Yusuf (AS) 1: Amr Khaled

In the Name of Allah (SWT), the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Peace and blessings be upon our master, the most noble Prophet Muhammad (SAWS[1]). We praise Allah (SWT), thank Him, seek His help, guidance and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah (SWT) from the evil in our souls and the sinfulness of our deeds, "He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no guiding advocate.”

Today, we shall talk about the story of Prophet Yusuf (AS), as related in the Holy Qur’an. However, we should all keep in mind that every word in the Qur’an is meant for us and that the Qur’an is but the cure of our hearts. If you read Surat Yusuf, you will surely find one of the problems you are facing lying there between its lines. Hence, we have to read this Surah with the intention that it is a cure for our souls. Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “And We are sending down, of the Qur’an, that which is a cure and a mercy to the believers.” (TMQ, 17:82)[2]. Thus, the Qur’an cures one from his worries, vanity, and hardheartedness.

The word 'cure' was mentioned only twice in the Holy Qur’an; when talking about honey and when talking about the Qur’an. Honey cures body's diseases whereas the Qur’an cures heart's diseases. Thus, it should be clear for all of us that we will not find the cure of our hearts anywhere else except in the Qur’an. Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “… And We have been sending down on you the Book as an evident (exposition) of everything, and as a guidance, and a mercy, and as good tidings to Muslims (i.e., those who surrender to Allah).” (TMQ, 16:89). I once visited a man and talked to him about some problems I was facing at that time. When I asked him for a solution, he just stretched his arm, got the Holy Qur’an, and went on skimming through its Ayahs. Then he stopped at a particular Ayah and said, “I think the solution of your problem lies in this Ayah.” Surat Yusuf is definitely one of the best heart-curing Surahs in the Qur'an.

Surat Yusuf was revealed in Makkah, and before it was Surat Hud. It was revealed in ‘the year of sadness’ after the death of Abu-Taleb (RA) and Lady Khadijah and after the Prophet (SAWS) had been exposed to severe harm and conspiracies. It was sent to him as a consoling message; for, like him, Yusuf (AS) had been wronged by his family members, driven away from his country, and eventually blessed by victory from Allah (SWT). Thus, this Surah was revealed to comfort the Prophet (SAWS) and all the believers facing any calamities until the Day of Judgment. Surat Yusuf relieves anyone who is sad. It is really the Surah of the sad and miserable, the lonely, and the wronged ones. It is said that Omar Ibnul-Khattab (RA), out of his great interaction with this particular Surah, used to cry whenever he read it.

Today we shall discuss five Ayahs only, but let us agree together that we shall memorize the whole Surah, so that by the time we finish discussing the story, we will have finished memorizing the Surah and applied all what is mentioned in it. Omar Ibnul-Khattab (RA) spent three years memorizing Surat al-Baqara and in some narrations a whole year. The reason behind this is that he never moved on from one Ayah to the next unless he applied all the teachings given in the first one. Thus, he learnt and applied. Let us agree then on applying what we learn and memorize.

Despite all the afflictions mentioned in Surat Yusuf, it provides relief and content to those who read it and despite knowing how it ends, we never feel bored reading it over and over. Normally, if we watch a movie more than once, we get bored. However, the case differs with Surat Yusuf which we read hundreds of times and never feel bored. This is one of the miracles of the Holy Qur’an. Repetition in songs, movies, and books cause boredom, but the Qur’an does not.

In Surat Yusuf, many incidents do not accord with logic as we, human beings, perceive it. The strong fatherly love that Yusuf (AS) enjoyed caused his brothers’ extreme hatred. He was thrown into the well, which we would consider a bad turn of events. However, this led to his being taken to Egypt. There he was imprisoned; yet, that which we consider a disaster caused him to hold a high position in Egypt. Thus, we have to learn to trust in Allah (SWT). This special meaning will be stressed on as we proceed in the story.

Moreover, Surat Yusuf is full of afflictions and trials like:

1. Being envied by his brothers.
2. Parting with his family.
3. Being thrown into the well and separating from his father.
4. Being enslaved.
5. Being subjected to the lust and temptation of the ladies of the country.
6. Being imprisoned.
7. Being accused of a moral crime.
8. Being afflicted by wealth and welfare.
9. The ordeal of forgiveness.
10. Moving from one ordeal to the other unexpectedly which might cause psychological disturbance to many people (for example the quick transfer from enjoying his father’s love to being thrown into the well).

