A Mentally Ill Mob of Muslims Kills a Mentally Ill Muslim Man in Pakistan: No Ulema Condemned the Incident; Perhaps They Can't; Allegations of Blasphemy Makes All Muslims Go Crazy

Allegations of Blasphemy Makes All Muslims Go Crazy Main Points: 1. Mushtaque was mentally ill for fifteen years. 2. He pleaded innocence before the mob. 3. This was the second incident of mob lynching after December 3 lynching of A Sri Lankan. 4. Pakistan government issues a formal statement of condemnation. 5. Religious circle remain silent on the incident. ---- By New Age Islam Staff Writer 16 February 2022 Police officers stand outside a mosque on Sunday, a day after a mob lynched a man in Tulamba Village, in Mian Channu, Punjab. — Reuters ----- Once again in Pakistan, an innocent Muslim Man was killed by an unruly mob over the allegation of desecration of Quran. A mob of mentally ill Muslims killed a mentally ill Muslim Man named Mushtaque in village Dear in Khanewal district of Punjab in Pakistan on Saturday evening. He was tied to a tree and stoned to death. The police had arrived at the spot well on time and taken Mushtaque in custody but the mob snatched him from the police. After that the police remained silent spectator to the gory murder. The victim's family has said that Mushtaque had been mentally ill for about fifteen years. He would often go missing and would go abegging and eat whatever he got. On the fateful evening, the custodian of the local mosque reportedly saw Mushtaque with burning pages of the Quran and seemingly trying to pages another Quran. He raised an alarm and people coming for evening prayers caught him and beat him to death. According to him Mushtaque pleaded innocence to the mob before being killed. The Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan condemned the incident in strong words and added that the case would be dealt with the severity of law and that his government had zero tolerance against anyone taking the law into his own hands. Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, PM's special representative ------- Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, PM's special representative on religious harmony said in a televised press conference that it was not the religion of their prophet to kill under your interpretation of religion. Shireen Mazari, Federal Minister for Human Rights also condemned the incident and demanded punishment to the culprits. All this makes us believe that Pakistan's government has taken the incident seriously and will do something that deters religious fanatics of his country from perpetrating such un-Islanic acts in future. But on practical level all the statements by the PM and his ministers and advisors appear to be a hogwash. The truth is that the incident has not stirred the national conscience and has passed as a regular and common incident. Muskan Khan ----- The reason for this inference is that though the PM, his federal minister and his religious advisor have formally condemned the incident and senators Sajid Mir and Ejaz Ahmad Choudhury formally condemned the incident in the Senate, no Ulema true to their salt have said anything about the incident leave aside condemning it. When the pages of two major Urdu newspapers Jang and Nawa-e-Waqt are flipped through, no columns by the regular columnists are found condemning the incident or discussing the incident from Islamic point of view. Instead women's wing of both Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam and Jamat-e-Islami Pakistan eulogise Indian student Muskan's bravery. JUI women's wing even organised a rally in which women shouted Muskan Zindabad, hijab Zindabad and Bharat Murdabad. But conspicuously they did not say a word on the lynching of a mentally ill man of their own country by the Muslims. Ironically, the Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs, Syed Sayeedul Hasan said in a programme on Tuesday two days after the lynching that steps were being taken under the guidance and inspiration of PM Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to make Punjab a state like Madina. There cannot be a bigger blasphemy against the prophet of Islam than this. It was in Punjab that on December 3 last year, a Sri Lankan Hindu was killed and then burned by a mob for alleged blasphemy. In the Punjab actually Muslims and non-Muslims both are unsafe from religious fanatics and the government claims that they are taking steps to make Punjab a state like Madina. About ten years ago, a man who was a hafiz-e-Quran was burnt to death after being lynched for inadvertantly dropping the Quran on the earthen oven in his home. Some pages of the Quran had got burnt despite his effort to save it. But the angry mob of Muslims had dragged him out of the police station and beaten him to death. After that they had set at his body on fire. Lynching of Muslims and non- Muslims for alleged blasphemy are common in Pakistan. According to the report of a think tank Centre for Research and Security Studies, in Pakistan 1415 cases of blasphemy have been reported from 1947 to 2021 out of which 18 women and 17 men have been killed extra-judicially. Salman Taseer, the former Punjab governor was killed by his bodyguard because he was demanding repeal of blasphemy laws of Pakistan which propose death sentence for a convict. Incidentally very few convictions have come but religious organisations provoke Muslims to kill those acquitted by the law. The blasphemy laws of Pakistan are generally used by the majority Sunni Muslim community to intimidate the minority communities and sects and to settle personal scores. Rights activists and liberal Muslims of Pakistan have demanded a repeal of these Draconian laws but the governments of Pakistan have succumbed to the pressure of militant religious organisations and clerics. In Pakistan, majority of Ulema are of the view that even a Muslim can be killed for blasphemy. So the common belief of Pakistani Muslims is that anyone accused of blasphemy should be killed without waiting for the completion of the judicial process. Even if the courts of law acquit them, Muslims should not acquit them. In recent years Punjab of Pakistan has become a hotbed of religious and sectarian extremism. Religious scholars keep spreading sectarian and religious hatred among Muslims in the garb of spreading the message of Quran and Sunnah. Therefore, despite the strong words of the PM of Pakistan against the lynching, there is no hope of the culprits being brought to book as the blasphemy laws will be applied to the victim and the culprits will be freed under the pressure of militant religious groups with which these fanatics are associated URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/pakistan-ulema-allegations-blasphemy-muslims-/d/126382 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Relationship-Destroying Mistakes: Islamic Teachings for a Successful Marital Life

To Make Your Marital Life Happy, You Simply Need To Be Smarter Main Points: 1. If inappropriate behaviour exploits natural differences between the couples, the marital life may be jeopardised. 2. Islam has urged spouses to cultivate marital affection and mutual mercy toward one another. 3. The wife must be grateful towards her husband as ungratefulness leads to negative consequences. 4. Rather than identifying flaws in husbands and gossiping about them, the women must take a different approach to the problem. 5. If a woman treats her husband like a king, she is a queen of a king, and if she treats him like a low person, she is the wife of a low man. ---- By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 16 February 2022 There might be some natural or behavioural disparities in any marital life. However, if inappropriate behavior exploits these disagreements between the couples, the marital life may be jeopardised. Experts say that certain women exhibit patience and forbearance, as well as mental and emotional qualities that enable them to deal with the challenges of life effectively, particularly when it is related to their husbands. Women of this type are well aware that marital secrets are sacrosanct, and they approach them with a great deal of caution. Other women, on the other hand, have no tolerance and are always generating problems and complaining about the incompatibility of their husbands. This also exacerbates marital troubles and increases the likelihood of divorce. Islam has urged spouses to cultivate marital affection and mutual mercy toward one another. As a result, Islam forbids women from complaining and grumbling unjustly about their husbands' earnings. Instead, the wife should be satisfied with her husband's earnings and express gratitude for whatever he offers in the form of food, drink, clothing, or whatever else he is able to acquire. Ungratefulness leads to hellfire, thus she should avoid it. According to a hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "I was shown the Hell-fire and the bulk of its occupants were ladies who were ungrateful. The question was posed: “Do they deny Allah? (Or are they disobedient to Allah?)” He responded, “They were ungrateful to their husbands for the gifts and good (charitable deeds) they had received. If you've always been helpful (benevolent) to one of them and then she notices something about you that she doesn't like, she'll respond, "I've never received any good from you.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 29: Book 2, Hadith 22) So the Muslim sisters must beware of being ungrateful towards their husbands, because the consequences will be unpleasant both in this world and in the afterlife. Even if your husband fails to fulfil some of your rights due to a lack of resources or some other reasons, begin by praising him and noting his beautiful traits before expressing your request. Beware of denying the favours of your husbands and fantastic situations he has spent with you, since this is regarded as ungratefulness, which is the leading cause of marital discord. Women's rights have been safeguarded by both Islamic and secular laws. We must, however, analyse whether we have met our commitments to our husbands. We spend a lot of time trying to identify flaws in our husbands and gossiping about them. As a result of these practices, which have a horrible effect, we go to tremendous measures to jeopardise our happy marital life. Others mistakenly encourage us to seek unnecessarily the assistance of the police and the courts over little matters, which can often shatter our mutual trust and injure us. If the husband is angry at some minor issue, the wife should calmly and gratefully cooperate with her husband, recall his good deeds and make him feel responsible, and then watch as her husband becomes more kind to her. The secrets of the family are entrusted to you, and you must safeguard them. If you don't, your husband will lose faith in you. Allowing your home secrets to become the subject of gossip or idle chat with your friends is not a good idea! Never put your trust in a neighbour to conceal a secret you can't bear to keep to yourself. A strong and successful family system is required for humanity to build a pure civilization. It all starts with the love and affection between the husband and wife. The Lord of the Worlds and the Holy Prophet have established the boundaries between husband and wife (peace be upon him). They can have a very happy life if they both stay within their boundaries, and many families do so by following Islamic teachings. The stronger the trust between husband and wife, the happier and more comfortable they will be in each other and the better the effects on the children will be. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The one who has perfect faith is the finest in his character among the believers, and the best among you are those who are the best for their wives.” (Jami 'al-Tirmidhi, Hadith Hasan Sahih) The second hadith states that this globe is the entire capital (item to be used), but the virtuous woman is the most valuable thing in the entire world. According to one hadith, the best is the husband who is the best for his wife. Another hadith raises the position of women by declaring a virtuous woman to be the best thing in the world. This is a significant blessing of Islam on women. However, we must remember that in order to be virtuous, a woman must be moral and loyal towards her husband. Such a devoted wife enriches her life by making her spouse happy. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The woman who dies while her husband is pleased with her will enter Paradise '' (Hadith reported by Imam Tirmidhi). Allah says in the Quran: “So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband's] absence what Allah would have them guard.” (Quran 4:34) The phrase "righteous women" refers to women who fulfil the rights of Allah by obeying him and His Messenger (peace be upon him), as well as the rights of their husbands in terms of obedience, admiration, and respect. These women are "devoutly obedient". In the absence of their husbands, such women guard whatever must be guarded in terms of chastity, wealth, and homes. “What Allah would have them guard” could mean that had there not been the protection of Allah, these women would have failed to do so. In other words, unless the grace of Allah is with them, guarding is a difficult task for them. It could also imply that Allah defends women’s rights by commanding husbands to keep their promises to their wives, such as being fair and kind to them and giving them with their fair Mahr (bridal money). In this interpretation, it means that in exchange for Allah’s protection of your rights, you (women) should preserve your husbands’ rights, which Allah has established. Dear sisters, the following are some recommendations based on Islamic studies: · You should always express your sense of security and confidence to him, as well as your desire for a long life with your children. Keep away from grudges. Never dismiss anything he does or buys. Never look down on him, his career, or his degree. All the pillars of love and adoration between you and him would be blown to bits if you had any of these attitudes. · Make sure you don't give him the impression that he's emotionally numb or cold, or that you're annoyed by his lack of emotion. His disinterest and coldness will escalate if you do so. Instead, he may become more obstinate and neglectful of you as a result of this. Instead, give him more praise and accolades for things he did for you without even realising it. · Don't make his comparisons to movie or television stars. Instead, show him that you are grateful to be married to a devout husband who protects and cares for you, worries about you and fulfils your wishes, and with whom you collaborate to raise your children and travel the path to Paradise. Make him believe that you are mature enough to be unaffected by the deception, false pictures and recommendations of the media. · “It is she who pleases him (her husband) when he looks at her, and obeys him when he commands her,” the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated when questioned about the best of women. · As a result, speak to him calmly and logically, avoiding any superfluous repetition of words. Never supplicate Allah against him or threaten him, for such approaches only serve to exacerbate resentments and issues. Rather, strive to develop a shared understanding and offer advice instead of arguing and hostile supplication. Avoid blaming your husband excessively or raising your voice at him in public or in front of your children. Wait till the two of you are alone before blaming each other. He will be impacted and respond if you wait until he has calmed down and then speak to him in a quiet voice with touching words and mild reproof. Because most men are proud and passionate, the mild and sensitive approach is the only one that will work with them. Many women lose their husbands because they are unaware of this fact. · Deal with the incorrect situation cleverly. If your husband gets home late at night, for example, do not yell at him or make a scene because he already feels bad when he comes home late. As a result, try to persuade him that you were afraid of being alone at home or that you missed him while he was away. · Asking too many suspicious questions is a bad idea. Do not rummage through your husband's pockets, listen in on his phone calls, or check for slips. All of these behaviours are frowned upon and have negative effects. · Even though she feels angered, the righteous wife does not ask her husband for divorce until she has a solid basis to do so. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Any lady who requests her husband for divorce without a harm [inflicted on her], the aroma of Paradise will be denied for her,” (Abu Dawud, Nasai, and Tirmidhi) · As a result, please delete “divorce” from your dictionary. Divorce is not a pleasant experience, especially if you have children. The spouse is usually logical and does not respond to such foolish demands of a wife. The result of asking for divorce, however, is that the children will always be anxious and fearful that their parents may divorce one day. According to a popular Urdu proverb, if a woman treats her husband like a king, she is a queen of a king, and if she treats him like a low person, she is the wife of a low man. ----- Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/relationship-islamic-teachings-marital-life/d/126381 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Why the Indian Muslim Clergy is Hijacking Muskan’s Just Campaign: Do They Want To Buttress The Polarizing Efforts By Hindutva Forces In Assembly Elections?

By Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef, New Age Islam 14 February 2022 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Hijab or veil is not a religious command; it is only a product of culture, that too a part of elite culture. It has been declared obligatory by clergy nowadays, particularly in the Indian sub-continent. However, the entire era of the Prophet as well as the era of the Companions was devoid of such a practice. The rulings were for the mothers of the believers, the holy wives of the prophet (pbuh). Now clerics have prescribed it for all Muslim women, particularly in South Asia. Arab scholars too are having a second opinion on it. For example, Muslim Brotherhood women do not cover their faces; a head scarf is sufficient for them. Even for that, there is no such prescription among classical jurists. -------------------------------------------------------------------- A woman in Thane, Maharashtra, on Sunday holds a placard during a protest in support of Muslim students in the Karnataka hijab row. (PTI Photo) ------ No doubt teenager student Muskan Khan did a brave job when she refused to toe the line of saffron goons besieging her while she was trying to enter the premises of her college to submit her assignment in her college in Udupi, Karnataka. A lonely Hijabi girl in front of so many saffron-clad goons mischievously and threateningly sloganeering, asking her to remove her hijab before entering her college is bound to be scared. She faced very bravely, seemingly like a lioness indeed, though, as she explained later to BBC, she was feeling very frightened, and started shouting Allahu Akbar, as she has probably been trained to do from childhood when she feels scared and smells danger. Now, on second thoughts, she says, if faced with a similar situation in future, she would shout Hindustan Zindabad (Long Live India!), demonstrating the general Muslim faith in Indian Constitution, which was also more than evident during the anti-CAA protests by Muslim women across the country a couple of years ago. Only in this sense her stand is justified and makes her a symbol of resistance in the same way as anti-CAA-NRC protesters earlier. As far as her religious zeal and also that of other thousands of Muslim girls who are now on the streets in many cities supporting her case is concerned, it is to me a psychological case as when one feels lonely and scared in a hostile atmosphere, one finds asylum in religious assertion. I think this identity assertion is a worldwide phenomenon which emerged in the wake of 9/11 terrorist attacks and consequent haunting of innocent Muslims everywhere in the world. They came under siege, threatened and abused. In reaction some misled boys took arms in their hands for revenge while the overwhelming majority of Muslim men and women made the decision that they should go about their normal life, getting education, professional knowhow and engage in normal economic activities, while not compromising with their religious identity. And that is why we see that religious assertiveness in Muslim societies nowadays is stronger and more rigid compared to nineteenth and twentieth centuries when European onslaught was more direct and more aggressive. This assertiveness took many shapes and different forms like turning to mosques in bulk, sporting long beards and changing a neutral Khuda Hafiz (goodbye, may God protect you) with a puritanical Allahl Hafiz (goodbye, may Allah protect you) when seeing off a friend or a relative. A video of Muskan Khan shouting at a mob of young men has gone viral ----- Another point to understand is that the coastal area of Udupi in Karnataka has been a radicalized area and a Hindutva laboratory for quite some time. Muslim community too is fairly religion conscious there and Hindus of this area are also strongly saffronized. Both the communities have been living in isolation with each other. So this incident should be seen in this context too. The claim of BJP supporters to save the Muslim women from the oppression of a patriarchal society is completely flawed. They want to stop Muslim women acquiring education while at the same time tarnish the image of Islam. Similarly, the reference to college uniform is also wrong because generally colleges or universities do not prescribe uniforms. That is only done in schools. Muskan is a student of a college. Muslim girls had been going to that college donning their hijab for years. Uniforms are, however, prescribed in a few colleges and yet few students in a college or university anywhere comply with the uniform restrictions. If Hijab is a religious attire, what about turbans that Sikh students wear? Why is that not an issue? Not that it should be, I am not saying that at all. Sikhs have every right to demonstrate their religiosity, if they so wish. Now Muskan Khan’s brave stand is being celebrated worldwide for a variety of reasons. Different feminist and religious groups have different takes on the issue. But the case of present day India is different. With Assembly elections in several states, Indian Muslim clergy is hijacking this just issue to help BJP polarize society and help consolidate their faltering vote bank. It is difficult to reach any conclusion other than this, for the Muslim society in general has assiduously avoided any religious issue in the last several years for this very fear of polarizing the society. Earlier Maulana Tauqeer Raza Barailvi too tried to do the same, on some other issue, though with little success. Coming to the present issue of Hijab, first of all this was a problem of a girls' college, where only girls study. Wearing hijab / burqa was not prohibited on the college campus, though not allowed in class rooms. But some students (belonging to Muslim political parties) instigated Muslim girls to start demanding permission to wearing burqa inside the classroom too, which they were not allowed to do. And then the commotion started. A woman wears India's tri-colour (national flag) hijab during a protest against the hijab ban imposed in the few colleges in Karnataka, outside Mira Road Railway Station, in Mumbai on Friday. Image Credit: Nitin Lawate ----- The dress code of the college is salwar suit. Talks were held between the parents and the college administration with the help of the locals, but the Popular Front of India intervened and insisted that the parents of the girls demand more, then they staged a protest, reached the court and when politics entered then saffron thugs were sent by Hindutva forces. That is what actually happened. Combating the forces bullying others is appreciable indeed, but forgetting your own purpose and the larger environment is clearly a motivated act. Clerical intervention clearly has ulterior motivations. Now country wide protests and sit-ins inspired by the clergy can only be designed to help communal forces. I refuse to believe that they are stupid people who do not know its consequences. They are merely making an issue out of a non-issue. They have to have some motivation for doing so, going against the community’s considered view. Hijab or veil is not a religious command; it is only a product of culture, that too a part of elite culture. It has been declared obligatory by clergy nowadays, particularly in the Indian sub-continent. However, the entire era of the Prophet as well as the era of the Companions was devoid of such a practice. The rulings were for the mothers of the believers, the holy wives of the prophet (pbuh). Now clerics have prescribed it for all Muslim women, particularly in South Asia. Arab scholars too are having a second opinion on it. For example, Muslim Brotherhood women do not cover their faces; a head scarf is sufficient for them. Even for that, there is no such prescription among classical jurists. The pet slogan for our clergy is ‘’Islam is in danger” and Hijab or purdah (veil) is an inalienable part of our religion. This is simply not the case. The clergy’s modus operandi in this regard is that in their fatwas and explanations they always cite the opinions and fatawa of their teachers and so called elders only. They never revert to original sources and the main texts, because they have convinced the common masses not to bother about seeking textual knowledge of our sacred literature. They do not like Muslims studying, rethinking and making their own mind rationally. This is a good tool for the clerics to maintain their monopoly on interpretations of religious teachings. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef is a Research Associate with the Centre for Promotion of Educational and Cultural Advancement of Muslims of India, AMU Aligarh. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/muslim-clergy-muskan-hindutva-assembly-elections/d/126370 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

