crime or the computer / computer networks are itself a target or a place of criminal activity.

Examples of cybercrime wherein the computer is used as tool are:

1) Spamming: which means sending endless emails or bulk messaging for the purpose of advertising or plain nuisance.

2) Intellectual Property and Copyright infringement related

Examples of cybercrime wherein the computer is a target include:

1) Breaching network security i.e. trying to access computer networks illegally by cracking passwords and other security measures.

2) Spreading malicious code commonly known as computer virus to damage / disrupt computer resources.

3) Denial of service attacks: can be understood as a deliberate attempt to slow down or disrupt internet networks / servers so that users may not be able to access internet websites or services.

Some traditional crimes in which computer networks are used may also fall under the category of cybercrime like:

1) Phishing: means trying to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity over the internet.

2) Identity theft occurs when a person's means of identification has been exploited for an unlawful purpose. A good example of identity theft is when a Bob obtains a loan from a financial institution impersonating Peter. Thus Bob uses Peter's personal secret identifiers that he has somehow acquired, committing economic fraud.

3) we have some well known crimes like child pornography, online gambling and securities fraud.

4) Harassing and abusing women online has given rise to a new cybercrime called Cyberstalking.

Crimes like trade secret theft and industrial or economic espionage are sometimes considered cybercrimes when computers or networks are involved.

Cybercrime can also be analyzed in the context of propaganda related web-warfare in which attempts are made to hack into sites that espouse causes that one may be opposed to politically or ideologically. For example attempts by anti-Islamic groups to hack into Islamic sites and turned many of them into pornographic sites. Other cybercrimes are online scams by cyber-criminals which include setting up bogus companies on the Internet. Unsuspecting buyers are offered products at tempting prices, and then supply their credit card details - only to find that the site suddenly does the vanishing act ripping off people of their hard earned money.

Most companies are by now sufficiently aware about the threat from cybercrime and they now employ ways and means to test the security of their computer networks. This has spawned a new breed of IT specialists called Network Security Consultants or Ethical Hackers and given rise to a spate of Anti Virus program companies.

Islam says that the criterion of right and wrong can be correctly determined only after ascertaining man's place and status in the universe. Islam tells us clearly that the status of man in this world is that of an `abd (God's servant or slave) who is also Khulifat-ul-Allah (Allah's deputy and vicegerent). All things in the world belong to God. Man has been appointed as a vicegerent to follow and implement God's rules and regulations which have been sent through Divine books and Gods chosen Prophets.

Man sins if he disobeys God and commits a crime if he crosses the Hudood (limits) imposed by God. Islam considers crime an act of injustice towards society, a sin against oneself and a transgression against Allah. Punishment is not atonement nor does it erase the sin. A sin is only forgiven through repentance. However, crime is an act of inflicting harm upon society that cannot be forgiven by repentance alone. There must be a penal system to punish the offender and protect society from reoccurrence of the crime. An environment of healthy morality and faith must be the norm, where to do right is encouraged and to do wrong is discouraged and found difficult. In fact, commanding right and forbidding wrong is a foremost duty in Islam.

Thus all measures that are taken to tackle cybercrime need to be welcomed and offered wholehearted cooperation.

This article also appeared in Radiance Viewsweekly and can be seen by clicking LINK

Escaping the Debt Trap

2007-07-28T14:11:00.000+04:00

It is estimated that one third of deaths - some 18 million people a year or 50,000 per day - are due to poverty-related causes. Every year nearly 11 million children die before their fifth birthday. In 2001, 1.1 billion people had consumption levels below $1 a day and 2.7 billion lived on less than $2 a day.800 million people go to bed hungry every day. Contrast this with the fact that for the year 2005 " 8.7 million people globally held more than US$1 million in financial-asset wealth. Also note that the number of millionaires grew faster than the number of people in the world the same year. Many such numbing statistics can be provided to prove how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

The various reasons citied for poverty include unequal distribution of natural resources, overpopulation and historical factors like imperialism and colonialism. Some say the lack of democracy and free trade with the lack of education, infrastructure, health care and education make more and more people poor.

While the above causes of poverty cannot be denied, it is important to probe a little deeper and try to get at the root cause of this global menace. It is the bounden duty of every government to help its needy citizens. This is achieved by providing subsidies on goods and services and through various poverty alleviation and aid distribution programs. But how can a government be expected to be generous if its coffers are empty and it is heavily in debt ? Let us look at the national debt of just 2 countries. The US with a $ 13.22 trillion ( 1 trillion is a 1000 billion or 100,000 Crore) economy has a government or public debt of nearly $ 9 trillion, almost 64 % of its GDP. India with a booming economy of nearly $ 1 trillion has a public debt of almost 60%. of its GDP. This high debt level forces the Indian government to spend 29.3% of its revenue on debt-interest payment.

But how did we land in this debt-trap that is draining all our resources? As a taxpayer, you must know why the Government is taking your hard earned money from you and to whom is all that money going?

For the purpose of understanding, as an oversimplification, suppose you want to spend more money this month than your income. This situation is called a "budget deficit". So you borrow. The amount you borrowed (and now owe) is called your debt. You have to pay interest on your debt. If next month you don't have enough money to cover your spending (another deficit), you must borrow some more, and you'll still have to pay the interest on the loan. If you have a deficit every month, you keep borrowing and your debt grows. Soon the interest payment on your loan is bigger than any other item in your budget. Eventually, all you can do is pay the interest payment, and you don't have any money left over for anything else. Government debt can be categorized as internal debt, owed to lenders within the country, and external debt, owed to foreign lenders like the World Bank and IMF. Governments usually borrow by issuing securities such as government bonds and bills, which entail interest payments, that governments find increasingly difficult to service with increased non-developmental expenditure and dwindling revenues.

Is there a way out of this debt trap or is it a fait accompli of the existing economic system that we all have to endure? Islam has its own socio-politico-economic system besides a mechanism for governance and social welfare. It addresses every aspect of human life and gives guiding principles and specific laws and regulations to achieve peace, progress and prosperit.
Some of the salient features of Islamic economy are:* Each person to cater for his subsistence by his own labour* The final owner of all is Allah, man is a temporary custodian of material resources and will be accountable both in this world and the Hereafter on how well he carried out his responsibilty of spending the resources at his disposal according to the Will of the Creator* Right to private property and means of production is permissible but subject to regulation * Wealth accumulation is permissible through work and inheritance, but wasteful expenditure (israf) is not allowed* Charity and mutual support is highly encouraged and multiple reward promised in the Hereafter * Rights of the poor and needy are institutionalized in the system of Zakat as a compulsory levy of 2.5% on wealth and 5 to 10 % on agricultural produce to be distributed to specified categories in society when annual wealth exceeds a minimum level called nisab.* Prices must be just and can be formed based on competitive market mechanism.* Monopolization and hoarding to be combated and eliminated* Monetary policy to ensure that there are sufficient funds to boost the economy and at the same time ensure that there is no inflation. This can be achieved by abandoning the exisiting fiat currency and going back to the gold standard. * Fiscal policy to ensure a balanced budget whereby income and revenues will match public expenditure.* State to provide basic infrastructure facilities and a just legal system that manages a level playing field for all economic players.

Islam strictly prohibits interest or usury. In an interest based transaction the settlement of interest between the creditor and the debtor is always on unequal terms. The dice is always loaded in favour of the creditor. He always gets his fixed amount of interest which he terms his profit. The debtor however is completely exposed to the whims of market conditions, his own ability to manage labour capital and technology etc to produce and sell. He bears all business risks and is still not sure whether his business will return any fixed profits. Thus the only way to come out of debt trap is to promote an interest free economy. Interest is never in anyone's interest.

This article appeared in RADIANCE magazine. You can also view the article by clicking this LINK

Organ Transplant Boon or Bane

2007-04-27T15:27:00.000+04:00

At their second Global Consultation on Transplantation the World Health Organization (WHO) came up with some guiding principles on cell, tissue and organ donation and transplantation. Transplantation is increasingly seen as the best solution to end-stage organ failure. End-stage kidney disease, for instance, can only be repaired with a kidney transplant. Without it, the patient will die or require dialysis for years, which is an expensive procedure and often out of reach of poorer patients. Transplantation is the only option for some liver conditions, such as severe cirrhosis or liver cancer, and a number of serious heart conditions.

According to WHO the demand for human organ transplants far exceeds supply, fuelling the growing trend of "transplant tourism" from wealthy countries to developing nations where organs can be bought. Reports on 'transplant tourism' show that it makes up an estimated 10% of global transplantation practices.66,000 kidneys were transplanted in 2005 catering to a mere 10% of the estimated need. In the same year, 21,000 livers and 6,000 hearts were transplanted.

Recent estimates communicated to WHO by 98 countries show that the most sought after organ is the kidney. Since a person can live with only one kidney, people in poor countries are lured into selling one of them to a person in need. The poor donors are offered hefty sums for a kidney, but in the end they receive only about half because middlemen take the rest. In Western countries package deals are advertised on the internet for as low as $12,000 or $ 20,000 to receive a kidney and seven days of hospitalization in the transplant country. However live donations are not without risk, whether the organ is paid for or not and the donor must receive proper medical follow-up which is often lacking when he or she is seen as a means to profit-making. WHO recommends using organs from deceased persons as it eliminates the problem of donor safety and can help reduce organ trafficking.

The Supreme Council of `Ulama in Riyadh (in their resolution no. 99 dated 6 Dhul Qi'dah 1402) has allowed both organ donation and organ transplantation in the case of necessity. The Fiqh Academy of the Muslim World League, Makkah also allowed organ donation and transplantation in its 8th session held between 28 Rabi'ul Thani- 7 Jumadal Ula, 1405.

It is important to note that most of the jurists have only allowed the donation of the organs. They do not allow the sale of human organs. Their position is that the sale of human organs violates the rules of the dignity and honor of the human being, and so it would be haram in that case. Some jurists suggest that because people have become too materialistic and it may not be possible to find a free organ, under necessity one can purchase the organs, but a Muslim should never sell his/her organs."

Muslim scholars have stipulated certain conditions for someone to donate his/her organ.

1. He/she must be a person who is in full possession of his/her faculties so that he/she is able to make a sound decision by himself/herself;
2. He/she must be an adult and, preferably, at least twenty-one years old;
3. It should be done on his/her own free will without any external pressure exerted on him/ her; 4. The organ he/she is donating must not be a vital organ on which his/her survival or sound health is dependent upon;
5. No transplantation of sexual organs is allowed.

Similarly there are some conditions associated with deceased donors
1. The transplant must be done after having ascertained the free consent of the donor prior to his /her death. It can be through a will to that effect, or signing the donor card, etc.
2. In a case where organ donation consent was not given prior to a donor's death, the consent may be granted by the deceased's closest relatives who are in a position to make such decisions on his/her behalf.
3. It must be an organ or tissue that is medically determined to be able to save the life or maintain the quality of life of another human being.
4. The organ must be removed only from the deceased person after the death has been ascertained through reliable medical procedures.
5. Organs can also be harvested from the victims of traffic accidents if their identities are unknown, but it must be done only following the valid decree of a judge

Organ transplant is a double edged sword. Boon if you use it, bane if misused.

Give innocence a chance

2007-04-03T15:24:00.000+04:00

GIVE INNOCENCE A CHANCE

The Indian mainstream media have not taken kindly to the ban on sex education in schools by the government of Maharashtra.

They blame the politicians of pandering to obscurantists and ultra-conservatives and call it a struggle between modernity and regression. They believe that sex education will only add to children's knowledge and remove sexual repression and perverted notions of sex. They claim that sexual repression leads to sexual crimes and a lack of sex education will lead children to access information through the wrong sources.

Let us see for ourselves what the forces of modernity have achieved for their societies.

UK leads the pack of countries which have high rate of teenage pregnancies. In 2005 there were 39,683 conceptions by girls between 15 to 17 years of age. That translates to about 40 girls per thousand. The conception rate for those between 13 and 15 years was around 8 per thousand. If this was the conception rate we shudder to think about what the abortion rate might have been?

In a survey carried by the United States Department of Justice in Dec 2000 to study the sexual victimization of college women, it was found that for every 1000 women there may well be 35 incidents of attempted and completed rape in a given academic year.

The statistics for child abuse, paedophiling, incest, molestation and domestic violence in those countries who claim to be bastions of freedom and openness are equally depressing.

This miserable state of affairs is in those countries where both sex and sex education are not considered anti-ethical; where consensual sex is not stigmatized and all avenues to vent repressed sexual desires are legal and easily available.

We fail to understand why the mainstream media missed these facts and indulged in spreading misinformation assuming a gullible public.

It is moral and not sex education that is the need of the hour. We appeal to give innocence a chance.

Both are world-class !

2007-03-28T17:15:00.000+04:00

After Jack Straw, Ayesha Azmi and the Quebec hijabi wanting to play football we are now confronted with the prospect of UK schools banning girls from wearing the niqab.

Lets take a break and come to cricket.

The best batsmen are those who play fast bowling well.Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar come to mind.What is the difference between the two?Statistics apart, the one difference that I wish to highlight is their headgear.Gavaskar never ever wore a helmet.Tendulkar does.Does that make Gavaskar a better batsman? Not necessarily.So why does Tendulkar wear a helmet? Is he not confident of playing the likes of Lee and McGrath? The whole issue is that of perception. Tendulkar feels safe in a helmet. He is comfortable,tension-free and can concentrate on playing his natural game.Gavaskar was confident without a helmet and stroked the ball to all ends of the ground to the detriment of fast bowlers.

Now come to the niqab. It is true that some Muslim scholars say the the niqab is not compulsory.Yet it is also undeniable that its followers derive their proof of practice from the Quran and Sunna. The proponents of the niqab argue besides asserting through divine text that the face being the index of ones personality, it is highly recommended to protect it from evil glances.The non-niqabi hijabi is comfortable without it and is confident of carrying on. Its all about perception and comfort-zone.

Gavaskar and Tendulkar are both world-class.

All about St Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T13:43:00.000+04:00

I attempt to take on this issue through the style I love most.......that is (i.e) FAQ style.....

Question) What is St Valentine's Day?

There is an excellent writeup about it on Wikipedia.

Question) Who likes it?

Mostly young people who like the western way of life (in which free inter-mingling of the opposite sexes is socially acceptable).

Question) Who hates it?

A few right wing nationalists oppose it bitterly. See news item.

Question) Can Muslims celebrate St V..Day?

Question) Why not?

To understand this read this answer taken from islamonline.net

Question) Is St V..... Day big business?

Read this link to understand how Valentine's is now big bucks.

Other related links

Falling in Love: Allowed in Islam?

Islam's Stance on Love and Marriage

Gender Imbalance

2007-02-12T08:57:00.000+04:00

There is going to be a shortage of girls in China. The reasons well known. The consequences - disastrous. Its time to ponder and start following Divine Revelation....

QURAN 17:31 Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily the killing of them is a great sin

God and the Broken Mirror

2007-02-03T05:44:00.000+04:00

Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Reply to the post God and the Broken Mirror
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This is a reply to the postGOD and the BROKEN MIRROR

"Each person formulates his own definitions of GOD, based on his religious inheritance at the time of birth" says yavesh This assumption & allegation has been the most common pitfall for many in failing to reach the truth. No true messenger of God could possibly concoct his own feelings and desires and pass them on as Divine Revelation. True religion is divinely inspired.The reality is that God has not left any of us unguided. Just as He has made sure of providing all that leads to a good life on earth materially similarly He has provided us with spiritual guidance through His messengers; the last of which was Prophet Muhammad(pbuh).

Comments

K.Venugopal Tuesday, December 12, 2006 6:47:13 PM
Messenger of God? Every single human being ever born and ever will be born, nay, all creation, are messengers of God. We individuals may not realise our own divinity and may choose to follow some particular individual - no harm in this. But only individuals who themselves have realised their divinity can guide others. Among innumerable self-realised souls, Mohammad too undoubtedly was one and hence he could guide many and his message continues to guide many. But oftimes messages are misunderstood and hence religious strife.

jj Tuesday, December 12, 2006 8:40:39 PM
i have read the koran for its spiritual content and it does give many practical insights on the relation between man and godbut when it comes to hitting the nail in the head and reaching the logical conclusion of spiritual knowledge ........ out of all the sacred scriptures in the world i find that it is only vedanta that says "tat tvam asi"this simple sentence sums up the accumulated spiritual treasure of india

yaveshrana Tuesday, December 12, 2006 8:56:18 PM
Sir, The only truth is: ALL OF US EVOLVE OUR PERCEPTIONS OF GOD BASED ON OUR HOME ENVIRONMENTS DURING THE PROCESS OF OUR GROWING UP FROM INFANCY TO ADULTHOOD. There r only 5-10 percent people who defy the BIRTH-TAG RELIGION.U were born MUSLIM so U have an ISLAMIC concept of GOD; I was born HINDU, so I have a HINDU concept of my GOD. So r others Mr ARSHAD.Denying this is to refute the truth.Me&U r not xceptions.

