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"THE SIMPLE TRUTH" May 2011 (3)

inside

04 Editorial

05 Guidance from the Glorious Qur'an

06 Pearls from the Holy Prophet

07 The Plight of Womenfolk in

Muslim Society

11 Allah Answered My Wish

13 Bigger Masa’a

15 Glorious Past, Glorious Present

19 Help is at Hand

22 The Prophet’s Image in the Holy

Quran

26 The Setter of Ideal Society

30 Obituary

The

SIMPLE

TRUTHMONTHLY

Chief Editor

Asghar Ali Imam Mahadi Salafi

Editor

Dr. Abul Hayat Ashraf

Publisher

Khawaja Md. Qutbuddin

Address:

Markazi Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadees Hind

Ahle Hadees Manzil

4116, Urdu Bazar, Jama Masjid,

Delhi-110006

Ph: 011-23273407

Fax: 011-23246613

websit: www.ahlehadees.org

E-mail: [email protected]

May, 2011

Vol. No. 5 Issue No. 5


The greatest danger to the unity and harmony

among Muslims is the tendency of some

individuals and groups to presume other Muslims

as hypocrites, stage-players, means, savages,

vulgars and untamed etc. Followers of so called

tahqeer movement, consider those Muslims

who do not agree to their interpretation of Islam

and management of Jamaat as untamed and

unrighteous.

Calling someone means and hypocrites is a very

serious matter that entails grave consequence.

Allah said in the Holy Quran:” O you who

believe! If an unrighteous comes to you with

any news, ascertain the truth lest you harm

people unwittingly, and after wards become

full of repentance for what you have done.”

(Sura Al-Hujrat:6)

Again Allah said:” O you who believe! Avoid

suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion

in some cases is a sin: And spy not on each

other, nor speak ill of each other behind their

backs…………” (Surah Al-Hujrar:12)

The Holy prophet (S.A.W.) has strongly warned

against such mischievous and allegation makers

without proper knowledge or clear indisputable

evidence supported by Shariah law and applied

by qualified, God-fearing and trustworthy

AVOID INTERNAL STRIVES AND

UNITE BY THE ROPE OF ALLAH

Editorial

Muslim Scholars. Those who charge other

Muslims of hypocricey, rudeness,

unproductiveness,unthriftyness without proper

knowledge simply on the basis of personal

opinion are in great sin and pose a great threat

to Muslim Ummah and Salafi movement across

the country.

It is not permissible for individuals to defame

one another and declare one another means,

vulgars, rudes at will just because their opinions

on some matters differ . The judgement on these

matters must be left to Allah. Otherwise, there

would be great chaos and sedition in the Muslim

Community.The resultant disunity and strife

among the Ummah and followers of salfe-

Saleheen will be in contravention of Almighty

Allah’s injunction to follow the Right-Path.

We through this editorial emphasize that

campaigning against Jamaat Ahle Hadeeth and

its servants will not affect the Jamiat’s doctrine

of monotheism, educational, dawati and social

activities.

We request people to be cautious against what

is being propagated against Jamiat because they

distort the clean picture of it to hamper the

chances of its moving ahead.µµ


1.When the Earth is shaken to her (utmost)

convulsion.

2.And the Earth throws up her burdens from

within);

3.And man cries (distressed); “What is the

matter with her?”

4.On that Day will she declare her tidings.

5.For that the Lord will have her

inspiration.(Surah Zilzal 1-5 )

The Surah gives a violent shake to drowsy

hearts; the subject matter, the scene drawn and

the rhythm all contribute to the effect of a violent

jolt. It is a powerful blast that makes the earth

and all that is on it quake and tremble. Men

hardly recover their senses when they find

themselves confronted with the reckoning,

weighing and evaluating of actions and deeds,

and with recompense. All this is expressed in a

short phrases, which is characteristic of this

thirtieth part of the Holy Quran.

It is the Day of Judgment when the firm earth

trembles and quakes violently, yields up her

long-carried loads of bodies and metals and

other matters which have weighed heavily on

her. It is a scene that makes every firms and

solid object under the feet of the listeners shakes

and totter.

It is the question advanced by the bewildered,

astonished, surprised and puzzled who sees

something unfamiliar to him, encounters what is

imperceptible to his senses and beholds what

makes him impatient and agitated. So he bursts

out, “What is the matter with her? What is

quaking and shaking her so violently? “ He cries

as he reels and staggers, trying to hold on to

any thing which may support him or keep him

upright. But all around him waver and totter

violently

Man has experienced earthquakes and

volcanoes which have filled him with awe and

terror and have brought to him ruin and

destruction. But when man witnesses the quake

of the Day of Resurrection he sees no similarity

between it and the earthquakes and volcanoes

of this world. He neither knows its secrets, nor

does he remember anything similar to it.

It is something august and dreadful, taking place

for the first time ever.

“On that day”, When this quake occurs, leaving

man entirely shaken, “She (The Earth) will tell

her news, that your Lord has inspired her.

(On Page:25)

Guidance from the Holy Quran

Quake of the Day of Resurrection


1.Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet

(S.A.W.) said: If people could know the

magnitude of recompense of calling the Azan

and taking position in the first row of prayers,

they would draw lots to secure such a place if

necessary, and if they knew the virtues of

coming early to the mosque for prayer, they

would hasten to reach there anyway if they

realized the value and merit of the fajr and Isha

prayers, they would come to them even if they

had to drag themselves.(Sahih Bukhari and

Muslim)

2. Amir Muawiyah (R.A.) says that he heard

the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) say: the Muazzins

(The persons who call the Muslims to masque

for prayers) will have the longest necks on the

Day of judgement (which fact will reflect their

exclusive eminence). (Sahih Muslim)

The Azan beautifully sums the teachings of Islam.If we study the Holy Quran and the Sunnah ofthe Holy Prophet (S.A.W.), we will find thatthere are four fundamentals on which the entireedifice of Islam rests:

(a) Belief in the oneness of Allah and in the factthat there is no power greater and mightier than

Him;

(b)He alone is the Creator and Master of the

universe and none other can claim share in His

Godhood or sovereignty;

(c) Muhammad (S.A.W.) is the final dispenser

of the will of Allah and it is in his words and

deeds that His will finds expression;

(d) It is not the material utility that determines in

the eyes of Allah the value of things or acts but

their spiritual significance, thus salvation in Islam

lies in the purification of the soul which can be

achieved only by willing and conscious obedience

to the commands of Allah, and prayer, at last

five times a day, is the most important of that

obedience,

(e) the highest aim of the life of a Muslim is to

live a life of eternal bliss. Looking into the

character of contents of Adhan, it becomes

abundantly clear that the teachings of the Holy

Quran and the Sunnah have been beautifully

summed up in Adhan. If a person reads and

listen to nothing but Adhan and grasps its

meaning, he can understand all essentials of the

Faith.The main purpose behind the loud

pronouncement of Adhan five times a day in

every mosque is to make available to everyone

an easily intelligible brief version of Islam. It is

intended to bring to mind of everyone the

substance of Islamic beliefs or its spiritual

ideology as well as the listeners goal in life and

programme of a righteous living.

Virtues of Azan

Pearls From the Holy Prophet


The second problem is that of the position of

the womenfolk in Muslim society. In this regard

also, as in regard to our social life as a whole,

we are in a state of complete chaos, hotchpotch

of competing forces,which have crept into our

life as a result of the enveloping wave of blind

imitation of the West. This has created a myriad

of problems in Muslim society, among which

deserving of special attention is the problem of

womenfolk. This is not so merely because

women constitute something more than half the

community. It is particularly pressing because it

is a problem, which affects the family, the very

basis of our social life, and because of the deep

and inherent relationship that it has with those

factors, which make for the cohesion of our

society. It is in fact a problem that affects in its

ramification most of aspects of our national

orientation.

It is strange that we Muslims should neglect the

important position of women. The Shariah has

placed such emphasis on it in connection with

the lives of those great men whom God entrusted

with high tasks and whom He chose as the

recipients of His revelation. Those noble souls

ordained to deliver God’s message to mankind.

