Dear All,

This is my last article at Insta; I didn’t want though, but I am leaving this forum. I started here about 2 months back and was very excited and happy to be a part of this community. I tried to bridge the gap between the Islamic and the non- Islamic world, especially, I wanted to act as an envoy of peace and love between India and Pakistan. Unfortunately, I have discovered that peoples’ hatred is much directed towards Muslims and Islam rather than terrorism itself, which is not a monopoly of any religion or nation. People have been hitting on Islam no matter how true and real a picture you represent them with. I tried to show the true picture because there are numerous misconceptions that people have about it which I tried to remove. Sad but true, I feel I have failed in my effort in removing any of them as people continue to associate terrorism with Islam. The western media deserves applause as there aim of damaging the image of Islam has been much successful. Here are some links that will tell you how rude and unfair people are towards Islam or Muslims. Islam is their target, not terrorism. http://gracieb.instablogs.com/entry/radical-islamism-islam-gone-bad/ , http://gracieb.instablogs.com/entry/islam-ruin-from-within/

It is easy to see what is happening on the out front and blame than to see the real picture not being biased. I tried to present the true picture of it Islam: http://fariha.instablogs.com/entry/what-is-islam/ , http://fariha.instablogs.com/entry/the-prince-of-wales-islam-and-the-west/ , http://fariha.instablogs.com/entry/the-love-story-of-a-black-slave/ , http://fariha.instablogs.com/entry/why-islam/
Yet those who have one sided view will never take it positively as has been proved by many.

My effort to bridge the gap between India and Pakistan especially has also gone in vain as some Indians have gone up to the level of calling Muslims as ‘Pigs’, ‘barbaric’ and ‘evil’. Some of them can never move on and will continue to rub the incidents of hundreds of years. Even if some sane and educated citizens would like to come closer, they will never let them do it as they are brimming with hatred and this is what they will inject to the younger generations as well.

There is no denying to the fact that some Muslims are involved in mal practices in certain parts of the world; all sensible Muslims condemn them, but what hurts the Muslims is that all crime is associated with them and others tend to be blind towards the madness and barbaric practices going on in the entire world. Their target is but Muslims alone. At such forum where these Muslims are condemned, some people find an outlet to give vent to their hatred against Islam and disrespect it to their best. I, personally, tried never to disregard any faith or any people, but there are a number of members who have do so to me and my faith. So I feel there is not much point of my continuing here as this forum is mostly belongs to the Non-Muslims world who do not want to accept Muslims no matter if they are envoy of peace or love… a very few have shown respect for Muslims or Islam.

Nevertheless, I found some great people here who are human enough to respect everyone. So adieu from me. The dignity of my Lord is dearer to me. I will miss insta. and some good friends that I made here. Yet I feel most people are blind and full of hatred. We should all live with the ones of our like. Blind lives with blind and those with sight live with the same.

Though some Hindus and Christians have thoroughly disregarded Islam, yet I will not reciprocated the same to them. Islam teaches me to profess peace; so here I leave in peace and best wished for you all. I am also migrating abroad from where I thought I would continue to write, but this bitter experience here has shaken me.

May Allah show us all light and true guidance and teach us to be human. Ameen.

Best Regards,

The Last Sermon of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is guidance, light and a message not only for the Muslims but the entire mankind as he (PBUH) addressed the audience as “O People” not only as “O Muslims”. This sermon is poignant with wisdom and guidance. It is the crux all his teachings. He also stressed that anyone who comes across this message must communicate it to others.

I feel there is dire need of spreading this message to the Muslims and the non-Muslims alike as it has a solution for all the problems that our world is facing, including terrorism.

What is Islam? This question bugs many as they see Islamophobia gaining popularity and at the same time, countless people turning to Islam as well. Here is the basic meaning and framework of Islam for the convenience of the confused, annoyed or curious readers.

Islam is derived from the Arabic root “Salema”: peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law. A Muslim is the one who submits his will to God and testifies “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) is His Messenger”. There are between 1 billion and 1.8 billion Muslims, making Islam the second-largest religion in the world, after Christianity.

Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad (PBUH), God’s final prophet, and regard the Qur’an and the Sunnah (words and deeds of Prophet PBUH)) as the fundamental sources of Islam. They do not regard Muhammad as the founder of a new religion, but as the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets.

Articles of Faith
1. A Muslim believes in One God. He is Eternal, Infinite and Mighty, Merciful; the Creator of everything and everyone. He has no father nor mother, no sons nor daughters. He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered. None is equal to Him. God commands people to know Him, love Him and to enforce His Law for their own benefit.

2. A Muslim believes in all the Messengers and Prophets of God without any discrimination. All messengers were mortals, human beings, endowed with Divine revelations and appointed by Allah to guide mankind. The message of all of them is the same: to submit our will to Him and to obey his law i.e, to become a Muslim.

3. A Muslim believes in all scriptures and revelations of God, as they were complete and in their original versions. The Quran refers to the books revealed to Abrahim, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad. These books do not exist in their original form now; they are either lost, corrupted or concealed. Today the Quran is the only authentic and complete book of God. No scholar has ever questioned its originality and it’s the same as it was 1400 years ago. Muslims till today memorize the Quran word by word as a whole or in part.

4. A Muslim believes in the angels of God. They are creation of Allah and spend their time in His service.

5. A Muslim believes in the Day of Judgment. Everyone will be raised on this day and will be held responsible for his/ her deeds. They will be rewarded with Paradise or punished in hell according to what they have earned on fair basis by Him.

6. A Muslim believes in predestination. In accordance with the Islamic belief in predestination, or divine preordainment, God has full knowledge and control over all that occurs.

Application of Faith

1. Prayer
Prayer is considered as the meeting of man with God. It is compulsory five times a day but flexibility in the specifics is allowed depending on circumstances.

2. Fasting
The objective of Fasting is to induce piety within the believers. It means to abstain from indulging in all sorts of evil activities besides refraining from eating, drinking, intimate sexual contact and smoking from the break of dawn until sunset. It teaches patience, unselfishness, moderation, willpower, discipline, spirit of social belonging, unity and brotherhood. Obligatory Fasting is done once a year for the period of the month of Ramadan.

3. Obligatory Charity or Zakat
The literal meaning of Zakat is to “purify.” It refers to a certain amount that a Muslim is obliged to give to the deserving. This purifies the heart and wealth of the believer. Other than obligatory charity, Muslims are told to give whatever they have in excess to the need and the deserving.

4. The Pilgrimage (Hajj)
It is a pilgrimage to Mekkah, at least once in a lifetime and it is obligatory upon every Muslim male and female who has the means to do so.

Islam: a Code of Life

1. Spiritual Life
Spiritual life in Islam implies love for God and His Messenger (PBUH), following the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), love for truth and humanity, complete trust and reliance on Allah and doing all good for Him alone.

2. Intellectual Life
Islam encourages faith in Allah on the basis of knowledge and research. Quran invites the readers to reflect on the outward as well as signs of Allah within oneself.

3. Personal and Family Life
This includes purity, healthy diet, proper clothing, noble behavior and healthy sexual relations within marriage. A family is an institution and each member of the family has certain rights and obligations. Marriage is a religious duty on those who can meet the responsibilities.

5. Social Life
Man is commanded by Allah to extend his maximum help and kindness to other family members, relations, servants and neighbors. No superiority on account of class, color, origin or wealth.

6. Economical Life
Earning one’s living through honest means is not only a duty, but a great virtue in Islam.

7. Political Life

The sovereignty in the Islamic State belongs to God. Power in a trust of Allah. The ruler is only an acting manager chosen by the people to serve them according to God’s law. The State is to govern with justice and provide security to all citizens. Non Muslims have all the right to practice their faiths and live as they please in their personal life of marriage, worship, divorce, foods etc.

The Concept of Jihad

This term is much misunderstood by the non-Muslim world as well as by some Muslims themselves. Jihad means to “strife” in the cause of God. It has various modes: jihad with the pen, jihad with money etc. Strife within oneself is the greatest form of jihad in Islam. Jihad by sword is also allowed but only if a Muslim is left with no choice to practice his faith. Jihad has many other levels as well. If a Muslim takes care of orphans or widows, it is also jihad. If he takes care of his old or sick parents, that is also given the status of jihad.

Conclusion

Theoretically anyone who recites the Testimony “There is none worthy of Worship but Allah and Muhammed (PBUH) is Allah’s Messenger” is a Muslim. However, in the real sense a true Muslim is the one who fulfills all the requirements mentioned.

Islam is generally perceived as a very rigid and strict faith, whereas it is the opposite. God is most forgiving and merciful in Islam.

Allah says: “O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it.” Hadith

Islam has immense scope for forgiveness. As far as strict social laws are concerned, they are to ensure social and individual safety. For example, a rapist cannot be forgiven a hundred times, giving him margin for attempting another hundred rapes. Islam is love, humanism, righteousness, modernism, liberalism and common sense at its best.

This is only a sketch of what Islam is all about. However, to get to know in detail about it one needs to study the Quran, the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his sayings.

Pakistan and India celebrate their Independence Day on 14th and 15th of August respectively. In 1947, these two states won their freedom from the British occupation after countless sacrifices and untiring efforts.

Our generation can probably never know what freedom is since they have never undergone the reverse circumstances. May be the people of Afghanistan and Iraq can better tell the worth of independence. However, all we know is that our forefathers made immense sacrifices to win these lands to secure our rights and identities. Today we owe these homelands to the blood of the martyrs who gave in their lives to secure the generations to follow.

As we celebrate the freedom of Pakistan and India, we must look forward to make peace between our nations. There are those who would always keep rubbing the incidents of independence and promote ill feelings among people who were not even a part of the havoc at that time. Each side has its own version of the story and the only way for us to move towards a happy and healthy sub-continent is to view each other as human first of all before Pakistanis or Indians. The blood on both sides of the border is as sacred and holy. The children on the other side of the border are as innocent and pure. What we practice today will be reflected in our generations to follow.

Today, let us put aside the political elements and embrace each other and celebrate our freedom. No faith is greater than humanity so let us practice that and profess the same to our children. Indians and Pakistanis are a part of each other as they were always. I remember my grandmother telling me stories when we lived like brothers and sisters. Much hatred and ill feelings were injected among us by political and religious bodies who exploited the innocent people for their own benefit.

Let us free our hearts of what was never in there and dance to the beat of freedom together…

JAI HIND and PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!!!

Completely and blissfully oblivious of what Musharraf’s fate would be, what Zardari said, how many people died in the northern areas or where are the terrorist hiding, children continue to sing and prepare to celebrate Independence Day in the midst of the chaos within Pakistan. “Dil dil Pakistan, Jan jan Pakistan, Pakistan Zindabad…” (Our heart is Pakistan, our life is Pakistan, long live Pakistan), I can hear them singing and shouting in the streets as they get ready to rejoice their freedom after two days. They are collecting paper flags, stickers, wearing wrist and head bans, decorating their bicycles and homes with the national flag.

Ignorance is bliss especially when nothing seems to be going in the right direction. These children are least concerned about the mounting prices of fuel and other goods of necessity… Ye watan humara hai, hum hein pasban is kay, they continue to sing.

Seeing them in their blissful happiness, I can remember when I was one of them and would put a flag on my bicycle and decorated my house with stripes of paper flags. Adulthood is not as exciting as I thought it would be… its too hard to be unmindful of the ugly realities around me, but I am trying to join the party of the innocent and run around with joy this time. Why can’t we forget what is happening for a while? Why can’t we just be happy in the very moment? Why can’t we be as happy as the kids…? With each new day, I find the adult world too ugly, unbecoming and unappealing and I long to return to my childhood. I miss the undisturbed joy and excitement of things which are so trivial and time wasting to the adults.

This Independence Day, I have chosen to be return to my childhood and be a part of the joy brimming on the streets. I set myself free from the clutches of adulthood and become truly independent... as independent as children who are screaming with joy outside “Happy Independence Day, Happy Independence Day… We are free, we are free.”

Today I will run with them and celebrate my freedom… independence from adulthood “I AM FREE, I AM FREE!!!”

The dream of Pakistan, a separate homeland for the Muslims, was first envisioned by Allama Iqbal. Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1877 - 1938) was a Muslim poet, Sufi, philosopher and politician born in Sialkot, British India. His poetry in Urdu and Persian is considered to be among the greatest of the modern era. His vision of an independent state for the Muslims of British India was to
inspire the creation of Pakistan.

After studying in England and Germany, Iqbal established a law practice, but concentrated primarily on writing scholarly works on politics, economics, history, philosophy and religion. Iqbal was a strong proponent of the political and spiritual revival of Islamic civilisation across the world, but specifically in India; a series of famous lectures he delivered to this effect were published as The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam. He has inspired Muslims with the realization of life and urged them for self-reform and self-actualization by searching for their khudi or self.

Your prayer cannot change the Order of the Universe,
But it is possible that praying will alter your being;
If there is a revolution in your inner Self
It will not be strange, then, if the whole world changes too

Social and Political Aspect of Islam

He is known as The Thinker of Pakistan, The Poet of the East, The Sage of Ummah. In his speech, Iqbal emphasized that unlike Christianity, Islam came with “legal concepts” with “civic significance,” with its “religious ideals” considered as inseparable from social order:

“therefore, the construction of a policy on national lines, if it means a displacement of the Islamic principle of solidarity, is simply unthinkable to a Muslim.”

Rumi And Iqbal

Maulana Rumi and Iqbal communicated a shared message “learn to see and think in a new way.” As Suroosh Irfani writes:

“this message sums up an outlook of life as a forward assimilative movement, even as one remains rooted in an Islamic heritage. Indeed, the message arose in a historical context when old certainties were crumbling and the new were struggling to be born: Rumi lived at a time when the Muslim world was traumatised by Mongol invasions, while Iqbal’s was a time of awakening of the colonised masses that eventually led to the independence of India and Pakistan.”

The political system in Islam

a.Sovereignty of Allah which means supremacy of Shariah (Quran and Sunnah). The basic law of the state shall be based on the Quran and the Sunnah.
b.Government established by the free choice of the people.
c.Fundamental rights: All citizens should have human rights irrespective of gender or creed. The Islamic Constitutions of the world have a chapter on the Fundamental rights or Rights of the people which are available to all the citizens in the state.
d.Rule of Law and Independence of Judiciary are important points of Islamic political system.
e.Shura or consultation with the people and among the persons in the Government through various forum including Parliament is an important element in Islamic political theory.

Khilafat establishes the authority of Allah on earth, and the Khalifa (ruler) strives to uphold that authority within the community of followers. For the believers, Khilafat is an embodiment of Allah’s Unity, as they choose to take divine authority through the person of the Khalifa. The believers partake of the blessings of Khilafat by holding firm to their faith and practices, united under him.

The vision of Iqbal does come to life in the form of Pakistan, but by separating the Islamic social elements from government and politics, this country has lost the vision of its founders.

Someone said: “There is something I have forgotten.” Rumi replied: There is one thing in this world that must never be forgotten. If you were to forget all else, but did not forget that, then you would have no reason to worry. But if you performed and remembered everything else, yet forgot that one thing, then you would have done nothing whatsoever.

It is just as if a king sent you to the country to carry out a specific task. If you go and accomplish a hundred other tasks, but do not perform that particular task, then it is as though you performed nothing at all. So, everyone comes into this world for a particular task, and that is their purpose. If they do not perform it, then they will have done nothing.

All things are assigned a task. The heavens send rain and light for the herbs of the field to germinate and spring into life. The earth receives the seeds and bears fruit, it accepts and reveals a hundred thousand marvels too numerous to tell. The mountains give forth mines of gold and silver. All these things the heavens, the earth and the mountains do, yet they do not perform that one thing; that particular task is performed by us. “We offered the Trust to the heavens, The earth and the mountains, They refused to carry it and were afraid of it, But humans carried it. Surely they are foolish and sinful.”

So, people are given a task, and when they perform it all their sinfulness and foolishness is dissolved. You say, “Look at all the work I do accomplish, even if I do not perform that task.” You weren’t created for those other tasks! It is just as if you were given a sword of priceless Indian steel, such as can only be found in the treasuries of kings, and you were to treat it as a butcher’s knife for cutting up putrid meat, saying, “I am not letting this sword stand idle, I am using it in so many useful ways.” Or it is like taking a solid gold bowl to cook turnips in, when a single grain of that gold could buy a hundred pots. Or it is as if you took a Damascene dagger of the finest temper to hang a broken gourd from, saying, “I am making good use of it. I am hanging a gourd on it. I am not letting this dagger go to waste.” How foolish that would be! The gourd can hang perfectly well from a wooden or iron nail whose value is a mere farthing, so why use a dagger valued at a hundred pounds?

First he appeared in the realm inanimate;
Thence came into the world of plants and lived
The plant-life many a year, nor called to mind
What he had been; then took the onward way
To animal existence, and once more
Remembers naught of what life vegetive,
Save when he feels himself moved with desire
Towards it in the season of sweet flowers,
As babes that seek the breast and know not why.
Again the wise Creator whom thou knowest
Uplifted him from animality
To Man’s estate; and so from realm to realm
Advancing, he became intelligent,
Cunning and keen of wit, as he is now.
No memory of his past abides with him,
And from his present soul he shall be changes.
Though he is fallen asleep, God will not leave him
In this forgetfulness. Awakened, he
Will laugh to think what troublous dreams he had.
And wonder how his happy state of being
He could forget, and not perceive that all
Those pains and sorrows were the effect of sleep
And guile and vain illusion. So this world
Seems lasting, though ’tis but the sleepers’ dream;
Who, when the appointed Day shall dawn, escapes
From dark imaginings that haunted him,
And turns with laughter on his phantom griefs
When he beholds his everlasting home.

Rumi

India is true democracy as it allows all to practice and profess their faith and beliefs in the best possible way. Today, when the west is condemning and limiting the Muslims, India allows, in fact, supports Muslims to live their way. A living example is Dr. Zakir Naik.

In the heart of Mumbai, Dr. Zakir Naik professes the teachings of Islam in the most logical and appealing manner. Dr. Zakir Naik is renowned as a dynamic international orator on Islam and Comparative Religion. He clarifies Islamic viewpoints and clears misconceptions about Islam, using the Qur’an, authentic Hadith and other religious Scriptures as a basis, in conjunction with reason, logic and scientific facts.

Zakir is popular for his critical analysis and convincing answers to challenging questions posed by audiences after his public talks. He has delivered more than 1000 public talks in the U.S.A., Canada, U.K., Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, South Africa, Italy, Mauritius, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong, Thailand, Guyana (South America), Trinidad and many other countries, in addition to numerous public talks in India.

He has successfully participated in several symposia and dialogues with prominent personalities of other faiths. His public dialogue with Dr. William Campbell (of USA), on the topic, “The Qur’an and the Bible in the light of Science” held in city of Chicago, U.S.A., on April 1, 2000 was a resounding success. He has also had a public dialogue with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Here are some of the works by Zakir.

This is all owing to the true democracy of India which has set an example of respecting all human beings regardless of their faiths and ethnicities. I congratulate this country for its true goodness and liberty.

Popular interest in Islamic culture in Britain is growing fast.

The depressing fact is that, despite the advances in technology and mass communication of the second half of the 20th century, despite mass travel, the intermingling of races, the ever-growing reduction - or so we believe - of the mysteries of our world, misunderstandings between Islam and the West continue. Indeed, they may be growing. As far as the West is concerned, this cannot be because of ignorance. There are one billion Muslims worldwide. Many millions of them live in countries of the Commonwealth. Ten million or more of them live in the West, and around one million here in Britain. Our own Islamic community has been growing and flourishing for decades. There are nearly 500 mosques in Brtain. Popular interest in Islamic culture in Britain is growing fast. Many of you will recall - and I think some of you took part in - the wonderful Festival of Islam which Her Majesty The Queen opened in 1976. Islam is all around us. And yet distrust, even fear, persist.

Woman in Islam

We should also distinguish Islam from the customs of some Islamic states. Another obvious Western prejudice is to judge the position of women in Islamic society by the extreme cases. Yet Islam is not a monolith and the picture is not simple. Remember, if you will, that Islamic countries like Turkey, Egypt and Syria gave women the vote as early as Europe did its women - and much earlier than in Switzerland! In those countries women have long enjoyed equal pay, and the opportunity to play a full working role in their societies. The rights of Muslim women to property and inheritance, to some protection if divorced, and to the conducting of business, were rights prescribed by the Qur’an 1,400 years ago, even if they were not everywhere translated into practice. In Britain at least, some of these rights were novel even to my grandmother’s generation! Benazir Bhutto and Begum Khaleda Zia became prime ministers in their own traditional societies when Britain had for the first time ever in its history elected a female prime minister. That, I think, does not necessarily smack of a mediaeval society.

Islam nurtured and preserved the quest for learning
We have underestimated the importance of 800 years of Islamic society and culture in Spain between the 8th and 15th centuries. The contribution of Muslim Spain to the preservation of classical learning during the Dark Ages, and to the first flowerings of the Renaissance, has long been recognised. But Islamic Spain was much more than a mere larder where Hellenistic knowledge was kept for later consumption by the emerging modern Western world. Not only did Muslim Spain gather and preserve the intellectual content of ancient Greek and Roman civilisation, it also interpreted and expanded upon that civilisation, and made a vital contribution of its own in so many fields of human endeavour - in science, astronomy, mathematics, algebra (itself an Arabic word), law, history, medicine, pharmacology, optics, agriculture, architecture, theology, music. Averroes and Avenzoor, like their counterparts Avicenna and Rhazes in the East, contributed to the study and practice of medicine in ways from which Europe benefited for centuries afterwards.

Islam nurtured and preserved the quest for learning.In the words of the tradition, ‘the ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr’. Cordoba in the 10th century was by far the most civilised city of Europe. We know of lending libraries in Spain at the time King Alfred was making terrible blunders with the culinary arts in this country. It is said that the 400,000 volumes in its ruler’s library amounted to more books than all the libraries of the rest of Europe put together. That was made possible because the Muslim world acquired from China the skill of making paper more than 400 years before the rest of non-Muslim Europe. Many of the traits on which modern Europe prides itself came to it from Muslim Spain. Diplomacy, free trade, open borders, the techniques of academic research, of anthropology, etiquette, fashion, various types of medicine, hospitals, all came from this great city of cities.

Medieval Islam was a religion of remarkable tolerance

Medieval Islam was a religion of remarkable tolerance for its time, allowing Jews and Christians the right to practise their inherited beliefs, and setting an example which was not, unfortunately, copied for many centuries in the West. The surprise, ladies and gentlemen, is the extent to which Islam has been a part of Europe for so long, first in Spain, then in the Balkans, and the extent to which it has contributed so much towards the civilisation which we all too often think of, wrongly, as entirely Western. Islam is part of our past and our present, in all fields of human endeavour. It has helped to create modern Europe. It is part of our own inheritance, not a thing apart.

An excerpt from a speech by HRH The Prince of Wales titled ‘Islam and the West’ at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies , The Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford
27th October 1993