How Madrasas Obliterate Muslim Educational Futures

By Arshad Alam, New Age Islam 14 February 2022 The Community Needs To Decide If Their Children Should Continue To Be Indoctrinated Into A Medievalist Mindset Main Points: 1. Madrasas have been exempted from the Right to Education Act, 2009. 2. This means that Muslim children studying therein cannot demand an age-appropriate education. 3. Muslims are the only community where nearly 10% children are not studying any modern subject. 4. Blaming various governments for its educational ills does not serve any purpose. ---- On February 11th, the top court of the country refused to listen to a petition which prayed that madrasas and Vedic schools be brought within the ambit of the Right to Education Act. The prayer specifically mentioned that children studying in these institutions are being denied education as conceptualized in the RTE and hence it was a violation of their fundamental rights. It is worth nothing that the RTE Act 2009 made age specific education a fundamental right but through amendments made in 2012, madrasas and other religious institutions were exempted from this provision. The SC argued that since there was clear exemption, they were not in favour of entertaining the plea. This attitude of the top court is perplexing to say the least as the issue involves the fundamental rights of millions of children. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: Madrasa Education is a Clear Violation of the Human Rights of Children: Sultan Shahin asks UNHRC to make Muslim Countries Stick to their Pious Declarations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It is certainly true that the exemption is not just for Muslim religious institutions like the madrasa but also for Vedic schools and other minority educational institutions. However, as this writer has pointed out earlier, the situation of madrasas cannot be compared to educational institutions of other religious minorities. Ranging from the Arya Samajis to Christian missionaries, all have established their network of schools but it is important to understand that they do not deny modern education to the children studying in such schools. The situation of madrasas is completely different. Here, except in the government-controlled madrasas, there is no modern education that is being taught to students. Madrasas that are controlled by religious organizations like the Deoband affiliated Jamiat e Ulama do not teach any contemporary subject to its vast numbers of students. What we need to understand is that the students within such madrasas vastly outnumber the students studying in government-controlled ones. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: Evolution of Hadith Sciences and Need for Major Paradigm Shift in Role of Hadith Corpus and Scope of Madrasa Education ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The orientation of education in these madrasas is to prepare students for a “life beyond the grave”. This kind of religious education does not equip these students in any meaningful way so that they could negotiate the structures of modern world. Most of such students have no knowledge of history, science or geography. They are forced to cram outdated religious books which is understood as education. Some are entrepreneurial enough to establish their own madrasas but majority of these students return to their family calling. Thus, madrasa education does not lead to any meaningful social mobility either. Moreover, what they are taught only brings an extra layer of conservatism in their thinking. For example, graduates from such madrasas would be the first to force hijab on the women of their family. They would hardly imbibe of anything which is connected to their national life like the Constitution, knowledge of Hinduism and other religions, or even an appreciation of the cultural diversity of the country. All that they study about is an arcane Islam which has no real relevance in today’s world. The Hadis and the Quranic commentaries take them to a time and space of “real Islam” which is the 7th-8th century Arabia. This is an Islam which takes its superiority over other religions guaranteed by God and hence its theology is highly unsuited for a democracy like India. Rather than learning about the civilizational heritage of the country, all they seem to know and care about is the imposition of an Arabian Islamic model which is considered as worthy of emulation. This can only lead to an alienated living. It is not surprising therefore that such Muslims are nearly cut off from the traditions and practices of the national community. Muslims who run these educational institutions never send their own children to study in them. I have met umpteen number of madrasa administrators who have a very low opinion of their students. A majority of these students are poor and low caste Muslim for whom this is the first opportunity of any form of education. Many of the parents who send their children to madrasas cannot even distinguish between modern and religious education. Many send their children to these spaces simply for earning religious merit and at times to ensure that they are fed properly. Those who fund and administer madrasas are therefore guilty of robbing the educational future of millions of Muslim children. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also Read: RESTRUCTURING MADRASA EDUCATION: Muslim Opponents of India’s 'Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act' are Enemies of Indian Muslims ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The trouble is that there is no debate within Muslim society regarding the ill effects of madrasa education. Muslims have often complained that they have become an “educationally backward minority” because various governments have not paid attention to their educational needs. However, the community itself has linked madrasas to their religious identity. They think that any attempt to reform madrasas is an attack on their religion and culture. What they do not realize is that partly this backwardness is their own creation. How should a community progress if nearly 10% of its children are divorced the realities of modern life? This is classic case of self- exclusion where potential Muslim candidates are almost willing themselves off the educational and job market. But then, it is easy to blame the government rather than introspect the historical wrongs. If the community does not have any remorse in obliterating the educational futures of Muslim children, why should any court of law come to their rescue? ---- Arshad Alam is a writer and researcher on Islam and Muslims in South Asia. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/madrasas-muslim-educational-medievalist-mindset/d/126369 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Why Have Religious Positions Like Allama, Maulana, Aalim, Mufti, Faqih, Muhaddis Turned Into A Joke, To Be Inherited Or Acquired Without Necessary Expertise

By Mufti Azhar Ahmad Amjadi, New Age Islam 11 February 2022 Translated from Urdu by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam Main Points Discussed in the Article: 1. Just as an expert in medicine is called a doctor, and a specialist in engineering an engineer, so the titles of Mufti, Aalim, Allama should be given only to those who are experts in these areas. 2. Some common Muslims have started interfering with religious matters, without first gaining a thorough understanding of the Religion. 3. They appear to raise their eyebrows when Ulama and Muftis discuss Islamic topics and are developing a culture of wrongly criticising them. 4. They accept whatever is advised for personal problems related to treatment and engineering, but they don't care about discriminating between specialists and non-specialists when it comes to religious matters. ----- Every educated class today recognises that this is the age of specialisation. The necessity of expertise is now recognised throughout the world. Each specialist is consulted to discuss topics relevant to his or her field of expertise. Similarly, any human being who is specialised in a field is defined by the position of that speciality, and his services are sought in accordance with that designation. For example, if someone has specialised in the area of medicine and treatment, he will attempt to give his view about the treatment itself, and the entire world will label him as a doctor based on his speciality, and he will get employed based on his speciality. The medical expert will no longer provide his opinion on engineering, and the world will no longer recognise him as an engineer, nor will he accept any employment outside of his field. If somebody does it, the rest of the world will declare him to be ridiculous. Similarly, if someone works in engineering, he will exclusively communicate his thoughts on engineering, and the rest of the world will label him an engineer. This engineer will no longer remark on the treatment, and the world will no longer attempt to categorise him as a doctor. If somebody attempted to do so, the people around the world would not hesitate to label it as the result of his stupidity. The same was true of religious issues and positions for many centuries, fourteen hundred years before and after. The person with more knowledge or experience in the art would offer his or her view on relevant themes and, as a result, be allocated tasks. Someone who knew more about Islamic law and Jurisprudence or was an expert in it used to speak primarily about jurisprudential issues and was subsequently given the title of jurist or mufti. Similarly, if he was an expert in the science of Hadiths or properly knew about it, he would talk about it and be branded a Muhaddith based on his expertise. It was never the case that a mufti who was not a Muhaddith would discuss Hadiths and be awarded the title of Muhaddith. If the Muhaddith had not been a jurist, he would not have expressed his opinion on jurisprudential questions, and the title of Mufti or Faqih would not have been bestowed to him. However, our community has been now in a very horrible position in the previous several decades, especially in the last few years, on the basis of which religious issues and titles have been and continue to be the victims of immense oppression. The unspecialized person has apparently asserted that it is his right to voice his opinion on Islamic Shariah matters. Similarly, a person who is not an Allama, Mufti, or Muhaddith is granted the title of Allama, Mufti, or Muhaddith. However, if a member of the same society who has specialised in medicine interferes with engineering matters, the society will claim that he does not have the authority to speak about engineering because he has not specialised in it. If the same society is told he is an engineer, the society will raise a mountain on its head, stating he cannot be an engineer because he did not study engineering but instead specialised in medicine, calling him a doctor rather than an engineer. The peculiar thing about members of our