India’s cultural pluralism its best defence

By Malini Parthasarathy

To question the patriotism of the Muslim community on the ground that it refuses to “worship” India as a concept is to make a mockery of the real meaning of patriotism and national loyalty. As the anniversary of the cataclysmic event of 26/11 draws near, undoubtedly the country will relive the painful and humiliating memory of its powerful financial capital held hostage for more than 36 hours by a group of murderous terrorists sneaking in from Pakistan, challenging the might and capabilities of the Indian nation. But instead of replaying those dark moments, Indians ought to remember with pride the aftermath of the tragedy. The days after the terror strikes saw a spontaneous nationwide outpouring of sympathy for Mumbai with all communities united in their anger and outrage at the impunity with which Pakistan-based jihadi terrorists had struck at India. Indeed the Indian national spirit triumphed in that dark moment with thousands of citizens of diverse cultural and social identities rallying together to support Mumbai in that traumatic phase. There was a remarkable absence of communal violence with even the Shiv Sena in Mumbai resisting the political temptation of baiting Muslims in that stressful period. As a new generation of Indians made the political class and the political system the targets of their ire, one refreshing change was that there was absolutely no focus on communal and social identities. Projected was a collective sense of “we Indians” against the external intruders. All this showed that the enduring sense of national unity was a solid asset that helped the country tide over what could have been a deeply disintegrative challenge. It is clear that with the United Progressive Alliance government emphasising its commitment to secular governance and the preservation of cultural pluralism, the minorities, especially the Muslim community, find little conflict between their civic identities as Indian citizens and their cultural and religious affiliations. When national identity is defined in cultural nationalist terms, the loyalty of minority groups to the national identity comes under intense pressure. In an increasingly disturbed security environment with terrorism sharpening in intensity in Pakistan, it is imperative that the UPA remain unswerving in its acknowledgment that without secularism and internal communal harmony, it would be difficult to fight terrorism. In a departure from its usual reticence, the election campaign for the 2009 Lok Sabha saw both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi asserting that terrorism and communalism were two aspects of the same challenge and that a country divided by communalism could not fight terror. The logic of that argument needs to be sustained forcefully today in the face of renewed challenges to the minority groups’ assertions of their cultural rights. The UPA must not allow the BJP which is battling its own internal demons to resurrect majoritarian Hindutva campaigns mounting pressure on the cultural rights of the minorities especially Muslims. The latest incident in which BJP leaders Murli Manohar Joshi and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi have sought to put Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and a section of the Muslim community on the defensive is a case in point. The 30th general session of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind at Deoband, western Uttar Pradesh adopted a resolution on November 3, upholding a fatwa of 2006 by the Deoband Ulema, describing the singing of the Vande Mataram as anti-Islamic because some of its verses were against the tenets of Islam. The Deoband clerics apparently took pains to ensure that their objections to the singing of the Vande Mataram were not to be seen as being unpatriotic. The resolution that was adopted said categorically “Patriotism does not require singing of the Vande Mataram. We love our country and have proved this several times but Vande Mataram violates our faith in monotheism that is the foundation of Islam … We love and respect the mother but do not worship her.” It went on to demand that “the issue of Vande Mataram should not be deliberately raised for causing communal discord and threat to law and order.” It was also pointed out after discussions amongst the participants in the meeting that the resolution was necessitated by the fact that the song was being introduced in several government schools in BJP-ruled States. It must be recalled that historically the Vande Mataram song did not become the national anthem precisely for the reason that it had strong Hindu connotations by depicting the Indian nation as Goddess Durga. Not only did Muslims object but virtually every other minority had objected, leading to the Jana Gana Mana being adopted as the Indian national anthem. The essence of the idea of cultural pluralism is to ensure that every religious or social group is allowed its own cultural space in which it has the right to practise its own beliefs and traditions. How would it be right to question the patriotism of Muslims and other minority groups because of their rejection of a song that is by no means the national anthem? To accuse the Deoband Ulema, a critical support group in the fight against terror, given that it issued a fatwa against terror last year, of “a separatist mindset” as the BJP’s Mr. Naqvi did on Wednesday is to needlessly provoke a confrontation. Mr. Chidambaram who had clearly made a special effort to underline the UPA’s commitment to cultural pluralism by participating in this conference did well to assert that “a nation can ignore its minorities only at its peril”, that Islam could not be viewed as “an alien faith” and that India was for Muslims, the land of their “forefathers” and of their “birth”. But subsequent attacks on his participation in the Deoband conference by Dr. Joshi and Mr. Naqvi, asserting that his presence gave legitimacy to the resolution opposing the Vande Mataram song appear to put the Home Minister on the defensive with his stating that he was not present when the resolution was passed. The UPA government, which in its second term has promised that it views communalism and terrorism as two equally dangerous aspects of the same challenge, must not waver in its defence of the rights of minority groups to have their unique cultural assertions. Given that the Indian national identity as defined in the Indian Constitution is anchored to civic and territorial parameters, there is no inherent conflict between loyalty to the Indian nation and a community’s own religious beliefs. To question the patriotism of the Muslim community on the ground that it refuses to “worship” India as a concept is to make a mockery of the real meaning of patriotism and national loyalty. As the framers of the Constitution wisely concluded decades ago, when they rejected the idea of including a reference to God in the Preamble to the Constitution, imposing such a concept would go against the spirit of the Constitution. As H.N. Kunzru told the Constituent Assembly during the debate on the Preamble, “Such a course of action is inconsistent with the Preamble which promises liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship to everyone. How can we deal with this question in a narrow spirit?” For Dr. Joshi and his cultural nationalist colleagues to persist with describing the Deoband fatwa against the singing of the Vande Mataram song as “against the provisions of the Constitution” would be to misread recent Indian history. There can be no clearer assertion of the responsibility of the Indian state to provide for cultural pluralism and also of the rights of the citizens of India to enjoy cultural and religious freedoms, than is set out in the Indian Constitution. Cultural pluralism remains India’s strongest card and its best defence against attempts to wreck its integrity or weaken its national structure from inside and outside. Taken from http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/05/stories/2009110554830900.htm

Needed: ‘basic’ doctors of modern medicine

By Meenakshi Gautham & K.M. Shyamprasad

Opening more medical colleges is not the solution to India’s chronic shortage of doctors in the rural areas.

India is the largest supplier of foreign medical graduates to the United States and the United Kingdom. Yet, its own rural areas have remained chronically deprived of professional doctors. The historical antecedents of these shortages could be traced to a landmark health policy document, the Bhore Committee Report of 1946. That report constructed the concept of a ‘basic’ doctor as one trained through five-and-a-half years of university education. An alternative cadre of Licentiates who were trained over a shorter duration and who formed two-thirds of the country’s medical practitioners then, was abolished, in spite of strong dissent from several members of the committee. These dissenting comments must be revisited in the context of India’s persistently poor health indices and inadequate health services for the majority.

The report

In October 1943, the Government of British India appointed the committee to survey the state of public health in the country, and make recommendations for future development. The committee chaired by Sir Joseph Bhore, a senior civil servant, comprised eight British and 16 Indian members. The Bhore Committee Report, published in 1946, was meticulously drafted and reflected its members’ profound understanding of health matters. They presented statistics on the disease burden and attributed the poor state of health in the country not only to inadequacies in medical services and health personnel but also to the prevailing social ills — poverty, illiteracy, poor nutrition and unsanitary conditions.

