bakhabar, december 2014

Better light a candle than curse the darkness

Monthly e-Magazine ISSN 2319-4049

http://bakhabar.biharanjuman.org/ Volume 7, Issue 12, December 2014BE AWARE, ALWAYS, EVERYWHERE

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Bakhabar : December20142

SADBHAV MISSIONFocus on The People

Polity has primary obligation to take every one along. There may be differencesin policies and strategies of different political parties to achieve educational,economic and social emancipation of masses but every party must keep allsections of people in focus. It is a big challenge as society is divided in affluentand dispossessed, powerful and meek with contradictory self-interests. Thenthere are social divisions of gender, caste, religion and region. Up till 1991we pursued mixed economy allowing restricted freedom for market forcesto operate and giving rights to working classes. During this period caste an-tagonism lessened. Religious antagonism remained under check in the firsttwo decades of independence. Next two decades saw some massive riotsand late eighties witnessed explosive upsurge of religious polarization inthe garb of temple movement. In 1991, liberalization and globalization, ne-cessitated by economic crisis then, gave full freedom for the market forcesto operate in all areas of economy including education and health.

Large sections of these forces were the support base for religious polarization.With their dominance in economic arena, their influence on polity also grewwith sectarianism gaining a special favor. Now we have the regime of theirchoice in power.

The upbeat mood of the elite, including NRIs (as manifest in their assembly oftwenty thousand strong in New York in September 2014 to greet the Prime Min-ister) and full media focus on their hero only represent gross distraction fromthe grievances of the people. Under the surface swift changes for worse are tak-ing place. Labor laws have been changed, relieving businesses employing up to100 people (instead of 25 people) of the obligations towards the workers. Con-claves of RSS affiliated bodies, such as the one held in a premier technical in-stitute in September 2014 in the garb of Unnat Bhart Abhiyan and technologyto the villages, have been organized to syphon government funds to their cadre.Cooked up issue of Love Jehad has been raked up to spread sectarian venom infull view of the government. Six hundred cases of sectarian clashes have beenreported in UP, 40,000 copies of Deena Nath Batra’s books, centered on super-stition and self-glorification, have been introduced in schools in Gujarat andmay be introduced elsewhere. Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment GuaranteeAct (MNREGA) is under threat to be curtailed or abolished as manifest in twentytop economists writing to PM not to close it. Food security bill has fallen intocold storage. Time tested foreign policy of opposing offensive wars has beenabandoned. The power of elected representatives, including ministers, is beinggiven to bureaucrats or concentrating in one hand. An atmosphere of apprehen-sion prevails in academic institutions.

It is time we come out of the rut debating virtues and follies of individual leader.Our attention must focus on issues and processes concerning masses. We awakenthe consciousness of the masses to see through the designs of vested interests,refrain fighting each other on superficial labels of caste and religion, and strivefor equal opportunities in education and growth. We need to inculcate the cultureof self-introspection – to observe one’s own mind and to see the agony of oth-ers.

Main main buri balay hai bhag sake to bhagKab tak raakhoon aie sakhi rui lapeti aag - Kabir


I By Muhammad Salih al-Uthaymin I

Source: Huqooq Da’at Ilayhal-Fitrah wa Qar-rarthash-Sharee’ah (pp.11-13)

Al-Istiqaamah Magazine, Issue No.6 – Dhul-Qa’dah1417H / March 1997

Relatives are those who are related to youthrough blood and close ties; such as thebrother, the uncle, the aunty, or their chil-

dren. Everyone who has a tie of relation with youhas certain rights upon you in accordance with howclosely they are related to you. About this, Allaah –the Most High – said: “And give to the relative hisright.” [Soorah al-lsraa 17:26]. Allaah – the MostHigh – also said: “And worship Allaah alone, and donot set-up any partner to Him in worship, and bekind and good to the parents, and to the relatives.”[Soorah an-Nisaa 4:36].

So it is obligatory upon everyone to treat their rela-tives in the best possible manner, and to supportthem in accordance with their needs, and what theyseek of help and support. And this is what is necessi-tated by the Sharee’ah (Prescribed Islaamic Law),the ‘aql (sound reasoning) and the fitrah (naturalstate).

And there are many textual evidences encouragingand urging silatur-rahm (joining the ties of rela-tions); such as what Abu Hurayrah radiallaahu ‘anhurelates from the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sal-lam, that he said: “Indeed Allaah created the cre-ation, until when He finished doing so, the Rahm(womb/ties of relation) stood-up and said: Is this theplace of one who seeks refuge in You from thosewho severe and cut ties with me. So Allaah said: Yes,Indeed. Would it please you that I keep ties withthose who keep ties with You, and cut-off ties withthose who cut-off ties with you? So the Rahm said:Yes, indeed! So Allaah said: Then this is for you.”Then Allaah’s Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sal-lam said: “Recite if you wish: ‘Would you then, ifyou were given the authority, cause corruption in theland, and cut-off ties of relations. They are thoseupon whom is the curse of Allaah, so that He makesthem deaf and blinds them.” [Soorah Muhammad47:22-23].”2 The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sal-lam also said: “Whosoever believes in Allaah andthe Last Day let him keep the ties of relations.”3Unfortunately, many people do not fulfill this haqq(right) and transgress the bounds concerning this.

Some of them do not seek to join ties with relativesor show kindness to them; neither through wealth,nor through good behaviour, nor through the givingof occasional gifts and presents nor through render-ing help to them in their rimes of need. indeed, manydays or months may pass without even seeing or vis-iting them. And sometimes, rather than seeking tojoin ties of relations, some people even intend to se-vere such ties, by seeking to harm their relatives –either through words, or action, or both. Such peoplemay even keep close ties with those who are not re-lation, yet cut-off ties with relatives!

Some people only keep ties of relations with thosewho maintain ties with them, but cut-off from thosewho cut-off from them. So such people are not trulythe waasils (those who keeps ties of relations), butrather they are those who do so based upon tit forrat. So they will only keep ties with those who keepties with them whether relatives, or other than them.However, the true waasil (one who keeps ties of rela-tions) is the one who keeps ties of relation for thesake of Allaah – regardless of whether his relationskeep ties with him or not. ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr radi-allaahu ‘anhu relates that the Prophet sallallaahu‘alayhi wa sallam said: “The waasil (one who keepsthe ties of relations) is not the one who merely doesso out of reciprocation. Rather, the waasil is the onewho even when the relatives cut-off from him, yet hestill maintains ties with them.” So a man asked: OMessenger of Allaah. I have relatives with whom Imaintain ties of relations, yet they cut-off from me. Itreat them kindly, yet they treat me in an evil man-ner. And I am forbearing and patient with them, yetthey behave rudely and ignorantly towards me. TheProphet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “If thesituation is as you say, then it is as if you are fillingtheir mouths with sand. And Allaah will continue toaid and support you as long as you continue doingwhat you are doing.”4

If there were no other rewards for keeping ties of re-lations, except that Allaah keeps ties with the waasilin this world and the Hereafter, and that He extendsHis Mercy due to it, and makes affairs easier throughit, and removes distress and anxieties by it, then thatwould be more than sufficient. However, along withthis, silatur-rahim (joining the ties of relations)brings with it closeness to one’s family and relatives,as well as love and compassion developing betweenone another, and their being mutual help, in times of

Rights of the Relatives : Shaykh


ease and hardship. between one another, and othersuch joys and delights – as is experienced and well-known. And when ties of relations are not main-tained, then each one of the aforementioned benefitsturn to their opposites, and great harm comes to thesociety.________________________________________1. Huqooq Da’at Ilayhal-Fitrah wa Qarrarthash-Sha-ree’ah (pp.11-13)2. Related by al-Bukhaaree (no.1987) and Muslim(no.3456)3. Related by al-Bukhaaree (no.6138), from Abu Hu-rayrah radiallaahu ‘anhu.4. Related by al-Bukhaaree (no.5911).Source: http://abdurrahman.org/family/rights-of-rel-atives.html

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The Best of...The Prophet (SallallaahuAlaihiWasalaam) said:

“The best of the Muslims is he from whose handand tongue the Muslims are safe.” (Muslim)

“The best of people are those with the most excel-lent character.” (Tabarâni, Sahîh)

“The best of marriages are the easiest ones.” (AbuDâwûd, Sahîh)

“The best prayers for women are those performed inthe most secluded parts of their houses.”(Ibn Khuza-ymah, Sahîh)

“The best of you are thosewho feed others and returngreetings.” (Abu Ya’lâ, Hasan)

“The best of that which you treat yourself with iscupping.” (Hâkim, Sahîh)

“The best of days that you should perform cuppingare the 17th, 19th and 21st of the month. I did notpass a single gathering of angels on the night of Isrâ’except that they would say to me, ‘O Muhammad,perform cupping!’” (Ahmad, Sahîh)

“The most beloved of deeds according to Allah arethe continuous ones, even if they are little.”(Agreedupon)

“The most beloved words according to Allah theMost High are four: Subhânallah, Alhamdulillâh,Lâilâhaillallah and Allahu Akbar; there is no prob-lem with which one you start with.” (Muslim) “The best of provision is that which suffices.”

(Ahmad in ‘Zuhd’, Hasan)

“The best of dowries are the easiest.” (Hâkim,Sahîh)

“The most beloved word according to me is thatwhich is most truthful.” (Bukhâri)

“The best of dinars are:thedinâr spent by a manupon his dependents, the dinâr spent by a man uponhis horse in the path of Allah and the dinâr spent bya man upon his companions in the path of Allah, theMighty, the Magnificent.”(Muslim)

“The best word of remembrance is: Lâilâhaillallahand the best supplication is:Alhamdulillâh.” (Tir-midhî, Hasan)

“The best of all martyrs are those who fight in thefront line; they do not turn their faces away untilthey are killed. They will be rolling around in thehighest rooms of Paradise, their Lord laughing atthem - when your Lord laughs at a servant, there isno accounting for him.”(Ahmad, Sahîh)

“The best of all charity is that which is given to therelative that harbours enmity against you.”(Ahmad,Sahîh)

“The best prayer is that with the longest standing.”(Muslim)

“The best of all worship is supplication(dua).”(Hâkim, Sahîh)

“The best deed is the prayer in its right time andJihâd in the path of Allah.” (Bayhaqi, Sahîh) The Messenger of Allah (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) was asked: "Which ofthe believers are the most intelligent?" He (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص)replied, "Those who remember death the most, andare best prepared for what comes after it.Those arethe intelligent ones." (Reported by Tabraani, IbnMajah, classed as Hasan)

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I By Juan Cole I

Contrary to what is alleged by bigots like BillMaher, Muslims are not more violent thanpeople of other religions. Murder rates in

most of the Muslim world are very low compared tothe United States.As for political violence, people of Christian her-itage in the twentieth century polished off tens ofmillions of people in the two world wars and colo-nial repression. This massive carnage did not occurbecause European Christians are worse than or dif-ferent from other human beings, but because theywere the first to industrialize war and pursue a na-tional model. Sometimes it is argued that they didnot act in the name of religion but of nationalism.But, really, how naive. Religion and nationalism areclosely intertwined. The British monarch is the headof the Churchof England,and that stillmeant some-thing in thefirst half ofthe twentiethcentury, atleast. TheSwedishchurch is anationalchurch.Spain? Was itreally uncon-nected toCatholicism?Did theChurch andFranciscoFranco’s feel-ings toward it play no role in the Civil War? Andwhat’s sauce for the goose: much Muslim violence isdriven by forms of modern nationalism, too.

I don’t figure that Muslims killed more than a 2 mil-lion people or so in political violence in the entiretwentieth century, and that mainly in the Iran-IraqWar 1980-1988 and the Soviet and post-Soviet warsin Afghanistan, for which Europeans bear someblame.

Compare that to the Christian European tally of, oh,lets say 100 million (16 million in WW I, 60 millionin WW II– though some of those were attributable toBuddhists in Asia– and millions more in colonialwars.)

Belgium– yes, the Belgium of strawberry beer andquaint Gravensteen castle– conquered the Congo andis estimated to have killed off half of its inhabitantsover time, some 8 million people at least.