In the story of Moses it is his daughter of

Madyan who constitute great figures. In the story

of Jesus, his virtuous mother is a great pillar of

the story. The principal nobility and virtue among

whose who stood faithfully by the side of

Muhammad (peace be upon him) in his apostolic

mission was Khadijah, the compassionate and

noble lady of Mecca. Indeed, the numerous

verses of the Quran and the large number of

prophetic traditions which speak of woman’s

status and of her rights and responsibilities, are

quite sufficient to determine our attitude towards

womanhood. The Holy Quran refers to their

position while comparing it with the position of

men in the sight of God and proclaims it to be

one of complete equality.

“I shall not let the work of worker, male or

female, be lost.On other occasion it mentions

the rights and duties of women as akin to those

of men before mentioning man’s administrative

leadership of the family. And they (women)

have rights similar to those (of men),

according to what is equitable, and men are

a degree above them”. On another occasion

we find Islam pointedly stressing gentleness and

good behavior in the treatment of women. Said

the prophet in his last address. “I advise you to

be good to women.”

The Plight of Womenfolk in

Muslim Society

Dr Said Ramadan

Islamic Feature


It is not my intention to discuss the position of

womenfolk in all its ramifications. What I have

to say will be quite brief, but nevertheless of

serious importance, for the time has come when

we should be very clear as a number of questions

relation to this problem and attention to the

solution thereof. It should be very clear in our

minds that woman, according to Islam, is

intrinsically like her male partner. She is a human

being endowed with the same essence of nobility,

which is shard by the whole human species. As

far as human quality is concerned, men and

women are absolutely alike:“O mankind! Be

dutiful to your Lord. Who created you from

a single person (Adam), and from him He

created his wife (Eve) and from them both

He created many men and women."( Surah

An-Nisa: (4:1)

Moreover, each one, man and woman, will be

held responsible for his own individual self: “…

"And every one of them will come to God on

the day of Resurrection, alone.” (19:95). This

means that those who either believe, or whose

behavior reveals the unconscious concept that

woman is an inferior being who has to be

subjugated, that she is merely an instrument for

the self indulgence of man such people require

a radical reorientation of their attitude towards

womankind. Such people, by clinging to such

unhealthy ideas, or through such unhealthy

conduct, are grossly distorting God given human

nature and killing potentialities of thought, feeling

and vitality in their partners of life.

It should also be clear that the unbridled self-

will of certain women in other societies, or of

those of our own who blindly imitate them,

should not be countered by extremism on our

part: by imposing on women what God has not

imposed upon them, or by forbidding them what

God has not forbidden. We should remember

that women in the western world began to lean

in the wrong direction from definite causes, at

least some of which were undoubtedly related

to social injustices, under the dead weight of

which, women had languished for so long,

imprisoned and ignorant , with no will or

personality of their own. They revolted against

this injustice and this revolt was a completely

natural and genuine one. Then they began to lean

in the wrong direction, becoming stubborn and

headstrong. The same type injustice continues

to have its strongholds in our won society, where

there are still people, though very few, who are

proud of the fact that since the wedding night

when their wives were driven home they have

not seen the street once. There are still other

who consider themselves entitled to beat their

wives if they dare to disagree with their views

and advance an opinion of their own. Again ,

there are those who spend year after year with

their wives and daughters without sitting down

to discuss a problem with them or attempting to

make them share their views.

Who would claim that any of these has anything

to do with Islam? On the contrary, it is Islam

that elevated women to heights of prestige, which

have neither precedent nor parallel in human

history. At a time when womanhood in the West

was held in such a state of impurity that even a

woman’s was an evil pollution of the Bible,

Quranic manuscripts were held in the trust of

the Lady Hafsa at Medina. At a time when


Romans held conference to debate whether

woman was a “person” or a “thing”, Muhammad

(peace be upon him) stood up to declare that

“women are but the sisters of men” and to shatter

the pre-Islamic era of darkness and injustice,

so that a woman could argue with the Holy

Prophet in the courtyard of the mosque and say,

:I have been deputed to you on behalf of

woman!” Indeed, it was Islam which, for the

first time, established the status of women full-

fledged members of human society and granted

them the right to own whatever they earned since

the Quran proclaimed:”Unto men of fortune

from that which they have earned , and unto

women of fortune from that which they have

earned.” (4:32).

Whatever standards of decency Islam has laid

down in matters of dress and behavior between

man and woman, they are all with the sole

intention of ensuring the sanctity of the home

and the inviolability of marital intimacy. Not one

of these standards could ever imply an attitude

directed towards humiliation of woman as

regards her social status or her role in her

relationship with man. When a newly married

girl complained to the Prophet that her father

had chosen her husband without consulting her,

he immediately gave her permission to annul her

marriage, to which she replied:”I have no

personal objection to my husband and I accept

him, but I wanted it to be known that a father

has no right to impose a husband upon his

daughter without her consent.” In contrast to

the then prevailing ignorance and plutocracy of

tribal tradition, Muhammad (peace be upon him)

enjoined the quest of knowledge as an integral

part of faith, for men and women alike. He

praised highly the women of Ansar with: “

Blessed be those whose modesty never

prevented them from seeking knowledge.” Far

from being rough or rude, Muhammad (peace

be upon him) consciousness of women’s

tenderness and delicacy was so intense that even

in the impelling harshness of the desert, he gently

appealed to Anjashah, the caravan driver:”O

Anjashah, slow down a little, for thy camels are

carrying glasses!”

This is only a glimpse of Islam: thus, how could

we possible be justified in so grossly distorting

it by all sorts of misconceived traditions and

beliefs? What could be more unjust, whether to

Islam or to ourselves, than to deform the

beautiful features of Islam? And consider when?

At a time when we are encountering the

movement of so-called progress and

emancipation, which is advancing like a storm

and wreaking havoc in our lives.

It is imperative to realize that the really weak

points in our society are those that provide

genuine cause for feminine revolt, which can

subsequently take an extremist turn and

ultimately lead to unbridled feminine self-will. If

we are serious about resisting this unhealthy

trend, it is our duty to call a stop where God

has done so and combat the deceptive,

misleading elements we are encountering by

adhering to what God has laid down for us. We

should neither depart from anything, which God

has decreed out of weakness or compromise,

nor add anything to it from extremism and

severity.


These things are relevance for all Muslims. But

they are of particular importance to those who

are actively devoted to the revival of Islam. I

fervently wish that such people would put these

ideas into effect; would stop at the point where

the Shariah stops, and have the courage to

proclaim and insist on what God has made

binding on us, and that alone. This is essential in

creating a strong wall around whatever of virtue

and purity remains in our remains in our society.

It is to be hoped that by so doing the workers

for the cause of Islam will have created a real

barrier , one strengthened by the word of God

and His Prophet , against the sweeping,

devastating storm which threatens Islam today.

For if matters are not clarified, and confusion is

allowed to reign as it does today, if the good

aspects are not separated from the bad, both in

theory and by good example, the result of this

confusion is bound to be this: the good elements

will be mistaken for bad, and both will be swept

away by the rising storm. This will not be in the

least surprising. For there is neither a divine code

which is being sincerely adhered to, nor is there

any social system based on experience and

clarity of outlook, and God has not appointed a

gendarme to regulate the conflicting traffic of

good and evil.

A further consideration in this connection is the

many of our women, like our men, do not

possess an adequate knowledge of Islam. The

picture of Islam they have deep in their minds is

a confused and distorted one. It is the picture of

Islam as it is practised in our countries. In

addition to this, there is a dire absence of religious

discipline among our people, while on the other

hand there is the aggressive advance of moral

laxity in our society, fully armed with formidable

weapons; the attraction of the western culture

which has cultivated deep down in the hearts of

our young men and women an admiration for its

glamour and its pattern of life, also admiration

of their civilization sown in our hearts by the

pioneers of this culture: magazines, radio

broadcasts, films etc. And above all, it is armed

with temptations, the potential response to

which has been planted by God in the nature of

every man and woman as the Quran says:

Decorated for mankind is love for joys (that

come) from women.