Muslim society is that they are unwilling to entrust their personal problems to a non-specialist. But in the religious matters, they do not hesitate to refer to a non-specialist as an expert. That is, they would not like to enter the pit themselves, but they look to be resting by forcing their community into the pit!! In general, common people today appear to raise their eyebrows when Ulama and Muftis discuss Islamic topics, without hesitating to wrongly criticise them. However, if people visit a doctor for treatment of disease and the doctor recommends a medicine or injection, they will not dare to suggest, “O Dr. Sahib, give this medicine instead of this medicine or this injection instead of this injection.” Specialization is the cause behind this. However, the specialisations of Ulama and Muftis are of little value to them. As a result, they believe it is their right to criticize Islamic issues outlined by Ulama or Muftis, and they are happy to do so. Why is that the case?! The speciality of medicine etc is a speciality, but the speciality of jurisprudence and Hadith etc. is not a speciality?! Religious positions and titles are now deemed cheaper and lower than all other positions of the world. It has become normal practise to assume that because so-and-so is the son of a Maulana or Mufti, he would be a Maulana or Mufti, even if he is unfamiliar with the basics. Even though he does not stand on the terms of the spiritual guide [Peer], he is called to be the spiritual guide if he is the son of a spiritual personality [Peer]. And if he is an orator, it is no surprise then that he is awarded titles like Allama, Mufti, Faqih, Qutub etc. In other words, it appears that there is no need to specialise in jurisprudence, hadith, or mysticism in order to get a religious position in Muslim society; all that is required is to be the son of an expert or to be an orator. Then each title will be delivered to you automatically. It is not simply the uninformed, flatterers, and those who only look out for their own pockets that are responsible for making these positions cheaper and insensitive, but also the desire to gain undeserved reputation and worldly respect. Those who are not Maulanas are declared Maulanas, while those who are not Muftis are given the title of Mufti and those who are not Allamas are given the heavy title of Allama. O beloved, this is Din [religion]. The Din is not your property, and you are not authorised to transmit its titles to anybody you want. Rather the Din is more important than the worldly affairs. While the ignorant cannot be called a doctor and the doctor cannot be called an engineer, why can you call the uneducated an Aalim or Hafiz? So why only Aalim, Maulvi, or Hafiz be called Mufti, Faqih, Muhaddith, or Allama?! Are education and training required exclusively for modern positions, but not for religious positions?! Of course, there is a need, but what can be done about the society which has struck such an axe in the feet of its own religious positions that they have lost all meaning and significance and have become nothing more than a source of title, reputation, and honour? Religious matters, particularly religious positions, have devolved into a farce nowadays. What is the state of our community and people as a result of our insensitivity? We are unconcerned. We say anything we want and give whatever we want out of good and bad titles. Is this something we inherited? Do we have the right to interfere with sensitive issues of the religion without first gaining a thorough understanding of the religion? Have pity on religious matters for the sake of God. Similarly, defend religious viewpoints from oppression and pay attention to their importance, as well as call others' attention to it, so that no one, especially the general public, makes incorrect criticisms about any Islamic topic. Those who are not experts or schooled in jurisprudence, for example, should not be referred to as Mufti, Muhaddith, Faqih, or Allama. Only those who are deserving of these important positions should be identified as such; otherwise, one day, no true Maulvi or Hafiz will be visible, and all ignorant or less educated individuals will be referred to as Mufti and Allama. Then everyone will refer to himself as Mufti and Allama. Today, whatever little respect is still left for these issues and positions will also be obliterated. Recognize your limitations, and, just as you explore specialisation in worldly affairs and constantly seek the advice of an expert in every field, consider seeking the advice of a religious specialist in matters of religion. Only pay attention to the person who is an authority on the topic. Respected titles such as a Mufti, Faqih, Muhaddith, Aalim, or Allama should only be bestowed on those who truly deserve them, not on those who are simply an orator, a son, or a grandson of a well-known figure. These titles are reliable. If these titles remain with the trustee, he will safeguard them; if they remain with the incompetent or traitor, he will abuse them and strive to prove himself even if he does not deserve them, which will only lead to destruction. ----- Hazrat Maulana Hafiz and Qari Mufti Azhar Ahmad Amjadi Misbahi Azhari is the successor of Faqih-e- Millat Mufti Jalaluddin Ahmad Amjadi (may God have mercy on him). He completed his Aalimiyat and Fazilat at Al-Jamiatul Ashrafia, Mubarakpur Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, as well as his graduation and post-graduation at Jamia Azhar, Cairo, Egypt. He is the founder of Trust Falah-e-Millat and performs religious and training services at the Markaz-e-Tarbiyat-e-Ifta [Ifta Training Center] and Khaanqaahe Amjadia. He is from Ojhaganj, Basti, Uttar Pradesh. Urdu Article: Why It Is That Religious Issues And Positions Are Persecuted? آخر دینی مسائل اور عہدے ہی مظلوم کیوں؟ URL: https://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/religious-issues-islamic-law-jurisprudence/d/126349 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Hijab Controversy: Why Do Muslim Women Wear Hijab And Niqab?

Is It Obligatory For Muslim Women To Wear The Hijab In Islam? Main Points: 1. Amid the Hijab Controversy, We’ll know what Hijab is and what Islam says about it, as well as other types of Islamic dress for women including Niqab, Burqa, Khimar, and Shayla. 2. In Islam, Allah the Almighty commands both males and females to lower their eyes in order to maintain a modest and dignified communal code of behaviour. 3. Muslim women are obligated to veil the concealable parts of their bodies (Satr-e-Aurat), which they do by wearing Hijab, Niqab, Khimar, or even Burqa, depending on their personal preference. 4. Hijab is a concept based on seeking Allah Almighty's pleasure via obedience to His holy orders, rather than patriarchal oppression or a man-made societal system. 5. Hijab is one of the obligatory acts of Islam, and it is widely observed as a mainstream Muslim practise all throughout the world. ------ By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 10 February 2022 Students wearing hijab and saffron shawls at MGM PU College in Udupi on Tuesday. ---- In the midst of a blazing controversy in Karnataka over the wearing of the 'Hijab' in educational institutions, students and internet users took to social media to voice their support for Muslim women who wear the hijab. #HijabisOurRight quickly became a trending topic on Twitter. After the principal denied access to hijab-clad girls, Muslim students in the state staged a protest outside the college campus. While Dalit students wore blue scarves to show sympathy with hijab-wearing girls, saffron scarves were worn by students in the state as a kind of counter-protest. The matter became a political football, with the political parties in the state indulging in mudslinging. While Congress supported the Muslim girls, claiming constitutional rights, the BJP opposed the wearing of the 'Hijab' in class, with its state president declaring that the state government will not accept the Talibanisation of the educational system. On the other hand, Congress MP said in Lok Sabha that Hijab for Muslims like Hindu's 'mangalsutra', Christian's crucifix, Sikh's turban. We’ll know what Hijab is and what Islam says about it, as well as other types of Islamic dress for women including Niqab, Burqa, Khimar, and Shayla. A headscarf that covers the hair and neck is known as a hijab. Niqab is a veil that covers the face and head but leaves the eyes open. Burqa is used to cover the entire body of a woman. It can be either a one-piece or a two-piece garment. Khimar is a long scarf that wraps the head, chest, and shoulders but leaves the face exposed. Shayla is a rectangular piece of cloth wrapped around the head and pinned in place. Sometimes it is worn in the form of a half Niqab with part of the face still appearing. In public or at home, Muslim women wear any of these gowns to cover their hair, face, and body in order to maintain modesty and privacy from unrelated males. However, the concept is not exclusive to Islam; it is also seen in other religions such as Judaism and Christianity. What is the Islamic Position on the Hijab? In Islam, Allah the Almighty commands both males and females to lower their eyes in order to maintain a modest and dignified communal code of behaviour. Both men and women must speak in a dignified tone, maintain proper demeanour, and dress modestly. Depending on the choice of matter, modest Muslim female apparel could be Hijab, Niqab, Khimar, or Burqa. (Photo: Flickr) ---- Muslim women are obligated to veil the concealable parts of their bodies (satr-e-aurat), which they do by wearing Hijab, Niqab, Khimar, or even Burqa, depending on their personal preference. The command to veil was given for the first time in Surah Al-Ahzab. Allah says in this verse: “...and when you ask the wives of the Prophet for anything to use, ask for it from behind a curtain [hijab]; this is purer for your hearts and for their hearts” (33:53). The word Hijab is used in this verse to refer to any curtain that covers the concealable parts of the body, and the rationale for this is that the veil can provide purity and modesty to the hearts. Following that, the Holy Qur'an revealed the command of Hijab (veiling) in verses 30 and 31 of Surah An-Noor. The males were addressed first, followed by the women. The following are the two verses: Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Quran, “Command the Muslim men to keep their gaze low and to protect their private organs; that is much purer for them; indeed Allah is Aware of their deeds.” (24:30) “And command the Muslim women to keep their gaze low and to protect their chastity, and they should not expose their adornment [Zeenat] except what is apparent, and to keep the cover wrapped over their bosoms; and not to reveal their adornment except to their own husbands or fathers or husbands’ fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons or sisters’ sons, or women of their religion, or the bondwomen they possess, or male servants provided they do not have manliness, or such children who do not know of women’s nakedness, and not to stamp their feet on the ground in order that their hidden adornment be known; and O Muslims, all of you turn in repentance together towards Allah, in the hope of attaining success.” (Quran 24:31) The Arabic word yaguddu is derived from ghadd, which means to draw down, lower, or keep one's eyes down, as enjoined in the verse, which means to turn one's gaze away from something that Islam forbids one from seeing. For men, concealable parts (satr) include all parts of the body from the navel to the knees, whereas for women, concealable parts include the entire body except the face and palms. The act of a man looking at a woman's satr or a woman looking at a man's Satr is strictly forbidden because it violates the Quranic verses' exhortation to ‘lower their gaze’. It is for this reason that Muslim women are obligated to cover themselves appropriately as prescribed by Islam. It is for this reason that some women wear veils like as the Niqab, Hijab, headscarves, or Abaya. Allah then says, “...and they should not expose their adornment [zeenat] except what is apparent”. According to Hazrat Abdullah bin Masud, this refers to a woman’s outer shawl. When a Muslim woman has to emerge from her house out of necessity, she should conceal her entire body. Non-Maharim individuals will only see her outer shawl at that point. The High Court requested the student community and public at large to maintain peace and tranquillity in Karnataka when the court is hearing legal arguments on the ban on wearing hijab in colleges. | Photo Credit: AP ----- Religious experts disagree on whether or not it is permitted to reveal one's face and palms in front of non-Mahrams. However, everyone agrees that if there is a possibility of fitna (i.e. bad intention) by staring at a woman's face and hands, then it should not be exposed, and women should not expose their faces and palms in that situation. Hijab has become synonymous with the well-known feminine headscarf, and it is sometimes referred to in English as a 'veil.' While scholars recognise various benefits of the Hijab, the primary reason for wearing it is to obey Allah, the Most High, who is the Lord of the Universe, and His lovely Prophet (peace be upon him). Hijab or veiling is a divine command given by Allah the Almighty to all believing Muslim women that they should wear it. It is compulsory for all female Muslims who have attained puberty. Meaning, if a Muslim woman chooses not to do it, she is believed to have gone into sin, in the same manner, that skipping prayers or not fasting during Ramadan is considered a sin. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Hijab versus Saffron Shawls Row in Karnataka: Mischief Galore --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Accordingly, the Hijab is a concept based on seeking Allah Almighty's pleasure via obedience to His holy orders, rather than patriarchal oppression or a man-made societal system. Hijab is one of the obligatory acts of Islam, and it is widely observed as a mainstream Muslim practise all throughout the world. Faith and trust in Allah Almighty, as well as a desire to please Him by observing modesty at all levels of public life, are at the heart of the societal design of Islam. Islam does not deny the human need to appreciate such beauty. Instead, it gives men and women a reasonable context in which to do so. Living one's life in accordance with divine direction might display personal empowerment and liberty. Several Hadiths make wearing Hijab or veil a necessary act for Muslim women, in accordance with Quranic scriptures. Only a few hadiths are provided here: It is narrated from Hazrat Ayesha said “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to pray Fajr and the believing women would attend (the prayer) with him, wrapped in their aprons, then they would go back to their houses and no one would recognize them. (Sahih Al-Bukhari) This hadith clearly indicates that when Muslim women went out of the house during the Prophet's time, they wrapped their entire body in a large chador. It is narrated from Hazrat Ayesha that a woman gave a letter to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) from behind the curtain, then he rolled up his hands and said: "I do not know whether it is a man's hand or a woman's hand". So this woman said that I am a woman. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If you are a woman, apply henna on your nails so that there is a difference between a man and a woman. (Sunan Ibn Dawood) This hadith provides clear evidence that women in the time of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) used to wear hijab when they were in his service. Following these explicit verses and hadiths, Muslim women are obligated to cover the parts of their body by wearing Hijab, Niqab or any dress they like. Muslim ladies follow this divine practice in obedience to the Lord Almighty. ----- Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/hijab-controversy-muslim-hijab-niqab/d/126338 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

There Is No Church In Islam, But The Influence Of Traditional Theologians Is Enormous, Inhibiting Muslims Adapting To Modernity

By Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef, New Age Islam 9 February 2022 In The Seventeenth Century, Some Voices Of Protest And Resistance Rose From Within; The Voice Of Calvin, Father Erasmus, And Of Martin Luther Et Al, Gradually Became Louder And Louder Main Points: 1. Ulema in Arabia described television, telephone, films, and other modern gadgets and media equipment as satanic tools. 2. Evolution of Arabic and Islamic sciences and progress of thought among Muslims has come to a halt in the sixth century AH. 3. In countries like Spain after Reconquista some prominent bishops were terrorizing the poor defeated Muslims, Jews, and even Christians belonging to other sects ---- In the past and more specifically before Renaissance the Church had been ruling the roost in Christendom. Bishops and holy fathers of different denominations as representatives of the Pope, had been engaged in money-making by selling indulgences to sinners and criminals who confessed their crimes before them. Very lucrative and profitable business indeed. In countries like Spain after Reconquista some prominent bishops were terrorizing the poor defeated Muslims, Jews, and even Christians belonging to other sects giving them only two options; either be baptized or be burned alive. Those who wrongly felt safe by accepting Christianity due to coercive proselytizing were being suspected to be secretly Muslim and were spied on, and if anyone was found guilty in Inquisition courts then the whole family, even the extended family and group of friends was wiped out or set on fire. So Muslims who had newly converted to Christianity and Jews would face the worst kinds of torture, termination, and heinous killings throughout Spain, Portugal, and other adjoining countries. The Pope had been so powerful that even kings and emperors had to accept their dictates or face its dire consequences. History tells us that the emperor Henri IV of Italy, had barefooted and bareheaded to knock on the door of a castle in Italy wherein the Pope was residing, for three days and nights, begging and pleading to his majesty the Pope, to open his door, which he simply refused to do. That was the nature of the all-powerful Church once upon a time. Its ruthlessness, and its oppression of the people was on its peak. In the seventeenth century, some voices of protest and resistance rose from within; the voice of Calvin, Father Erasmus, and of Martin Luther et al, gradually became louder and louder, joined by scholars, artists, writers, and free thinkers, and in due course stirred a revolutionary movement in Florence, other towns in Italy, and elsewhere in Europe. Pastor Erasmus, Martin Luther, and Calvin propagated the notion that anyone can interpret the word of God; the Bible, and not just the Pope. The Church confronted these dissident and nonconformist voices violently. It incarcerated thousands, burnt hundreds alive, and inflicted on many more the worst kinds of torture and killing. From this Protestantism came out reformation and enlightenment. It led to its first mass demonstration in revolting against the cruel kingship in France and the bloody French revolution broke out on 5 May 1789, culminated on 9 Nov 1799 as a harbinger of a radical political and social change. In the wake of the French revolution, there followed revolutions, upheavals, and liberation movements in every corner of Europe. The ninetieth century witnessed new scientific inventions, an enormous industrial explosion, and the emergence of new political, economic, and social ideas that eventually created the new western civilization which is still in progress and ruling today’s world unchallenged as well as unparalleled. In contrast to the West, the Muslim world has been living under the duress of its own church. Its church is a unique combination of traditional Ulema, jurists, sultans (kings), and Godmen. This undeclared church has been challenged by free-thinking Ulema like Ibn Hazm, Muslim Philosophers like Ibn Rushd, and luminaries like Ibn Khaldun and latterly Shah Waliullah et al, yet they all miserably failed to bring about a genuine change in the prevalent state of affairs among Muslims globally. The evolution of Arabic and Islamic sciences and progress of thought among Muslims has come to a halt in the sixth century AH, and it has been declared that the door of ijtihad has now been closed. This spirit of Taqlid has become fully entrenched in the Muslim Ummah in every field, be it Quranic arts, Hadees legacy or Islamic jurisprudence etc, and whatever voice has been raised against it has been crushed on the grounds that a different voice is a kind of innovation, infidelity, and heresy. And thus the ulema believe themselves to be the sole spokespersons of Islam, their monopoly has a resemblance in many ways to that of the Pope. Now the Muslim mind is inexplicably guarded by the same imperceptible church built during the Abbasid period, no one can stand against it. If anyone dares to do so, all the clergy together would side-line him. With denying the law of causation the Asharites in general and imam Al-Ghazali amidst them, in particular, stood against rationality and reason. Being a Shaikhulisma (the greatest Alim of his age) not only for his age but for the coming generations too, all the other Ulema followed his footsteps unquestioningly, and the situations since his times till day did not change much. As Ghazalian standards of knowledge in Muslim societies are still in use and the majority of Ulema blindly follow the same pattern of thinking set by Ghazali a thousand years ago, while human knowledge is always in constant change and progress. This is why history tells us that when one of the Ottoman sultans wanted to introduce new European techniques in training the army and reorganizing some other governmental sections the then Turkish Shaikh ul Islam was enraged and issued a fatwa against the Sultan invoking the special troops; the Janissaries, loyalists to the royals, to save Islam from this “heretic” step. The result was that they rose in revolt against the Sultan and all the reform was withdrawn. And Ulema in Arabia described television, telephone, films, and other modern gadgets and media equipment as satanic tools that should be haram and forbidden. And that is why we see Ulema resisting vehemently Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and his reform movement in the Indian subcontinent in the ninetieth century and afterwards. And the story of Ulema around the world more or less is the same. These are, to me, the signs of an invisible church in Islam. The only difference I can presume between Islam and Christianity in this respect is that we Muslims are privileged to have a protected sacred Divine text, the Quran, while Christians and other people of different faiths, in contrast, are not so lucky to preserve the original religious texts with them. I think Muslim Ummah could not go ahead in any field without breaking the chains of Taqlid (blind imitation) and without liberating from this blind imitation of elders (Aslaf) and patriarchs. Without this kind of breakup, no breakthrough is possible. For that purpose, there must be a separation between politics and religion in practice, if not also in theory. In fact, the core values of religion are reflected in its moral values and politics more or less is and should be based on human practical wisdom, experiences, and rational thinking. It doesn’t mean that it should be devoid of any morality, never, yet human practice and experience lead us to pragmatic ways which are totally indifferent to the nature of religious morality. However, in practical terms, the traditional Muslim society with all its weaknesses and unhelpful circumstances, under the influence of the rich treasures of Sufism and jurisprudence, had established a practical compromise in which the king or sultan was supposedly looking after worldly affairs and the jurists and Sufis were striving for moral reform in the society. It was as if a balance had been struck. In the present times, the global movements of Islamism have hit hard this balance with their misrepresentation. They have tried to create unrest in politics and ethics alike. With their false rhetoric and the irrational narrative, they have stripped that balance and tried to destabilize both politics and ethics. This has upset the established balance in Muslim societies and has given rise to extremist movements and violent organizations in different countries. This phenomenon is, of course, more harmful to Islam than the forces of Islamophobia could be. ---- A regular columnist of New Age Islam, Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef is a Research Associate with the Centre for Promotion of Educational and Cultural Advancement of Muslims of India, AMU Aligarh. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/church-traditional-theologians-modernity/d/126337 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Hijab versus Saffron Shawls Row in Karnataka: Mischief Galore