Or, between 1916-1930 Tsarist Russian and then So-viet forces — facing the revolt of Central Asians try-ing to throw off Christian (and then Marxist),European rule — Russian forces killed an estimated1.5 million people. Two boys brought up in or bornin one of those territories (Kyrgyzstan) just killed 4people and wounded others critically. That is horri-

ble, but noone, whetherin Russia orin Europe orin NorthAmerica hasthe slightestidea thatCentralAsians weremass-mur-dered duringWW I andbefore andafter, andlooted ofmuch oftheir wealth.Russia whenit brutallyconquered

and ruled the Caucasus and Central Asia was anEastern Orthodox, Christian empire (and seems to bereemerging as one!).

Then, between half a million and a million Algeriansdied in that country’s war of independence fromFrance, 1954-1962, at a time when the populationwas only 11 million!I could go on and on. Everywhere you dig in Euro-pean colonialism in Afro-Asia, there are bodies. Lotsof bodies.

Terrorism and the other Religions


Now that I think of it, maybe 100 million peoplekilled by people of European Christian heritage inthe twentieth century is an underestimate.As for religious terrorism, that too is universal. Ad-mittedly, some groups deploy terrorism as a tacticmore at some times than others. Zionists in BritishMandate Palestine were active terrorists in the1940s, from a British point of view, and in the period1965-1980, the FBI considered the Jewish DefenseLeague among the most active US terrorist groups.(Members at one point plotted to assassinate Rep.DareellIssa (R-CA) because of his Lebanese her-itage.) Now that Jewish nationalsts are largely get-ting their way, terrorism has declined among them.But it would likely reemerge if they stopped gettingtheir way. In fact, one of the arguments Israeli politi-cians give for allowing Israeli squatters to keep thePalestinian land in the West Bank that they haveusurped is that attempting to move them back outwould produce violence. I.e., the settlers not only ac-tually terrorize the Palestinians, but they form a ter-rorism threat for Israel proper (as the late primeminister Yitzhak Rabin discovered).

Even more recently, it is difficult for me to see muchof a difference between TamerlanTsarnaev andBaruch Goldstein, perpetrator of the Hebron mas-sacre.

Or there was the cold-blooded bombing of the Ajmershrine in India by Bhavesh Patel and a gang ofHindu nationalists. Chillingly, they were disturbedwhen a second bomb they had set did not go off, sothat they did not wreak as much havoc as they wouldhave liked. Ajmer is an ecumenical Sufi shrine alsovisited by Hindus, and these bigots wanted to stopsuch open-minded sharing of spiritual spaces be-cause they hate Muslims.Buddhists have committed a lot of terrorism andother violence as well. Many in the Zen orders inJapan supported militarism in the first half of thetwentieth century, for which their leaders later apolo-gized. And, you had Inoue Shiro’s assassinationcampaign in 1930s Japan. Nowadays militant Bud-dhist monks in Burma/ Myanmar are urging on anethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya.As for Christianity, the Lord’s Resistance Army inUganda initiated hostilitiesthat displaced two millionpeople. Although it is an African cult, it is Christianin origin and the result of Western Christian mission-aries preaching in Africa. If Saudi Wahhabi preach-ers can be in part blamed for the Taliban, why do

Christian missionaries skate when we consider theblowback from their pupils?Despite the very large number of European Muslims,in 2007-2009 less than 1 percent of terrorist acts inthat continent were committed by people from thatcommunity.Terrorism is a tactic of extremists within each reli-gion, and within secular religions of Marxism or na-tionalism. No religion, including Islam, preachesindiscriminate violence against innocents.It takes a peculiar sort of blindness to see Christiansof European heritage as “nice” and Muslims and in-herently violent, given the twentieth century deathtoll I mentioned above. Human beings are human be-ings and the species is too young and too intercon-nected to have differentiated much from group togroup. People resort to violence out of ambition orgrievance, and the more powerful they are, the moreviolence they seem to commit. The good news is thatthe number of wars is declining over time, andWorld War II, the biggest charnel house in history,hasn’t been repeated.http://www.juancole.com/2013/04/terrorism-other-religions.html

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Plight of Submergence AreaFamilies of Sardar Sarovar Dam

Sardar Sarovar dam on Narmada river in MP is oneof the biggest dams in India. The government ofIndia has decided to raise its height further by 17meter from its present height of 122 meter. Thisposes a mighty challenge before the families of thesubmergence area. Even today 50,000 families areunsettled. Thousands of farmers and tribals arebeing denied legal rights to cultivable land based re-habilitation. 40,000 of hectares of prime cultivableland and lakhs of trees, spread across 245 villages inMP, Maharashtra and Gujarat will be consigned towater. There is Supreme Court ruling that the heightof the dam can be raised only after people to be af-fected have been rehabilitated. However, governmentis ignoring it. So far only 30% canals have beenbuilt in Gujarat in 30 years. In place of 8 lakhhectare only 2 lakh hectare has come under irriga-tion. 4 lakh hectare excluded from command areahas been reserved for industries in Gujarat.

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I By Dr Rafiq Ahmed I

Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’ân:

“But only he (will prosper) that brings to AllahTa’ala a sound heart”. (26:89)

For real prosperity you need a properly functioningheart that is liked by Allah Ta’ala. Saleem is a wordderived from Salaamat. It is a broad term but we cantranslate it as 'safe', also. Qalb is necessary for thereal prosperity and safe Qalb is liked by AllahTa’ala.

The safe Qalb means that all the qualities (latent ormanifest) that have beengiven to it, are not wasted.The immense potential,which Allah Ta’ala has be-stowed to the human Qalb isintact and well used and notdisused.

It was already mentioned thatman has been selected for ex-pression of all the Attributesof Allah Ta’ala. Man's Qalb isframed to accommodate thefaculties of quite differentand opposing nature, as manis a mixture of opposites. If each faculty of Qalb re-mains in its right proportion and limits and each doesits job in a just manner, it can be called as Saleem(safe). What is safe, is sound and healthy as well. Ifit is not safe, it is not sound and healthy i.e., it is dis-eased. When it is diseased, it stops doing its func-tion. It is the king of all parts of the body and whenthe king becomes defunct one can imagine the fateof the nation (the man).

Rasulullah (SallallahuAlaihiWasallam) says:

“ Indeed there is a piece of flesh in the body (theheart) when that stays right, the whole body staysright, when that goes astray, the whole body goesastray! Listen with open ears, that is Qalb” (Bukhâr-iSharief)

When the king is in right condition and functionsproperly, the subjects will be in right condition andthey will also function properly and vice versa.

What is 'Qalb-e-Saleem' (APure-Heart)? An Explanation:

Explanation of the Quranic word 'Qalb-e-Saleem' byvarious Imams:

Allah says in the Quran, “The day when wealth andchildren will not benefit anyone except he who willcome to Allah with a Qalb-e-Saleem.” (SurahShu’ara, Aayah 38-39).

Our beloved Nabi Muham-mad (SAWS) used to say inhis Du’aa: “O Allah! I askyou for a Qalb-e-Saleem.” (Tirmidhi: On theauthority of Shaddad binAws.)

Mentioned below are thedifferent ways in which theImams and Ulema (schol-ars) of the Salaf (early Mus-lims) have interpreted thephrase Qalb-e-Saleem:

1. Abdullah bin Abbas, Mujaahid, Qataadah, IbnSireen and many others (R.A.A.) are of the opinionthat Qalb-e-Saleem is a heart that is absolutely freefrom Kufr (disbelief) and Nifaaq (hypocrisy). Ibn Sirin said, "The clean heart knows that Allah istrue, that the Hour will undoubtedly come and thatAllah will resurrect those who are in the graves.''[Ruh-ul-Ma’aani, Ibn Katheer, etc.]

2. It is heart that is free from Kibr (pride), Hasad(jealousy) and Hiqd (hatred). In the words of Qurtubi(R.A.A.) it is a Khaalis (sincere) heart. This opinionis supported by the following:i.) Rasoolullah (SAWS) said: “None of you can

(truly) believe until he loves for his brother what heloves for himself.” (Bukhari, Muslim)ii.) He (SAWS) also said: “A group of people will

enter Jannah – their hearts are like the hearts of the

Qalb-e-Saleem(Safe heart)


birds.” (Muslim)iii.)Anas bin Maalik (R.A.) used to say that: “Most

of the dwellers of Jannah are AL-Bulh.” Accordingto one interpretation Al-Bulh are people who haveclean hearts and who always entertain good thoughtsregarding others (Qurtubi). Sa`id bin Al-Musayyibsaid, "The clean heart is the sound heart.''

3. It is the heart which, due to extreme love forAllah and His Rasool (SAWS) , leads to total obedi-ence to Allah and his Rasool (SAWS) . This opinionis supported by the following:

i.) Rasoolullah (SAWS) said: “…. There is a pieceof flesh in the body; if it is good, the whole body isgood. And if it is bad, the whole body is bad. Listen!That piece of flesh is the heart.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

ii.) The Salaf (pious predecessors) used to say: “Theheart is the king of the limbs and the rest of thelimbs are its soldiers; they always obey him by im-plementing his instructions and they never disobeyhim in any regard. (Remember) when the king ispious, his soldiers will also be pious. Similarly, whenthe king is sinful, his soldiers will also be sinful.”(Jaami-ul-Uloomwal-Hikam)

iii.)According to one interpretation the statement ofAnas (RA) that: “Most of the dwellers of Jannah areAl-Bulh” refers to people who “don’t know sin”.

(Qurtubi)

4. Sa’eed bin Musayyab (RA) explains that theArabs very often used the word 'Saleem' in themeaning of 'Ladeegh' (one who was bitten by asnake or scorpion) and this is exactly the case in thephrase Qalb-e-Saleem. (Ruh-ul-Ma’aani, etc).

Thus Qalb-e-Saleem is the heart which, due to ex-treme fear for Allah, is like the heart of a person whohas just been bitten by a scorpion. (Qurtubi). In thewords of Abu Bakr ibn-ul-Arabi (R.A.A.) it is aheart that is “burnt and stung with fear (for Allah)"[Ahkaam-ul-Qur’an].

Some commentators of Hadith claim that the groupof people who will enter Jannah because “theirhearts are like the hearts of the birds” (Muslim) referto people whose hearts are overwhelmed with fearfor Allah.

Irrespective of which explanation you prefer, thetruth is thatit is our duty to make an effort to incul-cate this Qalb-e-Saleem. May Allah guide us all tomake such an effort and may He bless us all with theQalb-e-Saleem. Aameen

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I By Dr Mohammed Obaidullah I

In a few earlier blogs I have highlighted caseswhere the concept of waqf has been used in aninnovative manner, e.g. creation of a corporate

waqf for provision of healthcare (Wakaf An-Noor);education, encouragement to art and culture (Ve-hbiKoCVekfi); livestock for adahi (Awqaf NewZealand) for Muslims living in Western countries;relief and rehabilitation through microfinance fol-lowing natural distasters (FaelKhair) and of course,aggressive development of waqf properties for vari-ous acts of piety (MUIS). In this blog I share the ex-ample of another innovative application of theconcept of waqf for developing a university – theUniversity College Bistari (UCB), Terengganu,Malaysia. The facts of the case are extracted from arecent presentation by Professor Dr Mustapha Is-mail, Vice-Chancellor of the University at the The6th Islamic Banking, Accounting and Finance Con-ference 2014 (6th iBAF) organized by the IslamicSciences University Malaysia (USIM) at its campusduring September 23-24, 2014. Throughout the pres-entation, Dr Mustafa fondly referred to his universityas “The Waqaf University”.

The innovative aspect of the project may be traced tothe novel method of raising funds that was initiated adecade ago. Peyatim (PersatuanAnak-AnakYatimMalaysia), the organization for the welfare of or-phans (headed by Professor Dato’ Dr Haji MahmudMansor) divided a large tract of land (that was origi-nally funded by sadaqa or free donations) – 347.8hectares of Oil Palm Plantation in Kemaman –owned by the organization into small lots of 10 me-ters square, each having a palm tree and sold toprospective waqaf contributors in Malaysia. Thefunds mobilized were used to build and develop resi-dential hostels for the orphans. (Currently, the organ-ization has 54 hostels within the country to supportthe orphans in their educational pursuits who went tothe mainstream schools in the vicinity.) At the sametime the organization continues to benefit from thePlantation, which is now a waqf.

