Islamic Voice May 2014 Issue

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 1In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

32 Pages Rs. 15 Bangalore English MonthlyMay 2014 Vol. 27-5 No. 329 Rajab 1435 H

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“They Say We’re Dirty”Human Rights Watch Report Reveals Discrimination

against Kids from Marginalized Communities.

New Delhi: “School authorities in India persistently discriminate against children from marginalized communities, denying them their right to education”, Human Rights Watch said in a report released last fortnight. Four years after an ambitious education law went into effect in India guaranteeing free schooling to every child ages 6 to 14, almost every child is enrolled, yet nearly half are likely to drop out before completing their elementary education.The report, “‘They Say We’re Dirty’: Denying an Education to India’s Marginalized,” documents discrimination by school authorities in four Indian states against Dalit, tribal, and Muslim children. The discrimination creates an unwelcome atmosphere that can lead to truancy and eventually may lead the child to stop going to school. Weak monitoring mechanisms fail to identify and track children who attend school irregularly, are at risk of dropping out, or have dropped out.“India’s immense project to educate all its children risks falling victim to deeply rooted discrimination by teachers and other school staff against the poor and marginalized,” said

Jayashree Bajoria, researcher and author of the report. “Instead of encouraging children from at-risk

communities who are often the first in their families to ever step inside a classroom, teachers often neglect or even mistreat them.”Detailed case studies examine how the lack of accountability and grievance redress mechanisms are continuing obstacles to proper implementation of the Right to Education Act. Human Rights Watch conducted research for this report in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi, interviewing more than 160 people, including

Faith-Based Violence on the Rise The latest Pew Research’s Global Religious Diversity Index reveals

more conflicts motivated by faith in countries with less religious diversity.Washington: Pakistan, Afghan-istan, India, Somalia, and Israel, countries with less religious diversity, top the list of countries with the most conflicts motivated by faith, according to a new American survey.

Faith-based violence include “armed conflict or terrorism, mob or sectarian violence, harassment over attire for religious reasons, or other religion-related intimidation or abuse,” according to the latest Pew Research Center report on the countries with the most and least religious diversity.In terms of religious diversity, Afghanistan and Somalia are among the 10 least-diverse countries in the world, and Pakistan was also given a rating of “low” diversity. Israel and India are both considered only moderately diverse.In Southeast Asia and the Middle

East, Pakistan, which has large Christian and Hindu minority populations, scores 0.8 on Pew Research’s Global Religious Diversity Index that determines diversity on the basis of percentage of each country’s population that

belongs to eight major religious groups.Also, among Muslim countries, Pakistan has far greater religious diversity than some large countries including Iran, Turkey and several Central Asian states. Pakistan’s population includes 96.4 per cent Muslims, 1.9 per cent Hindus, 1.6 per cent Christians, while other religious groups account for less than 0.1 per cent.Among the countries with least religiously diverse populations are the Vatican City, Morocco, and Tokelau that all score 0 on the scale. Pakistan’s neighbour

Afghanistan is also among the least religiously diverse states.All the Arab and Middle East countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates comparatively have more religiously diverse populations

and score better on the scale from 0 to 10. Bangladesh and India have also more religious diversity, but do not score high on the index.According to the survey, the Asia-Pacific region, home to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and non-religious people, is the most diverse part of the world. Canada and Australia both have high levels of diversity and low to moderate levels of hostility. This is also true in certain African countries, like Benin, Ghana, and Mozambique, as well as in some small Latin American countries,

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Seminar on ‘Awqaf in India’‘Most illegal occupants are Muslims’

By Abdul Bari Masoud

Bangalore: A seminar on “Awqaf in India” has called upon the Central and State governments to hold a fresh survey of waqf properties by involving Muslim organisations and institutions. The two day seminar, organized by the Islamic Fiqh Academy (IFA) of India in collaboration with the Jeddah-based Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) of IDB and the Kuwait Public Awqaf

Foundation here, on March 29-30, 2014, also called upon the community to launch a nationwide movement for retrieving those waqf properties which are under illegal occupation of government and private institutions.Inaugurating the seminar at the Darul Uloom Sabeel-ur-Rashad (Arabic College) here, Minister of Minority Affairs, K, Rahman Khan said that the onus of recovering lost waqf properties is on every Indian Muslim. He made it clear that most of the properties are encroached upon by Muslims themselves as the properties encroached upon by the state agencies are by and large, the ones where there is a legal dispute. While stressing upon the need to preserve and develop the huge awqaf assets in the country, he urged the community to be vigilant against its own unscrupulous members. “A disguised form of encroachment that is quite common is the case of leasing out waqf assets at grossly below-market rates to members of the community. This is often tolerated on the basis of a false argument that the asset after all is serving the interests of the community members,” he added.In his key note address, Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rehmani, Secretary General of the Fiqh Academy traced the history of the waqf institution. He said, it was painful to see that Muslims are involved in usurping Waqf properties as they have no fear of God.

Representative of the IDB Group, Dr Mohammed Obaidullah highlighted IDB’s various initiatives taken in the awqaf sector, such as, research and documentation, training and capacity building (development of training resources), organization of seminars and conferences etc. He specifically highlighted the activities of the Awqaf Properties Investment Fund (APIF), which has IDB as the mudarib of the Fund. With a paid-up capital of

about 76.4 million dollar, it has so far developed properties worth Rs 6200 crores in 58 projects across 30 countries. Justice Abdus Sattar Qureshi (former Judge, Gujarat High Court), Saleem Beg (former Director General, Tourism and Culture, Jammu and Kashmir), Dr M R Haque (former Secretary, Central Waqf Council), Dr Shakeel Ahmad Samdani (Deptt of Law, Aligarh Muslim University), advocate Salar M Khan, Dr Ghitirf Shahbaz Nadvi, Mufti Mohammad Ashraf Ali Baqvi and others also spoke in the seminar.After due deliberation by a number of Awqaf officials, lawyers, ulema, social activists and intellectuals on the issues of illegal occupation, encroachment, protection and development of awqaf and use of their income and resources for the benefit of Muslim community, the Seminar unanimously adopted the following resolutions and recommendations:* The waqf properties spread over the country should be surveyed as per the Waqf Act, 1995 by collaborating with reputed Muslim organizations and institutions. A committee consisting of experts of waqf affairs, lawyers, and ulema should be constituted for every state for this purpose.* A movement should be initiated for removal of encroachment and illegal occupation of all such waqf properties including mosques, maqaabir (mausoleums),

Minister of Minority Affairs K Rahman Khan inaugurating the seminar.

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Khanqahs, chilla khanas, Inam lands, etc which are in the possession of the government or private entities. Their possession should be restored to the concerned Waqf Board.* All such mosques and grave-yards, which are in possession of Archeological Survey of India, should be identified and surveyed. A comprehensive list of such waqf properties should be prepared and concerted efforts should be made to have permission for offering prayers in such mosques and burial of dead in such graveyards so that wishes of the waqif may be fulfilled.* The National Waqf Development Corporation has to select and appoint experts of planning, law and social sciences for preparation of plans for development of waqf properties so as to increase their income and to make them more beneficial..* This Seminar appeals to Muslim organizations and charitable institutions to prepare literature like booklets, leaflets, etc., for promotion of awareness about importance of waqf, both religious and social, their present situation, laws applicable to various aspects of this great Islamic institution, etc. so that spirit for creation of new

awqaf is revived.* Efforts should be made so that the income generated from awqaf properties being used for tourism purposes is transferred to concerned waqf boards.* Efforts should be made for better management of all such mosques which are under control of the state waqf boards so that welfare of muazzins and imams can be ensured so that role of mosques in the society for progress and stability of community and country may come to fore.* Representation of reputed prominent Muslim organizations in state waqf boards should be statutorily ensured.*Waqf Protection Committees, consisting of conscientious members of local Muslim community, should be formed in every city to keep a watch over the affairs of awqaf, so that waqf properties are protected.* Enactment of Waqf Amendment Act, 2013 by the central government, and hope that the coming government shall continue the commitment shown by its predecessor government on issues of waqf and shall further strengthen and get the currently pending bill on eviction of illegal occupants of waqf properties passed expeditiously. n


Closer Indo-Pak Ties Urged

UPDATE

By Malika Mistry

Pune: Several speakers at the State Convention of People of India and Pakistan Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) organized at the S. M. Joshi Foundation here

urged for peace and close people to people relations between India and Pakistan. Jatin Desai, a well-known journalist from Mumbai observed that Pakistan is burning internally. Very soon the fire will come into India. Pakistani journalists especially from the English newspapers were paying a very heavy price for fighting against the anti-democracy forces. “We as neighoburs, to save ourselves, must work towards extinguishing the fire in Pakistan”, he averred. Pushpa Bhave, a

famous and fearless activist from Maharashtra, averred that people of both countries loved each other. When she visited Pakistan, she was overwhelmed by the affection and care shown to her by the Pakistanis. Prof. Rajadyaksha

from the Department of Culture Studies, University of Pune, said that it is high time that all of us i.e. Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis must remember that till partition we were all together and we have common history. From this angle, we need to undertake projects for

peace. Textbooks in all the three countries must emphasize this fact so that seeds of love and peace could be sown among the new generation. Mrs. Pratibha Ranade, who lived in Afghanistan, expressed the same feelings about Afghan people. Anwar Shaikh welcomed the delegates and Dr. (Miss) Suhas thanked the speakers and the participants of the convention. n

Women shouldn’t be Used as CommoditiesBy A Staff Writer

Mumbai: The Iran Culture House organized an international seminar on “Islam and Dignity of Women in the Present world” on April 19 at the Mumbai Press Club. This synchronised with the birthday of Hazrat Fatimeh(May Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of the Prophet. Dr. Rashida Bhavnagariwala, professor from the Burhani College, spoke about the Western influence on women in India and their disastrous consequences in the society. Uzma Naheed of Iqra Welfare Trust, Mumbai compered the program and averred that Islam had given many rights to women unknown historically.

For example, right to divorce and right to consent in marriage were two precious rights given to women by Islam which needed to be preserved in the Muslim societies. Dr. Malika Mistry of Poona College stated that the rights of women given in Islam were all inclusive and nothing more was needed to maintain the dignity of women. For example, female infanticide was abolished by the Prophet in Arabia 14 centuries ago. Today in India, it is a grave problem. Referring to Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, she said about 20 million women were missing from the population of India. This is mainly due to female foeticide and infanticide. Another serious problem facing

Indian society is rape. Unless every man sees his mother or sister in another woman, this problem cannot be solved. Mrs. Siddiqeh Hejazi, President of Womens’ Affairs, Islamic Culture & Relations Organization, Tehran - Iran delivered the Chief Guest’s address. She explained that rational thinking and freedom were very important for maintaining dignity of a person whether man or woman. Islam guaranteed both these rights to women. “So if dignity is to be maintained, women should not be used as commodities and sex objects in the advertisements. Women should be assured of freedom to develop their personalities fully”, she said. n

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 5MUSLIMS & SOCIETY

Celebrating Muslim Contribution to British Society

Ahmed J Versi, Editor, The Muslim News and Prime Minister David Cameron at the Twelfth Muslim News Awards for Excellence. (Photo:

Adam Szczepanski/The Muslim News)

By Abdul Adil

London: Prime Minister, David Cameron, joined over 800 people to celebrate the very best of Muslim contribution to British

society. The 12th, The Muslim News Awards for Excellence, 2014, Britain’s longest standing Muslim awards event, was held in central London on March 31.The Guest of Honour, Cameron, said, “I’m delighted to have taken part in this year’s Muslim News Awards for Excellence, where we were able to champion and celebrate the huge contribution British Muslims make to our country. I was truly impressed hearing about the extraordinary work of the nominees and winners, and it was great to have been able to meet some of them tonight.” Cameron praised the charitable work Muslims are doing in the UK. “Muslims give more to charity than any other faith group. And they play a huge role in our communities, day in, day out.”He also acknowledged the Muslim communities’ role in helping the victims of the floods

in winter. The young Muslims from Huddersfield “got together with other faith and voluntary groups in Worcester, protected a

church in Surrey from the deluge, and showed above all that our British community spirit could never be dampened.”“The Government is also tackling Islamophobia and it means making absolutely sure that no person is held back from living their life or reaching their goals simply because of the faith they follow,” said Cameron. There are concerns within the Jewish and Muslim communities that religious slaughter may be outlawed. However, Cameron promised that “while I’m Prime Minister of this country, Halal is safe in Britain.”Welcoming the guests, including the Prime Minister, Editor of The Muslim News, Ahmed J Versi, praised the shortlisted nominees. “You are the reason we are here tonight. Your creativity, dynamism and enthusiasm to make a difference, is what we

are here to celebrate tonight. As in previous years, we have been humbled by the quality and the quantity of entries for each award category.”Versi said despite the disproportionate focus on bad news reporting when it comes to Islam and British Muslims, “it is all the more important that we should honour good practice, and celebrate the exemplary work of the illustrious men, women and children present among us tonight.”

“There are countless individuals and organisations striving to make a difference to the way Muslims are perceived and portrayed in our society. This award ceremony is one way to ensure that their contributions are not marginalised or overlooked,” he added.In a message to the awards, Opposition Leader, Ed Miliband, said: “Tonight’s awards ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate the great talent shown and contribution given by Muslim

people in all walks of life.“The awards recognize not only excellence in business, sport, arts and technology, but also those who have served their communities selflessly. It is a true celebration of values core to our country, of community and commitment, of education and learning.” Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, said in his message: “The Muslim News Awards for Excellence

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Saudi Arabia among Top Five Countries in E-Services

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia ranks fifth among the world’s top 10 countries in e-government services and online government-

citizen interactivity, according to a comparative study conducted by Accenture International, a company specialized in administrative consultation. The Kingdom was found to excel in providing online portals for public services and using social media networks to interact with citizens. The study was conducted on a sample of 5,000 individuals from the 10 countries that topped the list. “Singapore came first, scoring 7.4 out of 10 on a scale evaluating digital services and citizen engagement,” the report said. Norway came second, scoring 7.3, followed by the UAE with 6.7 points, South Korea with 6 points, and Saudi Arabia with 5.9. “Citizens want to interact online with retailers and banks,” said Bernard Le Masson, head of Accenture. “They also want to engage digitally with their government and feel connected through mobile devices 24/7.” “We found that citizen demand for digital services is even stronger in emerging markets, such as India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where 80 percent of citizens said they would like to communicate with government via social media and on their mobiles,” he said.

Brazil, Germany, India, the United Kingdom and the United States also ranked in the top 10. The majority of countries that scored

high in the study have made a sustained investment in digital government, he said. “The highest-ranking countries also actively seek and listen to citizen feedback.” Criteria is measured on the basis of citizen service delivery

experience, citizen satisfaction and service maturity. n

Ideas for Financial Inclusion of Indian Muslims Discussed at Harvard

By Kashif-ul-Huda

Cambridge, Massachusetts: A three-day 11th Harvard University Forum on Islamic Finance was held last month on the topic of Takaful & Alternative Cooperative Finance: Challenges & Opportunities. On the first day, two papers presented in the Forum discussed ways for financial inclusion of Indian Muslims. Abdul Qadir Buhari who is the Chairman of

B.S. Abdur Rahman University in Chennai talked about low deposit to credit ratio of Muslims (47% vs 74% national average)

as quoted in Sachar Committee Report. Buhari was presenting a

paper on “Achieving Financial Inclusion of Muslim Minorities Through Alternative Shari‘a-Based Cooperative Finance

Models,” co-authored with Blake Gould of Marquam Capital of Oregan and Saif Ahmed of Infinity Consultants of Bangalore. In their presentation, Buhari and Ahmed talked about models that they have developed that is shariah-compliant and works

within the Indian regulations


Investigation over Islamism in UK Schools

London: Head teachers and governors of up to seven schools in Birmingham in Britain could lose their jobs following an investigation into claims that Islamic fundamentalists attempted a takeover of secular schools, The Sunday Times reported. Three

of the schools have already failed inspections by Ofsted, the body which sets and ensures standards of teaching in schools and college, and four more are said to be at risk of failing. Schools that fail typically have their leadership replaced, meaning Tahir Alam, the prominent chairman of governors at Park View, is at risk of losing his job. Alam has repeatedly been

at the center of the school scandal that has rocked some Birmingham schools. He has described reports of the alleged takeover plot by Islamists as a “witch-hunt.” While the Washwood Heath School received a passing mark on its Ofsted inspection in 2012,

the school’s past is not without blemishes, the most worrying of which is the fact that Al-Qaeda affiliate Rashid Rauf, studied there. Washwood Heath is among a total of 18 schools now under i n v e s t i g a t i o n

by Ofsted over claims that conservative Islamic practices are being imposed in classrooms. The latest document said some parts of the syllabus were ignored for being “un-Islamic” and that extremist preachers had been allowed to speak to pupils. Reports by Ofsted on four other schools, Saltley, Ladypool, Oldknow and Adderley, are due next month. n


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Nottingham gets first Minaret Mosque

The central British city of Nottingham had been preparing for the inauguration of their city’s first mosque with a minaret, seeing it a symbol of Islam in the old city. “I’m very proud and anxious that it opens,” mosque chairman, Aurangzeb Khan, 79, of Carlton, told Nottingham Post. “We’ve wanted it for the last four or five years and we’re really pleased with it.” The new Jamia Masjid Sultania mosque in Sneinton Dale, hosted afternoon prayers for the first time on April 13, 2014. The building,

costing around £1.2m, was granted planning permission by Nottingham City Council in 2011. The 47ft high (14 metre) glass fibre minaret was added at the end of February, as one of

the final pieces to be added to the Jamia Masjid Sultania mosque. The minaret mosque is the first to be erected in Nottingham.

