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EDITALK

Let us be True Followers

ccording to most Muslim historians Prophet Mohammed ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص was born on April 20, 571 AD. Some write 9th Rabi-ul-awwal and some write 12th in 3rd

month of Islamic calendar. According to the authentic traditions Prophet Mohammed ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص himself has said that he was born on Monday. He regularly fasted on every Monday and Thursday and said ―I fast on every Monday to thank Allah for my birth on this day‖. This was the practice of his companions, Taba-een, Taba Taba-een and all his followers for about 3 centuries. During the reign of a Muslim ruler, about 3 centuries after the demise of Prophet Mohammed when the Muslims witnessed the Christians ,ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصcelebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ (AS) on a grand scale, they thought that since Prophet Mohammed ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص is greater than Jesus Christ (AS) so Muslims should celebrate his birthday in the most magnificent way. Since then Muslims started grand celebration of his birthday once a year by taking out grand processions, by illuminating mosques, and by arranging Meeladun-Nabi programmes.

With the passage of time these celebrations have become more and more worldly and are devoid of spirituality, sincerity and true love for Prophet Mohammed In Meeladunabi programmes recitations of naat in .ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصwhich, sometimes, praise of Prophet Mohammed ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص exceeds Allah‘s praise, powerful sermons on the holy life of our Prophet Mohammed ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص, Naat competitions and bida-a (Innovations) are the common features. All praises for Prophet Mohammed ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص are on lips but Muslims are his poor followers. Tradition of Prophet Mohammed ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص are zealously narrated and heard but poorly followed in real life. The most common bida-a‟t being standing during reciting salaam, covering heads, kissing fingers on hearing his name, removing footwear, fuming the place with incense by assuming the arrival of spirit of Prophet

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Mohammed ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص in the Meeladun-Nabi gatherings along with the Angels of Allah.

Practical example Our Prophet‘sملسو هيلع هللا ىلص life was a practical example of the

holy Qur‘an. He was the true benefactor of humanity. Every moment of his life was spent in pleasing Allah. He was an embodiment of truthfulness, spotless honesty, absolute sincerity, absolute trustworthiness and noble virtues in all walks of life and in every sphere of human activity. He was human to the marrow of his bones. Human sympathy, human love was the music of his soul. To serve man, to elevate man, to purify man, to educate man, in a word, to humanize man - this was the object of his mission, the be-all and end-all of his life. In thought, in word, in action he had the good of humanity as his sole inspiration, his sole guiding principle. But, as his followers, what are we doing now? Islam is the true and best religion and we are the worst followers. We have misrepresented Islam and have distorted its image, so we are paying heavy price for it – in today‘s world we Muslims are the most hated people on the earth. We have become the slaves of shaitan (devil) and nafs (carnal desires). We are just proud that we are Muslims but practically we are leading animalistic life. Lying, dishonesty, insincerity, dirt, distrust and evil deeds have become part of our life. As a result we are tortured, victimized, burnt alive, humiliated and most hated. As true followers of the Prophet of Mercyملسو هيلع هللا ىلص it is in cumbent on us to follow his exemplary life to achieve peace in this world and salvation in the here-after. Otherwise we will be crumpled into pieces by the non-Muslim forces, by the will of Allah - as a wrath from Him.

If we are true followers of Prophet Mohammed , ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصthen let us celebrate his birthday in the same way as he did. Let us fast every Monday, send blessings of Allah on him (Darood), become practicing Muslims and pray Allah to bestow His blessings on us and peace in this world and salvation in the here-after. [Dr. ROKHIYA JAFERI SIDDIQUE -email]

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UNDERSTANDING THE QURAN

The Eighty-Eighth Surah

Al-Ghashiyah (The

Overshadowing Event) [Mecca Period]

س و ر س او ر اشۃ ر ۃ ر کۃ ی ۃ

ل من الريحی ل اللہ الريح ب سيۃ اك ث کي حيدیىايت ہيل ياش ی و ﴾۱﴿ غ ہو نج

عيۃو ی يو ياش ﴿ ميئ ذى خ ﴿ ن ياصی يۃو غيامليۃو ﴾۲ تي ﴾۳ يۃه لی ن يارها خيامی ﴿ تس ﴾۴ تی من ب سي ليہم ليی ﴾۵﴿ ان ی يۃى مى عيی ق

﴿ عى ض يزی اليا من طيعيالو ن ی ال غ من ني ليا ب س ﴾۶ و من و ن ﴾۷﴿ عى ج ﴿ ميئ ذى ن ياعميۃو ی يو ہو ج ۸﴾ ی يۃو ی ہيا لسيع ﴿ رياص يی يۃى ق ی ﴾۹ تيس ﴾۱۰﴿ غيالی يۃى ج ميع ليا بيارن يۃو ہيا عيی ق ی ﴾۱۱ ﴿ الغ ی يۃه ہيا ق ی ہيا سزرو ق ی ﴾۱۲﴿ مو خ

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و نيابو ميو اي ني ﴾۱۳﴿ غيۃو ف و ميز ی يميارق ني ﴾۱۴﴿ غيۃو ض ايف يال ﴾۱۶ ﴿ ن يۃو ی و ميب زيريان ی ني ﴾۱۵﴿ ف يۃو ف و مي زن ی ين يت اب ل کيی اليی اك مي ظ لقت اليی ني ﴾۱۷﴿ في خ

ياك کيی اليی اك ني ﴾۱۸﴿ في رف عيت السيمياء کيی ی في ج ﴾۲۰﴿ في شطحيت ض کيی اير اليی اك ني ﴾۱۹﴿ ن صب يتيذيکر تي ليس ﴾۲۱ ﴿ تي مذيکرو ايم ای يميا ف تيويلی مين اليا ﴾۲۲﴿ ظزى یي ی ہم عيليی کيف يزي ني یہ ﴾۲۳﴿ امي ﴾۲۴ ﴿ ب يري اي عيذيابي اك اك اللہ ف يی عيذب ا اليی ﴾۲۶٪﴿ ن يا حسيای يہم عيليی امي ث مي ﴾۲۵﴿ ان يای يہم ن ي

EVEALED most probably about the middle of the Mecca period, this surah derives its title from the participial noun al-ghashiyah in the

first verse.

In The Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace:

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(1) HAS THERE COME unto thee the tiding of the

Overshadowing Event?' (2) Some faces will on that Day be downcast, (3) toiling [under burdens of sin], worn out [by

fear], (4) about to enter a glowing fire, (5) given to drink from a boiling spring. (6) No food for them save the bitterness of dry

thorns, (7) which gives no strength and neither stills

hunger. (8) [And] some faces will on that Day shine with

bliss, (9) well-pleased with [the fruit of] their striving, (10) in a garden sublime, (11) wherein thou wilt hear no empty talk. (12) Countless springs will flow therein, (13) [and] there will be thrones [of happiness]

raised high, (14) and goblets placed ready, (15) and cushions ranged, (16) and carpets spread out... (17) DO, THEN, they [who deny resurrection]

never gaze at the clouds pregnant with water, [and observe] how they are created? (18) And at the sky, how it is raised aloft? (19) And at the mountains, how firmly they are

reared? (20) And at the earth, how it is spread out? (21) And so, [O Prophet,] exhort them; thy task is

only to exhort: (22) thou canst not compel them [to believe]. (23) However, as for him who turns away, being

bent on denying the truth,

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(24) him will God cause to suffer the greatest suffering [in the life to come]:

(25) for behold, unto Us will be their return, (26) and verily, It is for Us to call them to account.

PEARLS FROM THE PROPHET ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص

Sayings of the Blessed Prophet of Mercy ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص

Muslim Shareef : Chapter 13 : CONCERNING THE BRANCHES OF IMAN

Book 1, Number 0055: It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that

the Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: Iman has over seventy branches, and modesty is a branch of Iman.

Book 1, Number 0056: It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that

the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) said: Faith has over seventy branches or over sixty branches, the most excellent of which is the declaration that there is no god but Allah, and the humblest of which is the, removal of what is injurious from the path: and modesty is the branch of faith.

Book 1, Number 0057: Salim reported on the authority of his father that

the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) heard a man instructing his brother about modesty. Upon this the Prophet remarked: Modesty is an ingredient of Iman (faith).

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Book 1, Number 0058: Zuhri has narrated this hadith with the addition

of these words: He (the Holy Prophet) happened to pass by a mass of Ansar who was instructing his brother (about modesty).

Book 1, Number 0059: It is narrated on the authority of 'Imran b. Husain

that the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) said: Modesty brings forth nothing but goodness. Bushair b. Ka'b said: It is recorded in the books of wisdom, there lies sobriety in it and calmness of mind in it, Imran said: I am narrating to you the tradition of the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) and you talk of your books.

Book 1, Number 0060: It is narrated on the authority of Qatada. We were

sitting with 'Imran b. Husain in a company and Bushair ibn Ka'b was also amongst us. 'Imran narrated to us that on a certain occasion the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) said: Modesty is a virtue through and through, or said: Modesty is a goodness complete. Upon this Bushair ibn Ka'b said: Verily we find in certain books or books of (wisdom) that it is God-inspired peace of mind or sobriety for the sake of Allah and there is also a weakness in it. Imran was so much enraged that his eyes became red and he said: I am narrating to you the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and you are contradicting it. He (the narrator) said: Imran reported the hadith, He (the narrator) said: Bushair repeated,(the same thing). Imran was enraged. He (the narrator) said: We asserted: Verily Bushair is one amongst us. Abu Nujaid ! There is nothing wrong, with him (Bushair).

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Book 1, Number 0061: Ishaq b. Ibrahim narrates this hadith of the Holy

Prophet on the authority of Imran b. Husain, like the one narrated by Hammad b. Zaid

SEERAT-E-TAYYIBAHملسو هيلع هللا ىلص

The Prophet of Islam ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص - His Biography … [1]

The Prophet Muhammad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص [was instructed to call this] religion "Islam," i.e. submission to the will of God, writes DR. MUHAMMAD HAMIDULLAH

Prelude n the annals of men, individuals have not been lacking who conspicuously devoted their lives to the socio-religious reform of their connected

peoples. We find them in every epoch and in all lands. In India, there lived those who transmitted to the world the Vedas, and there was also the great Gautama Buddha; China had its Confucius; the Avesta was produced in Iran. Babylonia gave to the world one of the greatest reformers, the Prophet Abraham (not to speak of such of his ancestors as Enoch and Noah about whom we have very scanty information). The Jewish people may rightly be proud of a long series of reformers: Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, and Jesus among others.

Two points to be noted: Firstly these reformers claimed in general to be the bearers each of a Divine mission, and they left behind them sacred books incorporating codes of life for the guidance of their peoples. Secondly there followed fratricidal wars, and

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massacres and genocides became the order of the day, causing more or less a complete loss of these Divine messages. As to the books of Abraham, we know them only by the name; and as for the books of Moses, records tell us how they were repeatedly destroyed and only partly restored.

Concept of God If one should judge from the relics of the past

already brought to light of the homo sapiens, one finds that man has always been conscious of the existence of a Supreme Being, the Master and Creator of all. Methods and approaches may have differed, but the people of every epoch have left proofs of their attempts to obey God. Communication with the Omnipresent yet invisible God has also been recognized as possible in connection with a small fraction of men with noble and exalted spirits. Whether this communication assumed the nature of an incarnation of the Divinity or simply resolved itself into a medium of reception of Divine messages (through inspiration or revelation), the purpose in each case was the guidance of the people. It was but natural that the interpretations and explanations of certain systems should have proved more vital and convincing than others.

Every system of metaphysical thought develops its own terminology. In the course of time terms acquire a significance hardly contained in the word and translations fall short of their purpose. Yet there is no other method to make people of one group understand the thoughts of another. Non-Muslim readers in particular are requested to bear in mind this aspect which is a real yet unavoidable handicap.

By the end of the 6th century, after the birth of Jesus Christ, men had already made great progress in

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diverse walks of life. At that time there were some religions which openly proclaimed that they were reserved for definite races and groups of men only, of course they bore no remedy for the ills of humanity at large. There were also a few which claimed universality, but declared that the salvation of man lay in the renunciation of the world. These were the religions for the elite, and catered for an extremely limited number of men. We need not speak of regions where there existed no religion at all, where atheism and materialism reigned supreme, where the thought was solely of occupying one self with one's own pleasures, without any regard or consideration for the rights of others.

Arabia

A perusal of the map of the major hemisphere (from the point of view of the proportion of land to sea), shows the Arabian Peninsula lying at the confluence of the three great continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. At the time in question. this extensive Arabian subcontinent composed mostly of desert areas was inhabited by people of settled habitations as well as nomads. Often it was found that members of the same tribe were divided into these two groups, and that they preserved a relationship although following different modes of life. The means of subsistence in Arabia were meager. The desert had its handicaps, and trade caravans were features of greater importance than either agriculture or industry. This entailed much travel, and men had to proceed beyond the peninsula to Syria, Egypt, Abyssinia, Iraq, Sind, India and other lands.