This idea of sale-and-waqf-back model to developwaqf funds is being expanded further for UCB,which is owned by Peyatim, Perkaya, and Yakin.

UCB was originally established as the KolejTe-knologiBestari during the late 1990’s. It was up-graded to become a University College in the year2012, initially to offer degree programs in econom-ics, management, information technology, coun-selling, apart from diploma programs in variousfields including nursing. Being owned by non-gov-ernmental organisations, UCB has no recourse togovernment funding. Therefore, the only way suchexpansion could be funded was through internallygenerated revenues in the form of tuition fees andaccommodation fees. And since it believed thateduction could not and should not be priced at mar-ket rates, waqf endowment funds provided the an-swer.

In seeking to move ahead with its unique model ofmobilizing funds, UCB also believed that:

•All muslims, as well as non-muslims will contributeto a waqf fund provided that the waqaf structure iswell-defined;

•Not all people have the ability to perform the act ofwaqaf due to the lack of money, land, or building;

•The assets that are being held by most people aremostly being reserved for inheritance by their ownoff-spring,

•To most people, money is the only form and sourceof waqaf.

The model consists of 3 major elements:

•Administrator or Naẓir: According to Malaysianlaws, the nazir of all awqaf is the respective State Is-lamic Religious Council. However, it may appoint

Plantation Waqf to Promote Education:University College Bistari

has been used in an innovative manner,

e

(headed


an organisation to administer a gievwaqf on its be-half. For UCB the state agency, MajlisAdatIstiadat-Melayudan Agama Islam Terengganu or MAIDAMis officially the nazir and will appoint the Peyatim asthe administrator on its behalf subsequent to the actsof waqf.

•Asset: The asset that is to be used for the develop-ment of the waqaf fund is a piece of land that cur-rently belongs to Peyatim and that presently housesthe UCB. This land is of the size of 320 acres, lo-cated in Putera Jaya, Setiu, Terengganu. The saidpiece of land is then divided into small lots of onesquare foot each to be sold to potential donors(waqif) at a price of RM30.00 per lot. Those lots thatare purchased would then be endowed back withPeyatim as the beneficiary. All waqifs would beawarded with certificates to show that they have aplot of land that has been given to waqaf for the uni-versity. The money collected through sale would be-come a fund for the development of the university. Itmay be noted that the land prior to the commence-ment of the process is not a waqf land. It is ownedby Payatim. The funds that are collected are also notwaqf. The new owners after the sale, when theymake the act of waqf turn into waqif and the land be-comes waqf land. In addition to being the benefici-ary, Payatim is also the administrator of the waqf.Though the collected funds are not waqf, Payatimhas the additional responsibility to ensure that theseare managed efficiently and in an Islamically accept-able manner.

•Beneficiaries: The ultimate beneficiaries of thewaqf are UCB and its student community. The fundswould be used for (i) physical development of thecampus; and (ii) students’ scholarship development.UCB would get funds for its physical developmentas well as academic and research programs, whilethe students would be able to finance their educationthrough scholarships and possibly interest-free loansto cover their tuition fees.

Physical development of the campus has so far beensupported by the fund that is collected. It is envis-aged that in the not too distant future, UCB would beable to develop into a full-fledged university, fundedby waqf and raising the standards of higher educa-tion while making it easy, convenient and affordablefor the student community.

http://sadaqa.in/2014/10/12/plantation-waqf-to-pro-mote-education-university-college-bistari/

[[email protected]], Senior Economist, Is-lamic Research and Training Institute, Member of Is-lamic Development Bank Group, Jeddah, and YTIChair Professor in Islamic Finance, UniversitiSainsIslam Malaysia

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Roshan DilMila hai dard to us dard ko jee kardekho

Zahar ke ghoont bhi sach ke liyepeekar dekho

Khuda ka aks tumehin saaf nazaraayega

Kisi mazloom ke aansoo to ponchh kardekho

Kuchh log andheron mein rahkar bhiroshan dil ke hote hain duniya meinunka koi na ho lekin wo sabke hotehain

Padhna likhna wo na jaanen parchehron ko padh lete hain jab chot kisiko lagti hai wo dard mein bhaagi hotehain

Allah taala ki duniya mein majhab kihazaaron shaklein hain sach ek haisabka is kaaran wo sach ke baari hotehain.

Kamzor jism ke hokar bhi imaan ki rotikhaate hain

kal ko ghar mein kuchh ho na ho wodariya dil ke hote hain


Preview

Huge Paradigm Shift in HealthSystem envisaged

He gives a new definition of health, which does notmerely describe what health is but also how theonus of preserving the health of mankind falls notonly on individuals but also on family and thesocio-political system – national and international.This definition obviously is set to bring in a hugeparadigm shift from the current internationallyadopted paradigm of health, which puts the onusentirely on individuals, allowing the system to ex-pose the people to items and practices associatedwith huge risks to health.

I By S.A.R Adil I

If Dr.Javed Jamil has not attracted as much atten-tion of the world so far as he deserves, the sim-ple reason is that his whole mission is largely

directed against the current forces ruling the world.Had it been the opposite, he would have become aninternational celebrity by now. But this is exactly thereason why he needs to be admired by the seekers ofthe truth. His contribution to both the philosophy ingeneral as well as Islamic thought is unmatched interms of depth as well as implications. They are notaimed at just joining the intellectual discourse butare meant for changing the very basis of the organ-ised human existence. The most noteworthy aspectof his work is that he seems to be least awed, what tosay overawed, by the so-called modern develop-ments – philosophical as well as structural. With thepassage of time, he has become increasingly dismis-sive of the current ideologies, which he finds unwor-thy of acceptance in a civilised society. He haseffectively unveiled the designs of the forces that arespreading certain concepts, ideologies and pro-grammes with the sole aim of monopolising theworld.

His work becomes even more important from the Is-lamic point of view because he does not view Islamsimply as a religion or “way of life”; for him Islam isa system, which needs to be enforced in totality ifthe world is to be saved from the disastrous policiesof the notorious forces that control the world today.He has recurrently called for “total ideological on-

slaught” against the New World Order, and arguesthat an overwhelming majority of the modern con-cepts are disastrous for peace and healthy living ofmankind. He has succeeded in giving a new cloak tothe Islamic response to the modern developments;instead of being defensive and apologetic like mostof the Islamic clerics and scholars, he has embarkedupon an aggressive, unapologetic, straightforwardand dynamic approach in dealing with the world is-sues. Rather than studying Islam in the light of mod-ern sciences, he critically analyses modern sciencesin the light of Islam, and succeeds in giving devas-tating blows to a number of modern theories. He isnot fighting in the realm of Islam but has taken thefight to the realm of the New World Order. In theprocess he has introduced many new terms, conceptsand programmes, which have the potential to sub-stantially change the world for the better.

Dr Jamil’s at works like “The Devil of EconomicFundamentalism” and “The Killer Sex” unveiled thedisaster and devastation that the ideology of eco-nomic fundamentalism has wrought all over theworld. His last book, “Muslims Most Civilised, yetnot Enough” successfully punctured the claims ofWest being “civilised” relative to Muslim World.The latest work, “Qur’anic Paradigm of Sciences &Society” is set to challenge the very foundations ofthe modern paradigms of sciences and society in-cluding Health, Physics, Economics and Law. Thefirst volume of his four-volume work, “DynamicParadigm of Health”, which is to be released shortly,thrashes the current international order for its colos-sal disregard of health. His argument is simple, wellthought out and elaborately enunciated. He arguesthat human life and the healthiness of life are themost important parameters of human existence,which cannot and should not be compromised at anycosts. But thanks to the designs of the forces of eco-nomics along with their political stooges, economicshas emerged the boss with health having been se-verely demeaned. All the legal, administrative andpolitical decisions today by the countries and inter-national organisations are taken not to save life andachieve highest standards of life but to protect the in-terests of the forces of economics, especially the cor-porate world.

The ideological position of Islam on the other hand,

“Qur’anic Paradigms of Sciences & Society” First Volume:“Dynamic Paradigm of Health” by Dr.Javed Jamil


argues Dr Jamil, is entirely different. In Islam; thelife and the healthiness of life are the ultimategoals of the whole system it seeks to establish. Itsthree-dimensional system of Fundamental Rights,Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Prohibitionsis a full-proof order to save life and safeguardhealth. Economic and all other policies will haveto change in order to safeguard the health andmove towards “highest standards of health”. Hegives a new definition of health, which does notmerely describe what health is but also how theonus of preserving the health of mankind falls notonly on individuals but also on family system andthe socio-political system – national and interna-tional. This definition obviously is set to bring in ahuge paradigm shift from the current internation-ally adopted paradigm of health, which puts theonus entirely on individuals, allowing the systemto expose the people to items and practices associ-ated with huge risks to health. He also argues thatstrong family system is one of the most importantfactors in attaining highest orders of health. Viola-tion of family system is invitation to death and de-struction, abuse and exploitation. He alsointroduces several new concepts like comprehen-sive hygiene (including sexual hygiene), primaryprevention, therapeutic sociology, and many oth-ers. He lambastes the World Health Organisationfor acting like a mere pawn in the hands of theforces and failing to pressurise the international in-stitutions for securing best standards of health bymaking the system health protective. In addition,he brings out several interesting aspects regardingWudu, Salat, Iddah, breastfeeding and circumci-sion. He has also drafted comprehensive Islamicmodels for control of AIDS and Family Health.

The great quality of almost all the works by DrJamil is that he produces enormous internationalstatistics to prove his theories and presents com-prehensive rather than half solutions. In this worktoo he has presented all the relevant statistics toshow how the problems as well as the solutionshave become big industries. The forces of eco-nomics first earn through creation and industriali-sation of problems and then make huge earningsby industrialising solutions. Market is all that mat-ters to them, irrespective of how it affects humanbeings. He has shown that despite the fact thatmore than 70 million human lives are lost on ac-count of the vices prohibited in Islam, they are

popularised, glorified and commercialised on theglobal level.

The book is foreworded by internationallyrenowned expert of Community Medicine andFormer Director, All India Institute of MedicalSciences, New Delhi, Prof.Lalit M Nath. His con-cluding remark is worth reading:

“This is a book that highlights many issues thatneed to be considered by all people, no matterwhat their religion or ideology. For more than abillion who believe that the Qur’an is the word ofGod, the messages here are very important and rel-evant. For others like me that were born to a dif-ferent faith and belief sets, the social and moralissues raised are relevant regardless of the religionwe follow. For those of us who are interested in“health” and not merely in “disease” the conceptsare an important reaffirmation. It is to be hopedthat these basic concepts will permeate to thehealth experts and policy makers and the institu-tions that regulate international affairs.”

There is no doubt that this work is a kind of intel-lectual revolution in itself. The need of the time isto turn this intellectual revolution into a revolutionof the whole system. The day the world recognisesthe value of his work, the beginning will be madefor a cleaner, purer, healthier and more peacefulworld. The Islamic world of course is duty boundnot only to admire his work but do everything inpower to convert his ideas into actions. The workneeds to reach the academicians including medicalexperts, Islamic scholars and social reformers.Hopefully, the coming volumes will be equally ef-fective in thrashing the current atheistic philoso-phies in the field of physics and economics. “NewWorld Order” needs to be beheaded with thesword of ideological counterrevolution.

ISBN 81-88268-11-9Price: INR 450/- (India);Pages 288

US$ 18 (Other countries)Year of Publication: 2014

Address for correspondence:284, A Pocket, SaritaVihar,New Delhi-76, India

Ph: 91-8130340339, Email:[email protected]

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I By V.K. Tripathi I

October 31, 2014 was the martyrdom day ofIndira Gandhi and birth anniversary of Sar-dar Vallabh Bhai Patel. At the behest of

Prime Minister, orders were passed on governmentinstitutions/ colleges to observe Patel’s birthday as aDay of Unity. A Run for Unity, flagged by the PMfrom Vijay Chowk, was also organized in Delhi. Thebones and ashes of these two great son and daughterof India have assimilated into the earth for too long.Any praise or insult will not touch them. We remem-ber them only out of our love to their memory.