The report is best known for providing the blueprint for a modern public health delivery system in India, along with the training of its personnel. Foremost among these was the ‘basic’ doctor of modern medicine who would be central to the delivery of primary healthcare. These were far- reaching recommendations and shaped the course of public health and medicine in independent India. But on closer examination, a number of flaws are revealed.

Two classes

There were two classes of medical practitioners of Western medicine at the time of the Bhore survey: graduates who underwent a five-and-a-half-year course in the medical colleges, and Licentiates (LMPs) who underwent a three-to-four-year course in medical schools. Of the 47,524 registered medical practitioners at that time, nearly two-thirds (29,870) were Licentiates and one- third (17,654) were graduates.

The report informs us that in the rural areas health care was delivered through sub-divisional hospitals and dispensaries that were managed mostly by Licentiates. Besides, there were large numbers of indigenous practitioners providing affordable and accessible healthcare to the masses.

The Bhore Committee proposed a three-tier district health scheme. A primary unit would be at its periphery, a secondary unit at the sub-divisional headquarters would provide more specialised services, and a district organisation would be in charge of the overall supervision of district-level health activities.

Though conceptually well-organised, the scheme was designed to cover only a fourth of the population in the first five years (78,080,000 out of a projected 315 million in the report) and less than half (156,200,000 out of a projected 337.5 million) over the next 10 years. The report was silent on how the needs of the rest of the country would be met.

Nonetheless, the committee recommended that the Licentiate qualification be abolished, all medical schools be upgraded to colleges, and all available resources be directed into the production of only one type of doctor. He or she would have the highest level of training — a five-and-a-half-year university training, similar to what the Goodenough Committee had proposed for Great Britain as the gold standard. The committee believed that there was no role in the modern medical scheme for indigenous systems of medicine and its practitioners: these systems were considered “static in conception and practice.”

Six members of the committee, five Indians and one Briton, put up a brave dissent. They repeatedly argued that in view of the manpower shortages, the country should use every possible means, including the shorter Licentiate course, to increase the number of trained medical personnel. They pointed out that England had abolished Licentiate teaching only after 100 years and Russia relied extensively on ‘feldshers’ (medical assistants) to run 48,000 dispensaries. They noted with anguish that since the new scheme would benefit only a section of the Indian population, “Public health over the remaining four fifth to one-half of the country… will atrophy. There will be no personnel like the licentiates even to help the regions and institutions which will come under neglect.”

Prophetic

The dissenters’ views proved prophetic. They said that the “basic doctor would not willingly fit into the rural scheme.” India’s six decades of chronic shortages of doctors in the rural areas are grim testimony to this fact. They argued that “while a majority on the committee can abolish the licentiate, they cannot prevent other practitioners, practising a variety of systems of medicine, taking his place.” Time has proved this also to be a prescient observation. Studies show that since Independence and even today, much of health care at first contact in rural India is delivered not by qualified doctors but by informally trained and unlicensed private practitioners.

What happened to the highly trained basic doctor of the future?

The Bhore Committee estimated that around 15,000 doctors would be needed in the scheme in the first five years, and around 30,000 over 10 years. As the number of medical colleges roughly doubled during this period (from 19 in 1946 to 42 in 1956) it can be estimated that the number of graduates also doubled.

It is difficult to obtain exact data on how many graduates entered the health system over 10 years, but almost all of India’s Five-Year Plans and national health policies since 1947 have lamented the shortage of doctors in the rural areas.

What is definitely known is that around 10 years later, in the early 1960s, nearly 18,000 graduate doctors from the Indian sub-continent migrated to the U.K. in response to Health Minister Enoch Powell’s call to save the U.K.’s rapidly expanding National Health Service (NHS) from a staffing crisis. In November 2003, a BBC documentary “From the Raj to the Rhondda: How Asian Doctors Saved the NHS,” acknowledged the contributions of doctors from the Indian sub-continent to Britain’s most deprived areas, where no British doctor was willing to go.

Even today, the second largest proportion of doctors registered with the U.K.’s General Medical Council, by country of qualification, is from India: they number 25,720, or 11 per cent of the total. India also provides the largest pool of international medical graduates to the U.S.

Turf protection

Medical historians point out that the Indian doctors who collaborated with colonial rule were the ones who stepped into positions of power after 1947. Their socialisation into the western model meant that the “development of medical practice in India did not follow the pattern that was being advocated for developing countries at the time. Indian degrees were quite suitable for working in England, but probably totally irrelevant for working to the benefit of the vast majority of the Indian population.” (Professor Aneez Esmail, 2007)

Ironically, even less-trained providers can efficiently deliver primary care. However, efforts to revive a Licentiate type of cadre, as recommended by the National Health Policy 2002 and outlined by a Task Force on Medical Education in 2007, have been non-starters. This is due to resistance from a section of the country’s medical fraternity which carries a turf protection mindset, supported by obstructive legislation contained in the Indian Medical Council Act of 1956.

An alternative

In view of the obvious deficiencies in India’s overall rural infrastructure, it is unlikely that the rural areas will have a sufficient number of doctors over the next several decades. Thus, the solution to India’s doctor shortages does not lie in building more medical colleges. A better alternative would be to draw from other countries’ experiences of developing mid-level practitioners: Clinical Officers and Medical Assistants in Africa, Physician Assistants in the U.S., Nurse Practitioners in Canada, and the rural doctors in China who number more than a million. These cadres are typically trained for three years and empowered to provide clinical services. Studies so far suggest that their performance and outcomes are in no way inferior to that of doctors trained for longer periods.

In the short term, India must also upgrade the skills of existing unlicensed rural practitioners and empower government nurses and pharmacists to take on additional tasks. An alternative to the IMC Act is the Drugs and Cosmetics Act that empowers States to recognise practitioners other than MBBS-holders to provide a limited range of medical care services. Chhattisgarh has invoked this power to create a three-year diploma course for Practitioners of Modern and Holistic Medicine.

(Meenakshi Gautham, PhD, is a public health specialist ( gautham.meenakshi@gmail.com);K. M. Shyamprasad, M.Ch., FRCS, is a former vice president of the National Board of Examinations, MoHFW, India ( shyamprasad@nlhmb.in). Legal inputs have been received from Indira Unninayar, Supreme Court Advocate.)

Taken from http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/05/stories/2009110554760800.htm

Taliban denies Peshawar blast role

The Taliban and al-Qaeda have distanced themselves from Wednesday's deadly market blast in Peshawar that claimed 105 lives, saying "their main targets are the security forces, and not innocent civilians".

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in a statement sent to the media on Thursday, condemned the car bomb attack that tore through a crowded market and denied any involvement in the explosion.

Taken from http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/10/2009102995252334582.html


Taliban Chief Blames Blackwater for Peshawar Blast

Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud has claimed that the controversial American security firm Blackwater was behind the deadly bomb attack on a market in Peshawar that killed over 100 people.

Hakimullah questioned why the Taliban should target the public when it was capable of carrying out attacks in Islamabad and targeting the army's General Headquarters.

In an interview with BBC Urdu, he claimed Blackwater and "Pakistani agencies" were involved in attacks in public places to discredit the militants.

A powerful car bomb exploded at a crowded market in Peshawar yesterday, killing more than 100 and injuring 200 more. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan had earlier said it was behind an attack on the army's headquarters earlier this month.

About 15 people were killed during that attack. A group of militants took nearly 50 people hostage before they were gunned down or blew themselves up.