We do not know much about the Libyanites of Central Arabia, but Yemen was rightly called Arabia Felix. Having once been the seat of the flourishing civilizations of Sheba and Ma'in even before the

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foundation of the city of Rome had been laid, and having later snatched from the Byzantians and Persians several provinces, greater Yemen which had passed through the hey-day of its existence, was however at this time broken up into innumerable principalities, and even occupied in part by foreign invaders. The Sassanians of Iran, who had penetrated into Yemen had already obtained possession of Eastern Arabia. There was politico-social chaos at the capital (Mada'in=Ctesiphon), and this found reflection in all her territories. Northern Arabia had succumbed to Byzantine influences.Only Central Arabia remained immune from occupation.

In this limited area of Central Arabia, the existence of the triangle of Mecca-Ta'if-Madinah seemed something providential. Mecca, desertic, deprived of water and the amenities of agriculture in physical features represented Africa and the burning Sahara. Scarcely fifty miles from there, Ta'if presented a picture of Europe and its frost. Madinah in the North was not less fertile than even the most temperate of Asiatic countries like Syria. If climate has any influence on human character, this triangle standing in the middle of the major hemisphere was, more than any other region of the earth, a miniature reproduction of the entire world. And here was born a descendant of the Babylonian Abraham, and the Egyptian Hagar, Muhammad the Prophet of Islamملسو هيلع هللا ىلص , a Meccan by origin and yet with stock related, both to Madinah and Ta'if.

Religion From the point of view of religion, Arabia was

idolatrous; only a few individuals had embraced religions like Christianity, Mazdaism, etc. The Meccans did possess the notion of the One God, but they believed also that idols had the power to

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intercede with Him. Curiously enough, they did not believe in the Resurrection and Afterlife. They had preserved the rite of the pilgrimage to the House of the One God, the Ka'bah, an institution set up under divine inspiration by their ancestor Abraham, yet the two thousand years that separated them from Abraham had caused to degenerate this pilgrimage into the spectacle of a commercial fair and an occasion of senseless idolatry which far from producing any good, only served to ruin their individual behavior, both social and spiritual.

Society In spite of the comparative poverty in natural

resources, Mecca was the most developed of the three points of the triangle. Of the three, Mecca alone had a city-state, governed by a council of ten hereditary chiefs who enjoyed a clear division of power. (There was a minister of foreign relations, a minister guardian of the temple, a minister of oracles, a minister guardian of offerings to the temple, one to determine the torts and the damages payable, another in charge of the municipal council or parliament to enforce the decisions of the ministries. There were also ministers in charge of military affairs like custodianship of the flag, leadership of the cavalry etc.). As well reputed caravan-leaders, the Meccans were able to obtain permission from neighbouring empires like Iran, Byzantium and Abyssinia - and to enter into agreements with the tribes that lined the routes traversed by the caravans - to visit their countries and transact import and export business. They also provided escorts to foreigners when they passed through their country. Although not interested much in the preservation of ideas and records in writing, they passionately cultivated arts and letters like poetry, oratory discourses and folk tales. Women

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were generally well treated, they enjoyed the privilege of possessing property in their own right, they gave their consent to marriage contracts, in which they could even add the condition of reserving their right to divorce their husbands. They could remarry when widowed or divorced. Burying girls alive did exist in certain classes, but that was rare. ...(Contd.)

HAYAT-E-SAHABAH

The First Caliph, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (632-634 A.C.)

"If I were to take a friend other than my Lord, I would take Abu Bakr as a friend." (Hadeeth)

he Prophet'sملسو هيلع هللا ىلص closest Companion, Abu Bakr , was not present when the Holy Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص breathed his last in the apartment of his

beloved wife of later years, Aisha , Abu Bakr's daughter. When he came to know of the Prophet'sملسو هيلع هللا ىلص passing, Abu Bakr hurried to the house of sorrow.

"How blessed was your life and how beatific is your death," he whispered as he kissed the cheek of his beloved friend and master who now was no more.

When Abu Bakr came out of the Prophet's ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصapartment and broke the news, disbelief and dismay gripped the community of Muslims in Medina. Muhammad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص had been the leader, the guide and the bearer of Divine revelation through whom they had been brought from idolatry and barbarism into the way of God. How could he die? Even Umar , one of the bravest and strongest of the Prophet's ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصCompanions, lost his composure and drew his sword and threatened to kill anyone who said that the

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Prophetملسو هيلع هللا ىلص was dead. Abu Bakr gently pushed him aside, ascended the steps of the lectern in the mosque and addressed the people, saying

"O people, verily whoever worshipped Muhammad behold! Muhammad , ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص is indeed ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصdead. But whoever worships God, behold! God is alive and will never die."

And then he concluded with a verse from the Qur'an:

"And Muhammad is but a Messenger. Many ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصMessengers have gone before him; if then he dies or is killed, will you turn back upon your heels?" [3:144]

On hearing these words, the people were consoled. Despondency gave place to confidence and tranquility. This critical moment had passed. But the Muslim community was now faced with an extremely serious problem: that of choosing a leader. After some discussion among the Companions of the Prophetملسو هيلع هللا ىلص who had assembled in order to select a leader, it became apparent that no one was better suited for this responsibility than Abu Bakr .

Abu Bakr's Life Abu Bakr ('The Owner of Camels') was not his

real name. He acquired this name later in life because of his great interest in raising camels. His real name was Abdul Ka'aba ('Slave of Ka'aba'), which Muhammad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص later changed to Abdullah ('Slave of God'). The Prophet also gave him the title of ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص'Siddiq' - 'The Testifier to the Truth.'

Abu Bakr was a fairly wealthy merchant, and before he embraced Islam, was a respected citizen of Mecca. He was three years younger than Muhammad and some natural affinity drew them together from ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصearliest child hood. He remained the closest Companion of the Prophet all through the ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصProphet's life. When Muhammad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص first invited ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص

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his closest friends and relatives to Islam, Abu Bakr was among the earliest to accept it. He also persuaded Uthman and Bilal to accept Islam. In the early days of the Prophet's mission, when the handful of ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصMuslims were subjected to relentless persecution and torture, Abu Bakr bore his full share of hardship. Finally when God's permission came to emigrate from Mecca, he was the one chosen by the Prophet to ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصaccompany him on the dangerous journey to Medina. In the numerous battles which took place during the life of the Prophetملسو هيلع هللا ىلص , Abu Bakr was always by his side. Once, he brought all his belongings to the Prophetملسو هيلع هللا ىلص , who was raising money for the defense of Medina. The Prophetملسو هيلع هللا ىلص asked "Abu Bakr , what did you leave for your family?" The reply came: "God and His Prophetملسو هيلع هللا ىلص ."

Even before Islam, Abu Bakr was known to be a man of upright character and amiable and compassionate nature. All through his life he was sensitive to human suffering and kind to the poor and helpless. Even though he was wealthy, he lived very simply and spent his money for charity, for freeing slaves and for the cause of Islam. He often spent part of the night in supplication and prayer. He shared with his family a cheerful and affectionate home life.

Abu-Bakr's Caliphate Such, then, was the man upon whom the burden

of leadership fell at the most sensitive period in the history of the Muslims.

As the news of the Prophet's death spread, a ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصnumber of tribes rebelled and refused to pay Zakat (poor-due), saying that this was due only to the Prophetملسو هيلع هللا ىلص . At the same time a number of impostors claimed that the prophethood had passed to them after Muhammadملسو هيلع هللا ىلص and they raised the standard of revolt. To add to all this, two powerful empires, the

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Eastern Roman and the Persian, also threatened the new-born Islamic state at Medina.

Under these circumstances, many Companions of the Prophetملسو هيلع هللا ىلص , including Umar , advised Abu Bakr to make concessions to the Zakat evaders, at least for a time. The new Caliph disagreed. He insisted that the Divine Law cannot be divided, that there is no distinction between the obligations of Zakat and Salat (prayer), and that any compromise with the injunctions of God would eventually erode the foundations of Islam. Umar and others were quick to realize their error of judgment. The revolting tribes attacked Medina but the Muslims were prepared. Abu Bakr himself led the charge, forcing them to retreat. He then made a relentless war on the false claimants to prophethood, most of whom submitted and again professed lslam.

The threat from the Roman Empire The threat from the Roman Empire had actually

arisen earlier, during the Prophet's lifetime. The ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصProphet had organized an army under the ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصcommand of Usama , the son of a freed slave. The army had not gone far when the Prophetملسو هيلع هللا ىلص had fallen ill so they stopped. After the death of the Prophetملسو هيلع هللا ىلص the question was raised whether the army should be sent again or should remain for the defence of Medina. Again Abu Bakr showed a firm determination. He said, "I shall send Usama's army on its way as ordered by the Prophetملسو هيلع هللا ىلص , even if I am left alone."

The final instructions he gave to Usama

prescribed a code of conduct in war which remains unsurpassed to this day. Part of his instructions to the Muslim army were:

"Do not be deserters, nor be guilty of disobedience. Do not kill an old man, a woman or a

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child. Do not injure date palms and do not cut down fruit trees. Do not slaughter any sheep or cows or camels except for food. You will encounter persons who spend their lives in monasteries. Leave them alone and do not molest them."

Khalid bin Waleed had been chosen by the Prophet on several occasions to lead Muslim ملسو هيلع هللا ىلصarmies. A man of supreme courage and a born leader, his military genius came to full flower during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr . Throughout Abu Bakr's reign Khalid led his troops from one victory to another against the attacking Romans.

Another contribution of Abu Bakr to the cause of Islam was the collection and compilation of the verses of the Qur'an.

Abu Bakr died on 21 Jamadi-al Akhir, 13 A.H. (23 August 634 A.C.), at the age of sixty-three, and was buried by the side of the Holy Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص. His caliphate had been of a mere twenty-seven months duration. In this brief span, however, Abu Bakr had managed, by the Grace of Allah, to strengthen and consolidate his community and the state, and to secure the Muslims against the perils which had threatened their existence.

The QURAN says :

VERILY, all this is an admonition: whoever, then, so wills, may unto his Sustainer find a way. But you cannot will it unless God wills [to show you that way]: for, behold, God is indeed all-seeing, wise. He admits unto His grace everyone who wills [to be admitted]; but as for the evildoers - for them has He readied grievous suffering [in the life to come]. (76:29-31)

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HISTORY OF ISLAM A PAGE FROM THE MUSLIM HISTORY

Islam in Various Countries Islam in the United States

It is almost impossible to generalize about American Muslims: converts, immigrants, factory workers, doctors; all are making their own contribution to America's future. This complex community is unified by a common faith, underpinned by a countrywide network of a thousand mosques.

Muslims were early arrivals in North America. By the eighteenth century there were many thousands of them, working as slaves on plantations. These early communities, cut off from their heritage and families, inevitably lost their Islamic identity as time went by. Today many Afro-American Muslims play an important role in the Islamic community.

The nineteenth century, however, saw the beginnings of an influx of Arab Muslims, most of whom settled in the major industrial centers where they worshipped in hired rooms. The early twentieth century witnessed the arrival of several hundred thousand Muslims from Eastem Europe: the first Albanian mosque was opened in Maine in 1915; others

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soon followed, and a group of Polish Muslims opened a mosque in Brooklyn in 1928.

In 1947 the Washington Islamic Center was founded during the term of President Truman, and several nationwide organizations were set up in the fifties. The same period saw the establishment of other communities whose lives were in many ways modelled after Islam. More recently, numerous members of these groups have entered the fold of Muslim orthodoxy. Today there are about five million Muslims in America.

Aftermath of the Colonial Period At the height of European colonial expansion in

the 19th century, most of the Islamic world was under colonial rule with the exception of a few regions such as the heart of the Ottoman empire, Persia, Afghanistan, Yemen and certain parts of Arabia. But even these areas were under foreign influence or, in the case of the Ottomans, under constant threat. After the First World War with the breakup of the Ottoman empire, a number of Arab states such as Iraq became independent, others like Jordan were created as a new entity and yet others like Palestine, Syria and Lebanon were either mandated or turned into French colonies. As for Arabia, it was at this time that Saudi Arabia became finally consolidated. As for other parts of the Islamic world, Egypt which had been ruled by the descendents of Muhammad Ali since the l9th century became more independent as a result of the fall of the Ottomans, Turkey was turned into a secular republic by Ataturk, and the Pahlavi dynasty began a new chapter in Persia where its name reverted to its eastern traditional form of Iran. But most of the rest of the Islamic world remained under colonial rule.

Arab

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It was only after the Second World War and the dismemberment of the British, French, Dutch and Spanish empires that the rest of the Islamic world gained its independence. In the Arab world, Syria and Lebanon became independent at the end of the war as did Libya and the shaykdoms around the Gulf and the Arabian Sea by the 1960's. The North African countries of Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria had to fight a difficult and, in the case of Algeria, long and protracted war to gain their freedom which did not come until a decade later for Tunisia and Morocco and two decades later for Algeria. Only Palestine did not become independent but was partitioned in 1948 with the establishment of the state of Israel.

