And He created horses and mules and asses for you to ride, and also for your adornment. And He creates many things (for you) that you do not even know about. Al-Qur’an (16:8)
In this verse Allah (ST) mentions the animals used as means of transportation at the time of revelation. There is an indication about other means of transportation in the second part of this verse, which the earlier addressees of Qur’an were not aware of. If they were told that in future there will be cars, trains, airplanes as means of transportation, they would not have comprehended it. So Allah (ST) left it as an indication for future time that there will be more innovations in means of transportation which you know not yet. This will encompass all innovations in means of transportation until the last day. All other technologies are also included in this verse, because they are directly or indirectly applied in the advancement of transportation modes.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Muslim's Duty towards Khilafa
As a Muslim, we are khalifa of Allah (ST) on earth. In order to carry out this noblest cause, Islam demands from Muslims all over the world to unite under a central authority to establish rule of Allah on earth. We call this central authority of Muslims as khilafa. Muslim cannot matter unless they have unusual love for their great predecessors and Islam. Muslims individually have abundant Islamic knowledge, but lack the ambition towards establishing khilafa, although it is imperative. This is real cause of their humiliation. If we want help from Allah, we have to follow His command. Islam is universal religion and it cannot dominate unless it has central authority. Otherwise, Muslims are no more than cultural pockets. Muslims have great enthusiasm to learn Islamic sciences for personal satisfaction, but it has no effect on ummah unless they have the same enthusiasm to work for khilafa. The first work which Rasoolallah (SW) did in Madina was to establish a central authority and laid the foundation of khilafa. Rasoolallah (SW) would not migrate to Madina, had he not desired to establish Khilafa. Later the same tradition was carried over by companions of Rasoolallah (SW). Their zeal for working as khaleefa of Allah was so intense that Islam became a dominant force within 50 years. Their impact was so powerful that khilafa remained powerful here or there until last century. Islam entered in all parts of world to remain for ever. Mohammad Bin Qasim came to Sind which was part of India with his army of twelve thousand soldiers and established such a great system of justice under khilafa of Banu Abbas that local Hindus wept when he was recalled to Baghdad. Muslim traders used to come in the western coat of Malabar in India and with their bright character and upright dealing won the hearts of local populace that many became Muslims. One can still see their impact among the people of that region. Why those Muslims mattered, because they had the great satisfaction and pride that Khilafa (even with its shortcomings) was on their back. They had confidence in the lofty principals of Islam and they prided in being part of khilafa and a splendid ummah. One cannot command respect as a nation if this type of fervor is not there. This was such a zeal that scholars like Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, Imam Shaf’i, imam Ahmed, Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Imam Tirmizi, Nisai, Ibne Maja and Abu Daud etc. could passionately concentrate in the development of Fiqh and Hadeeth for the service of Deene Islam. Despite their differences with rulers of their times, they still valued the blessings of khilafa. They confronted and admonished the rulers to remain within the bound and scope of khilafa as propounded Allah (ST) and practiced by Rasoolallah (SW) and Khulafa alRashideen.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Refutation of Christian and Jews allegation about Holy Qur’an
The Holy Qur’an corrects Bible in many places is a proof that Holy Qur’an is pure revelation of Allah (ST) sent to His prophet Mohammad (PBUH) by angel Gibrael (AS). It also refutes the claim by Jews and Christian scholars that many biblical narrations are copied in Holy Qur’an. The fact that stories of most prophets are mentioned both in Holy Qur’an and Bible should not be a surprise, because the source of all the divine scriptures is Allah (ST). Holy Qur’an puts these narrations historically in correct perspective also proves that Bible has been altered by interpolation, extrapolations, additions and subtractions for any wastage reason by their scholars. Qur’an is pure from these as Allah (ST) has said in Qur’an, “verily We revealed this Book and it is We who will preserve it.” Therefore, Qur’anic account is the authentic account and should be taken as the only reference when comparing the two. We find the story of prophet Joseph (Surah Yousuf) as one example. The Bible describes the king in the time of prophet Joseph as Firaun (Pharoh), whereas Holy Qur’an describes him as Malik (King), which is historically correct. The following reference from The Meaning of Holy Qur’an by S. Abul A’la Maududi will shed light to this account:
Historical and Geographical Background
The following historical and geographical details will help understand the story:
Prophet Joseph was a son of Prophet Jacob and a grandson of Prophet Isaac and a great grandson of Prophet Abraham (Allah’s peace be upon them all). The Bible says (and the allusions in the Quran also confirm this) that Prophet Jacob had twelve sons from four wives. Prophet Joseph and his younger brother Benjamin were from one wife and the other ten from the other wives. Prophet Jacob had settled at Hebron (Palestine) where his father Prophet Isaac and before him Prophet Abraham lived and owned a piece of land at Shechem as well.