Reports in the Pakistani media have claimed that Blackwater has established a presence in the country by tying up with local security firms but these allegations have been rejected by the US administration.

Taken from http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?668599

Message from the Ameer of the Jamiatul Ulama

Message fro ww wh

Jamiatul Ulama (Council of Muslim Theologians), Johannesburg

Jamiatul Ulama Online Newsletter Vol.: 4 No.: 42 09 Dhu al-Qa'dah 1430 / 28 October 2009 Read the full Newsletter from your browser: http://www.jamiat.co.za/newsletter/online_newsletter_0442.htm

m the Ameer of the Jamiatul Ulama

Palestine We have written on many occasions about the heartbreaking and catastrophic situation in Palestine, and we have even drawn attention to the clear audacity of the Zionists in their total disregard for all, in their oppression in Occupied Palestine.

Currently, the situation is extremely horrendous. A glance of some of the recent events reveal shocking details.

The current onslaught on the Masjid al-Aqsa and the musallis of Masjid Alqsa has escalated in recent weeks. It is important to note that the attempts to strike at the foundation of the Sacred Masjid is a real and not perceived threat and the excuses of worshippers attacking tourists is a lie shaped to create a reason for attacking innocent worshippers and subsequently taking control of Masjid al-Aqsa. The violent attacks of the Israeli forces upon worshippers at the Masjid is frightening and shows an intent to stop at nothing in the attainment of their baseless objectives. It is a reflection of malicious intentions of the Zionist Israelis that they use devious methods in creating false impressions and then sadistically, brutally and viciously assault, strike and violently attack worshippers in the Blessed Masjid of Alqsa.

The Israeli settlers’ attacks on Palestinians attempting to harvest crops of olives and the wanton destruction of olive farms by the settlers under the watchful eye of the Israeli army is equally terrifying and shows the injustice and efforts to put a stranglehold upon the Palestinians.

The most recent report of Amnesty International shows how Palestinians are being deprived of basic needs such as water – where many are subjected to conditions where the amount of water available to them is way less than the minimum provided in even refugee camps. To make matters worse, the water that they are allowed to access is filthy and dangerous for consumption. In addition Palestinians are even prevented from digging wells to source water themselves. Finally, the lack of water has wreaked havoc with the sewage and waste disposal systems.

(The HINDU newspaper reported - Amnesty International is accusing Israel of pumping disproportionate amounts of drinking water from an aquifer it controls in the West Bank, depriving local Palestinians of their fair share.

Israelis use more than four times the amount of water per person on average than do Palestinians, whose consumption falls far below the minimum amount recommended by the World Health Organisation, said the report.

The report especially focuses on the so-called Mountain Aquifer in the West Bank.

It says that Israel uses more than 80 per cent of water drawn from the aquifer and while the Jewish state has other water sources, the aquifer is the West Bank’s sole supply of water.

As a result, the 450,000 Israelis who live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem use more water than the 2.3 million Palestinian residents, said Amnesty.

Excerpt from http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/28/stories/2009102859321500.htm)

The audacious moves of the Israelis to try and change International Law to suit their ends in their stubborn approach to the Goldstone Report – where they believe that current legislation considering the war and war crimes are not suited to an environment such as the present one.

These are just a few examples of broad events taking place. The situation on the ground; on a personal level is extremely severe and Palestinians are made to suffer untold sufferings and oppressions.

It is important that we understand our responsibility to Masjid al-Aqsa and to our fellow brothers and sisters in Palestine and assist in every way possible. It is important that we make du`aa to Allah for the alleviation of their sufferings and for the protection of His Beloved House.

May Allah (subhanahu wa ta`aala) guide us in all that we do. Aameen.

Evaluating a Leader

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Tide Is Turning Against Israel

By Linda Heard

October 20, 2009 "Arab News" -- Now even the United Nations Human Rights Council is “anti-Semitic.” Well, that’s the view of Israel’s Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, who is outraged that the body rubber-stamped the Goldstone Report on war crimes committed in Gaza. Some years ago, that accusation would have had enormous shock-value, whereas, nowadays, the label has been so propagandized the only thing it elicits is a yawn.

Anti-Semitism is a genuine scourge on humankind in the same that racism and bigotry are and should be eradicated, but Israel is in danger of devaluing the term by attaching it to anyone who doesn’t agree with its policies. Moreover, when used loosely as an insult, it doesn’t help Israel’s cause or standing in the world.

On the contrary, terming “anti-Semitic” the 25 member states that voted to back the report’s recommendations, last Friday, will make them even more determined to see Israel before the International Criminal Court. And it is worth remembering that two, Russia and China, hold veto-power in the UN Security Council.

When Israeli officials have to resort to name-calling and evocation of the Holocaust as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently did during an address to the UN General Assembly, it signifies that they are losing the argument.

It seems that Ha’aretz columnist Gideon Levy is of like mind. Netanyahu “cheapened the memory of the Holocaust in his speech to the UN General Assembly…” he wrote. “He did so twice. Once, when he brandished proof of the very existence of the Holocaust, as if it needed any, and again when he compared Hamas to the Nazis.”

According to the Israelis, anti-Semites are lurking everywhere. In 2002, Netanyahu — then Israel’s foreign minister — accused Belgium of “anti-Semitism” and “blood-libel” when the Belgian Supreme Court ruled that members of Israel’s military were open to prosecution for the 1982 Sabra and Shatilla massacres.

Netanyahu called this “an outrageous decision” that “reminds us of ‘Old Europe’ and all its sicknesses,” even though an Israeli commission found then Defense Minister Ariel Sharon indirectly responsible.

In 2004, the Israeli government wrote to the BBC accusing its Middle East correspondent Orla Guerin of “anti-Semitism” and “total identification with the goals and methods of Palestinian terror groups” following a boycott of the BBC for broadcasting a documentary on Israel’s weapons of mass destruction. That same year, Israel handed British news outlets dossiers it had compiled on the anti-Semitic leanings of various reporters.

More recently, Sweden was accused of “blood-libel” for refusing to condemn a newspaper story concerning the theft of Palestinian organs by Israeli soldiers. Up popped Yuval Steinitz again to announce that “the Swedish government cannot keep silent any longer. In the Middle Ages, slander was spread accusing Jews of preparing Passover matza (unleavened loaves) with the blood of Christian children.”

Last September, Israel’s ambassador to Spain Raphael Schutz urged the Spanish government to control “anti-Semitic attacks” from Spanish leftists and intellectuals. Anti-Semitism in Spain has reached intolerable levels and was “rampant” among the general public, he said, but was ‘kind’ enough to add ‘the Spanish government is not always anti-Semitic.”

Even US presidents haven’t escaped Israel’s regular “anti-Semitic” lashings. In June this year, head of Israel’s National Union Party Yaakov Katz blasted “the Obama-Clinton ‘no natural growth policy’ for 650,000 Jews in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem,” as “nothing less than anti-Semitism.”

Israel’s Science and Technology Minister Daniel Herschkowitz also rejects President Obama’s settlement freeze, and characterizes his decision to grant the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former UN Rights Commissioner and President of Ireland Mary Robinson as “borderline anti-Semitic”; a ridiculous view that was heartily echoed by AIPAC.

Earlier, former US President Jimmy Carter was branded with the “anti-Semitic” slur for his book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” Ironic, when, arguably he did more than any US leader to broker regional peace.

It’s time that the international community got together to tell Israel to quit such undeserved attacks on its leaders and institutions. The Israeli government and press need to be told “that dog will no longer hunt.”