Arshad Wednesday, December 13, 2006 3:40:11 PM
Thank you all for your sharing your points of view. Let us continue this discussion in spirit of universal brotherhood .

We the people

2007-02-03T05:35:00.000+04:00

Monday, December 11, 2006

We the people
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This post is in response to the post we the people ---- barkha dutt ----- M f Hussain

I totally agree that Hussain should not be allowed to continue what he is doing in the name of freedom of expression. However I fail to also understand why God needs to be clothed and how can He submerge His Divinity into idols. This mixing of the Creator and the created defies all reason and logic. Also what is artistic and what is vulgar? It depends on perception and then there is no end to that debate. Islam offers a simple solution. It has defined an area called SATAR which has to be covered always. For men it is the body between the navel and knees and for women it is her entire body except face and hands.

As I was unable to add my comments to JJ (there seems to be some technical issue with NDTV Blog) I am editing the post to include my comments:

Dear JJ,You explain beautifully with examples how spark is potentially present in the match-stick and as each soul is potentially divine and divinity is present everywhere waiting to manifest itself at the correct time.

Please give me one example of that potential divinity (present in idols, sun, moon etc & all created....) manifesting itself and performing only 2 tasks:

A) Creating something out of nothing

B) giving guidance to the created(both physiological and spiritual)

This is a challenge that the created cannot meet and which is accomplished by the One True Creator of all.Thank you for your understanding and taking this interaction in a very healthy spirit of quest for the truth....

Comments

RISHTEY-NATEY Monday, December 11, 2006 9:58:22 PM
Whether it is Mf Hussain or you what is the provocation to start criticising 'HINDU WAY OF LIFE". when someone from HINDUS start criticising the prophet then all of you yell that whole world is after you. Why don't you just shut up and ask these stupid doubts from some a friend of yours, if you have any, though I doubt. I know, now, your whole community will start jumping and feel prosecuted. Some of you provoke and then sing false songs of SECULARISM. Learn to shut your mouth. Accept reality.

jj Tuesday, December 12, 2006 12:08:22 AM
dear irshad

jj Tuesday, December 12, 2006 12:11:40 AM
dear irshad nobody is mixing up the creator and the creator. when was the created separated from the creator in the first place.understand the true concept of god. god is not a person who sits somewhere and makes some rules to govern us. understand the concept of creation and created clearly.god is present in a potential form in every living thing. created is not separate from the creator.the whole world is nothing but a combination of matter and intelligence. above this is a divine will. the matter and the intelligence is a manifestation of this divine will

jj Tuesday, December 12, 2006 12:16:03 AM
vedanta shows the way. while the koran causes an eternal separation between man and god.to use an example .... fire is the same whether present in a spark or a candle light or in a furnace or in a kithcenthe fire is present in a potential form in a match stick. but once you have the right combination of materials and you scratch the match stick against a surface, the fire manifests itself.each soul is potentially divine. divinity is present in everyone. given the right situation and the right effort, this divinity within will manifest itselfyou speak of one mohammed (pbuh) who is a messenger of god. india has been a land where throughout the ages there have been thousands of such messengers of god. So pl try to understand

Arshad Tuesday, December 12, 2006 5:09:52 PM
Dear JJ,Muslims are told in the Quran to believe in all the Prophets that were sent down b4 Muhammad(pbuh)and so we do believe in the (possibly) thousands of messengers sent to India by God. However what we say is that their original teachings are no longer available in authentic and un-adulterated form and hence Muhammad(pbuh) was sent as the final Messenger of God to confirm the earlier teachings of other prophets as well as give us the final message the Quran

Rajneesh_1975 Tuesday, December 12, 2006 6:09:01 PM
Dear Arshad,You believe in Muhammad being the last Prophet- it is FINE with us.However, your "statement" that the "original teachings of other Prophets are no longer available in authentic and un-adulterated form" and only Quran is the truth does not cut ice with believers of other faiths.We do not doubt the beauty and teachings of Quran. You can and should believe in it if it gives you peace and comfort- but do not say that the teachings of other "Prophets" is adultered and Unauthentic.Since, you are neither Muhammad, nor you are any of the "other Prophets".

K.Venugopal Tuesday, December 12, 2006 8:10:06 PM
Dear Arshad Shaikh, Can you please answer me one simple question - who created God?

Arshad Wednesday, December 13, 2006 3:44:16 PM
Thank you all for sharing your views. To Venu I quote the Quran" Lam ya lid wa lam yu lad"He (God) begets not nor was He begotten.

K.Venugopal Wednesday, December 13, 2006 8:01:17 PM
Dear Arshad, Your quotation obviously means Allah sired not any children nor was He sired by any father. Does this also mean, "He (God) created not nor was He created." Since according to Quran He did create the world, does it mean that He was created too? Actually, quoting the Quran without pointing to the logic of the quotation is of no use except to the blind believer.

Arshad Thursday, December 14, 2006 9:30:37 PM
Venu thanks again. I will InshaAllah come up with more in future posts....

Unity of Being

2007-02-03T05:30:00.000+04:00

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Unity of Being
--------------------
Its a shame if NDTV is preventing me from adding comments to my own posts......be as it may I am writing a new post as response to Venus comments on Tawheed post......

Hi Venu, thanks for your comments.
This mixing-up of the Creator and the created leads to Shirk (assigning partnership in the divinity of Allah) because if the creation is inseparable to the Creator then all is divine and all is worthy of worship.

When Allah talks about creation He says BE and IT IS....that is Allah can create something out of nothing...and this is only possible for God to do....Lets not confuse the creator with the created.

Moreover Venu we have been told in the Quran to ask the Mushrikeen (those who join the Creator and created in divinity) to produce their proof. Do you Venu have any religious scripture sanctioning or teaching explicitly to worship the created ?

This is just a frank exploration of ideas and viewpoints and no offence is meant to people with other worldviews....

Comments

ruzan_shah Tuesday, November 14, 2006 5:56:51 AM
Hi Arshad I feel sorry for you because you are arguing with VenuI know him very well.You can try but his tactics are first he accused on false basis & when you counter his lies he first tries to doge your question then try to twist it & when he failed all over then he just conviniently forget it or act like he never accused at the first place.Anyway go ahead you will learn his tricks.By the way Mushrikeen are those who claimed they are muslims but in reality they have no faith or commitment towards what they stated. In short muslim by the name but non-muslim by their actions.Like here Venu is Hindu mushreek because he says he is Hindu but if you go through Vedic orders what he is preaching & practising is Anti Vedic.

Arshad Tuesday, November 14, 2006 10:41:12 AM
Thanks Ruzan, correct me if I am wrong but the people u refer to are called MUNAFIQEEN (Hypocrites)

K.Venugopal Tuesday, November 14, 2006 8:15:36 PM
Dear Arshad Shaikh, It may be taboo for a Muslim to say that the creator and his creation is one, but the Hindu has no such restrictions. In fact, as he goes deeper into his religion, his religion says exactly that – advaita – that the creator and his creation is one. You ask if we have any scriptural sanction to worship the created. Actually, all Vedas are a eulogy to nature and its marvels, including the spirit within it all – God. About the precise techniques of worship, hasn’t Mohammad said that if done in the right spirit, even sex is worship? So simply contemplating the beauty of nature and coming up with an exquisite poem is also a form of worship.Incidentally, you titled your blog “Unity of Being”. May I say this is true Tawheed – not just the unity of God but the unity of everything that is?Ruzan says the Vedas talk about worship of one God. But the Vedas are not like the Quran, which eternally separates the Creator and his Creation. The Vedas say that the truth is one, and it means that the truth includes the creator and the created. Arshad, I appreciate the calm way you have communicated. Ruzan, my friend though he is, tends to get emotional at times.

MUNEERUDEEN Sunday, November 26, 2006 2:03:29 AM
OK YOU GUYS AND GALS OUT THERE ON BLOGOSPHERE !ATTENTION ALL ISLAM BASHERS !YOUR ANCESTORS DID THE SAME AND NOW YOU HAVE GOT THE INTERNET & BLOGS TO BLASPHEME ! BUT LET ME ASK YOU - DARWIN SAID MAN WAS AN APE- AETHISTS SAID THERE IS NO GOD - SCIENTISTS DECIDED TO CHANGE GENETICS AND START HUMAN CLONING - ASTRONOMERS SUDDENLY RELISED THAT PLUTO IS NOT A PLANET -JEWS AND NEOCONS SUDDENLY REALISED IRAQ HAS TO BE SPLIT UP TO ROB THE OIL AND SELL MILITARY HARDWARE. AND YOU LEARNED FOLKS HAVE NO COMMENTS TO THAT. USE YOUR BRAINS AND THINK !WHAT IS BEING DISCOVERED NOW IS ALREADY PUT THERE BY SOMONE- NOT YOU OR YOUR ANCESTORS OR MINE -COS THEY WERE MONKEYS -APES- REMEMBER ? OH HOW CAN YOU REMEMBER THAT FAR BACK !SO FORGET WHAT THE QURAN OR ISLAM HAS TO SAY TO SOCIETY AND MAN - YOU BRING THE EVIDENCE TO PROVE IT ! SCIENCE JUST CALCULATES LIFE MILLIONS OF YEARS BACK BUT CANNOT ANSWER A SIMPLE QUESTION TO A NURSERY KID ? MAY BE YOU CAN GIVE IT A TRY !QUESTION: WHICH CAME FIRST- THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG ???I AM WAITING FOR AN ANSWER FROM ANY OF YOU ON THIS OR ANY OTHER SITEkmktrust@gmail.comAttn Bro Arshad Shaikh. I faced a similar situation and I had to write the above on some Anti- Islam Blogs.Pls send me your links to sites.

Tawheed or One-ness of God

2007-02-03T05:26:00.000+04:00

Monday, November 13, 2006
TAWHEED or One-ness of God

-----------------------------------------

Literally Tawheed means "unification" (making something one) or "asserting oneness", and it comes from the Arabic verb (wahhada) which itself means to unite, unify or consolidate.

However, when the term Tawheed is used in reference to Allaah it means the realizing and maintaining of Allaah's unity in all of man's actions which directly or indirectly relate to Him.

It is the belief that Allaah is One, without partner in His dominion and His actions (Ruboobeeyah), One without similitude in His essence and attributes (Asmaa wa Sifaat), and One without rival in His divinity and in worship (Ulooheeyah/'Ebaadah).

In simple words Allah is

1. Eternal without a beginning

2. Everlasting without an End

3. Not created (nor any of his attributes)

4. Not subject to change (nor any of his attributes)

5. Not similar to creation (nor any of his attributes, any type of creation)

Comments

K.Venugopal Monday, November 13, 2006 8:07:25 PM
You say Allah is eternal - present all the time. Is He also present everywhere all the time? He has to be, because otherwise you would have an Allah who is confined to a niche of his creation. If he is present all the time and everywhere, how can he be separate from creation? Understanding this has to be the real Tawheed.

Minorities and the Constitution

2007-02-03T05:07:00.000+04:00

Saturday, November 4, 2006
MINORITIES and the CONSTITUTION

---------------------------------------------------
Here is an article that was forwarded to me by mail. Although I do not agree to all what Farah says, some points were a revelation.

The Indian State considers targeted development schemes for Muslims unconstitutional. INDIA’S WORST kept secret is out. We treat Muslims shabbily and have done so for years. While I disagree with the manner in which the Sachar Committee’s explosive findings are being serialised, the findingsthemselves warrant urgent engagement. But first, an aside — it is absurd for data of such national importance to be ‘leaked’. It should have firstbeen legitimately presented by the government as public acknowledgement of its intent to act. Is the leak prompted by fear that the government would not have done justice to the findings, or worse, tried to suppress them? One can only wonder.Now, unfortunately, other media houses are not chasing up on the story,demanding government responses, demanding the same access, debating the implications of the findings. Instead, everybody seems content to chase the Muslim veil. Disjuncture between what the Muslim community needs and what the world demands was never so criminally apparent.

Last week, I was invited to a TV discussion on the internal displacement of Muslims in Gujarat — an issue I am deeply committed to. To my dismay, it became a debate on The Muslim Dilemma: time to introspect or celebrate, peppered with questions about liberal Muslims versus mullahs, Imrana, Danish cartoons — all the usual exotic tropes. Another TV channel approached me just days later, with a generous invitation (which Ideclined) to debate the veil. The only intelligent thing I have heard inthe entire veil debate is an observation by the Chairperson of the NationalMinorities Commission: the most unfortunate thing about the current veildebate in India, he said, was that its starting point was Jack Straw!

Our approach to the Muslim problem is strategically skewed. To repeatedly ask Indian Muslims to proclaim liberal credentials from rooftops, attack mullahs and shed the veil is just so much bluff and bluster, leading tonothing but controversy and white noise. The constructive way forward is to demand that the Indian State reclaim the space it has so shamefullyabdicated on the development front. The orthodox clergy will automatically become less relevant. The clergy has been allowed to tighten its hold over a section of Muslims because the Indian development State chose to disappear from Muslim life. If Muslims count on only a network of conservative Muslim organisations to give them jobs, houses and a sense of security, then these organisations will naturally promote their vision of the way things ought to be. There is no such thing as a free lunch. The question is how the Indian State undertakes a course correction.

The Sachar Committee findings are public. The Prime Minister has issued a revamped 15-point programme for minorities. A Minority Affairs Ministry has been constituted. But along comes a constitutional conundrum. It is unconstitutional to treat Muslims as development subjects. I learned this during a meeting of one of the Eleventh Plan working groups constituted by the Planning Commission. The working group, faced with appalling data on Muslims, was logically proposing target ed development schemes for Muslims with separate line budgets that could be monitored.We were stopped in our tracks by a senior bureaucrat. “Ma’am, it is notconstitutional to have schemes just for Muslims. We cannot design schemes for Muslims, or have budgetary allocations for Muslims, or call Muslims, Muslims. It is simply not constitutional. The Constitution makes special mention of SCs and STs for affirmative intervention, not of Muslims.

We can only have intervention for all minorities. And even that might not be constitutionally kosher.” Members of the working group blustered at the absurdity of it. Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists — they all have literacy rates above the national average. Muslims hover at 59 per cent. Muslim women have the lowest work participation rate in the country, of just 14 per cent. Sorry. Not constitutional.

I went scrambling for the Constitution. Article 46, Directive Principles ofState Policy: promotion of educational and economic interests of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections — “The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people and, in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes…” There is no particular mention of Muslims.

This is apparently the official basis for 60 years of neglect, and the educational and economic devastation of Indian Muslims. A blatant abuse of the spirit of our Constitution, if ever there was one. Using the Indian Constitution to justify systemic institutional discrimination is indeed pretty low.

So how do we propose to solve a problem we cannot name? Clearly, either amend the Constitution or interpret it according to its spirit. Fundamental Rights, Article 15: Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. Article 16: Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment. Article 38 and 41 of the Directive Principles: State responsibility to promote social, economic and political justice; to act when citizens suffer from “undeserved want”.I could go on citing chapter and verse. The Constitution is a generous document, but its interlocutors have been less so. The Eleventh Five-YearPlan poses a historic challenge to this country’s planners to turn thingsaround. The only way forward is to stop this coyness. Call Muslims, Muslims. Shift lenses, change paradigms. For once, see them not as a‘religious community’ (of veils and fatwas), but as development subjects,suffering from ‘undeserved want’. Accordingly, design interventions,schemes and programmes with ‘Muslim’ targets, that will be monitored and met.As secular society puts its weight behind Muslim women’s right to shed the veil, let us build up equal enthusiasm for the Muslim girl’s right to get adecent education and a public sector job. By all means, have a liberalinterpretation of the Quran, but along with it, a just interpretation ofthe Constitution of India.

Farah Naqvi is a consultant and activist

Comments:

lalluu Saturday, November 4, 2006 2:24:27 PM
We have always reservations and special care for SCs and STs, and it is open. What is this activist trying to say? Just because the muslim brothers have no special plans, they are neglected? The entire vote bank politics is based on them and every party tries to woo them, and they are equally treated before law like Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and Buddhists.