All this requires that our collective attitude to

the solution of this problem should be based on

a full consideration of the magnitude of the

impact of the culture invasion of the West on

those who are exposed or have fallen victim to

it. This should be borne in mind particularly when

the problem requiring a solution concerns

women, for with women the emotional factors

are predominant. Hence, leniency itself is not

enough. The approach to reform should be

based on a careful distinction between what is

good and what is bad.

Moreover, we should not being by condemning

people for lacking honour and decency by falling

into some of the widespread errors, for instance,

the violation of limits in matters of dress, etc.

For not every unveiled woman is a bundle of

vices and immodesty, nor is every veiled woman

a paragon of virtue.

vvv


On July 30, 2006/ Rajab 4, 1427, with Allah’s

will, I declared my Shahadah. I believe this is

my destiny to become a Muslim, to return to

my true religion. There is not much to say about

my religious background. I was baptized as a

Christian Orthodox, yet I rarely entered a

church or actually practised the religion. In

Romania, when I was little, religion was a taboo

due to the strict Communist rules. Although

Communist fell when I was 11 and many people

returned to religion, still my parents continued

to neglect it, and the country remained mainly

secular.

The only times Mom would attend church was

at a time of a wedding, a funeral, or a baptism

of child. Sometimes she used to take me along

to church to light a candle for the dead and the

living. Strangely, I never liked the smell of

burning candles nor the general atmosphere in

an Orthodox Church.

In a typical Orthodox Church in my country

there are no benches and when there was the

time for the sermon, people used to push to be

closer to the altar. During the sermon, your legs

would hurt so much, until a point when you

couldn’t concentrate on the sermon anymore.

Briefly, I never liked the sound of the sermon,

… Allah Answered My Wish

By:Lana

elders used to gossip, it was crowded, and I

never felt any religious call within Christianity.

Back home two of my best friends were

Muslims, yet not practicing ones. I used to attend

a few Muslim weddings and once I was even

the witness of a Muslim bride! It was an

interesting experience. Then, during my university

in the United Kingdom, I had classmates from

all around the world and some were Muslims.

By coincidence, I was more attracted to

befriend a classmate from Morocco and two

from Indonesia, simply because they were calm,

joyful persons, down to earth, with other

interesting hobbies and not used to drinking like

most of other students. I personally rarely drank

alcohol. I can count on my fingers how many

times I had a very little alcohol.

In my last months of my master's degree, I met,

by pure coincidence a wonderful Muslim man

who would later become my husband. I reckon

everyone reading this would say my conversion

to Islam was because of my husband. On the

contrary, I believe it was Allah’s mysterious way

and wish to bring this man into my life to guide

me to the right path.

My husband never mentioned Islam and never

From Darkness to Light


raised the issue of my conversion. I asked him

once why he didn’t talk about Islam, and he

said he believed a person’s religious choice

should come from the heart, not convinced or

forced by others. As long as I was one of the

people of the Book [Christians and Jews], he

was happy.

In the time when I was unsatisfied with the overall

teachings of Christianity and especially the

Orthodox branch of it, I still believed there is

God. I was driven to Islam by the fact that its

teachings gave me a sense of direction, a sense

of belonging to something I originally felt in my

heart. I did not have any financial or sentimental

problems. I just simply felt that Islam was what

was missing in my life.

It was at the local Islamic centre in a building

with a beautiful minaret, on the seaside!

Amazingly enough, since I moved to

Qatar(where I now live), I always admired the

building .I thought it was only a mosque but when

later I found out it was actually an Islamic centre

with a Shariah court. I made a promise to myself

that if or when I would ever take the Shahadah,

it would be in that beautiful building. And Allah

answered my wish.

On the morning of July 30, on the spur of the

moment I just took the car and stopped at the

Islamic centre and decided to take my

Shahadah. My husband didn’t know anything

at all. He found out afterwards, when I invited

him out in town to share with him the big news,

he became speechless.

I can say my family-in-law’s reaction took me

by surprise. What I wanted to share with my

husband went further to my father-in-law and

the rest of the family. Happiness and tears of

joy were a spontaneous reaction. As for my own

parents, insha Allah whenever I go back home,

there will be a proper time for them to find out

and they won’t be upset.

I wish more and more people in my country

would go beyond biased mass media’s view on

Islam and start reading the Quran and

understand the depth of this beautiful religion

called Islam.

By Allah’s will, people will stop finding illegal

ways of making more and more money

(sometimes at the expense of friendship and

moral integrity). By Allah’s will, people will stop

fighting and there will be peace in the world. By

Allah’s will, people will start seeking or will

continue, their inner call to religious duty.

“The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said,

“Help your brother whether he is

doing wrong to other’s or is being

wronged” A man asked,” O

Messenger of Allah, I can

understand helping one who is

being wronged, but how can I help

him when he is doing wrong? “

The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) replied,

“stop him from doing wrong: this

is your help to him”

(Bukhari & Muslim)

HELPING THE OPPRESSOR ?


The latest Masa’a a expansion translates intoan almost three-fold increase in pilgrimaccommodation.

The largest-ever expansion of the Haram inMakkah Al-Mukarrammah under way at theMasa’a (Sa’y area) was almost complete whenthe complex was opened for pilgrims inRamadan this year. The Masa’a area has beenexpanded from 29,400 square metres to 87,000square metres.

The complex is being given finishing touches.Hundreds of workers are engaged round theclock to complete the project, said an official ofthe General Presidency for the Affairs of the TwoHoly Mosques which is supervising the project.

The latest expansion translates into an almostthree-fold increase in the number of pilgrims whowill be able to perform the Sa’y between thehills of Safa and Marwa. Before expansion44,000 pilgrims were able to performs the ritualper hour. Now 118,000 pilgrims can performthe ritual per hour. Likewise the Masa’a areaearlier accommodated 42,000 praying people.This number has jumped to 115,600 after theexpansion.

King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two HolyMosques, ordered the expansion of the Masa’ain 2007. The width of the Masa’a area has beenincreased from 20 metres to 40 metres, and the

new length is 350 metres. With the expansion,the total area of Masa’a was increased from29,400 sq metres to 72,000 sq, metres. Thereare three floors for Sa’y in addition exclusivelyfor wheelchairs.

The origin of the Sa’y is based on Hajarah’ssearch for water for her son Ismail. Safa in therocky hill from where Sa’y starts, and Marwais the rocky hill at which Sa’y ends. It ismentioned in the Holy Quran that they are ofAllah’s ordinance, accordingly, they have a greatsignificance for Muslims.

“Behold! Safa and Marwa are among thesymbols of Allah. So if those who visit theHouse in the season or at other times, shouldcompass them round, it is no sin in them. Andif any one obeyeth his own impulse to good,be sure that Allah is He who recogniseth andknoweth. “ (Surah 2 Ayah 158.)

Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) was commanded byAllay to leave his wife Hajarah in the desert alongwith her infant son Ismail with someprovisions.When the provisions exhausted,Hajarah searched for water. To obtain a clearerview of the area, she climbed the two hills seventimes. After her apparently fruitless search, shereturned to Ismail and found that a spring hadsprouted forth. The water is known as Zam Zam.

Performing the Sa’y serves to commemorate

Bigger Masa’a

Feature


Hajarah’s search for water and Allah’s mercy in

answering prayers. The distance between Safa

and Marwa is approximately 450 metres, so that

seven trips amount to roughly 3.15 kilometers.

To complete the rite, pilgrims drink from the well

of Zam Zam. According to tradition the Allah’s

answer to Hajrah’s quest for water.

The last expansion of the Masa’a (Sa’y area)was carried out in 1953 (1373H). The latestexpansion started on February 9,2007.

The expansion includes all floors-ground, firstand second. Another floor, mezzanine, will alsobe added to the structure to add space andthereby reduce the volume of pilgrims at a singleplace during peak seasons.