According to the research scholars of the Bible, Prophet Joseph was born in or about 906 B. C. and the incident with which this story begins happened in or about 890 B. C. He was seventeen when he saw the dream and was thrown into the well. This well was near Dothan to the north of Shechem according to Biblical and Talmudic traditions, and the caravan, which took him out of the well, was coming from Gilead (Trans-Jordan), and was on its way to Egypt.
At that time Fifteenth Dynasty ruled over Egypt, whose rulers are known in history as the Hyksos kings. They belonged to the Arab race, but had migrated from Palestine and Syria to Egypt in or about 2000 B. C. and taken possession of the country. The Arab historians and the commentators of the Quran have given them the name of Amaliq (the Amalekites), and this has been corroborated by the recent researches made by the Egyptologists. They were foreign invaders who had got the opportunity of establishing their kingdom because of the internal feuds in the country. That is why there was no prejudice in the way of Prophet Joseph’s ascendancy to power and in the subsequent settlement of the Children of Israel in the most fertile region of Egypt. They could gain that power and influence which they did, because they belonged to the same race as the foreign rulers of Egypt.
The Hyksos ruled over Egypt up to the end of the fifteenth century B. C., and practically all the powers remained in the hands of the Israelites. The Quran has made a reference to this in v. 20 of Al-Ma’idah: “…He raised Prophets among you and made you rulers.” Then there arose a great nationalist movement which overthrew the power of this dynasty and exiled 250,000 or so of the Amalekites. As a result of this, a very bigoted dynasty of Copts came into power and uprooted everything connected with the Amalekites. Then started that persecution of the Israelites which has been mentioned in connection with the story of Prophet Moses.
We also learn from the history of Egypt that the “Hyksos kings” did not acknowledge the gods of Egypt and, therefore, had imported their own gods from Syria, with a view to spreading their own religion in Egypt. This is the reason why the Quran has not called the king who was the contemporary of Prophet Joseph by the title of “Pharaoh,” because this title was associated with the religion of the original people of Egypt and the Hyksos did not believe in it, but the Bible erroneously calls him “Pharaoh.” It appears that the editors of the Bible had the misunderstanding that all the kings of Egypt were “Pharaohs.”
The modern research scholars who have made a comparative study of the Bible and the Egyptian history are generally of the opinion that Apophis was the Hyksos king, who was the contemporary of Prophet Joseph.
At that time Memphis was the capital of Egypt, whose ruins are still found on the Nile at a distance of 4 miles south of Cairo. When Prophet Joseph was taken there, he was 17 or 18 years old. He remained in the house of Aziz for three years and spent nine years in prison, and then became the ruler of the land at the age of thirty and ruled over Egypt independently for eighty years. In the ninth or tenth year of his rule he sent for his father, Prophet Jacob, to come from Palestine to Egypt with all the members of his family and, according to the Bible, settled them in the land of Goshen, where they lived up to the time of Prophet Moses. The Bible says that before his death, Prophet Joseph bound his kindred by an oath: “when you return from this country to the house of your forefathers you must take my bones out of this country with you. So he died a hundred and ten years old, and they embalmed him…”
Though the story of Prophet Joseph as given in the Quran differs very much in its details from that given in the Bible and the Talmud, the Three generally agree in regard to its component parts. The Holy Qur’an is indeed a blessing to whole mankind as our beloved prophet (SA) is mercy to whole mankind. It is also a special blessing for Jews and Christians in that it puts the facts back to its correct perspectives, which were otherwise corrupted by their scholars.
