Prayer

 Prayer

By Shamsul Huda Qasmi

It is Allah, praise be all,
Lord of worlds, He is all.

He is kind, gracious of all,
Has His names, coolest among all.

It is Allah, owns the Day,
Be much pious, don’t go astray

We all worship, none but You,
Seek Your help, in all we do.

Guide us the path, to that of the rights,
Of those whom granted, and best in your sight.

Save us all, O mightiest of all
From the ways of those, cursed and fall.

Mourning over "Aya Sofia or an Expression of Islamophobia?

Written by Sheikh Ahmad Al-Risuni

Translated by : Shamsul Huda Qasmi

Ever since the decision to restore this magnificent mosque (known as "Aya Sofia" in Istanbul, Turkey) was made by the Turkish Supreme Court on the basis of all the evidences, there is a storm of grief and anger in the European countries and the Christian churches.There is a wave of grief and sorrow. They are mourning for this great decision and criticising it. Moreover, it is surprising that some Arab hypocrites and Several UNESCO organizations are also seen side by side in this unholy attitude.

The decision taken by the Turkish judiciary and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is not to convert a church into a mosque, as some say, nor is it to convert a church into a museum, nor is it to close a church, but rather it is to transform a broken mosque into a functioning mosque, which was closed in 1935. What does it harm the Christians world and their churches in this case? What does it hurt them to convert the Aya Sophia building from a tourist facility to a place where Allah is worshiped and remembered? Do the heads of the Christian religion prefer the Aya Sophia to remain for tourism and entertainment, rather than opening it to the worship of Allah, Almighty and to the recitation of the Qur’an?

In the Holy Qur'an, Allah has clearly stated: “And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.” (Surah Haj 40)

Given the Qur'anic context, the Christian world was more entitled to express its satisfaction with the decision to restore the mosque for worship and establish a sacred system of education and training but sadly it didn't happen.

As for the conversion of Aya Sofia from a church to a mosque, it has passed more than five hundred years, and Sultan Muhammad, the Conqueror, conquered it, and offered a large sum of money in exchange for the land. Now the present Turkey and its President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, should not be criticized. He has only tried to restore the mosque. It is assumed that the anger today is directed towards the existing Turkey, and to the President, Erdogan, and not to the Ottoman Empire and Sultan Muhammad, the Conqueror. What happened today is nothing more than reopening the mosque and returning it to its job. This does not call for anger or objection from anyone, especially as it is a purely internal Turkish affair. So, why are there these advices, and this aggressive control of mentality?

Even if we assume for a moment that it is wrong to convert a church into a mosque, it too will be in our favour, because there are hundreds of mosques in Spain, Russia, Sicilia and Yugoslavia that have been converted into yards or cafes. All these (mosques) should be restored and announced the end of oppressive occupations. And there is no need to go too far. In France itself, more than 50 mosques have been locked and suspended in the recent years, not to speak of the plight of Burma, China, and India? Who is responsible for these happenings?

We ask protesters angry at the reopening of the Aya Sophia mosque: What if Turkey had turned the Aya Sophia from a museum into a theatre, a global cinema, an opera house, or a bullfighting field, would you have been angry? Or would you have kept quiet? Or would you have clapped?

As for those who cry over the "human heritage" that "people will lose it", they are told - and they know it - that the building will remain as it is, but it will become better than it is. As for the artistic, archaeological and historical exhibits in it, they will return to their appropriate places. As for the architectural heritage, most of it was built in the name of the mosque and thanks to the mosque, and what was built for the church, it is in the place of complete maintenance.

I would like to make it clear to the hypocrites, whose objections are misleading and deceitful, that they should now openly admit they are against Islam and support the Crusaders and Zionism. They are the enemies of prayer and fasting. They are against the recitation and the teachings of the glorious Qur'an.

POSITIVE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND ULAMA

By: Shamsul Huda Qasmi

hudqasmi@gmail.com

Before we talk about the Social Media and it use, we should know that there are four main categories of communication styles.

1.      Verbal

2.      Nonverbal

3.      Written

4.      Visual

 1. Verbal

Verbal communication is the use of language to transfer information through speaking or sign language. It is one of the most common types, often used during presentations, video conferences and phone calls, meetings and one-on-one conversations. Verbal communication is important because it is efficient.

2. Nonverbal

Nonverbal communication is the use of body language, gestures and facial expressions to convey information to others. It can be used both intentionally and unintentionally. For example, you might smile unintentionally when you hear a pleasing or enjoyable idea or piece of information. Nonverbal communication is helpful when trying to understand others’ thoughts and feelings.

3. Written

Written communication is the act of writing, typing or printing to convey information. It is helpful because it provides a record of information for reference. Writing is commonly used to share information through books, pamphlets, blogs, letters, memos and more. Emails and chats are a common form of written communication in the workplace.

4. Visual

Visual communication is the act of using photographs, art, drawings, sketches, charts and graphs to convey information. Visuals are often used as an aid during presentations to provide helpful context alongside written and/or verbal communication. Because people have different learning styles, visual communication might be more helpful for some to consume ideas and information.

Islamic Point of View:

When we see it as Islamic point of view, we find that Allah Almighty sent approximately one hundred and twenty four thousand prophets to this world to convey His message to the people. We see that all the prophets used verbal and nonverbal means of communication to convey the message of Allah to people. We find an example of written communication as well in the Quran. Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) had written a letter to the Queen of Saba, Bilqis, and a bird was used as a medium to carry out the responsibility of delivering it.

It is Sunnah of our Prophet (saw) to use a medium which can cause a message to reach maximum number of people. When our beloved prophet Muhammad (saw) was blessed with the prophet-hood, he climbed the mount of Safa to call the people of Makkah towards the worship of Allah alone. Our prophet Muhammad (SAW) used written communication also and sent several letters to many kings of their times.  