Later on, we will tackle all the afflictions with which he was stricken in detail, but for now, let us compare between these afflictions and the ones you have faced all through your life. If you were put in the same situation as Prophet Yusuf (AS), you would probably collapse, and might not be able to go on with your life. If you had to face the ordeals he faced, you might be filled with a great desire for vengeance, and even if you were able to go on with your life, you would still suffer from psychological disturbances. Any one of us might be put in the same situation as Yusuf (AS), but how far can we stand it?

Listen to this Hadith; it is narrated on the authority of Hudhaifa, “We were sitting in the company of Omar and he said, "Who amongst you has heard the Messenger of Allah talking about the turmoil?" Some people said, "It is we who heard it." Upon this he remarked, "Perhaps by turmoil you presume the unrest of man in regard to his household or neighbor." They replied, "Yes." He (Omar) observed, "Such (an unrest) would be done away with by prayer, fasting and charity. Who amongst you has heard the Apostle (SAWS) describing that turmoil which would come like the wave of the ocean?" Hudhaifa said, "The people hushed into silence. I replied, 'It is I.'" He (Omar) said, "Ye, well, your father was also very pious." Hudhaifa said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah observing, 'Temptations will be presented to men's hearts as reed mats are woven stick by stick and any heart which is impregnated by them will have a black mark put into it, but any heart which rejects them will have a white mark put in it. The result is that there will be two types of hearts: one white like a white stone which will not be harmed by any turmoil or temptation, so long as the heavens and the earth endure; and the other black and dust-colored like a vessel which is upset, not recognizing what is good or rejecting what is abominable, but being saturated with lust.'" Hudhaifa said, "I narrated to him (Omar), 'There is between you and that (turmoil) a closed door, but there is every likelihood of its being broken.'" Omar said, "Would it be broken? May you be rendered fatherless! Had it been opened, it would have been perhaps closed." I said, "No, it would be broken," and I narrated to him, "Verily that door implies a person who would be killed or die. There is no mistake in this Hadith.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 1, 2067).

This brings us to the importance of patience as manifested in Prophet Yusuf’s story. Actually, there are three kinds of patience:

1. Patience in the face of sins.
2. Patience in Allah's obedience.
3. Patience during hardships and afflictions.

Prophet Yusuf (AS) practiced the three kinds of patience. He was patient in the face of seduction. He was patient in Allah's obedience when he was given money and spent it for the sake of Allah (SWT) and when he forgave his brothers. He was also patient during all the hardships and afflictions he had been through.

Now we come to the question: which kind of patience do you think was preferable to Allah (SWT)? Is it Yusuf’s patience in prison or his patience against the seduction of the Aziz's wife? In other words, which do you think is more preferable to Allah (SWT); patience during afflictions or patience in the face of sins? Actually, patience against sins is better as it is optional. When it comes to afflictions, you are helpless. You can never prevent an ordeal from striking you, thus, you have no other choice but to be patient, whereas in the case of sins, you make the choice yourself; whether to commit them or not. Hence, patience in the face of sins is more preferable to Allah (SWT).

Again, was it Yusuf’s patience in prison or his patience in the well that was more preferable to Allah (SWT)? It is his patience in prison that was more preferable to Allah (SWT) as he said, "He said, “Lord! Prison is more beloved to me than what they call me to.”(TMQ, 12:33). It was he who chose to be put in prison, whereas, being thrown in the well was never his choice.

Another question to pose: was it his patience against seduction or his patience in obedience after he had been given great wealth that was more preferable to Allah (SWT)? In other words, which is better: patience in the face of sins or patience in Allah's obedience? Some scholars believe that patience in the face of sins is far more preferable to Allah (SWT) because resisting your inner self and desires is very arduous, whereas patience in obedience is much easier since the love of worship is instinctive in man and gives him pleasure every time he performs it.

On the other hand, a minority of scholars believes that patience in obedience is more preferable to Allah (SWT). The comparison they draw is between two persons, one who always worships Allah (SWT) patiently, but at the same time commits all kinds of sins, and another who neither worships Allah (SWT) nor commits sins. Certainly, the former is better than the latter, as he has performed the role for which he has been created, whereas he, who neither worships Allah (SWT) nor commits sins, has never known the purpose of his existence. Another example is of a person who worships Allah (SWT) and commits sins equally. In this very case, Allah’s mercy dominates His anger. Allah (SWT) says in a Qudsi Hadith, “My Mercy dominates My Anger.” Therefore, patience in Allah's obedience is more preferable to Allah (SWT) than patience in the face of sins.