By Bilal Ahmad Paray, New Age Islam 9 February 2022 Motive behind World Hijab Day Was To Encourage Women Irrespective Of Her Religious Background to Wear and Experience the Purdah Main Points: 1. 'Hijab' is derived from the Arabic word 'Hajub' which means to refrain someone from accessing something. 2. Islam teaches that a woman is a creature of Lord that needs to be kept hide from strange men. 3. Islamic veiling takes many forms, and there is no absolute set of rules for how women should dress. ----- February 1st is observed as World Hijab Day founded by New Yorker Nazma Khan in 2013. The motive behind this movement was to encourage women irrespective of her religious background to wear and experience the Purdah. Literally in Persian the word ' Purdah ' means “curtain, veil or attire “which is a long, voluminous robe worn over other clothing by many Muslim women. The word 'Hijab' is derived from the Arabic root word 'Hajub' (حَجْبٌ) which means to refrain someone from accessing something. A question arises here in the reader's mind; why it is so important for a women folk only? To answer this, Islam teaches its followers that actually woman is a woman that means it is a creature of Lord that needs to be kept hide from strange men. And on the other side, it is an Islamic symbol which is mandatory for a women to wear Hijab since 4 Al - Hijri of the Islamic calendar. It covers from the neck to the feet, covering even the wearer's shoes from view, with sleeves extending to the wrists. The purdah or hijab is a dress code, traditionally black in colour, and is usually worn with a light. The wearing of purdah or Abaya defines women in the region as a symbol of religious integrity and national identity. Today the Hijab is not only hot debated issue on local level but on international platforms too. The recent row raised in the Karnataka state. Since end of December last year, students in Karnataka protesting against their schoolmates wearing hijab started coming to a college in Udupi wearing saffron scarves. The hijab-versus-saffron scarves issue then spread to some other institutions in other parts of the state such as Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Hassan, Chikkaballapura, Mandya, Kalaburagi, Bagalkote, Belagavi and Vijayapura. This burning matter was pending before the Hon'ble High Court of Karnataka. This Court on Tuesday appealed to the students and people to maintain peace and tranquillity as the hijab row escalated in parts of the state. After hearing the petitions filed by some students studying in the Government Pre-University College for Girls in the coastal town of Udupi. This petition sought a declaration from the Court that they have a "fundamental right to practice essential religious practices, including wearing of Hijab as per Islamic faith, on the college premises." The single bench of Justice S. Dixit observed that this Court has full faith in the wisdom and virtue of public at large and hopes that the same would be put to practice in the premises." However Justice S. Dixit also observed that only some mischievous people were keeping the issue burning. Advocate D. Kamat appearing for the petitioner-students wanted hijab to be permitted. Muskan stood her ground as she was heckled by a large group of slogan-shouting young men wearing saffron scarves at a Karnataka college. ---- In one of its viral video, there was crowd chased and raising slogans of "Jai Sri Ram" versus "Allah-hu-Akbar" a chanting counter slogan by Muskan Khan on the premises of PES College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Mandya district that raised concerns all over the state. However the college authorities have supported and protected her. However, in the last twenty years, a new trend has emerged through different fashion houses and mischievous groups. This new trend has challenged the traditional Abaya in its popularity, the religious and national identities symbolized by the Abaya's traditional form. There are two chapters in the Holy Qur'an that refer to female veiling. In Chapter No. 33, (Al-Ahzab) under verse No. 33 “The Joint Forces,” reads, “When you ask ( the Prophet's ) wives for something, do so from behind a screen: this is purer for your hearts and for theirs.” Later in the same chapter, it says under verse No. 73 “O Prophet! Tell your wives, our daughters, and women believers to make their outer garments hang low over them so as to be recognized and not insulted”. The verse 53 of the above chapter is ambiguous in its applicability to veiling; the word translated as “screen” from the original Arabic is “hijab,” which is interpreted historically as a literal screen or curtain between different parts of a house. This screen was present to give the Prophet's wives privacy from the many believers who came to the Prophet Muhammad's house for prayers five times a day. However, many jurists do interpret it as a literal veil, as the word is colloquially used today. While as in verse No. 73 of the above said chapter is more useful when it comes to creating veiling requirements: women are asked to “make their outer garments hang low over them,” which is often interpreted as a requirement for baggy clothes or cloaks. In chapter No. 24 "Al-Noor" ( The Light ) it explains about the veil as , “And tell believing women that they should lower their glances, guard their private parts, and not display their charms beyond what ( it is acceptable ) to reveal; they should let their headscarves fall to cover their necklines and not reveal their charms except ....” (Al Qur'an). This verse provides the greatest justification for veiling in Islam; it describes proper modest behaviour and mentions the wearing of headscarves. Many Muslims agree that these verses exhort women to wear loose clothing that covers much of their bodies. However, Islamic veiling takes many forms, and there is no absolute set of rules for how women should dress, nor is there a single garment that is objectively “better” or “more Islamic” than all others. The three rules that are set around it are dressing with righteousness (Al- Qur'an; 7: 26), covering up of the bosoms with Khimar (24: 31) and lengthening of the garments (33: 59). According to one of the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, related in Book of Abu Da'ud's collection, after the above verses were revealed, “women walked to dawn prayers looking like crows,” which some scholars cited as the reason women should wear black Abayas. However, the many proponents of the Abaya-as-fashion feel that, since the garment is generally “all covering” just like the judicial Abaya, there is no harm in embellishing the garment itself. The Abaya-as-fashion “privileges the concept of fashion over piety” and disrupts the function of the veil. Mischievous elements has changed not only the face of the Abaya, but also its essence. Currently Abayas look more like dresses than hijabs (i.e., veils). Nowadays, some Abayas actually reveal the female figure rather than conceal it. Some of them are even designed to look like dresses. Saffron Shawl Vs Hijab Row Ends in Karnataka College/ Photo: This News ----- There are many examples in support of Hijab as well as against it throughout the world. In USA, the most westernised country, Raffia Arshad was appointed as a first hijab-wearing judge. Need of an hour is that all the Islamic jurists and religious organisations come forward to generate awareness of Hijab in light of the primary and secondary sources (Qur'an and Hadith) of Islam. And to review the contemporary Abaya as per the standard of Islamic judicial or Shari'ah with simple in design and colour. It is also necessary to resolve the said burning issue amicably with inter-faith dialogue, so that mischievous elements and new fashion trends can be curbed once for all. ----- Bilal Ahmed Pare is a regular columnist for New Age Islam. He is from Tral in the southern part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He has a Masters in Islamic Studies from the University of Kashmir. URL: New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

The Role of the U.S. in War on Terror Has Always Been Doubtful

The US military presence in any terror-hit region only prolongs and exacerbates the conflict 1. Recent jailbreak in Syria by the ISIS inmates was the sign of growing influence of IS in the region. 2. Killing of Laden or ousting of IS from Mosul did not mean elimination of terrorism. 3. Even after destroying large parts of Syria and Iraq, the US cannot claim to have eliminated IS and Al Qaeda. 4. Millions of people were displaced and had to migrate to other countries despite five years of war against ISIS. New Age Islam Edit Desk Praveen Swami’s analysis of the situation in Iraq and Syria post withdrawal of US troops is true to the ground. Now gradually the US game in Iraq and Syria is becoming clearer. Recently, the ISIS attack on a jail in Syria and escape of hundreds of hardcore IS terrorists is an indication that the IS is regrouping in the region while the US has its two thousand plus troops still stationed there. It has also been observed that the presence of the US army, one of the most powerful and sophisticated armies of the world only gives rise to terrorism and the terrorist groups only get stronger in place of losing strength. In 2014, the Iraqi army while advancing towards Mosul, had intriguingly escaped leaving tanks and other weapons which were seized by the IS. Soon, ISIS captured power in Mosul and a caliphate was established. The Arab Spring was hijacked by ISIS with the covert help of the US so that Bashar al Asad government could be toppled to hit Iran’s political ambitions in the region and to harm Russia’s trade and economic ties with Syria. Saudi Intelligence Minister Bandar Bin Sultan had admitted before Putin that the terrorist groups fighting in Syria were patronized by Saudi Arabia and it is known to all that the US was an ally of Saudi Arabia during the civil war in Syria. A long civil war ensued causing millions of lives and displacement of Syrians and Iraqis and mass migration to European countries. The rise of the ISIS again after their exit from the region raises many questions on the real intent of the US and its commitment towards elimination of terrorism. It is only a recent example of the US encouraging militant Islamic groups that it helped Taliban come to power in Afghanistan after destroying Afghanistan in the name of fighting Taliban and terrorism. Islamic State leader’s death being cast as a milestone against terrorism. Truth is muddier Celebrating ISIS leader’s death in US raid as big victory ignores past experience. PRAVEEN SWAMI 6 February, 2022 An ISIS convoy (Representational image) | Twitter/@Intlatm ------- Prisoner M060108 — dark-skinned, his captors recorded, 218.5cm, 101kg — was driven past the wire soon after New Year’s Day in 2008, into the dust-blown prison camp at Umm Qasr, Iraq. In coming weeks, declassified interrogation records show, M060108 betrayed his comrades in al-Qaeda, one after one. Exactly why, the documents do not record; otherprisoners were beaten with rifle-butts, sexually humiliated, pepper-sprayed, left hog-tied under the blazing sun. For a few seconds last week, United States Special Forces caught sight of that prisoner again, before the self-described caliph of the Islamic State blew himself up with his family. Like the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011, or that of the Islamic State’s (IS) first caliph, Ibrahim Awad al-Badri, in 2019, the killing of Amir Muhammad Abdul-Rahman—also known as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashmi—is being cast as a critical milestone in the fight against terrorism. The truth is muddier. Even as former US president Donald Trump bragged of the “100 percent” defeat of the caliphate in 2019, the IS was regrouping under Abdul-Rahman in Iraq and Syria, and expanding across Africa and Asia. In recent weeks, the terrorist group has staged sophisticated attacks in its Iraq-Syria heartlands. IS-inspired movements have flowered in two continents. The destruction of Iraqi despot Saddam Husain’s regime in 2003 was heralded as the beginning of a new age of democracy and peace in the Middle East. Instead, a long, grinding insurgency