Vajpayee's musings
Sir, - The happy New Year message in the article titled ``My musings from Kumarakom'' by the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, is interesting and thought-provoking.
His expressions for solving the problems of the country, particularly Jammu and Kashmir and Ayodhya disputes, reflect the long-cherished wishes and aspirations of the Indian people.
Actually these are the national sentiments which should be honestly implemented without allowing any communal ideology to raise its ugly head and ruin the nation so that as he most aptly points out ``it can pursue its developmental agenda for the future with single-minded determination.''
Our country craves for peace which is in danger now because of the irrational approaches of communal and extremist outfits which take pride in slogans and not solutions for political advantage.
The government should maintain law and order and protect the rule of law without allowing jungle law to prevail anywhere in the country.
As regards the Babri Masjid dispute, Mr. Vajpayee says ``there are only two ways to resolve this contentious issue: the judicial route or the route of negotiations leading to a mutually acceptable solution.''
The judicial route is understandable but not the other one - a negotiated settlement. The dispute is a national one which should be settled in a justifiable manner getting appreciation from all who witnessed the uncivilised demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 in blatant violation of the rule of law and the Constitution.
It is not a Hindu-Muslim issue. It is an issue between law- abiders and law-breakers. Hence Hindus and Muslims cannot be considered the rival parties and asked to arrive at a negotiated settlement. It is neither possible nor desirable.
There is an urgent need for the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties to sit together and settle this dispute or at least agree to abide by and implement the judiciary's verdict, whatever it might be, jointly. There is no possibility of this problem being solved without their joint efforts. This issue should be de-politicised first and considered national. Let the Prime Minister take the initiative for this and do the needful.
V. M. Khaleelur Rahman,
Chennai (The Hindu dated 6th January 2001)
Saturday, August 2, 2008
ID-UL-AZHA - FESTIVAL OF SACRIFICE
Festival of sacrifice
The festival Id-ul-Azha, popularly known as Bakrid, is celebrated on the 10th day of Zul Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, in memory of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (Alaihis salam- AS) who is said to have lived about 4,500 years ago. He was an embodiment of selfless sacrifice and deep devotion to Allah. Once he dreamt as if commanded by God, he was ready even to sacrifice his only son Hazrat Ismail (Ishmael) who was also all the more willing to give up his life as per divine order. But it was stopped as it was not what God wanted but he was only tested for his faithfulness and forbearance. In this connection the Holy Quran says in its inimitable expression that it is not the `flesh and blood' that reach God but the devotion one has for Him.
The most important aspect, associated with this festival, is the Haj pilgrimage to Makkah. It is one of the five `pillars' of Islam, the others being belief in God, prayer five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan and compulsory payment of 2.5 per cent called `Zakath' of one's assets to the poor and the needy. It was Prophet Ibrahim (AS) who built the `sacred refuge' of Makkah-based Kaba, "the first House of worship, full of blessings and guidance for all mankind" and "pilgrimage thereto once in one's life is a duty people who can afford it owe to God" — if one is physically and financially sound — according to Islamic yardstick.
The Islamic equality and brotherhood of mankind is manifest in the mammoth gathering of more than two million Haj pilgrims. The Holy Quran says: "O People! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and female and made you into nations and tribes only for the sake of identification and knowing one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is pious and God-fearing." (Al Hujurat 49:13)
It also says, "God does not love the proud ones" and Prophet Mohammed's (Sal-am) warning is that "he who has a grain of pride in his/her heart will not enter heaven." A Haji — one who returns after Haj pilgrimage — is expected to be as innocent as a child without enemies from within such as envy, greed and ill-will.
The festival Id-ul-Azha, popularly known as Bakrid, is celebrated on the 10th day of Zul Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, in memory of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (Alaihis salam- AS) who is said to have lived about 4,500 years ago. He was an embodiment of selfless sacrifice and deep devotion to Allah. Once he dreamt as if commanded by God, he was ready even to sacrifice his only son Hazrat Ismail (Ishmael) who was also all the more willing to give up his life as per divine order. But it was stopped as it was not what God wanted but he was only tested for his faithfulness and forbearance. In this connection the Holy Quran says in its inimitable expression that it is not the `flesh and blood' that reach God but the devotion one has for Him.
The most important aspect, associated with this festival, is the Haj pilgrimage to Makkah. It is one of the five `pillars' of Islam, the others being belief in God, prayer five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan and compulsory payment of 2.5 per cent called `Zakath' of one's assets to the poor and the needy. It was Prophet Ibrahim (AS) who built the `sacred refuge' of Makkah-based Kaba, "the first House of worship, full of blessings and guidance for all mankind" and "pilgrimage thereto once in one's life is a duty people who can afford it owe to God" — if one is physically and financially sound — according to Islamic yardstick.
The Islamic equality and brotherhood of mankind is manifest in the mammoth gathering of more than two million Haj pilgrims. The Holy Quran says: "O People! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and female and made you into nations and tribes only for the sake of identification and knowing one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is pious and God-fearing." (Al Hujurat 49:13)
It also says, "God does not love the proud ones" and Prophet Mohammed's (Sal-am) warning is that "he who has a grain of pride in his/her heart will not enter heaven." A Haji — one who returns after Haj pilgrimage — is expected to be as innocent as a child without enemies from within such as envy, greed and ill-will.
Significance of Ramadan
Id-ul-Fitr or Ramadan Id is celebrated as a day of thanksgiving to God after successful completion of the month-long fasting from dawn to dusk during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and on sighting the crescent moon of the 10th month called Shawwal. Ramadan is meant for fasting, worship and charity, and also for self-introspection for the purpose of purification of one's soul and body by giving up bad and attaining good things. The Holy Quran says, "Fasting is prescribed to you as it was to those before you so that you may learn self-restraint." Fasting brings people together and creates a sense of camaraderie among them. It inculcates in them righteous conduct, to be good people and brotherhood of man by eradicating evils such as anger, greed and malice.
Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) has said, "Do not belittle even the smallest act of kindness even if it is no more than meeting your neighbour with a smiling and cheerful face. We should not consider any charity small or not worth doing. Charity, big or small, should be given in a pleasant manner without hurting the feeling of its receivers and with the thought that we are only discharging a religious duty from the wealth God has given us." According to Islam even our day-to-day acts, like being kind to others at home and outside, are charity and it makes a big difference in our relations with them.
Once when Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) was on his way to Idgah for Id prayers, he saw a poor boy about five-years-old sitting on the pavement sadly. He went near him and asked, "Why are you alone here, my dear boy?" The boy started weeping and said, "I am an orphan with nobody to care for me." The Prophet could not bear the pathetic words of the poor boy and consoled him saying, "From now on you can look to me as your father and Ayesha as your mother," and returned home with him. When his wife Ayesha fed him and dressed him well for Id prayers the Prophet lifted him on his shoulders and said, "Ayesha, this is the happiest Id for me. I experience true happiness at the happiness of this little orphan boy." He was a great benefactor of humanity and his mission right from the beginning to end was to see that every individual maintained his self-respect free from any sort of slavery.
Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) has said, "Do not belittle even the smallest act of kindness even if it is no more than meeting your neighbour with a smiling and cheerful face. We should not consider any charity small or not worth doing. Charity, big or small, should be given in a pleasant manner without hurting the feeling of its receivers and with the thought that we are only discharging a religious duty from the wealth God has given us." According to Islam even our day-to-day acts, like being kind to others at home and outside, are charity and it makes a big difference in our relations with them.
Once when Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) was on his way to Idgah for Id prayers, he saw a poor boy about five-years-old sitting on the pavement sadly. He went near him and asked, "Why are you alone here, my dear boy?" The boy started weeping and said, "I am an orphan with nobody to care for me." The Prophet could not bear the pathetic words of the poor boy and consoled him saying, "From now on you can look to me as your father and Ayesha as your mother," and returned home with him. When his wife Ayesha fed him and dressed him well for Id prayers the Prophet lifted him on his shoulders and said, "Ayesha, this is the happiest Id for me. I experience true happiness at the happiness of this little orphan boy." He was a great benefactor of humanity and his mission right from the beginning to end was to see that every individual maintained his self-respect free from any sort of slavery.
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2006 ISSUE SENT ON 21-10-2006
EDITOR : V.M. KHALEELUR RAHMAN
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AMBUR MUSLIM EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY (AMES), AMBUR EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE - WOMEN SPECIAL -
IN THIS ISSUE: 1) EDITORIAL 2) ) ISLAM AND ITS CARDINAL TENETS 3)) EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF MUSLIM WOMEN 4) ISLAM IN INDIA AND 5) THOUGHTS OF A LONELY MOTHER
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“AMES ” CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS RELATED
Many eminent personalities participated in the Educational Conference of the AMES Centenary Celebrations held on 5th and 6th September 2006 after its inauguration and question-answer session by His Excellency The President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on 4th September 2006. His inaugural address was illuminating and power-packed and question-answer session full of thoughts and wisdom necessary for everyone particularly the students who are to shape the destiny of our country –the beautiful India – in future.
We must be proud that we are Indians. We must be proud that our President is Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam - a scientist par excellence- who is determined to mould the minds of the students for better India and make India a developed nation before 2020.
Dr. Kalam is a “ teacher ” worth the name. He gives importance to the teaching profession and encourages students to dream their goals and endeavour their best to achieve them. He asks everyone to be honest and clean our society from evils like corruption.
The people of Ambur were delighted in welcoming him at Ambur and listening to his lecture and interaction with the students which were full of honest and inspiring advice. We must also be proud that he felt at home in the midst of the people of Ambur and wished them well. The students received his best attention. Their joy knew no bounds.
The Headmaster Mr. Chand Basha of the Mazharul Uloom High School –one of the six institutions established and managed by the Ambur Muslim Educational Society including a full fledged Science and Arts College by the same name was pleasantly surprised when Dr. Abdul Kalam called him to the dais and handed over some books for the school. All these show the intense interest he has in the spread of education and knowledge. He strongly believes that it is only through education one can come up in life with all dignity and decorum and make our country progress and prosper.
In this issue we are happy to publish the article titled “Education and Empowerment of Muslim Women” presented by Mrs. Naazreen Bhura, Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Chennai Edition, during the aforesaid educational conference. It is very interesting and thought provoking. We are sure that it will make our readers ponder over the inevitability of imparting very good education to women under whose care and attention children grow up. There cannot be two opinions that every woman has to be well educated and empowered for a dignified existence in this highly materialistic world.
We are also happy in publishing the write-ups “Islam and its cardinal tenets” by H.E. Farooque Ahmed, “Islam in India” by Saniya Mariam Meddaikar and a poem “Thoughts of a lonely mother” by Amina Khaleel.
We would like to have your comments about this issue.
Three leading personalities 1) Mrs. Bader Sayeed, M.L.A.,Senior Advocate, Madras High Court, Former Chairperson, Waqf Board 2) Mrs. Fathima Muzaffer, President, Islamic Information Centre and 3) Mrs. Naazreen Bhura, Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Chennai Edition, presented their papers in the Educational Conference on the 6th September 2006 . More than 6000 girls of different schools and colleges and women were present in the Conference. The papers presented by the above three sisters were listen to with pin drop silence and appreciated by all.
Miss Sania Mariam Meddekar, second year B.D.S. student, compered the programme and Mrs. Razeena Banu, Principal, T. Abdul Wahid Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ambur proposed a vote of thanks. Mrs. Bader Sayeed congratulated Miss Saniya Mariam for her excellent compering and wished her all the best.
Durin the Centenary Celebrations Mr. T. Rafeeque Ahmed informed the audience twice as before that he had taken a decision to establish an Arts and Science College for Women in Ambur. It was welcomed by all as a Women’s College is urgently needed for Ambur and its surrounding villages. Mr. Rafeeque Ahmed is honest in his sayings and doings. Everyone wishes him all the best in all his endeavours by the grace of Allah.
It has to be noted that Mr. Rafeeque Ahmed is the Managing Trustee of the prestigious T. Abdul Wahid Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ambur managed by T. Abdul Wahid Charitable Foundation which was founded by the late great visionary Mr. T. Abdul Wahid, B.A.B.L., leather and shoe industrialist and Member of Parliament. This school is functioning well in Ambur and within a short span of time it has earned a very good reputation for its good standard of education and discipline. It is hoped that it will go on improving its standard further and further.
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ISLAM AND ITS CARDINAL TENETS
H.E. FAROOQ AHMED
Islam is a great religion, not only for its principles, ethics, tenets and philosophies, but but also for its simple and facile practicality. This is the reason for its wide acceptance throughout the world. People from different hues in various counties are spontaneously attracted by the charm of Islam and triggers mass embracing to the religion.
In Islam the core tenets of five principle duties are Kalima (Faith), Namaz (Prayer), Roza (fasting), Zakath (Charity) and Haj (Pilgrimage) are mandatory for all Muslims. But each duty is so simple and flexible that no Muslim will find it beyond his capacity or hard to perform.
Kalima (Faith) that Allah is one and His messenger is Mohammed (SAS) should be orally and mentally unwavering Iman.
Namaz or Salath (Prayers) to be performed five times a day is established at convenient time. They can be performed in group at mosque or separately in residence on time. If physical condition does not permit, it can be performed by sitting, by lying or even by gestures. It is mandatory to wash (Wazoo) before each Namaz by water. If water is not available thaimam can be done by clean sand in lieu of water.
Roza or Sawm (fasting) to be observed during Ramzan month is one of the cardinal responsibilities of every Muslim. Here again many concessions and relaxations are permitted to sick, old, travelers, pregnant women and those who are in their menstrual periods.
Zakath (Charity) is mandatory for every affordable Muslim of having certain wealth in the shape of movable or immovable property. Poor and persons in debts are exempted from Zakath.
Haj (Pilgrimage) is the duty of every Muslim who can afford to bear the expenses for the journey and other incidentals. However Haj is mandatory for every Muslim only once in his lifetime. There are two types of pilgrimage. One type is Haj which is performed during the month of Zil Haj. The second type is Umrah, which can be performed any time. While Haj is compulsory for those who can afford it, Umrah is not so.
Like Namaz (Prayers) to be performed only five times, Roza (fasting) in Ramzan, Zakath (Charity) once in a year, Haj is mandatory only once in a lifetime. Kalima (Faith) should also be with us in letter and spirit.
There is a peculiar phenomenon which is prevalent among rich people to undertake Haj more than once and frequenting Umra quite a number of times. They have converted it an annual ritual diluting the inherent importance and significance, at par with their usual foreign jaunts and merry tours. Though there is absolutely no issue involved in this, yet the expenses incurred during such repeat Haj and Umras could be utilized for charity works like helping needy people in education, marriage and clearing of debts etc.
An exclusive ‘Corpus’ can be created and those who desire to perform repeat Haj or Umra can invest in the ‘fund’ to be utilized for a better cause of helping needy and distressed in society. Almighty Allah definitely will be more pleased and disposed to such acts of generosity. Though this proposition is highly sensitive and controversial to certain people who actually misunderstand Islam, yet ulema can take up the task of educating such people in accepting the proposition.
One doubts if the repeat Haj pilgrimage of some people is to display ones authority of wealth or to project an image of distinct status in society. There may be a few who really desire to undertake repeat Haj or Umra out of genuine love for Harmain Shariff. It is doubtful whether people performing repeat Haj or Umra do strictly perform Namaz five times a day without default in joining Jamath, which is the best form of prayer. How many will be allotting Zakath as per Shariat, ie: 2½% of their wealth per annum – after sincerely valuing their total wealth?
How many are observing fasting (Roza) during Ramzan as per religious fervour? Above all how many completely abide by the tenets of Islam shunning corrupt practices in business without resorting to interest transaction? How many are paying fair wages to their employees without bending rules? How many genuinely helping people of their community in society during distress and hour of need? Retrospection of all these ought to be considered while venturing for repeat Haj or Umrah. Otherwise it will tantamount to hypocrisy and duplicity of our religion. However, Almighty Allah is fully aware of intension, purpose and decision of every person and passes judgment accordingly.
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MRS. NAAZREEN BHURA, EDITOR, DECCAN CHRONICLE, CHENNAI EDITION.
Assalamu Alaikum
I am extremely honoured to be here amongst all of you. I would like to first congratulate the Ambur Muslim Education Society on its centenary celebrations and give the organization all my good wishes for continuing with its good work. I am honoured that the society has thought it fit to invite me to address this gathering on a subject which I feel is extremely important as it concerns the upliftment of women, who have for very long in not just our society, but also in many other societies, faced an uphill task in getting their voices heard.The woman's struggle has never been easy. Particularly so when she is trying to find her place in the new world that is evolving around her. Before I go into the discussion on empowerment of women, I would at first like to clear some misconceptions that exist about the status of the Muslim women in India. It is widely believed that the average Muslim woman is at a greater disadvantage in her community than women of other communities in India. This is a wrong belief in my view and is the result of the fact that a few instances of illtreatment of women make it to the headlines because of the very nature of the actions involved. A triple talaq is given on the phone , a fatwa is given that a woman cannot remain married to her husband because she has been raped by her father-in-law.Such instances naturally make it to the newspapers because they highlight the plight of the woman. But on the other hand they also tend to give the impression that Muslim women are suppressed and have no voice in the community. But this I say, is a wrong impression. This is something like what the terrorists are doing for Islam. They are giving other communities, who lack an understanding of Islam, a wrong impression of the Muslims, who are by and large a peace loving and a patriotic community of the country. Impressions, as we all know, can be very misleading. For instance, till recently the impression in the West about India was that it was a country of snakes and elephants, feudal and backward. This we know is not true. And so is the impression about Muslim women in India. They are not cowering, fearful and brow beaten as they are painted. Yes the fatwas that are reported about do exist, the triple talaqs that are written about, also do happen. But what people fail to understand is that these are not the norm, but the exception. Take a look at what two women found when they set out to do research about Muslim women in India. Zoya Hassan, a professor at the Centre for Political Studies at the Jawaharlal University and Ritu Menon, a writer and publisher did a survey of 10,000 Muslim women and found that despite triple talaq, less than 2 per cent of Muslim women are divorced or deserted. They in fact found that Muslim women have a slightly greater say in the area of decision making within the family than their counterparts in other communities.But having said this that Muslim women are not as badly off as portrayed, can we say that everything is alright in the community? While I would say that the extreme view of the condition of the Muslim women in India is wrong and is as off the mark as the impression in the West about India being a country of snakes and elephants, things are not entirely right as far as Muslim women go.Let me give you some examples. I am sure that everyone here has come across such cases. These are everyday occurrences. So I am only reminding you of what you already know. Have you not come across cases of women who are widowed with little children to support at a young age? Thankfully as there is no stigma to widow remarriage in Islam, these women fortunately remarry, but there have been instances of the women having to give up their children by the first husband so that they can move to a new future with the second husband. This has happened not just to widowed women, but also to those who have been deserted by their husbands who have chosen to be unfaithful and remarry a woman of their choice. The young wife who is left behind once again finds herself at the mercy of another man, and this time she has to give up a part of herself - her children. What could be more painful?In the final analysis, it is of course the woman who makes this choice. Does she do it out of fear? Out of lack of confidence in herself or because she thinks she needs someone to take care of her? . Whether educated or not, we are all prone to such fears and wants. But what education does is, it gives us the means to make a different choice, should we overcome these fears. It is when a woman has the ability to make such a choice that I would say she is empowered.There is still fear in the Muslim community that if a woman is "empowered" she will in some way threaten the family structure and traditions. That she will want to go her own way, become "too independent". But I would like to say that while there will be such "misuse" of empowerment by women who don't understand that independence and decision making go hand in hand with responsibility, there will be a lot of others who do understand this. For a woman to be able to say no to something that will cause her enormous unhappiness, she must have something very solid to fall back on. Most important of all, she will need the unstinting support of her family and of course education and financial empowerment.It is not selfish to want education and financial empowerment. It is your right. If you are happy with yourself, you will make others happy, including your husband and children. Being educated and financially empowered does not mean that you turn away from family tradition and practices, that your belief in Allah and his rahmath, become any less. One does not preclude the other. Islam has had highly empowered women.Bibi Khadija (R. A.), wife of our beloved prophet Mohammed (p. b. u. h), bibi Ayesha(R. A.) his youngest wife were greatly empowered women. Bibi Khadija was one of the richest merchants of Mecca. She had already been married twice and since the death of her second husband she used to hire men to trade on her behalf. As prophet Mohammed (p. b. u. h.) was known as the reliable, the trustworthy, the honest, she asked him to take some of her merchandise to Syria. She was impressed greatly by him and later arranged for a proposal to be sent to him which he accepted. She staunchly believed in him and he greatly respected her.Then there is bibi Ayesha. She was highly knowledgeable and most of the hadees is attributed to her as she was the prophet's constant companion. She participated in tending to the sick in war and was greatly respected by one and all.The prophet himself constantly said that female children should be treated exactly in the same manner as male children. According to a report of Ibn Abbas, the prophet's cousin, he is said to have declared, "If a daughter is born to a man and he brings her up affectionately, shows her no disrespect and treats her in the same manner that he treats his sons, the Lord will reward him with paradise."And so it was not surprising that our prophet valued bibi Khadija , his first wife and later bibi Ayesha greatly and they were his staunchest followers and clearly the beloved of Allah, because they exercised their empowerment as it should be.Recently there was a debate about Muslim women standing for elections in the Uttar Pradesh panchayat. A fatwa was issued by three clerics of the Darul Uloom seminary in Deoband that Muslim women contesting these elections should do so wearing a veil.Once again I emphasise that it must be left to the woman to exercise the choice of whether or not to wear the veil when fighting the elections. But then this is not a debate on the veil. The only reason I am bringing this up is because even the clerics of UP who laid down that the women must be veiled while fighting elections, did not say that women could not contest the elections. And several Muslim leaders reacting to this fatwa have since said that Islam does not prohibit women from being leaders. In fact according to the Quran, men and women have equal duties with regard to prayers, the payment of poor tax and in preaching the good and forbidding evil in society, in the economy and in politics. There are innumerable traditions which show that women, like men used to come freely in the presence of the prophet for putting to him questions on social, relgious and economic matters. The prophet used to answer them patiently. Later after the prophet's passing away during the reign of the first four Caliphs, bibi Ayesha who was a very learned woman, was very sought after for her advice even on political matters by the rulers of Islam. So going by tradition even politics is not out of bounds for the Muslim woman. Now let us look at what the levels of literacy are in the Muslim community in India and why they are so. According to the survey conducted by Ritu Menon and Zoya Hasan, huge variations exist in the status of Muslim women across the country. The status of Kashmiri women is different from the status of women in the south. They found that the Muslim women in the south are better off in both rural and urban areas. Their literacy levels were much higher and more of them enrolled in schools than their Hindu counterparts. But in middle school they tended to drop out. The reasons were poverty and the absence of all girl schools. Also as a large number of Muslim boys dropped out of school at this middle school level and began pursuing carpentry or some such profession, girls were discouraged from studying further as this would affect their marriage prospects.Overall, however, they found that the vast majority of Muslim women in the country have never seen the inside of a school and 60% of them are illiterate. So this is the reality despite the fact that Islam recommends education highly. And it is not as if the women themselves have no aspirations.Let me read to you an article that appeared in March this year. It was about a young Muslim girl , her aspirations, the obstacles she faced and how she was transformed through the efforts of an NGO. The report which was from Delhi, said that "Shehasadi Abbas showed no sign of nervousness as she addressed about 500 chattering women from shanties in a New Delhi suburb.
The women were there to celebrate International Women's Day on a Saturday, March 4, since International Women's Day would fall on March 8, a working day. "I want to study and earn for my family," the 21-year-old Muslim woman shouted over the din after presenting a dance drama about women's education. Pinned to the back curtain of the stage were banners proclaiming, "March toward progress," "Give us equal right to education," "End atrocities against women" and "Punish the guilty." The programme was staged in Seelampur, a Muslim-dominated shantytown in the eastern part of the capital.Though it was her first "public address," Abbas later said she did not feel nervous. She said her courage came from her two-year association with the voluntary association. Every year since coming to Seelampur 11 years ago, the association has been training about 300 women and children, mostly Muslims, in the 14 centers they manage in Seelampur and certain other suburbs. These centers, called mahila samiti (women's forum), conduct courses lasting from six months to a year on tailoring, beauty and health care. They also provide conversational English classes for the women and coach students of government primary schools. In addition, their facilities help the women socialize with one another by celebrating programmes such as Women's Day."It is quite amazing to see these young Muslim women on the stage without any nervousness," commented a member of the voluntary association. She pointed out that it had been "quite unthinkable" in the past for Muslim women to perform in public.Before her tryst with the centre run by the NGO , Abbas said she had no courage to leave her one-room tenement alone. She did not even dare tell her parents she wished to continue her studies when they asked her to care for her siblings after her fifth grade. "Girls must stay home to do household chores," she echoed their words as she bottle-fed her 4-year-old brother, the youngest of 11 siblings. Abbas, the second child but oldest of the four girls, said her parents insisted that her brothers study but the girls had to stop their own studies after a few years. Only the youngest girl, now 11, goes to school. "I will not allow my parents to stop her studies," asserted Abbas, one of the 51 women given diplomas for completing a tailoring course this year. She said she can now support her family thanks to her tailoring job. To join the classes, Abbas had to contend with her father, who runs a butcher shop in the locality. As the 52-year-old man shooed away flies and puffed on beedi, a local cigarette, he elaborated why his daughters had to stay indoors: "Girls are like money. If you keep money in the open, others will loot it. A girl's responsibility is to attend to household chores," he said.The only support Abbas received came from her mother, who learned about the center from neighbours. "When I saw my neighbor's daughter stitching her own clothes, I wanted to send my daughter to the same center," the 42-year-old illiterate woman said.The lanky woman with sunken eyes on a wrinkled face has no regrets. She said her daughter's surprising performance in the dance drama "was the first time I saw a stage programme." The progress Abbas has been making has convinced the mother of the value of education, so she has shifted her youngest daughter from a government school to a private one where, she said, the teaching is better.Abbas herself now plans to prepare privately for 10th-grade exams. "The girls have a lot of desire and willingness to study," observed Rounak Jahan, who manages a coaching center in the shanty. The 32-year-old woman laments that parents in the slum do not encourage the education of their daughters, and some cannot even write their own names. According to a coordinator of the centers the young women initially were so fearful "they could not tell their names to the class, but now they have no problem in facing an audience." She acknowledges they are not creating a sea change in the area, but that is fine, because "it is a slow process and there is much we have to achieve."So as the report shows there is a long way to go. How are we going to tackle this problem? What do we do to make sure that girls get education? The survey shows that women are not being held back from pursuing an education because of Islamic ideals, but more because of economic and social reasons such as their marriage prospects. It then stands to reason that the men in the community must also aspire for higher education. They should not give up education at the mid-school level and be determined to fight the odds and make a better life for themselves than being mere carpenters or artisans. The more educated the men and women are in our community the better for all of us.I would like to conclude by saying that let us not hold back our women because we fear where it will lead them or us to, but rather let us give them the love and support they need to be the best they can be and to realize the potential that Allah has given them, so that they can be the best in every role they are here to play, that of mother, wife, sister and also those of a valued citizen and member of the community. I thank you all very much once again for giving me this opportunity.
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ISLAM IN INDIA
SANIYA MARIAM MEDDAIKAR
Islam is the second largest religion in India (after Hinduism – 77.69% ) where Muslims number around 174 million (16.20%) and India has the second largest population of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. Since its introduction to India, Islam has made religious, artistic, philosophical, cultural, social and political contributions to Indian history, heritage and life.
ROLE OF MUSLIMS IN INDIA’S FREEDOM MOVEMENT
The contribution of Muslim revolutionaries, poets and writers is immense in India’s struggle against the British. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Rafee Ahmed Qidwai are a few of Muslims who devoted their life for this purpose. Mohammed Ashf aqullah Khan of Shajahanpur who conspired and looted the British treasury at Kakory (Lucknow) to cripple the administration and who, when asked for his last will, before execution desired: No desire is left except one that someone may put a little soil of my motherland in my winding sheet.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Popular as Frontier Gandhi), a great nationalist who spent 45 of his 95 years of life in jail for the freedom of India, Barkatullah of Bhopal, one of the founders of the Ghadar party which created a net work of anti British organisations and who died penniless in Germany in 1927; Syed Rahmath Shah of the Ghadar party who worked as an underground revolutionary in France and was hanged for his part in the unsuccessful Ghadar (mutiny) uprising in 1915 ; Ali Ahmed Siddiqui of Faizabad (U.P.) who planned the Indian mutiny in Malaya and Burma along with Syed Mujtaba Hussain of Jaunpur and who was hanged in 1917;
Bakkom Abdul Khader of Kerala who participated in Quit India struggle in 1942 was hanged; Omar Subhani, an industrialist and a millionaire of Bombay who provided Gandhiji with Congress expenses and who ultimately gave his life for the cause of Independence. Among Muslim women, Hazrath Mahal, Asghari Begum, Be Amma and other contributed heavily in the struggle of freedom from the British.
There was also a major uprising by Kerala Muslims in the form of Moplah Rebellion.
The following is a list of some famous Muslims who fought for a unified India (as opposed to Pakistan): Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Hakeem Ajmal Khan, Tipu Sultan, Hyder Ali, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Hasrat Mohani, Professor Barkatullah, Dr. Zakir Hussain, Saifuddin Kichlu, Allama Shibli Nomani, Vakkom Abdul Khadir, Dr. Manzoor Abdul Wahab, Mazharul Haque, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Abdul Sattar, Hakeem Nusrat Hussain, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Maulana Mohammed Ali, Colonel Shahnawaz, Dr. M.A.Ansari, Rafi Ahmed Qidwai, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Ansar Harwani, Tak Sherwani, Viqarul Mulk, Mustafa Hussain, V.M. Ubaidullah, S.R. Rahim, Badruddin Tyabjee, Maulvi Abdul Hamid and innumerable others.
MUSLIMS IN MODERN INDIA
Muslims in India post Independence have had a mixed and sometimes turbulent history. The af termath of the Partition of India in 1947 sw large scale sectarian strife and bloodshed throughout the nation. During partition large populations of Muslims including many who were rich and educated left for Pakistan. Across the border these immigrants or Muhajirs have ever since played an important role in the development of Pakistan. The majority of Muslims in India are economically backward; however like in all minorities, there are Muslims who have played a special role in all fields of the country’s advancement.Still, Muslims have sometimes been the victims of religious fundamentalism. At the same time, Muslim fundamentalist groups also hold prominence in states like Jammu and Kashmir. There is an increasingly heated debate on whether what secularists in India classify as religious fundamentalism is only limited to the Hindu side in an attempt to protect the Muslim minority. The issue regarding the Ayodhya temple site shows that these problems, products of religious nationalism some 70 years ago, are hardly likely to go away in the near future.
PROMINENT INDIAN MUSLIMS INCLUDE:
Khwaja Abdul Hamid, who in 1935 founded one of the first Indian-owned industries in the colonial era, CIPLA (The Chemical, Industrial & Pharmaceutical Laboratorioes). In 1939 when Mahatma Gandhiji visited CIPLA he wrote that he was “delighted to visit this Indian enterprise”. CIPLA today is a pharmaceutical company with a global presence, it’s products being sold in over 150 countries worldwide. There are other various big industries owned by Muslims in India: Wipro Ltd, Wockhardt, Himalaya Health Care, Hamdard Laboratories, etc.
There have been three Muslilm Presidents of India, Dr. Zakir Hussain, Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and the current President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Yusuf Hameed of CIPLA received one of India’s highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to the country. Muslims are also playing pivotal roles in the advertising industry, some of the top advertising professionals being Mohammed Khan, Muzaffar Ali and Rafeeq Ellias. In the field of modern art, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh and Tyeb Mehta are prominent names. Muslims have also shone in other fields, including academics (examples, Irfan Habib, Mushirul Hasan, Shahid Amin, Zoya Hasan), theatre (Habib Tanveer, Ebrahim Alkazi, Jabbar Patel and Zohra Sehgal), literature (Rahi Masoom Raza, Ali Sardar Jafri, Kamala Suraiya and Kaifi Azmi) and journalism (M.J. Akbar, Zahid Ali Khan). In the sporting arena, the contributions of cricketers Mohammad Azharuddin, Syed Kirmani and Mushtaq Ali are well-noted, while the current young brigade of Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Mohammad Kaif is creating new records. Sania Mirza is India’s young female tennis star having competed in international Grand Slam tournaments. Even in the Indian film industry, “Bollywood” has always been well represented with Muslims.
MUSLIM INSTITUTIONS
There are several well established Muslim institutions in India. Here is a list of reputed institutions established by Muslims.
¨ Modern College and University: Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Hamdard University, Al-Ameen College, Al-Kabir College,
¨ Traditional Islamic University: Darul Uloom Deoband, Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulema, Darul Uloom Manzar Islam
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THOUGHTS OF A LONELY MOTHER
AMINA KHALEEL
Sitting beneath the window sill,
She was looking far beyond the grill,
Into the setting sun,
Whose light was just about to end.
The happiness in her life
Too had sunk in darkness,
For the “gems” of her life
No more cared for her.
She envied the mother earth
For whom at least a few cared,
But for this ailing mother
Nobody had a thought to spare.
She longed for the day
When she could enjoy,
Amidst her family
A life of bliss and joy.
But this was too impossible
A dream to come true,
For those she loved had forgotten her,
And left her to live a life of loneliness.
But as the moonlight lit the sky,
There was twinkle in her eye.
She would foresee a day,
When those gone astray would find their right way.
And it would be a day,
When thousands like her
Would finally find solace
In the company of their loved ones.
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A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2006 ISSUE SENT ON 21-10-2006
EDITOR : V.M. KHALEELUR RAHMAN
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AMBUR MUSLIM EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY (AMES), AMBUR EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE - WOMEN SPECIAL -
IN THIS ISSUE: 1) EDITORIAL 2) ) ISLAM AND ITS CARDINAL TENETS 3)) EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF MUSLIM WOMEN 4) ISLAM IN INDIA AND 5) THOUGHTS OF A LONELY MOTHER
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“AMES ” CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS RELATED
Many eminent personalities participated in the Educational Conference of the AMES Centenary Celebrations held on 5th and 6th September 2006 after its inauguration and question-answer session by His Excellency The President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on 4th September 2006. His inaugural address was illuminating and power-packed and question-answer session full of thoughts and wisdom necessary for everyone particularly the students who are to shape the destiny of our country –the beautiful India – in future.
We must be proud that we are Indians. We must be proud that our President is Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam - a scientist par excellence- who is determined to mould the minds of the students for better India and make India a developed nation before 2020.
Dr. Kalam is a “ teacher ” worth the name. He gives importance to the teaching profession and encourages students to dream their goals and endeavour their best to achieve them. He asks everyone to be honest and clean our society from evils like corruption.
The people of Ambur were delighted in welcoming him at Ambur and listening to his lecture and interaction with the students which were full of honest and inspiring advice. We must also be proud that he felt at home in the midst of the people of Ambur and wished them well. The students received his best attention. Their joy knew no bounds.
The Headmaster Mr. Chand Basha of the Mazharul Uloom High School –one of the six institutions established and managed by the Ambur Muslim Educational Society including a full fledged Science and Arts College by the same name was pleasantly surprised when Dr. Abdul Kalam called him to the dais and handed over some books for the school. All these show the intense interest he has in the spread of education and knowledge. He strongly believes that it is only through education one can come up in life with all dignity and decorum and make our country progress and prosper.
In this issue we are happy to publish the article titled “Education and Empowerment of Muslim Women” presented by Mrs. Naazreen Bhura, Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Chennai Edition, during the aforesaid educational conference. It is very interesting and thought provoking. We are sure that it will make our readers ponder over the inevitability of imparting very good education to women under whose care and attention children grow up. There cannot be two opinions that every woman has to be well educated and empowered for a dignified existence in this highly materialistic world.
We are also happy in publishing the write-ups “Islam and its cardinal tenets” by H.E. Farooque Ahmed, “Islam in India” by Saniya Mariam Meddaikar and a poem “Thoughts of a lonely mother” by Amina Khaleel.
We would like to have your comments about this issue.
Three leading personalities 1) Mrs. Bader Sayeed, M.L.A.,Senior Advocate, Madras High Court, Former Chairperson, Waqf Board 2) Mrs. Fathima Muzaffer, President, Islamic Information Centre and 3) Mrs. Naazreen Bhura, Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Chennai Edition, presented their papers in the Educational Conference on the 6th September 2006 . More than 6000 girls of different schools and colleges and women were present in the Conference. The papers presented by the above three sisters were listen to with pin drop silence and appreciated by all.
Miss Sania Mariam Meddekar, second year B.D.S. student, compered the programme and Mrs. Razeena Banu, Principal, T. Abdul Wahid Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ambur proposed a vote of thanks. Mrs. Bader Sayeed congratulated Miss Saniya Mariam for her excellent compering and wished her all the best.
Durin the Centenary Celebrations Mr. T. Rafeeque Ahmed informed the audience twice as before that he had taken a decision to establish an Arts and Science College for Women in Ambur. It was welcomed by all as a Women’s College is urgently needed for Ambur and its surrounding villages. Mr. Rafeeque Ahmed is honest in his sayings and doings. Everyone wishes him all the best in all his endeavours by the grace of Allah.
It has to be noted that Mr. Rafeeque Ahmed is the Managing Trustee of the prestigious T. Abdul Wahid Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ambur managed by T. Abdul Wahid Charitable Foundation which was founded by the late great visionary Mr. T. Abdul Wahid, B.A.B.L., leather and shoe industrialist and Member of Parliament. This school is functioning well in Ambur and within a short span of time it has earned a very good reputation for its good standard of education and discipline. It is hoped that it will go on improving its standard further and further.
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ISLAM AND ITS CARDINAL TENETS
H.E. FAROOQ AHMED
Islam is a great religion, not only for its principles, ethics, tenets and philosophies, but but also for its simple and facile practicality. This is the reason for its wide acceptance throughout the world. People from different hues in various counties are spontaneously attracted by the charm of Islam and triggers mass embracing to the religion.
In Islam the core tenets of five principle duties are Kalima (Faith), Namaz (Prayer), Roza (fasting), Zakath (Charity) and Haj (Pilgrimage) are mandatory for all Muslims. But each duty is so simple and flexible that no Muslim will find it beyond his capacity or hard to perform.
Kalima (Faith) that Allah is one and His messenger is Mohammed (SAS) should be orally and mentally unwavering Iman.
Namaz or Salath (Prayers) to be performed five times a day is established at convenient time. They can be performed in group at mosque or separately in residence on time. If physical condition does not permit, it can be performed by sitting, by lying or even by gestures. It is mandatory to wash (Wazoo) before each Namaz by water. If water is not available thaimam can be done by clean sand in lieu of water.
Roza or Sawm (fasting) to be observed during Ramzan month is one of the cardinal responsibilities of every Muslim. Here again many concessions and relaxations are permitted to sick, old, travelers, pregnant women and those who are in their menstrual periods.
Zakath (Charity) is mandatory for every affordable Muslim of having certain wealth in the shape of movable or immovable property. Poor and persons in debts are exempted from Zakath.
Haj (Pilgrimage) is the duty of every Muslim who can afford to bear the expenses for the journey and other incidentals. However Haj is mandatory for every Muslim only once in his lifetime. There are two types of pilgrimage. One type is Haj which is performed during the month of Zil Haj. The second type is Umrah, which can be performed any time. While Haj is compulsory for those who can afford it, Umrah is not so.
Like Namaz (Prayers) to be performed only five times, Roza (fasting) in Ramzan, Zakath (Charity) once in a year, Haj is mandatory only once in a lifetime. Kalima (Faith) should also be with us in letter and spirit.
There is a peculiar phenomenon which is prevalent among rich people to undertake Haj more than once and frequenting Umra quite a number of times. They have converted it an annual ritual diluting the inherent importance and significance, at par with their usual foreign jaunts and merry tours. Though there is absolutely no issue involved in this, yet the expenses incurred during such repeat Haj and Umras could be utilized for charity works like helping needy people in education, marriage and clearing of debts etc.
An exclusive ‘Corpus’ can be created and those who desire to perform repeat Haj or Umra can invest in the ‘fund’ to be utilized for a better cause of helping needy and distressed in society. Almighty Allah definitely will be more pleased and disposed to such acts of generosity. Though this proposition is highly sensitive and controversial to certain people who actually misunderstand Islam, yet ulema can take up the task of educating such people in accepting the proposition.
One doubts if the repeat Haj pilgrimage of some people is to display ones authority of wealth or to project an image of distinct status in society. There may be a few who really desire to undertake repeat Haj or Umra out of genuine love for Harmain Shariff. It is doubtful whether people performing repeat Haj or Umra do strictly perform Namaz five times a day without default in joining Jamath, which is the best form of prayer. How many will be allotting Zakath as per Shariat, ie: 2½% of their wealth per annum – after sincerely valuing their total wealth?
How many are observing fasting (Roza) during Ramzan as per religious fervour? Above all how many completely abide by the tenets of Islam shunning corrupt practices in business without resorting to interest transaction? How many are paying fair wages to their employees without bending rules? How many genuinely helping people of their community in society during distress and hour of need? Retrospection of all these ought to be considered while venturing for repeat Haj or Umrah. Otherwise it will tantamount to hypocrisy and duplicity of our religion. However, Almighty Allah is fully aware of intension, purpose and decision of every person and passes judgment accordingly.
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MRS. NAAZREEN BHURA, EDITOR, DECCAN CHRONICLE, CHENNAI EDITION.
Assalamu Alaikum
I am extremely honoured to be here amongst all of you. I would like to first congratulate the Ambur Muslim Education Society on its centenary celebrations and give the organization all my good wishes for continuing with its good work. I am honoured that the society has thought it fit to invite me to address this gathering on a subject which I feel is extremely important as it concerns the upliftment of women, who have for very long in not just our society, but also in many other societies, faced an uphill task in getting their voices heard.The woman's struggle has never been easy. Particularly so when she is trying to find her place in the new world that is evolving around her. Before I go into the discussion on empowerment of women, I would at first like to clear some misconceptions that exist about the status of the Muslim women in India. It is widely believed that the average Muslim woman is at a greater disadvantage in her community than women of other communities in India. This is a wrong belief in my view and is the result of the fact that a few instances of illtreatment of women make it to the headlines because of the very nature of the actions involved. A triple talaq is given on the phone , a fatwa is given that a woman cannot remain married to her husband because she has been raped by her father-in-law.Such instances naturally make it to the newspapers because they highlight the plight of the woman. But on the other hand they also tend to give the impression that Muslim women are suppressed and have no voice in the community. But this I say, is a wrong impression. This is something like what the terrorists are doing for Islam. They are giving other communities, who lack an understanding of Islam, a wrong impression of the Muslims, who are by and large a peace loving and a patriotic community of the country. Impressions, as we all know, can be very misleading. For instance, till recently the impression in the West about India was that it was a country of snakes and elephants, feudal and backward. This we know is not true. And so is the impression about Muslim women in India. They are not cowering, fearful and brow beaten as they are painted. Yes the fatwas that are reported about do exist, the triple talaqs that are written about, also do happen. But what people fail to understand is that these are not the norm, but the exception. Take a look at what two women found when they set out to do research about Muslim women in India. Zoya Hassan, a professor at the Centre for Political Studies at the Jawaharlal University and Ritu Menon, a writer and publisher did a survey of 10,000 Muslim women and found that despite triple talaq, less than 2 per cent of Muslim women are divorced or deserted. They in fact found that Muslim women have a slightly greater say in the area of decision making within the family than their counterparts in other communities.But having said this that Muslim women are not as badly off as portrayed, can we say that everything is alright in the community? While I would say that the extreme view of the condition of the Muslim women in India is wrong and is as off the mark as the impression in the West about India being a country of snakes and elephants, things are not entirely right as far as Muslim women go.Let me give you some examples. I am sure that everyone here has come across such cases. These are everyday occurrences. So I am only reminding you of what you already know. Have you not come across cases of women who are widowed with little children to support at a young age? Thankfully as there is no stigma to widow remarriage in Islam, these women fortunately remarry, but there have been instances of the women having to give up their children by the first husband so that they can move to a new future with the second husband. This has happened not just to widowed women, but also to those who have been deserted by their husbands who have chosen to be unfaithful and remarry a woman of their choice. The young wife who is left behind once again finds herself at the mercy of another man, and this time she has to give up a part of herself - her children. What could be more painful?In the final analysis, it is of course the woman who makes this choice. Does she do it out of fear? Out of lack of confidence in herself or because she thinks she needs someone to take care of her? . Whether educated or not, we are all prone to such fears and wants. But what education does is, it gives us the means to make a different choice, should we overcome these fears. It is when a woman has the ability to make such a choice that I would say she is empowered.There is still fear in the Muslim community that if a woman is "empowered" she will in some way threaten the family structure and traditions. That she will want to go her own way, become "too independent". But I would like to say that while there will be such "misuse" of empowerment by women who don't understand that independence and decision making go hand in hand with responsibility, there will be a lot of others who do understand this. For a woman to be able to say no to something that will cause her enormous unhappiness, she must have something very solid to fall back on. Most important of all, she will need the unstinting support of her family and of course education and financial empowerment.It is not selfish to want education and financial empowerment. It is your right. If you are happy with yourself, you will make others happy, including your husband and children. Being educated and financially empowered does not mean that you turn away from family tradition and practices, that your belief in Allah and his rahmath, become any less. One does not preclude the other. Islam has had highly empowered women.Bibi Khadija (R. A.), wife of our beloved prophet Mohammed (p. b. u. h), bibi Ayesha(R. A.) his youngest wife were greatly empowered women. Bibi Khadija was one of the richest merchants of Mecca. She had already been married twice and since the death of her second husband she used to hire men to trade on her behalf. As prophet Mohammed (p. b. u. h.) was known as the reliable, the trustworthy, the honest, she asked him to take some of her merchandise to Syria. She was impressed greatly by him and later arranged for a proposal to be sent to him which he accepted. She staunchly believed in him and he greatly respected her.Then there is bibi Ayesha. She was highly knowledgeable and most of the hadees is attributed to her as she was the prophet's constant companion. She participated in tending to the sick in war and was greatly respected by one and all.The prophet himself constantly said that female children should be treated exactly in the same manner as male children. According to a report of Ibn Abbas, the prophet's cousin, he is said to have declared, "If a daughter is born to a man and he brings her up affectionately, shows her no disrespect and treats her in the same manner that he treats his sons, the Lord will reward him with paradise."And so it was not surprising that our prophet valued bibi Khadija , his first wife and later bibi Ayesha greatly and they were his staunchest followers and clearly the beloved of Allah, because they exercised their empowerment as it should be.Recently there was a debate about Muslim women standing for elections in the Uttar Pradesh panchayat. A fatwa was issued by three clerics of the Darul Uloom seminary in Deoband that Muslim women contesting these elections should do so wearing a veil.Once again I emphasise that it must be left to the woman to exercise the choice of whether or not to wear the veil when fighting the elections. But then this is not a debate on the veil. The only reason I am bringing this up is because even the clerics of UP who laid down that the women must be veiled while fighting elections, did not say that women could not contest the elections. And several Muslim leaders reacting to this fatwa have since said that Islam does not prohibit women from being leaders. In fact according to the Quran, men and women have equal duties with regard to prayers, the payment of poor tax and in preaching the good and forbidding evil in society, in the economy and in politics. There are innumerable traditions which show that women, like men used to come freely in the presence of the prophet for putting to him questions on social, relgious and economic matters. The prophet used to answer them patiently. Later after the prophet's passing away during the reign of the first four Caliphs, bibi Ayesha who was a very learned woman, was very sought after for her advice even on political matters by the rulers of Islam. So going by tradition even politics is not out of bounds for the Muslim woman. Now let us look at what the levels of literacy are in the Muslim community in India and why they are so. According to the survey conducted by Ritu Menon and Zoya Hasan, huge variations exist in the status of Muslim women across the country. The status of Kashmiri women is different from the status of women in the south. They found that the Muslim women in the south are better off in both rural and urban areas. Their literacy levels were much higher and more of them enrolled in schools than their Hindu counterparts. But in middle school they tended to drop out. The reasons were poverty and the absence of all girl schools. Also as a large number of Muslim boys dropped out of school at this middle school level and began pursuing carpentry or some such profession, girls were discouraged from studying further as this would affect their marriage prospects.Overall, however, they found that the vast majority of Muslim women in the country have never seen the inside of a school and 60% of them are illiterate. So this is the reality despite the fact that Islam recommends education highly. And it is not as if the women themselves have no aspirations.Let me read to you an article that appeared in March this year. It was about a young Muslim girl , her aspirations, the obstacles she faced and how she was transformed through the efforts of an NGO. The report which was from Delhi, said that "Shehasadi Abbas showed no sign of nervousness as she addressed about 500 chattering women from shanties in a New Delhi suburb.
The women were there to celebrate International Women's Day on a Saturday, March 4, since International Women's Day would fall on March 8, a working day. "I want to study and earn for my family," the 21-year-old Muslim woman shouted over the din after presenting a dance drama about women's education. Pinned to the back curtain of the stage were banners proclaiming, "March toward progress," "Give us equal right to education," "End atrocities against women" and "Punish the guilty." The programme was staged in Seelampur, a Muslim-dominated shantytown in the eastern part of the capital.Though it was her first "public address," Abbas later said she did not feel nervous. She said her courage came from her two-year association with the voluntary association. Every year since coming to Seelampur 11 years ago, the association has been training about 300 women and children, mostly Muslims, in the 14 centers they manage in Seelampur and certain other suburbs. These centers, called mahila samiti (women's forum), conduct courses lasting from six months to a year on tailoring, beauty and health care. They also provide conversational English classes for the women and coach students of government primary schools. In addition, their facilities help the women socialize with one another by celebrating programmes such as Women's Day."It is quite amazing to see these young Muslim women on the stage without any nervousness," commented a member of the voluntary association. She pointed out that it had been "quite unthinkable" in the past for Muslim women to perform in public.Before her tryst with the centre run by the NGO , Abbas said she had no courage to leave her one-room tenement alone. She did not even dare tell her parents she wished to continue her studies when they asked her to care for her siblings after her fifth grade. "Girls must stay home to do household chores," she echoed their words as she bottle-fed her 4-year-old brother, the youngest of 11 siblings. Abbas, the second child but oldest of the four girls, said her parents insisted that her brothers study but the girls had to stop their own studies after a few years. Only the youngest girl, now 11, goes to school. "I will not allow my parents to stop her studies," asserted Abbas, one of the 51 women given diplomas for completing a tailoring course this year. She said she can now support her family thanks to her tailoring job. To join the classes, Abbas had to contend with her father, who runs a butcher shop in the locality. As the 52-year-old man shooed away flies and puffed on beedi, a local cigarette, he elaborated why his daughters had to stay indoors: "Girls are like money. If you keep money in the open, others will loot it. A girl's responsibility is to attend to household chores," he said.The only support Abbas received came from her mother, who learned about the center from neighbours. "When I saw my neighbor's daughter stitching her own clothes, I wanted to send my daughter to the same center," the 42-year-old illiterate woman said.The lanky woman with sunken eyes on a wrinkled face has no regrets. She said her daughter's surprising performance in the dance drama "was the first time I saw a stage programme." The progress Abbas has been making has convinced the mother of the value of education, so she has shifted her youngest daughter from a government school to a private one where, she said, the teaching is better.Abbas herself now plans to prepare privately for 10th-grade exams. "The girls have a lot of desire and willingness to study," observed Rounak Jahan, who manages a coaching center in the shanty. The 32-year-old woman laments that parents in the slum do not encourage the education of their daughters, and some cannot even write their own names. According to a coordinator of the centers the young women initially were so fearful "they could not tell their names to the class, but now they have no problem in facing an audience." She acknowledges they are not creating a sea change in the area, but that is fine, because "it is a slow process and there is much we have to achieve."So as the report shows there is a long way to go. How are we going to tackle this problem? What do we do to make sure that girls get education? The survey shows that women are not being held back from pursuing an education because of Islamic ideals, but more because of economic and social reasons such as their marriage prospects. It then stands to reason that the men in the community must also aspire for higher education. They should not give up education at the mid-school level and be determined to fight the odds and make a better life for themselves than being mere carpenters or artisans. The more educated the men and women are in our community the better for all of us.I would like to conclude by saying that let us not hold back our women because we fear where it will lead them or us to, but rather let us give them the love and support they need to be the best they can be and to realize the potential that Allah has given them, so that they can be the best in every role they are here to play, that of mother, wife, sister and also those of a valued citizen and member of the community. I thank you all very much once again for giving me this opportunity.
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ISLAM IN INDIA
SANIYA MARIAM MEDDAIKAR
Islam is the second largest religion in India (after Hinduism – 77.69% ) where Muslims number around 174 million (16.20%) and India has the second largest population of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. Since its introduction to India, Islam has made religious, artistic, philosophical, cultural, social and political contributions to Indian history, heritage and life.
ROLE OF MUSLIMS IN INDIA’S FREEDOM MOVEMENT
The contribution of Muslim revolutionaries, poets and writers is immense in India’s struggle against the British. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Rafee Ahmed Qidwai are a few of Muslims who devoted their life for this purpose. Mohammed Ashf aqullah Khan of Shajahanpur who conspired and looted the British treasury at Kakory (Lucknow) to cripple the administration and who, when asked for his last will, before execution desired: No desire is left except one that someone may put a little soil of my motherland in my winding sheet.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Popular as Frontier Gandhi), a great nationalist who spent 45 of his 95 years of life in jail for the freedom of India, Barkatullah of Bhopal, one of the founders of the Ghadar party which created a net work of anti British organisations and who died penniless in Germany in 1927; Syed Rahmath Shah of the Ghadar party who worked as an underground revolutionary in France and was hanged for his part in the unsuccessful Ghadar (mutiny) uprising in 1915 ; Ali Ahmed Siddiqui of Faizabad (U.P.) who planned the Indian mutiny in Malaya and Burma along with Syed Mujtaba Hussain of Jaunpur and who was hanged in 1917;
Bakkom Abdul Khader of Kerala who participated in Quit India struggle in 1942 was hanged; Omar Subhani, an industrialist and a millionaire of Bombay who provided Gandhiji with Congress expenses and who ultimately gave his life for the cause of Independence. Among Muslim women, Hazrath Mahal, Asghari Begum, Be Amma and other contributed heavily in the struggle of freedom from the British.
There was also a major uprising by Kerala Muslims in the form of Moplah Rebellion.
The following is a list of some famous Muslims who fought for a unified India (as opposed to Pakistan): Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Hakeem Ajmal Khan, Tipu Sultan, Hyder Ali, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Hasrat Mohani, Professor Barkatullah, Dr. Zakir Hussain, Saifuddin Kichlu, Allama Shibli Nomani, Vakkom Abdul Khadir, Dr. Manzoor Abdul Wahab, Mazharul Haque, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Abdul Sattar, Hakeem Nusrat Hussain, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Maulana Mohammed Ali, Colonel Shahnawaz, Dr. M.A.Ansari, Rafi Ahmed Qidwai, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Ansar Harwani, Tak Sherwani, Viqarul Mulk, Mustafa Hussain, V.M. Ubaidullah, S.R. Rahim, Badruddin Tyabjee, Maulvi Abdul Hamid and innumerable others.
MUSLIMS IN MODERN INDIA
Muslims in India post Independence have had a mixed and sometimes turbulent history. The af termath of the Partition of India in 1947 sw large scale sectarian strife and bloodshed throughout the nation. During partition large populations of Muslims including many who were rich and educated left for Pakistan. Across the border these immigrants or Muhajirs have ever since played an important role in the development of Pakistan. The majority of Muslims in India are economically backward; however like in all minorities, there are Muslims who have played a special role in all fields of the country’s advancement.Still, Muslims have sometimes been the victims of religious fundamentalism. At the same time, Muslim fundamentalist groups also hold prominence in states like Jammu and Kashmir. There is an increasingly heated debate on whether what secularists in India classify as religious fundamentalism is only limited to the Hindu side in an attempt to protect the Muslim minority. The issue regarding the Ayodhya temple site shows that these problems, products of religious nationalism some 70 years ago, are hardly likely to go away in the near future.
PROMINENT INDIAN MUSLIMS INCLUDE:
Khwaja Abdul Hamid, who in 1935 founded one of the first Indian-owned industries in the colonial era, CIPLA (The Chemical, Industrial & Pharmaceutical Laboratorioes). In 1939 when Mahatma Gandhiji visited CIPLA he wrote that he was “delighted to visit this Indian enterprise”. CIPLA today is a pharmaceutical company with a global presence, it’s products being sold in over 150 countries worldwide. There are other various big industries owned by Muslims in India: Wipro Ltd, Wockhardt, Himalaya Health Care, Hamdard Laboratories, etc.
There have been three Muslilm Presidents of India, Dr. Zakir Hussain, Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and the current President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Yusuf Hameed of CIPLA received one of India’s highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to the country. Muslims are also playing pivotal roles in the advertising industry, some of the top advertising professionals being Mohammed Khan, Muzaffar Ali and Rafeeq Ellias. In the field of modern art, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh and Tyeb Mehta are prominent names. Muslims have also shone in other fields, including academics (examples, Irfan Habib, Mushirul Hasan, Shahid Amin, Zoya Hasan), theatre (Habib Tanveer, Ebrahim Alkazi, Jabbar Patel and Zohra Sehgal), literature (Rahi Masoom Raza, Ali Sardar Jafri, Kamala Suraiya and Kaifi Azmi) and journalism (M.J. Akbar, Zahid Ali Khan). In the sporting arena, the contributions of cricketers Mohammad Azharuddin, Syed Kirmani and Mushtaq Ali are well-noted, while the current young brigade of Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Mohammad Kaif is creating new records. Sania Mirza is India’s young female tennis star having competed in international Grand Slam tournaments. Even in the Indian film industry, “Bollywood” has always been well represented with Muslims.
MUSLIM INSTITUTIONS
There are several well established Muslim institutions in India. Here is a list of reputed institutions established by Muslims.
¨ Modern College and University: Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Hamdard University, Al-Ameen College, Al-Kabir College,
¨ Traditional Islamic University: Darul Uloom Deoband, Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulema, Darul Uloom Manzar Islam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THOUGHTS OF A LONELY MOTHER
AMINA KHALEEL
Sitting beneath the window sill,
She was looking far beyond the grill,
Into the setting sun,
Whose light was just about to end.
The happiness in her life
Too had sunk in darkness,
For the “gems” of her life
No more cared for her.
She envied the mother earth
For whom at least a few cared,
But for this ailing mother
Nobody had a thought to spare.
She longed for the day
When she could enjoy,
Amidst her family
A life of bliss and joy.
But this was too impossible
A dream to come true,
For those she loved had forgotten her,
And left her to live a life of loneliness.
But as the moonlight lit the sky,
There was twinkle in her eye.
She would foresee a day,
When those gone astray would find their right way.
And it would be a day,
When thousands like her
Would finally find solace
In the company of their loved ones.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan by Azhar Mohammed K
SIR SYED AHMED KHAN: HIS LIFE AND CONTRIBUTION
BY AZHAR MOHAMMED K
INTRODUCTION
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-1898) was a great visionary, statesman and Muslim reformer of the 19th century, the like of whom is rare. He wanted to make the community and country progressive and take them forward on modern lines. His supreme interest was intellectual development of the people through modern education. He was the first Indian Muslim to contribute to the intellectual and institutional foundation of Muslim modernization in Southern Asia. Interest of community and country was dearer to him rather than anything else. He was successful in making the Muslims understand the importance of modern education and endeavour their best to achieve it in order to stand on their own legs and live a dignified life in accordance with Islamic thoughts.
Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal says :
‘’Mubtalaayay dard koi azu ho roti hai aankh
Kis qadar hamdard saray jism ki hoti hai aankh’’
(The eye weeps for the suffering of any and every part of the body,
How sympathetic it is to the entire organism)
To the Muslim community Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was and is like the eye which weeps for the suffering of any and every part of the body. The sufferings of the community worried him. He took an oath to reform, educate and empower the Muslim community and was successful to a great extent in implementing it despite strong opposition from a section of the Muslim community which hated the British and their language. Today we can see the products of the Aligarh Muslim University adoring in every field of activity in India and neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. They have earned a name for the community and country, thanks to the Aligarh movement.
Sir Syed’s educational caravan reached everywhere including Tamil Nadu from where I hail. It inspired and encouraged people to take to modern education by establishing educational institutions.
HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD
Sir Syed was born on 17 October 1817 in Delhi. His family was highly regarded by the Mughal dynasty. His maternal grandfather Khwajah Farid was a ‘wazir’ (minister) in the court of Akbar Shah II. His paternal grandfather Syed Hadi held a ‘mansab’ of the title of Jawwad Ali Khan in the court of Alamgir II. Syed Ahmed’s father, Mir Muttaqi was also close to Akbar Shah but rejected the position and titles offered to him due to his interest in mysticism. Perhaps he abhorred the way the materialistic world functioned. He died when Syed Ahmed was about 21 years of age. Mother, Azizunnissa Begum was, however, a strong willed woman of clearly defined principles. She showed extraordinary interest in the education, character building and upbringing of her son. She was a strict and God fearing lady.
HIS EDUCATION
Sir Syed received his education under the old system prevailing at that time. He learnt to read the holy Quran under a female teacher at his home. After this, Maulvi Hamidud Din, became his private tutor. He completed a course in Persian and Arabic, and later took to the study of mathematics, which was a favourite subject of the maternal side of his family. He later took interest in medicine and studied some well-known books on the subject. At the age of 19 his formal education came to an end but he continued his studies privately. He started taking a keen interest in the literary gatherings and cultural activities of the city.
The passing away of his father left the family in financial difficulties, and after a limited education he had no option but to work for his livelihood. Starting as a clerk with the East India Company in 1938, he qualified three years later as a sub-judge and served in the judicial department at various places.
HIS VISION
The supreme interest of Sir Syed’s life was education in its widest sense. He wanted to create a scientific temperament among the Muslims of India and to make the modern knowledge of Science available to them. He championed the cause of modern education at a time when all the Indians in general and Indian Muslims in particular considered it a sin to get modern education and that too through English language. He began establishing schools, at Muradabad in 1858 and Ghazipur in 1863. A more ambitious undertaking was the foundation of the Scientific Society, which published translations of many educational texts and issued a bilingual journal in Urdu and English. It was for the use of all citizens and were jointly operated by the Hindus and Muslims. In the late 1860s there occurred some developments that were challenges to his activities. In 1867 he was transferred to Benares, a city on the Ganges with great religious significance for Hindus. At about the same time a movement started at Benares to replace Urdu, the language spoken by the Muslims, with Hindi. This movement and the attempts to substitute Hindi for Urdu publications of the Scientific Society convinced Syed that he should do something. Thus during a visit to England (1869-70) he prepared plans for a great educational institution. They were "a Muslim Cambridge." On his return he set up a committee for the purpose and also started an influential journal, Tahzib al-Akhlaq "Social Reform" for the uplift and reforms of the Muslims. A Muslim school was established at Aligarh in May 1875, and after his retirement in 1876, Sir Syed dedicated himself to make it a college. In January 1877 the Viceroy laid the foundation stone of the college. In spite of opposition to Syed’s projects, the college made rapid progress. In 1886 Syed organised the All-India Mohammadan Educational Conference, which met annually at different places to promote education and to provide the Muslims with a common platform. Syed advised the Muslims against joining active politics and to concentrate instead on education. Muslims generally followed his advice and abstained from politics. This advice is applicable even today. We have to concentrate our attention more on education for the uplift of the backward Muslim community. Many reports have clearly noted that the Muslims are educationally and economically more backward.
Throughout his life Syed Ahmed Khan showed concern with how Indian Muslims could adapt to intellectual and political change accompanying Western rule. His first mission became reinterpretation of Muslim ideology so as to reconcile tradition with Western education and science. He argued in several books on Islam that the holy Quran rested on a deep appreciation of reason and natural law and therefore did not preclude Muslim involvement in scientific methodology. These themes, mixed with a call for Muslim education, regularly appeared in his journals, the Mohammedan Social Reformer and the Aligarh Institute Gazette.
Syed Ahmed's ideas became institutionalized despite criticism from theologians. In 1862 he formed a scientific society, and 13 years later he assisted in establishing the Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College, which prospered and became the key intellectual center for Indian Muslims - The Aligarh Muslim University. The success of the college was largely due to his leadership and a curriculum embodying both Western and Oriental studies.
HIS CONTRIBUTION
Sir Syed’s contributions for the betterment and empowerment of the Muslims are great. His position in the judicial department left him time to be active in many fields. His career as an author in Urdu started at the age of 23. In 1847 he brought out an important book "Monuments of the Great" on the antiquities of Delhi. Even more important was his pamphlet "The Causes of the Indian Revolt". His interest in religion was also active and lifelong. He wrote on the Life of Prophet Muhammad (Sal-am) and devoted himself to write several volumes of a modernist commentary on the holy Quran. In these works he explained how the Islamic faith could go with progressive scientific and political ideas of his time.
HIS LITERARY WORKS
Sir Syed was a government civil servant and s scholar. The 1857 revolt was a turning point in his life. The following are his important works:
1) ‘’ASARUS SANADEED’’: It is an archaeological masterpiece providing a wealth of information on countless historical monuments in Delhi from the eight hundred long Muslim rule. This book was published in 1847.
2) ‘‘ASBAB-E-BAGHAWAT-E-HIND’’- (The causes of Indian Revolt) This book was published in 1859 after the 1857 revolt after witnessing the atrocities committed by the British on the inhabitants of Delhi. He saw an uncle, a cousin and an aunt dying before his eyes. He saved his mother but she died due to privations she had experienced. Muslims were the main targets of the government’s wrath.
3) THE ALIGARH INSTITUTE GAZETTE - It was an organ of the Scientific Society started in 1866. It made the people think and use their wisdom.
4) ‘’TEHZIB-UL-AKHLAQ’’ – It succeeded in making people realise the value of modern knowledge. It also gave new directions to Muslim social and political thoughts.
HIS GOLDEN SAYINGS
1) Sons (of MAO college later AMU)) shall go forth throughout the length and breath of the land to preach the message of free inquiry, of large-hearted toleration and of pure morality.
1. Acquisition of knowledge of science and technology is the only solution for the problems of Muslims.
2. Call me by whatever names you like. I will not ask you for my salvation. But please take pity of your children. Do something for them (send them to the school), lest you should have to repent (by not sending them)
3. We will remain humiliated and rejected if we do not make progress’’ (in scientific field)
4. Get rid of old and useless rituals. These rituals hinder human progress.
5. Superstition cannot be the part of Iman (faith).
6. The first requisite for the progress of a nation is the brotherhood and unity amongst sections of the society.
7. Yes the main purpose of this college (MAO) is to impart modern education to Muslims who are suffering because of lack of it but this institution is for all, Hindus and Muslims alike. Both of them need education.
8. We (Hindus and Muslims) eat the same crop, drink water from the same rivers and breathe the same air. As a matter of fact Hindus and Muslims are the two eyes of the beautiful bride that is Hindustan. Weakness of any one of them will spoil the beauty of the bride (dulhan)
9. We (Hindus and Muslim) have evolved a new language Urdu
10. I wish that youth of India should follow the example of young men and women of England who are religiously engaged in the hard work of industrial development of their country” (During the stay of Sir Syed in England).
11. Look forward, learn modern knowledge, and do not waste time in studies of old subjects of no value.
12. Ijtihad (innovation, re-interpretation with the changing times) is the need of the hour. Give up taqlid (copying and following old values).
13. Do not show the face of Islam to others; instead show your face as the follower of true Islam representing character, knowledge, tolerance and piety.
14. We should not (by remaining ignorant and illiterate) tarnish the image of our able elders.
15. All human beings are our brother and sisters. Working for their welfare is obligatory for Muslims.
16. Remember that the words Hindu and Muslim are only meant for religious distinction: otherwise all persons who reside in this country belong to one and the same nation.
HIS ACHIEVEMENTS
Sir Syed's greatest achievement was his Aligarh Movement, which was nothing but an educational venture. He established schools at Muradabad in 1859 and Ghazipur in 1863. He also founded a scientific society in 1864. When Sir Syed was posted at Aligarh in 1867, he started the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental School in the city. During his visit to England in 1869, he studied the British educational system and appreciated it.
Sir Syed wanted MAO College to act as a bridge between the old and the new systems. His famous quote is that ‘’a true Muslims is one who must have the holy Quran in one hand and the science in the other’’. Today we can see the Aligarh Muslim University offering different courses like Medical, Engineering, Science, Arts, Management, Languages etc.
Sir Syed’s aim was not just to establish a college at Aligarh but he was interested in spreading education and empowerment among the people by establishing educational institutions in every nook and corner of the country. He, therefore, started an organisation called ‘’All India Muslim Educational Conference’’to achieve this goal. It motivated the Muslims to open a number of educational institutions in India.
Although the Indian Muslim community has made some good progress in the educational arena, still they have to go a long way to achieve the goal that Sir Syed visualised. Only the vision and enthusiasm of Sir Syed can help us - Muslims to improve our educational and economic conditions further. It is,therefore, incumbent for us to revive the Aligarh movement once again to make the people understand the value of modern education fully.
I take this opportunity to request the Vice-Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim University to start a movement and come to the rescue of the suffering Muslim community in India. There is no point in blaming others. One feels that the main cause for our backwardness is lack of education. Education alone in the present context can empower us and nothing else. We can create a modern Islamic society only by taking Muslims to modern professional education like medical, engineering, teaching, management etc. No options or short cuts at all. God has given the eyes to see and mind to analyse. We must see what is happening around us and use our intellect to arrive at a conclusion. This is what Allah wants us to do. There is no point in toeing an outdated concept and blaming fate for every misery. Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal’s call should be taken seriously and march forward. He has said beautifully in the couplet which we read and hear quite often sometimes it echoes even in the Parliament but we do not give serious thought to it.
Khudi ko kar buland itna ki har taqdeer say pahlay,
Khuda banday say khud poochay bata teri raza kya hai
(Raise your position so much that God himself may ask you ‘’tell me what is it that you want?’’). It echoes the holy Quranic strong dictate that we should endeavour to achieve his rewards. In short we must develop a scientific temper among the people as the holy Quran says in different verses. We are mainly responsible for backwardness.
Sir Syed also brought out a journal ‘Tehzibul Akhlaq’ and succeeded in infusing a new desire amongst Muslims for acquiring modern knowledge.
Sir Syed finally reached to the conclusion that lack of education was the main cause of the backwardness of the community.
Sir Syed became successful in his mission and gave a firm foundation of Aligarh College (Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College) which afterwards became Aligarh Muslim University by an act of the government. It is meant for all- Muslims as well as non-Muslim students. All live and study here in a friendly and peaceful atmosphere. It has got a rich cultural heritage, which is its special and inimitable one.
The intellectuals produced in large numbers by Aligarh Muslim University served and continue to serve the country in various capacities. The first graduate of this University was the great revolutionary Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh. The late Dr. Zakir Hussain, former President of India and Dr. Syed Mahmood were also Aligarh educated dignitaries. The university has produced innumerable doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists, poets, writers, journalists, etc.
HIS EDUCATIONAL REVOLUTION
The Aligarh movement launched by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan influenced the Muslims in the country, particularly in South India. The Souvenir brought out on the occasion of the Centenary Celebration of Ambur Muslim Educational Society on 4th September 2006 mentions as follows inter-alia:
Sir Syed organised the Mohammedan (later Muslim) Educational Conference. Its branches were established in cities and towns to report on the educational needs of the community. This conference used to meet annually at several important cities in the country and carried the message of modern education far and wide.
The 5th session of the Conference was held at Madras in 1901 and set in a brainwave all over the South. Like their brethren in other parts of the country the Muslims of the Madras presidency were also antagonistic towards the English education and therefore they were far behind their other fellow countrymen in public service. Nawab Mohsinul Mulk Mohsinud Dowla from Aligarh inspired the Conference with the saga of adventure which Sir Syed has brought into being in the North.
On 16th December 1905 the Management of the Chowk Masjid madrasa which was in existence then was taken over and later re-named as Madrasa-e-Mazharul Uloom. Janab T.Abdullah sahib visited Aligarh, observed the educational developments there and inspired by it prepared a plan for a Muslim school in Ambur meant for all religions and communities without any discrimination whatsoever. It was primarily his aim to create for young Muslims a good institution for their educational, cultural and social developments.
Many educational institutions came up in Tamil Nadu as a result of the Aligarh movement. Today by the grace of Allah there are 11 (eleven) full fledged engineering colleges and hundreds of Science and Arts Colleges, Higher Secondary and Elementary Schools in difference parts of Tamil Nadu. Many Muslim organisations like All India Islamic Foundation, Sadaq Trust, The South India Education Trust, The Muslim Educational Association of Southern India, Ambur Muslim Educational Society, Vaniyambadi Muslim Educational Society etc. have been playing a very important role in establishing institutions and imparting modern education to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
HIS RATIONAL APPROACH
Muslims were in the forefront in the struggle for freedom. They suffered a lot. Many Ulema (religious scholars) were hanged in Delhi and other places. Sir Syed was worried. He was of the view that Muslims should not be so vigorous in opposing the British at their own cost and ignore everything including education and government placements.
Sir Syed wanted Muslims to have friendship with the British if they want to take their due rights. He quoted the examples of other religious communities benefiting from the government. While he tried his best to convince the British that Muslims were not against them, he persuaded the Muslims repeatedly to befriend the British to achieve their goals. He also wrote many books and published journals to remove the misunderstanding between Muslims and the British by writing booklets like "Loyal Muhammadans of India" and "Cause of Indian Revolt". Sir Syed asked the Muslims of his time not to participate in politics unless and until they got modern education. He was of the view that Muslims could not succeed in the field of Western politics without knowing the system. He was invited to attend the first session of the Indian National Congress and to join the organization but he refused to accept the offer. He gave importance to the education of the Muslim community and succeeded in it. His institutions such as the College and the Muslim Educational Conference continued to influence intellectuals till this day and will continue to do so in the years to come unhindered.
CONCLUSION
Let us see now what the following great personalities have said about Sir Syed
Ahmed Khan:
1) Dr. Allama Iqbal:
‘’The real greatness of the man (Sir Syed) consists in the fact that he was the first Indian Muslim who felt the need of a fresh orientation of Islam and worked for it’’
2) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehruji:
‘’Sir Syed was an ardent reformer and he wanted to reconcile modern scientific thought with religion by rationalistic interpretations and not by attacking basic belief. He was anxious to push new education. He was in no way communally separatist. Repeatedly he emphasized that religious differences should have no political and national significance.’’
3) Mr. Inder Kumar Gujralji
‘’Sir Syed’s vision and his laborious efforts to meet the demands of challenging times are highly commendable. The dark post 1857 era was indeed hopeless and only men like Raja Mohan Roy and Sir Syed could penetrate through its thick veil to visualize the Nation’s destinies. They rightly believed that the past had its merits and its legacies were valuable but it was the future that a society was called upon to cope with.
I offer my homage to Sir Syed for his vision and courage that withstood all obstructions both from the friends and the foes.’’
This great visionary and reformer, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, whose relevance is felt even today and who will always remain green in our memory inspiring wise thoughts and absolute principles in the right Islamic thinking passed away after a brief illness on 27th March 1898 and was buried the next day in the compound of the mosque in the College. May his soul continue to live in peace.
BY AZHAR MOHAMMED K
INTRODUCTION
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-1898) was a great visionary, statesman and Muslim reformer of the 19th century, the like of whom is rare. He wanted to make the community and country progressive and take them forward on modern lines. His supreme interest was intellectual development of the people through modern education. He was the first Indian Muslim to contribute to the intellectual and institutional foundation of Muslim modernization in Southern Asia. Interest of community and country was dearer to him rather than anything else. He was successful in making the Muslims understand the importance of modern education and endeavour their best to achieve it in order to stand on their own legs and live a dignified life in accordance with Islamic thoughts.
Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal says :
‘’Mubtalaayay dard koi azu ho roti hai aankh
Kis qadar hamdard saray jism ki hoti hai aankh’’
(The eye weeps for the suffering of any and every part of the body,
How sympathetic it is to the entire organism)
To the Muslim community Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was and is like the eye which weeps for the suffering of any and every part of the body. The sufferings of the community worried him. He took an oath to reform, educate and empower the Muslim community and was successful to a great extent in implementing it despite strong opposition from a section of the Muslim community which hated the British and their language. Today we can see the products of the Aligarh Muslim University adoring in every field of activity in India and neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. They have earned a name for the community and country, thanks to the Aligarh movement.
Sir Syed’s educational caravan reached everywhere including Tamil Nadu from where I hail. It inspired and encouraged people to take to modern education by establishing educational institutions.
HIS BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD
Sir Syed was born on 17 October 1817 in Delhi. His family was highly regarded by the Mughal dynasty. His maternal grandfather Khwajah Farid was a ‘wazir’ (minister) in the court of Akbar Shah II. His paternal grandfather Syed Hadi held a ‘mansab’ of the title of Jawwad Ali Khan in the court of Alamgir II. Syed Ahmed’s father, Mir Muttaqi was also close to Akbar Shah but rejected the position and titles offered to him due to his interest in mysticism. Perhaps he abhorred the way the materialistic world functioned. He died when Syed Ahmed was about 21 years of age. Mother, Azizunnissa Begum was, however, a strong willed woman of clearly defined principles. She showed extraordinary interest in the education, character building and upbringing of her son. She was a strict and God fearing lady.
HIS EDUCATION
Sir Syed received his education under the old system prevailing at that time. He learnt to read the holy Quran under a female teacher at his home. After this, Maulvi Hamidud Din, became his private tutor. He completed a course in Persian and Arabic, and later took to the study of mathematics, which was a favourite subject of the maternal side of his family. He later took interest in medicine and studied some well-known books on the subject. At the age of 19 his formal education came to an end but he continued his studies privately. He started taking a keen interest in the literary gatherings and cultural activities of the city.
The passing away of his father left the family in financial difficulties, and after a limited education he had no option but to work for his livelihood. Starting as a clerk with the East India Company in 1938, he qualified three years later as a sub-judge and served in the judicial department at various places.
HIS VISION
The supreme interest of Sir Syed’s life was education in its widest sense. He wanted to create a scientific temperament among the Muslims of India and to make the modern knowledge of Science available to them. He championed the cause of modern education at a time when all the Indians in general and Indian Muslims in particular considered it a sin to get modern education and that too through English language. He began establishing schools, at Muradabad in 1858 and Ghazipur in 1863. A more ambitious undertaking was the foundation of the Scientific Society, which published translations of many educational texts and issued a bilingual journal in Urdu and English. It was for the use of all citizens and were jointly operated by the Hindus and Muslims. In the late 1860s there occurred some developments that were challenges to his activities. In 1867 he was transferred to Benares, a city on the Ganges with great religious significance for Hindus. At about the same time a movement started at Benares to replace Urdu, the language spoken by the Muslims, with Hindi. This movement and the attempts to substitute Hindi for Urdu publications of the Scientific Society convinced Syed that he should do something. Thus during a visit to England (1869-70) he prepared plans for a great educational institution. They were "a Muslim Cambridge." On his return he set up a committee for the purpose and also started an influential journal, Tahzib al-Akhlaq "Social Reform" for the uplift and reforms of the Muslims. A Muslim school was established at Aligarh in May 1875, and after his retirement in 1876, Sir Syed dedicated himself to make it a college. In January 1877 the Viceroy laid the foundation stone of the college. In spite of opposition to Syed’s projects, the college made rapid progress. In 1886 Syed organised the All-India Mohammadan Educational Conference, which met annually at different places to promote education and to provide the Muslims with a common platform. Syed advised the Muslims against joining active politics and to concentrate instead on education. Muslims generally followed his advice and abstained from politics. This advice is applicable even today. We have to concentrate our attention more on education for the uplift of the backward Muslim community. Many reports have clearly noted that the Muslims are educationally and economically more backward.
Throughout his life Syed Ahmed Khan showed concern with how Indian Muslims could adapt to intellectual and political change accompanying Western rule. His first mission became reinterpretation of Muslim ideology so as to reconcile tradition with Western education and science. He argued in several books on Islam that the holy Quran rested on a deep appreciation of reason and natural law and therefore did not preclude Muslim involvement in scientific methodology. These themes, mixed with a call for Muslim education, regularly appeared in his journals, the Mohammedan Social Reformer and the Aligarh Institute Gazette.
Syed Ahmed's ideas became institutionalized despite criticism from theologians. In 1862 he formed a scientific society, and 13 years later he assisted in establishing the Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College, which prospered and became the key intellectual center for Indian Muslims - The Aligarh Muslim University. The success of the college was largely due to his leadership and a curriculum embodying both Western and Oriental studies.
HIS CONTRIBUTION
Sir Syed’s contributions for the betterment and empowerment of the Muslims are great. His position in the judicial department left him time to be active in many fields. His career as an author in Urdu started at the age of 23. In 1847 he brought out an important book "Monuments of the Great" on the antiquities of Delhi. Even more important was his pamphlet "The Causes of the Indian Revolt". His interest in religion was also active and lifelong. He wrote on the Life of Prophet Muhammad (Sal-am) and devoted himself to write several volumes of a modernist commentary on the holy Quran. In these works he explained how the Islamic faith could go with progressive scientific and political ideas of his time.
HIS LITERARY WORKS
Sir Syed was a government civil servant and s scholar. The 1857 revolt was a turning point in his life. The following are his important works:
1) ‘’ASARUS SANADEED’’: It is an archaeological masterpiece providing a wealth of information on countless historical monuments in Delhi from the eight hundred long Muslim rule. This book was published in 1847.
2) ‘‘ASBAB-E-BAGHAWAT-E-HIND’’- (The causes of Indian Revolt) This book was published in 1859 after the 1857 revolt after witnessing the atrocities committed by the British on the inhabitants of Delhi. He saw an uncle, a cousin and an aunt dying before his eyes. He saved his mother but she died due to privations she had experienced. Muslims were the main targets of the government’s wrath.
3) THE ALIGARH INSTITUTE GAZETTE - It was an organ of the Scientific Society started in 1866. It made the people think and use their wisdom.
4) ‘’TEHZIB-UL-AKHLAQ’’ – It succeeded in making people realise the value of modern knowledge. It also gave new directions to Muslim social and political thoughts.
HIS GOLDEN SAYINGS
1) Sons (of MAO college later AMU)) shall go forth throughout the length and breath of the land to preach the message of free inquiry, of large-hearted toleration and of pure morality.
1. Acquisition of knowledge of science and technology is the only solution for the problems of Muslims.
2. Call me by whatever names you like. I will not ask you for my salvation. But please take pity of your children. Do something for them (send them to the school), lest you should have to repent (by not sending them)
3. We will remain humiliated and rejected if we do not make progress’’ (in scientific field)
4. Get rid of old and useless rituals. These rituals hinder human progress.
5. Superstition cannot be the part of Iman (faith).
6. The first requisite for the progress of a nation is the brotherhood and unity amongst sections of the society.
7. Yes the main purpose of this college (MAO) is to impart modern education to Muslims who are suffering because of lack of it but this institution is for all, Hindus and Muslims alike. Both of them need education.
8. We (Hindus and Muslims) eat the same crop, drink water from the same rivers and breathe the same air. As a matter of fact Hindus and Muslims are the two eyes of the beautiful bride that is Hindustan. Weakness of any one of them will spoil the beauty of the bride (dulhan)
9. We (Hindus and Muslim) have evolved a new language Urdu
10. I wish that youth of India should follow the example of young men and women of England who are religiously engaged in the hard work of industrial development of their country” (During the stay of Sir Syed in England).
11. Look forward, learn modern knowledge, and do not waste time in studies of old subjects of no value.
12. Ijtihad (innovation, re-interpretation with the changing times) is the need of the hour. Give up taqlid (copying and following old values).
13. Do not show the face of Islam to others; instead show your face as the follower of true Islam representing character, knowledge, tolerance and piety.
14. We should not (by remaining ignorant and illiterate) tarnish the image of our able elders.
15. All human beings are our brother and sisters. Working for their welfare is obligatory for Muslims.
16. Remember that the words Hindu and Muslim are only meant for religious distinction: otherwise all persons who reside in this country belong to one and the same nation.
HIS ACHIEVEMENTS
Sir Syed's greatest achievement was his Aligarh Movement, which was nothing but an educational venture. He established schools at Muradabad in 1859 and Ghazipur in 1863. He also founded a scientific society in 1864. When Sir Syed was posted at Aligarh in 1867, he started the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental School in the city. During his visit to England in 1869, he studied the British educational system and appreciated it.
Sir Syed wanted MAO College to act as a bridge between the old and the new systems. His famous quote is that ‘’a true Muslims is one who must have the holy Quran in one hand and the science in the other’’. Today we can see the Aligarh Muslim University offering different courses like Medical, Engineering, Science, Arts, Management, Languages etc.
Sir Syed’s aim was not just to establish a college at Aligarh but he was interested in spreading education and empowerment among the people by establishing educational institutions in every nook and corner of the country. He, therefore, started an organisation called ‘’All India Muslim Educational Conference’’to achieve this goal. It motivated the Muslims to open a number of educational institutions in India.
Although the Indian Muslim community has made some good progress in the educational arena, still they have to go a long way to achieve the goal that Sir Syed visualised. Only the vision and enthusiasm of Sir Syed can help us - Muslims to improve our educational and economic conditions further. It is,therefore, incumbent for us to revive the Aligarh movement once again to make the people understand the value of modern education fully.
I take this opportunity to request the Vice-Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim University to start a movement and come to the rescue of the suffering Muslim community in India. There is no point in blaming others. One feels that the main cause for our backwardness is lack of education. Education alone in the present context can empower us and nothing else. We can create a modern Islamic society only by taking Muslims to modern professional education like medical, engineering, teaching, management etc. No options or short cuts at all. God has given the eyes to see and mind to analyse. We must see what is happening around us and use our intellect to arrive at a conclusion. This is what Allah wants us to do. There is no point in toeing an outdated concept and blaming fate for every misery. Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal’s call should be taken seriously and march forward. He has said beautifully in the couplet which we read and hear quite often sometimes it echoes even in the Parliament but we do not give serious thought to it.
Khudi ko kar buland itna ki har taqdeer say pahlay,
Khuda banday say khud poochay bata teri raza kya hai
(Raise your position so much that God himself may ask you ‘’tell me what is it that you want?’’). It echoes the holy Quranic strong dictate that we should endeavour to achieve his rewards. In short we must develop a scientific temper among the people as the holy Quran says in different verses. We are mainly responsible for backwardness.
Sir Syed also brought out a journal ‘Tehzibul Akhlaq’ and succeeded in infusing a new desire amongst Muslims for acquiring modern knowledge.
Sir Syed finally reached to the conclusion that lack of education was the main cause of the backwardness of the community.
Sir Syed became successful in his mission and gave a firm foundation of Aligarh College (Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College) which afterwards became Aligarh Muslim University by an act of the government. It is meant for all- Muslims as well as non-Muslim students. All live and study here in a friendly and peaceful atmosphere. It has got a rich cultural heritage, which is its special and inimitable one.
The intellectuals produced in large numbers by Aligarh Muslim University served and continue to serve the country in various capacities. The first graduate of this University was the great revolutionary Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh. The late Dr. Zakir Hussain, former President of India and Dr. Syed Mahmood were also Aligarh educated dignitaries. The university has produced innumerable doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists, poets, writers, journalists, etc.
HIS EDUCATIONAL REVOLUTION
The Aligarh movement launched by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan influenced the Muslims in the country, particularly in South India. The Souvenir brought out on the occasion of the Centenary Celebration of Ambur Muslim Educational Society on 4th September 2006 mentions as follows inter-alia:
Sir Syed organised the Mohammedan (later Muslim) Educational Conference. Its branches were established in cities and towns to report on the educational needs of the community. This conference used to meet annually at several important cities in the country and carried the message of modern education far and wide.
The 5th session of the Conference was held at Madras in 1901 and set in a brainwave all over the South. Like their brethren in other parts of the country the Muslims of the Madras presidency were also antagonistic towards the English education and therefore they were far behind their other fellow countrymen in public service. Nawab Mohsinul Mulk Mohsinud Dowla from Aligarh inspired the Conference with the saga of adventure which Sir Syed has brought into being in the North.
On 16th December 1905 the Management of the Chowk Masjid madrasa which was in existence then was taken over and later re-named as Madrasa-e-Mazharul Uloom. Janab T.Abdullah sahib visited Aligarh, observed the educational developments there and inspired by it prepared a plan for a Muslim school in Ambur meant for all religions and communities without any discrimination whatsoever. It was primarily his aim to create for young Muslims a good institution for their educational, cultural and social developments.
Many educational institutions came up in Tamil Nadu as a result of the Aligarh movement. Today by the grace of Allah there are 11 (eleven) full fledged engineering colleges and hundreds of Science and Arts Colleges, Higher Secondary and Elementary Schools in difference parts of Tamil Nadu. Many Muslim organisations like All India Islamic Foundation, Sadaq Trust, The South India Education Trust, The Muslim Educational Association of Southern India, Ambur Muslim Educational Society, Vaniyambadi Muslim Educational Society etc. have been playing a very important role in establishing institutions and imparting modern education to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
HIS RATIONAL APPROACH
Muslims were in the forefront in the struggle for freedom. They suffered a lot. Many Ulema (religious scholars) were hanged in Delhi and other places. Sir Syed was worried. He was of the view that Muslims should not be so vigorous in opposing the British at their own cost and ignore everything including education and government placements.
Sir Syed wanted Muslims to have friendship with the British if they want to take their due rights. He quoted the examples of other religious communities benefiting from the government. While he tried his best to convince the British that Muslims were not against them, he persuaded the Muslims repeatedly to befriend the British to achieve their goals. He also wrote many books and published journals to remove the misunderstanding between Muslims and the British by writing booklets like "Loyal Muhammadans of India" and "Cause of Indian Revolt". Sir Syed asked the Muslims of his time not to participate in politics unless and until they got modern education. He was of the view that Muslims could not succeed in the field of Western politics without knowing the system. He was invited to attend the first session of the Indian National Congress and to join the organization but he refused to accept the offer. He gave importance to the education of the Muslim community and succeeded in it. His institutions such as the College and the Muslim Educational Conference continued to influence intellectuals till this day and will continue to do so in the years to come unhindered.
CONCLUSION
Let us see now what the following great personalities have said about Sir Syed
Ahmed Khan:
1) Dr. Allama Iqbal:
‘’The real greatness of the man (Sir Syed) consists in the fact that he was the first Indian Muslim who felt the need of a fresh orientation of Islam and worked for it’’
2) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehruji:
‘’Sir Syed was an ardent reformer and he wanted to reconcile modern scientific thought with religion by rationalistic interpretations and not by attacking basic belief. He was anxious to push new education. He was in no way communally separatist. Repeatedly he emphasized that religious differences should have no political and national significance.’’
3) Mr. Inder Kumar Gujralji
‘’Sir Syed’s vision and his laborious efforts to meet the demands of challenging times are highly commendable. The dark post 1857 era was indeed hopeless and only men like Raja Mohan Roy and Sir Syed could penetrate through its thick veil to visualize the Nation’s destinies. They rightly believed that the past had its merits and its legacies were valuable but it was the future that a society was called upon to cope with.
I offer my homage to Sir Syed for his vision and courage that withstood all obstructions both from the friends and the foes.’’
This great visionary and reformer, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, whose relevance is felt even today and who will always remain green in our memory inspiring wise thoughts and absolute principles in the right Islamic thinking passed away after a brief illness on 27th March 1898 and was buried the next day in the compound of the mosque in the College. May his soul continue to live in peace.
Saray Jahaan say achcha Hindustan Hamaara
Ahmedabad blasts
This refers to the article “Ahmedabad blasts: the usual suspects” by P. Swami (The Hindu dated 1st August 2008) Indian Muslims are peace-loving. It would be better for national integration if stories and articles of sacrifices made by Muslims for their country and their achievements are published, instead of repeating the views of the lunatic fringe gone astray.
Indian Muslims proudly sing sare jahaan say achcha Hindustan hamaara … and are second to none in patriotism. Let the author give some useful suggestions to enable the police and intelligence agencies to nab the culprits who plant bombs and kill innocent people. They belong to no religion.
V.M. Khaleelur Rahman,
Ambur
This refers to the article “Ahmedabad blasts: the usual suspects” by P. Swami (The Hindu dated 1st August 2008) Indian Muslims are peace-loving. It would be better for national integration if stories and articles of sacrifices made by Muslims for their country and their achievements are published, instead of repeating the views of the lunatic fringe gone astray.
Indian Muslims proudly sing sare jahaan say achcha Hindustan hamaara … and are second to none in patriotism. Let the author give some useful suggestions to enable the police and intelligence agencies to nab the culprits who plant bombs and kill innocent people. They belong to no religion.
V.M. Khaleelur Rahman,
Ambur
Monday, July 7, 2008
Condolence Message
The passing away of Alijanab Vavoor Khaleelur Rahman saheb is a great loss to the leather industry, The Ambur Muslim Educational Society, Ambur Ahle Sunnath wal jamaath and people of Ambur. He was not just the holder of big posts without involvement. The undeniable fact is that he was an activist and discharged what he considered his responsibilities with much care and attention. Even during his indisposition he worked hard serving the causes dearer to him without any care for his health. One can say without any hesitation that the people of his bold calibre are rare in the community. His passing away has made everyone realise that the responsibilities he held cannot be carried out by one but two or three persons. It clearly shows that he was holding a big burden on him for the sake of the community. This was his beauty par excellence.
Another loss of the community is in the demise of Alijanab Varsala Niamathullah saheb, an Executive Committee member of The Ambur Muslim Educational Society and Muthawalli of the Small Mosque. He was a cool and calm person and discharged his responsibilities well. He has helped many community and Islamic causes. He was a good friend to everyone. We will always miss him.
However the hard truth is that we have to follow them when the call comes from the Creator.
Our heart-felt condolences to the members of the respective bereaved families.
Let us pray to Allah for their "maghfirath". May their souls rest in peace.
Another loss of the community is in the demise of Alijanab Varsala Niamathullah saheb, an Executive Committee member of The Ambur Muslim Educational Society and Muthawalli of the Small Mosque. He was a cool and calm person and discharged his responsibilities well. He has helped many community and Islamic causes. He was a good friend to everyone. We will always miss him.
However the hard truth is that we have to follow them when the call comes from the Creator.
Our heart-felt condolences to the members of the respective bereaved families.
Let us pray to Allah for their "maghfirath". May their souls rest in peace.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Whither reservations?
A delegation of popular Christian priests and politicians has met the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr. M. Karunanidhi and appealed to him that the exclusive 3.5% reservation in education and employment for Christians should be abrogated. Their contention based on their assessment particularly in the MBBS admissions is that it is detrimental to the interest of the Christian community. There must be some strong ground for them to make such an unexpected and bold demand. All glitterings are not gold. Let the Muslim leaders who harp on the benefits of the reservation look into this issue seriously, analyse it thread and bare and come to a conslusion. They should find out where the Muslim community stands now with 3.5% quota.
One feels that the best way to make every community progress educationally is to bring up children efficiently giving them proper training and education right from the beginning and make them capable in every sense of the word instead of depending on reservations. It is clear to all that reservations alone cannot make students able and educationally sound. It is more the question of the survival of the fittest mainly at the present highly materialistic world. As the former President of India Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam says every student should persevere with determination to ahieve his or her goals and parents should be backbone to them extending all assistance and co-operation finacially and otherwise. Our slogan should be "merit".
One feels that the best way to make every community progress educationally is to bring up children efficiently giving them proper training and education right from the beginning and make them capable in every sense of the word instead of depending on reservations. It is clear to all that reservations alone cannot make students able and educationally sound. It is more the question of the survival of the fittest mainly at the present highly materialistic world. As the former President of India Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam says every student should persevere with determination to ahieve his or her goals and parents should be backbone to them extending all assistance and co-operation finacially and otherwise. Our slogan should be "merit".
Friday, June 27, 2008
G.M. Banatwala is no more. Let us pray for his maghfirat
The passing away of Mr. G.M. Banatwala, a seven-time MP to the Lok Sabha, on 25.6.2008 is a great loss to the community and country. He was an orator in both Urdu and English and kept his audience spell bound. He was a good Muslim. He gave importance to democratic and secular values as per his faith. He never shirked his responsibility in working for the benefit of the people particularly the backward communities.
Mr. Banatwala always said that we should be well educated as Prophet Mohammed (sal-am) gave preference to education and made seeking education compulsory for both men and women. Uplifting the Muslim community in economic and educational fields was his aim. We have lost a great leader of his calibre. May his soul rest in peace.
Mr. Banatwala always said that we should be well educated as Prophet Mohammed (sal-am) gave preference to education and made seeking education compulsory for both men and women. Uplifting the Muslim community in economic and educational fields was his aim. We have lost a great leader of his calibre. May his soul rest in peace.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Zackeria Hazrath : A Teacher With a Difference
ZACKERIA HAZRATH : A TEACHER WITH A DIFFERENCE
V.M. KHALEELUR RAHMAN
We were fortunate to have many good and dedicated teachers in the Mazharul Uloom High School, Ambur where we studied more than four decades ago. That period is still green in our memory. We cannot forget our teachers who taught us with all care and attention. Every teacher had his own special characteristics, which impressed and inspired us and even now we cannot but remember and respect them very much.
Prophet Mohammed (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) gave importance to education and teachers. Once he came across two circles of people. The first circle was supplicating to Allah and the other was listening to a discourse by a teacher. The Prophet said “ The first circle is begging God who may or may not give them what they want but the second circle is getting education from a teacher. I have been sent as teacher.” He joined the second circle. This shows that the Prophet gave preference to teachers and education. There are many examples of him giving priority to teachers.
In this write-up I would like to share my impressions about the late Janab V. Mohammed Zackeria sahib, a dedicated and well-known teacher who served in the Mazharul Uloom High School for more than 40 years and left his indelible shining marks. He was affectionately called “Zackeria Hazrath”. He was actually a teacher with a difference. To him teaching was a mission. He taught his pupils with all seriousness, care and attention. He was very scientific in his words and deeds. He endeavoured his best to make every boy a “gem” in discipline and education. He never tolerated laziness and wanted his pupils to be alert and hard working.
Zackeria Hazrath was not only a teacher, but also a reformer par excellence. He was well versed in Urdu, English, Tamil and Hindi languages. He was good in Arabic and Persian also. Interest of the community was dearer to him. He was a serious person, an authoritative one. He “ruled” us and wanted every one of us to study well and benefit from the school without wasting any time.
He had modern thinking and always opposed superstitious beliefs and revealed in his own inimitable Urdu language how soothsayers, sorcerers, astrologers etc. hoodwinked innocent people for the sake of money. He advised us not to believe them and understand things properly using our intellect and wisdom. He was dead opposed to blind following in any matter.
Zackeria Hazrath’s literary taste was immense. He never failed to correct even the spoken language of his pupils whether it was Urdu, English or Tamil. His pupils as well as their parents were careful while talking to him. He disliked the colloquial and wanted everyone to speak chaste Urdu in its sweet and beautiful form. He used to say “Urdu ka khoon mat karo.Miyan” ( Don’t kill the Urdu language.)
The following “rubayee” penned by him shows his noble thoughts. We have to understand it in the proper perspective and respect the plural society in which we live.
“Ya rub hai teri her jagah hasthi,
Paatha hai thujko daaraa-e-beenaayi,
Masjid mayn Muslim Mandir mayn Hindu,
Karthay kalesa mayn wird hain Easaayee”
O God, your existence is everywhere,
Knowledgeable persons are able to find you,
Muslims in the mosque, Hindus in the temple
And Christians in the church pray to you.
One day Hazrath wrote this “rubayee” on the Black Board in the class room and said that “after all everyone is worshipping the same God”. People like me still remember it because of the beautiful thought expressed therein. It is a powerful thought and this thought is necessary for all Indians where different religious people live happily. We cannot forget this great teacher under any situation. He is no more now. But everything he taught us so happily and so seriously, sometimes even with anger, is in our memory in tact. It is impossible for us to forget him and his wonderful and revolutionary teachings. May Allah rest his soul in peace.
V.M. KHALEELUR RAHMAN
We were fortunate to have many good and dedicated teachers in the Mazharul Uloom High School, Ambur where we studied more than four decades ago. That period is still green in our memory. We cannot forget our teachers who taught us with all care and attention. Every teacher had his own special characteristics, which impressed and inspired us and even now we cannot but remember and respect them very much.
Prophet Mohammed (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) gave importance to education and teachers. Once he came across two circles of people. The first circle was supplicating to Allah and the other was listening to a discourse by a teacher. The Prophet said “ The first circle is begging God who may or may not give them what they want but the second circle is getting education from a teacher. I have been sent as teacher.” He joined the second circle. This shows that the Prophet gave preference to teachers and education. There are many examples of him giving priority to teachers.
In this write-up I would like to share my impressions about the late Janab V. Mohammed Zackeria sahib, a dedicated and well-known teacher who served in the Mazharul Uloom High School for more than 40 years and left his indelible shining marks. He was affectionately called “Zackeria Hazrath”. He was actually a teacher with a difference. To him teaching was a mission. He taught his pupils with all seriousness, care and attention. He was very scientific in his words and deeds. He endeavoured his best to make every boy a “gem” in discipline and education. He never tolerated laziness and wanted his pupils to be alert and hard working.
Zackeria Hazrath was not only a teacher, but also a reformer par excellence. He was well versed in Urdu, English, Tamil and Hindi languages. He was good in Arabic and Persian also. Interest of the community was dearer to him. He was a serious person, an authoritative one. He “ruled” us and wanted every one of us to study well and benefit from the school without wasting any time.
He had modern thinking and always opposed superstitious beliefs and revealed in his own inimitable Urdu language how soothsayers, sorcerers, astrologers etc. hoodwinked innocent people for the sake of money. He advised us not to believe them and understand things properly using our intellect and wisdom. He was dead opposed to blind following in any matter.
Zackeria Hazrath’s literary taste was immense. He never failed to correct even the spoken language of his pupils whether it was Urdu, English or Tamil. His pupils as well as their parents were careful while talking to him. He disliked the colloquial and wanted everyone to speak chaste Urdu in its sweet and beautiful form. He used to say “Urdu ka khoon mat karo.Miyan” ( Don’t kill the Urdu language.)
The following “rubayee” penned by him shows his noble thoughts. We have to understand it in the proper perspective and respect the plural society in which we live.
“Ya rub hai teri her jagah hasthi,
Paatha hai thujko daaraa-e-beenaayi,
Masjid mayn Muslim Mandir mayn Hindu,
Karthay kalesa mayn wird hain Easaayee”
O God, your existence is everywhere,
Knowledgeable persons are able to find you,
Muslims in the mosque, Hindus in the temple
And Christians in the church pray to you.
One day Hazrath wrote this “rubayee” on the Black Board in the class room and said that “after all everyone is worshipping the same God”. People like me still remember it because of the beautiful thought expressed therein. It is a powerful thought and this thought is necessary for all Indians where different religious people live happily. We cannot forget this great teacher under any situation. He is no more now. But everything he taught us so happily and so seriously, sometimes even with anger, is in our memory in tact. It is impossible for us to forget him and his wonderful and revolutionary teachings. May Allah rest his soul in peace.
EID-UL-AZHA - A festival of selflessness and devotion
Eid-ul-Azha: A festival of selflessness and devotion
By V. M. Khaleelur Rahman, Ambur
The festival Id-ul-Azha, popularly known as Bakrid, is celebrated on the tenth day of Zul Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, in memory of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (Alaihis salam -AS) who is said to have lived about 4500 years ago. He was an embodiment of selfless sacrifice and deep devotion to Allah. Once dreamt as if commanded by God, he was ready even to sacrifice his only son Hazrat Ismail (Ishmael) who was also all the more willing to give up his life as per Divine order. But it was stopped as it was not what God wanted but he was only tested for his faithfulness and forbearance. In this connection the holy Quran says in its inimitable expression that it is not the "flesh and blood" that reach God but the devotion one has for Him.
The most important aspect, associated with this festival, is the Haj pilgrimage to Makkah. It is one of the five "pillars" of Islam. The others being belief in God, prayer - five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan and compulsory payment of 2.5% called "Zakath"on one’s assets to the poor and needy. It was Prophet Ibrahim (AS) who built the "sacred refuge" of Makkah-based Kaba, "the first House of worship, full of blessings and guidance for all mankind " and "Pilgrimage thereto once in one’s life is a duty people who can afford it owe to God"– i.e. if one is physically and financially sound - according to Islamic yardsticks.
The sacred "Zamzam" water which Haj pilgrims fondly drink and bring home for distribution among relatives and friends is from the place where a divine miracle had happened. It is recorded that when Hazrat Hajira (Hagar), wife of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and her infant son Ismail were taken to a rocky and barren valley in Makkah to settle down there, her son grew very thirsty. There was no sign of water anywhere in that vast uncultivable area. She did not know what to do and ran desperately helter-skelter seven times praying to God between two hillocks, Safa and Marwah, in search of water to quench her son’s thirst. Suddenly a spring of fresh water came gushing miraculously under his feet to her utter surprise. The pilgrims perform what is called "Saee" remembering this divine mercy by walking briskly seven times between Safa and Marwah – a distance of about 500 metres,
The Islamic equality and brotherhood of mankind is manifest in the mammoth gathering of more than two million Haj pilgrims, drawn from different parts of the world, irrespective of their colour, creed or country, joining together at a place, men in a white unstitched "uniform" of two pieces of cloth called "Ihram" and women with a head-cover and usual dress, doing "tawaf" (circumambulation) and praying to Almighty God with absolute devotion and wishing for world peace and prosperity. This spectacular annual assembly of Haj pilgrims, full of piety and Divine wisdom, is of great significance.
The holy Quran says: "O People! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes only for the sake of identification and knowing one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is pious and God-fearing"( Al-Hujurat 49:13). It also says that "God does not love the proud ones" and Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am)’s warning is that "he who has a grain of pride in his/her heart will not enter heaven."
If the purpose of religion being love is properly understood and followed, we can get a just world order wherein one can live, develop and prosper happily in an atmosphere free from fear, oppression and exploitation and also make the other world hereafter, called "Aakhirah", a paradise. A Haji – one who returns after Haj pilgrimage – is expected to be as innocent as a child without enemies from within such as envy, greed, ill-will etc. and lead a life getting the pleasure of God.
By V. M. Khaleelur Rahman, Ambur
The festival Id-ul-Azha, popularly known as Bakrid, is celebrated on the tenth day of Zul Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, in memory of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (Alaihis salam -AS) who is said to have lived about 4500 years ago. He was an embodiment of selfless sacrifice and deep devotion to Allah. Once dreamt as if commanded by God, he was ready even to sacrifice his only son Hazrat Ismail (Ishmael) who was also all the more willing to give up his life as per Divine order. But it was stopped as it was not what God wanted but he was only tested for his faithfulness and forbearance. In this connection the holy Quran says in its inimitable expression that it is not the "flesh and blood" that reach God but the devotion one has for Him.
The most important aspect, associated with this festival, is the Haj pilgrimage to Makkah. It is one of the five "pillars" of Islam. The others being belief in God, prayer - five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan and compulsory payment of 2.5% called "Zakath"on one’s assets to the poor and needy. It was Prophet Ibrahim (AS) who built the "sacred refuge" of Makkah-based Kaba, "the first House of worship, full of blessings and guidance for all mankind " and "Pilgrimage thereto once in one’s life is a duty people who can afford it owe to God"– i.e. if one is physically and financially sound - according to Islamic yardsticks.
The sacred "Zamzam" water which Haj pilgrims fondly drink and bring home for distribution among relatives and friends is from the place where a divine miracle had happened. It is recorded that when Hazrat Hajira (Hagar), wife of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and her infant son Ismail were taken to a rocky and barren valley in Makkah to settle down there, her son grew very thirsty. There was no sign of water anywhere in that vast uncultivable area. She did not know what to do and ran desperately helter-skelter seven times praying to God between two hillocks, Safa and Marwah, in search of water to quench her son’s thirst. Suddenly a spring of fresh water came gushing miraculously under his feet to her utter surprise. The pilgrims perform what is called "Saee" remembering this divine mercy by walking briskly seven times between Safa and Marwah – a distance of about 500 metres,
The Islamic equality and brotherhood of mankind is manifest in the mammoth gathering of more than two million Haj pilgrims, drawn from different parts of the world, irrespective of their colour, creed or country, joining together at a place, men in a white unstitched "uniform" of two pieces of cloth called "Ihram" and women with a head-cover and usual dress, doing "tawaf" (circumambulation) and praying to Almighty God with absolute devotion and wishing for world peace and prosperity. This spectacular annual assembly of Haj pilgrims, full of piety and Divine wisdom, is of great significance.
The holy Quran says: "O People! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes only for the sake of identification and knowing one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is pious and God-fearing"( Al-Hujurat 49:13). It also says that "God does not love the proud ones" and Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am)’s warning is that "he who has a grain of pride in his/her heart will not enter heaven."
If the purpose of religion being love is properly understood and followed, we can get a just world order wherein one can live, develop and prosper happily in an atmosphere free from fear, oppression and exploitation and also make the other world hereafter, called "Aakhirah", a paradise. A Haji – one who returns after Haj pilgrimage – is expected to be as innocent as a child without enemies from within such as envy, greed, ill-will etc. and lead a life getting the pleasure of God.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
'GEMS' OF PROPHET MOHAMMED (SAL-AM)
1. HEART: Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) said, ‘Listen carefully, there is a lump of flesh in the body. If it is set right and made good, the entire body becomes good and healthy, but if it becomes diseased, the entire body becomes diseased. Remember well: it is the Heart.’ (Muslim, Bukhari: Nu’man ibn Bashir)
2. LIVING IN GOD’S PRESENCE: Someone asked: ‘How can one purify and develop himself, O Messenger of God, pbuh? He replied: ‘He should always remember that God is with him wherever he is.’ (Tirmidhi: Abdullah ibn Busr)
3. SEEKING GOD’S LOVE: Hazrat Mohammed (Sal-am) said: ‘ Anyone who possesses three qualities finds thereby the sweetness of faith: that he loves God and His Messenger, pbuh, more than everything else; that when he loves a human being he loves him for God’s sake alone; and that he abhors returning to unbelief from which God has rescued him, as he abhors being thrown into fire.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Anas)
4. FINDING GOD BY SERVING MANKIND: Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) said: God will say, ‘Son of Adam, I fell ill but you did not visit Me.’ He will say, ‘O Lord, and how could I have visited You! You are the Lord of the worlds!’ He will say, ‘Did you not know that My so and so servant had fallen ill and you did not visit him? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him?’
‘Son of Adam, I asked you for food but you did not feed Me’. He will say, ‘O Lord, how could I have fed You! You are the Lord of the worlds!’ He will say, ‘My so and so servant asked you for food and you did not feed him? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that with Me?’
‘Son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink but you did not give Me.’ He will say, ‘O Lord, how could I have given you to drink! You are the Lord of the worlds!’ He will say, ‘My so and so servant asked you to give him to drink and you did not give him. Had you given him to drink you would surely have found that with Me’. (Muslim: Abu Hurayrah)
5. OUTWARD RELIGIOSITY AND OSTENTATION: The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: Many a one fast, but gain nothing from their fasting except hunger and thirst, and many a one pray all night, but gain nothing from their night prayers except sleeplessness.’ (Darimi: Abu Hurayrah)
6. HYPOCRISY: The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: ‘Three characteristics are the signs of a hypocrite, even if he fast, performs the Prayer and claims that he is a Muslim: when he speaks, he lies, when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays his trust.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Abu Hurayrah)
7. MERCY TO GOD’S FAMILY : The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: ‘All
creatures are God’s family; and God loves them most who treat His family well and kindly.’(Baihaqi: Anas)
8. The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: ‘Only those who are merciful will be shown
Mercy by the Most Merciful. Show mercy to those who are on earth, He who is in heaven will show mercy to you.’ (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi; Abdullah ibn ‘Amr)
9. THIS TOO IS CHARITY : The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: If a Muslim
plants a tree or sows a crop, then whatever bird eats of it, or a human being, or an animal, it counts as charity for him. He also said: ‘Whatever is stolen from it, that too counts as charity.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Anas, Jabir)
10. GOLDEN RULES FOR HUMAN RELATIONS: The Prophet (Sal-am) said: ‘No one among you attains true faith, until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Anas)
11. CARING FOR THE FAMILY: The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: Anyone who desires his earnings to grow and his life to be prolonged should treat his relatives well.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Anas)
12. Hazrat Mohammed (Sal-am) said: ‘One who breaks the ties of relations with his relatives shall not enter Paradise.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Jubayr)
13. The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: ‘A person who merely reciprocates when doing good, is not really the one who maintains ties with his relatives, but the one who does good and maintains relations even if others do not do good, is a good relative.’ (Bukhari: Abdullah ibn ‘Amr)
14. CARING FOR CHILDREN: The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: ‘No father can give a better gift to his children than providing them with a good education.’ (Baihaqi: Ayub ibn Musa)
15. CARING FOR WOMEN: Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) said: ‘The most perfect in faith among the believers are those who possess the best morals, and the best among you are those who are kindest to their wives.’ (Tirmidhi: Abu Hurayrah)
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2. LIVING IN GOD’S PRESENCE: Someone asked: ‘How can one purify and develop himself, O Messenger of God, pbuh? He replied: ‘He should always remember that God is with him wherever he is.’ (Tirmidhi: Abdullah ibn Busr)
3. SEEKING GOD’S LOVE: Hazrat Mohammed (Sal-am) said: ‘ Anyone who possesses three qualities finds thereby the sweetness of faith: that he loves God and His Messenger, pbuh, more than everything else; that when he loves a human being he loves him for God’s sake alone; and that he abhors returning to unbelief from which God has rescued him, as he abhors being thrown into fire.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Anas)
4. FINDING GOD BY SERVING MANKIND: Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) said: God will say, ‘Son of Adam, I fell ill but you did not visit Me.’ He will say, ‘O Lord, and how could I have visited You! You are the Lord of the worlds!’ He will say, ‘Did you not know that My so and so servant had fallen ill and you did not visit him? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him?’
‘Son of Adam, I asked you for food but you did not feed Me’. He will say, ‘O Lord, how could I have fed You! You are the Lord of the worlds!’ He will say, ‘My so and so servant asked you for food and you did not feed him? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that with Me?’
‘Son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink but you did not give Me.’ He will say, ‘O Lord, how could I have given you to drink! You are the Lord of the worlds!’ He will say, ‘My so and so servant asked you to give him to drink and you did not give him. Had you given him to drink you would surely have found that with Me’. (Muslim: Abu Hurayrah)
5. OUTWARD RELIGIOSITY AND OSTENTATION: The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: Many a one fast, but gain nothing from their fasting except hunger and thirst, and many a one pray all night, but gain nothing from their night prayers except sleeplessness.’ (Darimi: Abu Hurayrah)
6. HYPOCRISY: The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: ‘Three characteristics are the signs of a hypocrite, even if he fast, performs the Prayer and claims that he is a Muslim: when he speaks, he lies, when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays his trust.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Abu Hurayrah)
7. MERCY TO GOD’S FAMILY : The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: ‘All
creatures are God’s family; and God loves them most who treat His family well and kindly.’(Baihaqi: Anas)
8. The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: ‘Only those who are merciful will be shown
Mercy by the Most Merciful. Show mercy to those who are on earth, He who is in heaven will show mercy to you.’ (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi; Abdullah ibn ‘Amr)
9. THIS TOO IS CHARITY : The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: If a Muslim
plants a tree or sows a crop, then whatever bird eats of it, or a human being, or an animal, it counts as charity for him. He also said: ‘Whatever is stolen from it, that too counts as charity.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Anas, Jabir)
10. GOLDEN RULES FOR HUMAN RELATIONS: The Prophet (Sal-am) said: ‘No one among you attains true faith, until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Anas)
11. CARING FOR THE FAMILY: The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: Anyone who desires his earnings to grow and his life to be prolonged should treat his relatives well.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Anas)
12. Hazrat Mohammed (Sal-am) said: ‘One who breaks the ties of relations with his relatives shall not enter Paradise.’ (Bukhari, Muslim: Jubayr)
13. The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: ‘A person who merely reciprocates when doing good, is not really the one who maintains ties with his relatives, but the one who does good and maintains relations even if others do not do good, is a good relative.’ (Bukhari: Abdullah ibn ‘Amr)
14. CARING FOR CHILDREN: The Messenger of God, pbuh, said: ‘No father can give a better gift to his children than providing them with a good education.’ (Baihaqi: Ayub ibn Musa)
15. CARING FOR WOMEN: Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am) said: ‘The most perfect in faith among the believers are those who possess the best morals, and the best among you are those who are kindest to their wives.’ (Tirmidhi: Abu Hurayrah)
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Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal and his poetry
- A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF IQBAL AND HIS POETRY
V.M. KHALEELUR RAHMAN
Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal was a famous Urdu and Persian poet and philosopher, yes the same poet who wrote the famous national song “Saray jahan say achcha Hindustan hamaara, Ham bubulayn hain uski yah gulsitan hamaara” ( Our India is the best country in the world. We are its nightingales and it is our orchard) He was born in Sialkot on November 9, 1877. He was the most intellectual thinker and poet the Muslim world has produced in India. His poems like “Shikwa” (Conplaint) and “Jawab-e-shikwa” (Reply to the complaint) continue to inspire not only Urdu speaking people but intellectuals belonging to all communities and nations. His poems have been translated into most of the world languages.
He was younger of the two sons of his father Shaikh Nur Mohammed and mother Iman Bibi. They were very pious, God-fearing and honest couple.
Iqbal had his primary education in the madrasa of Maulvi Syed Mir Hasan. After sometime on the advice of the Maulvi sahib he was admitted to Scottish Mission School at Sialkot. Even before he passed his final examination, he was married to Karim Bibi, daughter of a physician, Khan Bahadur Dr. Ata Mohammed Khan.They had two daughters and a son. One of the girls passed away soon after birth and the other at the age of nineteen after prolonged illness. The son was Aftab Iqbal who became a corporate lawyer later. He started writing poetry in his Intermediate days in the upgraded Scottish Mission College.
At the age of 19 years Iqbal joined Government College, Lahore in 1895 and studied Arabic, English literature and philosophy under the guidance of Sir Thomas Arnold who had shifted there from M.A.O. College, Aligarh after completing his book “The preaching of Islam” in which he has discussed in detail about Islam’s peaceful spread. Iqbal was very much impressed by his warmth and understanding of Islamic culture and civilization. He passed B.A. with distinction and got scholarship and gold medals for his excellent performance and getting highest marks in Arabic and English.
Iqbal, according to many writers, was a simple and happy person with an alert mind. It is said that during his school days once he came late to his class. Asked by the teacher he replied simply “Sir, Iqbal (meaning glory) comes late.”
Iqbal started his poetry in the tradition of Dagh Dehlvi, the language purist. Then he was attracted to the social perspective of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Hali. Actually he wanted to reform the society through his poetry. He was also a patriotic poet. He was a great exponent of modernism and social revolution in the Islamic world. His passion for modernisation and development was very strong. He was also a humanist. He moved his audience to tears while reciting his poems in the big gatherings of Anjuman-e-Himayat-e- Islam. He had a soft corner for the suffering lot.
Iqbal had married Mukhtar Begum and Sardar begum also who had given him a son (Javid) and a daughter (Munira).
In 1927 Iqbal delivered six lectures on “The Reconstruction of Islamic thought” in Madras, Hyderabad and Aligarh which are thought provoking even today. He was a genius in every sense of the word.
Iqbal was exceptionally a natural and rational Islamic poet the like of whom is yet to be seen. He started writing Urdu poetry during his college days in Lahore as said earlier. He attended a “Mushaira” (poetical symposium) in Lahore’s Hakiman Bazar for the first time at the age of 22 years and recited his poetry. When he recited the couplet
Moti samajh kay shaanay kareemi nay chun liyay
Qathray jo thay meray arq-e- infiaal kay
Divine forgiveness gathered them as pearls,
The drops of my repentance and remorse,
he was very much appreciated and a noted poet Mirza Arshad Gorgani who was present there applauded him whole-heartedly and wished him all the best.
He was also an excellent philosopher and profound thinker. The community was dearer to him. He gave equal importance to the Islamic concepts of both “Huqooqullah” and “Huqooqul Ibad”The following poem is a shining example.
Qaum goya jism hai afraad hain aezayay qaum,
Manzil-e sunath kay rah pa hain thasto payay qaum
Mahfil nazm-e hukoomath chahra zaybayay qaum
Shair rangeen nawa hai theetha-e beena-e qaum
Mubtala-e-dard koi azu ho rothi hai aankh
Kis qadar hamdard saaray jism ki hothi hai ankh
Community is an organism and individuals are parts of its body
Those engaged in industry are its hands and legs
Those engaged in administration are it s face
Poet of myriad sweet melodies is the eye of the nation
The eye weeps for the suffering of any and every part of the body,
How sympathetic it is to the entire organism
The community should act as the eye and consider the suffering of any section of the people as its own and find remedies for it is the message Iqbal wants to stress to the people. It reflects the divine ordain that the humanity should be valued, respected and helped in the best possible manner and one should not be self-centred.
It is very unfortunate that in the present highly materialistic world there is very little room for camaraderie and nobody seems to care for anybody. There is an urgent need for us to grasp the Islamic lesson Iqbal expresses in his poetry. We have seen Ulema (religious scholars) quoting him extensively. His poems are power packed and full of meanings.
Somebody has rightly said that a unique contribution of Iqbal to the contemporary Islamic thought is his bracketing modern science with 'God-consciousness' which he considers more precious than mere belief in God. He equates the scientist's observation of nature with seeking a kind of intimacy with God.
Rajmohan Gandhi says that Iqbal had started becoming popular by 1905 when he left for Europe because of his poems like “Nala-e-Yatim” (The orphan’s cry), Abr-e-Gauhar Bar (Blessed Showers) dedicated to Prophet Mohammed (Sal-am), Parinde ki fariyad (The bird’s lament) in which he has portrayed a caged bird’s longing for freedom –about India’s survitude. He strengthened the Hindu-Muslim unity by his Tarana and other poems.
Iqbal studied philosophy at Cambridge and law at London’s Lincoln Inn. He also received a doctorate for his research thesis on Persian metaphysics from Munich University. It reveals that sufism was an alien and unhealthy growth and it had no place in original Islam. He loved Persian language and wrote poetry in it with preference but disliked Persians like Sufi poet Hafiz of Iran. He adopted rationalism to reform the humanity in general and Muslim in particular) which was engrossed in many superstitious beliefs.
Authors like Rajmohan Gandhi and Mujeeb have said that the West’s strength was admirable to Iqbal but not its merciless competition between man and man and nation and nation as is the case even now. He wanted a solution for all ills of the society and finally found Islam as the best remedy for all our problems.
Dr. Mohammed Hasan says that “Iqbal’s poetry has a world perspective. He was primarily concerned with nothing less than human predicament. Searching for the hidden laws of human development, Iqbal propounded his philosophy of Ego ( Khudi ) with certain social checks and balances ( Bekhudi ). It is in this context that his contribution to world poetic thought remains invaluable.” He was a poet of the East and a manifestation of self-reconstruction and reformation and a poet of the East
As a philosopher Iqbal reveals the mystery of life as follows:
Gul is shakh say toot-thay bhi rehay, isi shakh say phoot-thay bhi rehay,
Samajthay hain naadaan isay baysibath, ubharta hai mit mit kay naqshay hayaat
Flowers fall off from this very branch
and yet from the same they sprout again,
Unwise take it as transient
But the image of life emerges again after falling off
Iqbal was proud that he was an Indian and rightly considered that it was a torch-bearer to world civilisation. He believed in the uniting force of Islam. Actually he wanted everyone particularly Muslims to understand the Indian plural society through his many poems. He did not participate in the Khilafat Movement.
He passed away at Lahore on 21 April 1938 and buried adjacent to the “Badshahi Masjid” built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Prayer
In the name of God, the beneficent, the merciful
Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds
The beneficent, the merciful
Owner of the day of judgement
You alone we worship and you alone we ask for help
Show us the straight path
The path of those whom you have favoured
Not the path of those who have earned your anger nor of those who have gone astray.
Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds
The beneficent, the merciful
Owner of the day of judgement
You alone we worship and you alone we ask for help
Show us the straight path
The path of those whom you have favoured
Not the path of those who have earned your anger nor of those who have gone astray.
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