Historical and Geographical Background
The following historical and geographical details will help understand the story:
Prophet Joseph was a son of Prophet Jacob and a grandson of Prophet Isaac and a great grandson of Prophet Abraham (Allah’s peace be upon them all). The Bible says (and the allusions in the Quran also confirm this) that Prophet Jacob had twelve sons from four wives. Prophet Joseph and his younger brother Benjamin were from one wife and the other ten from the other wives. Prophet Jacob had settled at Hebron (Palestine) where his father Prophet Isaac and before him Prophet Abraham lived and owned a piece of land at Shechem as well.
According to the research scholars of the Bible, Prophet Joseph was born in or about 906 B. C. and the incident with which this story begins happened in or about 890 B. C. He was seventeen when he saw the dream and was thrown into the well. This well was near Dothan to the north of Shechem according to Biblical and Talmudic traditions, and the caravan, which took him out of the well, was coming from Gilead (Trans-Jordan), and was on its way to Egypt.
At that time Fifteenth Dynasty ruled over Egypt, whose rulers are known in history as the Hyksos kings. They belonged to the Arab race, but had migrated from Palestine and Syria to Egypt in or about 2000 B. C. and taken possession of the country. The Arab historians and the commentators of the Quran have given them the name of Amaliq (the Amalekites), and this has been corroborated by the recent researches made by the Egyptologists. They were foreign invaders who had got the opportunity of establishing their kingdom because of the internal feuds in the country. That is why there was no prejudice in the way of Prophet Joseph’s ascendancy to power and in the subsequent settlement of the Children of Israel in the most fertile region of Egypt. They could gain that power and influence which they did, because they belonged to the same race as the foreign rulers of Egypt.
The Hyksos ruled over Egypt up to the end of the fifteenth century B. C., and practically all the powers remained in the hands of the Israelites. The Quran has made a reference to this in v. 20 of Al-Ma’idah: “…He raised Prophets among you and made you rulers.” Then there arose a great nationalist movement which overthrew the power of this dynasty and exiled 250,000 or so of the Amalekites. As a result of this, a very bigoted dynasty of Copts came into power and uprooted everything connected with the Amalekites. Then started that persecution of the Israelites which has been mentioned in connection with the story of Prophet Moses.
We also learn from the history of Egypt that the “Hyksos kings” did not acknowledge the gods of Egypt and, therefore, had imported their own gods from Syria, with a view to spreading their own religion in Egypt. This is the reason why the Quran has not called the king who was the contemporary of Prophet Joseph by the title of “Pharaoh,” because this title was associated with the religion of the original people of Egypt and the Hyksos did not believe in it, but the Bible erroneously calls him “Pharaoh.” It appears that the editors of the Bible had the misunderstanding that all the kings of Egypt were “Pharaohs.”
The modern research scholars who have made a comparative study of the Bible and the Egyptian history are generally of the opinion that Apophis was the Hyksos king, who was the contemporary of Prophet Joseph.
At that time Memphis was the capital of Egypt, whose ruins are still found on the Nile at a distance of 4 miles south of Cairo. When Prophet Joseph was taken there, he was 17 or 18 years old. He remained in the house of Aziz for three years and spent nine years in prison, and then became the ruler of the land at the age of thirty and ruled over Egypt independently for eighty years. In the ninth or tenth year of his rule he sent for his father, Prophet Jacob, to come from Palestine to Egypt with all the members of his family and, according to the Bible, settled them in the land of Goshen, where they lived up to the time of Prophet Moses. The Bible says that before his death, Prophet Joseph bound his kindred by an oath: “when you return from this country to the house of your forefathers you must take my bones out of this country with you. So he died a hundred and ten years old, and they embalmed him…”
Though the story of Prophet Joseph as given in the Quran differs very much in its details from that given in the Bible and the Talmud, the Three generally agree in regard to its component parts. The Holy Qur’an is indeed a blessing to whole mankind as our beloved prophet (SA) is mercy to whole mankind. It is also a special blessing for Jews and Christians in that it puts the facts back to its correct perspectives, which were otherwise corrupted by their scholars.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Sincerity
by Mawlana Hashim Muhammad
“Mawlana Shabbir Ahmad Uthmani rahmatullahi alayh used to say that if what a person says is ‘haq’ (truth), his intentions are ‘haq’ (sincere) and the method he uses is also ‘haq’, it will definitely have an effect on the listener.
As a poet says:
Words that come from the heart, effect the heart.
