DoI BloG

Hadhrat Ibraaheem Bin Uqbah (rahmatullah alayh) said: “The man who will regret most on the Day of Qiyaamah will be an Aalim who had aspired for a high position with his knowledge.”

The Knowledge of the Aalim is for safeguarding the Shariah and for Amr Bil Ma’roof Nahy Anil Munkar (Commanding righteousness and prohibiting evil). The purpose of Knowledge is not the acquisition of worldly fame, rank and monetary gain. These evils are the salient features and motives of the learned men, the so-called scholars, of this age.

Imaam Abu Hanifah (rahmatullah alayh) said: “When an oppressive ruler is appointed over you, then recite Istighfaar (seek forgiveness) in abundance for yourselves and for the ruler. In this way reform the situation.”

According to the Hadith of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), tyrannical rulers are the reflection of the deeds of the people. The way of remedying the situation according to the Hadith is for the people to reform themselves morally and to progress spiritually. Then Allah Ta’ala will change the condition of the rulers or replace them with benign rulers.

Yvonne Ridley, the sister who had embraced Islam while being held captive by the Taliban, had written an article denouncing the evil music and singing of one ‘Muslim’ pop-singer who had organized haraam music/singing sessions at which Muslim females exhibited themselves in the worst displays of jaahiliyyah, jumping in the aisles of the hall like apes and prostitutes.

By Mufti Mahmood Hasan Sahib Gangohi (rahmatullah alayh)

The question often arises, why is it necessary to follow one Imam only? What is wrong if one masala is taken from one Imam and another from another Imam, as was done in the times of [he Sahaaba (radhiallahu Anhum) and Tabe'ien (radhiallahu Anhum)?

The sacred function of the Ulama is to safeguard the Deen. The Aqaaid (Beliefs) and the A'maal (Practices) of Islam have to be protected from the contamination of bid" ah, kufr and shirk. This is the prime duty of the Ulama who are the Heirs and Representatives of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). As long as the Ulama faithfully discharge the duty of Amir Bil Ma" roof Nahy Anil Munkar, they will remain the stars of Hidaayah for the Ummah. But, corruption in the ranks of the Ulama destroys not only themselves, but the Ummah as well.

The practice of delaying the burial of the mayyit is viewed as an abomination by the Shairah. According to the Sunnah of Rasullulah (saws), the deceased should be buried as soon as possible. Unnecessary delays are not permissible.

Nowadays, it has become fashionable, for Muslims to delay the dafan (burial) for many hours and someitmes even a day or so. A delay even in anticipation of a bigger jamaat for the janaazah salaat is not permissible.

Hadhrat Ali(Ra) said:

"O ulama! Act in accordance with your knowledge. Only he who practises on the knowledge he has acquired is an Aalim, and in whose knowledge and practice there is no conflict.

Soon there will arise such people who will have knowledge, but their knowledge will not descend lower than their throats. There will be conflict between their baatin (inner self) and zaahir (apparent). Their deeds will be the opposite of their knowledge.

Books - Windows of the mind

"Books are to the mind what windows are to a home!" Imagine living in a home with no windows. How dark, how stale, how dreary! Windows bring light to a home. Windows bring in crisp air to a stale room. Windows open on to a vast and sweeping landscape. Books do the same for the mind. Books bring light into the mind. Books stir a fresh breeze of thought in a stale mind. Books open new horizons to the mind.

Reading is second nature to a Muslim. The Qur'an's first words: "Iqra!" teaches us the lesson to "Read!" Ever since that day, Muslims lead mankind to the wonderful world of reading, learning and study, which they knew nothing about before this revelation. The Muslim public of the past were avid readers. Muslim authors churned out books by the thousands. Just take the Qur'an; no book in the world can boast of so many commentaries as the Qur'an. Take the biography of the Holy Messenger; no person has been more chronicled than Nabi Muhammad (sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) - even by his non-Muslims admirers. Coming from such a rich literary heritage, it is sad to observe that in our times, Muslims tend to be very poor readers overall. By right, Muslims should be leading the world in reading as they had done in the glorious past. A 'secret' of the Muslims' successes in the past is the fact that they read profusely, thereby producing razor-sharp minds and geniuses of the finest order.

Is this a Warning of worse to come? Why the Earthquake in Pakistan? Oedipus the King was the Cause of the Sickness in Thebes: A CIA Agent Rules#Islamabad, mocking Islam by Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D

I was numbed by the news pouring in from Pakistan. My usual way to understand such tragedies is to take refuge in my 21st century rational/empirical self. These things happen owing to the rules of physics and the contours of geography, I told myself, and all we can do is to write checks, help the survivors, and work for improved health and transportation facilities.

Somehow, I could not rest content with the explanation offered by my cynical, americanized self. So, I asked a sage. The answer I got was lengthy but I will summarize his main points here:

By Yvonne Ridley <mail@yvonneridley.com>

The Milli Gazette (online edition)

One day during my detention by the Taliban I was asked about where I was born and, out to impress my captors, I said I came from the tribal areas of England near the Scottish Border. I was desperate to get them to sympathise and identify with me, in the hope this would make it difficult for them to kill me.

So, clutching at this latest straw I told them I was not really English but a Geordie ... a tribal dweller from the north. Since most of them were Pashtuns, they nodded in approval and were quite amused to discover that the UK had its own tribal areas and its own version of Pashtun-like people. That is basically where the favourable comparisons ended because their beautiful, dramatic Afghan countryside is nothing like my home town Stanley, in County Durham … a bleak little backwater in the boondocks of Britain.