Now the world is progressing rapidly a tremendous progress has been seen especially in the field of communication. Since last 25 years, various platforms of communication have emerged and people are highly attracted to it. The popular among them are Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and WhatsApp. We can apply these platforms to communicate the true message of Islam using our verbal, written and visual means of communication.

First of all, we take Facebook:

Facebook was founded in the year 2004 and it came to India in 2006. With over 2.6 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the biggest social network worldwide. There are over 280 million Facebook users in India alone, making it the leading country in terms of Facebook audience size.

Facebook is big platform to share and receive information and all types of people are using it for their different purposes. Common people even our Ulama, in search of news, views and true teachings of Islam are falling prey of various propagandas on social media. Therefore, it becomes our responsibility to effectively use this impressive social medium to convey the true message, news and views.

We personally post our messages on our timeline occasionally and enjoy few likes and forwards, but it is time to prepare a sincere and capable team of five to ten people who can write in Urdu, Hindi and English. The team should create a brand name to make a Facebook page. How the page would be made effective and useful to the readers can be discussed further.

YouTube:

YouTube is an American online video-sharing platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim created the service in February 2005. Google bought the site in November 2006 for US$1.65 billion.

Over 2 Billion users visit YouTube each month and every day people watch over a billion hours of video and generate billions of views. More than 70% of YouTube watch-time comes from mobile devices.  YouTube has 265 million active users in India.

It is also a very popular and highly used platform by our young generation. Our team, as suggested above, should crate YouTube channel and make short Islamic clips, interviews and documentaries on Islamic events. For children we can make a separate channel to teach them Islamic teachings, culture, etiquette and give them informative and interesting videos through short stories of the prophets, companions of the prophets and our forefathers. It would require a sincere and dedicated team but really would be a great service to the Ummah. People are really in search of true knowledge of Islam.

Twitter:

Twitter is an American social networking service on which users post and interact with messages known as "tweets". It was created in 2006 and launched in the same year. There are 330 million monthly active users and 145 million daily active users on Twitter. 63 percent of all Twitter users worldwide are between 35 to 65.

Users can post, like, and re-tweet tweets. Tweets were originally restricted to 140 characters but now doubled to 280.

Twitter is popular among those who are educated and qualified. They reach a large number of people quickly through tweets and re-tweets. They promote their news items, research work, articles, stories and business. Experts believe that there is no better platform than Twitter to know the happenings around the world.    

Twitter occupies great importance because world leaders like US president Indian prime minister, its cabinets, Chief Ministers, MPs, MLAs, Media houses, journalist, police officers, railways, airlines and all major organizations use it to spread their words.  

Twitter has an exclusive feature called Trend. When people on twitter start discussing on a topic and certain words become important and frequent use in their tweet, it becomes trend on twitter. People attach hash (#) with certain words to make it a topic and launch a twitter trend. Trend easily catches eyes of the news channels and journalists and it finds place in news papers and news channels if the topic is really important. It is very effective means to spread the message among the people. Daily we see that some political IT cells using Twitter to spread propagandas and misinformation for political interests. Even they go on to distort the face of our Muslim community. It was really painful to see that many a times Twitter trends were launched against the prophet Muhammad (saw) and Islam. The communal hatred and disharmony in the country is the result of the fake news, propagandas and misinformation spread by the political IT cells.

We do use Social Media but in a limited way. We enjoy WhatsApp discussions in our respective groups and do not dare to go out on bigger platforms like twitter as it requires polished language, knowledge, intellect and insightfulness. If we train our MMERC friends and make a twitter team, it would be a good job in the age of social media. We would be able to launch Twitter Trends to counter the propagandas and fake news. We can change the perception of the people about the Muslim community if we make a list of important topics which can be trended on twitter from time to time.

Finally, I would advocate to make a dedicated research team to use the social platforms in an effective manner because social media has its physical and mental negative impact too. People get addicted to it which may reduce the workplace productivity. If you are a student, it may reduce the learning and concentration in class. Therefore we should prepare a team of writers that will ensure to provide good piece of information, articles and community related news, educational stuffs.

I would finish it now with the verse of the holy Quran: "Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching and argue with them in a way that is the best."  (16/125)

May Allah enable us to make these social media platforms useful for the community and the humanity as a whole! Aameen

                   

Achievements of reformists in Turkey

Achievements of reformists in Turkey

By Mufti Abu-Lubaba Shah Mansoor

translated by Shamsul Huda Qasmi 

When I went to Turkey, the reform movement began to unfold layer by layer. In Turkey, where we met with high-ranking officials, we had the opportunity to meet with common people, citizens and imams. Gradually, the ongoing reform work there became known to us. We found out that the public awareness and consciousness there started from the class belonging to reform and guidance. Sufism (mysticism) has propped up the Islamic world in two storms: the first was when the Tatar invasion divided the Islamic world, and the second was when Mustafa Kamal's fascism turned Turkey into a centre of misguidance, irreligion and profligacy.

The Unknown personality of Mustafa Kamal was given the title of Ataturk on the following conditions:

End of Islamic rites

End of Islamic law

Turkey could not extract Mineral Reserves

Nor could they collect maritime taxes

There was so much oppression in the time of Mustafa Kamal that a doctor who went there for education 40 years ago said: "If anyone was seen praying Salah there, secular people would come into action. When I wanted to pray, my friends advised me to keep a towel with me. Go to the bathroom and perform ablution, then hide there and offer prayers because Turkish bathrooms were masterpieces of beauty, cleanliness and architectural magnificence. In those days, if a person had a calendar of Islamic year out of his pocket, he would be imprisoned. During the Ottoman Caliphate, there were six academic degrees: Sheikh, Khatib, Waiz, Alim, Mufti, Qazi. Mustafa Kamal terminated all these degrees.

During that time, people kept lighted the candles of faith. Muslims set up teaching circles at places apparently visible as bars. There would be a Qur'an class from 2 pm to 6 am. They would book cabins in trains, take tickets from one station to another, would close the door and continue teaching and learning. The Qur'anic classes would be set up in farming fields. There were Qur'an classes in the basements to escape the oppression of those secularists who taught the world moderation, gentleness and love.