If Israel wants its arguments to be heard it needs to make them without such knee-jerk abuse, based on the long-time illusion of Israel’s victim status. The fact is that Israel is far from being a victim today.

Unconditionally protected by the superpower, it is the only state on earth that is allowed to get away with a policy of so-called nuclear ambiguity and given a free pass to snub international court rulings, UN Security Council resolutions, international law and the Geneva Conventions without fear of repercussions.

Poor little Israel surrounded by hostile Arab nations that do not want peace no longer exists. Every Arab country — along with all-important Palestinian factions — is more than ready to take a place at the negotiating table. It is Israel that is reluctant to trade land for peace and normalization of relations with its neighbors, and now threatens the Palestinian National Authority with an end to the peace process due to its support of the Goldstone Report and UNHRC vote. What peace process? Exactly!

Instead of flaying around with accusations, insults and threats, Israel would be far better served answering the report’s allegations. Did its military use Palestinian civilians as human shields? Were Palestinian infrastructure, factories and homes wantonly destroyed? Were weapons such as white phosphorous or DIME bombs used illegally in heavily populated areas? Were UN facilities and ambulances wrongly targeted under the pretext they harbored militants?

These and more are the questions that need answering, not because the world illogically detests the Jewish state but because it is a militarily powerful occupier and aggressor that is holding 4.5 million Palestinians hostage.

The resolution, which is now set to be debated in the UN Security Council, merely calls upon Israel and Hamas to conduct open and credible investigations into the report’s allegations within six months, else be referred to the International Criminal Court. It applies to both sides. But, whereas, Israel vehemently rejects it, both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas welcome it.

In reality, the resolution will not be passed by the UN Security Council because Washington will use its veto, but it does shine a spotlight on Israel’s crimes. When former Israeli prime minister gave a speech at the University of Chicago, last Thursday, he was interrupted by calls of “war criminal.”

At the same time, six Norwegian lawyers are petitioning the chief prosecutor to extradite and arrest Ehud Olmert, former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and seven senior IDF officers for war crimes. Are those lawyers anti-Semitic or simply human beings with hearts and a moral conscience sick of seeing images of dead Palestinian babies on their screens? You decide.

Linda Heard - sierra12th@yahoo.co.uk

Taken from http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23763.htm

The Flame in the Darkness

Surrounded by the dark I was, so unaware that I perceived there was light
But then, far away, a flame was ignited
And suddenly I realized the deep tunnel I was lost within.

I can see the flickers and so I walk toward that light
Sometimes it feels so faint that I feel like giving into the dark
But the thought vanishes when the flame flares so far away

So, I continue onward, with faith I shall reach the end of the tunnel
Where I will no longer need a flame to light my way
As there will be no darkness; only light will remain.

Taken from http://www.al-inaam.com/library/flame_tunnel.htm

Description in the Qur'an of Paradise

Our final destination is the life of the Hereafter. Where we end up, Jannah (Paradise) or Jahannam (Hell-fire) depends on what we worked towards in this life. Paradise is the aim and the hope of every Muslim. But like trying to attain any goal, in order to achieve success, one must have a well-defined plan, and it must be implemented to be successful. Allah says, "O you who believe! Be careful of (your duty to) Allah and seek means of nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may be successful." [5:35] To prepare for our journey, we need to find out what our destination is like; who are its people, and most importantly, how to get there.

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, told us that within Paradise are things that no eyes have ever seen, nor ears have ever heard, and that things in it are beyond our imagination and comprehension, but we all have our own personal ideas of what eternal bliss would probably be like. I remember a few years ago, I overheard my niece and my nephew discussing the landscape, and the privileges of living in Jannah. My nephew was telling my niece that in Jannah, they would be able to eat all the candy that they wanted and that there would be streams of chocolate and trees of ice cream. I always tell people, that Paradise for me, would be being able to eat all the cheesecake and chocolate that I wanted, without gaining a pound. But what Allah has in store for the believers is so much more than this. He, in His Book, and through His Messenger, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, has given us a clear picture of our goal, so that we can keep it in front of us at all times. By keeping our eyes on the prize, no matter our hardships in this worldly life, we can strive that much harder to attain it.

Allah says, "And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it as he ought to strive and he is a believer; (as for) these, their striving shall surely be accepted." [17:19] Allah has also described Paradise in many places in the Qur'an, so let us now take a look at what He has in store for the believers.

Description in the Qur'an of Paradise

“The description of Paradise which the Muttaqoon have been promised is that in it are rivers of water, the taste and smell of which are never changed. Rivers of milk the taste of which will remain unchanged. Rivers of wine that will be delicious to those who drink from it and rivers of clear, pure honey. For them will be every kind of fruit and forgiveness form their Lord." [47:15]

"And their recompense shall be Paradise, and silken garments, because they were patient. Reclining on raised thrones, they will see there neither the excessive heat of the sun, nor the excessive bitter cold, (as in Paradise there is no sun and no moon). The shade will be close upon them, and bunches of fruit will hang low within their reach. Vessels of silver and cups of crystal will be passed around amongst them, crystal-clear, made of silver. They will determine the measure of them according to their wishes. They will be given a cup (of wine) mixed with Zanjabeel, and a fountain called Salsabeel. Around them will (serve) boys of perpetual youth. If you see them, you would think they are scattered pearls. When you look there (in Paradise) you will see a delight (that can not be imagined), and a Great Dominion. Their garments will be of fine green silk and gold embroidery. They will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a pure drink." [76:12-21]

"And those foremost (In Tawheed and obedience to Allah and His Messenger in this life) will be foremost (in Paradise). They will be those nearest to Allah in the Gardens of Delight. A multitude of those (the foremost) will be from the first generation (who embraced Islam) and a few of those (the foremost) will be from the later (generations). They will be reclining, face to face, on thrones woven with gold and precious stones. They will be served by immortal boys, with cups and jugs, and a glass from the flowing wine, from which they will have neither any headache, nor any intoxication. They will have fruit from which they may choose, and the flesh of fowls that they desire. There will be Houris with wide, lovely eyes (as wives for the pious), like preserved pearls, a reward for deeds that they used to do. They will hear no vain or sinful speech (like backbiting, etc.) but only the saying of: Salam, Salam, (greetings of peace). And those on the Right Hand, who will be those on the Right Hand? They will be among thorn-less lote-trees among Talh (banana trees) with fruits piled one above another, in long-extended shade, by constantly flowing water, and fruit in plenty, whose season is not limited, and their supply will not be cut off. They will be on couches or thrones raised high. Verily, We have created for them (maidens) of equal age, loving (their husbands only). For those on the Right Hand." [56:10-38]

"Verily, the dwellers of Paradise that Day, will be busy in joyful things. They and their wives will be in pleasant shade, reclining on thrones. They will have therein fruits (of all kinds), and all that they will ask for. (It will be said to them): "Salamun" (Peace be on you), a Word from the Lord, Most Merciful." [36:55-58]

Can you imagine? Wearing the finest silk clothing and sitting on chairs made of gold and precious stones? Those who disbelieve in the words of Allah, say that this is all a fairy-tale, made up by a would-be prophet. But we know, that Allah is the Truthful and that His Messenger, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, spoke only what was revealed to from the Most Truthful. And even though Allah describes Paradise for us in the Qur'an, He still says, "So no soul knows the delights of the eyes which is hidden for them; a reward for what they did." [32:17]