Over the past 30 years, Muslims used to pray in their houses. Britain is home to a sizable Muslim minority of nearly 2.7 million. n

French President opens Haj Exhibition in Paris

Paris: French President Francois Hollande and Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah opened a Haj exhibition in Paris last fortnight. King Abdul Aziz Library and the Paris-based Institute of Arab

World jointly organized the event, which will run for three months. Faisal bin Muammar, adviser to

King Abdullah and supervisor of the library said: “The Paris show reflects the warmth of Saudi-French relations.” He said the exhibition would showcase rare artifacts that have been collected from various international

museums and it would give visitors an idea about the history of Haj, the routes followed by pilgrims to reach the holy sites in Makkah in ancient times, the various rituals of Haj and the development witnessed by Makkah during the

Saudi era. The first Haj Exhibition was held in London two years ago. n

US Laws More Humane than Laws in Muslim NationsBy Shazia Akbar

Detroit: Mehdi Hasan, journalist and author and producer of several

popular TV programmes reminded the American Muslims that they were fortunate to be the residents of a country where most of their basic civil and human rights were

guaranteed in the Constitution, a case that is sadly not true for many nations around the world, particularly Muslim ones. Citing

polls like Gallup and Pew, he spoke about how the American Muslim community fares well above the average in the metrics of education, employment and income, and how they need to leverage these advantages in playing a greater part in American public life.Speaking to an 800-

strong crowd of American Muslims on April 14, Mehdi Hasan dispelled the myth that American Muslims wanted to establish Sharia law in

Mehdi Hasan


By A Staff Writer

Bangalore: The Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation will sanction scholarships to students appearing for CET under a new arrangement with Karnataka Examination Authority(KEA). The students from minority communities who qualify for the admission into BE, MBBS and BDS will be automatically be sanctioned full CET fee at the admission stage itself. According to Managing Director Mohammed Saleem, an MoU has been signed between the KEA and KMDC in this regard.Students from minority communities will be able to avail of the scholarship under Karnataka Government’s ‘Arivu’ Scheme provided they come under the Rs. 4.5 lakh annual parental scheme, qualify for the CET and submit an application to the CET in this regard. The application form can be downloaded from www.kmdc.kar.nic.in and should be submitted before May 31, 2014.Addressing representatives of various scholarship disbursing committees and trusts on April 25, Mohammad Saleem, MD, Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation, said an initial deposit of Rs. 10 crores

has been made into Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) for the purpose of sanctioning the CET fee (which may be around Rs. 36,000 at the base level). He said

Rs. 46 crore has been allocated out the Minorities Welfare budget for the scholarship scheme alone this year.The meeting was called by the Al-Ameen Educational Society. Some representatives urged that scholarships may also be given

to students pursuing journalism, chartered accountancy, law, agriculture and allied discipline. Mr. Abdus Subhan Baig, Joint Secretary of the Al-Ameen

Society presided over the meeting. Mr. Umar Ismail, principals of several colleges participated. The original Application form under ‘Arivu’ (Education loan) Scheme along with Xerox copy of income and caste certificate (for 2A, 2B and 3B and category I) and Xerox copy of CET admission ticket, must be submitted to the concerned District office of the KMDC and obtain ‘Acknowledgement’

without fail. The addresses of the District offices are available in the website of KMDC.For further information, contact cell no: 94481-53979, 94488-25991, or Phone no. 080-2286-1226, 2286-0999 or concerned District Managers. n

KMDC Loans to be Pre-SanctionedUnder the new arrangement, the students can submit the ‘Arivu’ loan

application to KMDC or its districts offices.

Mohammad Saleem and Abdus Subhan Baig, of Al-Ameen Society

Faith-Based Violence ...like Cuba, Guyana, Suriname, and Uruguay.There are some notable exceptions. China is incredibly religiously diverse, but the country has also experienced a significant amount of faith-based conflict. Many Latin American countries are pretty uniformly Christian and peaceful, although Mexico and Colombia

are notable exceptions, with much higher levels of violence than the rest of the region. And many countries are somewhere in the middle: The US has moderate diversity and moderate hostility, as do several European countries.These findings come with some limitations: The diversity study does not account for different

denominations within religions, like Sunnis and Shias in Muslim countries or Protestants and Catholics in Christian countries; apparently it was too difficult to gather enough data to make those distinctions.It noted that pluralism itself might help reduce violence, or countries that tolerate high levels of

diversity might attract people less inclined to violence. And these trends may be related to overall patterns of violence and political instability in the world — in the past several years, some of the countries with the highest levels of religious affiliation have been hit hard by war, especially in the Middle East. n

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the Persian and Indian scientific literature. These translation works and original researches brought the then Muslims huge practical benefits in medicine, agriculture, finance, engineering projects and other areas defining their standing in global society.In the Baitul Hikmat, numerous observatories were set up and then a number of ground breaking scientific inventions were produced that changed the shape of the world. Scholars engaged in accumulating collections of world knowledge brought out their own discoveries, drawing

on Indian, Greek, and Persian texts. For instance, Abul Hasan, a great scientist associated with this institute, invented the telescope. By the middle of the 9th century, the Baitul Hikmat emerged as the largest repository of knowledge and sciences in the world, which launched empirical studies in science and humanities including philosophy, history mathematics, astronomy, medicine, alchemy and chemistry, zoology, geography and cartography.(The writer is based in Delhi and can be reached at [email protected]) n

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Baitul Hikmat ...

Ideas for Financial ..that does not allow for Islamic banking. They talked about three models under the Joint Liability Group (JLG) structure: Mututal Benefit Trust Model, Cooperative Credit Society Model, and Direct Disbursement Model. When they analyzed the three models under Takaful Principles, they found that first and the last model meets all the criteria. In another session, the Aligarh Muslim University team presented a paper on “Micro-Takaful in India: a Path towards Financial Inclusion and Sustainable Development.”

The paper was authored by Mohammad Faisal, Asif Akhtar, and Asad Rehman. They proposed a working model for micro-takaful or insurance for members of low income group. They said people of this group are not served by any financial company now and a product designed to help them can be a tool for their financial inclusion. This product is not just for Muslims. They also talked about ways that this model can work within the confines of the existing financial regulation in India. n


LETTERS

Not a Time for Over-ParentingSummer vacations may seem fun time for kids, as it’s a break for them away from boring books and routine school work. But many ‘new-age’ parents aren’t often as enthusiastic about the holidays as their children are. “How will we now keep the kids engaged for two months?” they fret.This leads to the question: Are parents today parenting too much? It is quite common to see the children being escorted to swimming classes, summer camps, crafts class, music class and many other activities by their parents—that is, those who can afford such things. While it is good for parents to be around the children and spend time with them, it may also do a world of good for the children if they are given their own personal space to be just themselves and not have the parent after them all the time telling them what to do and what not to do. It can get extremely claustrophobic for the child to always be controlled by the elders. In many cases, all decisions are taken by the parents for the child, down to what he should read or what she should wear. Can’t the child be allowed to decide even such things for himself or herself?Parents can also let their children to reflect and introspect and give them the space to be with children of their age, so that they grow up with positive self-esteem, confidence and the ability to take decisions for themselves. In this way, they will grow up with genuine love for their parents and others around them, rather than living in mortal fear of them. Counselors often say that the repeated use of two words by parents can cause deep hurt and resentment in a child as he or she is growing up into the adolescent years and then adulthood. One is “Why”, and the other word is “Should.” ‘Why did you do this?’ ‘Why didn’t you read that?’ ‘You should go there!’ ‘You should speak like this!’ ‘You should not answer back!’ Often, more than the ‘why’ and ‘should’, it is the tone in which it is said that hurts the child most. Granted, a growing-up child does need parental guidance, but their ‘whys’ and ‘shoulds’ should not suffocate him or her and cause the child to lose all sense of autonomy.Often, parents forget what they felt like when they were little and were shouted down, often for no legitimate reason, by their parents and other elders. If they didn’t feel good about it then, why inflict the same damage on their children now? True, parenting requires great responsibility, but that doesn’t mean that parents should think of themselves as dictators and their children as meek, timid, slaves!Treating children as their friends is something that new-age parents need to learn today. While it is the duty of parents to provide for their children with the basic material comforts of life, it is all the more important for parents also to, at times, “let go” their iron-grip on their kids and allow them to be themselves, so that their children grow up fearlessly, with love in their hearts for humanity, nature and all creatures around them. Letting children flower on their own, without unnecessary interference, is vital for children to develop a high level of emotional and spiritual intelligence, which will help them handle the real challenges of life that they will have to face as they grow up in a world where trials and tribulations will be part of their journey.And what better time than the summer vacations for parents to spend time helping their kids grow up as spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally strong individuals by respecting their right to freedom, to be just their natural, joyful selves?

Why Character Education should get Top Priority!

Fair Treatment for Unani Graduates

OPINION

Today the family and educational institutions are just emphasizing on their children to focus towards materialistic gains, where morality is

absolutely absent.

By Md. Abdullah Al Helal

Character education is everything that influences the character of the children. Dr. Thomas Lickona, a renowned educationalist, defined character education as the deliberate effort to help people understand, care about, and act upon core ethical values. In his landmark book, Educating for Character, he asserts that “when we think about the kind of character we want for our children, it’s clear that we want them to be able to judge what is right, care deeply about what is right, and then do what they believe to be right—even in the face of pressure from without and temptation from within.” The goal of character education is to develop, reinforce and model positive character traits for children and the best forms of character education also involve students in honest, thoughtful discussion and reflection, regarding the moral implications of what they see around them, what they are told, and what they personally do and experience. Apart from these, character education can greatly help students with their academic

subjects as well. Diligence and a sense of responsibility are some of the main core values taught in character education. Building character also helps them to interact properly with their teachers and fellow students, turning their classroom into a better learning environment. Research done on the subject reveals that schools that employ character education have fewer incidences of disciplinary referrals, suspensions, and truancy. It is true that the main reason children are enrolled to a school is to learn about academic subjects like maths, history, science, and so on, but these are not the only things that children need to learn if they ever want to become successful in the real world. Character education gives them the necessary tools that they will be using more often than those that they learn from the other subjects. It goes without saying that, when money is lost- nothing is lost, when health is lost-something is lost, but when character is lost everything is lost. In reality, in the recent periods this proverb is less important where most of the people are running after money.

The family and educational institutions are just emphasizing on their children to focus towards materialistic gains, where morality is absolutely absent. As a result, people with good character are hardly found. People away from morality are adopting any means with a view to fulfill their interests/needs/desires no matter whether legally or illegally deviating from social norms and customs that is accelerating social devaluation rapidly. For this reason, Theodore Roosevelt noted a historical statement that, ‘to educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society’.It should be mentioned here that exclusive of people with good character, it is quite impossible to build a peaceful and ideal country. So, in order to avert social devaluation and to uphold the development of the nation as well as for peaceful coexistence, character education should get first and foremost priority as it is the foundation of all lessons. (The writer is a senior lecturer in Social Work, Centre for General Education, Northern University Bangladesh)

This is with reference to the inadequate representation of the Unani graduates in the government of India healthcare system, with particular reference to the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). It can be seen that out of 593 AYUSH medical officers working under NRHM in primary healthcare centres and central healthcare centres, only 24 are from the Unani discipline, as compared to 433 doctors from Ayurveda and 36 doctors from Homoeopathy. Out of 30 districts, there are no outdoor wings functioning in district general hospitals where Unani wings could have been readily established. At least 170 Unani graduates are passing out every year. The poor

representation of Unani doctors is because this system is not treated on par with other systems like Ayurveda, Naturopathy and Homoeopathy. The Unani section of the Ayush Directorate is not even consulted while finalizing job placements by the NRHM, and most of the time, only Ayurvedic graduates are called for job interviews, leaving no opportunity for Unani graduates to prove their work. The Unani system of medicine which enjoys a pre-eminent status in India’s indigenous health care, rightly deserves the much needed support and encouragement, for its graduates to serve the nation.U. T. Khadar

God or Allah

Matrimonial Advertisements and Mental TraumaMughal Emperors Respected other FaithsThis has reference to Ayesha Abedeen’s letter about Muslim rulers of India, published in Islamic Voice of April 2014, under the heading “ Between Facts and Fabrications.” In this connection, startling new facts have come to light from the research done by Tarapande Mukherjee, Irfan Habib and B.N Pande on the “Firmans” of Mughal emperors, namely Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjehan and Aurangazeb. It was established by their research that these Mughal emperors had given land and monetary help by way of jagirs to Hindu temples of Mathura, Aritha and Varanasi for their maintenance. Dr Pande, in his research has claimed that it is wrong to accuse Aurangazeb of destroying Hindu temples. There is immense research work done to prove beyond doubt that Aurangazeb gave protection to the non-Muslims and respected their places of worship. More details can be obtained about this from the Indian Institute of Objective Studies in New Delhi.Abdul Aziz Vohra, Anand (Gujarat)

I would like to share my thoughts through this column in Islamic Voice that many of the matrimonial advertisements published in many mainstream newspapers today cannot be believed or trusted. My own personal experience after getting into a marriage alliance through an advertisement published in the “so called today’s most popular mainstream newspaper”

ended in a divorce, causing me lot of trauma. Most of the claims made by the bride’s family and even the groom’s family are nothing, but a bunch of lies. So I request all, to be very careful while getting into alliances through advertisements in matrimonial columns. Do a thorough check of the claims made in the ad.E. M. Khan, Patna.

This is with reference to a letter from Brother Mustafa on the “Malaysian Court Verdict” in the November 2013 issue of Islamic Voice. I differ with him on the grounds that “Allah” can never be a simply equivalent word for “the God” as Brother Mustafa opines, because God can become plural if we add ‘s’ and a

feminine if we add ‘ess.’ There are no such attributes associated with “Allah.” Using capital “G” does not really help. Hence “Allah” is certainly an unique word which Muslims should not compromise on.Syed JalalSrikakulam

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 11CAMPUS ROUND-UP

KBN College of Medical Science, Gulbarga

PG Courses in Four DisciplinesGulbarga: The Khaja Bandenawaz College of Medical Sciences will start post-graduates courses in Anatomy, Pathology, Community Medicine and Pharmacology from the new academic session this year.

Principal Dr. Nazeer Ahmed informed Islamic Voice over phone that the college has been permitted to take two students each in Anatomy and Community Medicine and one each in Pharmacology and Pathology. n

PA College of Engg; Mangalore

New Auditorium to be commissioned

Mangalore: The P. A. College of Engineering here is likely to start M. Tech in Civil Engineering. The College has applied for sanction of the programme with the All India Council of Technical Education which is yet to send the inspection team.

According to Principal Dr. Abdul Shariff, an auditorium with a seating capacity of 2000 is likely to be completed by the year end. The college also constructed a machine shop for the Mechanical Engineering Department. n

MEASI Academy of Architecture

MoU Signed with Westminster University

Chennai: MEASI Academy of Architecture has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work with Westminster University, London for collaborative research and exchange of staff and students. The Academy runs three programmes, B.Arch, M. Arch (Real Estate Development) and BE Civil and B. Arch. The students of MEASI Academy of Architecture have obtained Anna University ranks continuously from the first batch to date 2014, besides wining many all India competitions for Architecture students, claimed Principal Prof. Altaf Ahmed. Another,

Memorandum of Undertaking with University of Malaysia is under process, adds Prof Ahmed. In addition anoccasional programme on “Rethinking Architecture”, 10 days summer school was organized at Lincoln University, U.K, in which 20 students MEASI attended the programme during 2013-14. For enquiries contact: The Director, MEASI Academy of Architecture, 87-Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai-600014, Ph: 044-28350445, 28351126, email: [email protected] MEASI Academy of ArchitectureMoU Signed with Westminster University n

HKBK Degree CollegeMBA to Commence

this yearBangalore: The HKBK Degree College will be starting MBA programme from the next academic session, informs Dr. Ghousia, Principal. The HKBK Degree College located near Cantonment Railway Station already runs BBM, B.Com, and BCA courses. Ph: 080-32930961 n

C. A. Hakeem Engg. College, Melvisharam

Technology Tower to be

CommissionedMelvisharam: The C. A. Hakeem Engineering College here will be commissioning its Technology Tower in June this year. Constructed with an estimated cost of Rs. 2 crore, it will have 800 computer under one single roof. It will facilitate students under various engineering disciplines to carry out their practicals and dissertation etc, informs Mr. Latheef, Correspondent of the college while talking to Islamic Voice. Phone: 04172-267387, n

Islamiah College, Vaniyambadi

Ph.D Programme in BiotechnologyVaniyambadi: The nearly 100-year old Islamiah College here has started Ph.D programme in Biotechnology from January 2014. Currently two students have enrolled for the programme, informed Dr. Prem Nazir, Principal of the college. He said a new science laboratory was

commissioned in March this year. The Department of Science and Technology funded the project to the tune of Rs. 80 lakh. Islamiah College has nearly 2,500 students both under aided and self-financing courses. It offers courses up to MA, M.Sc and M.Com. n

C.A. Hakeem College, MelvisharamAutonomy on the Anvil

Melvisharam: The Abdul Hakeem College in Melvisharam, 80 kms west of Chennai is making a bid for autonomy from the new academic session. According to Principal Anwar Shariff, the team from

University Grants Commission is likely to visit the college shortly and assess the facilities and standards. The College will be entering its 50th years since foundation next year. It

was previously under University of Madras and is now affiliated to newly created Thiruvalluvar University, Vellore after colleges under Madras University were split seven years ago. n

New Admn Blocks Nearing Completion

Bhatkal: The Anjuman Women’s College will have a new building near the new bus stand in this coastal town. The building comprising a 35,000 sq. feet area will be commissioned around the start of the new academic session. The Anjuman Hami e Muslimeen will also have a new administration block in Anjuman

Aabad in the main campus. The new building on 13,000 sq. feet will be completed in the next seven to eight months, informed Mr. Jukaku Raheem, Hony Secretary of the Anjuman. He said the Anjuman Engineering College’s new extension block has been completed with addition of nearly 30,000 sq feet area. n

Anjuman Institutions, Bhatkal

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 12CAMPUS ROUND-UP

Shaheen Group in Tie-up With B.lore Colleges

Bangalore: The Shaheen Group of Institutions from Bidar will enter Bangalore in a tie-up with local institutions to run Pre University courses. The Group which has earned a reputation for enabling large number of Muslim students to enter Medical and Engineering courses will have tie-up with Crescent College in Basavanagudi and will collaborate with the Taha Educational Trust to set up a new PU college on Armstrong Road in Bharatinagar area. While

the arrangement at the Crescent will be exclusively for the Pre University students, the one at Bharatinagar will be co-ed with segregated seating arrangements for girls and boys.The Shaheen Group has also entered into collaboration with Sahayata Trust of Hyderabad to set up Challenger Junior College exclusively for Girl students from 8thstandard to the Intermediate classes. The Challenger College will operate from Moinabad and will provide hostel facilities too.