To the masses memory of great souls springs humanvalues of truth, compassion, sacrifice, etc. hence re-membering them uplifts their soul. To the sectarianmind, however, greatness lies elsewhere – in ruth-lessness in suppressing the perceived enemy (oftenthe exploited meek masses). To tarnish the image ofone great man they project the image of anothergreat man. To overshadow Indira Gandhi, who didnot entertain the idea of mistrusting her body guardsdue to their religion till her last breath and whoshowed courage in standing against the might ofWestern Super Power, they decided to celebratebirthday of Patel, an architect of Bardoli satyagraha.But to them Patel was a Muslim baiter. And it is thisfictitious image through which they glorify their ha-tred towards minorities. Mahatma Gandhi in Novem-

ber 1947 in his last address to AICC had noted thisshrewdness of sectarian minds. He said, “People sayGandhi has become old, he has lost his mind, Jawa-har has sold his soul to Muslims. Yes, Patel hassomething but after all he too is a Congress man.” It is an intermediate phase when symbols of truth,nonviolence, secularism and freedom are being over-shadowed systematically. Next might be the asser-tion of figures who founded the parent organizationand who fueled venom, including the one who elimi-nated the father of the nation.

Indoctrination and image building are sectarian

tools. They have imposed images of their choice onsaints, prophets and gods. Vivekananda stood foruniversal brotherhood but he is projected as a Hinduhero. Lord Ram, who is synonym with all prevailingAlmighty for the masses, is a violent warrior to them(as projected during the temple movement). This is agrave assault on culture.Promoting running or jogging is good as it bringshealth. Running on the path of truth is better as it up-lifts the soul. However, running with cover on theface is dangerous. The faces who gathered on VijayChowk for running did not radiate the sensitivity andhumility needed to build unity. Obedience to themaster is no sign of liberation. May we learn to runwithout the burden of ideology, prejudice and arro-gance. That alone can breed unity.

A Dangerous Run for Unity


i By Sameen Ahmed Khan I

For thousands of years, questions about howhumans understand their location in their envi-ronment, and how they develop a sense of dis-

tance, have intrigued the philosophers and scientists.How do we know where we are? How can we findthe way from one place to another? How can westore this information in such a way that we can im-mediately find the way the next time we trace thesame path? It was 20th-century advances in psy-chology and neuroscience that allowed researchersto probe suchquestions ex-perimentally.The 2014Nobel Prize forPhysiology orMedicine hasbeen awardedto John O’-Keefe, May-Britt Moser,and EdvardMoser, for dis-covering thenetworks ofcells that formthe brain’s“inner GPS”:the system ofcells that helpsit work outwhere it is,how to getfrom one placeto another andstore informa-tion for futurereference. TheabbreviationGPS has be-come part ofour everydayvocabulary:thanks to thehigh-tech mo-biles which are

a common place. The Global Positioning System(GPS) is a space-based satellite navigation systemthat provides location and time information in allweather conditions, anywhere on or near the Earthwhere there is an unobstructed line of sight to four ormore of the GPS satellites. A sense of place andnavigational ability are both central to our existence.Most of our memories are linked to a physical place,meaning that much information we remember anduse in daily life has a spatial context to it and leadsto the question how these properties are representedin the brain?

O'Keefe, whoholds bothAmerican andBritish citizen-ships, is a pro-fessor ofcognitive neuro-science and thedirector of theSainsbury Well-come Centre inNeural Circuitsand Behavior atthe UniversityCollege Lon-don. May-BrittMoser is a pro-fessor of neuro-science and thedirector of theCentre for Neu-ral Computationat the Norwe-gian Universityof Science andTechnology inTrondheim.Her husbandEdvard Moseris also a profes-sor at the uni-versity, and thedirector of theKavli Institutefor Systems

Positioning System in the Brainbags the 2014 Nobel Prize

Image Courtesy: Nobel Foundation


Neuroscience. Five annual Nobel Prizes have beenawarded since 1901 for achievements in physics,chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature andpeace. In 1969 a sixth was added, for economic sci-ences. So far, the prizes have been awarded 567times to 889 people and organizations. The prizemoney of 8 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 mil-lion) took an interesting split. Half went to O'Keefeand half went jointly to the Mosers, who are a cou-ple.

The research dates back to 1971, when Dr. O’Keefewas studying the hippocampus, an area of the brainresponsible for memory. He connected electrodes torat brains and let them move freely in a room. Heobserved that a certain nerve cells always got acti-vated when the rat was in a particular spot. Whenthe rats were in other parts of the room, other nervecells became active. To confirm this, he monitoredthe rat movement in a different part of the roomwhere another set of cells got activated. When therat circled back to the original position, the originalset of cells was reactivated. These cells were notjust registering the location but they were also map-ping the entire place. He concluded the activity ofthese cells must form an inner map of the rat’swhereabouts and dubbed them “place cells”. Thiswas the first component of the positioning system.The idea of place cells was considered too simpleand it took several years to catch on! In 1996, thehusband-and-wife team of Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser worked with O'Keefe to learn how torecord the activity of cells in the hippocampus. JohnO'Keefe has been a mentor to the Mosers at somepoints and trained them in techniques they have beenusing since. The next vital component of the brain'sinner GPS came to light in 2005, when Mosers iden-tified another type of nerve cell located in the en-torhinal cortex that act as a coordinate system thatenables precise positioning and path-finding.Mosers called these cells as “grid cells”. The “gridcells” work with “place cells” as well as other cellsto form the brain’s positioning system.

Although the O’Keefe-Mosers discoveries occurredwhile working with rats in the laboratory, more re-cent research with brain imaging techniques, as wellas studies of patients who have brain surgery, haveshown that the human brain also has place cells andgrid cells. The human brain’s spatial navigation sys-tem appears to be composed of similar nerve cells.The pioneering research by O’Keefe and the Moserswill help understand how diseases like Alzheimer’s

affect navigation. The hippocampus and entorhinalcortex are affected early on in Alzheimer’s patients,leading to spatial disorientation. Many stroke pa-tients are unable to recognize their surroundings.The knowledge about the brain's positioning systemcan also help understanding of what causes loss ofspatial awareness in stroke patients. Alzheimer's isthe most common form of dementia and affects 44million people worldwide. The findings help ex-plain working of the brain in the positioning context.The next step would be to develop medicines andtherapies to handle the cases of brain diseases.

The author of this note, strongly conjectures that thebrains of certain animals must be having specializedcells called “magnet cells”. This conjecture is sup-ported by the findings that certain birds including pi-geons and certain fish can detect magnetic fields.The navigation abilities of many migratory birds,fishes and other animals have been well-docu-mented, again pointing to a “magnetic compass sys-tem” in their brains. These cells may be absent orinactive in humans.

Bibliography

1.Websites of the Nobel Prize: http://www.Nobel-Prize.org/ and http://www.NobelPrizeMedicine.org/

Sameen Ahmed Khan Engineering Department,Salalah College of Technology Salalah, Sultanate of Oman ([email protected], http://SameenAhmed-Khan.webs.com/)


I By Murtaza Hussain I

"Nabila, a slight girl of nine with striking hazel eyes,asked a simple question in her testimony: 'What didmy grandmother do wrong?'" writes Murtaza Hus-

sain [Reuters]

On October 24, 2012 a Predator drone flyingover North Waziristan came upon eight-year-old Nabila Rehman, her siblings, and

their grandmother as they worked in a field besidetheir village home. Her grandmother, MominaBibi,was teaching the children how to pick okra as thefamily prepared for the coming Eid holiday. How-ever on this day the terrible event would occur thatwould forever alter the course of this family's life. Inthe sky the children suddenly heard the distinctivebuzzing sound emitted by the CIA-operated drones -a familiar sound to those in the rural Pakistani vil-lages which are stalked by them 24 hours a day - fol-lowed by two loud clicks. The unmanned aircraftreleased its deadly payload onto the Rehman family,and in an instant the lives of these children weretransformed into a nightmare of pain, confusion andterror. Seven chil

dren were wounded, and Nabila's grandmother waskilled before her eyes, an act for which no apology,explanation or justification has ever been given.This past week Nabila, her schoolteacher father, andher 12-year-old brother travelled to Washington DCto tell their story and to seek answers about theevents of that day. However, despite overcoming in-credible obstacles in order to travel from their re-mote village to the United States, Nabila and herfamily were roundly ignored. At the congressionalhearing where they gave testimony, only five out of430 representatives showed up. In the words ofNabila's father to those few who did attend: "Mydaughter does not have the face of a terrorist andneither did my mother. It just doesn't make sense tome, why this happened… as a teacher, I wanted toeducate Americans and let them know my childrenhave been injured."

The translator broke down in tears while recountingtheir story, but the government made it a point tosnub this family and ignore the tragedy it had caused

Malala and Nabila: worlds apartUnlike Malala Yousafzai, Nabila Rehman did not receive a welcoming greeting in Washington DC.

"Nabila, a slight girl of nine with striking hazel eyes, asked a simple question in her testimony: 'What did my

g


to them. Nabila, a slight girl of nine with strikinghazel eyes, asked a simple question in her testimony:"What did my grandmother do wrong?" There wasno one to answer this question, and few who cared toeven listen. Symbolic of the utter contempt in whichthe government holds the people it claims to be lib-erating, while the Rehmans recounted their plight,Barack Obama was spending the same time meetingwith the CEO of weapons manufacturer LockheedMartin.

Selective memoryIt is useful to contrast the American response toNabila Rehman with that of MalalaYousafzai, ayoung girl who was nearly assassinated by the Pak-istani Taliban. While Malala was feted by Westernmedia figures, politicians and civic leaders for herheroism, Nabila has become simply another one ofthe millions of nameless, faceless people who havehad their lives destroyed over the past decade ofAmerican wars. The reason for this glaring discrep-ancy is obvious. Since Malala was a victim of theTaliban, she, despite her protestations, was seen as apotential tool of political propaganda to be utilisedby war advocates. She could be used as the humanface of their effort, a symbol of the purported de-cency of their cause, the type of little girl on behalfof whom the United States and its allies can say theyhave been unleashing such incredible bloodshed.Tellingly, many of those who took up her name andimage as a symbol of the justness of American mili-tary action in the Muslim world did not even careenough to listen to her own words or feelings aboutthe subject.

As described by the Washington Post's Max Fisher:Western fawning over Malala has become less abouther efforts to improve conditions for girls in Pak-istan, or certainly about the struggles of millions ofgirls in Pakistan, and more about our own desire tomake ourselves feel warm and fuzzy with a celebrityand an easy message. It's a way of letting ourselvesoff the hook, convincing ourselves that it's simplematter of good guys vs bad guys, that we're on theright side and that everything is okay.But where does Nabila fit into this picture? If extra-judicial killings, drone strikes and torture are in factall part of a just-cause associated with the liberationof the people of Pakistan, Afghanistan and else-where, where is the sympathy or even simple recog-nition for the devastation this war has caused tocountless little girls such as her? The answer is clear:The only people to be recognized for their suffering

in this conflict are those who fall victim to theenemy. Malala for her struggles was to be made theface of the American war effort - against her ownwill if necessary - while innumerable little girls suchas Nabila will continue to be terrorized and mur-dered as part of this war without end. There will beno celebrity appearances or awards ceremonies forNabila. At her testimony almost no one even both-ered to attend.

But if they had attended, they would've heard a nine-year-old girl asking the questions which millions ofother innocent people who have had their livesthrown into chaos over the past decade have beenasking: "When I hear that they are going after peoplewho have done wrong to America, then what have Idone wrong to them? What did my grandmother dowrong to them? I didn't do anything wrong."Murtaza Hussain is a Toronto-based writer and ana-lyst focused on issues related to Middle Eastern poli-tics.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/11/malala-nabila-worlds-apart-201311193857549913.html

Murtaza Hussain is a Toronto-based writer and ana-lyst focused on issues related to Middle Eastern poli-tics.Follow him on Twitter: @MazMHussainThe views expressed in this article are the author'sown and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's edi-torial policy.