Sheikh Mahmood Affandi is a very great and famous Naqshbandi Sheikh there. He called people for 18 years but did not find a single worshiper. 18 years later, a man named Musa Amja sent his children to learn. Today, he has 300 schools and Madrassas all over Turkey.

After the Tartars, the second revival of Islam in the history of Islam was made by the Sofia, who produced guards of the Ka'bah from the idol houses. According to our research, the pioneer of this battle of faith and materialism was the Imam of a Mosque, Sikandar Pasha, Sheikh Zahid Kotko (may Allah have mercy on him). He started working on the youth in the tea house in front of the mosque. No one was allowed to teach and preach in the mosque. He made it his hobby to go and sit in the tea house and give tea to the intelligent boys. He would work on them and prepare them for religious education. In the same effort, he got a diamond in his hand. His student was an engineer. When this student started studying, he got higher education from Germany. When he came to the country, he gave Turkey a motor for the tank that would keep the engine warm even in the coldest weather. When he stepped into politics, he became the Prime Minister of the country. The student's name was Najmuddin Erbakan. Erbakan made many disciples in his life. The political disciple was called Tayyib Erdogan, and Buland Yildirim in the welfare field, etc.

In Turkey, we have seen two efforts to improve the situation.

One is regular and the other is irregular.

Regular hard work:

Wisdom and Insight:

Najmuddin Erbakan formed political parties under different names, but each time the secular army banned them for one or the other reason. Tayyib Erdogan was watching the whole situation that the Saadat Party was banned at first, then Fazilat Party was banned, then Millat Party was also banned. Tayyib Erdogan said no matter how many names we have, every name will be banned. Erdogan said that we should not have a name that anyone can doubt it. That is why the "Justice and Development Party" should be named. When he made this suggestion to his teacher, Erbakan said to his promising student: "You must keep this name, but get separated from me and from my imprint." Thus visibly Erdogan and Erbokan got separated but were actually the passengers of the same destination.

Spending for the sake of Allah:

The most prominent attribute of the Turks is to spend relentlessly in the way of Allah. When there was an earthquake in Pakistan, they were the first to arrive. When there was a catastrophe in Mexico, the Turks were the first to go there. There we noticed that the Turks donate their extra wealth to charity. They have the vision: “There is a right in your wealth apart from Zakah” and in the same way, “And they ask you what they should spend. Say, "The excess (beyond needs)." (The Quran)

Public service:

Tayyib Erdogan paid off all debts in 12 years. He is making the world's three largest debt-free projects: the world's largest airport, the world's third artificial canal connecting the two seas "Bosporus Canal" and another major bridge over the Bosporus Bay.

Hostels:

He built hostels near universities. The best accommodation is provided there for a very reasonable fee. There are no restrictions on students coming there. The only restriction is not to go out after ten o'clock at night. They are instructed to listen to Kulliyat-Al-noor twice a day; the teachings of Sayyid al-Zaman Nursi.

Maulvi Houses:

There is also an important work of Maulvi houses. It is said these are ancient monasteries, but calligraphy and decoration are taught in this building. There is Qur'anic teaching in one room and Hadith in the other.

Door of the World:

He created several institutions under the name of Bab-ul-Alam (Door of the World). These institutions provide all kinds of facilities to students coming from all over the world for education. These students are honored from the airport until they leave the airport back. Turks say these students are their ambassadors to the world. Also, Allah says, “Indeed this, your Ummah, is one Ummah.”

Tuition Centers:

An important institution is also the tuition centers. Young man goes to a neighborhood and tells the people in the neighborhood that he was free in the evening and asks for a sitting room of a house; there he teaches the children of the neighborhood for free. In this way, he gives free education to the children of the neighborhood, as well as makes them members of the reform and renewal movement.

There is such a well-organized network of these regular activities that in the last 20 years, whatever in the field of administration, legislature, judiciary and journalism has been done, it had been somehow associated with these institutions. That is why when there was a revolt against Tayyib Erdogan, the same students and people crushed it with the help of Allah.

Some unorganized and irregular works:

At the same time, there are some unorganized and irregular activities of this reform movement in Turkey.

The Moonlight:

The Moonlight Club is open to the public. It has a large hall on one side and a tea house on the other. There are chairs on the third side, and there is also a TV to show match to the youngsters. There is also a children's gym. There is also an arrangement to teach karate. If you want to listen to a lecture, go to a certain hall. If you want to join tuition, go to such and such hall. Also go to such and such hall for gossip.

Crown and Sword:

As evening falls, a middle-aged man takes to the streets and gives balloons, making them crown and swords, to the children. When I met him, he said that he was a senior officer in the Turkish municipality. In the evening he makes the crown and the sword to tell the children that they left the sword, therefore the crown was taken away from them.

Reward for prayer (Salah):

To awaken the children’s desire for offering prayer (Salah), the campaign to reward them with bicycles was also very successful. That is why there are as many worshipers in the Fajr prayer as there are in the Friday prayer.

Education or Coach:

Begging is prohibited in Turkey. Another characteristic of Turkey is that there are locals present in every small and big businesses. Turks do everything with their own hands. But after the arrival of Syrian refugees, the problem of begging started there. To solve this, they have formed "Jamiat Al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar". When a Syrian refugee is caught begging for charity, he is taken to Jamiat Al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar. They are taught Turkish language and given education. They are asked to acquire education and told if they were caught begging again, they would be sent back to Syria.

The issue of denial of hadith:

When the disciples of Pakistani modernist, Dr. Fazlur Rehman, raised the issue of denial of hadith there, they made a plan to solve it. The treatment was suggested that the greatest scholar of hadith in the world now is Sheikh Muhammad Awwamah (May Allah protect him). The majority of the Turkish people are Hanafi, Matureedi and Sufi. The government invited Hazrat Sheikh from Saudi Arabia to Turkey permanently to guide its people. It was made obligatory on all the disbelievers of the hadith to go and ask the Shaykh for any objection to the hadith. You are not allowed to create any doubt in the minds of the people.