The minaret on the Safa hill has also beenreplaced. The new one is of the same height(95 metres), but the dome next to it is wide andspacious. The Masa’a area on the roof will alsobe covered to allow the pilgrims to perform Sa’yduring all types of weather with ease and

comfort.

More than 3,000 people, including labourers,

engineers and support staff, worked round the

clock at the project. Temporary entries and exits

had been made to help streamline the ritual.

Among the various new features of the Masa’aare alone has around 20 lifts. The huge numberof lifts are in operation to facilitate speedy entryand exit of pilgrims from the area. All the liftshave doors on both sides and the pilgrims wouldbe able to leave the elevators from one sidewhile the waiting people could board it from theother side. Each lift will be able to carry 30people at a time. The lifts will also facilitate theentry of wheelchair-bound pilgrims.

The Masa’a is not the only area being renovated.

According to media reports king Abdullah BinAbdul Ziz, Custodian of the Tow Holy Mosques,has approved projects that will provideadditional space to accommodate 500,000worshippers taking the Haram capacity to 1.2million people.

Work on those projects is also under way.

Not only will courtyards be added to the Harambut new hotels will also come up in the area toaccommodate the ever increasing number ofpilgrims.

King Abdullah has also ordered the airconditioning of the whole built up area of theHaram. This work is being carried out withoutaffecting regular prayers and rituals.

At least 10 million Muslims visit the Haram inMakkah every year to perform Haj and Umraand to spend Ramadan in the City of peace.

Most people associated with Haj and Umrabelieve that new project will remove thedisorganized neighbourhoods and dilapidatedbuildings.

The General Presidency for the Affairs of Al-

Masjid Al-Nabawi in recent years has

implemented several utility and services projects

at a cost of SRI.2 billion. The projects, aimed

at maintaining safety and providing comfort to

the Haram’s cleaning system, improvements in

the production of the Kiswa, new furnishings,

and new signposts and instruction boards in

different languages. Other activities at the Haram

include updated arrangements for disabled

pilgrims at the northern square, more than 110

shelves to keep copies of the Holy Quran on

the ground floor, and larger escalators leading

to the bus stop at the western square.

***


On the 14th of Shawwal (September 23) the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrated the 80th

anniversary of the founding of the nation. On

this day in 1351H (1932CE) history recorded

the birth of the Kingdom after the heroic efforts

exerted by the founding father, King Abdul Aziz

Bin Abdurrahman Al-Saud, over a period of 32

years.

During this period, Riyadh, the capital city of

his forefathers, was recaptured. These years

were years of glorious accomplishments in this

great land and succeeding years have witnessed

the first constructive establishment of the state

by the founding father. Succeeding him, the

infrastructure of the state was further put in place

and completed by his sons as the caravan of

history advanced.

A historic day

On this historic day 80 years ago, King Abdul

Aziz proclaimed the unification of parts of the

country of the Two Holy Mosques. He created

a nascent state in which the shariah of Islam could

flourish and from where the magnanimous

teachings of the religion could be spread.

It would also be a state in which the human values

of Islam could be proclaimed to all parts of the

world, a state promoting peace and goodwill.

Likewise, it would promote the blessed call to

Islam through the study of the principles of the

religion and its development.

It would also follow a rapid path leading towards

a better future for all human societies.

Among the accomplishments of King Abdul Aziz

are the establishment and maintenance of

political unity as well as the development and

improvement of this unity in all fields. With the

favour of Allah the Powerful and Mighty he was

able to establish the nation on a firm and stable

Islamic basis in which responsibilities are firmly

fixed and authorities are well defined. Ministries

were created and civic organisation came into

existence. Offices were established to enhance

development and modern laboratories were for

the first time created in the Arabian Peninsula.

These laboratories gradually became traditional

features of society. King Abdul Aziz also set up

the basis for all aspects of the government

according to Islamic Shar’iah establishing and

regulating courts of various kinds, defining their

special authorities and regulating the nature of

their operations.

King Abdul Aziz also made great achievements

Glorious Past, Glorious Present

Feature


in the field of security thus protecting the basis

of the state in order to secure the peace of mind

of the citizens and visitors. He dealt with persons

who broke the law and disturbed the smooth

functioning of the state with such a strong hand

that this country became an example among

international circles for its way of maintaining

security and stability.

Heroic efforts

For more than 30 years, King Abdul Aziz, along

with his sincere followers, made heroic efforts

to his state, encompassing all elements of the

population under the banner of unification. He

then placed the cornerstone on which the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was based as a nation,

in which all aspects of the state were firmly fixed

on the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the

Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).

He also played a significant role in helping other

state become established on the principles of

peace and security. On the 17th of Jumada

1,1351, a royal decree was issued unifying all

parts of the modern Saudi state under one name,

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He then

announced that Thursday, 21 Jumada 1,1351,

was the day the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was

united, thus making it the national day of the

Kingdom. The symbol of the state was chosen.

Two Crossed Swords over a Palm Tree. Green

was chosen as the national flag’s colour and on

which lengthwise is written the Creed of Unity.

“There is no god but Allah,Mohammad is His

Prophet.” Under the Creed is a white sword.

King Abdul Aziz organized his new state on the

basis of contemporary modernization and

development. He distributed the responsibilities

in the state and established the government in

the Hejaz province after he annexed it. In 1344H

(1926 CE), he created the post of General

Deputy for the Hejaz and appointed his son

prince Faisal to this post. He also made him

chairman of the Shoura Council.

On 19 Sha’ban 1350 (December 30,1931), a

special system was created which was

composed of the council of Deputies. King

Abdul Aziz created a number of ministries and

established diplomatic relations according to the

official protocol of internation diplomatic

relations. King abdul Aziz was very concerned

to support the question of Palestine and when

the Arab League was established in Cairo in

1365 (1954), the kingdom of Saudi Arabia

became one of the founding member state.

Historic achievements

Among the achievements of King Abdul Aziz

was the establishment of the settlement of the

Bedouin. He set them up in permanent

agricultural settlements and from among the

inhabitants he formed an army of volunteers

under his command.

He also worked to improve the social and

economic situation of the kingdom, showing

great care and concern for education by opening

schools and institutes and in sending educational

missions abroad. He also encouraged the printing

of books, especially Islamic books in Arabic,

and he was most concerned with spreading the

call to Islam and in combating heretical doctrine

and superstition.

He established the commission for Encouraging


Virtue and Combating Vice, providing it with

facilities and defining its authorities.

In 1370 (1951) he also ordered that the Grand

Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque

(pbuh) in Madinah be expanded and he

provided water and medical services (including

preventive medical services ) to the pilgrims to

the Holy House of Allah. In 1357 (1938) oil

was extracted in commercial quantities in the

Eastern province. This increased the financial

wealth of the Kingdom which in turn helped in

the development, progress and flowering of the

country.

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency was

established once Saudi currency began to take

its natural place among the currencies of other

states. The state bought agricultural equipment

and distributed them among the farmers in order

to upgrade agriculture. Paved highways were

also created and a railway was established which

connected Riyadh with Dammam.

The country was connected by both wireless

and wired communications and the basis of Civil

Aviation was put in place with the creation of

Saudi Arabian Airlines in 1945. An oil pipeline

was built which connected the Gulf with the

Mediterranean and the Saudi Broadcasting

system was opened in 1368 (1949). The

founder of the Kingdom was concerned with

combating disease and providing health services

by establishing hospitals and health centres in

many of the cities of the Kingdom. He also set

up a system for Saudi passports as one of the

public facilities that are adjuncts to society.

Looking after pilgrims

King Abdul Aziz provided the best possible

services to the Guests of Ar-Rahman and visitors

to the holy precincts. He personally made sure

that maximum efforts were expended to ensure

comfort and protection for the pilgrims and their

property. He also adopted measures to prevent

the pilgrims from being exploited by imposing

ordinary tariffs for their transportation in and

around the holy places. He also provided

drinking water and food as well as all the

requirements of life and the means of relaxation.

He was most concerned with spreading

knowledge and culture on a firm Islamic basis.