I By Nissar Nadiadwala I

Gheerah is a noble asset. If any one possessesit then Allah has gifted him a noble trait.Look how our Prophet, peace be upon him,

responded to Umar bin Khattab's (r.a.)gheerah. In hisdream he was taken to a tour of Jannat. It was a hugewhite Palace. So beautiful that he thought it must befor him. But he was told that it was to be awarded toUmar Bin Al Khattab (r.a.). The Prophet decided toenter and have a look into it. But the moment he sawUmar's hoor was performing ablution he stepped out.He recalled the gheerah of Umar (r.a.).

Look at our gheerah. Our women, our girls jumpon any wall of namahram and click 'like' and interactwith them and search from them a spouse on theirown, fall in and out of love, share personal informa-tion and chat at midnight hours, and yet we don’tfeel bad. Rather, millions of fathers don't even cometo know that their daughters who pray five times aday have multiple affairs on the internet. She chasesgood looking young men who sprout beards and up-date their status with a Qur'anic ayah or a borrowedquotation after every hour. For her, talking aboutdeen to Namahram is not a fitnah.

A sahih hadith says.. A dayyus will not even smellthe fragrance of paradise "Who is a dayyus? Thehigher category includes people who earn money byallowing their women to do prostitution. The lowercategory includes people who don’t mind theirwomen, daughters, sisters talking, chatting, dream-ing, befriending non-mahrams.

Asmabintabu Bakr's husband was Zubair binAwwam. He was also a man of gheerah. A man whowas counted among those ten Ashhar al mubash-hara.The ten who got glad tidings of Jannah. Hiswife respected his gheerah and honoured it. Onceshe was walking on a hot sunny day, carrying a loadof wood. The beloved Prophet, peace be upon him,was passing by on his camel and saw the ladylabouring in hot sun. He offered his camel to carryher to her house. The noble lady who honoured herhusband's gheerah refused. She recalled her hus-band's gheerah and preferred to walk in the hot suncarrying the load.

Many of our girls are harbouring sweet desires ofbeing proposed by a young man and keep on visitingthe profiles of young men. Do they not realise thegheerah of their future husband who would marrythem thinking that they are noble girls? Isn't it a de-ception? That too in the name of deen, girls and boysinteract with each other!

The Bani Israel's fitnah was women. It lead them todestruction and threw them down from the sight ofAllah. Look at the Bible and note how the scribeshave treated women. Multiple rapes, incests every-thing is there in the religious book! This reflectstheir mentality. Even today the most vulgar and ob-scene films were introduced in Hollywood by theBaniIsraels. They have corrupted the west.

Now it is the turn of Muslims to be tested. One can-not drag a Muslimah out of her hijab. So the ap-proach is new. FACE BOOK. Be friend with boysand learn deen from them. Get impressed by his pic-ture in beard. Follow his notes and shares. Be happyif he tags you. Ask him a question on deen. Getreplies and then find out if he is married or not andwhat type of girl is he looking for. This is how fitnahinitiates.

Nothing offers you seclusion like the silent lanesof cyber world. Sisters! Shouldn't you be worriedabout your modesty when a young man tags you tohis Islamic note? Why is he tagging you and notyour wrinkled skinned and grey haired aunty? Doessuch question ever arise in your mind? If not, thenyou are a target in a game and the result is sure.. Youwill loose.

Why don't you keep a beard ?… From “Beyond Education” collection – NissarNa-diadwala’s Editorial for Young MuslimsA young man once told me that his mother insiststhat he should shave of his newly kept beard andcontinue it after marriage. The reason: Many goodlooking educated girls don't prefer a bearded guy. Idid not agree with him and I am sure most of my sis-ters who are my readers will also not agree.

Normally when ever I come across such reserva-

What is your Gheerah Index? Do you really Posses Gheerah?


tions or hesitation I approach with a question. "Is ita reason or an excuse for not keeping a beard?" Theanswer is obvious: Ofcourse it is a reason or rathercompulsion.

Well I have my own arguments for such exaggaratedcompulsions. Read them and use them to revive asunnah.

Our beloved Prophet had more than 10 wives, andthey included the best and the most noble women ofthat era. The Prophet, peace be upon him had abeard. If Allah can give him 10+ wives will he de-prive you of at least one wife just because you areobeying his messenger? King Solomon (Sulemana.s.) had hundreds wives and he was a Prophet with abeard. Moses, peace be upon him had a beard and hewas chosen by Shuaib as a groom for his nobledaughter. All the companions of the Prophet, peacebe upon him, had beard and in spite of this many hadmultiple wives.

Keeping a beard is a sunnah of all the prophets andtheir companions. It drives away your inferiority

complex and injects in you a confidence that you areacceptable even with your religious uniform. It is asunnah that you are performing for all 24 hours aday, every minute, every second. Even when you areasleep you are observing a sunnah through a beard.We are so particular about other sunnah which donot last for much time (though every sunnah is pre-cious and important) but we ignore this 24 x 7 sun-nah. How much reward are we missing if we don’tgrow a beard?

A person can look good even if he keeps a beard. Aperson's goodness shines more through is behaviourand dealing with people and not merely by his looks.Imagine the scenario: 700 millions of Muslim grow-ing beard and are seen in the streets, in malls, in col-leges, in trains buses.... What an Impact of thecommunity! Right?So grown your beard fromtoday... and let me know..

From “Beyond Education” collection – NissarNadi-adwala’s Editorial for Young Muslims

-----


I By Afzal Ahmad Khan I

Islam, as we know, is a religion of peace, toler-ance, brotherhood and humanity. It preachesequal right to every human being irrespective of

his/her colour, stature, profession, cast and creed.But among non-Muslims generally its image islinked with illiteracy, backwardness, extremism andterrorism.

However, if the sermons of Prophet Muham-mad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), espe-cially the last one delivered at Arafat during his onlyHajj pilgrimage, is explained and propagated univer-sally in its true spirit, it would not only clear the mis-understanding of non-Muslims about Islam but willalso show the correct path to those Muslims whohave side-tracked from the principles preached byhim. In his sermons, he not only laid down the foun-dation of morality, modesty, justice, equality, good-will and brotherhood, but also stressed to abolish theeconomic exploitation of the poor, human enslave-ment, apartheid, paganism, transgression and all sys-tems that were against the interest of humanity.

It is universally known, that the very foundationof Islam is laid on its five pillars and each one ofthem has its own physical, psychological and spiri-tual importance. Similarly, Islamic prayers are notonly a set of machine-like actions, but every move-ment and ritual has its own significance, implicationand usefulness for the entire humanity. Touching allthe five pillars will make this article very lengthy.Therefore, just to give broader conception of Islam,let us glance into the messages given in two of itsfive pillars i.e. Fasting and Hajj.

During the entire month of Ramadhan, we notonly abstain from food, drink, tobacco and conjugalrelations from dawn until sunset but we also purifyour soul and body through endurance, discipline, re-straint and self-control so that we can overcome ourbad habits and addictions. Again during Ramadhan,we not only control the negative emotions, intensearguments, anger but also abstain from indecent acts,unnecessary talks and obscene conversations. So

much so, that even when one is sure of being right, itis better to let that right go and keep one’s emotionalfast intact. Staying hungry and thirsty also developsgreater compassion towards the deprived ones andmakes one feel the misery of millions who go hun-gry. During fasting, it is not the fasting of stomachonly but every component of our body observes fastin its true spirit and refrains from every bad thinglike evil thoughts, lying, greed and jealousy.The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him)is reported to have said:

“Allah has no need for the hunger and the thirst ofthe person who does not restrain himself from tellinglies and acting on them even while observing thefast.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari).

However, during Ramadhan, a majority of ouractivities are confined from dawn to sunset and weperform most of the rituals individually while Islamlays great emphasis on collectivism. Two monthsafter the end of Ramadhan, comes the month ofDhul-Hijja in which we perform the great pilgrimageto Makkah, known as Hajj. Here, we discard the in-dividualism totally and men and women comingfrom every part of the planet follow the principle ofcollectivism in every ritual.

Before starting our journey towards Makkah, wedivorce everything, which is symbolic of our per-sonal identity, and we become members of a largergroup that is not only one in dress, rituals, cultureand behaviour, but also follows a twenty-four hoursroutine collectively like disciplined soldiers. Whilemen use two unstitched sheets of ordinary whitecloth for the coverage of their body, women covertheir entire body including head with simple non-gaudy dresses. Thus, irrespective of their stature,everyone wears the same look by dress, action andbehaviour which are symbolic of equality amongevery human being. In Ihram, damaging of plantsand killing of animals is strictly prohibited whichpromotes environmental cleanness; similarly, conser-vation of water is also preached very strongly inIslam. The world has realised the importance ofthese precious things now, though Islam introduced

What We have Learnt from Fasting and Haj


it more than fourteen hundred years ago. In Makkah,we perform Tawaf by walking around Ka’abah andalso perform Sai by walking between Safa and Mar-wah hills along with the sea of humanity, consistingof the rich and the poor, blacks and whites, Arabsand non-Arabs, kings/queens and ordinary persons,masters and their servants.

On the first official day of Hajj (8th of Dhul-Hijjah) we all move to Mina in a state of Ihram. Wecamp there in tents meant for men and women sepa-rately and every one irrespective of his stature liesside by side, on the same rug spread on ground andfollows the mass routine like a disciplined soldier.We eat from the same plate, drink from the sameglass and sleep on the same rug and pray collectivelyin the same tent.

The following morning, we travel from Mina toArafat where everyone, again irrespective of theirstature, pray or rest on the same rug laid on the stonyground. It was here that the Prophet (peace andblessings of Allah be to him) gave his last sermonand said that every human being is from Adam andEve; therefore, except by piety and good action, dif-ferences created among their descendants on thegrounds of race, wealth, colour of skin and domicileis wrong and should be totally abolished.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah beto him) preached not only for oneness of God andFreedom and Justice for everyone but also for uni-versal goodwill and brotherhood, total discard ofslavery system and absolutely no exploitation of ne-cessity or weakness of anyone.

After sunset, we move from Arafat to Muzdal-ifa, and stay there in the night. In Mina and Arafatwe rest or pray on a rug laid on the ground with acover over our head in the shape of a tent. But inMuzdalfa we discard even that and everyone, againirrespective of their stature, passes the night on thebarren rocky land under the open sky, naturally with-out any worldly comfort. This is the extreme of sim-plicity, self-control, self-discipline and devotionwhere everyone is trained to live even in the mostadverse condition which many of us might havenever faced before. Thus, during Hajj, we learn theskill and achieve the ability of discarding even thoseworldly comforts, which might be within our reachand this great achievement goes a long way in mak-ing our life simple and happy even in most adversecircumstances.

After passing the night in Muzdalfa, we returnto Mina in the morning and after sacrificing a goat orsheep as a mark of our love and devotion for Allah,we throw seven pebbles at Satan as a token to keep itaway from us because it brings negative and satanicthought in our mind which is the root cause of everyevil in our personality.

The purpose of Hajj is not only to developGod-consciousness and a sense of spiritual uplift butalso to discard the unnecessary worldly comforts andthus make the life, simple, easy, disciplined and freefrom every impurity and provides an opportunity forthe persons of different nationalities, colours, lan-guages, races, and ethnicities to come together in aspirit of universal brotherhood and sisterhood.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings ofAllah be to him) said that a person who performsHajj properly “will return as a newly born baby [freeof all sins].”

Now the big question one can and should ask toself is how much we have adopted the training andrituals of Fasting and Hajj in its true spirit in ourdaily routine to get its full benefits, not only duringthe tenure of our life but also beyond this world. Un-fortunately, the answer in most of the cases is notpositive. In a majority of the cases, we observe fastand perform Hajj rituals like a machine withoutgoing into or bothering about the real spirit behindthese actions.

Significant importance is given to the ritualsthat we perform, but the logic, purpose and the mes-sage behind those very rituals are forgotten. The eco-nomic, social and cultural aspects of these ritualshave also been lost. The concept of sacrifice is to-tally missing from our character and we have be-come a part of the mad crowd, which is running afterthe worldly comforts even at the cost of others. Self-ishness and jealousy is deeply rooted in our charac-ter and getting things, which may be even beyondour means, has become an inseparable part of ourthinking. Our selfish approach of grabbing others’wealth by hook or crook has not only given way toheinous crimes like arson, looting, dacoity, rioting,murder, kidnapping, rape in society but battles andwars at the international level as we have seen allover the world in the past and are seeing even today,especially in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine.Though we have seen the disastrous consequences of


these misadventures committed in the past but unfor-tunately, we have probably not learnt any lessonfrom this because the planning and efforts for addingmore countries in the aforesaid list is in the pipeline.