Please go through the following links which shows Muslim response to Sachar Report

Workshop Programme Recommendations

TAQWA

2007-02-03T05:01:00.000+04:00

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

TAQWA or FEAR of ALLAH

-------------------------------------
Taqwa is an internal compass on the path that leads towards Allah. The broader meaning and character of Taqwa is to develop one’s behaviour, so as to be cautiously aware in the worship of Allah and attain nearness to Him and in so doing, perfect oneself.

This consciousness and fear of Allah is understood as a protection and a shield against wrongdoing. The abstention of evil through this fear, consciousness and establishing a cautious awareness of Allah, ultimately develops one’s love of Him.

The path that inculcates and embraces a character of Taqwa is one that must be carefully and cautiously treaded. On this path one must be completely aware of oneself and one’s surroundings, to be disciplined with the correct action and behaviour which will achieve one’s closeness to Allah.

Taqwa is one of the most profound concepts in Islam. It is an avenue by which Muslims relate to one another in society and a means to channel actions for the pleasure of Allah. Possessors of Tawqa are called Al-Muttaqun or Muttaqeen.

The Glorious Qur’an illustrates this in Surah 49 Al Hujurat (the Inner Apartments), Verse 13
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you (Taqwa). And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”

The ideal Islamic society is a Taqwa conscious society, conferring its highest respect on those considered to be high in Taqwa.

In a God conscious or God fearing society, evil forces will be on the run while the forces of virtue will be on the ascent. Penal laws to punish wrong-doers will play second fiddle as people will themselves keep away from sin and committing injustice through the fear of God. Spreading taqwa or fear of God is the only solution to the rising graph of crime and exploitation.

Culture or Way of life

2007-02-03T04:55:00.000+04:00

Friday, October 6, 2006
Sanskruti (Culture) or Deen (way of life)
------------------------------------------------------
This post is in response to Post of the Day dated 06 Oct 2006 titled Hindu Sanskruti by Chan Chan

Just as Hinduism is a Dharma or a way of life, Islam is a DEEN or a way of life.Deen is a combination of MAZHAB(way)and NIZAM(system).

Islam has both componentsMAZHAB and NIZAM

MAZHAB or way is made of the following
1) AQAAID or creed
2) IBADAAD or worship
3) MUASHARI RUSOOMAT social customs or traditions to be practiced during birth marriage and death.

NIZAM or system is made of the following
1) SIYASI NIZAM political system
2) MUASHI NIZAM economic system
3) MASHARATI NIZAM social system

Now let me classify your questions into the categories that I have defined aboveQuestions 1 to 10 fall under MUASHARI RUSOOMAT social customs or traditions

Questions 11 to 22 fall under IBADAAD or worship

That leaves us with not much being said regarding AQAID core belief and NIZAM systems.
Islam has bridged that gulf by offering comprehensive logical and convincing answers to all the basic philosophical questions as well as solutions to all the problems of mankind.

No way but Islam!
All are invited !

Comments

Observer Friday, October 6, 2006 8:15:22 AM
Mr.Shaikh why do u hv to end your blog with "No way but Islam" ?Why are you so insecure ?Let there be more healthy discussions instead of creating animosity likes yours.

K. Venugopal Friday, October 6, 2006 10:17:06 AM
Dear Arshad Shaikh,Observer's comments are apt. The Muslim’s problem of integration is Islam's teaching that it is the only true religion. It is the awakening of human intelligence and the higher faculties that enable man to add to the corpus of his legacy of understanding, which awakening is not unique to any particular period of man’s existence but an unceasing flow from generation to generation. The whole of Quran and Gita were put in languages which already existed. That is to say, expressions of each generation’s awakening to the higher truths find a ready-made medium of expression in extant languages. Each generation’s expression adds to the vibrancy of language and man’s capacity for expression. Whether you ascribe this ever onward flow of man’s ingenuity to man’s inherent capacity or to an external God, it is certain that wisdom cannot end at any point in history so long as man survives. Thus, Muslims' claim that the Quran is the last word in human understanding is rather childish. The Hindus are a matured lot. They don’t put a full stop to human inheritance.

Arshad Friday, October 6, 2006 11:12:39 AM
Thank you Observor for your comments.No way but Islam was a way of expressing confidence in the fact that the answers to all questions and solutions to all problems are with Islam.I am all for healthy discussion and cannot understand how inviting people towards an ideology and way of life peacefully creates animosity. Thank you once again

Arshad Friday, October 6, 2006 11:38:31 AM
Thank you Venu for religiously following my blog and blessing me with your notable comments.Let me tell you that we do believe in all the previous prophets like Moses and Jesus and also previous divine revelation, however what we say is that Islam Quran Prophet is a continuation of that divine series and its culmination.Believing in culmination of divine guidance does in no way sap us of our wisdom as that guidance has to be applied to contemporary issues and new new problems.The Quran is the not the last word in human understanding but it is the last word in Divine Guidance.If God created this lovely world for us with all facilities and amenities, then how could he leave us without guidance.

jj Friday, October 6, 2006 4:14:42 PM
islam is just one among many religionskoran is just one among thousands of holy booksmohammed is just one among thousands of prophetsnobody can claim exclusive right over truthHinduism has thousands of prophets and saintsthats why this is called the mother of all religions

K. Venugopal Friday, October 6, 2006 9:43:04 PM
Dear Arshad, First of all, I thank you for your kind words about me. But I wish to ask why you said “blessing me with your notable comments.” I know you said it very spontaneously and in a manner of speaking. Since the word blessing is something connected with divinity, can a Muslim feel blessed from any source other than Allah? Wouldn’t there be a theological problem in the concept that blessings can come from sources besides Allah? Maybe this is an unwarranted question, but I would like you to give your answer in the light of Islamic teachings. No offence meant by my question. I bless you anyway or may my words be a blessing to you.

nooronline Friday, October 20, 2006 5:46:39 PM
Dear Arshad and VenugopalI feel immensely pleased by your discussion however however I would like to ask Arshad that is it not possible that Lord Rama and Lord Krishna are also prophets as according to Islam Allah has sent his prophets in every corner of the world.

Benefits of Zakat

2007-02-03T04:53:00.000+04:00

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Benefits of ZAKAT
1 – Zakat (paying the poor due) is one of the 5 pillars of Islam.
2 – It indicates a person’s sincerity of faith, since it shows his commitment to sacrifice something which he covets (material wealth). Hence it is called sadaqah, because it is an indication of his sincerity (sidq) to please Allah, may He be exalted.
3 – It cleanses ones character of greed avarice selfishness and miserliness.
4 – It gladdens the heart. If a person gives something, especially wealth, he feels a sense of joy. This is something that is tried and tested, but it is subject to the condition that he gives gladly and willingly, not grudgingly.
6 – It is one of the means of entering Paradise, because Paradise is for the one who “speaks good words, spreads (the greeting of) salaam, feeds the hungry and prays at night when the people are asleep.” And all of us are striving to enter Paradise.
7 – It makes society like a single family, in which those who have the means, show compassion to those who do not and the rich show empathy to those who are in hardship. Thus a person feels that he has brothers to whom he must do good as Allah has been good to him. This is practised nowadays as “social security”, but zakat is better, because a person is paying it voluntarily as an obligatory duty and benefiting his brothers thereby.
8 – It prevents extreme financial disparity and associated social evils and crimes.
9 – It leads a man to learn about the laws of Allah, because he can never pay his zakat until he has learned the rulings on zakat, the kinds of wealth that are subject to zakat and those who are entitled to receive it, and other information that he needs.
10 – It purifies wealth, so that the wealth will grow literally and metaphorically. If a person gives charity from his wealth, that this will protect him from problems, and Allah may increase his provision because of his giving charity.
11 – It expiates for sins. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Charity extinguishes sins as water extinguishes fire.”
Further reading link

Islam forbids killing of innocent

2007-02-03T04:37:00.000+04:00

What Islam Really Says about Killing the Innocent

Taken from Introduction to The Book of Jihad and Expedition, by Abdul Hamid Siddiqui. Read the entire text.

Even in a declared war, certain rules must be followed:
The Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) has given clear instructions about the behaviour of the Muslim army. He observed:
"Set out for Jihad in the name of Allah and for the sake of Allah. Do not lay hands on the old verging on death, on women, children and babes. Do not steal anything from the booty and collect together all that falls to your lot in the battlefield and do good, for Allah loves the virtuous and the pious."
So great is the respect for humanly feelings in Islam that even the wanton destruction of enemy's crops or property is strictly forbidden. The righteous Caliphs followed closely the teachings of Allah and those of His Apostle in letter and spirit the celebrated address which the first Caliph Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) gave to his army while sending her on the expedition to the Syrian borders is permeated with the noble spirit with which the war in Islam is permitted.

He said: "Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman. nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flock. save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone"

It is said that once at the time of conquest, a singing girl was brought to al-Muhajir b. Abu Umayya who had been publicly singing satirical poems about Hadrat Abu Bakr. Muhajir got her hand amputated. When the Caliph heard this news, he was shocked and wrote a letter to Muhajir in the following words:

"I have learnt that you laid hands on a woman who had hurled abuses on me, and, therefore, got her hand amputated. God has not sought vengeance even in the case of polytheism, which is a great crime. He has not permitted mutilation even with regard to manifest infidelity. Try to be considerate and sympathetic in your attitude towards others in future. Never mutilate, because it is a grave offence. God purified Islam and the Muslims from rashness and excessive wrath. You are well aware of the fact that those enemies fell into the hands of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) who had been recklessly abusing him; who had turned him out of his home; and who fought against him, but he never permitted their mutilation."

Another letter written by hadrat 'Umar the Second Caliph, which is addressed to Sa'd b. Abu Waqqas, speaks eloquently of the noble spirit with which the Muslims have bear exhorted to take up arms:

"Always search your minds and hearts and stress upon your men the need of perfect integrity and sincerity in the cause of Allah. There should be no material end before them in laying down their lives. but they abould deem it a means whereby they can please their Lord and entitle them. selves to His favour: such a spirit of selflessness should be inculcated in the minds of those who unfortunately lack it. Be firm in the thick of the battle as Allah helps man according to the perseverance that he shows in the cause of His faith and he would be rewarded in accordance with the spirit of sacrifice which he displays for the sake of the Lord. Be careful that those who have been entrusted to your care receive no harm at your hands and are never deprived of any of their legitimate rights."

A Special Note:

PROHIBITION OF KILLING WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN WAR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Book 019, Number 4319 Sahih Muslim:
It is narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah that a woman was found killed in one of the battles fought by the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). He disapproved of the killing of women and children.

Book 019, Number 4320:
It is narrated by Ibn 'Umar that a woman was found killed in one of these battles; so the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) forbade the killing of women and children

Comments

sage Wednesday, September 27, 2006 2:30:18 AM
the world knows and sees what you people are upto. do not preach as we all know and see. iraq where you are killing your own people, dafur in sudan too the same story. all in gods name!!!!.

ruzan_shah Wednesday, September 27, 2006 2:40:22 AM
Jazakallah ArshadSplendidexcellantYou have done a great job brother.To sageMy friend you said the world knows this & that ButYou dont know that we are also part of the same world Infact we are the second largest majority of this world.We are more in numbers than u guysand we have all right to preach our religion and we dont need no advise from idiots like u so u better keep quiet.You guys crying for Iraq & Sudan but you never condemn killing of innocent muslims by your fellow Hindus.Infact you are supporting & praising criminals as heroes.Now tell me do you have any moral say to question muslims ?NoThan why dont you mind your own freakin business.

Shahul Wednesday, September 27, 2006 4:43:08 AM
Hi Ruzan_shah... Please donot talk about hindu killing muslim or Muslim killing hindu.. The person died is Human being. We have to stop Terrorism! not to blame others. Islam is not to attack on innocent people. And what Terrorists doing is not JIHAD where they kill innocent people who are hindus, christian, judaism INCLUDING MUSLIMS... If they are real Jihadis, they should fight to protect themself... AND NOT TO ATTACK ON OTHERS. The Al-qaeda and other terrorist groups misuse the name "Jihad" and use innocent/uneducated Muslim guys. They induce them in the name of Jihad. So, you want to talk about terrorist talk about 'Osama bin laden".. or talk about "Al-qaeda Organisation". STOP talking/complaining entire Muslims community in general. We need our Indian brothers to protect us... Hope anyone could understand what really we wanted to explain. Thanks

Shahul Wednesday, September 27, 2006 4:46:09 AM
And to Mr. Sage... I believe you don't read any news paper. Well, for an educated and intelluct person they need to analyse on any issue not to just be ignorant. Did you read the news on ''93 blasts case: Cops found guilty"???? the cops who involved in blast are Vijay Krishnaji Patil - Police Sub-inspector, Ashok Narayan Muneshwar - Constable, Pandharinath Mahadik - Constable, Ramesh Dattatrya Mali - Constable, Shrikrishna Yeshwant Pashlikar - Constable!!!! What you say now?? Are they Islamic Terrorists??? I am trying to explain that it doesn't matter he is Hindu/Muslim/christian... Anybody who do terrorism is Terrorist!!! Try to analyse and donot always intend to Argue. I am not here to teach you anything. I know you are not here to learn. You are here to Argue. Thanks for your time.

jj Wednesday, September 27, 2006 5:25:58 PM
The bottom line is that armed struggle does have a place in islam.which hindu killed a muslim. think for yourself. In all the cases it was jihadis who started the thingMr ruzan dont be so proud about being the second largest group on the planet. Even after so many centuries of invasion india never became a muslim country unlike iran, iraq, afghanistan etc.It is fervent prayer that hindus dont take the islamic path in their reaction to attacks on their religionThey already took that path in ayodhya and gujaratLet this stop once and for all

sage Thursday, September 28, 2006 2:03:15 AM
ruzan you are so proud of your population which of half is under poverty line. most of them are islamic fascists as president bush rightly said. almost everyday atleast 50 people are killed in iraq, another 50 in afganistan, half a dozen due to lack of personal hygene. hindus need be militants to kill, as you are killing your own people. and then the west is doing our job. we just wait and watch. afganistan ,iraq,lebonan have been sent to stone age. next is pakistan. be a part to take care of your selfs not us.

Muslims believe in Jesus (pbuh)

2007-02-03T04:24:00.000+04:00

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Muslims believe in Jesus (pbuh)

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Muslims respect and revere Jesus(peace be upon him). They consider him to be one of the mightiest messengers of Allah. The Quran confirms his virgin birth and an entire chapter is called Maryam (Mary).

Quran describes the birth of Jesus (pbuh) as follows

Behold! the angels said "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus the son of Mary held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah. "He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity and he shall be (of the company) of the righteous." She said: "O my Lord! how shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" He said: "Even so: Allah createth what He willeth; when He hath decreed a plan He but saith to it `Be' and it is!

Jesus was born miraculously by the command of God, the same command that had brought Adam into being with neither a father nor a mother. God has said in the Quran
The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam: He created him from dust then said to him: "Be" and he was.

Muslims believe that Jesus (pbuh) performed many miracles with the permission of Allah. Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. It was the plan of Jesus' enemies to crucify him, but God saved him and raised him upto Him.

Neither Prophet Jesus (pbuh) nor Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) came to change the doctrine of the belief in One God, brought by earlier prophets but they came to confirm and renew this belief in Tawheed or Unity of God.

Must read links for those serious seekers of truth.
Jesus and Muslims Bridging the Gap between Islam and Christianity

Comments

P.C. Mathew Thursday, September 21, 2006 7:30:18 PM
Anybody is welcome to believe in Jesus. He only preached love and brotherhood. He asked people to show the left chin if someone hits you at the right chin. Such message shows how he is concered about the mankind and taught people of forgiveness and never to report to violence

vanisuresh Friday, September 22, 2006 12:18:26 AM
I strongly recommend you to visit answering-islam.org for more answers. You seem to have an open mind, please pursue your search for the truth.

2007-02-03T04:08:00.000+04:00

Tuesday, September 19, 2006
The 5 Pillars of Islam
-----------------------------
The 5 pillars of Islam are:

1) giving the Shahada (evidence) i.e. reciting the Kalima (words) "ash hadu al la ilaha il lal lah wa ash hadu anna Muhammadar rasoolullah" ( I testify that there is no God except Allah and I testify that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the messenger of Allah"

2) Salat (prayer or what in subcontinent is called Namaz). Every Muslim is obliged to pray to Allah 5 times a day. The timings being 1) Fajar (dawn before sunrise) 2) Zohar (afternoon) 3) Asar (late afternoon) 4) Maghrib(just after sunset) 5) Esha (night)

3) Saum (Fast or Roza) i.e fasting for the month in the month of Ramadhan from dawn to dusk and refrain from food water and other permissible things...