He fought against ignorance whether among the

settle population or among the nomads and he

supported preaching, guidance and education

in the mosques and other places of worship. He

supported private schools while at the same time

laying down the basis of organised public

education. This he did by establishing an office

of education to take over the supervision of

education.

During the reign of King Abdul Aziz no efforts

by the government were spared in respect of

internal development while at the same time

efforts were made to formalize relations with

brotherly and friendly states.

The foreign policy of the kingdom was built on

a clear goal which was clearly and firmly fixed

on principles and the support of rights which

proceed from the teachings of the Islamic religion

which are the principles on which this state is

founded. It is on this basis that the renaissance

of the state springs as does its security and

welfare. King Abdul Aziz was very keen on


establishing bridges of close cooperation with

brother Arabs by strengthening ties with them.

He did his best to unify their ranks and bring

them together, not allowing them cause for

disunity as he tried to solve their differences by

mutual consultations and coming to agreement

on the basic goals through which the freedom

of their lands could be guaranteed.

Establishing the Law of Allah

The highest goal of King Abdul Aziz during his

long jihad was the establishment of the Shar’iah

Law of Allah on the purest of foundations as it

came in the Holy Quran,the Sunnah of the

Prophet (pbuh) and the heritage of the righteous

ancestors.

King Abdul Aziz was the first Muslim ruler to

call for collective action which he placed in the

forefront of the application of his policy. The

first general Islamic conference in the history of

Islam was convened by king Abdul Aziz in 1345.

It was attended by delegations from the Islamic

countries and it was the first occasion in which

the representatives of Muslims gathered from

some of the Islamic nations.

It could be said that the policy drawn up by

king Abdul Aziz became one of the prominent

and firm characteristics of Saudi political policies.

This preminent policy is to work for the unity

and collective action of Muslims and to confront

their enemies with one voice. He made the

following remark. “The pleasantest of things for

me is when Allah brings the words of the Muslims

together and unites their hearts.Then it pleases

me when with the words of the Arabs are united

along with their purposes and intentions so that

they move forward in one line being guided by

benevolence.

The foundations of the state

Thus did the founding leader, King Abdul Aziz,

anchor his nascent state on land in the Arabian

Peninsula, basing its constitution and purposes

on the Blessed Book of Allah and the Sunnah

of Mohammad,the Prophet (pbuh).

The march forward has been one of construction

and prosperity for the young state and this march

has continued on into the reign of the king

Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, Custodian of the Two

Holy Mosques, and Crown Prince Sultan Bin

Abdul Aziz, both of whom govern on the same

principle of “heroic togetherness in the rebirth

of a nation.”

The leaders of this country enjoy the respect

and appreciation of the world’s peoples in the

rebirth of the Kingdom which acts in a position

of leadership when dealing with Arab, Islamic

and international issues. Their leadership is firmly

based with honest determination and a positive

desire to pursue the path of construction and

progress.

A solid national economic base has been

achieved and it has been put in place by

productive economic powers. In addition, this

economic base has enabled the Saudi individual

to join the world’s caravan of progress. The

position of the Kingdom was enhanced in the

international community through its role in the

creation of the United Nations.

²²²


Some 800 female monitors and guides were

assigned to various departments concerned with

ensuring safety and comfort for pilgrims, said

abdul Wahid Hattab of the Media and public

Relations division of the General Presidency of

the Prophet’s Mosque Affairs.

“Around 200 were tasked to do inspections

round the clock at the women’s entrance gates,

while 150 were tasked stationed inside to

organize the entrance and exit of women

vivitors,”Hattab said.

Some 130 observed overall organisation and

arranged worshippers into prayer rows and

another 100 had duties ranging from first aid,

preventing regulation violations, barring the entry

of publication, ensuring cleanliness and safety

at stairs and corridors, and continually supplying

Zam Zam water in the designated containers.

Other monitors had been tasked with identifying

lost persons and guiding them to the correct

department to be reunited to their groups, while

some others were in charge of lost property

belonging to women.

Women visitors at the mosque, Hattab said, are

organised into groups according to language.

“There are also females at the library who have

passed courses in people skills and a range of

languages to provide the best and friendliest

guidance to women visitors,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Board of Senior Ulema

(scholars) has decided to keep the borders of

the Madinah Haram in their current state.

The decision came during its last meeting held

in Taif recently, after wide discussions and

differences of opinion among members on the

eastern and western sides that have been

established according to the opinions of the

Ulema.

An informed source said the northern and

southern borders of the Madinah Haram have

been set according to a Prophet’s (pbuh) saying

that the Haram comes between mounts Eer and

Thawr.

An informed source said the matter was decided

after field studies conducted by a committee

comprising a number of members of the Board

of Senior Ulema, including Dr Muhammad Bin

Muhammad Al-Mukhtar, Dr Abdullah Bin

Muhammad Al-Mutlaq, Sheikh Abdullah Bin

Sulaiman Al-Manee, Dr Ahmad Seer Al-

Mubaraki, Dr Abdul Kareem Bin Abdullah Al-

Khudhair and Sheikh Muhammad Bin Hassan

Help is at Hand

Feature


Al Al-Sheikh.

The source said the committee met with a number

of historians, researchers, antiquities specialists

and people interested in Madinah Haram’s

heritage.

Experts from the Taiba and Islamic universities

and related government authorities also worked

with the committee.

Furthermore, the Board of Senior Ulema has

postponed studying the prospect of building

pilgrims residences on the foothills of Mina.

The issue will be discussed at the next meeting,

scheduled to be held in Riyadh on Dec.7, (1st

of Muharram 1432H). A committee has been

formed to follow up on the subject.

The Ministry of Haj has warned all Haj and

Umra companies against housing pilgrims in

properties that have not obtained licenses from

the Saudi commission for Tourism and

Antiquities (SCTA), saying that licensing is

required of all property owners in Makkah and

Madinah renting accommodation to pilgrims.

The ministry added that any breaches of the

conditions would be “severely penalized.”

Earlier, Madinah Governor prince Abdul Aziz

Bin Majed had issued instructions that visitors

to Madinah should only be accommodated in

hotels and apartments approved and classified

by SCTA. He added that any one who violates

this rule risks being punished.

The ministry of Haj also banned the entry of

foreign bus companies vehicles into the central

area in Madinah for a period of 60 days, from

the month of Sha’ban until the end of Ramadan.

The vehicles must now be parked at designated

land pilgrims parking lots in Madinah.

According to the ministry, the move will reduce

congestion in the central area as the number of

pilgrims increases.

The Shoura Council recently made a proposal

to ban all vehicles carrying less than 25 people

from entering the holy city of Makkah during

the Haj season.

Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, secretary general of the

council, said the arrangements should be made

in the interest of both pilgrims and residents. A

reduction in the number of vehicles entering the

holy city will help facilitate the smooth operations

of ongoing expansion programs, he said.

Currently vehicles carrying from less than nine

people are banned from entering Makkah and

the holy sites during the peak pilgrimage season.

Road signs signaling new speed limits have also

been put up in Madinah as the region prepares

to introduce the Saher safe driving scheme that

involves cameras to capture motoring offenses

and automatic fines for drivers.

The system has been operational in Riyadh for

several months producing, according to traffic

authorities, a noticeable decline in the number

of accidents and deaths.

Preparing for an increased number of pilgrims

this year, the Madinah municipality recently

opened a separate two kilometer long pedestrian

road for joggers and walkers. The road has been

made attractive and includes seating areas.


According to a recent study, more and more

residential projects are needed in Madinah to

cater to the needs of the ever-growing population

and the increased number of pilgrims to the city.

The population in the Prophet’s City which

stands at a million now is expected to more than

double by 2020, according to a recent study.

The Knowledge Economic city (KEC) in

Madinah, launched by custodian of the Two

Holy Mosques king Abdullah in June 2006 will

substantially meet the growing housing demand

in the holy city.

KEC is the third of the six economic cities

announced by Amr Dabbahgh, governor of the

Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority.

The SR30 billion project in Madinah is part of

our enndevour to provide a better lifestyle and

good living conditions to the people of Madinah

and the other customers of the residential KEC

project, “said KEC project planning and

scheduling manager Eadia S.Asaly, who spoke

to an English Language local dialy on the

sidelines of the recent Cityscape 2010 exhibition

at the Jeddah international Exhibition Center.

“DEC is located inside the boundary of the

Haram in Madinah on an area of five million

sq.meters,”he said.

“The whole development plan is based on

providing an environment of knowledge

including the infrastructure, planning and zoning

of the city,” he explained.

The city, he said, has been designed to position

Saudi Arabia and young Saudi entrepreneurs as

internationally respected leaders in knowledge-

based industries and is aimed at attracting and

developing talent from around the world. “This

is a residential project which provides

knowledge to the people who live there and will

also benefit those living in surrounding areas,”

said Asaly.

“There will be a special knowledge compound

consisting of national and international

universities and schools to support the project,”

he said.

The city is intended to create opportunities for

Saudi entrepreneurs on a global scale while

providing investors and entrepreneurs with

infrastructure, a unique pool of talent and the

potential for a healthy return on investments.

The city consists of various residential and

commercial sectors along with knowledge zones.

The main customers for the city are either local

residents of Madinah or those from other parts

of the kingdom or even from the Islamic World.

“ We are aiming to target medium to high income

customers from the Kingdom and neighboring

countries. We are looking for people who want

build their second home, especially retired

people who want to spend their retirement life

in Madina, “Asaly said,”The main goal of this

economic city is to bring Islamic ideas and

professionals from the whole world and we will

provide them with a clean Islamic environment.”

µµµ


The Purpose of this study is to analyse how the

divine, Al-Quran, depicts the image of the Holy

Prophet (S.A.W.) to whom the book was

revealed over a period of twenty three years.

The common and general approach in recounting

the biography of the Holy Prophet is mostly

based on some historical accounts and narratives

provided by various historians and biographers.

Many of these historical accounts are proven to

be unauthentic too.In some cases, the internal

clashes of those narrations are obvious that, it is

quite impossible to draw up any conclusion with

and any credible certainty. However, these

disagreements between biographers are mostly

about the very details of a single event in the life

of the Hoy Prophet (S.A.W).Hence, this study

does not focus on those somewhat unnecessary

and not so dependable details, rather seeks to

present a firm and authentic image of the Holy

Prophet based on the Holy Quran, which has

been preserved in both human hearts and

manuscripts. The study will prove that the Holy

Book is the most authentic and reliable source

of the records of Prophet’s life. In doing so, the

study will primarily focus on the Quranic texts,

which refer to the Holy Prophet’s personality

and characteristics. It will also refer to some tafsir

The Prophet’s Image in the Holy Quran

By Abdul Kader

(commentaries) of the Holy Quran- as

secondary sources-in order to ascertain the

meaning of those relevant divine texts. The study

follows the qualitative research methodology and

largely utilizes a thematic approach to organize

ideas, as it uses an analytical illustrative approach

to delve deep into the topic under discussion.

THE PROPHET IN THE HOLY QURA’N

Allah the Almighty has chosen Prophet

Muhammad (S.A.W.) as a last Prophet. He

describes him and his manners in His words,

Al-Quran. There is no aspect of his life and

mission, which in not alluded to in this Book,

although it does not touch upon every minor

detail. The holy scripts contain clear references

to his personal life prior to his Prophet hood, to

his orphanhood, relationship with wives, taking

part in battles, etc.Therefore, when discussing

his life, one should base their study primarily on

the Holy Quran itself rather than historical

accounts. This is what Aishah meant by her

statement when she was asked by Ibn Hisham

about Prophet’s characteristics. She said

emphatically :Do You not read the Quran?” then

she added :” His characteristics were the Quran”

(Al-Darmi 1349 H.P.345). Hence,this paper

seeks to depict his image from the Holy Quran.

Islamic Feature


The Holy Quran asserts that Muhammad

(S.A.W.) is, like other Prophets, a human and a

messenger. This information is evoked in an early

Makkah chapter al-Isra:” Say: glorified is my

Lord! I am nothing but a man, a messenger?”

(93). To confirm the assertion, the Holy Book,

then, elaborates many features of his both

humanity and prophethood. On the level of his

human nature, the divine scripts refer to his taking

of food, shopping in market (25:7), making

ijtihad, made in absence of revelation (9:113),

maintaining wives (33:28), and death (39:30).

On his being messenger, the Holy Quran

describes the Holy Prophet using several

respective terms. Rasul (the Messenger) is the

most common one used in al-Muzammil, the

third chapter to reveal:” Verily, We have sent to

you a Messenger to be a witness over you, as

we did send a messenger to Pharaoh”(73:15).

Here, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) was sent to

Pharaoh is Prophet Moses and who is

mentioned in the Holy Quran for the first time to

make comparison between him and Prophet

Muhammad that they carry same message and

hold unique position. Another term is Nadir the

Warner who is commanded by Allah:” O You

enveloped in garments, arise and warn”(74:1-

2). In some other chapters, Nadir is used along

with Bashir – the bringer of good tidings. For

example, Al-Araf confines his responsibility to

be just a Bashir and Nadir:” Say (……….) I

am but a warner , and a bringer of glad tidings

(…….)” (7:188).Nabi(Th Prophet),

Mudhakkir (the admonisher) are some other

Quranic expressions to describe the Prophet.

Thus, the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) is

always addressed in the Holy Quran by various

special terms which clearly portray his Prophetic

mission.

Another sign of his Prophethood is the fiction of

“Gabriel, the trustworthy, descending with the

revelation upon the Prophet’s heart”(26:192-

95). A further notable indication is “the good

example in the Messenger of Allah” (33:21). The

Holy Quran places emphasis on this attribute,

and discusses it from different dimensions.

Sometimes, it describes the aspects of “the good

example of Prophet’s life. On other occasions,

it responds” to misconstructions advanced by

polytheists against his character. In what follows,

I will focus on both aspects:

Regarding Prophet’s characteristics, the Holy

Quran says: “Verily, you (Muhammad) are on

an exalted character” (68:4).This verse is from

Al-Qalam, which was revealed just after the five

verses of Al-Alaq, with which the revelation

started. This is a very early Quranic witness about

Prophet’s character.Here, many emphases have

been used, which grammatically reconfirm the

statement’s meaning. For instance, the

expression, Ala (on) refers to the fact that Allah

ingrained and embedded all good qualities in him.

Moreover, the word “verily” in the beginning

confirms the meaning of the claim. More

importantly, the assertion takes place after Allah

has sworn. These textual emphases on his exalted

character” could be illustrated by what Khadijah

said to him when he was little scared and had a

shivering experience after the first revelation:”

By Allah, never will He disgrace you. Because

you maintain kinship relationship, bear the

burdens of others, help the poor, respect the


guest and strive towards establishing the truth

(Al-Bukhari, 1378H.P.54)”

Later on, a verse, Allah knows best with whom

to place His message” (6:124) was revealed

which also confirms that Allah knows that

Prophet Muhammad is a perfect human and

therefore, He selected His Messenger. The Holy

Quran even steps further to discuss the argument

that a messenger must be chosen based on

wealth, status, power….etc. To the Holy Quran,

Prophet selection is a sole right to Allah. Hence!

The book nullifies the argument of pagans who

said: “Why is not this Quran sent down to some

great man of the two towns (Makkah and Taif)?”

(43:31). The divine reply is :” Is it they who

would distribute the Mercy of your

Lord?......(43:32)

In the next stage, some verses were revealed

which explain the good qualities of Prophet’s

exalted character. A verse of chapter 3 mentions

his very gentleness with people as a means to

his tremendous success. If he had been severe

and harsh-hearted, they (people)would have

broken away from about (……)” him (159).

Another text of chapter 33 presents a clear

image of his highest modesty and patience in

face of unpleasant any annoying activities. It

speaks about when to attend and leave

Prophet’s house if one is invited for meal. To

attend too early earlier than the food is ready

and to remain seated along after the meal has

been taken “ annoys Prophet, and he is shy of

(asking people to go); but Allah is not shy of the

truth”(53). A further revelation confirms

Muhammad’s (S.A.W.) utmost trustworthiness.