The root cause of these entire inhuman acts isjust to capture other’s wealth and to establish one’sown superiority. We have totally forgotten the art oftolerance and restraint, instead anger and impatienceare ruling over our mind. We are hell bent to take re-venge even at the slightest provocation. Individual-ism is so glaring and dominant that the basic conceptof collectivism as preached in Islam is almost goneor has taken a back seat.s

Thus we have not only forgotten the true spiritof Fasting and Hajj but also the sermons of ourProphet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) es-pecially the last one delivered at Arafat during hisonly Hajj pilgrimage. If tolerance, restraint, simplic-ity, self-control and self-discipline as we practiseduring Ramadhan and Hajj and the principles ofgoodwill, unity, justice, equality and brotherhoodpreached by our Blessed Prophet are followed uni-versally, we will not only get the solution to everyproblem but will also make this world a very happyand peaceful place where all its inhabitants willenjoy regardless of their ethnic connection, faith andcolour.

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Aatmbal

Apne hi haathon se apne kaam karnaseekhiye Kitne bhi kamjor hon paanvonpe chlna seekhiye.

Baat mein aata vajan hai dard ke ehsaas seseedhe saade lafzon mein sach baat kahnaseekhiye

Aandhiyan unmaad ki tumko udaane jab lageinhausle se jam ke apne paanv rakhna seekhiye

Doosron ka ghar jale aur apna ghar aabaad ho isandhere soch se bahar nikalna seekhiye.

Ud gayeen chidiyan na jaane laut kar kabaayengi jab talak hain paas unka maan rakhnaseekhiye

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sRise and Fall of FourYear Degree Program at

Delhi UniversityI By Satish Rajouria I

Delhi University introduced four year un-dergraduate program (FYUP) in 2013with a view to make it at par with uni-

versities in the West. However, the new govern-ment right after resuming office forced it to beclosed.

There was merit in the FYUP as it equippedgraduates to join MS or Ph.D. programs any-where in the world. However, it needed adequatepreparations in terms of courses, classrooms,laboratories etc. and above all preparing teachersmentally for it. The infrastructure is alreadyoverburdened by both OBC expansion and disas-trous implementation of the 3 year semester sys-tem. In the hastily implemented semestersystem, students are still struggling to cope withthree courses per semester; an additional burdenof five to six courses could be catastrophic. Fur-ther, the bulk of these courses were not disci-pline oriented, and might not increase academicrigor. Compulsory language classes were cur-tailed. That could affect the fluency, articulationand employability of students.

It is unfortunate that there is no participation ofcollege teachers in designing courses. Teacherswere not consulted nor informed about whatthey would be teaching in a few months. The 61member Task Force did not have representationfrom all departments and had a large number ofprincipals and administrators.

Of course there is opposition for the sake of op-position also. For some teachers change and re-forms are welcome only if brought about byintellectuals and administrators of a particularideological commitment

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Wipe the tears you mightregret later

"Now I know how valuable you were"

Even though she was tired and exhausted, sherefused to sleep after fajr prayer like he does,just so she can wake him up for work on

time…She woke him up after going through so much trou-ble to do so, only for him to wake up angry at her,saying: “Ugh, No relaxation ever comes from you!”,That is her daily “Thank you”.He comes back from work, exhausted and finds thehouse clean, food ready, the kids and her waiting,happy faces excited for his return.However, he comes in a grumpy mood, not utteringeven a single joke to his kids. Eats a little and sleepsso he can later join his friends on a night out.She does not tell him about the children’s problemsto not burden him any further. Even so, when she isunable to find solutions, she feels the need to sharewith him some of the problems, thinking “They arehis kids as well, maybe he will help”. But alas, he re-fuses and tells her that he has too many things on hisplate to think about her and the kids.Eventually, the kids grew up, and each have theirown lives, leaving her alone and empty. Her life nowrevolves around her husband, no one to talk to andno one to spend time with.She told him one day after she woke him up, “Staywith me today, I would love for us to talk. Every dayyou come back, eat, take a nap then off you go tospend the rest of the day with your friends”So he scolds her, and tells her that he needs to spendsome time away from her depressed-looking face,“You mean nothing to me”.She smiled that sad smile of her, and a tear droppedon her cheek, she went to her room while he left tomeet his friends.He comes back home only to find her lifeless bodylying on her bed, a single tear left his eye when heput her in her grave, and his sadness kept increasingevery time a person offered his condolences.He goes back home and finds no one waiting forhim, the house felt quite and depressing, but he kepttelling himself that he will get used to it.He went to his room to sleep… the sun rose… hewakes up and finds himself late for work.He calls her to scold her, how could she leave himsleep in!? Then all of a sudden, he remembers. Shepassed away. He started crying, for she is now a

memory.He remembers how all she wanted was a nice wordfrom him, how she wished he could spend one daywith her, instead of spending it with his friends. Heremembers how she endured his insults, andmatched them with smiles and choked tears. Oh,how she lived her life to serve him and their chil-dren. Now I know how valuable you were.------Will you remain like this dear husband, not knowinghow valuable your wife is? Not treating her with therespect that she deserves? Remember, you are whereshe finds love, pleasure and security, Allah theAlmighty says:

{It is He Who created you from a single person, andmade his mate of like nature, in order that he mightdwell with her (in love)} [Al-A’raf:187].

Dear wife,You, who Allah honoured and made you embracedby the Ummah's men and women. You, who Allahmade to be the teacher and carer for whom heblessed the most out of his creation; the humanbeing. Make your work and your troubles for thesake of Allah the Almighty, for he alone can rewardyou. Do not hurt if your children disobey you, do notcare if your husband ignores you. Let your prioritybe the pleasure of Allah the merciful, and work forhis sake.

Dear husband,You should know that whoever is kind to them (thewife) is a kind person, and whoever insults them, is amean person. The Prophet (Peace be upon Him)said: 'The best of you is he who is best to his family(i.e wife), and I am the best among you to my fam-ily, whoever is kind to the women, is a kind person,and whoever insults them, is a mean person ' (Al-Jami’ Alshaghir: [4102])Did you see, o husband? “Whoever insults them, is amean person”, the Prophet didn’t use the word stingyor selfish, he used the word mean, which is the worsttrait a one can have as it means the person is ignobleand lacks in dignity.

I ask Allah to harmonize between our hearts, fix ourinner conditions, guide us to the ways of peace, andtake us out from darkness to light, AmeenSource : Islamway.

E

{ }


I By Mirza Ehteshamuddin Ahmed I

(12) One who replies to the call of Adhan'Umar b. al-Khattab reported: The Messenger ofAllah (may peace be upon him) said: When theMu'adhdhin says: Allah is the Greatest, Allah is theGreatest, and one of you should make this response:Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest; (andwhen the Mu'adhdhin) says: I testify that there is nogod but Allah, one should respond: I testify thatthere is no god but Allah, and when he says: I testifythat Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, oneshould make a response: I testify that Muhammad isAllah's Messenger. When he (the Mu'adhdhin) says:Come to prayer, one should make a response: Thereis no might and no power except with Allah. Whenhe (the Mu'adhdhin) says: Come to salvation, oneshould respond: There is no might and no power ex-cept with Allah, and when he (the Mu'adhdhin) says:Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, thenmake a response: Allah is the Greatest, Allah is theGreatest. When he (the Mu'adhdhin) says: There isno god but Allah, and he who makes a response fromthe heart: There is no god but Allah, he will enterParadise. (Muslim 4/0478)

(13) One who by-hearted the 99 names of Allah, be-lieves in their meanings and acts accordingly Narrated Abu Huraira (RA): Allah has ninety-nineNames, i.e., one hundred minus one, and whoeverbelieves in their meanings and acts accordingly, willenter Paradise; and Allah is witr (one) and loves 'thewitr' (i.e., odd numbers) (Bukhari 8/419)

(14) One who recites SayyidulIstighfar with firmfaith in it, in the morning and eveningNarrated Shaddad bin 'Aus: The prophet(pbh) said,

"The most superior way of asking for forgivenessfrom Allah is: You, You created me and I am Yourservant and I abide to Your covenant and promise [tohonor it] as best I can, I take refuge in You from theevil of which I committed. I acknowledge Your favorupon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me,for verily none can forgive sins except You. TheProphet(pbh) added, â€œIf somebody recites it dur-ing the day with firm faith in it and dies on the sameday before the evening, he will be from the people ofParadise and if somebody recites it at night with firmfaith in it and dies before the morning he will befrom the people of Paradise. (Bukhari 8/335)

(15) Any person will enter Paradise only when AllahS.W.T bestows His pardon, Favor and MercyNarrated Abu Huraira (RA): I heard Allah's Apostle(pbh) saying, "The good deeds of any person will notmake him enter Paradise." (i.e., None can enter Para-dise through his good deeds.) They (the Prophet'scompanions) said, 'Not even you, O Allah'sApostle-' He said, "Not even myself, unless Allahbestows His favor and Mercy on me." So be moder-ate in your religious deeds do the deeds that arewithin your ability: and none of you should wish fordeath, for if he is a good doer, he may increase hisgood deeds, and if he is an evil doer, he may repentto Allah." (Bukhari 7/577)

(16) One who has faith on Allah Narrated Haritha bin Wahb: Al-Khuzaì : Theprophet(pbh) said, "Shall I inform you about thepeople of Paradise? They comprise every obscureunimportant humble person, and if he takes Allah'sOath that he will do that thing, Allah will fulfill hisoath (by doing that). Shall I inform you about thepeople of the Fire? They comprise every cruel, vio-lent, proud and conceited person." Anas binMalik(RA) said, "Any of the female slaves of Med-ina could take hold of the hand of Allah's Apostleand take him wherever she wished." (Bukhari 8/97)(see also Bukhari 7.648)

(17) When 4 or even 3 people testify "the piety of amuslim" will enter Paradise Narrated Abu Al-Aswad: I came to Medina when an epidemic hadbroken out. While I was sitting with Ùmar bin Al-Khattab a funeral procession passed by and the peo-ple praised the deceased. Ùmar said, "It has beenaffirmed to him." And another funeral processionpassed by and the people praised the deceased.Ùmar said, "It has been affirmed to him." A third(funeral procession) passed by and the people spokebadly of the deceased. He said, "It has been affirmedto him." I (Abu Al-Aswad) asked, "O chief of the be-lievers! What has been affirmed?" He replied, "I saidthe same as the Prophet(pbh) had said, that is: if fourpersons testify the piety of a Muslim, Allah willgrant him Paradise." We asked, "If three persons tes-tify his piety?" He (the Prophet) replied, "Eventhree." Then we asked, "If two?" He replied, "Eventwo." We did not ask him regarding one witness.(Bukhari 2/449)

(18) Whoever gives chastity of his tongue and his

Who will enter Heaven by Allah’s Mercy -Part 3


private parts Narrated Sahl bin Sa`d: Allah's Apostle(pbh) said, "Whoever can guarantee (the chastity of)what is between his two jaw-bones and what is be-tween his two legs (i.e. his tongue and his privateparts), I guarantee Paradise for him." (Bukhari8/481)

(19) Truthful Person Allah will say, "This is the Day when the truthfulwill benefit from their truthfulness." For them aregardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow,wherein they will abide forever, Allah being pleasedwith them, and they with Him. That is the great at-tainment. (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5/119)

(20) O reassured soul,Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing..Enter My Paradise [To the righteous it will be said], "O reassuredsoul,Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing[to Him],And enter among My [righteous] servants.And enter My Paradise."(Surah 89/27-30)

(21) Forty virtuous deedsNarrated `Abdullah bin `Amr: That Allah's Apostle(pbh) said, "There are forty virtuous deeds and thebest of them is the Maniha of a she-goat, and anyonewho does one of these virtuous deeds hoping forAllah's reward with firm confidence that he will getit, then Allah will make him enter Paradise becauseof Hassan (a sub- narrator) said, "We tried to countthose good deeds below the Maniha; we mentionedreplying to the sneezer, removing harmful thingsfrom the road, etc., but we failed to count even fif-teen." (Bukhari 3/800)