India In India Muslims participated in the freedom

movement against British rule along with Hindus and when independence finally came in 1947, they were able to create their own homeland, Pakistan, which came into being for the sake of Islam and became the most populated Muslim state although many Muslims remained in India. In 1971, however, the two parts of the state broke up, East Pakistan becoming Bengladesh.

Far East Farther east still, the Indonesians finally gained

their independence from the Dutch and the Malays theirs from Britain. At first Singapore was part of Malaysia but it separated in 1963 to become an independent state. Small colonies still persisted in the area and continued to seek their independence, the kingdom of Brunei becoming independent as recently as 1984.

Africa

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In Africa also major countries with large or majority Muslim populations such as Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania began to gain their independence in the 1950's and 1960's with the result that by the end of the decade of the 60's most parts of the Islamic world were formed into independent national states. There were, however, exceptions. The Muslim states in the Soviet Union failed to gain their autonomy or independence. The same holds true for Sinkiang (called Eastem Turkestan by Muslim geographers) while in Eritrea and the southern Philippines Muslim independence movements still continue.

National States While the world of Islam has entered into the

modern world in the form of national states, continuous attempts are made to create closer cooperation within the Islamic world as a whole and to bring about greater unity. This is seen not only in the meetings of the Muslim heads of state and the establishment of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) with its own secretariat, but also in the creation of institutions dealing with the whole of the Islamic world. Among the most important of these is the Muslim World League (Rabitat al-alam al-Islami ) with its headquarters in Makkah. Saudi Arabia has in fact played a pivotal role in the creation and maintenance of such organizations. [to be concluded]

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The SCIENTIFIC COLLAPSE of the THEORY OF EVOLUTION

Despite all the researches conducted and all the expenditures made in the last 150 years, no evidence to support the theory of evolution has yet been uncovered, writes HARUN YAHYA

hen the theory of evolution was first advanced by Charles Darwin in the middle of the 19th century, it was not taken so

seriously. The ideological meaning of the theory, however, caused it to become wide-spread in a short time. This ideological meaning lied with the theory of evolution coming forth as an alternative to the belief of creation, which constitutes the essence of all divine religions. Atheist, materialist and positivist movements immediately claimed ownership of Darwin's theory and began to use it as a propaganda tool against the religious beliefs. It was discovered in

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the 20th century that the theory is in fact a complete fallacy and is not based on any scientific evidence. The evolutionist propaganda, however, did not cease.

The Birth Of Darwinism Darwinism originated with the book of Charles

Darwin, an amateur biologist, titled The Origin of Species published in 1859. In this book, which he defined as a "long argument", Darwin argued that all living species have a common ancestor and they evolved from one another by means of natural selection.

Darwin argued that, by natural selection, only the individuals that adapted to the habitat in the best way transferred their qualities to subsequent generations. These advantageous qualities accumulated in time and transformed the individual into a species totally different from its ancestors. Man was the most developed outcome of this mechanism. Darwin thought he had found the "origin of species": the origin of one species was another species.

However, Darwin was unaware of the science of genetics when he advanced his theory.

While the echoes of Darwin's book reverberated, an Austrian botanist by the name of Mendel discovered the laws of inheritance in 1865. Not much heard of until the end of the century, Mendel's discovery gained great importance in the early 1900s. In the first quarter of the 20th century, the structure of the genes and the chromosomes was discovered.

These developments were in fact refuting Darwin's "long argument". Nevertheless, those who were determined to follow Darwin somehow revised the theory of evolution, which fell out of favor because of the science of genetics. Consequently "The Modern Synthetic Evolution Theory" was put forward in 1940. According to this theory, the cause of the variations in

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Darwin's theory, in other words, the power that supposedly caused living organisms to evolve, was "mutations".

This neo-Darwinism, however, was not enough to save the theory of evolution. Each development in genetics dealt new blows to Darwinism and neo-Darwinism. The discovery, in the 1950s, of the structure of the DNA molecule that incorporates genetic information threw the theory into a great crisis.

Imaginary Mechanisms of Evolution The Neo-Darwinist model argues that the origin of

evolutionary modifications are random mutations that take place in the genetic structure of living beings. The traits brought about by the favorable mutations are selected by the mechanism of natural selection and therefore the living things evolve. According to this model, as a result of the accumulation of the beneficial features which bring advantages to the living being in its habitat, these modifications, after a while, take such a form that they can even cause the being to change in species. The living being that undergoes evolution "promotes" from a certain species to a more advanced species.

Therefore, the neo-Darwinist approach, which we shall take as the "mainstream" theory of evolution today, puts forward two basic mechanisms to explain how living beings evolved: "natural selection" and "mutation". Either mechanism, however, has the capacity to make a living being evolve into another being.

Does Natural Selection Have Evo. Power? According to the theory of evolution, the magical

mechanism that formed the first living beings, that brought together the first single-celled organisms, that taught the eye to see, that developed organs such as hand, foot, ear and kidney, that inspires birds to

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migrate to thousands of kilometers away every year is natural selection. It is absolutely impossible for a mechanism such as natural selection that lacks consciousness and wisdom to accomplish all these things. On the other hand, it is also scientifically established that natural selection does not have the power to cause living beings to evolve and to equip them with new features.

Natural selection holds that those living beings that are stronger and more suited to the natural conditions of their habitats will prevail. For example, in a zebra herd under the threat of lions, naturally those that can run faster will survive. But survival of fast running zebras will not transform these zebras into another living species, for example into horses. Natural selection only selects out the disfigured, weak, or unfit individuals of a species. It cannot produce new species, new genetic information, or new organs.

Stephen Jay Gould, Harvard paleontologist and a world-wide famous evolutionist, refers to this deadlock of natural selection as follows;

The essence of Darwinism lies in a single phrase: natural selection is the creative force of evolutionary change. No one denies that natural selection will play a negative role in eliminating the unfit. Darwinian theories require that it create the fit as well.1

However there has not been a single shred of evidence observed showing that natural selection causes living beings to evolve. Colin Patterson, a British paleontologist, who is also a prominent evolutionist by the way, acknowledges this fact as follows:

No one has ever produced a species by mechanisms of natural selection. No one has ever got near it and most of the current argument in neo-Darwinism is about this question.2

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Why Can't Mutations Cause ….. To Evolve? We have stated above that the neo-Darwinist theory

presented natural selection and mutation as two complementary mechanisms. After examining the invalidity of the first part of this bilateral mechanism, that is natural selection, we can now examine mutations.

Mutations are defined as breaks or replacements taking place in the genetic information. They affect the DNA molecule, which is found in the nucleus of the cell, and modify its structure.

When the structure of DNA is studied, it is clearly understood that random effects can only cause harm to such a complex mechanism. Consequently, mutations do not have the ability to cause a living being to make progress by evolving. Researchers expert on this subject confirm this opinion. B.G. Ranganathan states:

First, genuine mutations are very rare in nature. Secondly, most mutations are harmful since they are random, rather than orderly changes in the structure of genes;any random change in a highly ordered system will be for the worse, not for the better. For example, if an earthquake were to shake a highly ordered structure such as a building, there would be a random change in the framework of the building, which, in all probability, would not be an improvement.3

Mutations result in irreversible damages and the organism whose genetic structure is modified, depending on the extent of the genetic damage, undergoes changes that cannot be pre-estimated. If the damage caused by the mutation has happened in the reproductive cells of the organism, it is also transferred to the next generation. Eventually, random mutations cannot transform a living organism into a more advanced form and into another creature. They only cause harm to that being or cause its death. All

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hereditary diseases such as cancer, anemia, and Down syndrome are the results of mutations.

The Deadlock of I.TRANSITIONAL FORMS Despite all the researches conducted and all the

expenditures made in the last 150 years, no evidence to support the theory of evolution has yet been uncovered. However, if evolution had really taken place, millions of evidence should have been found.

These "evidences" that the evolutionists should have found in millions are the fossils of beings called "intermediate transitional forms". According to the evolutionary theory, living beings have evolved from each other. For example, according to this claim, man evolved from apes. Since this evolutionary period did not last only one day, but millions and even hundreds of millions of years, millions of half ape-half man creatures should have existed. The same principle applies also to transition from water to land or from land to air. Millions of half fish-half reptile or half reptile-half bird creatures should have lived. These "fantastic" creatures that allegedly display transformations in the evolutionary process are called intermediate transitional forms.

If evolution had occurred, hundreds of thousands of these transitional forms should have reached our day by being fossilised.

This is the deadlock of evolution: evolutionists have been making feverish investigations in order to find the fossils of these transitional links for more than a century, however there is not even a single trace of the fore-mentioned transitional forms. Some confessions of the evolutionists on the subject are very striking. For example, the famous nature scientist A. H. Clark says, "Since we have not the slightest evidence, either among the living or the fossil animals, of any intergrading types

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following the major groups, it is a fair supposition that there never have been any such intergrading types."4

After confessing that there is no such thing as transitional form, Richard B. Goldschmidt, a well-known geneticist and evolutionist goes on to accept that the species "emerged suddenly" by saying, "In the fossil record, all present animal species emerge suddenly without any known transitional forms."

Evolutionists also accept the meaning of the absence of transitional forms. Living things emerged "suddenly" and it is evident that to "emerge suddenly" means to be created.

The fact that living beings emerged "suddenly", that is the fact that they were created, however, are unacceptable to evolutionists because of "ideological" reasons. Although some scientists, whose statements are quoted above, admit this, evolutionists in general do not accept the fact that "no intermediate transitional forms exists".

Evolution Fiascos There is only one thing the evolutionists do

against the absence of transitional forms. They find fossils of some extinct species that lived millions of years ago and claim that these fossils are "transitional forms". These so-called transitional forms are presented to the whole world as "great evidences to evolution". However, none of the several living beings presented as transitional forms by the evolutionists bear such a quality and this reality has been unveiled in the course of time.

Fossil Whose "Living" Prototype Is Found For example a fish called Coelacanth (Rhipitistian

Crossopterigian), which was presented as an extinct living species that disappeared 70 million years ago and shown as the transitional form from water to land by the

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evolutionists, was found alive in the coast of Madagaskar in 1939 to the great astonishment of the evolutionists. The same fish was later caught nearly fifty times in the open seas and it was seen that its inner ear alcoves, head typed backbone, and swimming pouch, which are the organs which caused it to be presented as a transitional form, did not at all carry qualities that would cause the being to be called as a "transitional form". Furthermore, this fish, which was introduced as "a reptile candidate getting prepared to pass from sea to land", was in reality a fish that lived in the depths of the oceans.

Imaginary Ancestor Of Birds The second living being presented as a great

evidence by the evolutionists was a 135 million year old fossil of a bird named Archaeopteryx. Because of its claw-like organs on the edge of its wings, small teeth and backbones in its tail, this animal was presented by the evolutionists to be a "transitional form from reptiles to birds". But in the following years, a 225 million year old bird fossil was found in the Western Texas desert in 1984 which refuted this claim. This animal called Protoavis was a complete bird although it was 75 million years older than Archaeopteryx which is claimed to be the "ancestor of birds". Besides, the claw-like paws of Archeaopteryx, which caused it to be designated as a transitional form, do not mean anything neither. Today, a bird species living in South America called Opisthocomus Hoatzin has similar paws.

These claims of the evolutionists definitely collapsed against the fossil of Archaeopteryx found in 1997. In this fossil, the "sternum", that is the chest bone, which is utterly peculiar to birds and enables flight actually existed. This discovery invalidated the claims of evolutionists that Archaeopteryx was a half-bird / half-dinosaur, but verified that it was a flying bird in the real sense.

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In addition to this, the fossil of a bird has been recently unearthed in China, which lived in a much earlier period than Archaeopteryx and had the complete features of a modern bird. According to the discovery that was announced by famous scientific magazines such as Science and Nature, this 220 million-year-old bird shared the same features as today's birds. Even evolutionist publications announced this discovery saying "The ancestor of birds proved to be a bird; not dinosaurs".

Evolution Forgeries As evolutionists were unable to find even a single

fossil to prove evolution which they allege to have continued for millions of years, they decided to produce them themselves. Through television, press and textbooks, they deceived millions of people by producing false evidence which they pretended to have acquired after a long research. Here are some of these frauds:

1- Piltdown Man Fraud A British researcher, Charles Dawson came out

with an assertion that he had found a jawbone with two teeth and some cranial fragments in South England in 1912. The jawbone was more ape-like, and the skull was like a man's. It was thought to be an important evidence of human evolution. Alleged to be 500 thousand years old, the fossil was displayed in British Museum for 40 years.