It stats that “if he had forged a false statement

(……..)” 69:44), Allah would have seized him

and then cut off his aorta. The Holy Quran, here,

uses conditional phrase refers to past and

grammatically, it is impossible that the condition

will be fulfilled. This means that the Holy Prophet

dose not lie, nor he will.

The Holy Prophet is so heroic that he keeps

fighting the enemy when all run away. Such as

image has been repeated in the Holy Quran. For

instance, the chapter 3 illustrates that all ran away

(dreadfully) without even casting a side glance

at anyone, and the Messenger was in rear calling

them back(…)” (153). Allah likes such brave

position and therefore, commands believers to

follow His Prophet:” Indeed, in the Messenger

of Allah you have a good example to follow

(……..)”(33:21). Importantly, this heroic image

is presented just after illustrating the horrific

situation of the battle of Ahzab and criticizing

hypocrites who look for excuses to desert the

battle-field saying:”(……) our homes lie

unsecured (….) “(33:13). The Holy Prophet

(S.A.W.) is also naive, listens to every body and

takes into account what they say. Although

hypocrites think that this character discredits

him, to Allah, rather than being a sceptic it is

better to be naïve, as “(….) to be ear is best

(……)” (9:61) and a mercy for human being.

The ending of chapter 9 mercy portrays how

kind the Prophet is ! It denotes that he is “full of

pity, kind and merciful” (128). It also hints that

he can not stand if anyone receives any injury

or difficulty. The reason behind his utmost

kindness in that he is sent not but “as a mercy

for the Ala-min”(21:107). The word ala min

refers to all that exists in this worlds. An outcome


of such prophetic mercy is his forgiveness for

Abdullah ibn Ubay, the head of hypocrites in

Madinah. The Prophet not only forgave him but

also offered him cloth, to be buried in after his

death. Moreover, he prayed for him and ignored

complaint of Umar and others. Then, he quoted

the verse. “ Whether you ask forgiveness for

them – and even if you ask seventy times for

their forgiveness- and even if you ask seventy

times for their forgiveness-Allah will not forgive

them (…….)” (9:80) and said:” Allah gave me

choices and I have chosen to pray for them. I

will ask forgiveness for them more than seventy

times.” ( Al- Bukhari,1378 H.P.121)

Refuting the allegations advanced by Makkan

polytheists against the Prophet’s character, the

Holy Quran quotes such claimes and then

refutes them in an approach which is very strong,

well evident but very easy to understand. One

such misinterpretation is that Muhammad, not

God, is the author of the Holy Quran.In their

words; “(….) it is only a human who teaches

him (the Holy Quran)” (16:103). The other

allegations are that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)

is a mad or a poet or a sorcerer or a liar. Their

arguments are quoted in the Holy Quran:” O

you to whom the Holy Quran has been sent

down! Verily, you are a mad man” (14:6). “Are

you going to abandon our gods for the sake of

a mad poet?” ( 37:36), (…….) this (Prophet

Muhammad) is a sorcerer, a liar” (38:4).

Surprisingly, these allegations are the very

misconceptions which have been oft-repeated

by the Orientalists. The earliest European

writings on Prophet Muhammad gave him the

derogatory name”Mahomet”, and portrayed him

as a camel rustler, sorcerer, and liar. Later on,

many works were produced, especially those

by Guibert and Rudolph, describing the Holy

Prophet as a drunkard, a sensualist and a wizard

(Emerick, 2002, P.300)

As this paper has shown, the Holy Quran depicts

a crystal clear image of Muhammad; a perfect

human and a merciful messenger. It touches

upon his both humanity and Prophethood from

two dimensions: firstly, describing their nature

and aspects and then, responding to

misconstructions, the study ensures the highest

authenticity and subsequently goes beyond

disputes. Moreover, it does not speak about

minor details rather focuses on important issues

in Prophets life, which are guides and good

examples for human beings to follow.

(From Page: 5)

This earth will then tell her news, describe

her. “This earth will then tell her news, describe

her condition and what has happened to her. It

all will have been brought about simply because

“Your Lord has inspired her,” ordered her to

shake off her burdens. She obeys only the

Lord’s orders “in true submission” to Him. She

will relate her news because what will be taking

place is a simple a clear account of what lies

behind it of Allah’s orders and inspiration to the

earth.

At this point when man is astonished and

puzzled, and as the rhythm gasps with dread

and terror, with surprise and wonders, tottering

and shuddering-at this point when man can

hardly keep his breath, crying “What is the

matter with her? What has happened to her-at

this point he encounters the scene of resurrection,

reckoning, weighing and recompense.


India is a vast land of multifarious cultures. There

is no other country matching her in variety and

diversity. It is inhabited by people of different

persuations. Her problems are peculiar born of

societal, political, communal, economic,

linguistic, ethnic and moral factors.

They are sometimes mixed up so confusedly that

it is difficult to identify the real source. The

problems related to poverty, unemployment,

growth and integration are found in other parts

of the world also. But these problems are

universal in nature; the remedies that work

elsewhere can be tried to solve them in any part

of the world. But these remedies fail when

applied in India.

Our poverty does not respond to Western

solutions; our unemployment does not diminish

by undertaking the projects that have succeeded

in, say, United Kingdom, our growth does not

percolate down to the lower stratum of society.

Difference

India is a secular polity but not a secular society.

It permits all moral persuations to flourish. At

the same time there are groups owing strong

allegiance to their own religious beliefs and

cultural and value systems. The state does not

The Setter of Ideal Society

Prof: Najmul Hasan

patronize any specific system of belief or

worship. But it protects the rights of citizens to

choose their own system, adhere to it, propagate

it and preserve it.This would be perfectly

legitimate as long as it does not interfere with

other’s rights. Any attempt to change this

scenario by putting pressures, overt or covert,

would be tantamount to isolation of the secular

virtue, and is, therefore, responsible. It is bound

to generate tensions and create problems.

The purpose of this essay is to identify these

tensions and see if the Seerah of the Holy

Prophet (S.A.W.) holds any promise to their

solution.

We are a great nation suffering from a great social

ailment which is peculiar to us. We have inherited

a societal schemta with peculiar divisions. What

was once a division of labour has become a

social stranglehold. Society was divided into

work group according to which work was

predestined by birth, social status was pre-

ordained, the right to participate in spiritual,

communal and economic pursuits was pre-

determined.

Certain ethnic groups became the sole custodian

of divine will. The group assigned to itself the


top rank in the social scheme of things. No one

else except the members of this group would

decide what the divine will is; method of

worship,right to the pursuit of knowledge,

creation, interpretation and preservation of divine

laws, social customs and rights and duties of

the groups depended on the dispensation

handed out by this privileged and high-born

groups. They denied the lesser mortals the

access to goods. They condemned them to

remain in the society as a service class. As the

services needed by the upper strata could not

be dispensed with too.

To ensure the perpetuity of the system, the

stranglehold of the varna (literally colour)

system, was to be perpetuated too. There was

no provision for one group to cross over to the

other. It would be against the divine will and,

therefore, just not permitted.

Some other groups were charged with the

protection of settled groups, or as the supplier

class who would produce, procure and provide

where withal to the members of the large group.

The need for division stopped there and was

carried no further.It seems that every body

acquiesced or was made to acquiesce. Nobody

could get away from it. Nobody could bypass

it. Nobody was allowed to move upwards on

merit. Birth decided every thing. Nobody could

even move downwards; it hurt the upper class

only, the lower class had nothing more to lose.

There were no protests. The system became

self-sustaining as nobody had a right to interpret

the divine will except the beneficiaries of the

contemporary dispensation.

Almost a similar, rather worse, situation was

faced by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). The Arab

society was divided into tribes which were often

hostile to each other. He delivered the message

of the Holy Quran clear and resonant; You have

been created from a male and a female and

divided into clans and tribes only for

identity” Those who are more God-fearing are

more respectworthy be fore Allah.