(22) Paradise is the reward of a patient person"Peace [i.e., security] be upon you for what you pa-tiently endured. And excellent is the final home."( SurahAr-Ra'd 13/24)

(23) Three inmates of Paradise The inmates of Paradise are three: One who wields(executes) authority and is just and fair, one who Istruthful and has been endowed with power to dogood deeds. And the person who is merciful andkind hearted towards his relatives and to every piousMuslim, and one who does not stretch his hand inspite of having a large family to support.(Muslim Bk 40-6853)

(24) Merits of saying Subhan AllahAbu Malik at-Ash'ari reported: The Messenger of

Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Cleanliness ishalf of faith and al-HamduLiliah (Praise be to Allah)fills the scale, and Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah)and al-HamduLiliah (Praise be to Allah) fill up whatis between the heavens and the earth, and prayer is alight, and charity is proof (of one's faith) and en-durance (patience) is a brightness and the HolyQur'an is a proof on your behalf or against you. Allmen go out early in the morning and sell themselves,thereby setting themselves free or destroying them-selves.(Muslim Bk 2- 0432)

(25) Virtues of one's daughters' brought upMalik reported Allah's Messenger (may peace beupon him) as saying: He, who brought up two girlsproperly till they grew up, he and I would come (to-gether) (very closely) on the Day of Resurrection,and he interlaced his fingers (for explaining the pointof nearness between him and that person).(Muslim 32/6364)

(26) One who looks after the orphan shall be to-gether in Paradise with prophet (pbh) Abu Huraira (RA) reported that Allah's Messenger(may peace be upon him) said: One who looks afterthe orphan whether he is his relative or not, I and hewould be together in Paradise like this, and Malik(explained it) with the gesture by drawing his indexfinger and middle finger close together. (Kitab Al-Zuhdwa Al-Rqqa'iq -Muslim 42/7108)

(27) Anyone performs the ablution, and then says:"I testify that there is no god but Allah"

Uqba b. 'Amir reported: â€¦..If anyone amongst youperforms the ablution, and then completes the ablu-tion well and then says: I testify that there is no godbut Allah and that Muhammad(pbh) is the servant ofAllah and His Messenger, the eight gates of Paradisewould be opened for him and he may enter bywhichever of them he wishes (Kitab Al-Tahara-Mus-lim 2/0451)

(28) One who visits the sickAbu Rabi' reported directly from Allah's Apostle(may peace be upon him) as saying: The one whovisits the sick is in fact like one who is in the fruitgarden of Paradise so long as he does not return.(Virtue Good Manners-Muslim 32/6227)

I humbly pray to Allah (SWT) grant all of us highestparadise Jana't Al-Firdous with prophet Mohammedpeace and blessings of Allah be on him Ameen

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Jawaharlal Nehruand the Capitalist Class, 1936

I By Prof. Bipan Chandra I

Nehru's commitment to socialism finds aclearer and sharper expression during 1933-36. In October 1933, he answered the ques-

tion "Whither India?" thus: "Surely to the greathuman goal of social and economic equality, to theending of all exploitation of nation by nation andclass by class, to national freedom within the frame-work of an international co-operative socialist worldfederation" He had some reservation regarding thecommunists; he was also critical of the Comintern'stactics. But he put his commitment in unequivocaland passionate words at Lucknow on April 20, 1936:"I am convinced that the only key to the solution ofthe world's problems and of India's problems lies insocialism ... I see no way of ending the poverty, thevast unemployment, the degradation, and the subjec-tion of the Indian people except through socialism."

The word 'capitalism', he said in October 1933,could "mean only one thing: the economic systemthat has developed since the industrial revolution.Capitalism means the developed system of produc-tion for profit based on private ownership of themeans of production." Similarly, socialism was seenas a radically different social system. It was not to bedefined "in a vague humanitarian way, but in the sci-entific, economic sense." It involved 'Vast and revo-lutionary changes in our political and socialstructure, the ending of vested interests in land andindustry" Socialism meant, he told his Lucknow au-dience, "the ending of private property, except in arestricted sense, and the replacement of the presentprofit system by a higher ideal of co-operative sys-tem." The political task was to remove the cloakused to hide the reality. Then it would be disclosedthat "some classes dominate the social order, and ex-ploit other classes", and the remedy would only lie"in the ending of that exploitation."

He wrote in 1936, political democracy was accept-able "only in the hope that this will lead to socialdemocracy", for "political democracy is only theway to the goal and is not the final objective". "coer-cion or pressure is necessary to bring about politicaland social change". In fact, the non-violent massmovements of India since 1919 had been precisely

such processes of coercion or pressure; they weremeant "to coerce

the other party". Even non-violent non-co-operationwas to be viewed not "as a negative and passivemethod", but "as an active, dynamic and forcefulmethod of enforcing the mass will".

Nehru began to argue for the integration of India'santi-imperialist struggle with Asia's struggle againstcolonialism and with the world struggle against capi-talism "for the emancipation of the oppressed.’ So-cialism in Europe and America and the nationalistmovements in Africa and Asia formed a single campagainst that of Fascism and imperialism.

The new ideological and political approach of Nehru— in particular, its distinct articulation in the Presi-dential Address at the Lucknow session of the Con-gress — frightened the Indian capitalist class. Whilethe dominant and far-sighted pro-Congress leader-ship of the class set out to take protective measuresto contain and confine Nehru, the more conservativeand anti-Congress sections decided to launch afrontal attack. The first shot was fired by A D Shroff,Vice-President of the Indian Merchant A Chamber ofBombay, on April 28, 1934.88 Three weeks later, onMay 18, 21 leading Bombay businessmen issuedwhat was described by the newspapers as the "Bom-bay Manifesto against Jawaharlal Nehru". All thesestatements received full publicity in the Press, andthey were often reproduced extensively or in full.The main burden of the critique of the 21 leadingbusinessmen was as follows: Nehru was spreadingthe idea that private property was immoral and it didnot, therefore, deserve protection by the State. Hewas thus advocating the "destructive and subversiveprogramme" of doing away with private propertyand thereby jeopardising "not only the institution ofprivate property but peaceful observance of religionand even personal safety".

(Abridged from the article published in the SpecialNumber August 1975 Economic and PoliticalWeekly)

Prof. Bipan Chandra Leaves a Legacy With thepassing away of renowned historian Prof.BipanChandra we have lost a great campaigner of freedomand secularism. He was a forth right exponent ofequality and socialism. We were fortunate to havehim address two Sadbhav Mission conventions andseek his advice. We shall miss him.


Progressive CapitalismI By Rohit Tripathi I

With Nehru’s 115th birth anniversary ap-proaching this coming month, I’ve beenthinking about how his ideas would have

evolved. These are mere conjectures with my ownbiases and limited understanding of this intellectualgiant. The most obvious question that emerges forme is whether Nehru would still draw a stark con-trast between capitalism and socialism given whathas transpired since he died in 1964. It is great tothink through this question given another articlefrom 1975 written in this bulletin analyzes Nehru’ssentiments from the early 1930s.

My own belief is that Nehru, the ever innovativethinker, would come up with a third way – a recon-ciliation between the efficiencies of capitalism andthe commitment to the greater common good at theheart of socialism.

I have more questions than answers. Is private prop-erty still a bad idea? Are enterprises today as ex-ploitative as they were? Have regulatory institutionsnot evolved to modulate enterprise behavior? Has abreed of progressive capitalists not evolved? Theseare just some questions that we could explore.

Let’s take them one by one, briefly.

Private property is a crucial idea. In the deepest spir-itual sense, modesty of means and material minimal-ity is the ultimate personal ideal. But mandating thisby law now is impossible. So many of us cherish ourhomes that we have built with our own hard work ina non-exploitative way. While we seek broader coop-eration, society has evolved to the point where a per-sonal space in the form of some kind of privateproperty is a must for dignified living. Thus, from acultural standpoint this idea cannot be a policy in-strument to achieve economic equality, which in it-self needs to be better defined.

Profit still remains the top priority of the vast major-ity of enterprises, if not all. The question is - at whatcost? Ideas like sustainability, employee welfare, so-cial responsibility are now commonplace. Some aregenuinely pursuing them and some are doing it morefor publicity reasons. In any event, there is a class ofentrepreneurs and business leaders believing in

stakeholder capitalism versus shareholder capitalism,which is fixated with just the profits a companymakes. And this brings me to the central point of theGandhian-Nehruvian evolution of capitalism -

stakeholder capitalism, where stakeholders like cus-tomers, employees, communities in which businessoperate, social and environmental consequences areall duly considered. Stakeholder capitalism is notcharity but responsible yet for-profit operation of abusiness. Regulatory agencies from departments ofthe environment to ministries of labor to unions cancreate checks and balances until this approach be-comes mainstream and its benefits to shareholdersself-evident.

Progressive capitalists emerge from the above para-digm. At the heart of their business operations is ahigher ideal than just the bottom line. The greatestchallenge that befalls progressives is not to antago-nize entrepreneurs and business leaders but to be-come partners with them so they also become betterstewards of society and the Earth. Nehru wouldn’t bevindictive towards successful leaders but seek theircooperation in creating a different realm for busi-nesses to operate in, where profits and people cannot only co-exist but thrive.

There will always be elements that will circumventrules and attempt to skew the system in their favor.Regulators and their governments need to stay ontop of their game to keep such forces in check. Butthis has to be more than a law enforcement outreach- good and responsible business leaders need to berecognized and made partners. If Greenpeace goesafter the polluters it should celebrate the sustainabil-ity efforts of other companies. The ganging up of bigbusiness against Nehru in the

1930s would have to be broken today. It can’t becompletely done away with but progressives need tocarve out a critical mass of business leaders on theirside.

In all of this one sociological question persists - whatsocial and individual outcomes can be expected bythe approach outlined above? In some sense, capital-ism operating in the stakeholder mode is no guaran-tee that economic “equality” would be achieved. Itjust means that less exploitative economic structureswill emerge and social well-being will acquiregreater importance. As a consequence, a progressiverights regime around health-care, education and


labor will emerge. While this doesn’t exactly matchincome equality but that’s perhaps not what Nehruwas fundamentally after. Recall his passion was tofight poverty, want and ignorance. Strong social wel-fare that guarantees health-care, education and fairemployment opportunities of a high quality would bemore important than ensuring everyone gets paid thesame. The question then moves into the realm of in-equality – an issue for subsequent article.

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Sadbhav Mission Meet-ings Held in USA

In last two weeks Sadbhav Mission organized 4significant events in USA – a presentation onSpirituality by Dr. A. Rahim Choudhary at the

University of Maryland on October 23, 2014, asession with youth on “Culture of Freedom” inGlenn Dale, MD on October 25, 2014, a luncheonmeeting on “Peace and Harmony” in Atlanta onNovember 1 and a meeting on “Grassroots Free-dom and Harmony” in Lake Jackson (Texas) onNovember 2.

The presentation on spirituality focused onthe central theme of the book, “A Road to SelfDiscovery”, Dr. A. Rahim Choudhary has justwritten. He delved into consciousness and eluci-dated the steps one undertakes in self inquiry – ob-servation, analysis, internalization andexperientialism. He demonstrated the equivalenceof spiritual evolution in physical dimension. Prof.S.M. Bhagat, Ms. Andra, Dr. Yazdani Siddiqui, Dr.Sabir Choudhary, and VKT made notable observa-tions.

The 4 hour session on Culture of Freedomat the residence of Dr. Rikhi Sharma began with anintroduction by VKT, followed by two revealingpresentations, one by Atul Sharma on Freedomfrom Thought and the other by Samerra Syed onFreedom of Women. Atul Showed how the thoughtoperates in the realm of the known, the past, anddistracts you by projecting the future. This obses-sion breeds insensitivity and curbs attentivity to-wards present. Culture of Freedom rests onliberating mind from the images of the past and fu-ture and the images of the self and those of others.Sameera brought out the agony of girls in a social

environment that curbs their movements, growthand creativity. A massive effort is needed tochange the attitude of people. However, charitymust always begin from home. Shabana, Farhanand Adnan Choudhary put forth dimensions ofmusic and science that promote culture of free-dom. Dr. Alif Manejwala, Dr. Zafar Iqbal, Dr.Rikhi Sharma, Mrs. Vidya Sharma and Mrs.Manju Tripathi made valuable interventions.