4)Zakat (poor due) every Muslim who has wealth beyond a certain defined limit is obliged to give part of that to the poor and needy

5) Hajj (pilgrimage) visit to Mecca. This is obligatory only if one can afford it.
Further reading on the same topic click the numbers below
(1) (2)

Comments

K.Venugopal Tuesday, September 19, 2006 9:06:19 AM
My questions:1. Why this evidence giving? Is this a proclamation of loyalty not just to God but to his messenger also? Kings require loyalty otherwise their throne is threatened. But God?2. Prayer is fine. But why at prescribed times and prescribed numbers? This smacks of regimentation. Religion ought to be an individual affair. But with Islam it is community based. Is this why Islam also has a political element in it, unlike other religions?3. Fasting is great. But on general observation, the non-Muslim could easily conclude that it is fasting day-time and feasting night-time. And then await the goats after it all.4. Zakat, giving to the poor and needy is fantastic. But let us hope at least in heaven there would be no poor and needy so that Zakat can be done away with.5. Hajj. As a Hindu I too wish I could take part in such a pilgrimage, for it is so much like an Hindu pilgrimage. Let us hope the doors of Mecca will one day be thrown open to all, unconditionally.

Shahul Tuesday, September 19, 2006 11:18:18 AM
Hi Mr. K.Venugopal this is for you.1. Check the meaning of 'Loyalty' which is 'devotion'. Any religion working Supreme power which talks about devotion.Well, what does Gayatri Mantra says??We meditate on the glory of the Creator(OM represents Brahma); Who has created the Universe;Who is worthy of Worship; Who is the embodiment of Knowledge and Light; Who is the remover of all Sin and Ignorance; May He enlighten our Intellect.And, what does Al-fatiha says in islam??1:1 In the name of GOD, the Most Merciful, the Ever Merciful:1:2 Praise be to God, the Lord of the Universe.1:3 The Most Merciful, the Ever Merciful.1:4 Master of the Day of Judgment.1:5 You alone we worship. You alone we ask for help.1:6 Guide us on the right path;1:7 the path of those whom You have blessed, not of those who have deserved wrath, nor of the strayers.Do you find any small difference in those verses????

K. Venugopal Wednesday, September 20, 2006 12:01:13 AM
Dear Shahul,I do not see any difference whatsoever in the two verses you have quoted. Why should there be any difference? Both are expressions of the deepest awe for the wonder that is creation and the mystique that is the creator. Would all your Muslim friends agree that there is no difference? Would they thereby conclude that there is no difference between different religious expressions? Would they thus, in a moment of enlightenment, cease to say that Islam is a unique religion and that great truths were expressed even before Mohammad trod the earth?Incidentally, can you please enlighten me as to whether the Day of Judgement is actually a single day or whether it denotes the day that each one faces upon death, thus there being as many days of Judgement as there are deaths?Meanwhile, I congratulate you for seeing unity in diversity.

2007-02-03T04:05:00.000+04:00

Sunday, September 17, 2006
Straight is Best
---------------------
Once again as I was commenting on NDTV post of the day, I realized that the comment had become large enough to qualify as my next post. So here goes:-

I do not agree that sex between 2 consulting adults is a private matter. It shall remain private as long as it is really hidden from the public, but if it is flaunted openly then society has every right to interfere as this kind of relationship is not in the interest of those individuals but also the society at large.

Promiscuous relationships whether hetro, homo or lesbian are the bane of a stable society and cause great harm to the institution of marriage.

As for AIDs resulting from homos being forced to go underground due to societal pressure is really a myth that is easily explained away by the rising rate of AIDs in those very countries that pride themselves to be havens for free sex.

Islam considers heterosexual behavior as normal and to be practiced under the solemn institution of marriage.

To find more details on how homosexuality is something like an unnatural choice, illness or addiction please visit this site.

All other kinds of sexual orientation are perversion and must be avoided. It is something like drugs to which one may get attracted to and even enjoy but is never accepted as normal by any just society.

For more details on Islamic perspective click
ISLAM ON HOMOSEXUALITY

Comments

GANGADHAR Sunday, September 17, 2006 12:20:52 PM
are you a GAY.

brian Monday, September 25, 2006 12:22:34 PM
you really serious? Who are you, and who are any religious grouping to tell others how they should live. Religions are myths, get over yourself.

Answer those basic questions

2007-02-03T04:00:00.000+04:00

Saturday, September 16, 2006
Anwser those basic questions
---------------------------------------
As I was commenting on one of the NDTV blogs, I realized that the comment had become large enough to qualify as my next post. So here goes:-

Please answer the fundamental questions that our self our inside demands from all of us.
Who am I?
Where have I come from?
Is death the end?
What is good and evil?
Is there a Creator or we are all mere creatures of chance?

Islam has a complete and non-contradictory answer to all such basic questions and more. Please study Islam from its sources and feel free to ask me for anything you like to know or feel confused about.

Happy reflecting
Warm regards
Arshad

Comments:

justreason7 Saturday, September 16, 2006 6:26:02 PM
1.I am Chandrashant.2.I come from my parents.3.yes.Death is the end.4.very clear.Helping for a just society is good. Disrupting with ulterior motives is wrong. Indifference is what most of us practice.5.Mere creatures of chance by all appearances.

jafri2006 Saturday, September 16, 2006 6:35:56 PM
I am Dilbar Hussain

K. Venugopal Sunday, September 17, 2006 10:22:43 PM
Who am I? I am not merely this finite "I". I am the infinite "I".Where have I come from? I have not come from anywhere. I always am. I am now in a dream that tells me that I am a limited person moving from place to place, from time to time. When I awake from the dream, I shall know that I neither have come from anywhere nor am going anywhere. I am.Is death the end? There is no end. Wake up.What is good and evil? Everything is valid. Our limited self has to say differently in the process of its awakening.Is there a creator? There is no creator separate from creation. We are not creatures of chance; we are creatures fulfilling our destiny.

MUNEERUDEEN Sunday, November 26, 2006 2:05:16 AM
OK YOU GUYS AND GALS OUT THERE ON BLOGOSPHERE !ATTENTION ALL ISLAM BASHERS !YOUR ANCESTORS DID THE SAME AND NOW YOU HAVE GOT THE INTERNET & BLOGS TO BLASPHEME ! BUT LET ME ASK YOU - DARWIN SAID MAN WAS AN APE- AETHISTS SAID THERE IS NO GOD - SCIENTISTS DECIDED TO CHANGE GENETICS AND START HUMAN CLONING - ASTRONOMERS SUDDENLY RELISED THAT PLUTO IS NOT A PLANET -JEWS AND NEOCONS SUDDENLY REALISED IRAQ HAS TO BE SPLIT UP TO ROB THE OIL AND SELL MILITARY HARDWARE. AND YOU LEARNED FOLKS HAVE NO COMMENTS TO THAT. USE YOUR BRAINS AND THINK !WHAT IS BEING DISCOVERED NOW IS ALREADY PUT THERE BY SOMONE- NOT YOU OR YOUR ANCESTORS OR MINE -COS THEY WERE MONKEYS -APES- REMEMBER ? OH HOW CAN YOU REMEMBER THAT FAR BACK !SO FORGET WHAT THE QURAN OR ISLAM HAS TO SAY TO SOCIETY AND MAN - YOU BRING THE EVIDENCE TO PROVE IT ! SCIENCE JUST CALCULATES LIFE MILLIONS OF YEARS BACK BUT CANNOT ANSWER A SIMPLE QUESTION TO A NURSERY KID ? MAY BE YOU CAN GIVE IT A TRY !QUESTION: WHICH CAME FIRST- THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG ???I AM WAITING FOR AN ANSWER FROM ANY OF YOU ON THIS OR ANY OTHER SITE

Life After Death

2007-02-03T03:57:00.000+04:00

Friday, September 15, 2006
Life After Death
----------------------
Belief in life after death constitutes one of the fundamental requirements of Islam.

This universe has been created by Allah and we have been sent by Him on this earth as his vicegerent (Khalifa).

This worldly-life is temporal and it is like an examination hall where each one has to discharge his responsibility in the limited time-span alloted to him.

Then after death / when the earth will come to an end, there will be a Day of Resurrection (Qayamat) in which the entire mankind will be brought back to life.

Allah will then dispense justice and people will be consigned to heaven or hell based on his deeds (Amal) in this world

Comments

kulumani Friday, September 15, 2006 8:30:00 AM
Sheer existence has become a question of life and death.Why talk about Allah and Qayamat.If 1+1=2 it has to be 2.Deeds or Amal can't change it.I have interviewed many patients in the hospital who were recuperating and victims of 93' blasts.No one took the name of God, but for help from samaritans.They never bothered aboutheaven and hell. Their sufferings was hell

Ragha Friday, September 15, 2006 8:47:30 AM
if one say that every thing is created by the God or not, the question will come in huge numbers. If it is true that God is doing all this then the question is why is he doing all this, what is the porpose behind all of this.

God is One

2007-02-03T03:56:00.000+04:00

Saturday, September 9, 2006
God is One
--------------
In Islam God is One.

This is called Tawheed, derived from the arabic word “wahada” meaning one.

Tawheed is the most important priciple of Islam.

If one observes the human body and the world around us, one is bound to come to the conclusion that there is ONLY ONE All Poweful, All Intelligent, Creator Master and Sustainer of this universe.

Since He is the ONLY GOD and no other then it is bounden duty to worship Him and Him alone and not join partners in His Divinity.

That would be an unpardonable sin.

You need an enemy to survive

2007-02-03T03:43:00.000+04:00

I am uploading some of my posts from my NDTV blog along with the comments I received. Basically I tried to do some Dawah work through this blog, which I named islam4all. This blogsite is now closed (I think) but the whole experience was a big learning curve for me...

Wednesday, September 6, 2006
You need an enemy to survive

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Many say that Islam is the new enemy of the free world after the demise of communism. Muslim bashing is the favorite pastime of many in the media. It attracts immediate viewership and whips up emotions on both sides of the camp. A divided society needs a common enemy to overcome its internal contradictions and ensure superficial unity.

However I dare say that the mainstream media is still to research Islam and present it to the audience for reasons best known to them. Islam is not a new religion meant only for Muslims but simply a continuation and culmination of all divine religion. Islam wants to remove the subjugation of men over others and take all towards the obedience and worship of the ONE true God who is the Master Creator Sustainer and Cherisher of the universe.

Fulla beats Barbie

2007-01-11T07:08:00.000+04:00

A very interesting newsbit. Fulla the hijab clad girl beats its legendary cousin Barbie hands down in the popularity stakes but only in Egypt.

Deen and Ummah

2007-01-07T14:06:00.000+04:00

Some points that I wish to convey. Recently had the chance to listen to Dr Iqbal Masud Nadvi.

1) Let us do tajmim bainal momineen (join mulsims) and not tafrik bil momineen (divide Muslims)
2) avoid extremity in Deen (read this book to know about this issue)
3) When do you know that you are extreme in religion? Answer: When asal (fundamental) becomes farohi (secondary) and farohi becomes asal.
4) This Deen of Islam will definitely prevail. It is your ejaz (privilege) if you are part of the effort to make it prevail.
5) learn a lesson from the forces of batil (evil) and fight them as they fight you (united).
6) There is something called poetic language (utilizing poertic licence) in which you don't really mean what you say and something call legal terminology in which every word has an import. Islam uses the latter.

to be contd

Umm ul Khabais ( Mother of all Evil )

2007-01-04T19:13:00.000+04:00

Here is an interesting news-bit on how technology can promote virtue in society.

Toyota developing cars that detect drunk drivers
AP
Tokyo: Toyota Motor Corp is developing a fail-safe system for cars that detects drunk drivers and automatically shuts the vehicle down if sensors pick up signs of excessive alcohol consumption, a report said yesterday.
Cars fitted with the detection system will not start if sweat sensors in the driving wheel detect high levels of alcohol in the driver's bloodstream, according to a report in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. The system could also kick in if the sensors detect abnormal steering, or if a special camera shows that the driver's pupils are not in focus. The car is then slowed to a halt.
The world's second-biggest auto-maker hopes to fit cars with the system by the end of 2009. Nissan Motor Co. has already been experimenting with breathalyser-like devices that could detect if a driver was drunk.

HAJJ

2006-12-27T17:35:00.000+04:00

Wanted to share an important book with everyone .......
Please click the link of that deals with HAJJ
InshaAllah will try to post more on the Hajj......

Virgin Births

2006-12-23T04:27:00.000+04:00

My brother sent me a very interesting link about some lizards that reproduced without any male contact. Tests revealed their eggs had developed without being fertilised by sperm - a process called parthenogenesis or asexual reproduction. This phenomenon is definitely a exception to the rule laid out in the Quran (ayat shown above) in Sura Luqman (31:10 & 11) viz all creatures have been created in pairs for the preservation of species.

10 He created the heavens without any pillars that ye can see; He set on the earth mountains standing firm lest it should shake with you; and He scattered through it beasts of all kinds. We send down rain from the sky and produce on the earth every kind of noble creature in pairs.
11 Such is the Creation of Allah: now show Me what is there that others besides Him have created: nay but the Transgressors are in manifest error.

We can make out from the above article it is very easy for Allah to break this rule and virgin births is now proved and accepted by science. While talking about the virgin birth of Jesus Christ (pbuh) Allah says in the Holy Quran Sura Maryam (19: 45,46,47)

45 Behold! the angels said "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus the son of Mary held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah.
46 "He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity and he shall be (of the company) of the righteous."
47 She said: "O my Lord! how shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" He said: "Even so: Allah createth what He willeth; when He hath decreed a plan He but saith to it `Be' and it is!

I remember Shaikh Deedat clicking his finger and saying "for Allah to create a million Jesuses without a father just like that". May Allah guide us all !

Italian Boy reciting Quran

2006-12-19T07:40:00.000+04:00


Watch a cute lil Italian toddler recite Quran Sura Nas, Ikhlas and Lahab.... MashaAllah may Allah bless him, Amin!

Flying high

2006-12-11T19:06:00.000+04:00

Do they not observe The birds above them, Spreading their wings and folding them in? None can uphold them Except (Allah) Most Gracious: Truly it is He That watches over all things.” Quran (67:19)

The Arabic word amsaka literally means, ‘to put one’s hand on, seize, hold, hold someone back,’ which expresses the idea that Allah holds the bird up in His power. These verses stress the extremely close dependence of the birds’ behaviour on Divine order. Modern scientific data has shown the degree of perfection attained by certain species of birds with regard to the programming of their movements. It is only the existence of a migratory programme in the genetic code of the birds that can explain the long and complicated journey that very young birds, without any prior experience and without any guide, are able to accomplish. They are also able to return to the departure point on a definite date.

Prof. Hamburger in his book ‘Power and Fragility’ gives the example of ‘mutton-bird’ that lives in the Pacific with its journey of over 15,000 miles in the shape of figure ‘8’. It makes this journey over a period of 6 months and comes back to its departure point with a maximum delay of one week. The highly complicated instructions for such a journey have to be contained in the birds’ nervous cells. They are definitely programmed. Should we not reflect on the identity of this ‘Programmer’?

Lets strengthen the Family

2006-12-06T14:24:00.000+04:00

This appeared in letters to the editor in the Khaleej Times day before yesterday.

FAMILY is the bedrock of the society. The onslaught of the materialistic culture is leading to a negation of the family system, with rise in single parenthood, teenage pregnancies and crime against women.Legalising gay and lesbian relationships, leaving the have-nots and the needy at the mercy of the State or NGOs and consigning old persons to old age homes are all acts that go against the will of the God, and will be catastrophic to the humanity. The need of the hour is to strengthen the family system and inculcate human virtues like love, kindness, mercy etc in the younger generation. Islam has given utmost importance to the rights of parents, spouses, children, relatives and widows. Let us make our family the most-secure refuge against all inward and outward troubles.

I wrote the above as part of a campaign that is being run to highlight the importance of the family and following Islamic rules and regulations related to family.

More details available here.

Mobile Ring Tones

2006-11-19T11:03:00.000+04:00

Mobile ring tones. Big business. After polyphonic tunes, music, all variety of the strangest possible sounds could Islamic tunes (Azaan, Nasheeds....) be far behind. But wait there are some people who did not take this lightly. Especially when Quran recitation was used as ring tones...