Al-Ameen Sets up Information Centre in West Bengal

Abbaskhan Women’s CollegeGovt. Sponsored CET Coaching Bangalore: The Abbaskhan Women’s college has introduced in-house coaching for girl students desirous of appearing for the CET coaching from the current year. According to Principal Nadira Sultana, over 40 PUC second year

students are undergoing coaching for the CET scheduled for May this year. She said the Mahesh Tutorials has worked out an arrangement for the purpose and the programme is sponsored by the Government Minority Directorate. n

Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchi

PG Dip. in Bio-Informatics to Commence

HMS Group of Institutions, Tumkur

Law College from new SessionTumkur: The Hazrat Madarsha Group of Institutions here will start a Law College as part of their institutions from the new academic session. Mr. Shafi Ahmed, Chairman of the Group informed the Islamic Voice that the HMS Institute of Technology

will begin post graduate courses in in Electircal, Mechanical and Civil engineering. Each discipline will have an intake of five students. He said some para medical courses too would be started from the new academic session. n

Al-Ameen College, Kolar

CCTV InstalledKolar: The Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed khan Al-Ameen Degree College has installed CCTV cameras in all the lecture and examination halls for central monitoring of the coaching and examinations all across the college, informed Dr. Akhtar Sayeeda Khanum, Principal of the College. n

Hasanath College, BangaloreDiploma in Business Mgt.

Bangalore: The Hasanath College for Women on Dickenson Road will start a one-year PG Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA) from the new Academic year, informs Principal Dr.

Suhail. Intake will be 40 and fee will be around Rs. 25,000. The Hasanath Boys College at Hennur Bende will commence M.Com. The Bangalore University has sanctioned both the courses. n

By A Staff Writer

Bangalore: An Educational Centre for East and North-east India has been set up at Berhampore in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. The Centre named as Al-Ameen Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan East and North-East Information Centre will disseminate information about educational

opportunities, colleges, courses and careers to students in the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim etc. Secretary, Harunur Rashid, in a press note said the Centre’s activities will be guided by Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, Founder and Chairman of the Al-Ameen Education Society, Bangalore. It

has been set up in pursuance of the Kolkata Declaration made at the Educational Conference for North and North-Eastern States held in Kolkata during the last week of October. The Centre will disseminate information about community run colleges in South Indian states, Maharashtra and Meghalaya etc. For more information: 9343003056. n

Tiruchirappalli: The Jamal Mohamed College here will start a one year post-graduate Diploma in Bio-informatics from the 2014-15 academic year. It will have an

intake of 15 students. It will a self-financing course.According to the vice principal of the college, the campus will be made wi-fi from the new year. n

Admissions in MANUU Polytechnic, Bangalore

Bangalore: MANUU Polytechnic in Bangalore will admit students for 3-year diploma course in Civil, Electronics and Communication and Computer Science for the year 2014-15. It is run by the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad. The polytechnic located in Nagarbhavi near Bangalore University’s Jnana Bharti Campus has 40 seats in each of the three branches. Students who pass the SSLC exam from any recognized Board will be eligible for admission which will be based on an entrance test. Aspirants can download the

application form for entrance test from ww.manuu.ac.in/admission-ugc.php. They will have to attach a State Bank of India challan for Rs. 200 with the application. This can be deposited at any of the SBI branch. Last date of application if May 12, 2014. The applications should be sent to Chairman, Admissions, Room no. 214-Lecture Hall Complex, NANUU, Gachi Bowli, Hyerabad-500032. The Polytechnic is located at Manuu Polytechnic, 8th cross, First Stage, 3rd Block, Nagarbhavi, Bangalore-560072, Ph: 080-23181726.

Al-Ameen to Coach for IIT-JEEBangalore: The Al-Ameen Educational Society will coach 20 Muslim students for IIT-JEE from this year onwards. The students will be selected by an entrance test which will be held on May 8, 2014. The 20 most meritorious students shortlisted from the entrance test will be provided free boarding and stay facilities, study material

will be supplied free. Students can submit their application directly to the office of Al-

ameen Pre University College, Hosur road, Banga lore-560027. Application forms can also been downloaded from website: www.alameenpuc.org. More details can be had from

Principal Nawab Pasha, cell no. 9620321557, 080-22115961.

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 13Bangalore’s First Research Park ‘BGRT’

wins Platinum LEED CertificationFirst Online Islamic Store for Kids

Bangalore: Bearys Global Research Triangle (BGRT), a 9.5 lac sqft Research Park, developed by Bearys Group in Whitefield Ashram Road, Bangalore has been

awarded the prestigious Platinum LEED certification by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). This is one of the most coveted green building certifications globally, considered to be the most stringent, and takes BGRT into the league of the select few elite green

developments around the globe. BGRT also plays host to Global Fortune 500 companies such as L’Oreal and Schneider Electric, which has set up its largest global

R&D centre in the premises.“BGRT was launched with a vision to create an R & D hub in Bangalore. Our mission is to increase the green footprint and promote the green building movement in India. This award is recognition for our efforts in this direction and I hope

that BGRT inspires the industry leaders to adopt greener standards in all future developments” says Syed Mohamed Beary.The Platinum LEED Plaque was

handed over by Mr. S Srinivas, Exec Director, CII-GBC to Syed Mohamed Beary at a ceremony in the presence of Mr. Jean-Pascal Tricoire, CEO & Global Head of Schneider Electric, Mr. Anil Chaudhry, Country President, and Ms. Annette Clayton, VP. n

India’s first exclusive for kids, Online Islamic Store was launched last month. This website though conceptualized to be at par with Amazon or Flipkart, is unlike them, as it showcases only Islamic products exclusively for kids. Founders of the Online Islamic Kids Store, Aaliyah Khan and Fareha Khan say, “India has a large majority of Muslim population, but as our children grew, we felt a dearth of quality Islamic children’s products as well as ignorance among masses about the same. This online store has been designed keeping in mind the busy lives of present Muslim parents. So in just a click, one can have access to all quality Islamic products for the

child, like toys, books, games or clothes. “We have story books based on the Quran and the Prophets, learning and activity books from reputed

publishers, Islamic board games and talking dolls, which will surely keep your kids engaged in some halal form of entertainment this summer vacation. Our quality Islamic products are bought from all over world including India, U.K, Australia and Dubai,” says Aaliyah.For more details, visit: http://www.theislamickidstore.com/ ([email protected])

Sajid Javid, Member of British Parliament from Bomsgrove, has been inducted into the British cabinet as Secretary of State for culture, Media and Sport and Minister for equalities. He was elected to the Parliament in 2010 elections. He is 46 years old. Son of an immigrant Pakistani, Javid studied at Downend school in Bristol and later at University of Exeter. At age 20 he joined the Conservative Party. He worked for Chase Manhattan Bank in New York

after he finished his university studies. In 2004 he became a managing director of Deutsche Bank and one year later global

head of Emerging Markets Structuring. His earnings at Deutsche Bank would have been roughly 3 million pounds annually. He has been taken as replacement of Maria Miler who resigned as culture secretary on April 9 over controversial expenditure shown in bills.

Shakeel Ahmed from Varanasi has been appointed the chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Minority Commission. He will hold the office for three years. A notification to the effect

Karnataka Waqf Board

Md. Yusuf is new ChairmanBy A Staff Writer

Bangalore: Dr. Mohammad Yusuf has been elected the new chairman of the Karnataka Waqf Board. He was elected unopposed on April 19. The election was held following resignation by incumbent Chairman Abdul Riyaz Khan. Khan had been holding the post for the last 30 months when the Board was constituted.Dr. Yusuf, a veterinarian, had given notice for a no confidence motion against the former Chairman. The matter had been pending following announcement

of General Elections. However, even as the notice had been given for taking up the motion at a meeting of the Board on April 19, Khan submitted his resignation seeing the tide turning against

him.Yusuf who earlier worked in Government had quit the job and set up business in Bangalore and Dubai and has earned considerable success.

After assuming the post, Yusuf vowed to make the Waqf Board a model institution for the entire country. He said the Board originally possessed 132,000

PEOPLE was issued by Governor B. L. Joshi. The appointment came after assurance given by the Government Advocate General in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. The court had ordered constitution of the Commission within a week last September on a writ petition filed by Farooq Ahmed advocate. Other members appointed to the Commission include Chaudhury Rafaqat Hussain, Suhail Ayub Zanjani, Shafi Azmi, Neelam Romilla, Lucknow, Ms. Rabba Singh, Mufti Zulfiquar Ali.

Akhtarul Iman retires from fray: Former Bihar MLA and JDU

leader Akhtarul Iman announced his withdrawal from the electoral fray from the Kishenganj Lok

Sabha constituency in favour of the sitting Congress MP Maulana Asrarul Haq. He had quit Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) two months ago and resigned from his membership of

the Bihar Legislative Assembly. He represented Kucha Dhaman seat under Kishenganj Lok Sabha constituency. He said he wanted to avoid division of the secular votes in the constituency which has over 60 per cent Muslims

voters. It is seen as a setback to the image of the Janata Dal United which Iman had recently joined. n

acres of landed assets under waqf, but only 55,000 acres was under its control now. He said the Board would initiate action against illegal occupants of and encroachers upon waqf properties under the new law passed by the Parliament. He indicated that the board would set up cells such as legal cell, property recovery cell, administration cell and development cell.Tanweer Sait, MLA, and a member of the Board, said 255 new members would be appointed to man various post under the Waqf Board. He assured that recruitment would be through a transparent process. n

Syed Mohamed Beary


Page 9

MUSLIM PERSPECTIvES

Baitul Hikmat The historical institute of secular and religious education, research academy, scientific laboratory and a global sanctuary of learning, Baitul Hikmat, marked an unforgettable

chapter in the Muslim history of knowledge and sciences.

By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi

Going by a recent survey, what all that the Arab writers, scholars and publishers hailing from 17 Arab countries collectively produced is far less than only the publications of University of Harvard. It is, obviously, a disturbing sign of all-round gloom and doom in the scientific spheres of the Arab countries. This sorry state of affairs, however, can be redressed if the present-day Muslims glance through the giant intellectual and scientific works initiated by their predecessors, drawing inspiration from them and thus kindling the light instead of cursing the darkness. Regrettably, when we talk of today’s Arabs, they appear to be a people deeply steeped in intellectual decay, scientific degeneration, civil wars, terror incidents and violation of human rights. In majority of the Middle East countries, the news of positive developments and constructive achievements is hard to come by. It seems as if the Muslim world has disassociated with the modern era of scientific temperament. As a result, in the twenty first century, the academic researches, rational brainstorming, scientific experiments and empirical studies conducted in the Arab nations are branded as “secondary works”.The historical institute of secular and religious education, research academy, scientific laboratory and a global sanctuary of learning, Baitul Hikmat, marked an unforgettable chapter of the Islamic history of knowledge and sciences. Founded by Muhammad al-Mansur, the second Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad, it was mainly aimed at rendering the valuable scientific works in Greek, Latin, Persian and Sanskrit into Arabic. Since inception, it had various departments concerned with different branches of science and

arts. It cordially invited scholars with good flair for writing and translating from all over the world entertaining them with

lavish treatment and productive liberality. Communications on issues of paramount importance were opened with both the Western

and Eastern nations. Embassies were received from the Byzantine emperor, Charlemagne and the emperor of China (Faghfur) for

the first time in history. These embassies played a crucial part in the development of the Baitul Hikmat, helping a scientific temperament flourish in the Muslim world.When the caliph Mamun Rasheed came into power in the early 9th century, he paid greater heed to scientific projects being carried out in the Baitul Hikmat. It is because of Mamun’s active engagement with this institute that, Islamic history recalls him as the greatest patron of science in the cavalcade of Muslim rulers. With his insatiable passion for this intellectual flowering, he expanded translation works

from various contemporary languages into Arabic and ordered the collection of the rare and substantial books from

far and wide. In an endeavour to preserve the knowledge heritage of the world, he asked rulers and emperors of different countries to provide manuscripts of rare books on vital subjects to be documented and translated into different languages. Thus, plenty of manuscripts, rare books and compilations found in Persian, Greek, Syriac, Coptic and Sanskrit were collected and translated into Arabic in the Baitul Hikmat. When the Byzantine emperor was once defeated by the Abbasid caliph, one of the clauses pertaining to the peace treaty was that the emperor will allow the Muslim scientists and scholars to translate the rare books found in his empire and that the Caliph will depute some scholars specifically for this project. This is a glowing example of how a Muslim victor demanded scholarship as a price for his victory. While the Greek works were disappearing in Europe, they were being preserved in Arabic to be retranslated later into Latin

for a rebirth of the lost heritage of universal knowledge. The pioneering works of Philosophy, in particular, that originated in the ancient Greece were rendered into Arabic after they were collected from Athens. Along with these gigantic translation tasks, original thoughts and groundbreaking researches were carried out in various subjects, more notably in medicine, algebra, astronomy, arithmetic, optics, mechanics and history. As a result, Muslims were on their way to intellectual progress and scientific advancement, at a time when most of the European parts were passing through the dark ages. While the Europeans commonly assumed that the earth was flat, the size of the earth was calculated from the measurement of a degree on the shores of the Red Sea. Over the next two centuries, valuable works of Aristotle, Pythagoras, Archimedes and Hippocrates were rendered into Arabic, in addition to extensive translations from

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 15SPECIAL REPORT

Mandate-2014Key Contests, Candidates & Constituencies

Elections are festivals of democracy. India has been under the throes of Lok Sabha election for the last one month beginning from April 7. Islamic Voice brings to its readers profile of contests and contestants in some high-profile constituencies across the country. By no means it is a complete list of all the key contests. The diversity of parties, their affiliations to the broader alliances, flavour of regional politics is so bewildering that it is impossible to capture the essence of the entire exercise.We have gathered the profiles of the contests in nearly 80 constituencies across the states trying to etch to relief the persona of the candidates, their importance and affiliations with the parties and persons in positions of power, posts held in the past and nature of the contests which in most cases are more than triangular. Candidates have been picked up in terms of the importance of the party in regional context or the person himself. Since the exercise is spread over nearly 45 days, it was not possible to figure out the shape of contest in several states where nomination process will not be complete even till we went to the press on April 25. In sync with the nature of the magazine, some emphasis has been given to constituencies where Muslim presence is sizeable.

Andhra Pradesh

Medak: Chandrashekhar Rao of TRS vs. Narendranath of BJP vs. Shravan Kumar Reddy of Cong.(Rao is president of the Telengana Rajya Sangharsh Samiti)H y d e r a b a d : A s s a d u d d i n Owaisi of MIM vs. Bhagwanth Rao of BJP vs. Krishna Reddy of Cong.(Owaisi is representing the seat for the last four terms. Of the 14 lakh voters, around 9 lakh are Muslims.)Malkajgiri: Sarve Satyanarayana of Cong. Vs. Mallareddy of TDP vs. Dinesh Reddy of YSR

Congress vs. P. V. Sudhakaran of AAP(It is the largest LS constituency with nearly 30 lakh voters. Satyanarayana

is union minister in outgoing UPA govt., Dinesh is former DGP, Sudhakaran is son of former PM, P. V. Narasimha Rao)Secunderabad: Bandadaru Dattatreya of BJP vs. Anjan K. Yadav of Cong. Vs. Narla Mohan Rao of MIM.

(Dattatreya is veteran BJP leader)Rajampet: D. Purandeshwari of BJP vs. A. Sai Pratap of Cong. Vs. Mithun Reddy of YSR Congress(Purandeshwari, a minister in

UPA Govt. quit Congress immediately before elections. Pratap is six time winner from the seat)

AssamBarpeta: Sirajuddin

Ajmal of AIUDF vs. Chandra Mohan Patowary of BJP vs. Ismail Hossain of Cong. (It is Muslim dominant constituency)Dhubri: Anowar Hussain of AGP. Vs. Zesmina Khatun of Trinamool Cong. Vs. Debomoya Sanyal of BJP. (It is a Muslim majority constituency.)

BiharAra: R. K. Singh of BJP vs. Meena Singh of JDU vs. Bhagwansingh Khshwaha of RJD.(R. K. Singh retired as Union Home Secretary. He had stopped Mr. Advani’s rath yatra in Samastipur in Bihar in 1991)Madhubani: Abdul Bari Siddiqui of RJD vs. Hukumdeo Narain Singh of BJP.(Siddiqui is senior leader of RJD as is related to the family of Jayaprakash Narain)

Page 16


outgoing UPA govt.)Srinagar: Farooq Abdullah of NC vs. Tariq Hameed Karra of PDP vs. Dr. Muzaffar Bhat of AAP(Farooq is Minister for Non-Renewable Energy in outgoing UPA Govt.)