“Mawlana Shabbir Ahmad Uthmani rahmatullahi alayh used to say that if what a person says is ‘haq’ (truth), his intentions are ‘haq’ (sincere) and the method he uses is also ‘haq’, it will definitely have an effect on the listener.
As a poet says:
Words that come from the heart, effect the heart.
Real Loss
by Mawlana Hashim Muhammad
“When we see our friends incurring spiritual loss due to omitting fara’idh or sunan, why do we not stop them or advise them? If we were to see them suffering worldly loss or if we were to see them falling into harm’s way, would immediately stop them.
We would immediately warn someone who was walking in the dark of the night and heading towards a ditch. If even a pound coin were to fall out of someone’s pocket we would stop and inform him.
However, when it comes to Deeni issues we do not do the same. One of the main reasons is that we do not see Deeni loss as a real loss. It is not that we don’t have feelings for our fellow brothers, our problem is we don’t understand what loss and gain truly are.”
“When we see our friends incurring spiritual loss due to omitting fara’idh or sunan, why do we not stop them or advise them? If we were to see them suffering worldly loss or if we were to see them falling into harm’s way, would immediately stop them.
We would immediately warn someone who was walking in the dark of the night and heading towards a ditch. If even a pound coin were to fall out of someone’s pocket we would stop and inform him.
However, when it comes to Deeni issues we do not do the same. One of the main reasons is that we do not see Deeni loss as a real loss. It is not that we don’t have feelings for our fellow brothers, our problem is we don’t understand what loss and gain truly are.”
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Health and Illness
The great Shaykh, Ashraf Ali Thanvi rahmatullahi alayh narrates that once he was sitting in the company of Shaykh, Haji Imdadullah rahamatullahi alayh. Shaykh Imdadullah was discussing the benefits of illness at the time.
A man came into the gathering shortly after the conversation had ended and asked Shaykh Imadadullah to make dua for him. The man asked that he be granted cure from his illness.
Upon seeing this Shaykh Ashraf Ali, thought to himself that only a few minutes ago Haji saheb was explaining how illnesses are a gift from Allah. Now someone is requesting him to make dua for the removal of this gift.
Thus Shaykh Ashraf Ali watched carefully to ascertain what Shaykh Imdadullah’s reaction would be.
In response to the man’s request Shaykh Imadadullah immediately lifted his hands in prayer and said”:
O Allah, illness is a gift of yours but it is difficult to bear. So O Allah, replace this gift with another gift.
And that is the gift of health
A man came into the gathering shortly after the conversation had ended and asked Shaykh Imadadullah to make dua for him. The man asked that he be granted cure from his illness.
Upon seeing this Shaykh Ashraf Ali, thought to himself that only a few minutes ago Haji saheb was explaining how illnesses are a gift from Allah. Now someone is requesting him to make dua for the removal of this gift.
Thus Shaykh Ashraf Ali watched carefully to ascertain what Shaykh Imdadullah’s reaction would be.
In response to the man’s request Shaykh Imadadullah immediately lifted his hands in prayer and said”:
O Allah, illness is a gift of yours but it is difficult to bear. So O Allah, replace this gift with another gift.
And that is the gift of health
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Who were As’habe Kahaf (people of cave)?
There is difference of opinion among scholars about the time of As’habe kahaf. They are not mentioned in bible. In Ibn Katheer’s opinion, they were before sayeddina Isa (AS). However, most scholars agree that they were among the true followers of sayeddina Isa (AS) and believed in Tauheed. They used to live around 300 AD, in the city of Ephesus near the city of Izmir in modern day Turkey. The Roman emperor Decanus was very cruel, and forced these true believers to convert to paganism. According to some scholars, As’habe Kahaf were young people from aristocratic or ruling class families. When king Decanus heard about them, he ordered them to appear in his court for interrogation. They defended their belief boldly in front of the king that will surrender to none but Allah only. The king threatened them for the consequences, but gave them time to reconsider their faith. These young men thought only way to preserve their faith was to leave their city and hide in a mountain cave. When they entered in the cave, Allah put them to sleep with their dog and they remained in the state of sleep for three years. Their eyes were open during their sleep and occasionally they turned sides. Their dog stretched his forelegs as if a guard in sitting position at the cave entrance. The sunlight deflected in sideways not to disturb them and the whole scenario would strike one to terror.
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