Here is the news item

Clerics oppose use of Quran verses as ringtones (AP)
Lucknow: Muslim clerics at a leading seminary in India have asked people not to use verses from the Quran as ringtones for their mobile phones, saying the practice was un-Islamic.
Clerics at the Dar-ul Uloom seminary in the northern Indian town of Deoband issued an edict banning the use of Quran verses or Muslim call to prayers as ringtones, saying doing so violates Islamic law. Quran verses "are not meant for entertainment", seminary official Mohammad Asumin Qazmi said yesterday. "Anyone who persists in using these should be ostracised from society," Qazmi said over telephone from Saharanpur, a city 450km northwest of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state. Mufti Badru-Hasan, a leading cleric in Lucknow, said he supported a ban on such ringtones. "One should hear the complete verse of the Quran with a pious mind and in silence. If it is used as a ringtone, a person is bound to switch on the mobile, thus truncating the verse halfway," he said. "This is an un-Islamic act." Ringtones with Quran verses or the call to prayers are popular among Muslims in Uttar Pradesh. They are most commonly used by people in their mid-40s and 50s, said Mukesh Sinha, a mobile phone company executive. Many users consider the religious tunes a reminder of their faith.
Bank manager Faiz Siddaqui uses Quran verses as a ringtone. "Whenever my phone rings, I hear these verses that stress the values of hard work and honesty, and I feel closer to my religion," Siddaqui said.

Protect their innocence

2006-11-16T23:49:00.000+04:00

I came across a news item in which school children from the age of 5 were to be imparted sex education (explicit) to raise awareness regarding Aids/drugs. While the need to raise awareness regarding these social evils and diseases cannot be overemphasized, we disagree with some of the methods employed for the same.

Sex education is a difficult topic to handle for most parents and teachers. So what is Islam's take on it. There is an excellent article by Malik Mujahid Saheb (may Allah reward him), in which he gives tips to parents about sex education and another one in which he urges parents to get involved. May Allah guide us all Amin !

Domestic violence

2006-11-16T23:21:00.000+04:00

A new law was passed in India to offer protection to women against domestic violence. The old law was amended giving sweeping powers to judges to issue protection orders when required.
Women welcomed it but men were skeptical as they envisaged misuse. Latest reports point out that women have started using the law even as it created discomfort to some.

What is Islam's stand on domestic violence and how does it tackle it? There is a comprehensive section on that wonderful site www.islamonline.net (may Allah reward them) that deals with some of the issues related to domestic abuse.

Islam gives that delicate balance (which is so difficult to find in other Deens) between women's rights and mens' reponsibilities. May Allah guide us all! Amin !

Islamic Rape laws and Pakistan Hudood Ordinance

2006-11-16T22:59:00.000+04:00

There has been a lot of hue and cry about the passing of a law WPA(Womens Protection Act) in Pakistan that amended the prevalent Hudood Ordinance( HO). The message coming out through the media was that the religious (Islamic) parties were opposing the amended new law, meant to protect the rights of women and save them from being exploited and oppressed. It was once again the bearded Mullahs versus the vanguards of human rights. We need to separate the wheat from the chaff and get to the bottom of the whole issue. I asked myself some basic questions, which I shall InshaAllah answer after careful study and consultation. Meanwhile you are free to comment on them....

What does Islam say about sex outside marriage?
What is Islam’s stand on consensual sex (promiscuity / zina bil raza) and rape (zina bil jabr…..) does it consider it in different light as regards accusation, providing evidence……?
What is the punishment for rape / zina if proved?
Is there any difference in punishment for married and unmarried convicts?
What will be the punishment for lewd behavior (they have not committed the act) ? Answers to the above 5 questions can be found by reading footnote number 2 of the second ayat of Surah Nur from Tafheem ul Quran (the Tafseer of Quran by Maulana Abul A'la Maududi)
Are raped women asked to bring 4 witnesses in Islam? Answer
Are raped women punished in Islam? Answer
What is Hudood Ordinance Pakistan? Click here to read it
Why was the Hudood Ordinance being opposed? The main objections to the ordinance were 1) women who alleged and then failed to prove rape charges were deemed to have confessed to zina (fornication) and were often jailed using HO 2) Often when women remarried, after being divorced, the first husband would using HO and claiming no divorce took place would file false fornication charges against ex-wife and second husband to harass them.
What amendments were recently proposed to the Hudood Ordinance through WPA ? To answer this question in brief i quote BBC news item "Until now rape cases were dealt with in Sharia courts. Victims had to have four male witnesses to the crime - if not they faced prosecution for adultery. Now civil courts will be able to try rape cases"
Why do the religious parties oppose the amendments?
Will the new rape law (after amending the Hudood Ordinance) promote free sex as suggested by a religious leader of Pakistan?

(16/11/2006) To be completed......

I finally got an excellent answer to all the questions I posed.....Please read this link

(16/01/2007)

Islamic Resurgence

2006-11-04T16:41:00.000+04:00

This editorial appeared in the November issue of Radiance viewsweekly

Islamic Resurgence – the tide cannot be stopped!

In spite of the fact that Muslim Ummah is passing through a critical period in the present day world, there is a clear trend that Islam has become important and is playing a very important role in shaping the future of humanity. The anti-Islam propaganda has, in a way, helped people in seeking more knowledge about Islam. From the East to the West in every city and country, in every newspaper and TV programme Islam is the big question. More and more people are seeking solace in the shade of this Divine religion of peace, prosperity and salvation.

Unfortunately, by and large, the West’s attitude towards Islam is negative. It appears that it has found, after the downfall of Communism, a new opponent to fight with. Islamophobia is ever increasing: controversies are being created, deliberate provocations are being made, insults on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are being hurled and Muslims are being presented as the greatest danger to world peace and future of civilization.

Another aspect of this precarious situation is the imposition of obedient kings, obliging presidents and subservient rulers on the Muslim countries by the West. They are suppressing both democracy and Islamic yearning of their people to please their Western mentors. The West swears by human rights and democracy but promotes dictators and tyrants like Saddam Hussein to serve its interests. Take the case of Saddam: when he was no longer needed, the story of weapons of mass destruction was invented and Iraq was destroyed beyond recognition. So much so that up to now, according to recent revelations of British magazine Lancet, not less than 655,000 civilians have lost their lives there. This massacre of the innocents would put even Hitler and Stalin to shame.

Ever increasing attacks on Islam and Muslims have led some people to frustration while some are leaning towards extremist thinking. But Islam's chequered history gives no room for frustration or any extremist reaction. The Ummah has successfully weathered many storms both physical and ideological.

The year 1099 witnessed the capture of Jerusalem and massacre of Muslims, and Jews as well in the hands of Crusaders. But within hundred years, Salahuddin re-conquered Jerusalem and restored its dignity and re-established peace. Greater was the scale of widespread destruction wrought by Mongol hordes in the fist half of 13th century throughout Muslim world, which culminated in the destruction of Baghdad in 1258. It did not take long for the Ummah to regain its lost glory and the Mongols who so badly devastated Muslim lands were themselves conquered by the lofty principles of Islam. So would the Ummah withstand the present onslaughts, rediscover its ideological strength and spring back to a new vitality. Portents indicate that Islam, in spite of all negative propaganda is catching the imagination of large sections of humanity.

Our agenda should be rejuvenation of Ummah and reconstruction of humanity on the basis of divine guidance contained in the Holy Quran and Sunnah of His Last Prophet. We reject the theory of clash of civilizations and endorse the confluence of civilizations, spirit of cooperation and unity of mankind. We are friends of all and enemies of none. We support good wherever it may be and reject evil with whomsoever it may be. Let us at the end of this holy month of Ramadhan resolve to work for this holy cause. No allegation of Islamofascism would weaken our resolve and no amount of intimidation would shake the Ummah. Firm faith and utmost struggle is the key to achieving this goal for the Ummah and the entire humanity. So Allah, help us.

Islamic Tourism

2006-11-01T13:49:00.000+04:00

Here is a link to an interesting piece of information.

Have been a little busy, hope to add new posts soon InshaAllah .....

Eid Mubarak

2006-10-22T22:14:00.000+04:00

E I D M U B A R A K

Taqabbala Allahu minna wa minkum.

("May Allah accept from us, and from you.")

Grameen Bank and Islamic Welfare Fund

2006-10-14T12:48:00.000+04:00

Professor Mohammed Yunus along with Grameen Bank was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006. The Grameen Bank founded by Yunus pioneered the concept of micro-credit lending schemes for the poor, especially women, in Bangladesh, thus helping millions come out of poverty. I read Grameen's methodology of banking and found it to be quite similar to what an Islamic state might envisage for povery alleviation and other welfare programs with suitable modifications as Islam completely prohibits usury or interest.

(Read my earlier post on interest or usury)

Here is a chart that conveys the basic attributes of the three systems:

Veil-off with Jack Straw

2006-10-09T00:29:00.000+04:00

Jack Straw has ignited controversy on his remarks over the veil.
Here are some FAQs. You will get the answers by clicking the question itself.

Who is Jack Straw?

What did he say?

What did he mean (if you read between the lines)?

He expressed his discomfort at speaking to someone wearing a veil.(veil is not good, its un-natural)
He said that veiled women whom he met happily removed their veils upon request.(Muslim women are suppressed into wearing the veil)
He said that veiling was hampering improvement in race relations.(blames Muslims, onus is not on us but them)
He said he supported abolishing veils altogether.(shows his level of tolerance)

Can you show me a one balanced Muslim reaction to Straw's statement?

Can you cite a Muslim woman's personal confession to wear the headscarf?

How can I understand this veiling business?

Yaum e Furqan

2006-10-08T12:07:00.000+04:00

Tomorrow InshaAllah will be the 17th of Ramadhan.
This day the great battle of Badr was fought.
It is called Yaum e Furqan because it was a day that separated the Truth from the Evil.
We need to study it.

Suggested reading

Battle of Badr by Sulaiman Nadwi

Battle of Badr

Sura Introduction of Sura Anfal

Collecting Zakat

2006-09-28T07:58:00.000+04:00

Islam is not merely a creed of ritual worship and social customs. It is a complete code of conduct or way of life that guides man and helps establish systems that guarantee success both in this world and the hereafter.The Quran repeatedly exhorts the believers to establish Salat (prayer) and pay Zakat (poor due).

The Quran says in Chapter 22:41

Translation:(They are) those who if We establish them in the land establish regular prayer and give regular charity enjoin the right and forbid wrong: with Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs

The command is Aqimus Sala i.e. establish prayer which means that Salat is not merely to be offered , but it has to be established. Praying individually is not the norm and one has to pray in congregation. This means that prayer goes beyond the confines of invidual practice and becomes a responsibility of the Islamic state(&/or Muslim community). To establish the salat it is incumbent to organize mosques (their construction, maintenance, expansion, land acquisition), Imams (who lead prayer),Khutbe-Juma (Friday sermons) etc Most of the Muslim countries there is a department or ministry of Awqaf (religious affairs) assigned to do this job.

Similarly zakat is not merely to be paid but has to be established. Amongst the beneficiaries of zakat are the zakat collectors (aamileen e zakat) themselves clearly proving that zakat is not merely an individual deed but a collective function and a state responsibility.

The benefiaries are citied in Chapter 9:60

Translation Alms are for the poor and the needy and those employed to administer the (funds); for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to truth); for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah; and for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.

To establish the system of zakat, the Islamic state or the Muslim community must collect zakat from the eligible and maintain a zakat fund. After collection it must be distributed to those who qualify as defined by Quran. The collection and distribution should be completely transparent and regularly audited.

Muslims are quite good at establishing Salat, but are lagging behind in the duty for ati uz zaka (paying zakat). Most of them give zakat individually to the needy or poor relatives, as this is indeed the correct thing to do in the absence of collective and organized system of zakat. But just as one cannot be satisfied to pray individually and one should try to establish congregational prayer, similarly if there is no collective system of zakat collection then one must try to establish it or give zakat to people who have established the collective system (centralized collection and distribution) of zakat. This was the system in the era of the Prophet and his successors (the four rightly guided caliphs) and it continued to be a function of Muslim governments until the fall of Ottoman Empire. We need to revive it.

So the message or bottom-line is that one must always give priority to pay zakat to the Muslim state or those who have established a collective system of zakat.Paying zakat individually is similar to praying without congregation and is simply unacceptable in the long run.

Zakat information 1 2

Examples of zakat fund in Muslim countries 1 2

Zakat easy Calculator

Good news a step in the right direction

Fire in our building run run run

2006-09-25T07:51:00.000+04:00

It was 10 pm the 3rd of Ramadhan 2006. We did not pay attention to the wailing siren of the fire brigade which was signalling danger and trying to draw our attention to a fire that had broken out somewhere.

A few minutes later the door bell rung and we were told to immediately run downstairs as a fire had broken out on the 9th floor of our 14th floor apartment building in the heart of Sharjah.
The fire started with the curtains catching fire beacause of a short circuit while ironing clothes. The fire alarm system failed, the fire extinguisher turned out to be a piece of junk and the water hose remained dry. The fire quickly spread and the fire brigade was called.

I am a laid back kind of guy and told my wife that she should stay put as I went downstairs to see what the row was all about. Almost all the people in our building had come down and my 11th floor neighbour called me on my mobile enquiring about us. When I told him that the kids were sleeping and I had come down alone he insisted that I go back and get all of them down which I did immediately.

I live on the 4th floor and as I moved a little away from the building I could see flames coming out of the 9th floor window. We stood for sometime in the Lulu department store adjecant to our building with the kids playing merrily oblivious of the gravity of the situation. The store closed at 11 pm and so we had to come out. The building is on the main Arooba street connecting Ajman to Sharjah, and soon the traffic and riot police were on the job trying to control the traffic congestion and the teeming enquisitive and restless crowd which seemed to relish every bit of the drama that was unfolding.

The water hose did not have enough pressure to reach the 9th floor and a multi-ladder was required. That came at nearly 11.15 pm as the fire spread in the other rooms of the flat.
The multi ladder did finally manage to hit the burning embers but it took nearly 2 more
hours to completely douse the raging flames.

Everyone was discussing the incident and blaming the apparent flaws in the fire management system and the unacceptable delay in bringing the fire under control. Neighbours offered each other places to spend the night with immense relief at no loss of life. We spent the night at a friend's place 2 blocks away and we were Alhamdolillah lucky to be able to spend the night at his place who served us sumptous food for Sehri.The thoughts that came to my mind were the very obvious fallability and helplessness of man before God and how it is so easy for Him to turn us into refugees in a matter of minutes.

As I reflect more on the incident I thank Allah for having saved all of us from the fire that could have been fatal, had it spread more than it did and I also thank the authorities who doused the fire and performed their duties as best as they could with the resources at their disposal.
May Allah save us all from the Fire Thank you and God bless.

The above was reported in a local daily.

Now the Pope speaketh FAQs

2006-09-16T08:03:00.000+04:00

Q1) Who is the Pope?
Click the words answer1 answer2 to find out.

Q2) What did he say?
Click the words answer1 answer2 to find out.

Q3) Was it offensive?
YES

Q4) Should the Pope apologize?
YES

Q) Why should he apologize?
He gave a prepared speech to a university audience in Germany. Delving on the topic of spreading faith by force and violence the venerable pontiff quoted a 14th century Christian emperor who derided the Prophet(pbuh) and Islam. The Pope then failed to express his personal views on those derogatory remarks, implying that his views were not dissimilar to the ones he quoted.

Q) What has been the Vatican response so far?
Chief Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said in a statement."The pontiff had not intended to offend Muslims. It certainly wasn't the intention of the Pope to carry out a deep examination of jihad (holy war) and of Muslim thought on it, much less to offend the sensibility of Muslim believers.It is clear that the Holy Father's intention is to cultivate a position of respect and dialogue towards other religions and cultures, and that clearly includes Islam." (* this is a poor attempt to explain, no regrets no apology)

Q5) What is the Muslim response so far?

Pakistan summoned the Vatican's ambassador to express regret over the remarks, as parliament passed a resolution condemning the comments
The head of the Muslim Brotherhood said the remarks "aroused the anger of the whole Islamic world"
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya condemned the Pope's comments
In Iraq, the comments were criticised at Friday prayers by followers of radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr
The 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference said it regretted the Pope's remarks
News Item

Q6) What should be the Muslim response? Of course we need to protest peacefully and demand an apology but more important we need to prepare ourselves to answer any concerns regarding Islam and the Prophet(pbuh).