Jharkhand

Godda: Furkan Ansari of Cong. Vs. Nishikant Dubey of BJP(Dubey is sitting MP)

KarnatakaBangalore Central: Rizwan Arshad of Cong. Vs. P C Mohan of BJP(Arshad was twice elected State Youth Congress President)B a n g a l o r e N o r t h : S a d a n a n d a Gowda of BJP vs. Abdul Azim of JDS and Narayanaswamy of Cong.(Sadananda is former CM of Karnataka) Bangalore South: Ananthkumar of BJP vs. Nandan Nilekeni of Congress

(Ananthkumar is former union minister while Nilekani is former CEO of

IT company Infosys)Haveri-Gadag (Karnataka) : Saleem Ahmed of Cong. Vs. C.M. Udasi of BJP vs. Ravi Senakai of JDSChikaballapur ( K a r n a t a k a ) : Veerappa Moily of Cong. Vs. Kumaraswamy

of JDS Bachchegowda of BJP(Moily and

Kumaraswamy are both formers CMs of Karnataka)Shimoga (Karnataka): B. S. Yeddyurappa of BJP vs. Geeta S h i v r a j k u m a r of JDS vs. M a n j u n a t h Bhandari of Cong.(Yeddyurappa is

former CM of Karnataka and Geeta is daughter of late CM Bangarappa’s daughter)Bidar (Karnataka): N. Dharamsing of Cong. Vs. Mallikarjuna Khuba of BJPHassan (Karnataka): H. D. Devegowda of JDS vs. C. H. Vijayshankar of BJP vs. A. Manju of Cong.(Devegowda is former prime minister of India)

Kerala

Trivandrum: Shashi Tharoor of Cong. Vs. Bennet Abraham of CPM vs. O. Rajagopal of BJP vs. Ajit Joy of AAP(Tharoor is minister in the outgoing UPA ministry. Rajagopal is former union minister. Joy is a former IPS officer.)Malappuram: E. Ahamed of IUML vs. Saniaba of CPM vs. Sreeprakash of BJP(Ahamed is a union minister in outgoing UPA govt.)Ponnani: E. T. Md. Basheer of IUML vs. Abdurahman of CPM vs. Narayan Master of BJP(Basheer is sitting MP)Wayanad: M. I. Shanawas of Cong. Vs. Abdulsageer of AAP vs. Rasmilnath of AAP(Shanawas is sitting MP)Kasaragod: Karunakaran of CPM vs. T. Siddique of Cong.(Karunakaran is sitting MP)

Lakshwadeep (Union Territory)

Lakshdweep (Islands): Hamdullah Sayeed of Cong. Vs. Abdul Muneer of CPIM vs. A. Najmudheen of CPI(Hamdullah is sitting MP. There is not tie-up in Left parties here. Voters number only 44,000)

MaharashtraAkola: Hidayat Patel of Cong. Vs. (Akola is the only seat in Maharashtra where Congress has fielded a Muslim candidate.)Gondia: Praful Patel of NCP vs. Nana Patole of BJP.(Praful is Heavy Industries Minister

in the outgoing UPA Government).Nanded: Ashok Chavan of Cong. Vs. D. B. Patil of BJP(Chavan is former Maharashtra CM who was made to quit in the wake of Adarsh Housing scam)Baramati: Supriya Sule of NCP vs. Mahadev Janka of BJP

(Supriya is daughter of Sharad Pawar)Nashik: Chhagan Bhujbal of NCP vs. Vijay Pandhare of AAP vs. Pradeep Pawar of the Shiv Sena.(Bhujbal is PWD minister in Maharashtra cabinet)Solapur: Shushil Kumar Shinde of Cong. Vs. BJP candidate(Shinde is Union Home Minister in

outgoing UPA Ministry)Nagpur: Nitin Gadkari of BJP vs. Vilas M u t t e m w a r of Cong. Vs.

Anjali Damania of AAP(Gadkari is former president of BJP)Mumbai South: Milind Deora of Cng. Vs. Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena vs. Meera Sanyal of AAP(Deora is minister in the outgoing UPA Govt at the Centre)Mumbai North East: Medha Patkar of AAP vs. Sanjay Patil of NCP vs. Kirit Somaya of BJP(Patkar is Narbada Andolan activist)Mumbai North Central: Priya Dutt of Cong. Vs. Poonam Mahajan of BJP(Priya is daughter of film actor Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt and Poonam is daughter slain BJP leader Pramod Mahajan)

Madhya Pradesh

Vidisha: Sushma Swaraj of BJP vs. Laxman Singh of Cong.(Sushma is veteran BJP leader.)Guna: Jyotiradiya

Sasaram: Meira Kumar of Cong. Vs. Chhedi Paswan of BJP vs. K P Ramaiah of JDU vs. Geeta Arya of AAP(Meira is Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Ramaiah quit IAS recently and Paswan is former MP)Kishenganj: Maulana Asrarul Haq vs. Dilip Kumar Jaiswal of BJP. (Haq is leader of the Jamiatul Ulema Hind)Bhagalpur: Shahnawaz Hussain of BJP vs. Sureshkumar of RJD, Abu Qaisar of JDU, Naushaba Khanum of BSP(Shahnawaz is former Union minister and was the youngest minister in Vajpayee cabinet) Darbhanga: Md. Ali Ashraf Fatimi of RJD vs. Kirti Azad of BJP vs. Sanjay Jha of JDU(Kirti Azad is former cricketer of Indian team)Patna Sahib: Shatrughan Sinha of BJP vs. Kunal Singh of Cong. Vs. Gopal Prasad Sinha of JDU vs. Parveen Amanulla of AAP(Shatru is Bollywood actor, Kunal is Bhojpuri film actor, Parveen is daughter of former diplomat Syed Shahabuddin and recently quit JDU ministry in Bihar)M a d h e p u r a : Sharad Yadav of JDU vs. Pappu Yadav of RJD(Yadav has been winning the seat for the last four times)Katihar: Tariq Anwar of NCP vs. Nikhil Kumar Chowdhury of BJP(Chowdhury is sitting MP and Tariq is minister in outgoing UPA govt.)Araria: Tasleemuddin of RJD vs. Pradeep Kr. Singh of BJP(Pradeep is sitting MP)

Chhattisgarh

Korba: Mahant Charandas of Cong. Vs. Bansilal Mahato of BJP(Mahant was a deputy minister in outgoing UPA govt and one who ordered digging for gold in Unnao following a priest’s dream)

Delhi (Union Territory)

Chadini Chowk: Kapil Sibal of Cong. Vs. Ashuthosh of AAP vs. Harsh Vardhan of BJP(Kapil Sibal is Union HRD Minister in the outgoing UPA Ministry)New Delhi: Ajay Maken of Cong. Vs. Ashish Khetan of AAP vs. Meenakshi Lekhi of BJP

(Lekhi is BJP spokesperson.)North West Delhi: Dr. Udit Raj of BJP vs. Krishna Tirath of Cong. Vs. Rakhi Birla of AAP(Dr. Udit Raj is a Dalit leader who joined the BJP recently after having run an anti communalism campaign for a decade)

Chandigarh (Union territory)

Chandigarh: Kirron Kher of BJP vs. Pawan Kumar Bansal of Cong. Vs. Gul Panag of AAP(Kher is film personality. Bansal was railway minister in UPA Govt. Gul Panag is former Miss India)

Gujarat

Vadodara: Narendra Modi of BJP vs. Madhusudan Mistry of Cong.(Narendra Modi is Gujarat chief minister and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate.)Gandhinagar: L. K. Advani of BJP vs. Ishvarbhai Patel of Cong. Vs. Rituraj Mehta of AAP(BJP veteran leader Advani has represented the seat for five times)Bharuch: Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai of BJP vs. Jayesh Kaka of Cong.(It is the only seat with a sizeable Muslim voters, around 25%)

HaryanaRohtak: Deependra Singh Hooda of Cong. Vs. Om Prakash Dhankar of BJP vs. Shamsher Kharka of INLD(Hooda is son of Haryana CM Bhoopinder Singh Hooda)Gurgaon: Yogendra Yadav of AAP vs. Zakir Hussain of INLD vs. Indrajeet Singh Rao of BJP vs. Dharampal of Cong.(Yadav is AAP president and its chief ideologue. Only constituency with around 25% Muslim voters.)

J & K

Ananthanag: Mehbooba Mufti of PDP vs. Mirza Mehboob Baig of National Conference vs. Mushtaq Malik of BJP(Mufti is former CM of Jammu and Kashmir while Baig is sitting MP)U d h a m p u r : Gulam Nabi Azad of Cong. Vs. Dr. Jitendra Singh of BJP vs. Arshad Malik of PDP(Azad is Health Minister in the


Scindia of Cong. Vs. BJP candidate(Scindia is Minister in outgoing UPA Govt. Laxman is brother of Digvijay Singh)C h h i n d w a r a : Kamal Nath of Cong vs. BJP candidate(Kamal Nath is a minister in the outgoing UPA cabinet)

Tamil Nadu

Mayiladuthurai: Mani Shankar aiyer of Cong.

Vs. Bharati Mohan of A I A D M K

vs. Haider Ali of MNMK

(supported by DMK).

(Aiyer is f o r m e r d i p l o m a t and was Petroleum Minister till 2010)Nilgiris: A. Raja of DMK vs. AIADMK candidate(Raja is a former union minister and accused in several scams)Dharmapuri: Anbumani Ramadoss of PMK vs. V.

Ramamurhty of Cong. Vs. Thamaraiselvan of DMK vs. Suganathan

of AIADMK(Anbumani is son of PMK leader Ramadoss and a former union minister)Thanjavur: T. R. Baalu of DMK vs. AIADMK(Baalu is closely associated with DMK President Karunanidhi’s family)Central Chennai: Dayanidhi Maran of DMK vs. AIADMK(Maran is a former union minister and

is grand nephew of Karunanidhi)Sivaganga: Karthi Chidambaram of Cong. Vs. R. P. Senthilnathan of AIADMK vs H. Raja of BJP (Karthi is son of Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram. Raja is a chartered Accountant) South Chennai: Dr. Jeyaverdan of AIADMK vs. E. K. S. Elangovan of DMK vs. S. V. Ramani of Cong.(Elangovan is prominent leader of DMK)Vellore: B. Sengattuvan of AIADMK vs. Abdul Rahman of IUML vs. Vijai Elanchezhian of Cong. (Abdul Rahman is sitting MP)Ramanathapuram: Anwar Raajhaa of AIADMK vs. Md. Jaleel of DMK vs. Kuppuramu of BJP vs. Thirunavukaarasu of Cong.(Shivakumar of DMK is sitting MP)

Punjab

Amritsar: Arun Jaitley of BJP vs. Capt. Amrinder Singh of Congress

(Jaitley is senior leader of BJP and Amrinder is former CM of Punjab)

Bhatinda: Manpreet Singh Badal of People’s Party of Punjab vs. Harsimrat kaur Badal of Akali Dal (Manpreet Badal who resigned as finance minister of Parkash Singh Badal ministry, is supported by Congress and CPI. He is brother-in law of Harsimrat Kaur)Patiala: Praneet Kaur of Cong. vs. Deepinder Singh Dhillon of Akali Dal(Praneet is Union Minister of State for External Affairs and wife of former CM Capt. Amarinder Singh)

Rajasthan

Barmer: Jaswant Singh (Ind.) vs. Sonaram Chaudhury of BJP vs. Harish Chaudhury of Cong.(Jaswant Singh was

finance minister in the NDA Govt. and was denied the BJP ticket)Ajmer: Sachin Pilot of Cong. vs. Sanwarlal Jat of BJP(Sachin Pilot is Union Minister and Rajasthan Congress chief. Sanwarlal is currently minister in Vasundhara Raje cabinet.)Jalore: Buta Singh, Independent vs.(Buta Singh is a former union minister and has recently deserted the Congress)J o d h p u r : Chandresh Kumari Katoch of Cong. Vs. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat of BJP vs.(Katoch is was a minister in the outgoing UPA Ministry at the Centre)Tonk: Mohammad Azharuddin of Cong. Vs. Sukhbir Sing Jaunpuria of BJP(Azharuddin former captain of Indian cricket team and sitting MP from Muradabad in UP)Alwar: Bhanwar Jitendra of Cong. Vs. Mahant Chandnath of BJP(Jitendra was a minister in UPA Govt and Mahant is confidant of Baba Ramdev and is scam-tainted.)

Uttarakhand

Haridwar: Renuka of Cong. Vs. Pokhariyal Nishank of BJP(Renuka is wife of CM Harish Rawat and Nishank is former CM of Uttarakhand)Nainital-Uddhamsing Nagar: B. S. Koshiyari of BJP vs. K. C. Singh Baba of Cong.(Koshiyari is a former CM and Baba is sitting MP)

Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi (UP): Narendra Modi of BJP vs. Ajai Rai of Cong. Vs. Arvind Kejriwal of AAP(Mr. Narendra Modi is prime ministerial candidate of the BJP. Kejriwal is former CM of Delhi and leader of Aam Aadmi Party)

Farrukhabad (UP): Salman Khurshid vs. R a m e s h w a r Yadav of SP.(Salman Khurshid is Minister for external affairs in the outging ministry)Mainpuri (UP): Mulayam Singh Yadav of SP vs. S. S. Chauhan of the BJP(Mulayam is former CM of UP and head the Samajwadi Party currently ruling UP.)Phulpur (UP): Mohammad Kaif of Cong. vs. Keshav Maurya of BJP vs. Kapil Muni of BSP.(Kaif is a former cricketer of the Indian team)M o r a d a b a d : Noor Bano of Cong. Vs. Haji Yakub qureshi of BSP vs. Dr. S. T. Hasan of SP.(Noor Bano is mother of current Nawab Kazim of Rampur)Rampur: Nawab Kazim Ali Khan of Cong. Vs.(Nawab Kazim is nawab of Rampur and is Columbia University trained architect who designed the glass and steel pyramid at Musee du Louvre in Paris)Amethi: Rahul Gandhi of Cong. Vs. Smirti Irani of BJP(Rahul is son Rajiv Gandhi and Smirti is TV serial actress)B a d a u n : D h a r m e n d r a Yadav of SP vs. BJP vs. Cong. Vs. BSP(Dharmendra is Mulayam Singh’s nephew)Kannauj: Dimple Yadav of SP vs. BJP vs. Nirmal Twari of BSP vs. Subrat Pathak of BJP(Dimple is wife of UP CM Akhilesh Yadav)Firozabad: Akshay Yadav of SP vs. S. P. S. Baghel of BJP.(Akshay is son of Mulayam Singh’s brother Gopal Yadav)

Kanpur: Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi of BJP vs. Salim Ahmad of BSP vs. K. P. Yadav of AAP(Dr. Joshi is former Uion Minister and veteran BJP leader.)Sultanpur: Varun Gandhi of BJP vs. Amita Singh of Cong. Vs. Shakil Ahmad of SP vs. Pawan Pandey of BSP(Varun is son of Maneka Gandhi, Amita is wife of sitting MP Sanjay Singh)Mathura: Hema Malini of BJP vs. Jayant Singh of RLD vs.(Hema is former film actress and Jayant is son of Ajit Singh, minister in UPA govt.)Fatehpur Sikri: Amar Singh of RLD vs. Seema Upadhayay of SP(Amar Singh recently joined RLD after he was expelled from SP)M a i n p u r i : Mulayam Singh of SP vs. Ms. Sanghamitra Maurya of BSP vs. Shatrughan Singh of BJP(Mulayam is SP founder and chief. Congress has not fielded any candidate in this seat)Lucknow: Rajnath Singh of BJP vs. Rita Bahuguna Joshi of Cong.(Rajnath Singh is BJP President. Rita Bahuguna is UP Cogress President.)Ghaziabad: Gen. V. K. Singh of BJP vs. Shazia Ilmi of AAP vs. Sudhan Kumar of SP vs. Raj Babbar of Cong.(Singh has retired from the Army, Shazia is prominent leader of AAP, Babbar is film actor. Sitting MP is Rajnath Singh, BJP President)Azamgarh: Mulayam Singh Yadav of SP vs. Ramakant Yadav of BJP vs. Shah Alam BSP(Ramakant Yadav is sitting MP. This is second seat from where Mulayam is contesting) Muzaffarnagar: Qadir Rana of BSP vs. Dr. Sanjeev Balyan of BJP vs. Virendra Singh of SP vs. Md. Yamin of AAP vs. Pankaj Agarwal of Cong.(Qadir Rana is sitting MP. RLD’s Anuradha was runner up in 2009)

Page 18

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 18In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful

God Alone Legislates for His CreationDo they believe in alleged partners (of God) who ordain for them things which God has not sanctioned? Were it not for God’s decree on the final judgment, all would have been decided between them. Painful suffering awaits the wrongdoers. You will see the wrongdoers full of fear on account of what they have

done, which is bound to fall back on them. And you will see those who believe and do righteous deeds in the flowering meadows of the gardens of paradise. They will have whatever they wish from their Lord. This is indeed the supreme bounty. It is of this [bounty] that God gives good news to His servants who believe and do righteous deeds. Say: “No reward do I ask of you for this. It is only an act of affection

due to kin.” Whoever does good, We shall increase it for him. God is most forgiving, most appreciative. (Consultation, Al-Shura: 42: 21-23)

The surah earlier stated that what God has legislated for the Muslim community is the same as He had enjoined on Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. In other words, all this is embodied in what God revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him). At this point, the surah employs a rhetorical question addressing the unbelievers’ beliefs and practices: essentially, these are contrary to what God has ordained in His messages, so who ordained the same for the unbelievers, without God’s sanction?“Do they believe in alleged partners [of God] who ordain for them things which God has not sanctioned?” None of God’s creatures may legislate anything that is at variance with what He legislates. It is God alone who legislates for all His creation. It is He who has created the universe and conducts its affairs through natural laws He has set in operation. Human life is merely a small gear in the great cog of the universe. Therefore, its law should be consistent with the laws governing the universe and its operation. This can only be achieved when the law of human life is enacted by the One who has full knowledge of universal law. No one other than God has such knowledge. Hence, no one can be entrusted with the

task of legislating for human life.Although the logic of this fact is abundantly clear, still there are many who dispute it or who are not convinced of its truth. They dare to enact laws and legislation that are at variance with God’s law, claiming that they are only choosing what is good for their peoples, ensuring that their laws fit their specific circumstances. In doing so, they suggest that they know better than God and are wiser than Him. The only other justification they put forward is that they believe in some beings whom they allege to be God’s partners, and that it is these who enact laws for them that are not sanctioned by God. There can be no greater folly than such impudence.God has enacted for mankind laws that He knows to be in harmony with their nature on the one hand and with the nature of the universe they live in on the other. Thus, His law ensures the maximum cooperation and harmony among mankind as also with universal powers. In all this, He has put in place basic principles. He has left it for people to enact legislation concerning the details that suit their needs according to their level of development, provided that

such legislation remains within the framework of the principles He has laid down. Should people differ over something in this regard, they should refer the matter to God and the balance

He has established through these principles. People must make sure that every detailed law they enact, fits with this balance. In this way, the source of legislation remains one and the ultimate word remains God’s. He is indeed the best of all judges. Anything that differs with this, constitutes deviation from God’s law and the religion He ordained for Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).“Were it not for God’s decree on the final judgment, all would have been decided between them.”