ensued—the consequence of the destruction of State institutions, religious and ethnic conflicts, poverty and foreign occupation. How American ultra-violence bred jihadism Like so many other armies, the US and its key ally, the UK, responded to barbarism with barbarism. Following a 2005 bombing in the Iraqi town of Haditha, US and British troops were alleged to have killed dozens in cold blood. Fallujah was levelled, then levelled again, as American and British soldiers fought to recapture it from insurgents. In 2009 alone, 33 separate allegations of torture and sexual abuse were brought against British troops. “It is well that war is so terrible,” General Robert Lee had said in December 1867, as he surveyed the carnage on the battlefields of Fredericksburg, “otherwise we would grow too fond of it”. President George Bush, though, didn’t flinch. Al-Qaeda—drawing legitimacy from nationalist rage against atrocities, as well as Sunni fears of being marginalized by Iraq’s Shi’a majority—grew larger than it had ever been before 9/11, powered by the storm-winds of violence. The rise of the caliph The most authoritative biography of Abdul-Rahman, written by journalist Feras Kilani, tells us that the to-be caliph was born in 1976 to a cleric in Mosul, the youngest of his father’s seven children by two wives. Abdul-Rahman finished eighteen months of mandatory military service in Saddam Husain’s army, before completing a masters’ degree in Islamic theology. From 2003, as anarchy spread across Iraq, Abdal-Rahman seems to have drifted towards the Ansar ul-Islam, which soon after merged itself into al-Qaeda. Later, after the death of the key al-Qaeda commander, Jordanian Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal, Abdal-Rahman followed the rank-and-file into the IS. In 2007, Abdal-Rahman’s interrogation records show, he took charge of running religious-courts in Mosul, ruling among other things on kidnappings and ransoms. Taken prisoner from his home in 2008 by Kurdish Peshmerga militia, Abdal-Rahman ended up in prison alongside other key figures in the IS. Following Camp Bucca’s closure in 2009, its alumni would go on to become the backbone of the IS. Little about Abdul-Rahman’s life is documented thereafter. For a while, he was given charge of establishing an institute for training religious judges and clergy at the al-Imam al-Adham College in Mosul. He is alleged, in some accounts, to have provided religious legitimacy for the killing of Yazidis, and the capture of Yazidi women as slaves, after Sinjar fell in 2014. Extremism, it should have been clear, flourished in conditions where government and social structures were destroyed by violence. Washington, though, wasn’t listening. The Arab Spring Turns Arab Summer From 2010, mass protests erupted against authoritarian regimes across the Middle East, in what came to be known as the Arab Spring. The United States threw its weight behind one key uprising, in Syria, hoping to depose arch-enemy Bashar al-Asad’s regime, and to contain Iranian influence in the region. Like the European revolutions of 1848, from which the Arab Spring got its name, the uprisings had very different outcomes in each country. In Syria, jihadists—the best organised force—won. The seeds of this disaster were, ironically, in part laid by Bashar al-Asad himself. Fighting youth anger brought on by his liberal economic reforms—which created growth, but not jobs—al-Asad moved to accommodate the Islamist political vanguard, the Muslim Brotherhood, and allowed Iraqi jihadists safe havens. For its part, the US enabled the rise of the IS through benign neglect, seeing it as a tool to use against Iran’s influence in Iraq, and an instrument to bring down the Syrian regime. Even though some semblance of order has been won back, large swathes of Syria and Iraq remain outside of meaningful State control. The IS still has an estimated 10,000 fighters, and controls significant territory. Its example has inspired jihadists across Asia and Africa. Last year, the United Nations recorded that Islamic State violence is up across Africa, spilling from northern Mali into the country’s central region, as well as Niger and Burkina Faso. In oil-rich Mozambique, jihadists successfully stormed the town of Palma; the 14-year war against al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia has made no discernible progress towards stabilising the country. Nigeria, similarly, has had little success in fighting Boko Haram, a jihadist group which has claimed thousands of lives in terrorist attacks since 2002. The insurgency has expanded into Niger and northern Cameroon. Tiring of these endless wars, western governments are withdrawing from the chaos they sparked off after 9/11. Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to wind down Operation Barkhane, his country’s small-scale edition of the 9/11 war in Afghanistan. No one knows for certain how long the 2,500 US troops deployed in Iraq, or 900 in Syria, will stay. Like Afghanistan, those countries might well implode—sending shock waves through a region critical to India’s energy security. Few Indians—just 66, by one estimate—fought with the IS, but some among them are known to have received advanced training, and conducted suicide attacks in Afghanistan. Should communal tensions in India engender large-scale violence in the future, Islamic State’s conceivable recruitment will rise, with grave consequences. There’s no lesson in Abdul-Rahman’s story barring the one mothers teach little children: Don’t play with matches. The fires lit by America’s Iraq war will likely rage on for many years more. The author tweets @praveenswami. Views are personal.(Edited by Anurag Chaubey) URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamterrorism-jihad/role-u-s-war-terror-doubtful/d/126327 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Ukraine Situation Has Brought Focus Back On America's 'Military-Industrial Complex' Prophesized by President Dwight Eisenhower in His Farewell Speech on Jan. 17, 1961

America is provoking war in Ukraine 1. Ukraine has a cultural and linguistic affinity with Russia. 2. Russia has said it did not intend to attack Ukraine. 3. Russia said the American reports of an impending Russian attack were a lie. 4. Russia wants to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO for its own security. 5. If Ukraine joins NATO, it will force Ukraine to wage war against Russia to recapture Crimea. New Age Islam Edit Desk An Ukrainian serviceman attends in a dugout on the frontline with the Russia-backed separatists near Avdiivka, Donetsk region, on February 2, 2022. PHOTO BY AFP CONTRIBUTOR#AFP /AFP via Getty Images --------- Mr Tarek Fateh’s analysis of the cold-war situation between Ukraine and Russia is only a reminder of the war-mongering of the US for making money by selling arms to the otherwise peace-loving nations. The war hysteria created by the US and NATO has pushed the two bordering nations to the brink of war. Ukraine and Russia may have some political disputes but both are trying to solve them peacefully but the US has been crying hoarse over the alleged concentration of Russian troops on its borders whereas the fact is that the Russian troops have been stationed on the border for a long time. This is not new so far as the US policy is concerned. The US was behind civil wars in many countries and behind wars between Iraq and Iran in the 80s. It used the same war hysteria and creating mutual fear and threat perception between the two bordering countries it is using in Ukraine-Russia tension. It has been selling arms and security equipment to the Arab countries by instilling fear of Iran among them though they don’t need them. It sold arms and ammunition worth billions of dollars to Pakistan by creating fear of India among the Pakistanis. The US is creating panic in Ukraine by insisting that Russia may invade Ukraine any day whereas Russia has made it clear that it has no plans to attack Ukraine and termed the US warning of an impending Russian attack a lie. To make Ukrainians believe in an impending Russian attack it has used the Russian attack and annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea but that was a different context. The real reason for American interference in Ukraine is that it wants Ukraine to join NATO so that it can play extend its political and economic influence in the region and prevent Russia’s growing influence in the region. Russia knows that as soon as Ukraine joins NATO, the US will provoke Ukraine to wage a war to reclaim and recapture Crimea and thus stir a war between Ukraine and Russia. To avoid that situation, Russia Putin has categorically said that it was mandatory for Russia to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO at any cost. Putin also accused the US of pumping weapons into Ukraine and demanded that NATO should pull its troops out of Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Putin is also worried about NATO’s military activity in Eastern Europe. Putin is also said to be of the view that Ukraine and Russia are one nation and is incensed at NATO’s attempt to set Ukrainians against Russia so that Russia’s interests can be harmed by the US and NATO. By airing the rumour that Russia was piling up weapons on the borders, NATO has started sending additional troops and weapons to Ukraine thus building up the possibility of war between the two countries. NATO countries are trying to establish military training centres in Ukraine. This would further give to military bases in the country that will give further strength to NATO countries in Ukraine even if Ukraine does not join NATO. In short, the history of the U.S. is replete with such military machinations against peace-loving nations to sell their weapons and expand their military industry. They have also provoked wars between nations who had disputes but those disputes could have been resolved diplomatically. America Is Provoking War in Ukraine By Tarek Fateh Trust the United States to create conditions for a war when none exists. Despite Ukraine insisting that it did not face an invasion by Russia, America insists that Moscow intends to do just that. It seems, after getting a bloody nose in Afghanistan after betraying U.S. allies by helping the Taliban take over Kabul. President Joe Biden needs a war to win in a theatre of his choosing where the terrain is not as harsh as Kandahar and where G.I. Joe could party on his days off duty. And then there is the business of America buying military hardware from its armament industry to keep them manufacturing armaments that enhance their bottom line and feed the stock markets. Perhaps that is the nature of America today, a “Military-Industrial Complex” prophesized by President Dwight Eisenhower in his farewell speech on Jan. 17, 1961. In a speech that lasted less than ten minutes, the celebrated hero of the American people, during and after the Second and after the Second World War raised the alarm warning Americans not to let the U.S. Government beckon to the call of the defence industry. He told a national radio audience: “A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment… [W]e have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions... This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience …. Yet we must comprehend its grave implications … In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will present.” Last years would see the American Military-Industrial Complex pushing the U.S. into wars as far apart as Vietnam and Iraq with invasions of Grenada and Cuba bringing the world to the edge of catastrophe. It did not matter whether it was JFK or LBJ, Bush Senior or Junior, proxies such as Turkey and Pakistan, Arab monarchies and African dictators, toppling Mosaddegh in Iran, eliminating Patrice Lumumba of Congo or Salvador Allende in Chile …. U.S. multinational corporations, worked hand-in-hand with the CIA while the Military-Industrial complex held any developing nation trying to get on their feet after centuries of European colonial rule. The latest U.S. venture is to edge Ukraine against Russia. Seems the simpletons in D.C. just don’t have a clue about either Crimea, its history and why in 1954 Moscow handed the peninsula from the Russian Republic to the Ukrainian Republic, considering both were part of one country. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky is currently urging the US, NATO, and other world nations to not overstate the probability of Russian invasions and explained how this can lead to destabilizing Kiev’s economy. As CNN described it: “Speaking to foreign reporters, Zelensky said he explained in phone calls to world leaders like US President Joe Biden and France’s Emmanuel Macron that thought the threat from the Kremlin is “imminent and constant,” Ukrainians have “learned to live” with it since Moscow invaded in 2014.” While the US and NATO keep hammering the news that Russia has deployed over 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine, they fail to mention the fact that according to Zelensky, the Russians have had such troop concentration for a long time and that this is nothing new. “They [US and NATO] are saying tomorrow is the war. This means panic,” Zelensky said. This column is my cry in the wind. War may fatten the pockets of the people Eisenhower warned us about, but look at Afghanistan America. ... Courtesy: New Delhi Times e-paper, 7-13 February 2022 == URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-west/america-ukraine-situation-military-industrial-complex/d/126318 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Planting Trees in Islam and Science: With a Special Focus on A Forgotten Tree Called ‘Bremji Kul’ in an article By Mr. Iqbal Ahmad