Q7) Did Islam spread by the sword? Answer1 Answer2

Q11) What do non-Muslims say about the Prophet(pbuh) Answer

Point) Information on conversion to Islam. Info1 Info2

My letters to the Editor in the Khaleej Times a local daily is shown below

Zakat Advertisement

2006-09-14T14:36:00.000+04:00


As I have been suggesting in previous posts; we need to get into mainstream media with state of the art advertising to convey our message.I created a small ad in powerpoint, converted it into a video .avi file and then edited and split using video editor, before finally uploading it through Google Video.InshaAllah more details on zakat in forth coming posts.

Ramadhan Ad Series (C)

2006-09-11T06:39:00.000+04:00

This advertisement is one the many that should be published in the Holy month of Ramadhan. Some important must read links on the Quran

1 2 3 4

Multi billion Sound Track & Video

2006-09-09T13:37:00.000+04:00

Click the play button to listen to these voices.Can you make out what is being said? I have merged 4 different voice tracks into a single mp3 file. If you can, then hats off. These are just 4 voices playing together. But can you decipher 40, 40K, 40 million, 4 billion and even more? Too much anyone will admit. Allah is listening to every single word that is uttered and that too simultaneously. He is recording it and will play it out to us in the Hereafter.

To the right you see a surveillance camera? Imagine billions of these watching each and every movement of yourself. These cameras are not only filming you but are also making backups to play them out to you in the Hereafter.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Sura Hajj 22:61

Translation: That is because Allah merges Night into Day and He merges Day into Night and verily it is Allah Who hears and sees (all things).

Allah says in the Holy Quran Sura Tagabun 64:4

Translation: He knows what is in the heavens and on earth: and He knows what ye conceal and what ye reveal: yes Allah knows well the (secrets) of (all) hearts.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Sura Baqara 2:77

Translation Know they not that Allah knoweth what they conceal and what they reveal?

In this and many other aayaat of the Quran, Allah describes Himself as As-Samee (One Who listens to all) and Al-Baseer(All Seeing).

These are also amongst the Asma-e-Husna (the beautiful Names of Allah) that demand reflection and contemplation.

Pondering on these attributes of Allah alone should make us God conscious and God fearing (Muttaqee) as we realize that whatever we do in this world is being recorded and will act as a witness in favor or against us in the Hereafter.

May Allah guide us all Amin.

My first Podcast

2006-09-07T08:23:00.000+04:00

Salam alykum

Blogging is slowly becoming an obsession. I realize that blogging has many dimensions that need to be explored and used to make yourself seen heard and felt.

This post contains a podcast on How to prepare and give a Dars e Quran (lesson on Quran). Duration is 29 mns 03 secs and is in Urdu

Deliverd by Khurram Murad, one of the most outstanding Islamic personalities of this century.

Useful to Mudarris Hazraat (those who give Quranic lessons).

Click the Play icon to listen to the lecture.

Ramadhan Ad Series(B)

2006-09-04T08:01:00.000+04:00

Here is another ad I conceived. Useful links on the topic
1 2

Ramadhan Ad Series (A)

2006-09-04T07:02:00.000+04:00

As I suggested in previous posts, advertising must be used to convey your message in the mainstream media. The Holy month of Ramadhan is fast approaching and I have created some ads highlighting different aspects of Ramadhan. This is first in the series. More later InshaAllah

Some links that talk about the therapeutic benefits of fasting.

1 2 3

VM Series(last): If only it were just a song

2006-09-01T23:25:00.000+04:00

My previous posts were efforts at coming to terms with the great Vande Mataram controversy being played out in the media. VM(1) highlights the importance that Islam lays on verbal proclamations related to ones creed and belief systems and why adding partners in Divinity to Allah is unacceptable. VM(2) gives the translation of VM and it is very apparent that the song is in veneration of the Hindu Goddess Durga personified as the Indian motherland. VM (3) showed the context in which VM was composed and the opinion of experts.

Some (read Hindu nationalists and a miniscule Muslim element) insist that all Indians must be compelled to recite VM irrespective of their religious affiliation and sensitivity. Any reservations attract diatribes of being anti national. Others (read secular Hindus) want everyone to recite VM but prefer to keep it optional and do not take singing VM to be a proof of ones patriotism. There are some secular Muslims who have no problems reciting VM and some who see it as an affront to ones faith and refuse to equate it with patriotism.

The VM controversy ignited when the Federal government backed off from an earlier instruction sent to all schools and colleges to observe the 7th September 2006 as VM centenary day by ensuring compulsory singing of VM. The singing was later made optional sensing Muslim unease and the potential political cost. This sparked an outrage amongst Hindu nationalists who saw a clear cut case of cultural nationalism and minority appeasement. The states that they govern would implement the Federal government’s earlier edict and force all to sing VM on its centenary. Some Muslim bodies and leaders are threatening a boycott of the VM celebrations as the issue blows out of proportions.

The VM backers have no rationale or explanation to make it compulsory. It is only rhetoric and jingoism. Vote-bank politics and the surreptitious ploy to keep people and the media away from the real issues of poverty, unemployment and education seem to be the only pursuit of a decadent political class. Let us grant issues the merit they deserve. Let us all work towards a strong, stable and successful India but not at the cost of each others fundamental rights.

VM Series (III) background and expert opinion

2006-08-31T01:21:00.000+04:00

Objective: to examine the context in which VM was written and what experts and even Rabindranath Tagore had to say about it.

Vande Mataram was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in a highly Sanskritized form of the Bengali language. The song first appeared in his book Anandamatha, published in 1882 amid fears of a ban by British Raj, though the song itself was actually written six years prior in 1876. The central plot in the book Anandamatha moves round a band of sanyasis, called santanas or children, who left their hearth and home and dedicated their lives to the cause of their motherland. They worshipped their motherland as the Goddess Kali. This aspect of the Ananda Math and the imagery of Goddess Kali leave no doubt that Bankimchandra's nationalism was Hindu rather than Indian. This is made crystal clear from his other writings which contain passionate outbursts against the subjugation of India by the Muslims.

To quote R C Majumdar a well known historian "Bankimchandra converted patriotism into religion and religion into patriotism." Anti-Muslim references are spread all over the work. Jivananda (a character in the book) with sword in hand, at the gate of the temple, exhorts the children of Kali: "We have often thought to break up this bird's nest of Muslim rule, to pull down the city of the renegades and throw it into the river - to turn this pig-sty to ashes and make Mother earth free from evil again. Friends, that day has come." The use of the song 'Vande Mataram' in the novel is not adventitious, and it is not only communal-minded Muslims who resent it because of its context and content.

M.R.A. Baig's analysis of the novel and the song deserve attention. "Written as a story set in the period of the dissolution of the Moghul Empire, the hero of the novel, Bhavananda, is planning an armed rising against the Muslims of Bengal. While busy recruiting, he meets Mahendra and sings the song 'Bande Mataram' or 'Hail Mother'. The latter asks him the meaning of the words and Bhavananda, making a spirited answer, concludes with: 'Our religion is gone, our caste is gone, our honour is gone. Can the Hindus preserve their Hinduism unless these drunken Nereys (a term of contempt for Muslims) are driven away?'... Mahendra, however, not convinced, expresses reluctance to join the rebellion. He is, therefore, taken to the temple of Ananda Math and shown a huge image of four-armed Vishnu, with two decapitated and bloody heads in front, "Do you know who she is?" asks the priest in charge, pointing to an image on the lap of Vishnu, "She is the Mother. We are her children Say 'Bande Mataram'" He is taken to the image of Kali and then to that of Durga. On each occasion he is asked to recite 'Bande Mataram'. In another scene in the novel some people shouted 'kill, kill the Nereys'. Others shouted 'Bande Mataram' 'Will the day come when we shall break mosques and build temples on their sites?

Rabindranath Tagore who composed the song Jana Gana Mana adopted as India's national anthem in his letter to Subhas Chandra Bose (1937) wrote, "The core of 'Vande Mataram' is a hymn to goddess Durga: this is so plain that there can be no debate about it. Of course Bankim does show Durga to be inseparably united with Bengal in the end, but no Mussulman [Muslim] can be expected patriotically to worship the ten-handed deity as 'Swadesh' [the nation]. This year many of the special [Durga] Puja numbers of our magazines have quoted verses from 'Vanda Mataram' - proof that the editors take the song to be a hymn to Durga. The novel Anandamath is a work of literature, and so the song is appropriate in it. But Parliament is a place of union for all religious groups, and there the song can not be appropriate. When Bengali Mussulmans show signs of stubborn fanaticism, we regard these as intolerable. When we too copy them and make unreasonable demands, it will be self-defeating." In a postscript to this same letter Rabindranath says: "Bengali Hindus have become agitated over this matter, but it does not concern only Hindus. Since there are strong feelings on both sides, a balanced judgement is essential. In pursuit of our political aims we want peace, unity and good will - we do not want the endless tug of war that comes from supporting the demands of one faction over the other." (Letter #314, Selected Letters of Rabindranath Tagore, edited by K. Datta and A. Robinson, Cambridge University Press ).

These are facts. Analyse and absorb them.

Here is a great link to Anadmath images in AmarChitra Katha comics.

Another link to A G Noorani's article on VM published in Frontline of January 1999.

My next post InshaAllah on the same topic.

V M Series (II) Translation suffices

2006-08-31T00:47:00.000+04:00

It is very clear from the translation below that this song is all about paying obeisance to a goddess that has been personified as motherland.

TRANSLATION

Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Green fields waving
Mother of might, Mother free.
Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.
Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When the sword flesh out
in the seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Though who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman
droveBack from plain and Sea
And shook herself free.
Thou art wisdom, thou art law,

Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe in our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nerves the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine in our temples is but thine.
Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and herswords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned, Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear, Rich with thine hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair in in thy soul with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Loveliest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!Mother sweet, I bow to thee, Mother great and free!

I have highlighted the objectionable material. Read V M Series(I) to find out why?

V M Series (I) Believe not Say not

2006-08-31T00:25:00.000+04:00

Objective: To find the importance of verbal proclamation in Islam

Bilal (ra) was one the most illustrious companions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He was an Abyssinian slave in Mecca and one of the earliest converts to Islam. He was constantly tortured by his master Umayya bin Khalaf who made him lie on the scorching desert sand by placing huge boulders on his chest. Bilal would be told to recite the name of Lat and Uzza the principal deities of the Mushrikeen or idol worshippers, but instead he would just defiantly raise his finger and chant ahad ahad meaning one, one. Bilal immortalized the resistance against Shirk (joining partners to Allah) and became an epitome of Tawheed or the one-ness of God.
The creed or the first pillar of Islam is embodied by the Kalima or Recital "La Ilaha Il Lal Lah" which means none is worthy of worship except Allah". This doctrine of One-ness of Allah or Tawheed (derived from Wahada which means One) is the preamble of Muslim faith, in which no compromise or modification is permitted.
The Holy Quran says in Sura Saffat 37:4

Translation: Verily verily your Allah is One!

The Sura Al-Fatiha (may be termed as the opening chapter of the Holy Quran) is recited in every rakat of the Muslim prayer or Salat. The Sura begins with the words

Transliteration: Al Hamd o lil lahi Rabbil Aa-lameen

Translation: All Praise belongs to Allah the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds.

A natural corollary of Tawheed is that Allah alone is deserving of all praise and gratitude.The word Hamd implies both Praise and thanksgiving.In Urdu it is usually translated as "taareef" and in Hindi as prashansa.However the Sanskrit word Vandana must qualify as being closest to render its true meaning. According to the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon vandana means praise worship adoration. The verb vande is a derivative of this noun vandana.Thus Alhamdoillah could also be translated as "Poori vandana Allah hi ke liye hai". Replace the word Allah with another Deity and you have something that is against Tawheed the cornerstone of Iman or faith. It is tantamount to Kufr (rejection of faith) and Shirk (joining partners to Allah). It is an absolutely unpardonable sin in Islam which no true Muslim can think of committing.

So it is quite clear that verbal profession of faith has immense value. Next to understand the background and meaning of Vande Mataram.

The Tawheed Ad

2006-08-30T00:30:00.000+04:00

I suggested in my previous post "Who sets the agenda" that we need to develop advertisements that can be placed in conventional and mainstream media and the target audience can be directed towards alternate or unconventional media.

Here is a sample ad that I conceived about Tawheed or the concept of one-ness of God which is the foundation of Islam. I want to post ads like those below in mainstream media .....and thus do Islamic Dawah.....

Who sets the agenda

2006-08-26T00:41:00.000+04:00

If you watch TV, listen to the radio or read the newspaper there is one thing that stands out quite clearly: some issues take an unfair precedence over others .

Media is part of society and reports what it sees but it has an additional responsibility. Media has the power to set the agenda for public consumption and discussion and should therefore act more responsibly for the good of society at large. Media can be broadly classified in 2 types. State owned enterprises or private businesses managed by a family or by shareholders.

It is obvious that state owned media is never completely free and hence tend to become the mouth piece of the government. There are very few exceptions to this expected and accepted phenomenon. This media tries to project itself as serving the national interests and mostly site achievements of the establishment with lack of genuine criticism and investigation into irregularities and improprieties. There is a further risk of this media coming under totalitarian control and mis-used to spread lies and deceit to serve the selfish interests of its masters; thus degenerating into a propaganda tool.

Private owned media is more independent but the editorial policy sways with the ideological leanings of its editors and owners. It is definitely a lot better than the state owned media both in terms of content, presentation and the scope of critique and investigation. The problem with private media is that it is completely commercial. As a business enterprise a healthy bottom-line becomes the ultimate objective resulting in an imbalance in the amount of focus given to certain issues and stories that sell while the real and critical ones face relegation to the background. For private media the TRP and ABC ratings translate into advertising revenues and act as their bread and butter. All other things acquire secondary status.

So where does that lead us to a people who want to promote an ideology and a way of life that is for the good of one and all. Alternate media has to be tapped in a big way. Advertising in the mainstream media for targeting people and redirecting them to alternate media and direct interaction by mail or telephone seems to be the temporary work around till we have enough resources to start and run mainstream media outlets. A lot of hard work and determination is required. Planning with commitment is the need of the hour. Setting the agenda is not easy. Media control is only the first step.

The Food Fad and the Bulky

2006-08-20T23:23:00.000+04:00

Professor Popkin, from the University of North Carolina told the International Association of Agricultural Economists that the number of overweight people had topped 1bn, compared with 800m undernourished. Effectively suggesting that for the first time in history the overweights outweigh the under-weight both in terms of weight as well as numeric strength. While the learned professor and his like gave very factual reasons for the growing number of the obese I would like to highlight a simple solution to this new disease called obesity,that requires strong faith and will power.

Allah says in the Holy Quran 7:31

Translation : O Children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters.

The first thing that you need to avoid is wasteful excess at a social level. Obviously one will eat more than required when there is more to eat. One should therefore try and cultivate a culture and society that looks down on wasteful excess of food and promotes and encourages a simple and frugal food eating life-style. One only has to visit a typical marriage feast to see how contemporary society first wastes cooked food and then mocks and jokes about the victims of this over eating culture.

Secondly each individual must become weight conscious and try and exercise if he is trapped in a sedentary life style with no time and opportunity for physical excursion.

Thirdly, the most difficult and yet most effective. Curb the gluttonous instincts and regulate ones intake with clean and nutritious food only.

The following Hadith taken from Tirmizi should act as inspiration.

Narrated by AbuKarimah heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say: No man fills a pot worse than his stomach. For a person a few mouthfuls are sufficient to keep his back straight. But if he wants to fill his stomach then he should divide his stomach into three parts: He should fill one third of the belly with food, another third with drink and leave one third empty for easy breathing.

With all due respect

2006-08-16T10:14:00.000+04:00

I read a very interesting oped by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj titled 'Challenge of Conservatism' in the August issue of Islamic Voice. I respect Maqbool a lot and do not doubt his credentials as a well-wisher of the Muslim community. However his views on the supposed Muslim resistance to new technology are highly disputable.

Maqbool cites the inability of an aalim to fill out a railway reservation form as illustrative of the low self esteem of Madrassa graduates. He accuses the Madrassas of being archaic, draining Muslim charities and teaching incorrect geography. All attempts to modernize Madrassa curriculum are opposed vociferously and there are no attempts to divert Zakat funds to other social infrastructure says Maqbool as he blames Muslim leadership for spearheading the disdain for reform and change.