God has made His decree to defer judgment to the final day. Had he not decreed such deferment, He would have made His judgment now, punishing those who deviate from His law. However,

He postpones this to the Day of Judgment when “painful suffering awaits the wrongdoers.” Such suffering is in requital for their w r o n g d o i n g . Can there be anything more erroneous than choosing man-made laws in

preference to God’s law?Those wrongdoers are shown as they will be on the Day of Judgment, afraid of what will happen to them. During their lives on earth, however, they entertained no such fear. On the contrary, they ridiculed the reckoning and asked for it to be hastened: “You will see the wrongdoers full of fear on account of what they have done, which is bound to fall back on them.” In the Arabic original, they are described as ‘full of fear for what they have done’, as if their deeds are some fearful beast. Yet

they performed these deeds with their own hands, enjoying their actions. Still, when they face these same deeds, they are full of fear, realizing that they are ‘bound to fall back on them,’ as though the deeds themselves are transformed into a punishment they cannot avoid.Conversely, we see the believers who used to be in awe of what would happen on that day now feeling safe, reassured, enjoying what God grants them: “And you will see those who believe and do righteous deeds in the flowering meadows of the gardens of paradise. They will have whatever they wish from their Lord. This is indeed the supreme bounty. It is of this (bounty) that God gives good news to His servants who believe and do righteous deeds.” The whole image is one of bliss and happiness. Those believers are ‘in the flowering meadows of the gardens of paradise’, where they will have ‘whatever they wish from their Lord.’ There is no limit to His bounty, which is indeed supreme. This is, then, the good news that God gives to His righteous servants. It is good news that is shown to be ready, immediate, confirming the earlier promise of good things to come. n

Page 17

Key Contests ...Aligarh: Zafar Alam of SP vs. Arvind Singh of BSP vs. Satish Goutam of BJP vs. Sabir Rahi of AAP(Smt. Rajkumar Chauhan of BSP is sitting MP. Zafar Alam, an industrialist, was defeated by around 16,000 votes in 2009 elections.)

West Bengal

Malda North: Mausam Benazir of Cong. Vs. Soumitra Roy of Trinamool Cong.(Mausam is daughter of late Union Minister A B A Ghani Khan Choudhury)Malda South: Abu Hashem of Cong. Vs. Dr. Moazzam Hossain of Trinamool Con.(Abu Hashem is son of later Union

Minister A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury. Moazzam was personal physician to late Choudhury.)D a r j e e l i n g : Bhaichung Bhutia of Trinamool Congress vs.BJP Candidate(Bhaichung is former captain of Indian soccer team)Jangipur: Abhijit Mukherjee of Cong. Vs. Muzaffair Hossain of CPM vs. Nurul Islam of Trinamool Cong. (Abhijit is son of President of India, Pranab K. Mukherjee. The Muslim voters account for 60% of the constituency.)

Murshidabad: Muhammad Ali of Trinamool Cong. Vs. Mannan Hossain of Cong. Vs. Badraduzza Khan of CPM(Mann Hossain is sitting MP)

Bashirhat: Idrish Ali of Trinamool Cong. vs. Qazi Abdur Rahim of Cong. vs. Nurul Huda of CPM.(Nurul Islam of Trinamool is sitting MP)

Howrah: Prasoon Banerjee of Trinamool vs. George Baker of BJP vs. Manoj Pandey of Cong. Vs. Sridip Bhattacharya of CPM(Prasoon is a footballer of Mohan Bagan while Baker, an Anglo India, was Bengali film actor) n

Every kind of power lies in this one thing which we call by the simple name: love. Charity, generosity, kindness, affection, endurance, tolerance, and patience -- all these words are different aspects of one; they are different names of only one thing: love. Whether it is said, ‘God is love,’ or whatever name is given to it, all the names are the names of God; and yet every form of love, every name for love, has its own peculiar scope, has a peculiarity of its own. Love as kindness is one thing, love as tolerance is another, love as generosity is another, love as patience another; and yet from beginning to end it is just love.How beautiful are the words of the Prophet (Pbuh): ‘The shrine of God is the heart of man.’ How true that is! Is God to be found in a mosque, or temple, or church, or in any place where people sing hymns and offer their prayers? Can He be found where there is no love? He is not to be found in the houses that men have built for worship. These are only schools for children, and their playgrounds. Children like playing with toys, and yet they are preparing themselves for something else. When man has come to know the real beauty of God, he will find that it dwells only in one place: in the heart of man. God is love, and He is found in the heart of man.

(Hazrath Inayat Khan)

God is Love


Page 23

A Believer’s Attitude during Difficult TimesThe Prophet said: “Nothing befalls a believer, a (prick of a) thorn or more than that, but Allah will

raise him one degree in status thereby, or erase a bad deed.” (Bukhari, 5641, and Muslim, 2573)One may wonder how to distinguish whether a person is being simply tested by Allah Almighty or being punished for one’s sins.As part of our Islamic faith, we believe that all matters are in the hands of Allah Almighty. However, for some of us, our faith can get shaken during times of trials and hardships. It is during those times though that we should remind ourselves that a believer’s position and rank is raised in front of Allah Almighty and that such a hardship may very well be a sign of Allah’s love for the believer. This can help us in maintaining and even strengthening our faith.Great rewards associated with great calamities. It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Great reward comes with great trials. When Allah loves a people, He tests them, and whoever accepts it attains His pleasure, whereas whoever shows discontent with it incurs His wrath.” In this Hadith, we find that the Prophet has provided a

message of relief for those who endure difficulties with patience. He also associated greatness of difficulties and calamities with higher rewards. So, enduring through lighter problems and challenges has a smaller reward than enduring greater difficulties and challenges.Given that this life has its share of challenges and difficulties for all, Allah Almighty has provided an opportunity of high rewards for those who endure these challenges with patience rather than with complaints and ingratitude. And for those who show displeasure and discontent with Allah’s decree end up in a lose-lose situation because not only they have to live through their current suffering, but also incur Allah’s wrath for their displeasure and discontent with His decree.We should also realize that our patience when facing difficulties raises our status in front of Allah, and may lead to the forgiveness of our sins. Allah says in the Qur’an: “...Only those who are

patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning.” (Qur’an, Surah Az-Zumar:10)The Prophet said: “Nothing befalls a believer, a (prick of a) thorn or more than that, but Allah will raise him one degree in status thereby, or erase a bad deed.” (Bukhari, 5641; and Muslim, 2573)The Messenger said in a well known Hadith the following: “How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good, and this applies to no one, but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is thankful for it and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him.” (Muslim, 2999)We should also realize that when Allah puts His steadfast believers through trials and tribulations, that is a sign of His love for them. It was narrated that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:“If Allah wills good for His slave, He hastens his punishment in this world, and if He wills bad for His

slave, He withholds from him (the punishment for) his sin, until He requites him for it on the Day of Resurrection.”Al-Hasan Al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Do not resent the calamities that come and the disasters that occur, for perhaps in something that you dislike will be your salvation, and perhaps in something that you prefer will be your doom.”Al-Fadl ibn Sahl said: “There is a blessing in calamity that the wise man should not ignore, for it erases sins, gives one the opportunity to attain the reward for patience, dispels negligence, reminds one of blessings at the time of health, calls one to repent and encourages one to give charity.”Calamities and problems: Trials or punishment?We also know that some who face difficulties are punished for their sins. So, one may wonder how to distinguish whether a person is being simply tested by Allah Almighty or being punished for one’s sins. In this context, scholars

have said that “(as Allah knows a person beforehand), the sign of calamity by way of punishment shows as signs of impatience and ingratitude in a person when a calamity befalls, and the sign of calamity by way of expiation and erasing of sins shows as contentment, acceptance, and patience in accepting the will of Allah Almighty until relief comes.”Furthermore, if the one who is affected shows displeasure and panic, then it cannot be thought that his calamity is an honor from Allah Almighty to raise him in status, because Allah Almighty, may He be glorified, knew that he would not be patient and accept it with contentment. So in this case it is most likely that it is a requital and punishment.Also, if the Muslim is a devoted worshipper, obedient and righteous, and there is nothing between him and Allah, but true ’uboodiyyah (servitude), gratitude, praise, repentance and submission to Him, may He be

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 20REFLECTIONS

Meraaj or Ascension Physical Journey or Mystical Experiment?

By Maqbool Ahmed Siraj

Come Rajab, the seventh month of the Islamic calendar, there will be celebration of Shab e Meraaj or the night of Ascension. A non-Quranic belief has gained ground among Muslims that the Holy Prophet made a physical journey to the Heavens (skies) at the behest of Allah subhanahu wa taala. Several hadith are quoted in this context. The narrative has been woven around with myths and legends to develop into a story which does not seem to be in sync with rational teachings of Islam. Much of these do not stand to reason.It appears a lot of these myths bear the stamp of Israelite traditions which distorted the teachings of the Divine books that were revealed prior to Islam. It will be pertinent to refer to the verse of the Quran in this context. The verse that alludes to the experience of Ascension or Meraaj is the first verse of Surah

Bani Israil (alternatively known as Surah Asra too). Here are some translations:Abdullah Yusuf Ali translates it thus in his Translation and Commentary on The Holy Quran:Glory be to Him who transported His bondsman by night from the Sacred Masjid to the Remote Masjid whose precincts We have blessed, so that We might show him some of Our signs! Surely! He is all-hearing, all-seeing.Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall has the following to say in his The Glorious Quran:Glorified be He who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of worship to the

Far Distant Place of Worship, the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He only He is the Hearer, the Seer.Muhammad Asad in his The Message of the Quran :Limitless in His glory is He who transported His servant by night from the Inviolable House of Worship (at Mecca) to the Remote House of Worship (at Jerusalem)—the environs of which We have blessed—so that We might show him some of Our symbols: for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing. Physical Journey or Mystic ExperimentThe accounts that are generally related to the Quran and conveyed to the audiences stress the point that it was a physical journey in two stages from Masjidul Haram in Makkah to Masjid Aqsa on burraq (an animal known as Centaur in Greek mythology) in Jerusalem and ascension to the

heavens from there. But the verse actually refers to the Distant Mosque (Aqsa means distant in Arabic) and not the specific one which exists by name Masjid ul Aqsa in today’s Jerusalem. It is useful to be reminded that the Masjid ul Aqsa that stands in Jerusalem today did not exist in the Prophet’s time. The Heikal e Sulaimani constructed by Prophet Hazrat Sulaiman, peace be upon him, had been demolished by Byzantine King Titus in 70 AD. When the second caliph Hazrat Umar entered Jerusalem upon conquest by Muslim armies, he prayed at an open place and refused the offer by the priest of

the Holy Sepulcher, lest Muslims lay claim to the Sepulcher under the excuse of its sanctity. It was only during the Umayyad caliph Malik bin Marwan that Masjid Aqsa was first constructed in 691 AD. Therefore there is no question of Aqsa referring to Masjid ul

Aqsa which was to come up in future. In view of these historical facts most English translators have opted for the term ‘Distant Mosque’, not necessarily the one in Jerusalem. Translators like Yusuf Ali further explain the Isra as ‘nightly journey’ as not a physical transportation but a vision. Yusuf Ali says in his commentary: “Glory be to Him, Who transported His bondsman (i.e., Muhammad) by night (of Miraj in a vision, while he was in the state of slumber) from the Sacred Mosque (of Makkah) to the Remote Masjid (of Jerusalem).Muhammad Asad has taken a very clear stand on Miraj being a mystic experiment rather than a physical journey. He says the Prophet himself did not leave any clear-cut explanation of this experience and even the Prophet’s companions have widely differed as to its true nature. He however endorses that a great majority of companions believed that both the Night Journey and the Ascension (lifting to the heavens) were physical experiences, while a minority is convinced that the experience was purely spiritual. Among the latter is Prophet’s wife Hazrath Ayesha, who declared emphatically that “he was transported only in spirit (bi-ruhhi), while his body did not leave its place (cf. Tabari, Zamakhshri and Ibne kathir in their commentaries). He further says that Hassan al-Basri, who belonged to the next generation, held uncompromisingly to the same view.Several of the accounts pertaining to Miraj in Hadith sound apocryphal. For instance, the Hadith in Sahih Bukhari (no. 339) mentions that angel Jibraiel entered the house of the Prophet as the roof of the house of the Prophet ripped itself apart. He then opened His breast, washed it with water of Zamzam, filled

it with faith and wisdom from a platter of gold and then closed it. Canada based author Shabbir Ahmed comments that if faith and wisdom were surgically poured into the chest of the exalted Prophet, peace be upon him, does not he cease to be a model for

humanity? He says Asra refers to night journey and Surah Bani Israel in all probability refers to beginning of the Messenger of Allah’s migration from Makkah to Madinah by night. He says Asra (night journey) should not be confused with Meraaj (Ascension). The Quran uses the same term Asra at two more places to refer to night journey of Prophet Moses in Surah Shuraa, {And We inspired to Moses, “Travel by night with My servants; indeed, you will be pursued. 26: 52} and Surah Taha

{And We indeed revealed to Musa, saying “Walk away by night with My bondsmen, then strike a dry path for them in the sea, do not apprehend being captured, and do not fear. 20: 77). Ahmed’s guess is that the ‘Distant Mosque’ referred to in the Surah Bani Israel points to the place in Madinah where regular congregational prayers were being held prior to the Holy Prophet’s advent into the city. He rejects the bodily Ascension as being a Biblical theme, and having nothing to do with the Quran.Detailed accounts in Hadith also speak of the Prophet visiting people in hell and heaven undergoing punishment and enjoying the rewards of their deeds. It could not have been a real physical experiment as one could easily question as to how some people could be rewarded or punished prior to the Day of Judgment (Qiyamah) happening? Unless it was a mystical experiment, it will not meet the ends of justice if individuals are punished or rewarded by Allah before the definite deadline about which the Quran is so elaborate. n

Several companions of the Holy Prophet, including his wife Ayesha were convinced that it was a spiritual

experiment, not a physical journey.

Some even argue that Asra refers to ‘journey by night’ and not bodily lifting as the same term has been

used at two more places in the Holy Quran to refer to Prophet Moses’ leaving Egypt with his bondsmen to

escape Firaun’s persecution. .

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 21OUR DIALOgUE

Predestination and Free WillQ. A question which has bothered me for some time is whether man acts and behaves according to his own free will or to what has been destined for him

by Allah. In other words, is the choice in any given situation completely ours, or is it pre-determined for us? Is there for every one of us a destiny towards

his life, and from which he cannot escape? Or is it true that by our own choices we mould our future?

A. This is a question which really speaks of man’s position in relation to Allah. In order to answer it properly, we need to establish a basis for our discussion which takes into account certain essential facts which must be accepted at the outset. Otherwise, there can be no common ground between the one who poses the question and the one who tries to answer it.These facts are:Allah is the creator of all things, great and small, magnificent and petty, physical and abstract.Allah is just. He administers His justice on the basis of His knowledge.Allah’s knowledge is perfect and absolute. He knows the most secret of thoughts in the same way as He knows the most public of events. Nothing escapes His knowledge as He sees all and hears all, without restrictions or impediments.Allah always tells the truth, the plain and complete truth. He never says something and means another. What He says must always be taken at face value, because He does not need to wrap His meaning or to make use ambiguity.Within the framework which these facts establish, we find that the answer to your question is an easy one. Allah tells us in the Qur’an that every human being accepts the faith or denies it according to his own will. He instructs His messenger to say to people: “And say: The truth is from your Lord. Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve” (18:29).This verse tells us that man chooses for himself whether to believe in Allah or not. This is the most important choice a man ever makes. If he has free choice over this particular question, then he must have the same over matters which are less serious. We cannot imagine a situation in human life where man can reach a higher stage without passing through a primary one. The sophisticated always includes the elementary. For man to be able to make a choice in a subject which affects all his life, he must have adequate training in exercising his ability to choose in simpler and less serious matters.Allah also tells that He rewards man according to his actions. Numerous verses in the Qur’an tell us that no action will be allowed to pass unnoticed. For example:“ So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it”

(99:7,8).If our actions carry a reward, good or bad, then they must be of our own choosing. If they were imposed on us through predestination, then we cannot be held responsible for them. Otherwise, the divine attribute of justice could not be fulfilled. Suppose you are a shopkeeper and employ an assistant to attend to customers’ needs when you are absent. Suppose that you come to the shop one evening after having been absent all day and your assistant tells you that he tried to reach you everywhere to ask your permission to give a discount of 10 percent to a customer who wanted to buy a very large quantity of goods. When the customer could not get that desired discount, he bought the goods from one of your competitors. Now, if you were to scold, reproach or punish your assistant for not acting in what you may describe as “a responsible manner,” you are unfair. He has acted within the restrictions you have imposed on him. You have left him no choice and he should never be punished for not exercising a choice which is not his.The fact that our actions are either rewarded or punished by Allah means, by logic and necessity, that we have complete control over them. Otherwise, the reward and punishment cannot be fair.Moreover, Allah has created us and equipped us with an ability to choose. That ability is set into operation and we can see its effects every minute of our lives. You have only to look at what you do and what you omit. When you are awakened by your alarm in the morning, whether you rise and get ready to go to work or you switch it off and go back to sleep is your own choice. If you do the latter and you are reproached by your employer for being late, you do not complain. When you open your wardrobe you choose the shirt and trousers you will wear that day. It is you who decides whether to go to work walking, by your car or to use public transport. No one imposes on you that you should invite your friend to dinner, and

when you accept someone else’s invitation, that again is your own choice. These are simple matters and I have chosen these examples advisedly. When you realize that it is always your choice that determines what you do in such matters, it is easy to understand that we also exercise a choice in more

complicated matters.A person who does not fast in Ramadan can never claim that he has made that choice under duress. Nor does the one who fasts accept any suggestion that he is compelled to fast. The same applies to prayers and zakah, no matter how much is said about anyone’s need to maintain appearances. Even that is one’s own choice. Without this free choice, the whole idea of action and reward becomes impossible. Moreover, it would not fit with Allah’s justice. There is no doubt, then, that we have free choice, and we exercise it freely, and we bear the consequences.What makes this question seem, at times, an intricate one is that people confuse Allah’s prior knowledge of everything that may take place in the universe with pre-destination. We state very clearly that Allah knows what we are going to choose in any situation and what we will do or say before we actually do it or say it. His prior knowledge, however, does not signify any imposition on us to comply. Perhaps we will find it easier to understand this point if we remember that time, as we know it, does not apply to Allah or to His knowledge. Time on earth is a coincidental thing, by which

man is able to calculate time on the basis of the succession of day and night. That a day consists of 24 hours is something determined by man. That a week consists of a succession of seven days and seven nights is also something that people have agreed. If we were to live on some other planet, we will find that all this calculation of time is irrelevant. Even in our solar system, one night and day on one

planet is equal to several years on another. Then we have to

exclude this notion of time when we speak of Allah’ s prior knowledge. When we are able to do so, we can easily understand that His knowledge does not constitute an imposition on us.Having said that,

however, I should add that there are certain things

in our lives over which we can exercise no choice. We do

not choose when we are born or when we die. Nor can we choose whether or not to react to natural elements such as rain, wind and temperature. We cannot determine how our bodies react in different situations. We are affected by illness in a way over which we exercise no control. In such matters, we earn no reward and incur no punishment. This fits with Allah’s justice which attaches those to our free choice.

Moreover, Allah has placed us on earth and given it its potentials and created its environment. We can tap those potentials and make use of them, and we can deal in a limited way with the environment. What we can do through our own choosing is part of what we are responsible for. What we cannot alter has no effect on our final outcome. But we should understand, however, that our lives are affected by conditions and environmental influences which are part of Allah’s system of creation. There are causes and effects. When we can influence a cause, we are responsible for the effect which results from our action. When we are influenced by a cause over which we have no control, we bear no liability.Perhaps an element of ambiguity arises from the fact that Muslims often use such words as,” By Allah’s Will”, “ What has been written cannot be changed”, and similar phrases. These can easily be understood in the light of the foregoing, when we relate them to Allah’s prior knowledge on the one hand, and to His overall will on the other. It is Allah who has willed that there be cause and effect, and it is His will that such causes as affect our lives, are there to affect it. Furthermore, it is His will that we should have free will of our own. Our own will, then, is exercised within the framework of His absolute and overall will which has determined that man can have free choice of his own. The two are by no means mutually exclusive. Indeed, man’s free will is a manifestation of Allah’s absolute will. n

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 22qUESTION & ANSwER

Page 8

Rs. 800 cr. for Welfare...

Parental Income or Father’s Income?I am a 4th year B. Tech student and I am receiving merit-cum-means scholarship for minorities. But the problem is that my family income is double the required limit for eligibility (Rs. 2.50 lakh per annum) for it. When I told my parents that it is wrong for me to avail of this scholarship, they told that if you

go islamically then only father’s income should be counted. My father income is only Rs. 50,000 per year and mother’s Rs. 5.50 lakh. I am not satisfied with their explanation and have decided

to return the money to PMRF if I get a job. One more problem is that I am a female so will it be acceptable

in the sight of Allah that I work in Public Sector Unit companies where majority of those who work there are men. Please guide

me, I am confused.S S from Patna, on E-mail.

Islamic Voice replies:Parental Income will ApplyDear Sadiya

It is good that you have felt the prick of conscience while availing of a scholarship fund for which you do not fulfill the condition of income limit. Under the scheme one is eligible to receive the same if the ‘parental income’ is not exceeding Rs. 2.50 lakh annually. You being a citizen of India are bound by the rules, laws and regulations framed by the Governments here. Since your parental income goes beyond this, it will not be right for you to benefit from this scheme. As a rule you should not have availed of this scheme in the first instance

and someone else may have benefitted instead of you. Since you have already arrived in the final year of the B. Tech course, and realized your mistake, you should arrange to return these funds to the Government as soon as possible.Someone has advised you that “Islamically you are recommended to count only father’s income”. But you should question yourself “Is it the father alone who is running the entire home?” in your case or it is parental income? The case clearly being the latter, you are supposed to follow the rules and regulation that apply on you in the Indian context. One should not seek escape routes in Islam for the sake of benefit.

As for the second point, the very purpose of your taking up engineering course is to work and earn. You cannot expect a ‘female only’ work opportunity in India. Hence you should take up a job where you can work and earn, be it PSU or a private company. One has to only observe the norms of modesty at the worksite. Remember Hazrat Umar, had appointed two women as Inspectors of Market in Makkah and Madinah. Obviously, they would have been interacting with a lot of businessmen. But if you can take up a teaching career in an engineering college, it will suit you better. But earn you must, because you have to return the amounts you have availed of a Government welfare scheme. n

Paper Marriage

US Laws More ...America. He pointed out many a salient feature of the American Constitution which promised freedom, justice and equality for all and said that American law broadly incorporated the ideals of Shariah law and was more humane than any other system of law followed in the Muslim world today. Mr. Hasan, who is also the political editor of the UK version of electronic newspaper ‘Huffington Post’ was addressing Annual Banquet of Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Michigan as a keynote speaker on the theme “Faith in Freedom. While acknowledging that racial and religious discrimination remain a reality that most Muslims in the West have to grapple with, he also pointed out that we as a community also have prejudices against other people that we could do without, and that we need to treat the minorities within us with the same tolerance and respect that we expect from others.

CAIR is a civil rights and advocacy organisation, working on legal issues and defending the constitutional rights of the American Muslim community. Some of the recent successes of their Michigan Chapter were enumerated by Dawud Walid, Executive Director who spoke on the occasion. He is also a preacher, political blogger and has been the assistant Imam at Masjid Wali Mohammad in Detroit.He highlighted several legal victories in the areas of asylum, profiling, employment discrimination and First Amendment speech against Islamophobia. He talked about how CAIR MI’s efforts resulted in the cancellation of the screening of an Islamophobic film called the ‘Honor Diaries’ in a city college campus. He also explained their ongoing programs with educational institutions and law enforcement agencies to improve religious accommodation policies. n

Two people from different religions, Muslim and Christian do some paper work that proves that they are husband and wife. They don’t have any intention to be husband and wife. They haven’t accepted each other as husband and wife. The paper work is just for some formality to show

the authorities. Is it allowed in Islam or not?Sajid Baloch

[email protected]

Islamic Voice replies:Paper marriages may be valid in the sight of law, but cannot be validated from an Islamic point of view. Consent, documentation, payment of mehr (dower) by husband to wife, and consummation are necessary condition for an Islamic marriage to be valid. Besides this, one should fulfill formalities required by law of country where they reside or marry. Intention (niyyah) to marry and live together is the primary necessity for this to be acceptable in the sight of God. If two persons are entering into any such contract to facilitate one or the other spouse to immigrate to any other country or secure a Green

Card, or citizenship or acquire or inherit property or adopt children, or get H1B visa, they may be fulfilling legal formalities but will be in fact, cheating the authorities without of course, attracting any provisions of law. One should

assess what he is trying to do, what are his or her intentions? Marriage in Islam is a serious issue and a firm bond between two individuals. It should not be done for the purpose of any worldly gains or to beat the national laws.

Opportunities Never Get Over

By Maulana Wahiduddin

KhanVoltaire (1694-1778), the well-known French philosopher, once commented:Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.The truth is that in life, o p p o r t u n i t i e s never get over. When one o p p o r t u n i t y gets exhausted, a n o t h e r opportunity at once emerges. A person who loses an opportunity and does not discover the next opportunity will almost definitely meet with failure.Life is replete with unexpected circumstances. One repeatedly experiences things that one has never even thought of before. And because of this, the plans we make show themselves to be faulty. That is why one should repeatedly re-examine one’s plans.To compensate for this, the

Creator has filled the world with possibilities and opportunities. And so, when faced with failure, one must consider it as an experience and then move on to a new path and carry on with one’s journey. Failure is often a means for the evolution of one’s

personality. Failure can make you wiser. Failure can make you more serious. Failure can make you a stronger person. Failure can open even bigger doors of success for you.Man’s intellect is his greatest strength. He can solve all problems using his intellect, even the most apparently insoluble ones. If you remain courageous, your intellect will guide you in every circumstance

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 23FOLLOw-UPSPage 1

Page 19

They Say We’re Dirty ...children, parents, teachers, and a wide range of education experts, rights activists, local authorities, and education officials. According to the government, nearly half, over 80 million children, drop out before completing their elementary education. In drafting the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, the central government recognized exclusion of children as the “single most important challenge in universalizing elementary education.” But many education department officials at state, district, and local levels have been unwilling to acknowledge or accept that discrimination occurs in government schools, let alone attempt to resolve these problems, Human Rights Watch said.“The teacher tells us to sit on the other side,” said “Pankaj,” an eight-year-old tribal boy from Uttar Pradesh. “If we sit with others, she scolds us and asks us to sit separately. The teacher doesn’t sit with us because she says we ‘are dirty.’” Marginalized groups continue to face discrimination in India despite constitutional guarantees and laws prohibiting discrimination, Human Rights Watch said. School authorities reinforce age-old discriminatory attitudes based on caste, ethnicity,

religion, or gender. Children from Dalit, tribal, and Muslim communities are often made to sit at the back of the class or in separate rooms, insulted by the use of derogatory names, denied leadership roles, and served food last. They are even told to clean toilets, while children from traditionally privileged groups are not.“Non-discrimination and equality are fundamental to the Right to Education Act and yet the law provides no penalties for violators,” Bajoria said. “If schools are to become child-friendly environments for all of India’s children, the government needs to send a strong message that discriminatory behavior will no longer be tolerated and those responsible will be held to account.”Most state education departments have failed to establish proper mechanisms to monitor each child, and intervene promptly and effectively to ensure they remain in school, Human Rights Watch said. Because there is no common definition for assessing when a child is considered to no longer be attending school, various states have different norms: in Karnataka, students are regarded as having dropped out of school

after seven days of unexplained absence, in Andhra Pradesh it is a month, and in Chhattisgarh and Bihar it is three months. This lack of a common definition hinders efforts to recognize and address the problem.The Right to Education Act provides that children who have dropped out of school or older children who never attended school should be offered “bridge courses” to bring them up to speed so they can return to mainstream schools in an age-appropriate class. But state governments do not maintain proper records of these children, provide the additional resources needed for appropriate bridge courses, or track these children through completion of elementary schooling once they are in an age-appropriate class.Central and state authorities are not adequately supporting creative community-based mechanisms envisioned under the Right to Education Act such as “school management committees.” Parents told Human Rights Watch that they do not have adequate representation on these committees, and so they do not complain when there is injustice against their children because school authorities ignore the complaints or even reprimand the students. Guidelines adopted

to address grievances have often not been implemented.The names and identifying details of interviewees have been withheld to protect their safety. All names of children used in the report are pseudonyms. “Whenever the teachers are angry, they call us Mullahs. The Hindu boys also call us Mullahs because our fathers have beards. We feel insulted when they refer to us like this,” said Javed, a 10-year-old Muslim boy from Delhi.

“The teacher always made us sit in a corner of the room, and would throw keys at us,when she was angry. We only got food if anything was left after other children were served,” – Shyam, a 14-year-old Dalit boy, from Uttar Pradesh. “We were asked to massage a teacher’s legs. If we refused, he used to beat us. There was a toilet for teachers, which is the one we had to clean.” – Naresh, a 12-year-old Dalit boy, from Bihar. n

glorified, then it is most likely that this calamity is a kind of honor and raising in status, and people are the witnesses of Allah Almighty on earth. If they know him to be righteous, then they may give him the glad tidings of raised status before Allah Almighty if he is patient in bearing the calamity.Regarding difficulties, in the following verse Allah compares the situation of the one who is steadfast in his faith and facing difficulties with those who are evil doers and are in a similar situation: “… if you are suffering (hardships) then surely, they (too) are suffering (hardships) as you are suffering, but you have a hope from Allah (for the reward)

A Believer’s Attitude ...that for which they hope not; and Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise” (Qur’an, Surah An-Nisa:104).So, a true believer can face his difficulties with a positive state of mind hoping for rewards from Allah Almighty and such an attitude can provide true relief and happiness. Besides, if Allah lifts this calamity from the believer and saves him from the torment, then that can double the reward and happiness. Allah says in the Qur’an: “… and give glad tidings to As-Sabirun (the patient).”Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” n

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 24WANTED BRIDE

SM Parents from Bangalore seek alliance for their son, a Divorcee, aged 33 yrs, height 6 ft, Qualification: MCA, Employed as Sr. Systems Engineer in an MNC, Additionally doing a thriving Business of his own. Contact Mob: 9741777924.

Bride required for a 46 year old innocent divorcee working as a Senior Consultant in Orthopedics in SQH University Oman. Girl should be minimum graduate, fair, homely, religious from respectable family of Karnataka. Early marriage. Email details and photos to [email protected].

Bangalore based parents of 28 years old male having own business seek alliance from parents of girl, aged upto 25, good looking and from decent family, preferably from Bangalore. Contact Mr. Sumer Ahmed on 9886962813, between 9am to 12 noon. Email: [email protected]

SM Syed parents seek alliance for their son, H. 5.5 feet age 28 years, BE Software Engineer working in Muscat Oman. Girls should be graduate fair, religious from respectable family. Contact [email protected] / 9732034206.

SM family invites alliance for their son BE (E&C) 5.4’, 26 years working at Wipro, fair, religious. Girl should be a graduate or B.E., BDS, fair, homely, virtuous & religious from well educated family Contact No.: 9886769715. Email: [email protected]

Religious, Handsome, Compas-sionate Top Class Sportsman, Fun

MATRIMONIALWANTED GROOM

“Well settled Sunni Muslim Urdu parents seek alliance for their fair complexioned beautiful daughter B.E (E&C), M.S from Minnesota University USA working in American Software Company at Boston Massachusetts, 28 / 5.2” Parents of boy with matching qualification /status working in USA age within 30 years height between 5.4” to 6.0” with Mysore / Bangalore / Karnataka origin with good family background. kindly email with photograph / details of boy & family to [email protected]”

In the name of Allah the most merciful & benevolent, May this request for proposals be read by the most suitable families Bangalore based SM parents invite alliance for their daughter 30 years old, writer-journalist, MA in MASS Comm., working at a well-known advertising agency and as a freelance journalist. Prospective boy must be well qualified, working, in the age group of 31 – 35 & from broad minded, educated & cultured Bangalore based family. Girl belongs to a family of government officials & professionals, wheatish colour, tall & well built. NO DOWRY or DEMANDS will be encouraged only those interested, send Bio-Data & Photographs to [email protected] or call: 8904847729.

Sunni Muslim father invites alliance for his daughter 31 years, 5.5’ height, MA passed Qhula obtain, with 4 years daughter. Groom required below 40 years educated, religious, with good salary or sound business. Contact No.: 9900506642. Email: [email protected]

Sunni Muslim father invites alliance for her daughter 28 years, height 5.1’, B.Com., Studying Library Course 1st year. Groom Syed/Shaikh required graduate aged between 33-35 years within Bangalore. Contact: 9972854333 / 9845455955.

SM Baig parents seek alliance for their daughter 26 years 5.1’ M.Sc., (B.ed.) fair good looking. Groom should be qualified, employed and official family background. Send Bio-Data, photo to email: [email protected], phone: 9449002947.

SM seek alliance for their daughter 27 years, 5.1’ B.E., MBA (HR), working as a senior HR in reputed firm. Groom must be BE or MBA or Business Man, well educated from well settled and respected family. Email photo and bio-data to [email protected]. Contact: 8892861272 or 9740359325. (Professors/Lecturers please ignore this)

SM mother invites alliance for her daughter aged 36 years, 5.4’, very beautiful, fair & slim (Unmarried), well educated Agri-Graduate and MBA from IIM. Groom should be well settled from religious, respectable and educated family. Doctors / Engineers / Professionals in Bangalore contact: 8904461288. Email: [email protected]. Only serious proposals from broad-minded families will be considered. Dowry seekers and divorcees kindly excuse.

SM parents seek alliance for their daughter 24, fair, 5.4’, M.Sc. in Biotechnology from well educated and respectable family preferably from Bangalore or Abroad. Height should be 5.8 and above, age upto 30 years. Contact: 9060976633 Email: [email protected]

SM parents seek alliance for their daughter B.E., 27yrs 5.6’’ good looking belonging to a respectable and educated family, working as a Technology Analyst at INFOSYS, New York USA on H 1-B Visa. Groom should be good looking and well settled Professional hailing from a decent family. Preferable qualification of the Groom: B.E, M.S., B.E, M.Tech., M.B.B.S. M.S. Working in USA and India .email biodata to [email protected] contact 9632878387.

SM Bangalore based parents (Presently Residing in Makkah, KSA), seek alliance for their daughter 25 years, 5.3’, wheatish, graduate & practicing deen. Alliance invited from Bangalore based families, boy educated & working (Preferably in Gulf). Early marriage In-Sha-Allah! Contact: 9663118289 Email: [email protected]

Sunni Shaikh Muslim mother seeks alliance for daughter 24, 5.0’, B.Sc., graduate, fair slim, good looking, homely, not-working. Boy should be working or doing own business Contact: 8861137888 Email: [email protected]

Bangalore SM parents seek alliance for their khula obtained issueless daughter, fair, 28 years 5.4’, BA Diploma in Interior Designer, looking for groom educated, professionally qualified working in Bangalore / Abroad, broad minded from cultured family preferably below 36 years Email: [email protected]. 08041119884 / 9945964591.

Bangalore SM parents seek alliance for their daughter, fair, 25 years, 5.3’, Diploma in Fashion Designer, running her own fashion designer boutique, from parents of well educated, professionally qualified and settled boy from decent family, working in Bangalore / Abroad. Email: [email protected] Mob: 9980143949 / 9538069464.

Bangalore parents seek alliance for their daughter fair, 23 years 5.3’, BE Computer Science working in MNC from religious family. Groom should be BE, MS or ME, good looking well settled working professional from decent & religious family. Contact Email: [email protected]

Allaince sought for daughter age 33 years 5.4, B.Sc., M.Ed., State Govt. Employee, widow of six months married life, no kids. Interested suitable well settled unmarried widower / legal divorcee, Govt. Employee, professional with in 40 years, from Bangalore, Mysore, Tumkur regions. Early Marriage. Contact: 9342880248. [email protected]

Alliance sought for our daughter MBA 24, 5.5’ft, fair, good looking, religious working as lecturer. Seeking Groom Engineer, MBA, MCA from religious cultured educated family ( No Abroad Proposals ) Contact: 9964199017 / 9480999980. Email: [email protected]

SM parents invites alliance for their daughter 27,BE(CS) pursuing MTech, V fair,5’3”, religious from MD/MS/BE, M.Tech preferably 30-32 years, decent family. Contact: 09481641196 Email: [email protected]. Agents and 2nd marriage kindly excuse

Celebrating Muslim ...has become the flagship event for Muslim communities in the UK highlighting British Muslim contributions to society which might otherwise go unrecognized”.Amongst the other 15 winners were, in sport, Mo Farah, Olympic gold medalist, who is also involved in various philanthropic initiatives, in the media, Roohi Hasan, a senior producer at ITV News, the children’s award went to 10-year-old, Ahmed Saleh, who has won numerous kickboxing

and freestyle karate titles at the national, European, and global levels.All winners received a intricately designed brass astrolabe, the iconic image of the twelve year old awards ceremony. The astrolabe was a highly developed tool used throughout the Muslim world to measure the altitude of stars and planets. By the eighth century, it was used to aid navigation, calculate the lunar calendar and to assess meteorological conditions. n

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DISCOVER YOURSELFWORKSHOP SCHEDULE

WORKSHOP IN BAHRAINDates: 01, 02 & 03 MAY 2014

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Cell No:+973 39821748, Email: [email protected]

WORKSHOP IN PANJIM, GOADates: 09,10 & 11 MAY 2014

Organised By: Board of Islamic Education - GoaCourse Fee:- 1500/

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Contact for detail: Mr.Mubeen AhmedCell No:+965 66770911, Email: [email protected]

WORKSHOP IN USA- MAY - JUNE 14 1. WORKSHOP IN LA - 24 & 25 MAY 2014 2. WORKSHOP IN ST LOUIS - 30, 31 & 1 JUNE 2014 3. WORKSHOP IN ORLANDO - 13, 14 & 15 JUNE 2014 4. WORKSHOP IN MIAMI - 20, 21 & 22 JUNE 14

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Loving 55 years Divorcee Doctor, EX NRI looking for Religious Girl Homely, Beautiful, Good Looking from a Decent Polished Background between 35 to 45 years. Early Marriage. Contact: 9845774327 / 9845974327 (11 AM to 5 PM)

SM parents invites alliance for their son B.E., 5.11, wheatish, 30 years, religious, working in MNC with good position & handsome salary. Girl should be religious hijab observing, fair & beautiful, tall and below 26 years, should be B.E. or graduate. NO DOWRY NO DEMANDS. Early Marriage. Email: [email protected]. 9900683078, 9886869127.

Sunni Muslim Doctor 65, in excellent health, financially sound, non-smoker with sober habits, divorcee without liabilities seeks modern, educated home maker good in cooking bride without issueless. Call: 09242166192.

WANTED BRIDE & GROOM

Sunni Muslim father invites alliance for his son and daughter Syed/Shaikh. MBA., 26, height 5.7’, drawing handsome salary, required software engineer. Daughter B.com., 5.4’, good looking required religious educated with good background. Contact: 7411731677 / 9739798904. Email: [email protected]

SM Syed parents seek alliance for son BE (ECE) working in IT company 27 years, 5.10’, religious and daughter 22 years, 5.4, fair, beautiful, religious, B.Sc. (Biochemistry) own house, early marriage. Suitable qualified with religious professional in Bangalore or Gulf Email: [email protected]. Mob: 8105333212.

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 25MUSLIMS & EDUCATION

HKBK Degree College Celebrates Annual Day

Protius 2014 in progress

Amazing Performance by Kids

Bangalore : HKBK degree college, celebrated its 15th Annual College Day known as “PROTIUS-2014″ here at Chowdiah Memorial Hall on April 7.

Mr. Jawaid Akhtar (IAS), chairman, Coffee Board, Ministry of Industries & Commerce Govt. of India, was the chief guest. Mr. C. M. Faiz Mohammed, director, HKBK Group of Institutions, Mr. Manzoor Ahmed Khan, secretary,

HKBK Group of Institutions ; Mr. Abdul Hameed S.A, administrator, HKBK College of Engineering ; Prof. K. Rasheed, principal, Mohammad Ishaque

Pre University College ; Dr. T.C. Manjunath, principal, HKBK College of Engineering ; Dr. Ghousia Khatoon, principal, HKBK Degree College, Bangalore, were also present on the occasion.Students of the degree

college displayed their talents by participating in several cultural activities and won accolades from the audience for their splendid performance. Prizes were distributed to the best performers among them.

Green Valley National SchoolShaping Future Leaders

Kundapur: Green Valley National School and PU College nestled in the pristine surroundings of Shiroor here is a jewel in the crown of the coastal region’s educational map. In today’s competitive world, quality education backed by sound training in skill and personality development goes a long way in shaping a student’s career and preparing him/her to face challenges in life. This is the hallmark of the Green Valley National School and PU College, where students from LKG to PU are imparted the best of education and moulded into achievers for life.The co-educational boarding school, located in a sprawling 10 acre campus, was established in the year 2001, under Shiroor Welfare Trust. True to its name, it’s a place where young minds are cultivated in the fertile valley of education, amidst lush green, pollution-free surroundings right in the lap of nature. Adding more charm to the landscape is the aesthetically designed school building which houses a host of modern facilities that cater to the demands of present-day education.FacultyThe school is blessed with experienced, qualified and trained teachers who are dedicated to the cause of education. More akin to mentors, the teachers maintain a good rapport with the

students and give them individual attention, laying special emphasis on intellectual development and emotional support.InfrastructureBe it the classrooms or labs, libraries or playground, the

infrastructure at GVNS is what makes this school the preferred choice of thousands. Equipped with the best of modern facilities like AV department with DLP projector, art room, and advanced science labs, not to mention the scores of newspapers, periodicals, books and even CDs and DVDs that the library has, the school offers every opportunity for students to learn and innovate.Boarding SchoolThe boarding facilities are excellent, with a homely atmosphere to ensure that students are comfortable. There are ‘dorm parents’ who look after the well being of students, giving them personal attention and at the same time encouraging them to be responsible, academically

excellent and inculcating values of sharing and caring. There are also mentors available for any assistance round the clock.There are separate residential facilities for boys and for girls. The rooms are fully furnished

and students are permitted to talk to their parents on mobile phones provided in the hostel on weekends. The students are served hygienically prepared, balanced, nutritious and delicious

food, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, at the school mess monitored by in-house dieticians.LabsThe computer lab is well equipped with multiple networked terminals that cater to the emerging trends in information technology. The computers are not only a means of skill development and training, but also effective tools for learning. The students are taught and encouraged to browse the internet for research on academic topics and thus enhance their knowledge.Smart ClassesWith the aim of making learning

an interesting experience and enabling holistic development in the students, GVNS has five smart classes that are equipped with interactive facilities and theatre systems to enable multimedia teaching and learning.

Healthcare The school has a clinic with trained nurse and a visiting doctor to attend to the medical needs of the students.Management

The man behind the p i o n e e r i n g institution is Abdul Khader Bashu, a v i s i o n a r y educationist whose hard work and

efforts have put Shiroor on top of the education map. President and managing trustee of the institution, Bashu leads a dedicated team consisting of Dr Syed Hassan Saheb as the senior vice-president, Mohammed Meeran Saheb as the secretary and Mohammed Yahya, the treasurer, N Kamalesh Reddy and Sri CK Padma Kumar, the vice-presidents, Syed Ibrahim, the joint secretary, and Dimple Padma Kumar and N Athulya Kamalesh Reddy as the Trust members.The faculty is headed by principal John Mathew, a highly qualified and resourceful

academician whose efforts have enabled GVNS to reach and maintain high standards in education. Whilhelmina Mathew is the coordinator and head of department of English.Thanks to the intensive training

and innovative teaching, Green Valley National School and PU College have bagged cent percent first class in ICSE class X, cent percent pass in the past five years and cent percent results in PUC in the past two years. In 2013 too, class X and PUC students brought laurels to the school by repeating the cent percent performance.Courses offeredThe institution is affiliated

to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi(CISCE) upto class X and to the Karnataka State Pre-University Board for PU courses.The institution offers PU courses in science stream with physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology/computer science. The commerce stream offers economics, accountancy, business studies and computer science. The medium of instruction is English and the performance of students is assessed on day-to-day basis. The school also makes sure that parents are informed on the progress of the students after each examination.For more details, contact : The PrincipalGreen Valley National School & P U CollegeNH 66, Shiroor – 576 228, Kundapur Taluk, Udupi Dist., Karnataka State, Telephone : 08254 273333, 253999, 273099, 253611, Fax : 08254 - 253633Email : [email protected]. (Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur) n

Muslim Education

Tiny-tots performing at the annual day functionBangalore : An ecstatic applause filled the Town Hall, when baby Zoha recited first ruku of Quranic chapter Surah Rahman. It was the annual day celebration of Brainy Stars International Islamic Montessori , held on March 25.The performances of tiny-tots aged between 3 to 4 years, mesmerized the audience.

They showed memorization skill by reciting Surah Fatiha, Ayatal

kursi, Surah Nas, Surah Falaq and a few rhymes. A group of twelve students sang the twelve months of Hijra Calender.Prior to the amazing display of talents by children, Dr. Ali Khwaja and Dr. Abdul Khaleque Nadvi spoke on the occasion. Mr. D. Hyder Vali announced the opening of ten branches across the city and a primary school in Jayanagar.

(Karnataka Muslims)

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 26The 22 Most Miserable Countries in the World

According to an analysis published by the Cato Institute, Venezuela holds the disreputable top spot at

the most miserable nation in the world.The 90 countries listed in the misery index were selected based

on data from the Economist Intelligence Unit and calculations from Steve Hanke, a professor of

Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins University.The formula used to compile the list involves inflation, lending rates, and u n e m p l o y m e n t rates minus year-on-year per capita GDP growth.Venezuela’s much higher misery score of 79.4 is much higher than every other country except Iran (61.6), and the top 22 countries are above 25 on the index.Inflation is the major c o n t r i b u t i n g factor plaguing three of the top

four nations listed. The other countries are either hampered by high unemployment or interest rates. n

The First Mosque to be Designed by a Woman

MISCELLANY

MUSLIM wOMEN

Read and Lead

The Şakirin Mosque is thought to be the first mosque in Turkey to be designed by a woman. The Mosque which is situated in Istanbul

combines contemporary and modern design whilst paying homage to

traditional Ottoman design.The 500 capacity Mosque was designed by interior designer, Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu who is famous

for designing shops, restaurants and luxury hotels along with other female artists receiving worldwide acclaim.

It features traditional Ottoman style features such as a large dome

covering the main prayer area, minarets and a courtyard. Take a step inside, and it’s like you have taken a step into the future. The

Minbar has been given a modern rethink, whilst maintaining the traditional steps for the Imam to climb in order to deliver his sermon. The chandelier is said to represent ‘Nur’ descending on worshippers. The women’s gallery provides ample space for female worshippers.

And the walls are decorated with the names of Allah and Quranic verses. Like traditional Ottoman mosques, the ceiling bears the names of Allah, His Messenger and the rightly guided companions.If you are ever in Istanbul, be sure to visit it! n

Dr. Mehrunnisa Mohammed Sharif Desai overcame many hurdles in life and became a lecturer, apart from dynamically leading an organization for women in Ahmedabad.

By Ilyas Khan Pathan and Rehan Ansari

Dr. Mehrunnisa Mohammed Sharif Desai is a lecturer in L J Commerce College, Vasturapura, Ahmedabad and the founder President of Association of Muslim Women Associations (AMWA), Juhapura, Ahmedabad.

Born to a caring mother and father who was in government service, Dr. Mehrunnisa has seen many faces of life. She remembers her childhood days when they could not have sufficient food to eat, but due to her passion for reading and her father’s support, she overcame all hurdles to become a lecturer. Dr. Mehrunnisa said, “My father was an employee in Gramsewa and his salary was not enough for the family of 8 people. My mother used to stitch readymade clothes for sale and also had chickens to sell their eggs for some additional income.” Since her father had to keep travelling all over Gujarat

because of transfers, they had to find another business every time at some new place. In that scenario,

it was difficult for her to study, but the support of her father pushed her ahead. She did her g r a d u a t i o n , masters and then Ph.D. and became a college teacher. She had two brothers, one older to her and one younger to her and were studying in a

school.“When I reached the high school, most of my friends started getting married one by one and my father also was pressurized,” she says. That time was very crucial for her, but her father overcame the pressure and allowed her to study further.After getting married to Mohammed Sharif Desai, now a Deputy Manager in the State Bank of India, she had a peaceful life, but was always passionate about working for Muslim women. She said, “We lived in Juhapura, where 90% of the population is Muslim and their plight was troubling me,

but I had no time to do anything much about it.” However, one day she was moved so much emotionally by their troubles, that she went out to do social service and formed AMWA in 1989, when Kokilaben Vyas, former Health Minister visited her college. During the discussion, Kokilaben told her, “Muslim women do have many problems, but no one from your community comes up to help them.” Dr. Mehrunnisa then discussed it with her colleagues in the college to form AMWA and since she was the youngest among them, so everybody elected her as the President. She said, “We decided not to ask for funds from others because it has many strings

attached to it and the donors like to dictate the terms.”They used spare sewing machines in their home and started teaching sewing to other women so that they can earn their livelihood. Just after Dr. Mehrunnisa and her husband came back from Hajj in 2002, they faced the Gujarat carnage and her organisation, AMWA immediately started relief camps in Juhapura, Shahpur, and Sonal. She said, “Besides providing them shelters we trained them for small business and provided them financial help to start their own business.” She added, “We are proud that we could bring happiness back to

nearly 400 families in Gujarat.” Dr. Mehrunnisa, who did her Ph.D. on Rights of Women in Islam, said, “the world is changing and people are trying to understand women’s role in Islam now.’ She believes that Islam has provided women the right of education, right of employment and other social rights equal to their male counterparts it is the Muslims who now have to follow it.Dr. Mehrunnisa’s message for the society is “Read and Lead. Educating a girl is the best gift for the whole family of the future.”(Source: Twocircles.net special series-women of inspiration) nDr. Mehrunnisa speaking at a program of Association of

Muslim Women Associations

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 27BACK TO THE PAST

Uqba bin Nafe: The conqueror of AfricaAbu Tariq Hijazi

No one in history ever conquered North Africa from east to west in a short period of one decade. But Uqba bin Nafe did it during the second half of the first century Hijrah. If Amr ibn Al Aas is called the conqueror of Egypt, Uqba bin Nafe can be called the conqueror of Africa that includes present-day Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco up to the Atlantic shores. Uqba bin Nafe was born in Makkah one year before the Hijrah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). His father Nafe bin Qais Al Fahri of Quraish had already embraced Islam. Thus Uqba was brought up in a Muslim environment. He was closely related to Amr ibn Al Aas through his mother’s side. He accompanied his father Nafe during the campaign of Amr ibn Al Aas in Egypt. After the conquest of Egypt, Amr sent him to conquer the West. In 50 Hijrah, Uqba, as the commander of the Muslim forces, crossed the Egyptian

deserts and set up military posts at regular intervals along his route, in a territory now known as Tunisia. He established the city called Kairouan, about 160 kilometers south of present-day Tunis. He used it as an advance post for future operations.

Uqba marched hundreds of miles without any major confrontation. After crossing the territory now named as Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Morocco, he triumphantly reached up to the shores of the Atlantic ocean. When Uqba reached the region, he selected a strategic site for his future camp city.

As the first step Uqba laid the foundation of a grand mosque, which became a center for scholars and the first Muslim institute on the continent. The mosque is known as the Mosque of Uqba in Kairouan or the grand mosque of Kairouan.

Uqba was deposed by Ameer Muawiya in 55 AH. He gladly accepted the order and passed the command to Abu Mahajer Dinar, who later reached victoriously up to Tanja whose Berber ruler, Kusaila accepted Islam. Uqba was again designated as commander of Maghreb in 62 AH. He marched westward and reached

up to Tahert where a large Roman army confronted them. Muslims were small in number and away from their supply base. But Uqba gave a great inspiring speech to his fighters which energized them and they fought furiously defeating the rival force. Later Uqba marched triumphantly up to Sous and then to the sea coast. He galloped his horse into Atlantic Ocean and, according to another source, said the words which are recorded on the forehead of Islamic history that “O Lord be Thou witness, that I have taken Thy Message up to the end of the land and if this ocean were not in my way I would have proceeded to fight the pagans until none would be worshipped except Thee.” After this grand victory Uqba returned toward his base in Kairouan. When he reached Tanja, he dispersed his force and kept a small contingent of about 300 fighters with him. The enemy found an opportunity. Berber

chief Kusaila who had embraced Islam turned away and joined the Romans with his force. Thus a large enemy force attacked small Muslim contingent. Uqba bin Nafe told Abu Mahajer Dinar to proceed to Kairouan and take the command. Uqba said: “I desire a martyrdom for me”. Abu Mahajer replied, “I also desire a martyrdom for me”. They fought bravely and all the 300 fighters were martyred. They were buried at a place later called Sidi Uqba in Algeria and a mosque was built at that place. Uqba’s descendants are still found in the area stretching from Lake Chad region to Mauritania’s coast. The trans-Sahel Arab tribe of “Kounta” traces its origins to Uqba, in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Some of his descendants are known as Ouled Sidi Ukba. That is how Uqba bin Nafe sacrificed his life for the sake of Islam at the distant part of the world. n

HEALTH CHART

Blessings in a Mango!The mango season is here and when the fruit is here, make best use of its goodness! Mangoes may very well be the king of all fruits. They fight cancer, alkalize the

body, aid in weight loss, regulate diabetes, help digestion, clean your skin, and make the perfect snack. Here are healthy reasons why you should be eating a mango.Fights cancerAntioxidants like quercetin, isoquercitrin, astragalin, fisetin, gallic acid and methylgallat present in mango protect the body against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers.Keeps cholesterol in checkMango has high level of vitamin C, and fibres that help to lower serum cholesterol levels. Fresh mango is a rich source of potassium, which is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps to control heart rate and blood pressure.Skin cleanserMangoes help you unclog your

pores and add freshness to the face. Mangoes are applicable to any skin type. They help clear clogged pores that cause acne. Just slice a mango into thin pieces

and keep them on your face for 10 to 15 minutes and then take bath or wash your face and see the results.Alkalizes the bodyMango is rich in tartaric acid and traces of citric acid that primarily help in maintaining the alkali reserve of the body.Weight lossMango has a lot of vitamins

and nutrients that help the body feel fuller. Also, the fibrous fruit boosts the digestive function of the body by burning additional calories, helping in weight loss.Regulates diabetesNot only the fruit, but the leaves of mangoes are healthy too. For people suffering from diabetes, just boil 5-6 mango leaves in a vessel, soak it through night and drink the filtered decoction in the morning. This helps in regulating your insulin levels.Eye careDid you know that mango is rich in vitamin A. One cup of sliced mangoes equals 25% intake of your daily need of vitamin A. Mangoes help in promoting good eye sight, fights dry eyes and also prevent night blindness.Helps in digestionMango contains enzymes that

help in breaking down protein. The fibrous nature of mango helps in digestion and elimination. It is rich in pre-biotic dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals.Heat strokeWhen the sun is bogging you down this summer, just chop a mango in a juicer; add a little water and a tbsp of sugar free or honey. This juice will instantly cool you down and prevent heat stroke.Strengthens your immune systemThe deadly combination of vitamin C, vitamin A and 25 different kinds of carotenoids keep your immune system healthy.Body scrub

Make a paste of mashed mango, honey and milk and use as a body scrub, you will feel that your skin is tender and smooth.Aids concentration and memoryThis fruit is rich in glutamine acid– an important protein for concentration and memory. Feed mangoes to children who find it difficult to concentrate on studies.High iron for womenMango is rich in iron, hence it is a great natural solution for people suffering from anemia. Menopausal and pregnant women can indulge in mangoes as this will increase their iron levels and calcium at the same time.