Cigarette box:

Every second young person in Turkey seems to be addicted to cigarettes. To end this addiction, Erdogan adopted a strategy. Whenever he comes across a smoker, he takes the pack of cigarettes from the smoker and empties it into a dustbin and then signs on the same box that he would not smoke in the future. This person then gets a call from the president's office asking him to come to the honorary ceremony if he had given up smoking. If he could not leave despite his best efforts, they were ready to give him psychological training.

Endowment of the Ummah:

A four-story building called Waqf al-Ummah has been given to the Palestinians, so that the educated Palestinians can come over there and consult as to how to liberate Al-Quds from the Israeli occupiers. The earnings from the two five-star hotels in Istanbul have been earmarked for the expenses of the same Waqf al-Ummah, so that there is no problem of its expenses.

Patronizing Orphans:

Turkish gentlemen treat the orphans well. They have built such orphanages that Bahria Town is no match for it. IHH is sponsoring one lakh, 30 thousand orphans all over the world. Turkish children do not have the same facilities as these orphans have been provided with.

Things to do:

Turkey, during the secular era, was a hotbed of smuggling, drugs, fraud and filth. Despite this fact, a few people came forward in the name of Allah and changed the condition of Turkey. If we also try to improve this country, many Tayyib Erdogan will come out of our ranks.

If you like it, don't forget to share it. Let's change ourselves and inspire others.

CRITICAL SITUATIONS AND FUTURE COURSE OF ACTION FOR MUSLIMS

Critical situations and future course of action for Muslims

translated by: Shamsul Huda Qasmi

There are two incidents and these two recent incidents belong to Bihar, one is from Saharsa and the other is from Gaya district. How tragic and unfortunate these two incidents are that you can realise the seriousness and gravity of the situation. The first incident took place in Saharsa of Bihar with a religious scholar, Maulana Jaseemuddin Rahmani. He was attacked on Friday, June 12, at 9 AM. A mob surrounded him and accused him of spreading the Coronavirus disease. When a mob of 25-30 Hindu extremists gathered, he was attacked and badly beaten. He is now critically injured and being treated in a hospital. As soon as the news went viral on social media, I contacted the victims to find out the truth. The detail of the tragic tragedy was reported as follows: "The majority in our village are non-Muslims; only four or five houses belong to Muslims. From time to time, these people are often looking for an excuse to quarrel, which is also reported to the SP here. Sometimes we are blocked to go and sometimes so and so. The latest incident is that there was a fight among the children; the children of our family and non-Muslims. We settled the matter amicably, but Maulana Jaseem Sahib, who teaches and leads prayers in another village at some distance from the village, was not at home when the children fought. He did not even know what was going on in the house. He was coming home from his mosque. "People surrounded him on the way and attacked him, leaving him critically injured. He is still in critical condition and undergoing treatment." This is the reality of the incident that was reported to me over the phone by the victims. Can you imagine the seriousness of this? Yes? The children's fight will reach the adults and then there will be a wave of revenge. What will be the result, you know? They also told me that their FIR is not being registered at the police station. On the contrary, we are being threatened that further action will be taken. This is the incident of Saharsa District.

The second incident

Another incident took place in Gaya district of Bihar on Thursday, June 11, 2020, in the village of Gharianwan, Bhariti police station Wazirganj. In the evening, cruel and oppressive people of the Yadav community attacked a poor and weak family of Muslim with knife. These beasts did not spare even the weak women and children, beat them with great cruelty. As a result Mumtaz Ansari has been severely wounded and his condition is critical. They fractured the heads of Muhammad Dilshad and Muhammad Shamshad and broke their hands. No one is safe in the house. What is the cause of this incident? When we investigated it, we found out that a week ago there was a dispute between the two sides regarding the pathway to the side of the house. The Muslims lodged a complaint too with the police. Due to the small number of Muslim families in the village, the Yadav community took advantage of the weakness and attacked them, saying, "Why did you go to the police station? The whole family is bleeding; the video of incident is circulating on social media.

I have mentioned these two recent incidents here. You can deduce from this incident how much hatred and prejudice has been mixed in the atmosphere. Do you think that this hatred and enmity will end easily but in the coming days the situation will be even more critical and serious. Now the question is what do we do in such an environment? What should Muslims do now?

We are not to become silent spectators:

Now, instead of being a silent spectator we have to determine our own priorities. We have to formulate a strategy, be vigilant and avoid negligence; otherwise we have to wait for the saying come out true "if today is your turn, then tomorrow is ours". It is fact that those who wanted to migrate to Pakistan, they did it, and now we have to live in our own country under any circumstances. But for that we have to set our own priorities, wake up from our long slumber and open our eyes, pay attention to the seriousness of the country and the poisonous environment, only then we can be able to survive in this country, or else we will be slain out and chopped off like carrot and reddish, and no one will be able to save us and no one will listen to our voice. I have no hesitation in saying that Muslims have been showing great negligence and carelessness since independence which is why we have to face these days. There is no doubt that we have neither carried out the important tasks nor we have fulfilled our responsibilities that we should have done after the independence. I think there are some important points that we need to include in our mission. Here are a few things.

1)         There is a great need for strong unity in our societies, and those who want to create disarray, they must be socially boycotted.

2)         Human welfare services need to be carried out; Islam has declared the service of creature as an important act of worship, so we should pay our attention to it. There is urgent need of establishing our schools and colleges along with hospitals equipped with modern facilities. There is no shortage of people among Muslims who have been blessed by Allah Almighty, and they alone can run many hospitals in the best possible manner, if it is not possible by a single person alone, then some people should work together. Such news keep coming from different parts of the country that someone was not admitted to the hospital because he was a Muslim or he was treated with prejudice for being Muslim.