Apart from the Qur'anic descriptions of Paradise, the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, would often describe Paradise to his companions. His descriptions were oftentimes so vivid and moving, that many-a-companion would hurriedly rush towards it. This was the case, as Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, and his companions proceeded towards Badr and arrived there before the disbelievers (of Makkah). When the disbelievers arrived, the Messenger of Allah said, "None of you should step forward ahead of me to do anything." Then the disbelievers advanced (towards us), and the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said, "Rise to enter Paradise whose width is equal to the Heavens and the Earth." Umayr Ibnul Humam al-Ansari asked, "O Messenger of Allah, is Paradise equal in width to the heavens and the earth?" He, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, said, "Yes." Umayr said, "Bak'hin! Bak'hin!" (An Arabic word denoting excitement and astonishment) The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, asked him, "What made you say these words: Bak'hin, Bak'hin?" He said, "Messenger of Allah, nothing but the desire to be amongst its residents." He, sallallahu alayhe wasallam, said, "You are surely among its residents." He then took some dates form his bag and began to eat them. Then he said, "If I were to live until I had eaten all of the dates, indeed this life would be too long." Anas then said, "He threw away the remaining dates he had with him. He then fought (the disbelievers) until he was killed." (Muslim)

What words could have inspired Umair and others like him to long for, and to pay the ultimate price for a place in Paradise?

Taken from http://www.al-inaam.com/library/paradise1.htm

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Biggest Challenge

The biggest challenge facing the Ummah today in the face of secularism is inferiority complex.

That is due to us being ignorant of our beautiful Deen which is complete, comprehensive, perfect and absolute.

Remember, a nation educated about it's values is a proud nation. Become an Aalim of Deen to address the challenge of the time.

Allah is the sole provider and sustainer, not secularism.

Terminate the Haj Subsidy

Who exactly pay the Haj subsidy to Air India? Is it the Ministry of External Affairs or the Ministry of Civil Aviation? What is the exact amount? Does it change annually? These are matters of detail, but irrelevant to the the principle that State should not subsidise religious pilgrimage of any kind to any place irrespective of religion.

A senior Muslim leader like Syed Shahabuddin and the young Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad, Asaduddin Owaisi, have both exxpressed the will of the community to terminate the subsidy.

The impediment to Haj subsidy abolition lies squarely with Air India, a state corporation. The Government of India, throught the Central Haj Committee, should invite biddings from various airlines in India for Haj group travel and designate the lowest bidder as the official carrier of the Haj passengers.

Professors should be hungrier for knowledge

The Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal in a recent statement has interestingly said that the professors should be hungrier for knowledge instead of resorting for fatter pay packets.

Cultivation of knowledge has become more a matter of "advancement of earning" instead of "advancement of learning".

Keep the Goal in Focus

If you stop every time a dog barks, your road will never end.

Today Only

The life of this world is made up of three days: yesterday has gone with all that was done; tomorrow, you may never reach; but today is for you so do what you should do today.  (Hasan al-Basri Radhi-Allahu anhu)

The Benefits of Smiling

The Messenger of Allah Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “To smile in the company
of your brother is charity. " (Bukhari)

It seems that nothing has more power to elevate a mood than the impact of a genuine
smile. The benefits of a smile extend not only to the recipient of the warm gesture
but also to the smile's originator. “A smile is a little curve that sets a lot of
things straight.” Here are some of the many .....

Benefits of Smiling!

1. Smiling Makes Us Attractive- People are spending millions on cosmetic products
and procedures to make them look better.If you want to look better, try adding a
genuine smile. Its cheaper and mush more attractive.The muscles we use to smile lift
the face, making a person appear younger. Don't go for a face lift, just try smiling
your way through the day -- you'll look younger and feel better.

2. Smiling Changes Our Mood-Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile.
There's a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the
body into helping you change your mood.

3. Smiling Is Contagious-When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change
the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with
them.

4. Smiling Relieves Stress-Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to
prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed,
take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you'll be better able
to take action.Smiling helps to promote release of a “feel good” group of
hormones called endorphins. These are the same group of hormones responsible for the
runners high you hear so much about. If you don't have time to get to the gym for a
hard run, try adding a smile to boost these natural, stress relieving hormones.

5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System-Smiling helps the immune system to work better.
When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed.
Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.

6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure-When you smile, there is a measurable
reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor
at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take
another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?

7. Smiling is medication-Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins,
natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling
is a natural drug and leads to a healthier immune system.Various studies conducted
over the years have shown that smiling can boost the functioning of the immune
system. This may help to reduce your risk of developing everything from the common
cold to chronic diseases such as
cancer. Could there be a less expensive medicine than this?

8. A smile inspires others-When you smile you also send a positive message that can
potentially change someone else's mood for the better. The person you graced with
your smile may go on to pass the kindness to someone else. Who knows how far your
original smile will travel?

9. Smiling promotes Success -Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely
to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and
appointments and people will react to you differently.When you smile, you appear
confident and capable. Given the choice between two equally qualified job
candidates, the smiling candidate is going to be perceived as being more of a team
player and easier to work with. Who do you think is more likely to get the job
offer?

10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive-Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of
something negative without losing the smile. It's hard. When we smile our body is
sending the rest of us a message that "Life is Good!" Stay away from depression,
stress and worry by smiling.
Smile..!!!...It does not cost a cent and can make a persons day!
“It takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown”.

The greatest reason for smiling is because it is a sunnah [practice] of our Beloved
Messenger of Allah [peace be upon him]!!!. The Messenger of Allah[pbuh] had a
smiling face and advised us to entertain our guest with a smiling face and good
conduct. To smile is an act of charity.

http://ciinetwork.net/broadcasting/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=764&Itemid=93

'If you have a problem, the Taliban solves it. In the government offices there is only corruption and bribery'

AFGHANISTAN:

Losing the battle for Afghan hearts and minds. By Julius Cavendish in Kabul

THEY FLED in the dead of night, taking what belongings they could, and telling no-one twhey were leaving for fear of ambush. Dr Ehssabullah Hakimi, a young man with an aquiline nose, thin beard and gentle manner, locked up the house of his ancestors and led 22 members of his family to Kabul. He had been receiving death threats from the Taliban for practising medicine at a local clinic. "Because I had a good job, they thought I was a spy," he said.
Hakimi and his family did not quit the badlands of the south, though, nor the hostile reaches of eastern Afghanistan. They came from Wardak province, less than an hour's drive from the capital.
But just 30 miles from Kabul, it is Taliban country. Over the past year, the militants have established a stronghold in Wardak, which borders the capital to the south and west. Nine months ago, one of the province's two hospitals, a German-run clinic, shut down after staff there also received death threats.
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The UN evacuated its humanitarian staff from all but one of Wardak's eight districts in September, citing security concerns. Roshanak Wardak, a member of parliament for the province, has said there are areas she is "100% sure no government worker can go to".
Not without reason. The head of the attorney-general's office in one Wardak district was kidnapped and killed by the Taliban three months ago. Days later, Afghan army, police and coalition forces said they had killed or wounded around 60 insurgents in a two-day battle that raged close to the Afghan capital. The number of attacks by Taliban-linked militants in Wardak has increased by 58% since 2007, according to security analyst Sami Kovanen in Kabul.
As it reasserts control over large swathes of countryside, the Taliban has been installing a shadow government to answer civilian needs. In the absence of effective local governance, the militants have been arresting criminals, providing courts, dispensing justice, running prisons and organising public executions - all within an hour's drive of Kabul.
Hakimi's fears were borne out just weeks after his family's escape, when his cousin Naim was hanged by the Taliban for joining the Afghan National Army (ANA). His body swung from a tree for two days with a sign on his chest warning that whoever cut him down would suffer the same fate.
"My cousin was hanging three kilometres from the police district building," said Hakimi. "But they were not able to retrieve his body." Eventually, aid workers from the Afghan Red Crescent Society defied the ban and brought the body in.
A series of interviews with people from Wardak told a similar story.
"The police control their own buildings and maybe the 10 metres surrounding them," said 40-year-old Habibullah Noori, who runs a minibus service between Wardak and Kabul. "There may be police checkpoints but there are also lots of Taliban checkpoints."
News agency AP reported several days ago that checkpoint police in Wardak sometimes wear traditional robes so they can pass themselves off as civilians at the first sign of trouble. And whereas the government often turns a blind eye to crime - one interviewee said that "the other name for police is robbers" - the Taliban not only fails to tolerate it, but offers swift justice. Hakimi explained that the Taliban likes open and shut cases so its members can concentrate on fighting. "Every village has a Taliban representative and if anything happens, people go to him to say, We have this problem '. He doesn't want to spend much time on it - so decisions are quick." They can take a little as 24 hours.
But Noori, the minibus driver, said the Taliban's system is better than the government's. "If you have a problem the Taliban solves it," he said. "In the government offices there is only corruption and bribery.
"Last year, the Taliban did not have 80, 90 or 100% control," he added. "It was a mess. There were robbers, killers, everything. Now, you could walk around with 10kg of gold on your head and no-one would touch you. You can walk around at night without fear."
As an example of the rough justice meted out, he cited a robbery in late summer when eight trucks of wheat disappeared. The Taliban investigated, found the trucks and returned them to their owners. Militants shot the leader of the robbers in the head, and let the others go with severe beatings and after extracting promises that there would be no repeat offence. Other Taliban punishments include parading criminals with their faces daubed black or amputating the hands of robbers. But cases aren't limited to theft and murder. Far more frequently, aggrieved parties will seek arbitration of a property dispute - the most common cause of friction between Afghans, according to interviewees.
The procedure, should you have trouble of some sort, is to go to the nearest mosque and find the local Taliban representative. "He will say, Come back tomorrow at 10 o'clock and we will have the man who has done something' - and he will be there," Noori told me. "If the problem is small, a mullah will solve it. If it's bigger, it will be a judge trained more extensively in Sharia law."
Meanwhile, an uneasy detente is said to exist between the Taliban in Wardak and the local police, with both sides realising that full-scale confrontation is to neither's advantage.
"If they create problems for us, we can create problems for them," said 22-year-old Taliban foot soldier Spin Ghel. The failure of the police to drive 3km to retrieve Naim's hanging corpse would appear to bear out his point. But Ghel, who wore a leather jacket over his salwar kameez and seemed to have joined the Taliban more out of boredom or frustration than for any ideological reason, claimed the relationship went deeper than that.
"They exchanged powerful commanders for that Italian journalist who was kidnapped," he said, referring to the abduction in 2007 of Daniele Mastrogiacomo, who was released in exchange for Taliban prisoners. Whatever the extent of the alleged collusion, with a salary of just $65 a month it is hard to see why any police trooper would risk his life to take on the Taliban's protection racket.
A key part of the Taliban's success in Wardak is its network of informants. Gulbuddin, another young Taliban fighter, said there were around 70 spies in Kabul on the Taliban's payroll, providing information about convoy movements, individuals visiting the province, and their families. At roadblocks, which can vary from a handful of militants waving down traffic to as many as 40, the insurgents have the registration numbers of approaching vehicles and descriptions of the passengers they carry.
"When my cousin was arrested, making a visit home, there were 40 men who came to get him," said Hakimi. "All private taxis to Wardak leave from one specific location. That's why it's simple for them to know who is coming. They monitor everyone coming and going. If you're wearing beautiful, nice, expensive clothing they are suspicious. They think you must be working for the government or UN. If you're wearing dirty clothes, have a beard, long hair, turban, they think that's fine."
How far the Taliban's services reach is unclear, but they are far from comprehensive. "The Taliban are very poor," said Noori. "They can't afford to provide healthcare - most of the time they are asking people to feed them." Although in some places the Taliban is reported to extort a 10% tax from Afghans at the barrel of a gun, shadow governance of this sort has yet to reach.
--http://www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.2479045.0.if_you_have_a_problem_the_taliban_solves_it_in_the_government_offices_there_is_only_corruption_and_bribery.php

A philosophical answer

We have heard that a member of the C.I.D once approached a senior worker of the Tablighi Jamaat and enquired:

-' What is the name of your Jamaat?

'' Muhammad Jamaat,(PBUH) ' replied the senior.

C.I.D :-' Does your Jamaat follow a set of principles or a code of law? '

Senior:- ' Yes of course! That is the Holy Quran.

'C.I.D:- ' Do you have a head-quarters (a Markaz) ?

'Senior:- ' Yes, there is a city in Saudi Arabia namely Makkah Muazzamah wherein stands the House of Allah. That is our head-quarters.

'C.I.D:- ' How many branches does this head-quarter command and in which countries are they?

'Senior:- ' All the Mosques of the world are the branches of this head-quarters.

'C.I.D:- Who is the leader of this group?

'Senior:- ' Our leader passed away more than thirteen centuries away. His name is Muhammad peace be upon him.

'C.I.D:- What is the total roll of your members and where are they stationed in the world?

'Senior:- ' All those who recite the Shahadah- Laa Ilaha Illallah- are members of this Jamaat.

'C.I.D:- Do you have funds? If so, where are the funds?

'Senior:- The money in the pockets of those who profess the shahadah of Laa Ilaha Illallah makes up our funds.

'Note: This is not a temporary solution, but in fact our mission should be moulded eternally onto these lines and effort is made on this by coming out in Jamaat.

This is an all-encompassing movement which was explained by Maulana Ilyas Saheb thus:-' The aim of our Jamaat is to disseminate amongst the Muslims the Deen bought to us by Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. This is our cardinal aim. '

Taken from http://engagersindawah.blogspot.com/2008/07/philosophical-answer.html

The Smile

THE SMILE

COMPUTER WONDER:

Ever wondered why one must click on 'start' to turn 'off' the computer?

Message from the Ameer of the Jamiatul Ulama

It is important to always have an exemplary, before us, from whose life we can take examples and be constantly guided to the straight path. There are many pious people in the world today to whom we can align ourselves to in order to preserve our imaan and take good counsel from. Such people are living examples and an inspiration to all; their mere presence in our lives makes it such that it becomes difficult for us to deviate from the straight path. By associating with such people we will be identified with those who are pious and Allah-fearing on the day of judgment.

Win-Win

Abu Yahya Suhaib b. Sinan said that Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam said:

"Wondrous are the believer's affairs. For him there is good in all his affairs, and this is so only for the believer. When something pleasing happens to him, he is grateful, and that is good for him; and when something displeasing happens to him, he is enduring (sabar), and that is good for him." (Muslim)

Children

It is the responsibility of the whole society to protect children

What society do we think we are going to have if they are the future?

“It takes a village to bring up a child.”

A society which cannot protect her children has no future

THE SMILE: THREE KICK RULE

The Judge President went duck hunting in rural Limpopo Province. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer's field on the other side of a fence.

As the judge climbed over the fence, an elderly Afrikaans farmer drove up on his tractor and asked him what he was doing...

The Judge responded, 'I shot a duck and it fell in this field, and now I'm going to retrieve it..'

The old farmer replied, 'This is my property, and you are not coming over here.'

The indignant judge said, 'I am one of the most important judges in South Africa and, if you don't let me get that duck, I'll sue you and take everything you own.'

The old farmer smiled and said, 'Apparently, you don't know how we settle disputes in Limpopo Province. We settle small disagreements like this with the 'Three Kick Rule.'

The Judge asked, 'What is the 'Three Kick Rule'?'

The Farmer replied, 'Well, because the dispute occurs on my land, I get to go first. I kick you three times and then you kick me three times and so on back and forth until someone gives up.'

The Judge quickly thought about the proposed contest and decided that he could easily take the old codger. He also liked the idea, so he agreed to abide by the local custom.

The old farmer slowly climbed down from the tractor and walked up to the Judge. His first kick planted the toe of his heavy steel toed work boot into the judge's groin and dropped him to his knees!

His second kick to the midriff sent the judge's last meal gushing from his mouth. The judge was on all fours when the farmer's third kick to his rear end, sent him face-first into a fresh cow pat.

Summoning every bit of his will and remaining strength the judge very slowly managed to get to his feet. Wiping his face with the arm of his jacket, he said, 'Okay, you old man. Now it's my turn.'

The old farmer smiled and said, 'Nah, I give up. You can have the duck.'

Impressions of Love

Jamaal (Beauty), Kamaal (Perfection) and Ihsaan (Favour) are three impressions which stir up the bounty of love within hearts.

Looking at the creation of Allah Ta’ala : the skies, the oceans, the flora and fauna, we see reflections of beauty and splendour. If Allah Ta’ala has granted a mere atom of beauty to His creation, then what of His beauty ?

Ponder over the most perfect Sifats (Attributes) of Allah Ta’ala: He is Khaliq, the One who creates from absolutely nothing. He is Baari, creating His creation with excellence in compatibility, conformity and unity. He is Musawwir; giving His creation uniqueness and beauty in form and shape.

Just look at the creation of the universe : the perfect harmony of the day and night; of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Reflect over the creation of Man : the different stages man has to pass through…infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Consider the various organs of the body; their position, purpose and function.

Thus, we recognise the Greatness and Power of Allah Ta’ala in looking at the perfection in His Creation and in His system.

Then again, we cannot help but love that person who is generous, kind and who showers us with his favours and gifts. What then of the infinite generosity and benevolence of Allah Ta’ala ? He is Wah-haab, The Giver of All and Everything; Muqeet, The Giver of our sustenance; Kareem, The Most Generous One and Naafi’, The One who bestows gifts.
Consider the kindness and favour of Allah Ta’ala in creating us Ashraful Makhlukaat (The best of Creation), without us having even asked for such honour.

Allah Ta’ala says in Surah Teen :
“Verily, We created man of the best stature.”
[Surah Teen 95 : 4]

Added to this, without us deserving, He has blessed us with Imaan, Islam, and thereafter so many gifts; of sight, hearing, speech, intelligence, health, wealth, beauty, etc.

Allah Ta’ala states in the Qur`aan Sharief :
“…And if you count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to enumerate them…”
[Surah Ibraheem 14 : 34]

Thus, we find that these attributes of Jamaal, Kamaal and Ihsaan are perfect in Allah.

Therefore O Saalik…

Change the Qiblah of your heartFrom ‘Laila’ to Maula.
-

That heart, whose Qiblah is towards the ‘Lailas’ of the world, is easily changed in keeping the company of those who have not only established the Qiblah of their hearts towards their Maula, but whose hearts have already made Sajda to their ‘Maula’ (Master).

The cures, the antidotes and the treatments for the poison of sensual, illicit love are also obtained from these Ahlullah (Friends of Allah Ta’ala). Their company is akin to a dispensary and clinic, providing the curatives to the ailments of the spiritual heart.

Nevertheless and aside from this, the Aashiq of Allah Ta’ala remains happy and content in whichever condition his Beloved Allah keeps him.

His concern, however, is that Allah Ta’ala and Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) must be pleased with him and that he must not, in any way, incur their displeasure. …And the Love of Allah cannot be complete until the person loves Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) .

Aashiq-e-Sawdiq - Vol 1
A Discourse by Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb [Daamat Barakaatuhum] [Musjid-e-Noor]

Knowledge

Imam ash-Shafi'i(ra) said,

"Knowledge is not what is memorised. Knowledge is what benefits."

Weapon of Rape

- Taken from TheHindu dated 15th June 08.

Mass rape is not just a byproduct of war but also sometimes a deliberate weapon.

Commanders has used it as a strategy of war.

Zahra AbdelKarim - what was her fault?

Eastern Congo - three-quarters of women raped.

Rapes conducted with pointed sticks that leave the victims incontinent from internal injuries.

What Allah has said - Allah Ta��la says in the Noble Qur��n, ���You are the best of nations sent to man. You command good and forbid evil and you believe in Allah���. (Aali Imraan). Allah Ta��la states that one reason for this Ummah being titled as the best of Ummah, is the practice of commanding good and preventing evil.

Hadhrat Abu Hurayra (Radhiallaahu ��nhu) states that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ��layhi Wasallam) said, ���Command good and prohibit evil or else Allah will send such a punishment that will destroy everyone���.

If people do not prohibit evil and sin in the society, the entire society - innocent and evil - will equally suffer.

Blogging: an Islamic perspective:

-Sikander Ziad Hashmi, sunniforum.com

Blogging is becoming increasingly popular. Thousands of new blogs pop up daily. Many Muslims have joined in on the blogging phenomenon.

Obviously, blogging is a fairly new online activity. The Merriam-Webster dictionary still does not recognize the word “blog”. The few dictionaries that do so define it in various ways:

Weblog (noun): a personal Web site that provides updated headlines and news articles of other sites that are of interest to the user, also may include journal entries, commentaries and recommendations compiled by the user; also written web log, Weblog; also called blog (Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English)

Blog (n): a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies (WordNet ® 2.0)

Personal journals and diaries are nothing new. People have been keeping diaries for hundreds of years. What is new though is the added interactivity and the wide reach of these new online journals (blogs).

At the outset, it seems like blogging is a harmless activity for Muslims. After all, it’s simply a journal about one’s personal experiences, hobbies, and other ramblings, compiled publicly for others to read and often comment on. But after scratching the surface, we realize that it’s not as simple as it seems.

Many Muslims have begun to wonder about the religious ruling regarding blogs. Armed with personal experience from being an avid blogger in the past, this humble servant will try to wrestle with that question in this article.

Types of Blogs

Generally, blogs can be classified into one of the following three categories:
1. Personal journal: The author writes about whatever comes to mind. That can include feelings, events and happenings in their life, what they did on a particular day, etc.

2. Topic-specific journal: The author picks one area of interest (such as news, Islam, a certain sport, area of study, etc.) and posts his/her experiences, thoughts, and other relevant information regarding the specified topic.

3. Personal/topic-specific journal: The author combines both 1) and 2) in his/her blog.

The first category merits some discussion.

For starters, all bloggers know that since their blogs are public, their entries are accessible by anyone and everyone. As such, every blogger (but specifically a Muslim one) should be extremely cautious about what he/she is divulging in the blog entries. Many times, the contents of a single entry don’t seem to be of much concern, but when read collectively with past entries, they can provide an entire profile on the personality, character, and even physical traits of a person.