It could be revealed only in 1949 that this was indeed a big evolution forgery. In 1949, Kenneth Oakley from the museum's paleontology department tried the method of "fluorine testing", a new test used for determining the date of some old fossils, on the jawbone and the skull. The result was astounding. The jawbone had remained buried no more than a few years. The skull was only a few thousand years old. This showed that the fossils were unearthed from different locations, were

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brought to Piltdown, and that the jawbone and the skull by no means belonged to the same creature.

It was clearly a forgery. Moreover, it was determined that that the primitive tools—alleged to be discovered with the fossils by C. Dawson—were simple imitations that had been sharpened with steel implements. The joints of the jawbone had been filed in order to conceal the difference between the jawbone and the skull. The two teeth in the jawbone had been worn down artificially.

Another forgery of Charles Dawson was to stain the fossils to give them a dated appearance. In 1953 the researches of Le Gros Clark and J.S. Weiner from the Anatomy Department of Oxford University, on the skull and the jawbone revealed that the fossils had been artificially stained with a chemical (potassium dichromate). These stains began to disappear when dipped in acid.

In the chemical analysis made in 1953 to precisely date the bones, scientists discovered that Piltdown Man was a huge forgery. The skull belonged to a modern man, and the mandibular bone belonged to a modern orangutan.

But evolutionists did not give up. They attempted to support the theory, which they wanted to prove no matter how, by committing further forgeries.

2- Nebraska Man Fraud In 1922, based on a fossil tooth found in the USA,

Nebraska, it was declared that this tooth had belonged to an intermediate creature between man and ape. For five years, this fossil was presented as an important evidence of evolution. Well known magazines and newspapers made imaginary drawings with the inspiration they drew from a single tooth. The Illustrated London newspaper even pictured Nebraska Man with his wife. However, in 1927, it was

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revealed that the fossil belonged to an extinct pig species!

False Drawings All we have told so far are false evidences put

forward by the evolutionists. However, all those experiences demonstrated that these false evidence were not of much use and that the reality is always uncovered in the course of time. For this reason, many evolutionists preferred smaller forgeries rather than venturing into such dangerous tricks.

"Reconstruction" drawings are an example to this deceit. When we look at evolutionist publications, we frequently come across with such drawings. In these drawings, half man-half ape figures are usually pictured along with their family. These creatures with hairy bodies, a bent posture, and a face in between a man and an ape are claimed to have been drawn by evolutionist scientists supposedly by relying on the fossils available.

However, these drawings bear no meaning, because the fossils found only yield information about the bone structure of the living being. Neither any information can be obtained from these fossils about the nose, the ears, the mouth, and the hair of the living being. However, in the drawings, the evolutionists depict the organs such as the nose, the mouth, and the ears shaped as half-man half-ape.

Conclusion What have been told so far are only a few of the

evidence proving the invalidity of the theory of evolution and that it is a non-scientific theory. All the facts proclaimed by modern disciples of science such as microbiology, biochemistry, and anatomy prove that the world of living things has an extremely complex structure and that even the simplest living

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being has outstanding features that could in no way come into being by chance. In addition to invalidating the coincidence theories of evolutionists, these developments also point out a crystal-clear fact: the fact that life is the work of an intelligent design and God has created it flawlessly.

Notes : 1. Stephen Jay Gould, "The Return of the Hopeful

Monsters," Natural History, vol. 86, July-August 1977, p. 28.

2. Colin Patterson, "Cladistics," Interview with Brian Leek, Peter Franz, March 4, 1982, BBC.

3. B. G. Ranganathan, Origins?, Pennsylvania:The Banner of Truth Trust, 1988, p. 12.

4. A. H. Clark, The New Evolution, Zoogenesis Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, 1930, p. 196.

EXPLORING AL-QURAN

SIGNS ON EARTH One verse tells us that God "created everything and determined it most exactly" (Qur'an, 25:2). There are

countless signs present on Earth of this perfect order.

ll living and non-living things and systems on Earth clearly display this order, proving with their perfect structure that they could not

possibly have come into existence by accident or coincidence, but were created.

The distance between the Sun and the Earth, the ideal levels of gases in the atmosphere, the rays of sunshine which are perfect for allowing photosynthesis, the fixing effect of mountains on the Earth, the formation of night and day, the fact that water is so suitable for life, the presence of animals, fruits, vegetables, clouds, wind, the amazing features of our body cells, the structure of DNA… All of these

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are just a few examples of Allah's superior artistry, showing us His limitless power. God revolves night and day. There is surely a lesson in that for people with inner sight. (Qur‟an, 24:44) It is He Who made the night a cloak for you and sleep a rest, and He made the day a time for rising. (Qur‟an, 25:47) And [I swear] by the night when it draws in and by the dawn when it exhales. (Qur‟an, 81:17-18) ... He covers the day with the night, each pursuing the other urgently; and the Sun and Moon and stars are subservient to His command... (Qur‟an, 7:54)It is He Who created night and day and the Sun and Moon, each one swimming in a sphere. (Qur‟an, 21:33) It is He Who created everything on the Earth for you and then directed His attention up to heaven and arranged it into seven regular heavens. He has knowledge of all things. (Qur‟an, 2:29) Everything in the heavens and the Earth belongs to God. He knows what you are engaged upon. On the Day when they are returned to Him, He will inform them of what they did... (Qur‟an, 24:64) You will see the mountains you reckoned to be solid going past like clouds – the handiwork of God Who gives to everything its solidity. He is aware of what you do. (Qur‟an, 27:88) He Who created the heavens and the Earth and everything in between them in six days, and then established Himself firmly on the Throne; the All-Merciful – ask anyone who is informed about Him. (Qur‟an, 25:59) Everything in the heavens and Earth belongs to God. God is the Rich Beyond Need, the Praiseworthy. (Qur‟an, 31:26)

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He has made night and day subservient to you, and the Sun and Moon and stars, all subject to His command. There are certainly signs in that for people who use their intellect. (Qur‟an, 16:12) And also the things of varying colors He has created for you in the Earth. There is certainly a sign in that for people who pay heed. (Qur‟an, 16:13) Everyone in the heavens and Earth belongs to Him. All are submissive to Him. It is He Who originated creation and then regenerates it. That is very easy for Him. His is the most exalted designation in the heavens and the Earth. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Qur‟an, 30:26-27) He Who created the heavens and the Earth and sends down water for you from the sky by which We make luxuriant gardens grow – you could never make their trees grow. Is there another deity besides God? No indeed, but they are people who equate others with Him! (Qur‟an, 27:60) God is He Who created the heavens and the Earth and everything between them in six days and then established Himself firmly upon the Throne. You have no protector or intercessor apart from Him. So will you not pay heed? (Qur‟an, 32:4) Don‟t those who do not believe see that the heavens and the Earth were sewn together and then We unstitched them and that We made from water every living thing? So will they not believe? (Qur‟an, 21:30) [God is the] Lord of the heavens and the Earth

and everything between them, the Almighty, the

Endlessly Forgiving. (Qur‟an, 38:66)

The keys of the heavens and Earth belong to Him. He expands the provision of anyone He wills

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or restricts it. He has knowledge of all things. (Qur‟an, 42:12) Whatever you have been given is only the

enjoyment of the life of this world. What is with

God is better and longer lasting for those who

believe and trust in their Lord. (Qur‟an, 42:36)

Blessed be Him to Whom belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the Earth and everything in between them. The knowledge of the Hour is with Him. You will be returned to Him. (Qur‟an, 43:85) If you were to ask them: “Who created the heavens and the Earth?” they would reply: “The Almighty, the All-Knowing created them.” It is He Who made the Earth a cradle for you and made pathways for you in it so that hopefully you would be guided. (Qur‟an, 43:9-10) We place in it gardens of dates and grapes, and cause springs to gush out in it, so they may eat its fruits – they did not do it themselves. So will they not be thankful? (Qur‟an, 36:34-35) It is God Who created the heavens with no support – you can see them – and cast firmly embedded mountains on the Earth so that it would not move under you... (Qur‟an, 31:10) And the Earth: how We stretched it out and cast firmly embedded mountains onto it and caused luxuriant plants of every kind to grow in it. (Qur‟an, 50:7) Glory be to Him Who created all the pairs: from what the earth produces and from themselves and from things unknown to them. (Qur‟an, 36:36) All praise belongs to God, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the Earth, Lord of all the worlds. All greatness belongs to Him in the

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heavens and Earth. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Qur‟an, 45:36-37) It is He Who created the heavens and the Earth in six days, then established Himself firmly on the Throne. He knows what goes into the Earth and what comes out of it, what comes down from heaven and what goes up into it. He is with you wherever you are... (Qur‟an, 57:4) We sent down heaven upon them in abundant rain and made rivers flow under them... (Qur‟an, 6:6) ... [He will] grant you gardens and grant you waterways. (Qur‟an, 71:12) He sends down water from the sky and river-

beds fill up and flow according to their size...

(Qur‟an, 13:17)

And We made the Earth burst forth with gushing springs... (Qur‟an, 54:12) Everything in the heavens and everything in the Earth belongs to God. All matters return to God. (Qur‟an, 3:109) It is He Who sends down abundant rain, after they have lost all hope, and unfolds His mercy... (Qur‟an, 42:28) Everything in the heavens and everything in the Earth belongs to Him. God is the Rich Beyond Need, the Praiseworthy. (Qur‟an, 22:64) The coloring of God – and what coloring could be better than God‟s? It is Him we worship. (Qur‟an, 2:138) We placed firmly embedded mountains on the Earth, so it would not move under them, and We put broad valleys as roadways in it, so that perhaps they might be guided. (Qur‟an, 21:31) He Who made the Earth a stable dwelling place and appointed rivers flowing through its midst

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and placed firmly embedded mountains on it... (Qur‟an, 27:61) Blessed be He Who placed constellations in the

sky and put a blazing lamp and shining Moon

among them. (Qur‟an, 25:61)

It is He Who made night and day succeed each other for those who want to pay heed or to give thanks. (Qur‟an, 25:62) In the creation of the heavens and Earth, and the alternation of the night and day, and the ships which sail the seas to people‟s benefit, and the water which God sends down from the sky – by which He brings the Earth to life when it was dead and scatters about in it creatures of every kind – and the varying direction of the winds, and the clouds subservient between heaven and Earth, there are signs for people who use their intellect. (Qur‟an, 2:164) It is He Who sends down water in due measure from the sky by which We bring a dead land back to life... (Qur‟an, 43:11) It is He Who is God in heaven and God on Earth. He is the All-Wise, the All-Knowing. (Qur‟an, 43:84) It is He Who sends out the winds, bringing advance news of His mercy, so that when they have lifted up the heavy clouds, We dispatch them to a dead land and send down water to it, by means of which We bring forth all kinds of fruit. In the same way We will bring forth the dead, so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Qur‟an, 7:57) God created you and then will take you back again. And some of you revert to the lowest form of life so that after having knowledge, you know nothing at all. God is All-Knowing, All-Powerful. (Qur‟an, 16:70)

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He is God – the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of

Form... (Qur‟an, 59:24)

[It is] He Who has created all things in the best

possible way. He commenced the creation of man

from clay. (Qur‟an, 32:7)

It is God Who created you from a weak

beginning then after weakness gave you strength

then after strength ordained weakness and gray

hair... (Qur‟an, 30:54)

But as for him who feared the Station of his Lord

and forbade the lower self its appetites, the

Garden will be his refuge. (Qur‟an, 79:40-41)

But God will admit those who believe and do right actions into Gardens with rivers flowing under them... (Qur‟an, 22:23) But those who have fear of their Lord will have high-ceilinged halls, and more such halls built one above the other... (Qur‟an, 39:20) Blessed be He Who, if He wishes, will grant you better than that: Gardens with rivers flowing under them; and He will grant you palaces. (Qur‟an, 25:10)

Reclining in it the Garden on couches, they will experience there neither burning sun nor bitter cold. (Qur‟an, 76:13) Seeing them, you see delight and a great kingdom. (Qur‟an, 76:20) ... Gardens where they will enjoy everlasting delight. (Qur‟an, 9:21) ... We will lodge them in lofty chambers in the Garden, with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever... (Qur‟an, 29:58)

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As for those who believed and did right actions, they will be made joyful in a verdant meadow. (Qur‟an, 30:15) Say: “Is that better, or the Garden of eternal life which has been promised to those who guard against evil? That is their recompense and destination.” (Qur‟an, 25:15) They will have in it whatever they want timelessly, for ever. It is a binding promise of your Lord. (Qur‟an, 25:16) Platters and cups of gold will be passed around among them and they will have there all that their hearts desire and their eyes find delight in... (Qur‟an, 43:71) The kingdom of the heavens and Earth belongs to God. God has power over all things. (Qur‟an, 3:189) What is in the heavens and in the Earth belongs to God. God suffices as a Guardian. (Qur‟an, 4:132)

LOVE YOUR LORD

A Reflection on Divine Love

It is our expectation of God that determines where we are. This points up the need for thinking well not only of God but also of God's creation, writes HAMZA YUSUF

any Muslims believe that the idea, "God loves everyone," is simply wrong and incongruous with Islamic teachings. Verses

abound in the Qur'an decrying those God does not love: liars, hypocrites, oppressors, the arrogant, boastful braggarts, and those who love praise for that which they have not done, among others. Reading these verses, it is easy to begin to resent such people

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and to believe that God does not love everyone. However, if we look closely at these people, we see elements of ourselves in them.