In his last sermon, the last Prophet of Allah

(S.A.W.) declared: No Arab is superior to a

non-Arab nor white to coloured nor coloured

to a white. All of you are the children of Adam

and Adam was made from clay.

It was not a platitude. The faithful made it the

proud plank of their social interaction. This

philosophy is still valid and can wipe out the

injustices of thousands of years.

Exploitation

Then there is a universal phenomenon of gender

exploitation.Indian woman was deprived of

many rights. She had no right to inherit ancestral

property, she proposed to her would-be-

husband, she had to pay consent money to get

married, and, finally, she was” suttied” with her

dead husband. She had no will of her own.

First, she had to submit to the will of her father,

then to her husband and then to her son. She

did not have the personality of her own. This is

history. This philosophy has its notaries even in

the age of enlightment. Dowry deaths, widow-

burning, non-maintenance and neglect are no

dreams but present day occurrences. It is only

recently that woman has taken up cudgets against

these excesses. She is new fighting for her rights


with a vengeance.

Status

Islam gave woman a status in society. It was for

the first time in history that she began to inherit

the property of her parents along with her

brothers. She became the proposed one rather

than prosper. She got a share in the property of

her deceased husband for the first time. She

entered into a contract for an alimony. During

married life, the burden of her maintenance and

her children’s is solely on her husband and it

carries a priority over her parents in-laws.

The contract of marriage does not reduce her

to the status of an unpaid maid servant. It is not

her duty to cook food for her husband, wash

clothes or do other chores of housekeeping. She

only presides over the affairs of the household

as the lady of the house. In an Islamic order,

women cannot be deprived of their rights. They

can go the court of law for the enforcement of

their rights.

Islamic polity is a real democracy. The head of

the government does not acquire his position

by inheritance. He had to be elected by an

electoral college consisting of leader's opinion

of the society. The primary condition for

eligibility to vote is piety and God-fearing. Thus,

they know fully well whom to elect to the exalted

position; they are always mindful of their

accountability in the exercise of their votes. They

would not submit to any pressure temptation or

mundane consideration. Once elected, the

Amir’s duty would to carry out the Will of Allah.

He does not enjoy any freedom of unbridled

legislation beyond administrative needs and

convenience.

Contemporary India is witnessing mushroom

growth of political parties of all hues. Their

constitutions hardly differ from one another; their

manifestoes hardly promise anything new

beyond verbose patitudes.The very need to have

political parties does not exist in an Islamic

setting. All politicians work for the establishment

of the will of Allah which is one and known.

Thus , all have to belong to the party of Allah.

Those who make to the seat of dispensation will

have a moral backing in much greater measure

than the ones who reach the Indian parliament

under the contemporary system.

And, what is more, the elected government will

carry out the will of Allah which is already

codified. No other legislation against this will

would then be constituted.

Relative

Our economic problems are mainly the

problems of poverty and growth. Poverty is a

relative concept and it cannot be eradicated

altogether, Nevertheless, it is possible to narrow

the gap between the very rich and the very poor.

It was well said that poverty anywhere

constitutes a danger to prosperity everywhere.

Hence, efforts should be made to bridge the gap.

It is not possible to do so without cleansing the

heart (of rich) from the greed and inculcating

(among the poor) the virtues of contentment.

Macro-level measures of redistribution of income

and creation of will still be needed. But the evil

cannot be controlled except with better

appreciation of ones duties towards society


relations and with a concern for the suffering of

fellow humans.

Islamic society may exist at a low level of

economic and social equilibrium but it will be

bereft of self-inflicted tensions and man-made

miseries.

The present day economic growth strategies are

formulated on the belief that in the long run, the

benefits would perculate down to the lowest

stratum. But even in more affluent societies,

economic growth has failed to tackle the

problems of poverty and unemployment.

Therefore, what is needed is to inculcate the

Islamic virtues of contentment and co-operation

of needs and group conflict aiming at the

elimination of competition and maximization of

gains. It has been is history during the times of

Caliph Umar that nobody would accept Zakat.

A moral regeneration of this kind is difficult but

not impossible to achieve. We as a nation believe

in the purification of heart and history would bear

it out that we have always welcomed ideas for

the establishment of a social order based on non-

possession and renunciation. Trial to such ideas

would not be repugnant to our genius.

Solution

To sum up, there is no viable solution to the

problems of contemporary India except through

the adoption of Taqwah, fear of Allah in respect

of our accountability before Him for our needs,

which is the essence of Seerah of the Holy

Prophet (S.A.W.). It should find expression in

trust (amanah), fairness (adl)and sincerity

(ikhlas).

The Holy Quran enjoins on the believers to

deliver the trust unto its beneficiary. The

Prophet’s seerah (S.A.W.) earned him the title

of “trustworthy” from his fellow citizens much

before the event of revelation. “Trust” has many

implications.

In the first instance, hold the position in trust.

Do not accept a lower benefit for your employer/

state, if higher is possible; do not misuse your

office for personal gain; assign positions to the

most deserving; be faithful in the implementation

of divine order. Adl demands, in the words of

the Holy Quran, not to be swayed by the hostility

of communities to refrain from delivering justice.

A just officer treats similarly placed persons

similarly. Sincerity or Ikhlas requires that our

actions should aim at pleasing Allah and nobody

else. So cleansing of one's action and motives

from the taint of bias and showmanship is

essential for attaining sincerity.

Islam aims at establishing a social order in which

the solution of collective problems is sought for

the pleasure of Allah. It is in this context that the

Seerah of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) becomes

relevant to the contemporary India.

õõ

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The Simple Truth


Maulana Showkat Ahmad Shah,55 a prominentreligious leader and Ameer Jamiat Ahle Hadeeth,Jammu and Kashmir was killed in a blast outsidea mosque in Srinagar’s Maisuma area on Friday08/04/011 around 2.25 noon while on the wayto lead Friday prayers. The bomb was hiddenin a bicycle parked near the entrance to themosque. It was meticulously planned hit. Theconspirators knew he used to enter the mosquefrom the rear lane and the IED was powerfulenough to kill him. Maulana was taken tohospital and was declared dead on arrival.

As the news spread, shop keepers downedshutters, traffic thinned and city’s commercialhub Lal Chowk shutdown. This was not the firstattempt on Shah’s life. In 2006, he had surviveda bullet attack.

Maulana Showkat Shah headed the powerfulAhle Hadeeth Sect with Lakhs of followers andsome 800 mosques across Jammu and Kashmirvalley. Maulana had won three straight three yearterms as the Ahle Hadeeth Ameer since 2004.

He used to sell shawls in Delhi and Kolkattabefore taking over the charge of Jamiat AhleHadeeth’s leadership. As a Ameer he was tryingto setup the first Islamic University in the valley.A private member bill for setting up thetransworld Islamic University was cleared bythe Jammu and Kashmir assembly in 2008, Later,the bill stalked by certain political party members

Maulana Showkat Ahmad Shah

Obituary

in the legislative council. Former Jammu andKashmir governor S.K. Sinha helped MaulanaShowkat start the university. He was given 12acres of land for it in 2008 when Ghulam NabiAzad was chief minister. Maulana was lover ofpeace and human values. This had earned theire of many hardliners in Kashmir as he backedtalks for peace and opposed stone pelting onthe streets saying that such disruptive activitieswere un-Islamic.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reacted quicklyand visited the family of the slain religious leader.

In a press release and condolence message,Hafiz Muhammad Yahya (Ameer MarkaziJamiat Ahle Hadeeth) and Maulana AsgharImam Mahadi Salafi, General Secretarycondemmed the incident and described the blastinhuman and un Islamic.

They described the services of MaulanaShowkat Shah valuable to Jamiate AhleHadeeth and Muslim Ummah. MaulanaShowkat was commited to serve Islam andprinted and published the Holy Quran in Gujriand other languages. He established medicalcentre on cheap costs for needy people.

He was active, committed and very devotedperson. May Allah forgive his sins and bestow

on him His Mercy. Ameen!

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