Reduces Kidney Stones In Chinese medicine, mangoes are considered sweet and sour with a cooling energy also capable of reducing the risk of kidney stone formation.Perfect SnackInstead of snacking on unhealthy chips and cookies, why not feast on slices of mangoes instead. They are perhaps one of the tastiest dehydrated fruits of all.Stomach Tonic Before going to bed put some 10 or 15 mango leaves in warm water and close it with lid. The next day morning filter the water and drink it in empty stomach. Do this regularly. n


Taking People from ‘Baatil’ to ‘Huq”Taking People from ‘Baatil’ to ‘Huq”Desert Diary of Discover Yourself Workshop!

The “Discover Yourself” Workshop was held in Muscat, Riyadh and Jeddah in March and April 2014. Some of the participants share their experiences after the Workshop.

D It provided the connection between the inner and the external world, which we usually neglect.D It is an excellent job to take people from ‘Baatil” to ‘Huq”.D Excellent experience. I felt very comfortable. I have so many changes in my attitude. It helped us

in understanding ourselves and to come closer to Allah.D It was a wonderful mix of Islamic teachings, modern management techniques and deep spiritual

awareness.D It made a lot of complicated things in life sound simple.D The workshop helped me discover myself and change me into a better person.D Very interactive and thought provoking, very good session and Mr Khan has excellent grip on the

proceedings of the whole session.D The concept of submission and denial touched my heart.D It is a good effort made to make participants understand how to deal with life and live

peacefully.D It is useful for everyone; you are doing an excellent job for the Muslim Ummah.D Nicely explained the internal and external state of human being and its effect on life.D It precisely clarified the difference between Truth (Huq) and Falsehood (Batil) and getting away

from evil.D It connected me to Allah and made me realize that if I do things for His sake then I will not have

any complaints. It was eye opening.

ASHOK: My perspective of ‘Islam’ and the people who follow it changed. Now I feel ‘Islam’ is a scientific religion and very simple to follow.

ASMA: I used to be very aggressive and never used to open up, but Alhamdulillah after the first day of the workshop, I opened up with my family, friends and relatives. The workshop helped me to show my blind spots and my negative side which people expected me to change and I have changed. I have taken control of my anger. I thank you for all your efforts to help people change their perspective of life. You have changed my life and I am so impressed with your coaching.

HADDAD( 12 years): Before the workshop I used to get angry when someone irritates me or makes fun of me. But now, I have learned to ignore them, I do not fight them back and all this has happened only because of the workshop.

NASIMA: Alhamdulillah, this workshop changed the whole perspective of my life, the view towards each other was completely rejuvenated. The workshop gifted me to see things from the reality point of view and be in the state of submission. Alhamdulillah, I never had such a blessed weekend before. Jazakallah Khair, I do not think I can ever thank you enough for this and thanks to Allah for this opportunity and for selecting me for His blessings.

SAID: Before the workshop, I used to judge and give opinions.

Inshahall, I will be in the state of submission now. My family were very impressed with my new changed approach towards them.

SALMI: I was blaming everybody in my life without notice. Now, I realized, to see myself and stop doing that. I came to know how to make decisions based on consequences and not on justifications. To live life as a gift and not as a punishment. Before I was angry with my parents and colleagues. Now I understood the reason why I hate everybody, the reason is me and I have to change my way of treating others as objects, and to treat them as human beings.

NOMAN: I had lot of complaints before I came and I found faults in everyone close to me. In the workshop, I realized the problem is me and not others. When I went home after the first day, I cared about my family and I smiled more, I was very hungry still I attended to them first. On the second day, I saw everyone in a different way and I am sure they saw me in a different way. I listened when they shared with me, I smiled more and I asked them to do things with a smile, less of commanding. I am out of the commentator box, stopped criticizing and giving opinions.

RINOSE: Before the workshop, I was treating my children angrily. After the workshop, I started to feel the changes in me and I noticed when I started to treat kindly, they responded more than earlier times. I could feel that I started to see the reality without glasses. Now I migrated to ‘Truth’ from ‘Evil’. I

experienced that this workshop was very good and the way of teaching and methodology was excellent.

AMBREEN: I feel, I am a better human being now. I have started the journey of self discovery. I have always looked for a purpose in life, as I believe that every human being is important and has some purpose in life. I feel I am committed to make a difference.

AZMATH: The workshop was very good in terms of content, management and especially Mr Khan’s way of presentation. I hope my life would change after attending this workshop.

DR.ZIAUDDIN: Every Muslim should attend this workshop, to know the inner-self in the light of the Quran and Hadith. It showed us the reality. The best of ever I have attended and the only one, with an Islamic Perspective.

MISBAH: The workshop had a perfect impact on me. It forced me to think with a fresh perspective. The entire thought process and its basics are now clear to me, “mind over matter’- which was an often repeated mantra is clear to me now. Success lies in good thoughts and actions. The entire mechanics was laid open in front of us today Subhanallah, I am still reeling. It was truly well organized.

JUNAID: I am really thankful to Allah that He gave me an opportunity to attend the workshop conducted by Mr Sadathullah Khan on 17th, 18th & 19th April 2014 in Jeddah. I personally thank him for taking up this great task in guiding

mankind to know what truth is, and to realize how they can fight with their biggest enemy… Satan. I truly appreciate the talent and the caliber Mr Khan possesses in analyzing the things and to handle them with consciousness. May Allah give him a healthy and prosperous life. Ameen. Thank you once again for doing this great work, in order to help mankind to realize and accomplish what they are, which is indeed a guidance to realize the Truth.

FATIMA: Jazakallah khair, for your commitment to the Ummah and I thank you sincerely for the difference you have brought in my life. What I learnt from you is the answer to all my Duas, to be freed from all the internal turmoil. The first night after the workshop changed everything. I feel like a new person. Myf ear is as days go by, the impact should not wear off .please pray for me to be stead fast. My greatest desire is to reach out to thousands of women out there in pain and desperation.(but once I have truly cemented these concepts in my life).

I truly value and appreciate these mails from you. We need this continual link. These days no Ulema has the time for the Ummah. Words can’t express my gratitude, I

leave it to the Almighty to take care of all your affairs and your family’s. May you be rewarded abundantly in Duniya and Akhirah.

ASIFA: Before, I attended your workshop I was disturbed. I used to create many problems which happen around me. After attending your workshop, I myself find lot of changes, the problems which I see is all because of my views. Now I realize my mistakes, and now I am applying your techniques, Inshallah it should workout. I am really glad to be touch with you, sir .

JALEEL: I am a Mechanical Engineer by profession, working as Mechanical Construction Manager in Saudi Binladin Group in Makkah expansion project, I am proud to serve for Haram. After attending the workshop, I feel lot of changes in my attitude, approaching the people in a different manner and getting better results than before. May Allah give you good health and long life to serve the society.

MASROOR: I learnt one thing from your workshop, that everything is possible with hard work and determination. Thanks for motivating me to reach my goal. I owe my success to you and for the continued support. May Allah grant you health and long life to serve the Ummah for many more years.

Schedule of Discover Yourself Workshop on Page 24

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 29ADvERTISEMENT

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 30CHILDREN'S CORNER

Can winds shape Nature?Yes, wind has immense power and can shape many objects present in the nature. For instance, look at the trees, they seem inclined due to the pressure of the winds. Similarly, the sand dunes are formed by the winds blowing in the deserts. The winds

have power to lift the sand from one dune and hurl them at another location and give them an entirely different shape. The winds even erode and polish the rocks and mountains. The Grand Canyon in the American

state of Arizona have been formed by winds over thousands of years. Some of them have been sharpened like spires, others as arches and yet others like troughs. The winds can even blow the top fertile cover of soil and bring mounds of sands and spread them over the area. n

How do the Hot-air balloons Float?

Hot-air balloons are used as entertainment in tourist spots in Egypt, Turkey and many other countries. For the balloon to rise in the air, the balloons are filled with hot air at 90o C. Since the hot

air’s density is less than the cold air’s density in the surrounding area, the balloons rise and float into the air. If they have to be kept at a particular height, the burner below the mouth of the balloon

is put off. If it has to be elevated to greater height, it is started again. The balloon must have a minimum size so that it can overcome the force of pull of gravity of the Earth. n

What is a Cabinet?

A cabinet is a group of members who are put in charge of various departments of the government. They carry out the affairs of those departments in accordance with the wishes of the people who have elected them. The members of the cabinet are called ‘Ministers’ in India. But in countries such as the United States, they are called ‘Secretaries’. They are accountable to the Parliament which in turn is accountable before the people. This form of government is called Democracy. Cabinet takes all the decisions jointly and members of the cabinet are in the know of all affairs under their departments. Whenever questions or objections are raised in the Parliament about the functioning of these departments, the cabinet members have to reply to them. n

What are Hieroglyphs?Before the alphabets were developed, Egyptians used a language which comprised symbols and pictures. These were used for some 3,000 years. Egyptian hieroglyphs (literally, god’s words) were a formal writing system used by the ancient Egyptians that

combined logographic and alphabetic elements. Egyptians used cursive hieroglyphs for religious literature on papyrus and wood. It was in 1799 that French archaeologist Jean-Francois Champollion decoded the hieroglyphs found inside the

tombs of some Egyptian Kings whose names were known. However, a great part of hieroglyphics are still a mystery. It is guessed that Sumerians of Mesopotamia had been using hieroglyphs much before the Egyptians. n

Do You Know?How Much salt is there in the oceans?If you take all the salt from the oceans and spread over the land, the salt would form a layer more than 500 feet (166 mt) deep.

Why do Birds Migrate? Many species of birds migrate in winter to a warmer climate, but it is puzzling as to exactly how

they find their way! Many birds follow coastlines and are able to recognize landmarks, that some birds such as pigeons, gulls and

the Man shearwater use the sun or the stars as a compass on trips.

It is no completely know why some migratory birds travel as far as they do to find a higher temperature. The sanderling for instance, a

common shore bird found in England flies sough to South Africa, Patagona or New Z e a l a n d . T h e s e birds travel mainly along the coasts, though they must also cross vast stretches of open ocean.

When was Television Invented?John L. Baird of Scotland made

the first simple television soon after the first world war. Public TV started in 1936 in Britain.n

Signs of Allah’s Perfection

Wonderful Creatures

Islamic Voice invites applications for the post of Administrative Manager.

Greylag Geese

Greylag geese can fly at high altitudes of about 8,000 metres (5 miles). This is in fact quite a difficult task since many creatures cannot breathe at such altitudes because of the deficiency in the amount of oxygen available at high altitudes. This deficiency makes respiration difficult. That is the reason why we can hardly breathe when we climb up a high mountain. Flying at such an altitude, the bird needs to flap its wings faster. In order to move its wings more, the bird will expend

more oxygen, which makes the situation even more difficult for it. However, these birds do not experience any difficulty even while they are flying at altitudes of thousands of meters. That is thanks to the special creation of their lungs, which make the most of the rare oxygen at high altitudes.Functioning in a different way than those of other creatures, these birds’ lungs enable them to obtain more energy from the rarefied atmosphere. And this is one of the signs of Allah’s perfect creation. n

The candidate should possess good communication skills, excellent inter-personal relations skills and ability to handle administrative matters within the time frames and deadlines required by the organization. Maintaining good public relations is very important.Please send your complete CV with previous work experience and other details by post or email to: [email protected] and [email protected]. Mark your email or envelope as “Application for Administrative Manager”Islamic Voice3/1 Palmgrove RoadVictoria Layout, Bangalore-560047

ISLAMIC VOICE, May 2014 31CHILDREN'S CORNER

Little Binky’s Ant-ics! Binky remembered her mother telling her that every creature,

big and small, was made by God.

A Staff Writer

Little Binky sat in her plastic chair in the garden all by herself. How awful she felt! Her friends had gone together to see a movie and had forgotten to take her along. She had waited all week to see the new release. She had no idea how she was going to entertain herself for the next three hours till her friends got back. It was really very distressing, and she was very cross.Just then, Binky spotted a column of ants speeding past her feet. She had seen ants before, of course, but she had never bothered to observe them closely. They were just too unimportant to pay attention to, so she had thought. But now since she had nothing to amuse herself with, her attention was drawn to the little creatures.Binky bent down closer to get a better view of the ants till she was almost flat on the ground. ‘My! What tiny feet and yet how fast they move! And with what amazing energy!’ she exclaimed.The ants raced along in one straight line, in perfect discipline. None

tried to overtake the others, and if anyone bumped into another by mistake, they politely bowed to each other and moved ahead without making any fuss. ‘Human

beings could learn a thing or two from that!’ Binky chuckled to herself.Where were the ants heading to? Binky was curious to see what they were really up to. She got to her feet and ran along the line of ants. Their trail ended at a half-eaten apple lying outside her bedroom! Binky had thrown the apple that her mother had given her out of her bedroom window. The discarded fruit was now swarming with literally thousands of ants!How had so many ants come

to learn about the apple? They had probably smelt it from far off. That meant that they must certainly have very powerful noses, Binky mused, certainly

much more powerful than human beings! She tried to see what an ant’s nose looked like, but the little creatures just would not stop rushing about for even a moment, so that each time she looked closely at a particular ant, hoping to spot its nose, it whizzed past her.‘And if they’ve got tiny feet and tiny noses, they’ve probably also got really teeny-weeny eyes, a stomach, and a heart, too, all packed in such a very small body!’ Binky murmured.Binky remembered her mother

telling her that every creature was made by God, and that, therefore, one must love and respect them all. That’s why her mother made it a point to feed cats and squirrels

that abounded around the house. Although her mother had not mentioned ants, it struck Binky that they, too, needed to be treated with compassion and love.‘If God’s made them, He must have done so with a purpose,’ Binky thought, ‘and so they have just the same right to live as humans do’. She promised herself to henceforth walk with care so that she did not squash an ant under her feet.Just then Binky heard her friends call out for her. ‘Binky! Binky!’Binky’s friends were back and

had come to her house to tell her how sorry they were for having forgotten to take her with them.‘What an amazing movie it was!’ cried Timby.‘Such amazing beings from a very far-away planet!’ said Chimpu.‘But that’s just a make-believe

movie that you saw,’ Binky replied as she explained to her friends all about how she had spent the afternoon. ‘While you were away, I had the time of my life playing with the most delightful creatures you could ever imagine! I must thank you for having forgotten to take me along for the movie! I wouldn’t have had even half as much fun if you hadn’t!’ n

Asma bint Shameem

Whew! Summer is finally here and school is out for a whole two and a half months. No more books and backpacks, no more tests and tension. Surely, you worked hard during the year and you deserve a break. Islam certainly allows for rest after hard work but under certain regulations.Hanzalah bin Aamir once complained to the Prophet, peace be upon him that some of his time gets consumed in playing with his children and mingling with the family. The Prophet answered him, “But there should be a time for this and a time for serious deeds.”But the question is….to what extent should you go on spending your summer vacation? Does vacation mean a mere pastime, attending parties, and hanging out with your friends, or watching satellite channels and playing endless video games? These are questions that every conscious Muslim who is concerned about his welfare in the Aakhirah should ask himself.Lower your gazeDon’t go to the beach or other places such as public swimming pools at a time you know when it will be difficult for you to lower your gaze. Instead, have a pool party at one of your friends’

house (no mixing of genders, of course!)Are you going to ‘kill time’?As for killing time, since when, is ‘time’ an enemy that you should strive to kill it?!! Time is your most precious asset….your lifetime and the moments

of your life which you could fill with thousands and millions of virtuous deeds.Remember, you will have to account for your timeDon’t waste your time loitering in the malls or sitting at the computer for hours on end. Remember that these hours gone will never come back. And we will have to give account of this time lost when we are presented before Allah.Hey, Who are your ‘friends’ anyway? What are your gatherings like?Make sure you have good company. Take a close look at

your friends and ask yourself, what kind of friends do I have? Do they encourage me to do good or do they keep me away from the remembrance of the Almighty?Some positive things you can do:1. Now that you have time, make sure to go to the masjid for congregational prayers, possibly all the five times a day.2. Sleep early and get up early, for early hours always yield great blessings.3. Keep to friends who are righteous, those that can help you in righteous deeds and prevent you from evil.4.Spend quality time with parents, brothers and sisters and family.5. Seek Allah’s forgiveness (istighfar) as it opens the doors to goodness6. Take time out daily to recite, memorize and understand the

Quran and Hadiths.7. Attend seminars and other conclaves where useful knowledge could be shared about Islam and the worldly affairs.Now, don’t get me wrongI am not saying that you should not enjoy yourself or have time to relax and have fun. By all means! But do make sure that these means are within the limits set by Allah.

The Prophet said: “Make the most of five things before five others come: your life before your death, your health before your sickness, your spare time before your work, your youth before your old age and your wealth before your poverty.”The author is associated with Al-Huda Institute, Bangalore. She can be reached [email protected] n

Now that Summer is Here…GUIDANCE

Documents

Islamic Voice May 2014 Issue