This presents some problems from an Islamic point of view. Islam, with its emphasis on modesty and its cautious approach to gender interaction, strongly discourages members of the opposite sex from openly divulging their personality, character, and physical traits (among other things) to each other.

Originally, when the concept of distant communication in real-time was non-existant, the prohibitions that were laid down were for physical, face-to-face contact. However, the advent of telephones, the Internet, SMS, digital cameras, and e-mail, has made it possible to have unhindered communication and interaction without any physical contact whatsoever. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to differentiate between the two forms of communication (in terms of actual presence vs. distant) from a religious ruling point of view. Therefore, the entire concept of modesty, “lowering the gaze”, and “covering ones self properly” must be extended to all forms of contact. Thus, they must be applied in a holistic sense, to all our actions, and not only to physical interaction.

In essence, blogging about one’s personal life is similar to writing a journal entry and then posting it outside one’s house or at a street corner for all to read. There isn’t anything really wrong with doing that (if one wishes to be so public about one’s private life), as long as one doesn’t divulge any information that doesn’t lead members of the opposite gender to envision and imagine the author, and doesn’t let their hearts and minds become impressed and eventually lean towards the author.

Now, that may seem simple, but the fact is that nobody can really ascertain as to what may cause the above in the minds of the opposite gender. It may seem tempting to write-off this whole notion by saying that what goes through the minds of the readers is not the responsibility of the author. While that may hold true for truly objective pieces of work and in matters of true need, the onlookers would not be completely to blame for not “lowering their gaze” if a muscular, handsome man wearing boxers and a t-shirt were to unnecessarily walk through a group of women. The bulk of the blame would fall squarely on the shoulders of the one committing the unnecessary action, though the onlookers would be responsible for continuing to look even after they knew they weren’t supposed to.

Similarly, bloggers must be careful about what they write, lest they divulge traits about themselves that they should otherwise not be making known to the opposite gender, while at the same time, leading the readers into sin by hooking them on to reading on and learning more about the things they really don’t need to know, and shouldn’t know. Some devoted readers even end up forming an affectionate, emotional attachment with the author.

The fact that the above is in fact possible has proven itself time and time again, with bloggers receiving marriage proposals and other suggestive comments through various means such as e-mail, the comments box on their blogs, etc. It is highly unlikely that a stranger would send off a marriage proposal unless he/she was able to get to know the author well enough to feel comfortable in taking such a step.

It should be noted though that the above is regarding personal journal entries.

The second category, topic-specific journals, isn’t much of an issue. Since the journal is centered on a specific subject or theme, there usually isn’t room for personal details. This is similar to writing a column on a topic of choice for a magazine or a newspaper. Even if the journal contains commentary by the author, it will still be centered on the topic, so there isn’t much of an issue here, provided the subject or theme itself is not an immodest and shameful one.

The third category can pass, as long as some conditions are met. Some people like to discuss issues or make certain points through giving examples of events or situations they face in their personal life. This is fine, as long as it doesn’t reach the point described earlier in the discussion about the first category of blogs (e.g. personal journals).

Proponents of personal journals may argue that there are many benefits in having such a blog. For instance, the blogs help bloggers relieve stress by writing about their problems; they are chronicles for future reading; they inform, entertain, and educate others; they help build bonds of friendship; they allow an exchange of ideas; they give insight and help the bloggers improve their writing skills; and perhaps even allow the readers to “see how I apply Islam in my life”.

While some of the benefits of personal blogs cannot be denied, it becomes a matter of harms outweighing the benefits. Something that can lead to immodesty should be avoided, especially if it doesn’t offer any concrete benefits. Moreover, many of the benefits mentioned can be achieved without having a public personal journal. The entire problem lies in the public part. If the personal journal is limited to same-gender viewing only, there is no problem whatsoever.

Communication and Interaction
As long as the readers of the personal journal can’t communicate with the author, it is a one-way communication. However, the negative aspects of personal journals are multiplied when a mechanism is made available for readers to leave comments for and interact with the author and with others, without any restrictions. As witnessed on some blogs, the ability to leave comments on the blog (either in the form of a ‘comments’ link after each post or a ‘shout’ box) can lead to unhindered communication between members of the opposite gender.

With the Islamic principles of modesty as a backdrop, it must be made clear that cross-gender interaction is permissible when needed, for as much as it is needed. Anything beyond that is impermissible.

When a ‘comments’ page and a ‘shout’ box are made available on a personal journal blog, it becomes almost impossible for at least some members of the opposite gender to not interact with the author and perhaps even other readers about matters pertaining to the author’s personal life. Such needless discussions and ‘light talk’ between members of the opposite gender cannot be deemed as being permissible in Islam.

It is somewhat similar to, though not as extreme as, standing at a street corner and chit-chatting, cracking jokes, and conducting superfluous discussions with the other gender about their personal life and other unimportant matters that neither educate nor help in anything whatsoever – total idle talk.

Such discussions often very clearly lead to immodest behaviour. Some may see the fact that these discussions are held in public as a measure of security. In fact, the opposite is true. The fact that such discussions are held in full view of strangers is even more shameful.

The same rules would apply to such discussions as described by Shaykh Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf Mangera at http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/...qa00001336.aspx .

If the above elements are not found in ‘comments’ pages and ‘shout’ boxes on topic-specific and personal/topic-specific blogs, then they may be used, as long as they are not used as a conduit for unnecessary and immodest discussions between members of the opposite gender, and the discussions are kept on subject.

Anonymous Blogging
Some bloggers resort to blogging anonymously, since it seems like hiding one’s identity can be a remedy for many of the potential problems that personal journals may lead to.

Unfortunately, this notion is incorrect.

The Islamic principles of modesty and cross-gender interaction apply to all Muslims, whether they let others know who they are or not.

Nobody would condone committing shameless and immodest acts in the midst of a group of strangers, simply because nobody recognizes him/her. Similarly, holding indecent discussions is impermissible, regardless of whether or not one divulges his/her gender and identity.

Therefore, rules of modesty and cross-gender interaction apply to all Muslims, regardless of how much others know about them. Holding a needless conversation with a member of the opposite gender doesn’t become OK simply because the other party doesn’t know if he/she is communicating with a male/female.

The onus is one each Muslim to follow the rules and guidelines prescribed by Allah and His Messenger (SAW). It isn’t based on how much others know or don’t know about the person.

In addition, hiding one’s gender is extremely difficult in a personal journal. Sooner or later, something will be said that will enable the readers to discover the gender of the author.

In conclusion, before embarking on a blogging journey, all Muslims are humbly requested to take the above points into consideration. Just think: is a personal journal blog truly needed? Do you really want to share your personal details with the world? Is it really worth it? Do you really want strangers (guys and girls) reading about your life? Do you really want to step into an area you probably shouldn’t be getting into, Islamically? Do you want your life to be indexed by Google?

As an alternative, one can have a private blog on one’s own computer. As well, a gender-specific Yahoo! group can be created for members of the same gender to post their entries. Some blogging sites allow for password-protected entries, through which one can restrict and limit who can read the entries. Soon, some Islamic sites may begin brother- and sister-only blogging services, Insha-Allah.

This humble servant blogged for almost 9 months, writing over 170 000 words. In the end, though he had never thought it possible, he pulled his personal journal blog off the Internet.

It was just not worth it.

Allah knows best.

Source:http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1952

editor@sunniforum.com