What is true of any man is true of all men; the only difference is in the degree to which it is true. Prophets and sanctified saints are the only exceptions to this universal truth. Jesus, peace be upon him, states, as recorded in al-Muwatta' of Imam Malik (d. 179/795):

"Do not, like lords, look upon the faults of others.

Rather, like servants, look after your own faults. In

truth, humanity is comprised of only two types of

people: the afflicted and the sound. So show mercy to

the afflicted, and praise God for well-being." It is never the sinner that one should hate, but

only the sin; for the essence of all humanity is a soul created in submission to its Creator. Whether that soul acknowledges this on a conscious level or not is a matter of grace, and this understanding enables us to look at others with compassion. All people, everywhere and throughout time, suffer great tribulation at various points in their lives. At this very moment, hearts are breaking and lives are being shattered, women abused, children violated, and people dying while their loved ones are crying. Also at this very moment, other hearts are rejoicing, babies are being born, mothers are nurturing, smiles are given freely, charity is being distributed, and lovers are uniting. The airport is one of the great metaphors of our time: sad, happy, and indifferent faces are all to be seen there, as people part with loved ones, greet their beloveds, or simply wait to pick up or let off people they barely know. Sad, happy, and indifferent are the states that sum up our collective body of souls. In the next life, however, there is only bliss or wretchedness, joy or sorrow-no indifference.

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Expecting something else According to a beautiful hadith, the Prophet, God

bless and grant him peace, said that on the Last Day, when the last two souls are brought forth before God, they are both condemned to hell. As the angels escort them to their final fiery abode, one of them wistfully looks back. Thereupon, God commands the angels to bring him back and asks the man why he turned back. The man replies, "I was expecting something else from you." God responds, commanding the angels, "Take him to My Garden."

It is our expectation of God that determines where we are. This points up the need for thinking well not only of God but also of God's creation, despite the fact that we are all messy, imperfect works in progress, struggling along in this journey.

We either surrender to God or to the substitutes for God, which are invariably hollow. But true love, which is the love of God, is the single most powerful force in the world. It is a love that "alters not when it alteration finds." It grows and never diminishes. If someone claims to have lost it, it can only be said that such a person did not have it to begin with. "It is the star to every wandering bark." And in loving God, one must paradoxically love all of God's creation, merely for the incontrovertible fact that everything is God's creation. God does love everything in that He brought everything into existence from an act of divine love, and those who love God purely, and with the penetrating inner eye of reality, can only be a mercy while in the world.

An act of faith to loathe This does not mean that we love the evil that

emanates from moral agents. In fact, it is an act of faith to loathe what is loathsome to God. So when God says He does not love oppressors, it is their

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oppression that we must loath. In denying the humanity that is inherent in the oppressor, we miss the point and disallow the possibility that the door of God's mercy and love is open to everyone. If we truly believe that we love for everyone what we love for ourselves, then we should want everyone, no matter their state of being or their station in life, to enter that door of God's mercy and love, through repentance and contrition. Allowing for this possibility enables us to be a mercy, as the Prophet, God bless and grant him peace, was.

What follows is a profound explication of this truth by emir 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri (d. 1300/1883), perhaps the last exemplar of Islam on all the levels of prophetic character-as a teacher, warrior, statesman, father, and fully awakened master of the path of the prophets:

"They love God, and God loves them" (Qur'an, 5:54). You should know that the love the real has for creation is of various kinds. One type is the divine love for them before they came into existence; and another is the divine love after they were created. These two types are further categorized into two other types: one is the divine love of the elect, and the other is the divine love of the elite of the elect. As for the first [the divine love before creation], it permeates all of existence, despite the varieties of types, kinds, and characters. It is understood in the famous dictum known well to the folk of spirit, 1 "I was a hidden treasure who loved to be known, so I created this creation to introduce Myself, and through it, they came to know Me." This love is the love that brought the world into existence: "I created humankind and sprites only to adore Me" (51:56). In other words, "to know Me." This is the very love we have mentioned; it is God's inclination to manifest His divine names and

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attributes, and this is an inclination of the essential divine nature, which is not colored with a name or an attribute, because the names do not manifest at this level of consideration.2

Inclination of divine love Then, this inclination of divine love for self-

expression extended itself through all of the divine names and sought to manifest through the epiphanies of the divine traces as they had been previously hidden in the divine essence, consumed in the divine unity. But once God created them, they knew God as God desired to be known, given that the divine will is unassailable. Every type of creature knew God based upon the level of understanding and preparedness that God had bestowed upon it. As for the angels, each one is a type unto itself, and each has a station and rank, just as all the rest of creation has types and ranks. None can either relinquish or surpass its rank, and their acceptance is predicated upon the degree of knowledge of God that they have. For without a doubt, they increased in their knowledge when Adam, peace be upon him, taught them the names, as the Exalted has taught us in the Qur'an. As for inanimate objects, beasts, and animals other than humans, they have a natural disposition that entails a divine knowledge that neither increases nor decreases. Each of them also has a station, and it cannot exceed its boundaries of knowledge. As for the human being, he or she has a primordial knowledge that [although lost upon entering the world] can undergo a renovatio.3 Its renovation is based upon the condition of his or her outward state; I mean by this the state of the soul and intellect. 4 For in reality, all of knowledge is concentrated in the individual's reality; it simply manifests from one time to another, based upon the divine will, because the human reality is contained in

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each person. And each human being, in that he or she is a human being, is open to the possibility of the rank of "perfected human." However, they will vary in the way their human perfection manifests itself in them.

Reserved for only certain ones As for the first type of divine love, which is that of

the elect, this is reserved for only certain ones among God's servants. Examples of this are found in the Qur'an: "Surely God loves those who repent" (2:222). Also included among those God loves are those who purify themselves, the patient, the grateful, those who place their trust in God, those "who fight in ranks for the sake of God" (61:4), not to mention all the other beloveds God mentions in the Qur'an who have embodied certain qualities and characteristics that necessitate this special love from the Real, Exalted God. Nonetheless, it is a type of love that veils and [yet] allows for a transcendent understanding of God. Moreover, it is a love that is unobtainable for certain types of people, as mentioned in the verses, "God loves not oppressors," (3:57), and "God loves not those who cover truth with lies" (3:32). Despite that, they are still enveloped in the first type of divine love [that is, divine love before they came into existence].

Elect of the elite As for the second type of special divine love, it is

for the elect of the elite; it is indicated in the sacred hadith,5 "My servant continues to draw near unto Me through voluntary acts of devotion until I love him. And when I love him, I become the hearing with which he hears, the sight with which he sees, the hand with which he strikes, and the foot with which he walks. Were he to ask something of Me, I would assuredly grant it; were he to seek refuge in Me, I would grant it." 6 In other words, the identity of the

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Real is revealed to him as the secret of his own outward and inward faculties. This type of divine love occurs with an epiphany upon the beloved, the fruit of which is manifest in this world due to the divine witnessing and vision that occurs in the imaginal7 realm; or it occurs with other things also, as an effusion of experiential knowledge through myriad gifts. As for the previous special type of love, it is still a veiled love, given that its possessor is still trapped in the illusion of otherness and duality. Hence, its fruits only manifest in the next world. For this reason, 'Ata' Allah (d.709/1309) says in his Aphorisms (al-Hikam), "The devoted servants and detached ones leave this world while their hearts are still filled with otherness."8

This last love is attained only by those who possess the direct knowledge of God described in the sacred hadith above. Furthermore, it is only attained by one who has in his or her heart that universal love for all of creation that is understood in the verse, "My Mercy encompasses all things" (7:156). It is the mercy that the Messenger of God, God bless and grant him peace, spoke of when he said, "you will not truly believe until you show mercy to one another."

To this, a companion responded, "But Messenger of God, all of us show mercy to others."

The Prophet, God bless and grant him peace, explained, "I am not speaking of the mercy one of you shows to his friend but of universal mercy-mercy to all of humanity."

Regarding the famous hadith, "None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself," Imam al-Nawawi (d. 676/1277) states in his commentary that this love includes all of humanity. He further elucidates that it is a love that goes against

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our very nature; it is angelic in nature, and it is only obtained by negating the ego.

One of the most difficult challenges This struggle with the ego-with our own vengeful

soul-is one of the most difficult challenges we face. But in succeeding in this struggle, we are not only able to forgive: we are also able to strike, when the only appropriate response is a strike-but with the hand of God, not with the hand of our own ego because it is an undeniable reality of the world that miscreants exist, that there are human demons whose evil must be thwarted. This is the essence of jihad: to take up the sword in order to remove the sword from the hands of those who wish to do evil in the world. However, the mujahid must be purified from his own ego so he can act as an agent of the divine in the world. This was the reality of the Prophet, God bless and grant him peace, on the battlefield, about whom God said, "And when you threw, you did not throw, but rather God threw" (8:17). It is only such people who are worthy of being the caliphs of God upon the earth. They are the ones God will empower to rule. And for those who do not possess these qualities but still have the love of God, God's greatest gift is to leave them powerless. God's privation is itself a gift, for He withholds not from want but from wisdom. NOTES :

1 The word used in Arabic is qawm, which literally means "folk". However, in the technical vocabulary of tasawwuf (Sufism), it refers to the Sufis themselves. This is based upon the famous hadith in which the angels tell God of a group of people remembering Him, and they mention one who was not a participant but was only sitting in their company. To this God replies, "hum al-qawm la yashqa bihim jalisuhum," meaning, "they are a folk (qawm) who even the one sitting with them is saved," simply due to his being in their company. While the word "folk" is now considered archaic, it is still in use, and given that it means both "men" and "people" and originally meant "an army,"

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it seems most appropriate given that qawm in classical Arabic refers specifically to men-folk.

2 In classical Muslim theology an attribute (sifah) or a substantive name of God is neither the essence of God nor other than the essence. This means that any attribute or name cannot contain a summation of God that only God's essence contains. 3 Renovatio is a Latin theological term that seems to convey perfectly the Arabic tajaddad, "renewal". In classical Christian theology, the corrupted imago dei is restored to its original integrity. This conveys well the meaning intended here, and God knows best. // 4 "Intellect" here refers to the medieval understanding of intellect, which differed from reason. Intellect was the function of one's intelligence that distinguished between the real and the apparent-hence the Latin, inte lectus, to distinguish between or to judge between [the real and the false].

5 A sacred hadith (hadith qudsi) neither holds the rank of a hadith, which is a statement from the Prophet s, nor of the Qur'an. It holds a third rank, which is a divine statement; i.e., it is considered revelation, but unlike the Qur'an, it is uttered in the words of the Prophet Muhammad s; we could say it is the Prophet s paraphrasing his Lord. // 6 This hadith is recorded by Imam al-Bukhari and is considered absolutely true.

7 The emir uses the expression 'ala takhyil, which is related to imagination but is not to be confused with the modern usage of this word; hence, imaginal.

8 Emir 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri, al-Mawaqif, vol. 1 (Beirut:

Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah, 2004), 196-197, mawqif #105.

MY JOURNEY TO ISLAM

TAYYIB BHAI (RAMVEER)

“I request every faithful Muslim to realize that he is follower of a Prophet who is known as RAHMATULLILALAMIN. He is a messenger of peace and he must protect people from misery and mischief and try to spread waves of faith and peace everywhere”, says TAYYAB BHAI (ex.RAMVEER)

Q: Please introduce yourself.

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A: My full name is Ram Veer and I am son of Ajab Singh, resident of village Kakra district Muzzafar Nagar. We were seven brothers and sisters but two have died. I passed my high school examination from Rashtraya Inter College Shahpur. My father is a gentle and hardworking farmer and belongs to a Hindu Jat religious family.

Q: Please tell us about your coming to Islamic fold.

A: It was just by chance because I did not have any intention of becoming a Muslim. Actually I was leading a spoiled life after leaving my studies and divorcing my wife. I always roamed in jungles, teased people and grew a drug addict. I joined a band of robbers and used to rob cattle suppliers and travelers. My family members and mohalla residents were fed up with me. The family people asked me to leave the house. But I refused to do so and decided to take up farming with the help of a tube well. I got the old tube well owned by my Ansari neighbour repaired and put it in operation by borrowing motor and fan and getting an unauthorized electric connection. But despite my best efforts and employing tractor the tube well did not supply water. I approached a pundit who asked me to make some offerings on tube well to please the gods. I had nothing with me to offer. I thought that gods would be pleased by offering Bhang. I offered crushed Bhang to the tube well but could not get any water. One night my neighbour Ansari the owner of tube well was lying with me near the tube well. He said "If water comes in tube well I shall offer two rakats of prayer". Hearing this I said 'Then I will offer 4 rakats of prayer". On that night electric current came at 12:45pm. I asked my neighbour, Yasin Ansari to join the connection. But Ansari asked me to do so because he was afraid of touching electricity. As soon

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as I put the connection on, water gushed from the tube well at high speed. Though clay was completely dry, very soon the velocity of water made a 1½ meter deep pit on the road. In the morning the residents of the locality saw the tube well working. They asked me to get an authorized light connection before using it. After closing the tube well Yaseen Ansari told me to fulfill the promise to offer prayers. He warned me that in case of default the tube well would go out of order again. I agreed and followed him towards the village mosque. Ansari made wudhu at the tube well and asked me to become Muslim first and promised to get me an authorized electric connection. I told him that Muslims did not like me and they would not tolerate me. Ansari Saheb replied that after your Islam this would not happens and even if Muslims did not accommodate you here, Allah would admit you in paradise. Then I asked him to take me to a Madarsa at Harsauli. There I met Maulvi Anis Saheb who told me to go to Muzaffar Nagar or to Phulat and see Maulana Kaleem Saheb. I went to home and after informing my mother and taking some money reached Phulat. There I met Maulana Saheb and told my plight. He asked me to recite Kalma and lead a peaceful life. He took promise from me to abandon drugs and to leave all bad habits. He said to me "You belong to brave clan of Chaudhris and you will certainly honour your pledge". I promised Maulana to lead life free of alcohol and other vices. People told me a number of cases where addicts and criminals changed themselves altogether after acting upon the advice of Maulana Saheb I went with a Jamaat for 40 days. When I returned Maulana Saheb asked my future programme and suggested me to teach children at Sonipat. After one year I was married to a religious educated Muslim lady of Sakauti. I was very happy to see change in myself and

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thanked Maulana Saheb for reforming me. My mother also came and was very happy to see my wife. My wife served my parents well. My father told the Maulana Saheb that panchayat of my village declared me an outcaste or Adharmi and asked my father to take stern action against me. But my father refused bluntly and told them that conversion was not a crime and that I as a free citizen could choose any faith. He further warned then that in case of further pressure and show of displeasure he would also become a Muslim and leave the village. He also threatened to report the matter to high police officials. Now I am well settled in Sonipat and along with my wife am teaching children. Women and residents of my mohalla and Madarsa love and respect me for my religious zeal and good way of life. This is all due to blessings of Allah.

Q: Did you come across with some difficulty after embracing Islam?

A: Ahmed Bhai, at the time of recitation of Kalma Maulana Saheb explained to me that Islam was a religion of peace and it expects every Muslim to work for peace and tranquility. In reply to my queries about terrorism and other conflicts and disputes hovering over the world the Maulana Saheb convinced me that false propaganda was made against Muslims and Islam. But Islam is still flourishing because Allah does not like breach of peace and conflicts. He told me that aggressive American soldiers who committed a number of atrocities in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries are embracing ISLAM. I personally feel the advantages of my Conversion. Now, people love and trust me and seek my counsel. I have not come across with any problem and an enjoying the blessings of Allah in my life.

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Q: Have you extended Dawah of Islam to your parents?

A: My mother is inclined towards Islam but due to family pressure she has not declared it openly. One of my brothers and a nephew has become Muslim. I hope a number of my friends would soon embrace Islam. I pray for the guidance and IMAN of all relatives. Q: Do you want to give some message through ARMUGHAN? A: I want to say that Islam stands for peace. All Muslims should offer prayers and extend Dawah to non Muslims. For world peace, establishment and expansion of Islam it is essential. It is unfortunate that Muslims are being harassed through false cases. A Muslim can never be terrorist or a tyrant. We should devote ourselves to Tabligh. Was-Salam. Thanks [interviewed by : AHMED AWWAH NADVI]

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[Dear Readers ! After reading the above faith-strengthening story what are your inner feelings? Would you like to share your views with other readers of the CRESCENT? If yes, kindly mail your views at : monthlycrescent@gmail.com …. Editor ]

ASK A QUESTION

YOUR Questions

Q. Why do Muslim women veil themselves? A : The modest attire of Muslim women has

become so commonplace, that hijab, the Arabic word used to refer to the Islamic dress code, is now commonly used in English. One of the most visible aspects of Islam, hijab is often the subject of

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controversy as well. Some view it as a sign of the subjugation of Muslim women, while some others see it as an obstacle to the integration of Muslims in Western society.

However, to Muslim women who practice hijab, it represents an act of obedience to God. It also represents a step towards freedom, i.e. freedom from being judged by their looks rather than their intellect. Modesty – Required of both men and women

A common misconception about hijab is that it is mandated only for women. Hijab is actually mandated for both men and women. The difference lies in how they are required to implement it. The Glorious Qur‘an says:

―Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands..." [Al-Qur'an 24:30-31]

Both men and women are required to dress and

conduct themselves in a manner that befits their dignity and is not the cause of temptation for others. Hair is considered part of a woman‘s physical attractiveness. Therefore, covering of hair for the woman is considered essential to modesty of her attire, even in the Bible. This is the reason that nuns and orthodox Jewish women also cover their hair.

It is the outer dress of Muslim women which includes the head covering that is usually referred to as hijab. Hijab is not merely a covering dress, but

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more importantly, it is behavior, manners, speech and appearance in public. The headscarf is an outer manifestation of an inner commitment to worshipping Allah – it symbolizes a commitment to piety. Self or inner morality is what gives meaning to the external scarf.

The Face Veil In the opinion of the majority of Muslim scholars,

a woman should cover everything except her face and hands. The face veil however, is worn by some Muslim women, who either consider it a requirement, or wish to adhere to a higher level of modesty.

Hijab – A liberation In a society in which women‘s beauty has been

commoditized, and where women often end up associating their self-worth with their looks, the hijab and its concomitant de-emphasis of physical beauty can be tremendously liberating. Muslim women wear the hijab out of obedience to God, while recognizing the immense wisdom behind His commandment.

Q : My husband has no ability to practice the marital relationship. We have been maried for 6 months & I kept it for myself and did not tell my family. Is there help?

A : Thank you for being so good and kind to your husband. Difficulty in performing the marital or intimate relationship could be due to many reasons. The most common are psychological.

Men may have difficulty developing an erection due to various psychological factors such as, feeling very shy due to a strict upbringing, or feeling very anxious and worried about failure, especially if they know or hear of a friend or relative who had a problem. This is common in Eastern cultures especially on the wedding night.

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If this happens on the wedding night it may continue and persist as a chronic problem. I recommend that you approach your husband tactfully without insulting his manhood and suggest a consultation with a psychiatrist or a psychologist to assess the problem and plan a treatment. You need to go to the therapist together as assessment and treatment requires listening from both of you and working together on the treatment.

I have good news for you, it is a common problem

and it is curable. Best wishes

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Your Questions / Our Answers

Please mail your Questions at :

monthlycrescent@gmail.com

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POINT OF VIEW

DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF FACTORS for

INTEGRATION OF UMMAH - IV

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by : GHULAM ALI GULZAR

mamat has two aspects, one personality aspect and the other quality aspect. Muslims even today lay all the emphasis upon discussion about

personalities; ignoring the importance of formulating the qualities and conditions, responsible for leadership on the basis of Quran, Sunat and profiles of Seerah. Muslims must come closer to constitute guide lines for an Islamic transformation and draw a bottom line for constitution of global Islamic State.

III Scientific approach to fight hegemony of west and emergence of an integrated Bloc:-

The physical location of the Muslim World stretching from North Africa to East Europe, all across South and Central Asia and parts of Far East has remained for centuries, the cradle of the greatest of civilizations, abode for great Prophets and a laboratory for research and scholarship.

Having geographically a great importance, the discovery of oil and gas assigned new meanings to politics, friendship, values, ethics, war and peace. As such, if Muslim World was consolidated on strong foundation of Islamic values and brotherhood, it would have definitely been in possession of power and vision, not to allow any body dictate terms and define the essence of humanity, ethics and freedom.

Unfortunately, the downfall of Ottoman caliphate due to internal hatred among various sects of Muslims, almost all across the Muslim lands, led the Western colonial powers and enemies of Islam to disintegrate and destabilize the Ummah; thereby fulfilling their malicious designs, making the historians record the end of Ottoman caliphate. The event generated chaos, confusion and sense of insecurity and fear all across the Muslim World.

I

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The segregation and disintegration of Ummah began with the breath taking slogans of Nation and Nationhood. A wave of Nationalism which was once used by the Europeans against the tyranny of Church, among their own nations, now swept the Muslim World and was portrayed by the colonial players for Arabs, as a token of liberty from Non-Arab (firstly ottoman subsequently others) control and preservation of their Arab superiority over Non-Arabs.

The aftermath of Second World War was seen as the occupation of Muslim lands by the colonialists and the resistance movements against such occupations were not free from nationalistic ideals. If and when any Islamic movement emerged, was combated by nationalist sentiments.

Amidst this chaos and confusion, one would blame another. Some scholars advocated secularism as a solution. Islam in their view was having no dynamics to respond to newly emerged challenges. In the course of time, the success of industrial revolution and renaissance in Europe put the Muslim World on receiving end. But in later part of 20th century, many scholars studying the reasons of decline came up with the concrete vision and formulae for reconstitution and restructuring of Ummah. Amongst them, Imam Hassan Al-Bana, Syed Qutub, Imam Musa Sadr, Syed Jamalu-ud-din Afgani, Allama Moudodi, Allama Iqbal, Imam Khomeini and Ayatulla, Baqir-us-Sadr took the lead and provided guidance for returning the Ummah back to the state of its glory and integrity. In the light of their thoughts, it is useful to discuss some of the most important factors, which if taken as a bottom line, hope shall be generated for the consolidation of Ummah in near future.

Concrete principles are available for unity among various schools of Islamic thought and

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jurisprudence. On social and individual levels, they can provide guidelines on the basis of fundamental principles of Tawheed (Belief in only creator-Allah), Risalat-wa-Khatmi Nabuw-wat ,(Belief in Prophet Hood and seal of Prophet Hood), Aakhirat (Belief in hereafter, the day of resurrection), Quran and Sunnah (the traditions of Prophet Mohammad ‗SAWW).

There is need and scope for Mufasireen (commentators of Quran) and Muhadiseen (traditionalists) to sit together, where an analysis of the Prophet‘s (SAWW) traditions would be taken up and a multidimentional discourse could be arranged, in order to arrive at an agreement upon Sunnah guide lines, which could parameters for framing a constitution for an Islamic State.

In addition to the harmonized prime level of basic principles, secondary differences could be included and introduced as and ―personnel laws‖, among the Muslims as a whole, and for the related schools of thought in a particular country. Making the idea elaborative, let us propose the set of laws (constitution) in two parts:

Constant factors: These shall be comprised of two sets, Articles of the constitution based on bottom line

viz (i) Fundamental beliefs and principles, (ii) Basic rights, guarantees and responsibilities.

Personnel laws, related to Fiqh (adopted by individual family).

[Main stream fiqhs among Muslims being four among Sunis viz Hanafia, Malikia, Shafiea, Hambalia (inclusive of Ahli Hadees pattern of fiqh application) and one vastly introduced among Shias viz Imamia (Jafferia).

Variable factors:

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Pattern and procedures of running the government, in reference to: (I) nature of society (II) cultural dimensions of the communities/community and country (iii) contemporary relations and issues (concerned ZAMAN-WA-MAKAN;to given time and place). This part of by legislation could be termed as ―social laws‖.

Now in a country, where Suni Muslims are in absolute majority say 90% or more, there the variable factors (social laws) could be introduced on the pattern of ―Shaikhain‖ (R.U.) and the related experiences on that profile. Here reference to Shaheed Ayatullah Baqirus-Sadar of Iraq (R.A.) great mujtahid/writer of many Islamic books on basic Islamic issues like, Islamic Bank, Iqtisaduna, Falsafatuna etc) would be exemplary who had said about Egypt, ―If they frame an Islamic Government there with a guarantee for basic principles and personnel (fiqh) laws, on the pattern of Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A.) and Hazrat Umer (R.A.) we shall fully co-operate‖. Similar instance will be followed in a country, where Shia Muslims are in absolute majority, in case of ―variable factors‖.

But such practice cannot practically be held responsive and effective in such countries/societies, where various sects are, more or less in good numbers, living in a composite society. There keeping the ―constant factors‖ in tact, let various such schools, frame a set of ‗social Bylaws‘ together (based on bottom line) through a constituting forum of ullamas and experts (from concerned constituent sects) by the instrument of ―Ijtihad‖.

Enter into scholarly discussions Again, wherever it could be necessary among

Ulema to enter into scholarly discussions and dialogue with an intention of constituting bylaws for

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reform, the Quranic verdict should be adopted as real measure, specifying Hikmah (reasonable approach), Mouiza-e-Hassana (proper discourse) and Jidal-e-Ahsan (beautiful way of argumentation). In a country, where (absolute) majority adheres to a particular school of thought (as cited above under the definition of constitution), personnel laws in favour of minority school ought to be guaranteed, wherever the differences arise. (It is evident after going through the Fiqh of five prevailing schools that about 50 to 70% umoomi Masail of deliberations addressing matters of common concern for Muslim are similar or closely resembling between two or more schools). Non-Muslim minorities living in a Muslim state should be, as guaranteed in Islam, provided with religious freedom; however necessary laws, for safe guarding the basic human values need to be framed/implemented. [ to be concluded ] [ Ed. Note : Author of more than 40 books, the writer of this series is a renowned scholar, poet, social worker and intellectual. For the last so many decades he has been very actively working for the unity of Ummah in troubled Kashmir. Comments about this series are invited from the worthy readers, which can be mailed at : monthlycrescent @ gmail.com - Editor]

:الحیات کے دو خاص نمبرضرور حاصل کریں

نمبرڈاکٹر اسراراحمد / سالہ خاص اشاعت۱۰Please contact : 9419403126 / 9596080492

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“God prospers the man who hears what I say, takes heed of it, commits it to memory, and passes it on. Indeed, it may be that he bears understanding to one whose understanding is greater than his own.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi No. 2870, Kitab al-„Ilm)

ل من الريحی ل اللہ الريح ب س﴿ ريکي ليکي صيد ريح ب يش ايليم يع ني ﴾۱ ن يا نيض

﴿ ريکي کي نز عين يہ ايم اليذی ﴾۲ تيضي ظ ريکي ق﴿ ر عس ف يامي ميعي اك ﴾۴﴿ ريکي ن يا ليکي ذ ريق يع ني ﴾۳ ﴿ رها ب س ف ياذيا ﴾۶﴿ رها ر ب س عس امي ميعي اك ﴾۵ ﴿ صيب تي ف يام ف يزيغ کي ف يار الی ني ﴾۷ غ يب ريب

٪﴿۸﴾ (1) HAVE WE NOT opened up thy heart,

(2) and lifted from thee the burden

(3) that had weighed so heavily on thy back?

(4) And [have We not] raised thee high in dignity?

(5) And, behold, with every hardship comes ease:

(6) verily, with every hardship comes ease!

(7) Hence, when thou art freed [from distress],

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remain steadfast,

(8) and unto thy Sustainer turn with love.

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QURAN SPEAKS No indeed! He will be flung into the shatterer.

And what will convey to you what the shatterer is? The kindled fire of God reaching right into the heart. (Qur‘an, 104:4-7)

On the Day the sky is like molten brass and the mountains like tufts of colored wool. No good friend will ask about his friend even though they can see each other.(Qur‘an, 70:8-11)

The Day when heaven is split apart in clouds, and the angels are sent down rank upon rank. The Kingdom that Day will belong in truth to the All-Merciful. It will be a hard Day for the unbelievers. (Qur‘an, 25:25-26)

How many generations We have destroyed before them! Do you see a trace of any one of them or hear even a whisper of them? (Qur‘an, 19:98)

The best gift that one can give to himself and to others

is the PRESENT It would be impossible for us to continue living in this

world if each of us knew exactly

what fate had in store for him or her. So God in His

mercy conceals the future from all

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His creatures, and reveals only the present. He hides from the animals what men know, and He hides from men what the angels know. For example if a lamb had reason like a man, it could not gambol happily, knowing it was destined to be killed for human food. But, being quite ignorant of its fate, it is happy to the last minute of its short life contentedly grazing in the flowery meadow, and even in its innocence licks the hand of the butcher who is about to slaughter it. What a blessing it is that we are ignorant of the future. God, to Whom the death of a sparrow is of equal importance with the death of a hero, has in His mercy thus limited our knowledge so that we might fulfill our duty in the sphere to which He has appointed us. Apart from man no one else breaks the Divine Law with its consequences and to Him whether willingly or unwillingly is our return.

(Contributed by Md. Rafi Bakal, Hyderpora)

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FARMAAN-E-NABWIملسو هيلع هللا ىلص

“ There is no superiority for an Arab over

a non-Arab and for a non-Arab over an Arab; nor for white over the black nor for the black over the white except in piety. Verily the noblest among you is he who is the most pious. (Bukhari) ”

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

“Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and

whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and whoever obeys the ruler I appoint, obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys me.

(Bukhari) ”

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No indeed! He will be flung into the shatterer. And what will convey to you what the shatterer is?

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The kindled fire of God reaching right into the heart. (Qur‘an, 104:4-7)

On the Day the sky is like molten brass and the mountains like tufts of colored wool. No good friend will ask about his friend even though they can see each other.(Qur‘an, 70:8-11)

The Day when heaven is split apart in clouds, and the angels are sent down rank upon rank. The Kingdom that Day will belong in truth to the All-Merciful. It will be a hard Day for the unbelievers. (Qur‘an, 25:25-26)

How many generations We have destroyed before them! Do you see a trace of any one of them or hear even a whisper of them? (Qur‘an, 19:98)

ISLAM & SCIENCE

Muslim Contribution to Science and Culture (III)

Islam not only bound the nomadic tribes of

Arabia in a common bond of brotherhood, it gave them a book, the Qur‘ān which taught them how to lead a life of purity and righteousness, writes M.A.R Khan

I N THE foremost rank of mathematicians of all

times stands Muhammad Ibni Musa Al-Khwarizmi

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(780-850 A.D.). He composed the oldest works on arithmetic and algebra, now unfortunately lost in the original Arabic. They were the principal source of mathematical knowledge for centuries to come both in the East and the West. The work on arithmetic first introduced the Hindu numerals to Europe, as the very name algorism signifies, and the work on algebra (Hisab Al-Jabr wal-Muqabalah) not only gave the name to this important branch of mathematics in the European world, but contained in addition to the usual analytical solutions of linear and quadratic equations (without of course, the conception of imaginary quantities) graphical solutions of typical quadratic equations. It was revised by Abu Kamil Shuja Ibni Aslam in the first half of the tenth century. Al-Khwarizmi's "Zij" (consisting of astronomical tables) was also very popular and remained a standard until revised by Maslamah Al-Majriti (of Madrid) in the second half of the tenth century. These tables included values of trigonometrical sine and tangent functions also, as was the fashion among early writers before trigonometry became a definite subject by itself. He prepared also a map of the earth in collaboration with a number of scientists of Al-Mamun's time for his book "Surat-al-Ard".

The greatest of Sabian astronomers and one of the

most original investigators in Islam, Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibni Jabir Al-Battani (between 877 A.D. and 918 A.D.) was a Muslim scientist well known to the Latin world as Albategnius. On comparing his own observations with those of Ptolemy he discovered the motion of the sun's apogee and the arrived at a more correct value for precession of the Equinones (54.5" per annum) and initiated the use of sines in trigonometrical calculations. It was from a perusal of

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his dissertation on the apparent motion of the fixed stars that Hevilius discovered the secular variation of the moon.

Muhammad Ibni Kathir Al-Farghani Before him Abu Al Abbas Muhammad Ibni Kathir

Al-Farghani, (Latin Alfraganus, 840 A.D.) adorned the Dar-ul-Hikmah of Al-Ma'mun and took part in the measurements for the degree of terrestrial latitude. His book "Harakat al-Samawiyah wa Jawami illm unl-Nujum", in which he follows Ptolemy but substitutes more accurate figures based on local observations, enjoyed (in its Latin version known as the "Scientia Stellarum") great popularity among European scientists of the Middle Ages. Most of Dante's astronomical data were derived from this book. Al-Farghani built also a nilometer in Fustat for Al-Mutawakkil( Ibni Usaibiyyah, Vol. 1, Pg. 207). Abu Ma'shar (Latin Albumasar) though better known to Europe as an astrologer was the first to explain the tides as influenced by the moon (a fact unfortunately ingored by Kepler as savouring of astrology).

The Arabs were keen students of medicine Harun-Ur-Rashid was the first caliph to endow a

public hospital in Baghdad. The tradition was continued by his successors. Al-Muqtadir appointed Sinan Ibni Thabit Ibni Qurrah to conduct a regular examination of medical practitioners in Baghdad in 931 A.D. and over 800 candidates were thus awarded certificates to practise in their profession. Sinan further instituted travelling hospitals and inspected prisons, administering appropriate treatment to ailing prisoners. As a result of this activity no less than 34 hospitals were founded in the Muslim world in the course of a few years. (Contd.)

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BOOK REVIEW

Dr. Iqbal at K.U. BOOK : Jamia Kashmir Aur Iqbaliyat (Kashmir

University and Iqbaliyat) Author: Dr Badruddin Bhat Publisher: Iqbal Institute of Culture and

Philosophy, Kashmir University Year of Publication: 2009

Price: Rs 400 Pages: 529+ Photo section

Reviewerer : Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander D

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R SIR MUHAMMAD IQBAL OCCUPIES a special position in the hearts and minds of people of Kashmir. The vale of Kashmir has given birth to numerous legendary personalities and nurtured them in her bosom who later on left their imprint on the course of history, but it is also irony of fate that only few of these great souls could leave an imprint while residing, working and contributing in Kashmir, as most of them had left Kashmir since ages and contributed and made a mark outside Kashmir, but in their veins the Kashmiri blood used to run. Two such personalities were Allama Iqbal, the Poet of the East and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India. They both originally hailed from Kashmir and their ancestors had migrated to other provinces of India but they used to take pride in their Kashmiri origin. Allama Iqbal is remembered with Love and reverence by Kashmiris as he deeply empathized with their sufferings and raised his voice against their exploitation thus shaking the corridors of power. He was concerned at the pathetic state of Kashmiris, and tried to change it towards betterment.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was at first revered by

Kashmiris when he supported their leader Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah against the rule of Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh, but in the aftermath of partition, Nehru came to be hated in Kashmir due to his hostile political stance against Kashmiris which included caging their leader and a series of betrayals, broken and unfulfilled promises.

The book under review isn‘t a political treatise deliberating the political stance of these two stalwarts viz Kashmir but is a study of the twenty three year journey of Iqbal Chair which evolved to the present Iqbal Institute of Culture and Philosophy, a

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prestigious department of the Kashmir University which is included among the renowned centers of the Iqbalian studies in the world.

The Iqbal Chair was established in Kashmir University in the year 1977 under the chairmanship of the renowned critic and Urdu literary giant Prof Ala Ahmad Suroor and till date has been progressing through leaps and bounds. Three Directors including Prof Suroor, Prof Muhammad Amin Andrabi and now presently Prof Bashir Ahmad Nehvi has contributed towards making the Iqbal Institute scholarly, academic and vibrant.

The author of the book Dr Badruddin Bhat himself a renowned Arabic and Iqbalian scholar was requested by Prof Nehvi to pen down the twenty three year long journey of the institute, and Dr Bhat initiates the book with the Historical background of Kashmir. The life of Allama Iqbal, his visit to Kashmir and role he played in the freedom struggle of Kashmir, are dealt in individual scholarly chapters. Allama‘s Kashmiri roots are unveiled, the number of times he visited Kashmir is deliberated, the poems which Allama wrote after being inspired from Kashmir are discussed, Allama‘s tribute to Ghani Kashmiri is taken in account, his role in highlighting the atrocities committed by Dogra soldiers on Kashmiris in the aftermath of 1931 uprising at the Second Round table Conference are deliberated and for this role Allama Iqbal was debarred for life from entering the Vale of Kashmir by Maharaja.

After dealing with the life of Allama particularly his involvement with Kashmir, Dr Bhat forges to measure the progress of the Institute under Chairmanship of Prof Suroor, Prof Andrabi and now Prof Nehvi in separate chapters, which include the number of seminars held, journals published, MPhil‘s

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and Phd‘s granted and the books on Iqbalian studies published.

The research works undertaken by the Institute are separately discussed in a chapter, and we come to know that till date more than sixty two Mphil‘s and Phd‘s have been conferred by the Institute on the research scholars of Iqbalian studies, particularly women which is in contrast with other departments where the women taking serious academic projects is rare. Iqbal Institute publishes its annual journal Iqbaliyat in which scholarly, academic research papers on Iqbal are contributed by the Iqbalian scholars, till date nineteen issues have been published, besides more than sixty books have been published by the Institute on varied topics related to Iqbalian studies, and Dr Bhat painstakingly reviews all these publications in a separate chapter, and one is amazed that the Institute has left no topic related to Iqbalian studies under the sun virgin.

The faculty of the Institute is separately dealt, and their credentials are separately brought to the fore. The last chapter deals with the library of the Institute which we come to know has a rich world class material available related to Iqbalian studies.

Iqbal Institute of Culture and Philosophy, marks its presence as one of the prestigious departments of the Kashmir University, and the other departments must emulate and inspire from the feats achieved by this Institute against heavy odds and prevalent political instability in Kashmir which is an excuse for other departments to justify for their being defunct and having low quality of research.

Dr Badruddin Bhat deserves our kudos, appreciation and encouragement for penning down the journey in a quite lucid manner. We wish him success in his future endeavors too.

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The book is a welcome read for all, and the paper and printing quality is nice. The book can be read as a scholarly treatise on various facets of Iqbal too as it doesn‘t confine itself particularly to the journey of Iqbal Institute only.

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar Kashmir and can be contacted on sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com.

QURAN SPEAKS No indeed! He will be flung into the shatterer.

And what will convey to you what the shatterer is? The kindled fire of God reaching right into the heart. (Qur‘an, 104:4-7)

On the Day the sky is like molten brass and the

mountains like tufts of colored wool. No good friend will ask about his friend even though they can see each other.(Qur‘an, 70:8-11)

The Day when heaven is split apart in clouds, and

the angels are sent down rank upon rank. The Kingdom that Day will belong in truth to the All-Merciful. It will be a hard Day for the unbelievers. (Qur‘an, 25:25-26)

How many generations We have destroyed before

them! Do you see a trace of any one of them or hear even a whisper of them? (Qur‘an, 19:98)

Read regularly

CRESCENT March 2012

AL-HAYAT(Urdu)&

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mouths. But Allah refuses to do other than perfect His Light, even though the kafirun detest it. It is He Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth to exalt it over every other deen, even though the associaters detest it. (Surat a-Tawba, 32-33)

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ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

Knowledge in Islam Attainment of knowledge is a must for every

Muslim.Thus, education is not only a fundamental right but a religious right of all Muslims- male & female, rich & poor, white & black, writes FAYAZ LONE

I SLAM is the religion of peace, and it is one of the

most sacred and trustworthy religions, which systematically guides us in every aspect of life from cradle to grave and thereafter. It enriches and deepens our understanding of humanistic values and trains to maintain and promote the same. Islam‘s emphasis on education is inspiring. The importance of education is repeatedly emphasized in the ―Holy Quran‖ and in many Hadiths‘ of the Prophet Mohammed (SAW).

The first message from ALLAH to the greatest prophet Mohammed (SAW) was ―IQRA‖ means ―READ‖. Reading means ―Seek knowledge‖ or ―Educate yourselves‖. The Holy Prophet of Allah (S.A.W.) said, “Utlubul ilm faridhatan likuli muslim.” It means, ―Attainment of knowledge is a must for every Muslim.‖ Thus, education is not only a fundamental right but a religious right of all Muslims- male & female, rich & poor, white & black etc.

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Knowledge is identified as worship in Islam. The acquiring of knowledge is worship, reading the Qur‘an and pondering upon it is worship, travelling to gain knowledge is worship. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) encouraged his followers to broaden their horizons by seeking knowledge - even to the depths of China (Bukhari). He enthusiastically welcomed traders from different countries to stop-by in Madinah to have his followers learn and appreciate their cultures.

Education helps in all-round development of a

person from his birth to death. It makes a person knowledgeable. A person without knowledge is like someone walking along a track in complete darkness. According to Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, ―A single scholar of religion is more formidable against shaytaan than a thousand devout persons‖. Education is light and it brings a person from ―darkness to light‖ is the verse of the Holy Quran (min-al- zul-mat-i- illa-n-noor). "Without education, man is as though in a closed room and with education he finds himself in a room with all its windows open towards outside world." This is perhaps why Our Holy Prophet (SAW) said, ―Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave‖.

Knowledge is power The Muslim community is the most backward in

the world not because they have fewer resources but less knowledge. In modern competitive world, knowledge is power and this power is achieved only by reading. The nation who reads is the nation who leads. In such a competitive age, instead of opening the doors of our educational & learning institutions we are closing them. We deprive our children to acquire education and claim that we are the followers

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of Prophet Mohammed (SAW). Prophet Mohammed (SAW) said, ―A father can confer no better gift upon his children than a good education‖.

Today, the Muslims must acquire good ideas,

thoughts, knowledge, and skills, from all corners of the world not only for the well being of Muslim community but for the whole universe. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) is quoted to have said: ―He, who learns for the sake of haughtiness, dies ignorant. He, who learns only to talk, rather than to act, dies a hypocrite. He, who learns for the mere sake of debating, dies irreligious. He, who learns only to accumulate wealth, dies an atheist. And he, who learns for the sake of action, dies a mystic.‖ It is important that we must advance, share & update our knowledge through research, teaching, learning, conferences, seminars, discussions, debates, studies, and other activities. We must not remain backward in any sphere of knowledge be it spiritual, intellectual, philosophical, scientific, or mathematic, as it is our religious obligatory to be up date Rabbi zidnee ilma (O Lord, increase us in knowledge) Aameen.( Feedback at : fayazlib@yahoo.co.in)

LIFE & RELATIONSHIP

The spirit of marriage T HE PROPHET was once asked, "What is more

important than prayer?" He replied, "The spirit of prayer" - the spirit that animates the prayer. He was asked what is more important than fasting - he replied, the spirit of fasting. For each question concerning an Islamic practice the answer was the same - because the spirit brings the action to life and

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unfolds its potentials. Without this animating spirit, the prayer is only movement, and the fasting only hunger. But when spirit enters, when a pure and concentrated intention enters, the action is transformed - the prayer gains the potential to become a miraj (an elevating spiritual journey), and the one fasting approaches towards the potential to witness laylatul qadr (the night of destiny - a night when blessings from the spiritual world descend to this world).

So what is more important than marriage? It is the spirit of marriage, the intention which underlies it, the treasures which it contains hidden within it but which must be brought out and realized by the married couple themselves.

The qur'an provides the signposts and way-marks for learning about this potential. It says:

"It is He who created you from a single soul, And made its mate of like nature in order that you might dwell with her in love...." (Qur'an 7:189) So the male and female complete each other - together they make a single self and this is how they must strive to make their lives together - as if they are one being, one person, one spirit.

The Qur'an says: "Your wives are a garment for

you, and you are a garment for them." (Qur'an 2:187) So a husband and wife complete each other - each one takes on a new aspect of their humanity, a new facet and depth to their personality by entering into marriage and this is symbolized in this verse. Garments also conceal the body and protect the wearer so that a husband and wife are each other's protectors and helpers and each of them safeguards their partner's honor shaping the state of marriage into a haven and a sanctuary where each should feel

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safe and secure, sheltered in one another's care and guardianship.

The qur'an also says "And of everything we created a pair, that happily you may remember." (Qur'an 51:49) The word for spouse, "zawj", (this is the word that is used in the marriage ceremony, the Nikkah ceremony) - the word zawj literally means one part of a pair - and when the pair come together and act in concert with one another, then concealed potentials within them, potentials that were impossible to realize while they were apart make themselves evident. This is true throughout creation. And human marriage in the Qur'an is considered a reflection of a nature and tendency that exists at all levels of creation. When something is created as one part of a pair it is clearly incomplete without the other - as the Qur'an states, "He himself created the pair, male and female." (Qur'an 53:45)

The term nikkah which is used for marriage is also used figuratively to describe the coming together of various aspects of creation. For example it says, in the Qur'an, that "the rain married the soil" and then it describes how, from this intimate mingling, something new springs forth - that the earth brings forth flowers and herbage, it opens to new creations, new life, new potentials. So the act of marriage, the mingling through nikah, according to Islam, courses through all things, through all of creation. Each pair of the marriage brings something necessary and something unique to the marriage. The pairs are not identical but complimentary to one another and their unique qualities when they are mingled together produce that which neither one alone could produce.

So each individual of the pair undergoes change and transformation when they come together in marriage because marriage is an intimate mingling of

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the selves, the souls, the personalities and the beings of two individuals.

In human marriage the change takes place at

many levels - from a change in lifestyle, to changes in behavior, to changes in the very soul of the person. And there must be that willingness, on the part of both individuals, to allow this unifying transformation to take place. To accept the self the way it is, is to lock oneself into stagnation and narrowness and to remain an individual - not part of an intimately joined pair. It is to limit and lock up the potential, the beauty and strength that is capable of emerging from the intimate unity made possible through marriage.

Since "God created everything in pairs", as it states in the Qur'an, and since He "created the male and the female from a single nature, from a single self", it is God that is the point of reference for the married pair. "He has set up the balance..." of all things, so He is to be looked for to set all things in the right equilibrium. If the two partners of a marriage set themselves in correct relation to God then certainly a perfect balance will be realized within their lives together.

Love is a movement towards unity, towards oneness, and since God is One, "the closer the heart is to Oneness, the stronger the power of love is within it."

"God made their hearts familiar" (Qur'an 8:63) through the light of Oneness that yields spiritual love and familiarity in the heart. For love is the shadow of Oneness, familiarity the shadow of love, and balance the shadow of familiarity."

Let married couples be helpers and protectors of one another, let them be a refuge and a comfort to one another, let them be beautiful garments for one

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another, and let them together experience the many treasures and beauties of marriage.( Irshaad Hussain)

------------------------------ MUSLIM WORLD

Why Qaddafi Has Already Lost

The fight is not over. Whether or not Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi defeats the rebels in eastern Libya, any legitimacy he once had has been extinguished. He has weapons, tanks and planes, but he has lost the allegiance of even those elements of Libyan society that had once been willing to wait and hope for political reform. His base of support is now only diehard allies and foreign mercenaries. They might win on the battlefield, but they will lose in the end.The uprisings in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt were precipitating events, but the resistance has drawn its core motivation from Libya's brutal experience of colonialism. What is most striking about the rhetoric of the rebellion is how the anticolonialist theme that Colonel Qaddafi once deployed has now been turned against him and is being used on Twitter and Facebook. Even as they are assaulted by Colonel Qaddafi's forces, the rebels have resisted calling for forceful Western intervention, though they support the imposition of a no-flight zone.

Libya's history explains why. From 1911 to 1943, half a million Libyans died under Italian rule, including 60,000 in concentration camps run by the fascists. Colonel Qaddafi's nationalist populism is rooted in the traumas of the colonial era, which were

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papered over during the modernizing but out-of-touch monarchy that ruled from 1951 to 1969.

The regime that came into existence in a bloodless coup in 1969 was led by officers who came from lower-middle-class backgrounds, represented all three regions of Libya and had the backing of a population that was largely rural. Although it was anticolonialist and anticommunist and advocated Arab nationalism and Islamic cultural identity, the new government did not have a clearly delineated political agenda; instead it looked for guidance from the 1952 Egyptian revolution. To this ideological mix the Qaddafi faction, which consolidated power in 1976, added its vision of an indigenous, pastoral, socialist society supported by oil revenues and the labor of workers from abroad.

Had Colonel Qaddafi responded with openness to the calls for reform and not overreacted to the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, the urban elite might have been placated, and the violent rebellion avoided. He blew it. Once his army and police shot at protesters, the pent-up disaffection of Libyan society was unleashed, and it is too late for the regime to bottle it up. In recent weeks the revolt has even gained support from the historically pro-Qaddafi rural populace. No matter how much blood is shed today, the uprising will not be stopped.

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NECMETTIN ERBAKAN IS NO MORE Necmettin Erbakan (Najm-ud-Din Erbakan),

former Turkish Prime Minister, Islamic thinker and founder of Turkey‘s Islamist movement, breathed his last at Ankara‘s Guven hospital where he was under treatment, on February 27. He was 85.

He was an engineer, academic and politician. ―Erbakan was a scientist who devoted his life to learning. We will remember him with gratitude,‖ said Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. ―We lost a world leader,‖ said Yasin Hatipoglu, one of his close aides. ―The world of Islam lost a great man.‖

In the 1970s, Erbakan was chairman of the National Salvation Party which served in coalition with the Republican People's Party of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit during the Cyprus crisis of 1974. In the wake of the 1980 military coup, Erbakan and his party were banned from politics. He re-emerged following a referendum to lift the ban in 1987 and became the leader of Refah Partisi (Welfare Party). He led his party to a surprise success in the general elections of 1995. However his Welfare Party was banned in January 1998 and he and other party leaders were banned from holding political posts for five years.

Despite often being under political ban, Erbakan nonetheless acted as a mentor and informal advisor to former Refah members who founded the Virtue Party in 1997. The Virtue Party was band in 2001; by that

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time Erbakan's ban on political activities had ended and he founded the Felicity Party, of which he was the leader in 2003–2004 and again from 2010 onwards.

Jamia Millia Gets Minority Status The National Commission for Minority

Educational Institutions (NCMEI) on February 22 observed that the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) is a minority education institution founded by the Muslims for the benefit of community. ―We hold that the Jamia Millia Islamia is a minority education institution,‖ said the three-member bench of the NCMEI in its judgment in the case relating to the status of the university. The bench was headed by Justice M.S.A. Siddiqi. Its other two members were Mohinder Singh and Cyriac Thomas.

―We have no hesitation in holding that the Jamia was founded by the Muslims for the benefit of Muslims and it never lost its character as a Muslim education institution,‖ it said.

Muslim organisations, especially All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), have welcomed the finding of NCMEI.