A Forgotten Tree Brejmi Kul and Its Spiritual Links By New Age Islam Staff Writer Main Points · The value of tree planting has been demonstrated in both Islam and science, as mentioned by Mr. Iqbal Ahmed. · Bremji Kul, a magnificent ancient tree of Kashmir has been mostly associated with Sufi saints, who used to meditate under its shade. · Herbalists say that Bremji Kul has medical importance as well; they say that the fruit of this tree is sweet and edible, and can be eaten raw, or cooked. · The Prophet [peace be upon him] emphasises the value of tree planting, declaring that it is a means of obtaining the reward of charitable giving. · The essay of Mr. Iqbal Ahamd is unquestionably engaging and instructive for readers, and the author deserves praise for it. ... It's terrible we aren't taking the necessary steps to save the world. The government has frequently warned that deforestation and the loss of greenery on the earth is one of the leading causes of pollution, but it persists. Greenery is diminishing as new cities are created. Forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate. Trees clean the air and absorb hazardous airborne particles and gaseous pollutants, and air pollution density can be reduced greatly if green trees are not cut down and new trees are planted, according to science. The value of tree planting has also been underlined in Islam, although we rarely pay heed to it. In the Prophet's hadiths, the Prophet emphasises the importance of tree planting. “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘It is a charitable offering when a Muslim plants a tree or grows crops and the birds, humans, or cattle eat from it,” Hadrat Anas b. Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says. [Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 2195, 2:817; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1553, 3:1189] According to Hazrat Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him): “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: ‘When a Muslim plants a tree and something is eaten of it, then it is a charity from him; anything which is stolen from it is also charity from him and what beasts feed on it is also a charitable donation. And the food that the birds eat is also a charitable donation to him. As a result, any losses will be included in charitable donations (since they help humans, animals, and birds).” In another tradition, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “That will be the charitable donation until the Day of Resurrection.” [Sahih Muslim, 3:1188 Hadith 1552] The value of trees can be seen in the fact that chopping trees is prohibited in Islam even during times of war and conflict. Said b. al-Musayyab (may Allah be pleased with him) recounted to Imam Bayhaqi that Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) would constantly tell the Islamic army as he deployed it for Jihad, “Do not drown or burn date-palm trees. Do not cut down a fruit-bearing tree. Do not demolish a church. And do not kill any children or old people or women….” [Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan Al Kubra 9:85 Hadith 17904] Around fourteen hundred years ago, Islam emphasised the necessity and usefulness of tree planting, and the importance of tree planting was later shown by scientific experiments and observations. In other words, the value of tree planting has been demonstrated in both Islam and science, as mentioned by Mr. Iqbal Ahmed in the following article. However, the author devotes special emphasis to the historical and spiritual significance of the Bremji Kul tree, demonstrating how closely it has been linked to Sufi saints. The author references Sufis in this article as noting that Sufis used to practise acts of prayer and meditation under trees like Bremji Kul, emphasising the significance of such trees. Although the practise of putting trees on the graves of Sufis and even in village common graveyards is centuries old, the author has underlined its significance in the special context of Kashmir. This essay is unquestionably engaging and instructive for readers, and the author deserves praise for it. By New Age Islam Staff Writer ... Bremji Kul: A Forgotten Tree Mostly Associated With Sufi Saints, Who Used To Meditate Under Its Shade By Iqbal Ahmad "This tree does not grow so tall, and while growing it takes an umbrella shape and gives a cool shade."Author ------- Bremji Kul, a magnificent ancient tree of Kashmir has almost been extinguished from its traditional habitats, and its traces are rarely seen in Kashmir now. This tree has been available in few varieties, and was mostly grown in graveyards, and also adjacent to Sufi tombs. It has a slow, yet certain growth. This tree does not grow so tall, and while growing it takes an umbrella shape and gives a cool shade. Its characteristic feature is that its wood and roots are so soft and cool that in ancient times it was preferred to be planted in graveyards with the belief that its shade and roots would help in providing a cool and peaceful environment to the coffins buried in the graves. This tree was hardly grown anywhere except adjacent to the tombs of Sufi saints and Muslim graveyards. Why this tree was not so commonly grown at other places. Peerzada Mohammad Shabir, a Sufi priest, has got a view; he says that ‘during the ancient period several kinds of trees like Bremji and Chinar were not planted for commercial purpose, but for attaining spiritual deeds. Such trees were highly revered by Kashmiris and they would hardly cut them for the purpose of firewood or any other commercial purpose. The Sufi priest says that the Bremji tree has been the most revered tree, this tree has been mostly associated with Sufi saints, who used to meditate under the shade of this tree. In fact, you will find this tree standing mostly in the old places associated with any Sufi saint or his tomb. Maulana Noorud Din, another Sufi scholar, says that planting green trees in the graveyards is one of the Sunnah (traditions) of Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon Him). He said the Syed missionaries who arrived here in the 14th century AD to spread the message of Islam while following the traditions of the Prophet planted green and cool trees in their graveyards. The tradition was later on adopted by disciples as well, who not only meditated under the green trees but also planted these trees in their respective graveyards. While elaborating his point of view Maulana says that there is a Hadith documented in Muslim scripts which states that once Prophet Mohammad (May peace be upon Him) was travelling with his friends. He (SAW) reached a graveyard, where he observed a man in the grave in severe pain and distress. The Prophet (SAW) asked for a few green branches of palm trees that were made available to Him. Prophet planted the branches over the grave and later in his brief address to his companions said; since the man in this grave was in pain and distress and these green branches would provide him certain relief. Later on, this became the Muslim tradition, which also reached Kashmir. However, as no palm trees were grown here as such the Sufi missionaries’ preferred the Bremji tree which carried its distinctive feature of being cool and soft. In fact, few specimens of this tree are still seen in olden Mazar's (graveyards) of the valley. The historical graveyards of Malkha, Mazari Qalan, Mazari Salateen and other olden graveyards of Kashmir exhibit a few rare and age-old magnificent Bremji trees. One of the European travellers, Sir Walter R Lawrence in his monumental book The Valley of Kashmir has also provided a description of this rare tree. He writes that the Bremji is usually found in graveyards and in the vicinity of shrines, where it sometimes grows to a magnificent tree. Interestingly he has measured one such tree at Andrahama Lolab, which has measured at 5ft from the ground, a circumference of 9 feet 3 inches. He also speaks of it as a soft and cool tree. Bremji, scientifically known as ‘Celtis australis’, is learnt to grow more common in cooler climates. Its bark is smooth and grey, almost elephantine. The alternate leaves are narrow and sharp-toothed, rugose above and tomentose below, 5–15 cm long and dark grey/green throughout the year, fading to a pale yellow before falling in autumn. The apetalous wind-pollinated flowers, the fruit is small, dark-purple berry-like drupe, 1 cm wide, hanging in short clusters, and is extremely popular with birds. Scientists say that the plant prefers light well-drained (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, including those nutritionally poor; it can tolerate drought but not shade. They further say that the Mediterranean climate is especially suitable for the plant. Interestingly, the scientist’s view is no such different from Sufi’s experiences they say it is often planted as an ornamental as it is resistant to air pollution, and is long-living. This may be the other reason why it has been preferred in graveyards. Herbalists say that this tree has medical importance as well; they say that the fruit of this tree is sweet and edible, and can be eaten raw, or cooked. The leaves and fruit are astringent, lenitive and stomachic. Decoction of both leaves and fruit is used in the treatment of amenorrhoea, heavy menstrual and inter-menstrual bleeding and colic. The decoction can also be used as an astringent for the mucous membranes in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery and peptic ulcers. Indeed, this kind of tree has been very useful in terms of its spiritual and scientific merits, but unfortunately has almost been forgotten; it is hardly now grown anywhere in this land of Rishis and Sufis. The standing evidence of this tree is fast vanishing from the old and historic graveyards. Since the tradition of planting trees for attaining spiritual favours has almost declined, and planting of trees has turned now into a commercial business, so only such varieties of trees grown in different nurseries have got commercial value. In fact, Kashmir nurseries and plant growers have also turned indifferent to this kind of tree. They do not prefer such plants in their respective nurseries. “We deal only with commercial plants and grow only those plants which are in demand in the market,’ said the proprietor of one of the nurseries in Kashmir. He further said that ‘we grow different kinds of fruit and popular plants as these are being planted in heavy numbers in Kashmiri orchards and vacant lands’. The plant growers and the government agencies involved in plantation drive should not forget the traditional trees altogether but shall also provide certain space to local plants in their farms, and nurseries. Though carrying such a cultural, scientific and environmental importance this tree has altogether been neglected here. Although thousands of plants of various kinds of trees are every year planted on the vacant lands of the Kashmir valley, not a single plant of any traditional tree of Kashmir is being planted anywhere, which is grave negligence on part of agencies involved in social forestry. ... Courtesy: Greater Kashmir ... URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/planting-trees-islam-science-bremji-kul/d/126317 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism