|
|
|
|
|
|
Compiled by: Azeem Ayub |
|
|
Reflections |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Are Muslims a Single Nation?
Man has an inherent sense of belonging to a nation defined by common colour, lineage, language, cultural tradition and geographical boundaries. All human beings are children of a single progenitor, Adam. Yet, the feeling for one’s blood relations is not extended to the entire mankind. This also holds true for one’s nation also. For man usually feels and expresses a sense of individuality with reference to not only his person, family, and the near relatives but also to his nation. He always desires to see his person, family, tribe and nation outdo all others in all aspects of life. It is actually this sense of self-identity which is translated into common society where men help each other in all human affairs. The Holy Qur’ān calls this phenomenon ta‘āruf (identity) and clarifies that the tribes and the clans are but a result of this.
Islam perfectly harmonizes its teachings with human nature; it is dīn-i fitrat, a religion matching the nature modeled by God. It recognizes natural urges of humans in this regard too. What it disapproves is conceited nationalist feeling. It disapproves of showing hatred for other nations instead of simply feeling for one’s nation. It targets curbing the tendencies to mark others as inferior and subjugate them, to usurp their rights, and to define one’s nation in terms of superiority and exaltedness and others in terms of lowliness, baseborn and insignificant. All the preceding characteristics of common nationalism are condemned by Islam as criminal ideals. However, Islam does not negate natural feelings for one’s nation. All the foundations of a modern nation usually defined in academic works on political science are acknowledged. Desires of nations to outdo one another in different fields and positive and balanced expression of such an ideal are acceptable. Muslim factions can claim self-identification on the basis of their original nation, demand certain rights as a distinct group, decide to establish their separate state on these very bases.
Seen in this perspective, the view that Islam does not acknowledge the usual foundations of a nation independent of other Muslim nations seems no more tenable. The Qur’ān does not, explicitly or implicitly, state that Muslims are a single nation or they should become one. The book acknowledges the possibility of different nations among the entire body of Muslims. The only thing that the Book stresses is that believers are a single brotherhood (inna mā al-mu’minūn ikhwah, 49:10). Thus according to the Book, Muslims are united by a religious brotherhood. Their unity and bond is not defined by nationalism. They are tied together by the Faith even if separated by dozens of political boundaries and distributed in a number of continents. Therefore, they can be expected, and in fact required, to take care of their religious brotherhood, help them in hard times, rescue them from oppression, prefer them for social and economic relationship, and keep doors open to them in all circumstances. They can, however, never validly be demanded to divorce their birth states, abandon their original national identities and form a single nation under a single Muslim state. The Qur’ān and sunnah allow them not only to form separate states but also to live in a non-Muslim state identifying themselves as part of that nation on the basis of common country, if they can follow the sharī‘ah openly and practice their religion freely.
(Translated by Tariq Mahmood Haashmi from Ghāmidī’s Maqāmāt)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
In this Issue |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Reflections |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Read & Reflect | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Debate & Discuss * Discussion Forum: Understanding Islamic Political Directives | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
* General Discussion Forum: Terrorist vs Terrorism
|
Read and Reflect |
|
The successful prophetic mission of Muḥammad (sws) gave rise to a culture which was based on and dominated by the value of ‘ubūdiyyah.1 It implies that the whole society centred on belief in God and servant-Lord relationship. This centre was the only criterion of validity of all human thought and action. Freedom was no doubt valued, yet dominated by the value of ‘ubūdiyyah. The Muslim culture was not unclear on the question of its moral and ethical foundations. These were authenticated by divine revelations. Poets, litterateurs, philosophers, sages, scientists and rulers, all were clear on this issue and recognized this reality in their views and thoughts. The Muslim culture, founded on this clear and uniform model of thinking, governed the collective body of Muslims for more than a decade. hifẓ-i furūj, ḥifẓ-i marātib and ’amr bi al-ma‘rūf and nahī ‘an al-munkar constituted characteristic values of the Muslim culture.
These can be explained as follows:
Ḥifẓ-i furūj implied that the members of the society would not be allowed to practice and promote sexual promiscuity. Men and women could not openly enter into sexual relations. They could not illicitly live together and were not allowed to reveal their bodies.
Ḥifẓ-i marātib meant that though all human beings are originally equal in the eyes of God, yet they are not equal in their family and social relations. The younger have to show respect to the older, the children to their parents, the students to their teachers, the wives to their husbands. Socially seniors were given the right to correct and censure the juniors in all social layers. The respect and honour of the elders and the seniors was always preferred over individual liberty.
‘amr bi al-ma‘rūf and nahī ‘an al-munkar entailed that the adherents of the Islamic faith would not, at the collective level, show indifference to the values of good and evil. All such values as accord to the human orientation (fiṭrah) and acknowledged by entire humanity as virtue and good would be promoted at all scales and all such actions, as abhorred by the human nature and termed evil and bad, would be prohibited in all circumstances.
Such was the Muslim culture, the beauty and crown of humanity. The downfall of this culture is nothing less than the downfall of humanity. Alas for man! If only he craved for re-establishing this great tradition as much as he yearns for democratic ideals and rule of law.
(Translated from Ghāmidī’s Maqāmāt by Tariq Mahmood Hashmi)
URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=1033
|
|
|
Siddiq
Bukhary(Moderator)
|
|
|
Iftikhar
According to British
writer and lecturer, Karen Armstrong, the west is deeply Islamophobic and the
Islamophobia is the result of a long process of prejudice, dating back to the
Crusades. The recent events have strengthened the prejudiced belief that “Islam
is the religion of the sword”. Islamophobia can manifest itself directly in
verbal or physical attacks on Muslims but also indirectly in negative images of
Muslims presented by the media. Islamophobia was worsened by anti-Islamic
policies, publications and activities in Europe and the US. Islamophobia is not
only a cause of discrimination against Muslims but also an open threat to world
peace. The western media and intellectuals play a significant role in spreading
Islamophobia. Hate-mongers have come out of the woodworks in full force. Now,
not a day passes without the newspapers, magazines, radio and TV talk shows,
Hollywood movies, computer games and even children’s cartoons and the myriad of
internet websites and chat rooms, attacking Islam and Muslims. Muslim
communities in the western world and its so called leaders have taken the
Ostrich-approach. They have buried their heads in the sand hoping the problems
would go away. It is not going to go away. The neck of the Ostrich will be cut.
Entire Muslim communities living in the west are under attack. According to a
survey, 70% of Americans do not want to see Muslims living in their
neighborhood. There is not a single day when Islam and Muslims are not attacked
by the mainstream news media outlets. Muslims are referred barbarians who must
either be civilised or banished before they pollute the egalitarian societies in
which they were born or now live. According to a survey in Scotland, half of
Scots see Muslims as a ‘cultural threat’. Scotland would lose its identity if
more Muslims went to live there. According to DEMOS, British public is more
worried about violent crime and immigration, but the British establishment has
focused too heavily on terrorism.
It is true brother
because their are extremist elements in the US and UK government that hate Islam
and their aim is to misguide the people of the West about Islam because they are
scared that one day this religion will take over their countries and their
position will be in danger.
If we leave aside
these westerners, even we Pakistanis including myself are moved by the current
situation in Pakistan.
See: http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=2875&lang=&forumid=1
|
Pause
and Ponder |
|
Question: 33:53 mentions that women must speak to men from behind a curtain. Please explain.
Answer: As far as 33:53 is concerned. it specifically concerns the house of the Prophet (sws) as is evident from the context. The context shows that the hypocrites at one time in Madīnah had started raising scandals against the wives of the Prophet (sws). They would also suddenly barge into the house of the Prophet (sws) trying to catch the wives unaware and thereby try to scandalize their private lives. To safeguard against these scandal mongers, the Qur’ān directed the wives to take certain precautionary measures. The wives of the Prophet (sws) were told that they should take care that whenever they have to say something to people in whose hearts there is the ailment of lewdness, they should speak without showing any softness to them:
O Wives of the Prophet! You are not like other women. If you fear Allah do not be too complaisant of speech lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire. (33:32)
Speaking from behind a curtain was another such measure, as the Qur’ān says:
If you ask his wives for anything, speak to them from behind the curtain. That is purer for your hearts and theirs. (33:53)
Likewise, people who would assemble in the house of the Prophet (sws) were also directed to observe certain manners. They were told that they should not become a source of trouble for the residents of the house by coming at the wrong time or unnecessarily prolonging their stay. In the words of the Qur’ān:
O you who believe! enter not the Prophet’s dwellings unless permission be granted to you for a meal [and] not [so early as] to wait for its preparation. But if you are invited, enter and when you have eaten disperse. Linger not for conversation. Such behavior distresses the Prophet and he shows his regard for you but of the truth Allah does not have regard for anything. (33:53)
So you can see that these directives
have a specific background and cannot be extended to general application. URL: http://www.studying-islam.org/querytext.aspx?id=926
|
Announcements: |
|
Successful Participants
|
Recent
Additions: |
|
Youtube
Videos
Urdu Articles English
Urdu QnA English
Urdu
|
|
|
Centre for the Study of Islam and Democracy
|
|
|
Please give us your valued feedback on our guestbook:
Studying Islam |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Compiled by: Azeem Ayub |
|
|
Reflections |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Are Muslims a Single Nation?
Man has an inherent sense of belonging to a nation defined by common colour, lineage, language, cultural tradition and geographical boundaries. All human beings are children of a single progenitor, Adam. Yet, the feeling for one’s blood relations is not extended to the entire mankind. This also holds true for one’s nation also. For man usually feels and expresses a sense of individuality with reference to not only his person, family, and the near relatives but also to his nation. He always desires to see his person, family, tribe and nation outdo all others in all aspects of life. It is actually this sense of self-identity which is translated into common society where men help each other in all human affairs. The Holy Qur’ān calls this phenomenon ta‘āruf (identity) and clarifies that the tribes and the clans are but a result of this.
Islam perfectly harmonizes its teachings with human nature; it is dīn-i fitrat, a religion matching the nature modeled by God. It recognizes natural urges of humans in this regard too. What it disapproves is conceited nationalist feeling. It disapproves of showing hatred for other nations instead of simply feeling for one’s nation. It targets curbing the tendencies to mark others as inferior and subjugate them, to usurp their rights, and to define one’s nation in terms of superiority and exaltedness and others in terms of lowliness, baseborn and insignificant. All the preceding characteristics of common nationalism are condemned by Islam as criminal ideals. However, Islam does not negate natural feelings for one’s nation. All the foundations of a modern nation usually defined in academic works on political science are acknowledged. Desires of nations to outdo one another in different fields and positive and balanced expression of such an ideal are acceptable. Muslim factions can claim self-identification on the basis of their original nation, demand certain rights as a distinct group, decide to establish their separate state on these very bases.
Seen in this perspective, the view that Islam does not acknowledge the usual foundations of a nation independent of other Muslim nations seems no more tenable. The Qur’ān does not, explicitly or implicitly, state that Muslims are a single nation or they should become one. The book acknowledges the possibility of different nations among the entire body of Muslims. The only thing that the Book stresses is that believers are a single brotherhood (inna mā al-mu’minūn ikhwah, 49:10). Thus according to the Book, Muslims are united by a religious brotherhood. Their unity and bond is not defined by nationalism. They are tied together by the Faith even if separated by dozens of political boundaries and distributed in a number of continents. Therefore, they can be expected, and in fact required, to take care of their religious brotherhood, help them in hard times, rescue them from oppression, prefer them for social and economic relationship, and keep doors open to them in all circumstances. They can, however, never validly be demanded to divorce their birth states, abandon their original national identities and form a single nation under a single Muslim state. The Qur’ān and sunnah allow them not only to form separate states but also to live in a non-Muslim state identifying themselves as part of that nation on the basis of common country, if they can follow the sharī‘ah openly and practice their religion freely.
(Translated by Tariq Mahmood Haashmi from Ghāmidī’s Maqāmāt)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
In this Issue |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Reflections |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Read & Reflect | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Debate & Discuss * Discussion Forum: Understanding Islamic Political Directives | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
* General Discussion Forum: Terrorist vs Terrorism
|
Read and Reflect |
|
The successful prophetic mission of Muḥammad (sws) gave rise to a culture which was based on and dominated by the value of ‘ubūdiyyah.1 It implies that the whole society centred on belief in God and servant-Lord relationship. This centre was the only criterion of validity of all human thought and action. Freedom was no doubt valued, yet dominated by the value of ‘ubūdiyyah. The Muslim culture was not unclear on the question of its moral and ethical foundations. These were authenticated by divine revelations. Poets, litterateurs, philosophers, sages, scientists and rulers, all were clear on this issue and recognized this reality in their views and thoughts. The Muslim culture, founded on this clear and uniform model of thinking, governed the collective body of Muslims for more than a decade. hifẓ-i furūj, ḥifẓ-i marātib and ’amr bi al-ma‘rūf and nahī ‘an al-munkar constituted characteristic values of the Muslim culture.
These can be explained as follows:
Ḥifẓ-i furūj implied that the members of the society would not be allowed to practice and promote sexual promiscuity. Men and women could not openly enter into sexual relations. They could not illicitly live together and were not allowed to reveal their bodies.
Ḥifẓ-i marātib meant that though all human beings are originally equal in the eyes of God, yet they are not equal in their family and social relations. The younger have to show respect to the older, the children to their parents, the students to their teachers, the wives to their husbands. Socially seniors were given the right to correct and censure the juniors in all social layers. The respect and honour of the elders and the seniors was always preferred over individual liberty.
‘amr bi al-ma‘rūf and nahī ‘an al-munkar entailed that the adherents of the Islamic faith would not, at the collective level, show indifference to the values of good and evil. All such values as accord to the human orientation (fiṭrah) and acknowledged by entire humanity as virtue and good would be promoted at all scales and all such actions, as abhorred by the human nature and termed evil and bad, would be prohibited in all circumstances.
Such was the Muslim culture, the beauty and crown of humanity. The downfall of this culture is nothing less than the downfall of humanity. Alas for man! If only he craved for re-establishing this great tradition as much as he yearns for democratic ideals and rule of law.
(Translated from Ghāmidī’s Maqāmāt by Tariq Mahmood Hashmi)
URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=1033
|
|
|
Siddiq
Bukhary(Moderator)
|
|
|
Iftikhar
According to British
writer and lecturer, Karen Armstrong, the west is deeply Islamophobic and the
Islamophobia is the result of a long process of prejudice, dating back to the
Crusades. The recent events have strengthened the prejudiced belief that “Islam
is the religion of the sword”. Islamophobia can manifest itself directly in
verbal or physical attacks on Muslims but also indirectly in negative images of
Muslims presented by the media. Islamophobia was worsened by anti-Islamic
policies, publications and activities in Europe and the US. Islamophobia is not
only a cause of discrimination against Muslims but also an open threat to world
peace. The western media and intellectuals play a significant role in spreading
Islamophobia. Hate-mongers have come out of the woodworks in full force. Now,
not a day passes without the newspapers, magazines, radio and TV talk shows,
Hollywood movies, computer games and even children’s cartoons and the myriad of
internet websites and chat rooms, attacking Islam and Muslims. Muslim
communities in the western world and its so called leaders have taken the
Ostrich-approach. They have buried their heads in the sand hoping the problems
would go away. It is not going to go away. The neck of the Ostrich will be cut.
Entire Muslim communities living in the west are under attack. According to a
survey, 70% of Americans do not want to see Muslims living in their
neighborhood. There is not a single day when Islam and Muslims are not attacked
by the mainstream news media outlets. Muslims are referred barbarians who must
either be civilised or banished before they pollute the egalitarian societies in
which they were born or now live. According to a survey in Scotland, half of
Scots see Muslims as a ‘cultural threat’. Scotland would lose its identity if
more Muslims went to live there. According to DEMOS, British public is more
worried about violent crime and immigration, but the British establishment has
focused too heavily on terrorism.
It is true brother
because their are extremist elements in the US and UK government that hate Islam
and their aim is to misguide the people of the West about Islam because they are
scared that one day this religion will take over their countries and their
position will be in danger.
If we leave aside
these westerners, even we Pakistanis including myself are moved by the current
situation in Pakistan.
See: http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=2875&lang=&forumid=1
|
Pause
and Ponder |
|
Question: 33:53 mentions that women must speak to men from behind a curtain. Please explain.
Answer: As far as 33:53 is concerned. it specifically concerns the house of the Prophet (sws) as is evident from the context. The context shows that the hypocrites at one time in Madīnah had started raising scandals against the wives of the Prophet (sws). They would also suddenly barge into the house of the Prophet (sws) trying to catch the wives unaware and thereby try to scandalize their private lives. To safeguard against these scandal mongers, the Qur’ān directed the wives to take certain precautionary measures. The wives of the Prophet (sws) were told that they should take care that whenever they have to say something to people in whose hearts there is the ailment of lewdness, they should speak without showing any softness to them:
O Wives of the Prophet! You are not like other women. If you fear Allah do not be too complaisant of speech lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire. (33:32)
Speaking from behind a curtain was another such measure, as the Qur’ān says:
If you ask his wives for anything, speak to them from behind the curtain. That is purer for your hearts and theirs. (33:53)
Likewise, people who would assemble in the house of the Prophet (sws) were also directed to observe certain manners. They were told that they should not become a source of trouble for the residents of the house by coming at the wrong time or unnecessarily prolonging their stay. In the words of the Qur’ān:
O you who believe! enter not the Prophet’s dwellings unless permission be granted to you for a meal [and] not [so early as] to wait for its preparation. But if you are invited, enter and when you have eaten disperse. Linger not for conversation. Such behavior distresses the Prophet and he shows his regard for you but of the truth Allah does not have regard for anything. (33:53)
So you can see that these directives
have a specific background and cannot be extended to general application. URL: http://www.studying-islam.org/querytext.aspx?id=926
|
Announcements: |
|
Successful Participants
|
Recent
Additions: |
|
Youtube
Videos
Urdu Articles English
Urdu QnA English
Urdu
|
|
|
Centre for the Study of Islam and Democracy
|
|
|
Please give us your valued feedback on our guestbook:
Studying Islam |