3)         The need to invite non-Muslims towards Islam: There is an urgent need to spread the message of Islam among non-Muslims so that those who have become our enemies can be made friends and the situation can be changed. There is a need to pay special attention to this and to invest a lot in it.

4)         The media has played a very important role in making the current anti-Muslim situation in the country. The media house of Muslims is very important to bridge this gap. Sadly, despite being such a large number of Muslims, we don’t have even a national level newspaper. We also need to think about how the dream of a media house can come true and how to put it into practice? Without it the situation cannot be made favorable.

5)         Unless we have our own media house, let us at least make social media our weapon and use it for our mission. Instead, the majority of us today are using social media negatively and many Muslims do not realize the importance of social media. Although, this is a great blessing from Allah Almighty if we start using it properly and positively, the need of media houses can be fulfilled to a great extent. There is a dire need to build excellent schools at every Taluka and district level in the field of education. The standard of education should be that of the best international level. The hard work should be done on selected students. There should be a coaching and guidance centers and an IPSC UPSC training centers in every state where talented students should be trained. There should be a hostel in every city in which the Muslim students should be trained religiously and morally. There should be a united platform of wealthy Muslims for this noble cause. And a panel of concerned Ulema and education experts must be formed to carry out such activities and achieve such noble goals. If the above is done, we hope that the situation will change rapidly.

These few words just came to my mind with the hope that the nation's compassionate gentlemen and intellectuals will ponder over it and my voice will not prove to be a voice of a desert. Yet, there are many Muslims who have been blessed with much wealth by Allah Almighty. They readily donate large sum of money to the government's Charity funds. But when you ask them as what memorial they have left for the community that may benefit the community and nation, it is quite likely that they may not be able to give satisfactory answer.

However, there are many people who have been recorded in history books whose services and deeds are certainly enviable. There is a city of Jalandhar in Punjab. There is a university called "Lovely". This university is spread over a very large area. It was established by a person who once sold Paani Puri and Chaant on the stall. He worked hard and progressed and now the biggest showrooms in the city, ranging from sweets to motor parts, belong to him and all in the name of "Lovely". He thought of his community. As a human duty, he invested his capital in building the future of his community and now thousands of Children are being educated in it.

We also have a long list of Muslim capitalists and wealthy people. Many of them have involved themselves in medicine and pharmaceutical sectors. But to this day, how many of them have built universities. Not to speak of IIT colleges and other notable educational institutes, how many people and organizations built multi-specialty hospitals? Doesn't the community need it?

Hakeem Abdul Hameed Sahib is one of those who used the Hamdard's endowment to build a valuable institution like Jamia Hamdard and Majidiya Hospital. Similarly Salar-e-Millat, Salahuddin Owaisi, set up Owaisi Hospital in the city, Hyderabad. There are some other hospitals and educational institutes in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kerala and other cities in South India. But are they enough?

Today, when reports come in newspapers and social media that Muslim patients have been sent back from hospitals and not allowed to be treated because they were Muslims, our hearts break in utter shock. Today in the country Hospitals like Apollo, Yashoda, Max Fortis, etc.; all belong to non-Muslims. After all, Muslims also have capitals. Why don't Muslims spend their capitals on these things?

However, this is a very crucial time and we have to determine our own priorities, towards which a poet has pointed out that:

It is better to keep pace with time

Whom will you tell the story of your grief?

DID YOU PONDER OVER IT?

DID YOU PONDER OVER IT?

Translated from Urdu by Shamsul Huda Qasmi

"Today there is some more pain in my heart."

There are big names in our Muslim community and Allah (swt) has blessed them so much that they readily donate Rs 50 crore to the government's charity fund. But when you ask them as what they have done for the community and what memorial they have left for the community to benefit from in the field of development and progress, it is quite likely that you will find silence in response.

But there are people in the country we are jealous of their good deeds. When I went to Jalandhar, Punjab, I found out that there was a university, called Lovely University, spread over a very large area. It was built by a person who ever used to sell Paani Puri and Chaant on the stall. He worked hard and progressed and even the biggest showrooms in the city, ranging from sweets to motor parts, belong to him and all in the name of "Lovely". He thought of his community. As a human duty, he invested his capital in building the future of his community. And Now thousands of Children are being educated through it.

We also have a long list of Muslim capitalists and wealthy people. Many of them have involved themselves in medicine and pharmaceutical sectors. But to this day, no one has built a university, IIT and other notable educational institutions. They didn't even build a hospital of fifty and sixty beds, so that the needy people of the community can avail of the medical treatment easily.

Except for Hakim Abdul Hameed Sahib (RA), he made good use of the Hamdard endowment capital and gave valuable institutions like Jamia Hamdard and Majeedia Hospital and gave great gifts to the nation in independent India. Incumbent MP Asaduddin Owaisi's father Saalar Sultan Salahuddin built Owaisi Hospital in Hyderabad. There may be another hospitals and medical centers in southern India as once Dr. Ismail, a resident in Dubai originally from Bhatkal, owner of Ismail Medical Centre, was talking about. It is possible there may be a Muslim medical centre in Bangalore, but it is not enough for our current needs.

Today, when reports come in newspapers and social media that Muslim patients have been sent back from hospitals and not allowed to be treated because they were Muslims, our hearts break in utter shock. And when I see Apollo, Max, Fortis, BL Kapoor, Artemis and big private hospitals, I am more saddened that the same capital is possessed by the non-Muslim brothers and the Muslims alike but the non-Muslims have such a passion to serve their community and humanity that we envy of them and a Muslim spends his whole life in this temporary and paper self-aggrandizement world. He does not use his wealth and capital properly and purposefully and does not leave any memorial that the next generation can be proud of and benefit from.

The social and societal distances in the country are widening at the moment and especially the prejudiced attitude towards medical and medical treatment and the kind of humiliating incidents against women including the current incident in Kanpur and Rajasthan; these incidents have compelled us to think about the issue deeply. And it is not that this mentality will decrease. On the contrary, at the governmental and non-governmental levels, this (mentality) will increase in the future as we are observing it.

This issue is not only a matter of concern for our country and this mental disorder will not be limited to this, but also will reach to those Muslim countries which, despite all the resources, have not paid attention to it yet and have not become self-reliant in the medical field and continue to head for France, Germany, Japan, the United States and other Western countries for treatment. They will also have to face the same challenge of medical terrorism in those countries. Leave the people alone who mourn that the Muslim rulers were busy building the Taj Mahal when medical centers were being set up in France. People who curse the past cannot plan the present and the future. They must have taken care of their needs at that time. The human population of every century is obliged to meet its needs, not the (need of) the coming centuries. This century has its own needs and requirements.

The time that has passed so far in negligence has passed, but as a living community we need to open our eyes. This is the time to come up with a comprehensive plan, a solid course of action and practical measures for a bright future. It is time for Muslim countries too to seriously consider it. It is requested to prepare a team of physicians with Islamic values and zeal. Establish diagnosis centers of high quality to diagnose diseases where all kinds of medical facilities are available, so that no one is forced to head for those countries.

It is imperative for our Muslims in India to set up hundred (100) or at least fifty (50) bed hospitals, rich labs and maternity homes in all districts, towns and villages in proportion to our population. It is requested to focus on providing education of medical and bio-sciences to our children and strengthen our grip on modern affairs along with religious and moral education. It is not only an important need of the present time but the collective duty of Muslims. There is no need to cry over the lack of resources for this noble cause. There is a Muslim population of 35 crore in the country. In the first phase of this work, if every Muslim accepts a donation of only Rs 1000 (and Insha Allah a Muslim will), a revolutionary work can be done in this field. And the amount would be transferred into the account directly and there would be no need to go anywhere. Only comprehensive planning and action is needed to set up separate units for each city and town. Allah is all helpful. 

May Allah Almighty choose and prepare the conscious people of the community for this great and noble job! Ameen  

Ahmad Nader Al-Qasimi -9 June 2020

CORONA-VIRUS: IMPORTANT GUIDELINES AND MESSAGE

#Corona-Virus: Important Guidelines and Message

Respected Brothers in Islam!

Nowadays, the whole world is badly hit by the Corona-Virus epidemic. The governments on their parts are taking precautionary measures like locking down businesses, restricting unnecessary gatherings of more than five persons at public places, putting ban on collective prayers in worship places. There is a state of fear, panic, restlessness and confusion everywhere. People have been caught by different types of problems, economic issues and social concerns. Friends and fellows from many places are constantly calling me as what to be done in such situations.  I, therefore, thought it right to issue some juristic and orderly guidelines:

1)      Kindly keep faith that all affairs, be it good or bad, befall from Allah, the Almighty. He alone gives us courage and power to combat them. It is He Who degenerates and generates the situations and what He wills takes place. He has power over all things.  

2)      Disease, be it contagious or noncontiguous, infects others if Allah wills. No disease is an effective agent per se; the real effective agent is only and only Allah, the Almighty.

3)      In all affairs, a believer is bound to have faith, belief and trust in Allah but seeking treatments of a disease and taking preventive measures to throw it off is not against the trust in Allah.

4)      The spiritual treatments prescribed by our scholars and pious people and the protective steps described by the governments should be put fully into practice.

The Union and State Governments have ordered to send the country into lockdown till 30 June, 2020, and in our State (Maharashtra), section 144 has been imposed (which prohibits going out of house unnecessarily and gathering more than five persons at a place) that must be fully maintained and a situation of confrontation with government officials must not arise.

5)      In the present special emergency situation, the number of persons allowed by the government to gather for Namaz and Jumua in mosque, at the stated time, should offer Salah and Jumua in congregation by calling Azan.  The rest of the people should offer Namaz in their houses. InShaAllah, they will also be fully rewarded with the virtue of congregational prayer. It would not be at all sensible and appropriate to stop calling Azan and congregation and lock the mosques especially in the present situation and keeping the future risk in mind.       

6)      Keep your houses, mosques, streets, locality, squares and public places completely clean as it is half of the faith.

7)      Please keep distance with those who have symptoms of this disease. However, take fully care of their medicines and treatment; be they are of your relatives or of other religion.

8)      Those who are worried about their livelihood in the society because of the lockdown and must be helped so far as possible. It is of real virtue.

9)      Muslim Community should pay special heed towards repentance, asking Allah's forgiveness, recitation of the Quran, invocation of Allah, charity, alms, and supererogatory fasting, recite Qunoot-e-Naazilah and turn to Allah all the time taking all spiritual and corporal precautionary measures. Put your trust in Allah as it is the treatment and protection from this disease.

10)  Don’t give place to fear, disappointment, fright and terror into your heart and mind as it is the biggest virus which kills a human being alive. Don’t spread rumours, baseless and fake news through any means as it spoils the peace and security of the society.

I firmly believe the situation would be tackled acting upon these guidelines. May Allah help and protect us all!

Gulam Muhammad Vastanvi

Jamia Islamia Isha'atul Uloom,

Akkalkuwa, Maharashtra, India

   

اللہ کے عذاب سے بچو!

اللہ کے عذاب سے بچو!