Atlanta meeting was a whole hearted effortby Shri Hasan Kamal. He stressed the need to lookbeyond the less significant labels of people. Lookat their realities of living. That should bring com-passion. V.K. Tripathi reviewed Sadbhav Missionactivities and put forth the challenges ahead beforethe masses. Attorney at Law Chandler Sharma, Mr.Syed Waseem, Dr. Shoeb, Prof. Wasi Siddiqui, Mr.Syed Qadir, Dr. Asif Taufiq made relevant obser-vations. US India Policy Institute members drewattention towards the need to enforce SachqarCommittee recommendations. The luncheon wasfollowed by very heartening discussions with Isha,Omer, Zohra, Mrs. Kamal and Mr. Kaushal Tri-pathi on freedom and education at the grassroots.Prof. Rafi Ahmad, Mrs. Lala Ahmad and Mr.Umar Farookh sent their messages and contribu-tions.

In Lake Jackson. Mr. Pradeep Jain and Dr.Manorama arranged the meeting in City Libraryhall. V.K. Tripathi began with the plight of vio-lence victims in Bodoland and Muzaffarnagar andposed the question of security of the masses in thecurrent scenario. He also elaborated on the workbeing done among the stone mine workers in Lalit-pur district, UP, on issues of their pension andhealth. Dr. Anupama Pant Dhodapkar spoke withfervor on both the issues and made valuable sug-gestions on protecting mine workers from TB andsilicosis. Dr. Sanjay Agarwal, Dr. Kattegummala,Mrs. Srijina Bindlish, Mrs. Manjiri Paradkar Mr.Rajen Patel, Mr. Mohan Punganur, Mr. Shrikant,Mr. Pant, Dr. Manorama and Dr. Ejaz Warsi de-bated put forth very meaningful suggestions. Mr.Pradeep Jain offered to support training/ coachingclasses for the less privileged youth for admissionto professional colleges.Friends’ Contributions: $ 2500 + $409 VKT airfare. Detailed budget will be given later.


I By Mumtaz Alam I

New Delhi, 09 Nov 2014: A Mumbai-basedyoung Muslim journalist is in Delhi thesedays desperately looking for favourable av-

enues for businesses for Muslims in the changed po-litical scenario. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s petslogan Sab ka Sath Sab ka Vikas has instilled hopein him that the current dispensation won’t discrimi-nate with the country’s largest minority even thoughhis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Muslimsmay have differences with each other on plethora ofissues.

Danish Reyaz, Editor of the multilingual Maeeshatwhich claims to be India’s first magazine focusingbusiness and economy of minorities, is of the viewthat citizens including Muslims must interact withthe rulers even though they carry political or what-ever differences with them because the governmentis for all citizens of the country.

Since BJP came to power at the centre in May thisyear, there has been new environment among busi-nesses, industries and corporate sector that the newgovernment has new ambitions and plans for them,says Reyaz while talking toIndiaTomorrow.net.“What should be opportunities for minorities in thenew environment? What should small businessmen

from minorities do in the changed atmosphere?,”asks Reyaz, Director of Maee-shat Media which brings outthe business magazine Maee-shat.

In an attempt to find out theanswers, hopeful Reyaz brim-ming with energy and zeal,has planned a summit, ratheran interaction between Mus-lim businessmen and econo-mists and the government.

“We want to play a bridge be-tween the government andpubic. We will discuss eco-nomic issues of minorities and

that is why we have invited eminent business expertsfrom the minority community,” he informs.

The business summit under the title of MinoritiesUnder New Business Environment: DevelopingSkills and Entrepreneurship is scheduled to be heldat India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi on21st November.

Eminent speakers of the event include Dr. ShariqNisar, Shariah business expert, Syed M Quaim, Ex-ecutive President, Imamia Chamber of Commerceand Industry, Mumbai, Khalid Ali, CMD, Multigain,UP, M.Z.Rahman, Director, Toss Finance Limited,Mumbai and Mufti Barkatullah, Shariah advisor, Is-lamic Bank of Britain.

The organizers have specially invited Zafar Saresh-wala, Prime Minister Modi’s close aide and CMD ofParsoli Corporation, Ahmedabad. Union Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu is also likely to attend the event.“Going beyond sloganeering, I am hopeful that thenew government at the centre will do somethinggenuine for the economic empowerment of minori-ties especially Muslims,” says Reyaz who has suc-cessfully organized five such minority businesssummits since 2009. The last one was held in Banga-lore in 2013.

Exploring economic opportunities forMuslims under Modi’s rule

Danish Reyaz (extreme left) at Maeeshat's Bangalore summit in 2013

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I By IndiaTomorrow.net I

New Delhi, 29 Oct 2014: Muslims constitutearound 14% of India’s population. However,their share of jail population has been far

more for last several years. The latest official reporton prison population, released today, reveals thatMuslims constitute 19% of prisoners in jails acrossthe country – 17.1% of convicts and 21% of under-trials.

As per Prison Statistics India – 2013 report preparedand released by National Crime Records Bureau, aconstituent of the Union Home Ministry, there were1,29,608 convicts in jails by the end of December2013. While 72% of them (93273) were Hindus,17.1% (22,145) were Muslims. Of 2,78,503 undertri-als, Hindus were 69% (1,92,202) and Muslims 21%(57,936).

In 2012 also, the religion-wise break-up was almostsame with Muslims 17.8% of convicts and 21.0% ofundertrials.

As for education of prisoners, more than 28% ofconvicts are illiterate while 43% below Class X.

They have about similar share among undertrials.

http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/prison-statis-tics-2013-muslims-continue-to-overpopulate-jails-in-india

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Prison Statistics 2013: Muslims continue to overpopulate jails in India

Muslims in India (Photo - AP)

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Profile of Prison Inmates in India - 2013

Religion & Caste Convicts % Undertrials % Others %

Total 1,29,608 2,78,503 768 Hindu 93,273 72.0% 1,92,202 69.0% 368 48.0% Muslims 22,145 17.1% 57,936 21.0% 392 51.0% Castes General 43,855 33.8% 99,748 35.8% OBC 41,446 32.0% 87,848 31.5% SC 29,130 22.5% 59,326 21.3% ST 15,177 11.7% 31,581 11.3% Source: Prison Statistics India - 2013

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As for education of prisoners, more than 28% of convicts are illiterate while 43% below Class X. They have about similar share among undertrials.

Education Convicts % Undertrials % Others

Total 1,29,608 2,78,503 768 Illiterate 36,507 28.2% 80,393 28.9% 357 Below Class X 55,746 43.0% 1,17,373 42.1% 344 Top states Uttar Pradesh 8,615 Madhya Pradesh 4,645 Punjab 2,489 Source: Prison Statistics India - 2013


I By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam I

1857 is a watershed in Indian history when withthe fall of Delhi, British sway was fully estab-lished all over India. Men of substance and vi-

sion like Sir Syed were quick to realise that the routhad come because the Indian side had fallen behindthe British in the realm of knowledge of all kinds,especially that of science and technology.

The forty-year old Sir Syed took it to heart and spent the rest 40 years of his life in relentless endeavour topromote education. The rest, as they say, is history.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (bornin 1888) came into the worldwhen Sir Syed was 70. A preco-cious child, Azad grew up to be-come a recognised scholar rightin his teens. In his writings, likeAzad ki Kahani, he acknowl-edges Sir Syed’s abiding influ-ence on his thought and life,particularly on his religious andphilosophical ideas.

Maulana Azad did not get a for-mal education, but was well-versed with the Quran, Hadithand canonical writings on thesesubjects, besides the long tradi-tion of Muslim philosophers andscientists. He also knew Westernthought, its literary, political andphilosophical heritage as well asa broad understanding of modernWestern sciences, technologies,art and culture. All this, put to-gether, made him a formidablylearned and erudite person. Asound grasp of Arabic, Persianand Urdu literature and Indianart and culture put a patina ofgreat cultural finish on his per-sonality.

No wonder, other learned men ofhis time like India’s first PrimeMinister Pandit JawaharlalNehru were highly impressedwith his scholarship. Nehru com-pared him with “the great men ofRenaissance, or, in a later period,of the Encyclopaedists who pre-

ceded the French Revolution, men of intellect, menof action.”

When freedom came, for which he had so valiantlyfought over the decades, he was chosen for even amore important role, that of leading India’s huge ef-fort to educate its people, 85 per cent of whom wereilliterate.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad as Educationist


The Right ChoiceWhen India got its freedom, the scholarly MaulanaAzad turned out to be the right choice to lead thenew Ministry of Education. In fact, he had taken thecharge of Minister of Education even before the for-mal Declaration of Independence on August 15,1947. He had taken over the Ministry of Educationin January 1947 in the Interim Government.

He had studied education as a discipline in his earlydays, and thus quickly got down to a further clarifi-cation of the issues involved before launching majorinitiatives. The widespread illiteracy militatedagainst India’s democratic aspirations. To understandthe value of freedom, tolerance and national devel-opment, education of the people was a necessarycondition.

He appointed a University Education Commission in1948, Kher Committee for Elementary Education thesame year, and Secondary Education Commission in1952-53. Soon he began restructuring the system ofeducation in India that would have far-reaching im-plications for the future of education in the country.

He was as much concerned about primary, secondaryand high school education as he was about universityeducation, engineering or medical education. Thequality of higher education always depended on thequality of feeder intuitions from where students wentup to the higher institutions. He wanted to give pro-fessional training to teachers as he believed the qual-ity of education largely depended on the quality ofteachers.

Till then education was the prerogative of a handfulof people. Class and caste decided who would geteducation and who would not. Azad wanted to breakthis pattern and he went in for universalisation of ed-ucation up to secondary school. He also pushed foradult education and women’s education.

He laid down a three-language formula in which thelanguage of a given state and Hindi would be themedium of education, with English as an additional,but important, language. He was an advocate of edu-cation in mother tongue as education through onlyEnglish language gave people an unnatural cast ofmind. Such education only fulfilled Macaulay’s ob-jective of producing Indians with brown skin andEnglish way of looking at India and Indians, thusbeing the slaves of the British Empire who lookedwith contempt at their own countrymen.

Maulana Azad remained Union Minister of Educa-tion till his death in 1958. In the meanwhile, a largenetwork of teachers training colleges had developedall over India, producing teachers who were betterqualified professionally to discharge their duties.Within his lifetime the country witnessed a dramaticincrease in the number of schools, trained teachersand school graduates.

He was equally active on the front of university andhigher technical education. His goal was to makeIndia the hub of higher education where people fromother countries would come to get higher degrees.He laid the foundation of world-class technical edu-cation by starting IIT Kharagpur in 1951.

He restructured the All India Committee for Techni-cal Education and established the University GrantsCommission, the Indian Council for Cultural Rela-tions, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research,Indian Council for Social Sciences Research, the In-dian Institute of Science, the National Institute ofBasic Education, Central Bureau of Textbook Re-search and the National Board of Audio-visual Edu-cation.

In the early years, only one percent of the Unionbudget was allocated for education. Maulana Azadwanted ten percent. The prime minister was support-ive of him, but the resources were meager. MaulanaAzad believed that education was more importantthan other issues. In the first budget the EducationMinistry got only Rs. 2 crore, but in later years itwas increased to Rs. 35 crore.

A great lover of Indian art and culture, he establishedHindi Shiksha Samiti, Sangeet Natak Akademi, LalitKala Akademi and Sahitya Akademi. The system ofeducation which we have today was largely built byhim. Even the Right to Education Act is based onsome of his seminal ideas. A grateful nation cele-brates his birthday (November 11) every year as Ed-ucation Day.

________________________________________* The article is being published in the special editionof journal dedicated to Maulana Abul Kalam Azadon the occasion of National Education Day broughtout by Maulana Azad University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

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bakhabar, december 2014

Documents

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