The aalim who failed to fill out the railway reservation form is an isolated case in point and cannot be generalized for the entire aalim fraternity. The archaic Madrassas are a thing of the past and every Madrassa now endeavors to impart basic secular education with their core curriculum and are open to any improvement in their standard of education if provided with the state of the art technological tools like computers and overhead projectors. You just have to visit their websites to see and believe.

The opposition to diversion of Zakat funds is understandable as it is the only major source of income for funding community Madrassas. The Madrassas are schools of religious learning. They are mostly run through voluntary funds and students are almost taught free or at subsidized fees. They receive no governmental aid in cash or kind. One can only salute the dedication and motivation of these Madrassas churning out thousands of pious young men and women, ready to serve the community for little by way of material compensation and reward. Madrassas are part and parcel of the Muslim society and their state of affairs cannot be isolated from that of the community.

I do not understand Maqbool’s fixation for all Muslims to celebrate Eid on the same day when there are clear cut instructions on how the moon is to be sighted and Eid day to be finalized.

A Hadith from Sahih Muslim and narrated by Abu Hurairah The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made a mention of the new moon and (in this connection) said: Observe fast when you see it (the new moon) and break fast when you see it (the new moon of Shawwal), but when (the actual position of the month is) concealed from you (on account of cloudy sky), then count thirty days.

Maqbool laments the closing of two Muslim managed institutes of hotel management upon the opinion of Muslim scholars who ruled that learning how to serve liquor and cook pork is un-Islamic. He wants Muslims to learn from other communities on how to manage hotel management institutes. I am at a loss of words to contest his erroneous grieving over the institutes’ closure, but pointing out the need to learn from really hurts, when it comes from the likes of Maqbool Siraj. For Muslims the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah is sufficient and there is no need to brew a cocktail of the lawful and the prohibited for a paltry few material gains.

Maqbool has also cropped up the issue of women not being allowed to pray in mosques. This is more of a logistics issue for most Muslims who accept women in mosques but are unable to provide them the necessary space. As for those who oppose their presence must also surely be having their own proofs and it is best to educate and engage them in dialogue, rather than loathe and despise them as male chauvinists.

As for Muslims boys avoiding veterinary sciences for fear of having to deal with dogs and pigs, would it not be prudent to let every student choose the profession of his likening and taste. I am all for freedom and liberty at every level of society.

Maqbool also brings out the dislike of Muslim girls to take up nursing as a career as it would entail attending male patients. I do not think that the same Muslim girl would refuse to become a doctor all though it would necessitate the same thing. The reason to avoid nursing is more to do with the nature of the job, its status and stature and the expected remuneration. I am sure that Muslim girls will not be found wanting as their illustrious pious women Sahaba(ra) to discharge their duty as caring nurses in case of emergency and war.

Finally Maqbool directs his ire at the Muslim clergy who are accused of being misfits in adopting technology and coming up with conservative interpretations that are out of sync with contemporary society. I hope Maqbool is a regular visitor to the www.islamonline.net website by Shaikh Yusuf Al Qardhawi which has regular discussions and articles from stem cell research to artificial insemination and foster motherhood to the permissibility of Viagra etc.

Can the supposed inability to produce a single recognized global brand product, a single invention and the failure to attract students to Muslim universities act as a benchmark to gauge our failure as a Muslim Ummah? Have we been sent by Allah for this purpose? We have been made a community that is justly balanced. A community that commands virtue prohibits evil and believes in Allah.Let us measure ourselves according to that yardstick.

To accuse the Ummah of failing to come to grips with technology, pluralism and democracy does not hold water and is suitably demonstrated every year in the magnificent staging of the Hajj: where we have nearly 3 million Muslims of every nation hue and color join together and performing all the rituals in an absolute show of strength and unity and using the latest technologies to conduct such a massive public exercise.

Maqbool Ahmed Siraj, you need to engage rather than blame. Understand rather than confuse. Appreciate and not belittle. We need you but not your sweeping generalizations. This Ummah is trying hard to come up against all odds. Lend it a hand of support not a finger of accusation.

Please don't kill me

2006-08-13T00:03:00.000+04:00

I recently came across a highly disturbing news item in the Khaleej Times today and promptly dispatched a letter to the editor about the same.

The news item described the discovery of about 25 aborted foetuses in a well near a clinic in the state of Punjab in India.

Its a clear cut case of selective abortion and female infanticide.

Allah says in the Holy Quran 17:31

Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you: verily the killing of them is a great sin

Allah also says in the Holy Quran 81: 8 and 9 that on the Day of Resurrection the female child will be brought as a witness to this horrendous crime and asked

Translation
8) When the female (infant) Buried alive is questioned
9) For what crime she was killed

There is a Hadith from Bukhari and narrated by Aisha(ra) that:

A lady along with her two daughters came to me asking (for some alms), but she found nothing with me except one date which I gave to her and she divided it between her two daughters, and did not eat anything herself, and then she got up and went away. Then the Prophet came in and I informed him about this story. He said, "Whoever is put to trial by these daughters and he treats them generously (with benevolence) then these daughters will act as a shield for him from Hell-Fire."

One must appreciate the exalted status that Islam has given to women even before they are born. Allegations against Islam of female suppression and male dominance smack of ignorance or prejudice or both.

We did'nt start the fire

2006-08-08T08:33:00.000+04:00

Allah says in the Holy Quran 5:32
Translation: On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone slew a person unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if anyone saved a life it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our apostles with clear Signs yet even after that many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.

There is a Hadith from Sunan Abu Dawood and is narrated by Thawban The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The people will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their dish. Someone asked: Will that be because of our small numbers at that time? He replied: No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the breasts of your enemy and last enervation into your hearts. Someone asked: What is wahn (enervation). Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him): He replied: Love of the world and dislike of death.

I have composed some lyrics (inspired by a popular song) with embedded links for anyone interested in the history of the formation of the state of Israel.

"Moses Hess Theodor Herzl Judenstaat Zionist Congress

Sykes-Picot Balfour Holocaust waves of Aliyah

Irgun Haganah Lehi is a Stern Gang then the IDF

British goes UN Plan exodus a new star is born

Arabs fight Jews gain Suez nationalized

Egypt dares Israel flares Yaum Kippur war

West Bank occupied Gazans loose their pride Golan in the dock

Jerusalem east and west Bait ul Maqdis and the rest lie in Jewish hands

We did'nt start the fire it was always burning......."

My comment in Sakaal Blog

2006-08-03T15:37:00.000+04:00

My favorite Marathi newspaper SAKAL run their own blog asking for comments on topics of their choice. Today they raised the issue of rape and punishment. Please read the comments that have been posted. The first one is mine.

Wear your attitude

2006-08-01T07:32:00.000+04:00

Your personality is defined by the way you dress. Dressing up has always been the touchstone of culture with the fashion and garment industry driving the wheels of all economies. What you wear is personal choice but the influence of culture, fashion, region and religion is difficult to overcome. The question of dress for men is not as controversial as that for women. Womens dressing is in fact firmly equated with the liberty, freedom, modernity and civility of any given society. The question of dress stirs up the deepest of emotions amongst women and it can be difficult to convince them of any alternate model of dressing up other than what is in vogue. Male dominance, religious bigotry and curtailing womens liberty are the expected allegations if one were to talk of modest dressing.

Let us turn to our Creator Allah Subhanahu Ta'la to find out what He has to say.
Allah addresses the entire mankind and says in the Holy Quran 7:26

Translation: O ye children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your shame as well as to be an adornment to you but the raiment of righteousness that is the best. Such are among the signs of Allah that they may receive admonition

Allah further says in 7:31
Translation: O children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: but waste not by excess for Allah loveth not the wasters.

Islam being a complete 'Deen' (system of life) has not left any sphere of life without definite guidance and injunctions. The question of 'dress' being an important component of human life has therefore been naturally addressed and answered without ambiguity. The human body has to be covered. How much? For males the area from the navel to the knee cannot be exposed. This part to be hidden is called "Satar" However a womans "Satar" in Islam is her entire body except her face, palms and feet. Dress must not be transparent or too tight. The idea is to discourage exposing ones body contours. Some Islamic scholars call for a womans face also to be hidden and hence we have the niqab or veil.

What are the benefits of modest dressing (Purdah) ?
What is the harm in dressing the way one likes without any regard to accepted norms of decency and socially acceptable behaviour?
Are Muslim women oppressed and forced into backwardness by the all enclosing veil?

The questions can go on and there are answers to all of them. What is required is a study with an unbiased and empathatic mind. So, dress as you desire but within the boundaries of the Divine dress-code.

Its in no ones interest

2006-07-30T23:03:00.000+04:00

Interest. Riba they call in Arabic. Is it something we can do without? Not a question thats commonly asked. What does the Quran say?

In 2:275 Allah says

Translation :

Those who devour usury will not stand except as stands one whom the Evil One by his touch hath driven to madness.
That is because they say: "Trade is like usury
but Allah hath permitted trade and forbidden usury.
Those who after receiving direction from their Lord desist shall be pardoned for the past; their case is for Allah (to judge); but those who repeat (the offence) are companions of the fire:
they will abide therein (for ever).

Explanation: The Quran likens the money lender to a mad man. Just as one who is mentally retarded, looses his senses on account of a disordered intellect; similarly a money lender looses his mental balance for lust of money. He is so foolish and impudent that he does not mind cutting down the roots of human love, brotherhood and compassion for the sake of his own greed and avarice. He behaves as if he is crazy, and will be raised likewise in the Hereafter as each one would be risen in the condition he dies in this world.

The arabic word riba literally means increase in or addition to anything. Technically it applies to that sum which the creditor charges from the debtor at a fixed rate on the principal he lent.

At the time of revelation of the Quran interest was charged in several ways.
A) A person sold something and fixed a time limit for repayment. If the buyer failed to pay it within the fixed period then he was allowed more time but had to pay an additional sum.
B) A person lent a sum of money and asked the debtor to pay it back together with an additional sum of money within a fixed period.
C) A rate of interest was fixed for a specified period and if the principal along with the interest was not paid within that period ; then the rate of interest was increased for the extended period.

Those Arab money lenders did not see any difference between profit and interest. They argued as follows: When profit is lawful in trade, why should interest on money invested in loans be unlawful? They were not alone in putting forth this argument. The bankers and money lenders of today also say the same. They say that a person who lends a sum of money to another could himself make profit from it and the debtor does actually invest the loan in a profitable business. Why should not then the creditor get a share of that profit from the debtor for his productive credit? However they forget a simple fact. No business in this world can guarantee a fixed profit without the element of risk. Be it, trade, commerce, industry or agriculture: one has to expend labour and capital but also undertake some risk to make a profit.

Lets take the case of a money lender giving out money on extremely low rates of interest to a businessman. The businessman devotes his time, labour, talent and even his personal funds to turn his business into a profitable venture. He works hard day and night, but even so is never sure that his labour will bear fruit and the business will net profits. Moreover he is exposed to different risks and problems like expected demand, inflation, supply of raw material and so many issues that are beyond his control. On the other hand the money lender who lends only his capital, goes on receiving a fixed amount of profit without undertaking any risks whatsoever. On which principles of economics, reason, logic and justice can this be justified?

There are 2 fundamental differences between interest and trade.

A) In trade, the settlement of profit between the buyer and the seller is made on equal terms.
The buyer purchases the article he needs and the seller gets a profit for his product or service and the time labour and intellect he expended for it.

B) In (an) interest (based transaction) the settlement of interest between the creditor and the debtor is always on unequal terms. The dice is always loaded in favour of the creditor. He always gets his fixed amount of interest which he terms his profit. The debtor however is completely exposed to the whims of market conditions, his own ability to manage labour capital and technology etc to produce and sell. He bears all business risks and is still not sure whether his business will return any fixed profits.

Profit and interest obviously produce totally different moral and economic results.

Let us first analyze from a moral perspective.

Interest is based on greed selfishness parsimony narrow mindedness and hard-heartedness. Thus an interest based society can never be strong and stable as it is selfishness that drives their mutual dealings and they are not willing to help each other if there is no materialistic benefit. If the rich believe that the poor merely exist to offer them an opportunity for exploitation then there will be a clash of interests and produce class struggle causing disintegration of society. On the other hand if the haves treat the have-nots with dignity respect compassion empathy and justice and are ready to base their transactions on generosity and sympathy, then society will become equitable strong and stable.

From an economic point of view we find that there are 2 kinds of loans.

1) A personal loan that is taken by the helpless needy people for their own needs.
2) A business loan that is taken by business to finance trade industry etc

As far as the first kind is concerned we all know what ruinous results it produces. The money lenders and bankers suck the blood of labourers peasants and the common man making their condition exteremely deplorable. Even after paying interest that is many times the principal amount, they still remain in debt. A major portion of their income is taken by the money lender and it is difficult to make both ends meet. Naturally this kills their interest for work and some are even driven towards suicide. This selfish money lending leads to the fattening of a few at the expense of a vast under privileged majority resulting in general inefficiency and a lowering of the productivity of the nation. When the suppressed anger of these exploited masses reaches a crescendo, it erupts in the form of bloody revolutions that sweep away the life and honor of the upper class with all their ill-gotten wealth.

Some of the evils of usurious business loans are as follows:

a) Those who cannot afford to pay an interest rate higher than the market rate loose out on getting finance no matter how useful they may be for the nation. Whoever meets market rates of interest gets financed irespective of how ruinous or harmful it could be to the nation.

b) The usurious financer is only interested in his own fixed interest and is least concerned about the health of the business he has invested in. He therefore tries to withhold or withdraw his money at the slighest fear of slump in the market. This creates panic and market crashes.

An unbiased study of the above should convince anyone on the evils that are inherent in usury.

I will InshaAllah in later blogs delve deeper into this issue.

Click here to read what Riba/interest is doing to farmers of Maharashtra

Islamic Calendar

2006-07-27T23:55:00.000+04:00

Its the 2nd of Rajab 1427 Hijri of the Islamic Calendar. After Rajab comes the month of Shaban and then of course Ramadhan. All of us should know about the Islamic Calendar or at-taqwīm al-hijrī and be able to name the 12 months of the Islamic Calendar.

They are

Muharram
Safar
Rabi' al-awwal (Rabi' I)
Rabi' al-akhir (or Rabi' al-thani) (Rabi' II)
Jumada al-awwal (Jumada I)
Jumada al-akhir (or Jumada al-thani) (Jumaada II)
Rajab
Sha'aban
Ramadan
Shawwal
Dhu al-Qi'dah
Dhu al-Hijjah

Why is the Islamic Calendar so important?

Allah says in the Quran 9:36
Translation: The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year) so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are sacred; that is the straight usage. So wrong not yourselves therein and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together. But know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves.

Explanation: Allah says that the new moon comes up only once each month since He created the universe.Thus the year has always been of twelve months. Of these 12 months 4 months are Haraam or Prohibited i.e. in which no war must be waged and there should be peace.
Those 4 months are:

Dhu al-Qi'dah
Dhu al-Hijjah
Muharram
Rajab

However if the mushriks do not desist from fighting then Muslims must fight them and put up a united front.

Allah says in the Quran 9:37Translation: Verily the transposing (of a prohibited month) is an addition to unbelief: the unbelievers are led to wrong thereby: for they make it lawful one year and forbidden another year in order to adjust the number of months forbidden by Allah and make such forbidden ones lawful. The evil of their course seems pleasing to them. But Allah guideth not those who reject faith.

Explanation: The pagan arabs would practice something called nasi in 2 ways:

A)Whenever it suited them they would declare a prohibited month as ordinary and would continue with their fighting robbery and murder.
They would then declare an ordinary month to be prohibited so as to compensate and make up for the lost number of prohibited months.

B) They would add an extra month into the lunar calendar so that it could sync with the solar year and the all important Hajj would thus fall in the same season of the year saving them from a lot of inconviniences.

By making this practice of nasi unlawful Allah gives the believers clear messages:

A) No human being has the right to turn the unlawful (Haraam) into lawful (Halaal). This is a right that is exclusive to Allah.

B) Allah wants Muslims to follow the lunar calendar so that important months like Ramadhan and Dhu al Hijjah fall under different seasons. For example if the month of Ramadhan circulates among all the seasons of the year then Muslims will get trained to obey His Commandments be it summer winter rain or spring. Similarly for Hajj the pilgrims have to travel during all seasons favourable or unfavourable. It is obvious that this training will help them stand in good stead as they struggle to establish the Religion of Truth in this world.