از: مولانا سر شمس الہدی قاسمی

چیف ایڈیٹر: "دی لائٹ"  میگزن

وہیڈ انگلش ڈپارٹمنٹ، جامعہ اکل کوا، مہاراشٹرا

Email: hudaqasmi@gmail.com

میں اپنی اس تحریر کا آغاز حضرت لوط  علیہ السلام کی قوم کی  اُس کہانی سے کرنے جارہا ہوں، جسے باری تعالی نے قرآن حکیم میں تسجیل کرکے ہمیشہ کے لیے ثبت کردیا ہے۔ حضرت لوط  علیہ السلام  اللہ تعالی کے پیارے نبی اور بندے تھے، جن کو اللہ تعالی نے باشندگانِ "سدوم" کو راہ راست دکھانے اور ان کی اصلاح کے لیے مبعوث فرمایا تھا۔ "سدوم" فلسطین کا ایک شہر تھا، جو "بیت المقدس" اور "اردن" کے درمیان، "بحر میّت" (Dead Sea) کے جنوب میں واقع تھا۔ حضرت لوط علیہ السلام  اپنی زندگی کے اکثر شب وروز "اہالیانِ سدوم" کو احد وصمد اللہ کی عبادت وبندگی، اچھے اعمال پر عمل پیرا ہونے اور ایک پاکیزہ زندگی گزارنے کی پوری جدّ وجہد کے ساتھ دعوت دیتے رہے۔ آپ  علیہ السلام "اہالیانِ سدوم" کو وعظ ونصیحت کرتے رہے کہ وہ اللہ تعالی کے احکام اور اوامر ونواہی کو چیلنج نہ کريں  اور پاک پروردگار کے بیان کردہ حدود سے تجاوز نہ کریں۔ آپ علیہ السلام نے "باشندگانِ سدوم" کو یہ بھی نصیحت فرمائی کہ اپنی جنسی تسکین کےلیے عورتوں سے شادی کریں اور ان کو شریک حیات بناکر ایک صاف ستھری زندگی گزاریں۔

        بہر حال، "سدوم" کے بدنصیب اور ناپاک باشندوں نے ان کی ایک نہ مانی، انھوں نے تعلیمات ربّانی کو رد کردیا  اور غیر فطری طریقے  سے جنسی تسکین میں اس طرح ملوّث ہوئے کہ اپنے شہر میں تشریف لانے والے مرد مہمانوں کو بھی اپنی جنسی تسکین کے لیے بے عزت کرنے کے پیچھے پڑگئے۔ حضرت لوط  علیہ السلام نے اُن کو ہم جنس پرستی سے روکنے کی بڑی کوشش کی، مگر اُس قوم نے آپ  علیہ السلام کی کوششوں کو  بار آور نہ ہونے دیا؛ بل کہ وہ قوم آپ علیہ السلام کو چیلنج کرنے لگی اور اس حد تک پہنچ گئی کہ وہ کہنے لگی کہ اگر آپ (علیہ السلام) اللہ کے سچے نبی ہیں،  تو اللہ تعالی ہم پر عذاب بھیجیں گے۔

آپ  علیہ السلام  اُس قوم سے اِس طرح حیران وپریشان ہوئے کہ آخر کار بارگاہِ خداوندی میں دستِ دعا دراز کرکے، اپنے پیارے اللہ سے اُس قوم پر عذاب کے بھیجنے کی درخواست کردی۔ پھر وہی ہوا، جو ہونا تھا۔ آپ –علیہ السلام– کی دعا قبول ہوگئی۔ اللہ تعالی نے آپ  علیہ السلام کو حکم دیا کہ رات میں کسی وقت اُس شہر (سدوم) کو چھوڑ کر کہیں اور چلے جائیں۔ جب اللہ تعالی کا عذاب آیا؛ تو اِس طرح آیا کہ پورا شہر الٹ دیا گیا۔ اُن پر پتھروں کی بارش ہونے لگی۔ پورا شہر تباہ  وبرباد ہوگیا اور صفحۂ ہستی سے مٹادیا گیا۔ یہ سب اُن ناپاک اہالیانِ سدوم کے بدترین اور قبیح فعل کی وجہ سے ہوا۔ اللہ تعالی ہم سب کی حفاظت فرمائے!

"ہم جنس پرستی" کے حوالے سے دنیا کے متعدد ممالک کی موجودہ صورت، اہالیانِ سدوم سے کچھ مختلف معلوم نہیں ہوتی۔ یہی وجہ ہے کہ قرآن حکیم کی یہ کہانی ہم جیسے بہت سے افراد کے ذہن ودماغ میں گردش کر رہی ہے کہ کہیں کسی وقت اللہ کا عذاب نہ آجائے۔ یہ افسوس کا مقام ہے کہ ہمارا پیارا وطن: ہندوستان ہم جنس پرستی کے حوالے سے صاف ستھری امیج رکھتا تھا؛ کیوں کہ ہم جنس پرستی ہندوستان میں ایک جرم (Crime) گردانا جاتا تھا؛ مگر چند لوگوں کی درخواست کو پیش نظر رکھ کر، ملک کی عدالت عالیہ نے بہ روز جمعرات، 6/ستمبر 2018 کو یہ فیصلہ سنایا کہ برضا ورغبت اگر دو بالغ افراد ہم جنس پرستی کرتے ہیں؛ تو یہ کوئی جرم نہیں ہے۔ مطلب یہ ہے کہ اس جرم عظیم کو سرے سے جرم کی ہی فہرست سے نکال دیا؛ جب کہ برطانوی دور سے ہندوستان کےقوانین کی  دفعہ 377 کے تحت ہم جنس پرستی ایک جرم تھا، جس کی سزا عمر قید، یا پھر دس سال تک قید اور جرمانہ کی بھی ادائیگی تھی۔ ذیل میں منسوخ دفعہ 377 ملاحظہ فرمائے:

377. Unnatural offences: Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.

اس دفعہ کو ناقص قرار دینے کا مطلب یہ ہوا کہ اب ہندوستان میں رضامندانہ طور "ہم جنس پرستی" کو قانونی جواز فراہم ہوگیا؛ چناں چہ اب یہ کوئی قابل تعزیر جرم نہ رہا جیسا کہ ماضی میں ہوا کرتا تھا۔ اللہ ہی جانتا ہے کہ عدالت عالیہ نے  سیکڑوں سال پرانے قانون کو ناقص قرار دینے کا فیصلہ، قومی وبین الاقوامی ذرائع ابلاغ کے دباؤ میں صادر کیا ہے یا ان کی نظر میں سچ مچ یہ شخصی آزادی کے زمرے آتا ہے؟

