Islamic Society
There is a rich tradition of Islamic knowledge which is acceptable to different schools of religious thought, which may be infused into the existing religious curriculum to help expand the worldview of madrasa students, to draw links between Islam and environmentalism, or to ensure protection of gender rights....
We must find a way to collectively fight back against these sterilizing forces, of creating new forces and institutions that are free from these dangers, and learn to orient our lives and ambitions toward the service of Allah and all of His creation – and if we can accomplish that, undoubtedly our future descendants will surely come upon a time, God-Willing, where decent men and women all over the world from Haiti to China will smile freely,...
The Prophet (pbuh) gave another short sermon at Mina. Here he said: “O People, no prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born. Listen carefully! Worship Allah, offer prayers [five] times a day, fast during the month of Ramazan, pay Zakat and perform Haj (if you have the means). O People, obey your rulers and those in power”. It is unfortunate that most Muslims do not closely follow the best religion given to them by the Almighty. Divine edicts are very clear about this. Those indulging in wrongdoing will be severely punished....
“If one spent sufficient time with the Master, one might have come to the conclusion that he possessed a closely-guarded secret…And perhaps none could figure it. It went with him to the grave.” “What caused university professors to be the humble students of this unschooled man? He was not rich, so the reason was not economic. He was not a politician, so the reason was not political. Yet he knew things no one else knew, saw things no one else saw.”...
A pre-Portuguese era monument, the Dargah is reckoned to be one of the oldest in Goa, and has its shrine dedicated to ‘Auliya’ (saint) Khwaja Ismail Chisti. His ‘incorrupt remains’ still lie here.
“There is no caste or religious barrier to access the Dargah. Devotees from everywhere are welcome to pay their respects to the saint,”...
Actions taken for political imperatives and based on self interests and failure of one’s character are immediately transferred onto Religions, of which there are many, and all generally given the name Islam. The most ardent critic of such actions is then silenced as he or she mostly has no clue as to what Islam, the Quranic Code stipulates.
Said a poet who knew his Code well:
Fitrat Afrad Se Ighmaaz Bhi Kar Leti Hai
Kabhi Karti Nahin Millat Ke Gunahon Ko Muaf
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The Sacrifice of a Human Child for Eid ul Adha for Political Gains
Taking stock with its newfound political power, the Diyanet has begun issuing orders to introduce elements of Sharia law to the Turkish society. Recently, the directorate released a fatwa on its website suggesting that girls as young as 9 and boys as young as 12 could marry — since, according to Sharia law, adulthood begins at puberty. Only when the Diyanet faced a huge popular outcry did they revoke this fatwa — for now....
Most people are normally not aware of the philosophy they live by. They cannot think and argue clearly since the philosophical foundations of their thinking are not clear to them. For example, most of us are materialists but we think of ourselves as very spiritual beings. Some others know their philosophy very well but think theirs is the only correct philosophy—they become intolerant to other worldviews....
Chandan Gowda
Chandan Gowda
Women Sufi saints are found all over the Islamic world, including the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian sub-continent and South-East Asia. Not all of them had had formal training within a Sufi order. Several of them were locally recognized to have had spiritual merits and venerated as saints. Annemarie Schimmel, the scholar of Sufism, mentions a delightful example. Lalla Minunah, a poor woman in Western North Africa, asked the captain of a boat to teach her the ritual prayer....
“Muslim” society does not need anyone to remind it about Islam. A few days ago, I witnessed a charity advertisement encouraging people to donate money to convert non-Muslims in China. Despite our “very, very, very” small size compared to China, which is a great nation, we seek to change the faith of its people, as if it is our legitimate responsibility to undertake these religious duties on behalf of Muslims in China....
Imran Ali will surely be given the death sentence but Pakistan’s increasingly abnormal collective mind wants a public hanging. Political parties are blaming each other for these gruesome incidents. Sensation-hungry journalists are busy making a case of international involvement. This seems to be alluding to child-porn gangs of Europe paying Imran Ali for sending them “good video material” from Kasur....
“Taliban — what’s that?” asks Sultan Begum shyly from her freezing home in Afghanistan’s mountainous Wakhan Corridor, a region so remote that its residents are untouched by the decades of conflict that have devastated their country. The frail-looking grandmother is a woman of the Wakhi, a tribe of roughly 12,000 nomadic people who populate the area....
Dr. Ghulam Zarqani
Dr. Ghulam Zarqani, Tr. New Age Islam
It is rightly said that the existence of infidelity and misleading in the country is not as dangerous as absence of justice. Undoubtedly the act of infidelity and misleading is disliked. But despite that, it is possible to establish peace and security in the country. However, when the foundations of justice are broken apart, it leads to mutual dispute, retaliatory reaction and then to the jeopardy befalling the social security….
More than 200 royal figures, politicians and business leaders were placed under arrest at the five-star hotel last November in an anti-corruption sweep widely perceived to be part of Prince Mohammed’s efforts to consolidate his power base and shut down opposition. The last detainees were released or moved to another location this weekend after being shaken down for $107bn (£76bn) in what the Saudi attorney general described as “lost revenue”....
He explained that the tribal system that governs Palestinian society “strengthens the idea of intolerance since the entire tribe [blindly] adopts the opinion of the tribal chief, but with technological development and social media, young people are given ample space to talk and discuss with others.”...
The most agonising and shameful was to learn that some Maleducated lads aggressively approaching people on the streets, following everyone irrespective of their sex, age and state. Not only this, woman were not only approached but asked very vulgar questions. “If they enjoy dressing, “sexy” for boys or because they do so for themselves”? If they know anyone who was had been raped? These are the few question rather vulgar remarks which self-proclaimed Daee posed to women on streets. This is not only wrong but a major sin according to version of Islam which I have been taught and learned since my childhood....
“All the curricula of Islamic education systems are designed with an aim to help madrasa graduates get employed in the Islamic job sector. That is a problem, since this particular job sector is not that big.”...
As of this year, Gazans have been able to go online before heading to the mosque and find out where their favourite Islamic preacher will be leading Friday prayers. The Ministry of Religious Affairs enabled them to do so when it launched the platform Khotaba, which in Arabic means “preachers,” on Jan. 2. The website also allows users to assess the performance of every preacher in the Gaza Strip and post feedback on his sermons....
At the science department, they are taught Islamic studies and physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology and ICT. The Mujabbid section teaches Tajbid along with other general subjects. The science and social science students have to learn four courses on the Quran, Hadith, Islamic laws and Arabic along with the sciences and social science subjects. The science department have students all the way up to higher secondary level, and at Dakhil and Alim levels, it does not have business studies....
Child vulnerability is rampant across Pakistan, not just in Kasur. But a window for reform was opened in 2015 with the revelations of a child rape and pornography ring. The Punjab government failed to use it, and many accuse it of having deliberately shut it. Zainab’s dead body has re-opened this window.
The Afghanistan wound has been bleeding Pakistan for four decades. Once again, warlords, mercenaries and terrorists are tearing Kabul apart. This wanton violence also opens a window, a window that has been open for Pakistan since at least 2001....
The Kasur case jolted our otherwise moribund consciences. More importantly, the countrywide outrage and the resultant hectic efforts made by law enforcement will hopefully have given other families the strength to approach the justice system. Some years ago, this pattern emerged in ‘honour’ crimes as well; it was not that the incidence of the killings had increased...
However, political science, philosophy and history are taught from a religious angle. On some levels, science education is absent and other non-religion subjects are vastly neglected. As an example, the syllabus, formulated by the Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh from preschool to Class VIII, does not have science studies. Almost all of the books taught in these classes, which are formulated by the board, are based on the Quran and the Arabic language....
Among those detained were Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the world's richest men, Saleh Abdullah Kamal and Waleed al-Ibrahim. In addition to their extensive business portfolios, the three men all had one thing in common: They head or rather headed large entertainment and media businesses....
Only through a reasoned and empathetic debate can we arrive at a solution to this problem of honour killings. But all such discussion will have to keep the individual’s choice at the forefront. Muslims themselves should take the lead to initiate such a discussion within their community. Democracy and secularism are not for others to practice but rather it is the minorities who should be at the forefront of all such struggles. Sadly, it is us, the Muslim minority, which has very acute deficit of democracy and choice within our own community....
When asked why he chose madrasa education for his son, Moshiur said: “I sent him there so that he is rewarded by the grace of Allah. Moreover, traditional education will be useless in the afterlife. That is why I chose madrasa-based education.” Many people associated with madrasas and mosques hold the same perception as Moshiur, particularly in the rural areas....