Suggested reading for further detailed study.
Basic information with some good questions
Wikipedia link has exhaustive information

Rules of the War Game

2006-07-25T05:57:00.000+04:00

Alls fair in love and war. Not so says article 10 of the United Nations Charter on International Rights and Humanatarian Law. The killing of hundreds of civilians in the ongoing Israel Lebanon war raises some uncomfortable questions that need definitive answers.

Q1) What institutionalized global proactive mechanism do we have to detect and punish those involved in human rights violations viz the 4 Geneva Conventions and two additional protocols?

Q2) Do such agencies as the International War Crimes Tribunal or the International Criminal Court of Justice have sufficient power and jurisdiction to prosecute and punish the guilty?

Q3) How do we ensure an arms embargo against well known violaters of the above charter?

Q4) Should not we all try to scale down and eliminate armament and nuclear missile technology that is capable of causing death and destruction to millions of innocent civilians?

We came together to fight aids, poverty, illiteracy and disease.
We need to unite again and bring an end to the killing of innocent life.

Allah says in the Holy Quran (2:190)

Translation: Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress limits;
for Allah loveth not transgressors.

For further explanation and study--->

1 War Ethics in Islam
2 The Ethics of War in Islam

Prince and the Hereafter

2006-07-24T06:46:00.000+04:00

Prince a five year old boy from India fell and got trapped in a small but deep borewell while playing outside his house. A television news channel broadcast this news and all other channels too picked it up. Suddenly the nation was gripped and glued to their television sets as the electronic media gave live coverage of the trapped boy and the rescue operation underway. People prayed and wept for the five year old who they could watch live trapped in the 60 feet deep 12 inch hole. Even the Prime Minister joined in. The army did a marvellous rescue job by first ensuring food and oxygen supply to the little boy and then boring in a parallel shaft, before finally hauling out Prince to safety.

This incident showed that in spite of all our diversity and differences, we are after all one human family. We all have the same emotions,concerns,aspirations and fears. We all value human life and dignity and desire a peaceful and just world. Our conscience always pricks us when we see evil. It hurts to see someone suffer as was the case when Prince fell down. We feel happy when good prevails over evil and right over wrong.This conscience or inner voice that is common to all mankind has been mentioned in the Holy Quran as a proof of the Hereafter (life after death).

Allah says in the Holy Quran (75:2)

Translation: And I do call to witness the self-reproaching spirit

Every human conscience wants good to be rewarded with good and evil with evil.We expect truth to prevail and falsehood to be vanquished.But this is not always possible in this world.

We see that one nation can massacre hundreds and displace thousands in its hatred for another nation or community.The prepetrators of these war crimes go unpunished and are scot free to lead a merry life in this world.Similarly there are so many people who do good without getting any benefits or reward in this life.Thus logic demands that there should be a life in which there is eternal justice;where evil doers are punished and the virtous amply rewarded.This is what is promised by Allah in the Akhira or the Hereafter.

Allah says in the Holy Quran (99: 7-8)

Translation: Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good see it .
And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it.

May Allah guide us all.

Middle East War Chariot

2006-07-23T22:42:00.000+04:00

I have tried to depict the present Middle East situation through this caricature
Accomplished using MS Paint and a little cut-paste here and there.

Carbon Credits

2006-07-23T00:17:00.000+04:00

The planet earth is under pressure. Global warming and climate change are amongst some of the biggest challenges it faces. There are lots of TV programmes on ecology and I came across a very intriguing term called carbon credits while watching one of them.

Carbon credits are certificates issued to countries that reduce their emission of GHG (greenhouse gases) which causes global warming. One credit is equivalent to one tonne of CO2 emission reduced. Thus we have the developed countries with CC deficit, whereas a developing country like India has one of the highest surplus CC. Carbon credits can be traded in Climate Exchanges.
Interestingly the US has refused to sign the Kyoto protocol, which is a voluntary treaty signed by 141 countries to reduce GHG emission. US refusal is very effectively defended in this article.

Everyone should first realize the importance of preserving and safeguarding the ecology. Man has been sent on this earth by Allah as His Khalifa (vicegerent).
Allah says in the Quran 2:30

Translation: Behold thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth."
Thus it is the duty of man to protect the earth and make sure that the rule of God is established on earth. The Lords prayer in the Bible resonates something similar.

Further suggested reading
1 2 3

Stem Cell Research

2006-07-20T11:04:00.000+04:00

President George Bush became the first president to complete four years in office without a veto since John Quincy Adams in the 1820s. He finally vetoed a controversial bill which would have lifted a ban on federal funding for new embryonic stem cell research.

The Islamic perspective on such a contemporary and controversial topic is not easy to discuss but I found some information from www.islamonline.net

Dr. Imran Siddiqi, a Ph.D. in Genetics, son of Dr Muzammil Siddique former head of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) poses the following questions.

Q1 ) Should an embryo, which is formed within a few days after an artificial fertilization and is not yet in the womb of its mother, be considered a human being, with all the rights of a human being?

According to the Shari’ah we should make a distinction between actual life and potential life. Also we should make a clear distinction between the fertilized ovum in the dish and the fertilized ovum in the womb of its mother. Indeed an embryo is valuable. It has the potential to grow into a human being, but it is not yet a human being. Similarly there is big difference in having something in a test tube or dish or something in the body of a human being. As mentioned above these embryos were developed initially in the laboratory solely for the sake of reproduction and, due to limitations of the in-vitro fertilization technique, they were produced in excess of what was required for this purpose. As a result, the remaining embryos would have either been frozen indefinitely or destroyed. If these embryos were treated as full human, it would have been forbidden to produce them in excess and to destroy them later. No one treats them as humans. Destroying such embryos is not called and cannot be called abortion. We disagree with the Catholic position that this is “equivalent to infanticide”. Muslim jurists have made a clear distinction between the early stages of pregnancy (first 40 days) and its later stages. It is mentioned that if someone attacks a pregnant woman and aborts her baby in the early stages of her pregnancy, that person’s punishment will be less than that of the person who does that during full pregnancy. And if he kills the child after the birth, then he is liable to be punished for homicide.

Q2 ) Is it acceptable by Shariah to destroy an embryo for the sake of research, even if this research can potentially cure many otherwise fatal diseases ?

Our answer is that the embryo in this stage is not human. It is not in its natural environment, the womb. If it is not placed in the womb it will not survive and it will not become a human being. So there is nothing wrong in doing this research, especially if this research has a potential to cure diseases. However, it is important that we establish strict rules against the misuse of embryos. Research on embryos has the potential for misuse, for instance in regards to the donors of these cells, and we should anticipate what these misuses might be and establish safeguards against them. For example, doctors might have infertility patient go through extra cycles of ovulation just so they can obtain more embryos or they might pay women to produce embryos or the embryos might be obtained without the consent of the donors. In making rules the authorities should also clarify that there is a difference between the use of “spare” embryos from in-vitro fertilization procedures which would be destroyed regardless, as compared to the deliberate production of embryos for stem cell research. Each year thousands of embryos are wasted in fertility clinics around the world. Such embryos should not be wasted, they should be used for research. It is also good to encourage the research on the alternative: to use adult stem cells instead of embryonic or fetal stem cells. This would be much less controversial. However, it seems from the discussion of the experts in the field that adult stem cells are not nearly as useful as embryonic stem cells in their ability to give rise to different cell types and would therefore not be as applicable in treating many diseases.

Dr Imran makes the following recommendations:

1. It is claimed by the experts in the field that the research on stem cells has great potential to relieve human disease and suffering. If this is the case then it is not only allowed but it is obligatory (fard kifayah) to pursue this research.

2. The use of embryonic stem cells should be very heavily limited, by confining it to the isolation of stem cells from frozen embryos that were created for the purpose of in-vitro fertilization and would otherwise have been destroyed. In addition, full consent must be obtained from the donors, and there must be safeguards against monetary compensation to embryo donors and against the creation of embryos in excess of what is required for in vitro fertilization.

3. Perhaps research using stem cells derived from adults will eventually prove to be most promising. We should encourage further research on the use of adult stem cells, to the point where it will be unnecessary to use embryos for this purpose. Specifically, we should find better ways to isolate existing stem cells in the human body.

I hope the above provides a stimulus for further discussion and investigation. Click here for the complete reading on Dr Imran's perspective.

Following also are usesful links on related topics:

IVF Using Donated Sperm
Artificial Insemination from an Islamic Perspective
Does Islam Allow “Surrogate Motherhood”?

Labour woes

2006-07-19T16:00:00.000+04:00

This article appeared in the Gulf News today

http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Employment/10053687.html

I sent a letter to the Editor as follows

"Kudos to Gulf News for highlighting the condition of toilet cleaners through the article "Cleaners appeal over 12-hour shifts" dated 19/7/06.

I have personally heard heart rendering stories from some of these poor souls. Their punishing work schedule and squalid living conditions make a mockery of any self proclaimed claims towards achieving a just and equitable society.

The Labour Ministry should proactively investigate these cleaning companies for any violations, as workers fear loosing their jobs if they launch an official complaint."

Lets hope they publish it.

Alhamdolillah they did. Read the 5th letter in Letters to the Editor dated 24-07-2006

I will try InshaAllah try to give a detailed perspective asap. (1700 hrs)

So here's some thing that we must always bear in mind

Allah says in the Holy Quran 4:135 (part of the ayat is produced below)

Translation : O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice

Allah also says in the Holy Quran 55:9

Translation: So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance

There are several Hadith(sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)) pointing to the importance of having good living conditions, respect and justice to labour .

Here are some of them

Wages ought to be sufficient to cover legitimate needs
----------------------------------------------------------------
AlMustawrid ibn Shaddad relates that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said: "If someone performed a job for us and has no house, let him have a house; if he has no wife, let him have a wife; if he has no servant, let him have a servant; or if he has no mount to ride, let him have one. He who clamors for anything other than these is being excessive.

This is related by Ahmad and Abu Dawud and its chain is sound.
Commenting on the subject, al-Khattabi says:
"This may be interpreted in two different ways.

The first means that the individual is permitted to have a servant or a house deducted from his wages, which are similar to any other wages. He is not permitted to take anything else.

The second means that the zakah worker has the right to have lodging and a servant. Thus, if he does not have a house or a servant, one may be hired to serve him and a house may be rented for him during the tenure of his job.

Wages must be paid in time
---------------------------------
This Hadith is from Al-Tirmidhi and narrated byAbdullah ibn Umar and Ibn Majah transmitted it in which Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Give the hireling his wages before his sweat dries."

This topic of labour rights and the challenges of striking a balance between labour and Management, employee and employers is quite a topic and I will attempt to delve deeper InshaAllah in other posts. (1900 hrs)

Why Justly Balanced ?

2006-07-18T17:43:00.000+04:00

Why did I name my blog Justly Balanced?

There is an ayat in the Holy Quran(2:143) part of which is depicted below

The translation of which is as follows

"Thus have We made of you an Ummah justly balanced that ye might be witnesses over the nations and the Apostle a witness over yourselves:"

It is an extremely important ayat of the Quran which must be understood by all Muslims so that they discharge the role that is expected of them by Allah.

The following is the explanation of the above ayat that I have collected from the exegesis of the Holy Quran.

Wasat ( a word which has been translated into English as midmost,moderate, just, intermediary middle,central or justly balanced)

Wasat which signifies moderate, middle or central is usually applied to a thing considered to be the best of its kind. According to a Hadith reported by al-Tirmidhi from the Companion Abu Said al-Khudri the word Wasat is to be interpreted as "just" in the sense of being the best (Qurtubi).

In order to explain the implications of the word Wasat commentators have usually made use of another Arabic adjective "Mu'tadil" (signifying moderate or temperate) and the noun "I'tidal " which means being equal. Both the words come from the root "Adl" which signifies to be equal or make equal.

The word 'Ummat e Wasat' thus implies a righteous and noble community which does not overstep its limits but follows the middle course and deals justly with the nations of the world and establishes relations with everyone on the basis of truth and justice.

Let us now consider how the moderation of this Ummah is borne out by actual facts.

First let us take up the doctrinal part.

A) In the case of the earlier Ummahs (communities) one would observe that they took their prophets to be sons of Allah and started worshipping them.

Quran 9:30

(Translation) The Jews call Uzair a son of Allah and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah

B) some people among them recognized and acknowledged their prophet but refused to obey him when asked to fight in the way of Allah. They bluntly refused as is borne by

Quran 5:24

(Translation) They said: O "Moses! while they remain there never shall we be able to enter to the end of time. Go thou and thy Lord and fight ye two while we sit here (and watch)

C) sometimes the prophets were tortured by their own followers.

In sharp contrast the Islamic Ummah has deep love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Muslims have in every period of their history considered it to be the greatest blessing and privilege to get a chance to sacrifice themselves for the Prophet(pbuh), and yet they never exalted Holy Prophet(pbuh) beyond his actual position. Muslims always call him(pbuh) as "Abduhu wa Rasuluhu" (the servant of Allah and his messenger).

If we turn to the religious practice and religious rites we again find similar excesses and aberrations in earlier Ummahs.

A) On the one hand we find their religious scholars misinterpreting or changing the injunctions of their Shariah and even distorting the sacred books for a few pieces of silver and inventing all kinds of ruses to get rid of divinely ordained rites

B) we find people giving up the world altogether imprisoning themselves in monastic cells, refusing to accept their share of blessings in this material world. They believe that imposing hardships on oneself is an act of worship par excellence.

In contrast the history of the Islamic Ummah presents a totally different picture.
It has never adopted monasticism as the supreme form of religious life. In fact Islam forbids such an attitude.

However, through its readiness to sacrifice life, wealth and property for the sake of the commandments of Allah and His Prophet(pbuh), the Ummah showed how to live a spiritual life in this material world. The Islamic Ummah has demonstrated in its practice as no other Ummah that religion is meant to be put into action in the market places and the halls of power as much as in the mosques and contemplative retreats.

C) In the sphere of human and social relations too the earlier Ummahs have in their behavior been guilty of excess in one way or the other.
We have an indifference to human rights and and an utter disregard to the rights of women in particular.
We see them in pursuit of individual interests and desires without the slightest regard to ethics and morality.
They have an exaggerated sentimentality which forbids the eating of animal flesh and which frowns on the accidental killing of an insect.

In contrast once again it is the Islamic Ummah which has set down a clear code of human rights extended to women children and even animals and plants.
Human rights were prescribed not only in times of peace but even on the battlefield

In the economic sphere too the other Ummahs have been prey to excesses of different kinds.
We have the Capitalist system which does not discriminate between the lawful and unlawful and is totally blind to the welfare of the people. It exalts the amassing of wealth as the highest virtue.

There are some economic systems which do not respect for personal property, freedom, liberty and democracy.

However the essence of these two mutually hostile systems is the same: the pursuit of worldly things as the be all and end of all life.

Islamic Shariah brings the conflicting elements into an equilibrium assigning each its proper place. It promulgates certain principles for the distribution of wealth in a balanced manner so that no member of society should be deprived of the basic necessities of life nor should a group or individual appropriate all wealth. Those things which can be shared in common by all the members of society have been entrusted to public or joint control while in certain specific things the right to private property has been fully respected. It made clear cut distinction between Halaal (lawful) and Haraam(unlawful) possessions and laid down the rules for using them

I shall try and enhance this post later on with links so that the above can be supported through different facts and testimonials.

Till then I invite you to delibrate on the above.

Why Divine Revelation ?

2006-07-18T17:16:00.000+04:00

Why Divine Revelation?

My answer is why not?

When the Creator, Cherisher and Sustainer of this world has created this wonderful and beautiful world for all of us, then how could it be possible for Him to leave His creation without Divine Guidance. It is entirely up to our peril to ignore His revelations unto us and follow man-made theories, systems, isms and ways of life.

History and contemporary society are proof that man made laws and doctrines don’t work and so we have not got much choice really if we want to make ourselves happy and turn this world into a better place.

The above is an ayat from the Holy Quran (10:57) which translated means:

O mankind! there hath come to you a direction from your Lord and a healing for the (diseases) in your hearts and for those who believe a Guidance and a Mercy.

So the ball in is in your court.

Follow Divine Revelation if you want to succeed.

My first post

2006-05-09T06:11:00.000+04:00

Bismillah Hir Rehma Nir Raheem

In the Name of Allah
The Most Gracious The Most Merciful

I begin this blog with the Name of Allah for two reasons

a) I dedicate this blog to my Creator and Provider: in other words it is like a thanksgiving

b) If I begin this with His Name, then it will definitely include only that which pleases Him and all such things that displease Him will be avoided