ہمیں یہ بات فراموش نہیں کرنی چاہیے کہ ہندوستان کی دھرتی کو مختلف مذاہب وادیان اور ان کے پیروکاروں کی جائے پیدائش ہونے کا شرف حاصل ہے، جیسے ہندوازم، بدھ ازم۔  یہ ہندوستانی دھرتی مختلف مذاہب وادیان اور تہذیب وثقافت کا ملک ہے جس کے شہریوں کی اکثریت کسی نہ کسی مذہب میں یقین رکھتی اور اس پر عمل پیرا ہوکر، اپنے بزرگ وبرتر خدا کو خوش کرتی ہے۔ ہندوستانی تہذیب کا مذاہب وادیان سے بہت پرانا رشتہ ہے جو ہندوستانی معاشرہ میں اندر تک سرایت کیے ہوا ہے۔ عزب مآب ججوں نے اس بات کو قابل اعتنا نہیں سمجھا کہ "ہم جنس پرستی" نہ صرف ہمارے مذاہب وادیان؛ بل کہ فطرت کے بھی خلاف ہے اور فطرت سے بغاوت کے مترادف ہے۔ "ہم جنس پرستی" کو غیر قانونی  اور جرم ثابت کرنے والے قانون کو ختم کرنا اور مرد کا مرد سے اور عورت کا عورت سے خواہشات نفسانی کی تکمیل کرنا یا پھر مرد کا مرد سے اور عورت کا عورت سے آپس میں شادی کرنے کا جواز فراہم کرنا بدیہی طور پر ہمارے ازدواجی اور معاشرتی نظام کو تباہ وبرباد کردے گا اور ساتھ ہی ساتھ اس قانون کی تنسیخ فطری ارتقا اور نسل انسانی کی افزائش کے لیے مانع ثابت ہوگا۔ یہ بات بھی قابل ذکر ہے کہ اس طرح کی انارکی اور بے راہ روی کے معصوم بچوں پر منفی اثرات مرتب ہوں گے اور یہ اخلاقی اقدار کا جنازہ نکال دے گا۔ اگر طبّی اعتبار سے بھی دیکھا جائے؛ تو ہم جنس پرستی معاشرہ میں ایڈس اور باد فرنگ جیسی شدید مہلک بیماریوں کا باعث ہے۔ یہ بات کوئی ڈھکی چھپی نہیں ہے؛ بل کہ آج کے دور میں، اسے طبّی علوم نے ثابت بھی کردیا ہے۔

"ہم جنس پرستی" جیسے عمل کو قانونی پناہ مل جانے سے معاشرے میں جہاں یقینی طور پر شادی بیاہ کا تناسب گھٹے گا، وہیں دوسری طرف ریپ اور زنا کا وغیرہ تناسب بڑھے گا۔ صرف چند ذہنی طور پر بیمار لوگوں کی ذاتی آزادی کے نام پر، عوام کو اس بات کی اجازت نہیں دی جانی چاہیے کہ وہ معاشرے کی شکل وصورت اور صدیوں پرانی عمدہ تہذیب وثقافت کے ساتھ کھلواڑ کریں اور پورے ملک میں کھلے عام انارکی پھیلائیں۔ ہمیں ان ممالک سے سبق حاصل کرنا چاہیے جہاں ہم جنس پرستی کو قانونی جواز ملنے کی وجہ سے خواتین زیادہ متاثر ہوئیں ہیں اور خاندانی نظام پورے طور پر منتشر ہوچکا ہے۔

خیر جہاں سے ہم نے اپنی اس تحریر کا آغاز کیا تھا اور ذکر کیا تھا کہ "اہالیانِ سدوم" نے اس قبیح فعل کا ارتکاب کیا۔ اب اس کے بعد، اس قوم کے ساتھ کیا ہوا؟ اس کا بھی ذکر اوپر آیا کہ ان پر کی بستی پلٹ دی گئی اور ان پر پتھر کی بارش ہوئی۔  اللہ تعال نے اس فعل کا ارتکاب کرنے والوں کو سخت نتائج کی دھمکی دیتے ہوئے یہ بھی فرمایا ہے: ﴿وَمَا هِيَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ﴾۔ (سورہ ہود، آیت: 83) ترجمہ: "اور وہ (مقام) ان ظالموں سے کچھ دور بھی نہیں ہے۔" وہ لوگ جو قانونی جواز کی آڑ میں ہم جنس پرستی جیسے قبیح اور ناپاک فعل کے ارتکاب پر مصر ہیں، انھیں معلوم ہونا چاہیے کہ وہ دنیوی عدالت میں خود کو سزا سے بچالیں گے؛ کیوں کہ یہ فعل اب کوئی جرم نہیں رہا، مگر عظیم طاقت وقدرت والے اللہ کی سخت پکڑ سے ان کا بچ نکلنا محال اور ناممکن ہے۔ جناب نبی اکرم –صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم– کا ارشاد ہے کہ ہماری امّت کے کچھ افراد اس گناہ کا ارتکاب کریں گے جس گناہ کا ارتکاب "اہالیانِ سدوم" نے کیا تھا۔ جب اس گناہ کا ارتکاب ہونے لگے؛ تو تم اسی سخت عذاب کا انتظار کرو۔ مطلب یہ ہے جو عذاب "اہالیانِ سدوم" پر آیا، وہی عذاب اس گناہ کے مرتکبین پر آئے گا۔

یہ ایک حقیقت ہے کہ دفعہ 377 کی منسوخیت بہت سے مذاہب وادیان کے عائلی قوانین پر بری طرح سے اثر انداز ہوگا۔ اللہ تعالی اس طرح کے جنسی خواہشات کی انارکی میں ملوث ہونے ہم سب کی حفاظت فرمائے! اللہ تعالی ہم سب کی، ہماری بہنوں، بچیوں اور بچوں کی اس قبیح فعل سے حفاظت فرمائے! اللہ تعالی شہریوں کے بنیادی حقوق کو سمنجھنے اور اس کی حفاظت کی توفیق دے! ٭٭٭