Hence, moving from the better to the good, the three kinds of patience will be arranged as follows:

1. Patience in Allah's obedience.

2. Patience in the face of sins.

3. Patience during afflictions.

Moreover, patience is one way of worshipping Allah (SWT). In times of welfare, one worships Allah (SWT) by thanking Him for His grants, whereas in times of afflictions, one worships Him by being patient. Those who are not patient during hardships do not know the wisdom that Allah (SWT) hides deep in the ordeals they are in. As a matter of fact, we worship Allah (SWT) best in times of afflictions. It is the time when one feels very close to Allah (SWT), and tastes the sweetness of worship, which rarely happens in times of welfare. Thus, Yusuf’s story teaches us that the best way to worship Allah (SWT) in times of afflictions is to be patient and to raise your hands and heart up to Him, asking Him for relief.

Now, let us move on to Surat Yusuf in the Qur’an. At the very beginning of the Surah, you will read, “Alif-Lam-Ra.”(TMQ, 12:1) Those letters have been mentioned in many other Surahs. It is as if Allah (SWT) is telling us these are the letters of your language, a language out of which the Qur’an has shone as a miracle until the Day of Judgment.

Listen to this story to feel how miraculous the Qur’an is. In one of America’s greatest universities, a Muslim student got amazed at the huge number of laws of inheritance books his Professor possessed. The student said, "I am amazed! In the Qur’an the laws of inheritance are summarized in only three Ayahs, whereas your laws need this great number of enormous books!" The Professor was greatly surprised and asked the student for a translation of those Ayahs. He took the translation and returned after a week asking the student about the procedures of embracing Islam. Thus, the Qur’an is an everlasting miracle.

Now let us go back to the Ayahs. Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “Those are the ayat (Verses, signs) of the Evident Book” (TMQ, 12:1) By ‘Evident Book,’ Allah (SWT) means ‘miraculous.’ However, in what way is the Holy Qur’an miraculous and how is it the miracle of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS)?

The Inimitability of the Qur’an:

1. Rhetorical inimitability: meaning the inimitability of words.

2. Scientific inimitability: the newly set down scientific theories have been mentioned in the Qur’an 1400 years ago.

3. Objective inimitability: whoever follows the teachings of the Qur’an is granted honor and leadership in life. A clear proof for this can be detected in:

· The way the Prophet's companions differed before and after Islam. They used to worship idols. In their journeys, they used to leave their idols behind so that they would not be heavy to carry and they used to fetch some other rocks to make other idols to carry along with them and then throw away as soon as they go back home. Omar Ibnul-Khattab (RA) used to worship an idol made out of dates so that whenever he became hungry he ate it. Those companions, who used to bury newborn girls alive before Islam, became the leaders of the whole world after embracing Islam.

· Again, we ourselves represent a good example for such inimitability. Those of us who are controlled by sins, and pulled away from the path of Allah (SWT) change completely the minute they repent to Allah (SWT) and return back to the teachings of the Qur’an. It is as if they become completely different persons.

Musa’s (AS) (Moses) miracle lied in his stick, while Isa’s (AS) (Jesus) was in bringing back life to the dead ones upon Allah’s will. Nevertheless, however great those miracles were, they died the minute those Prophets breathed their last. The miracle of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), the last of all Prophets, on the other hand, remains until the Day of Judgment so long as we apply all the teachings of the Qur’an. We have to fear Allah (SWT), so that we become true representatives of the Qur’an and a good proof of its inimitability. The only way to achieve this is to become successful persons and good role models for whoever meets us.

· In the following Ayah, Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “Surely We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an, that possibly you would consider.” (TMQ, 12:2). Arabic is the language spoken by people in paradise, by Adam (AS), and by the angels too.

Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “We, Ever We, narrate to you the fairest of narratives in that We have revealed to you this Qur’an.” (TMQ, 12:3).

This Ayah was revealed when some of the companions asked Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) to tell them some stories. Allah (SWT) then revealed what can be translated as, “We relate unto you (Muhammad) the best of stories through Our Revelations unto you, of this Qur’an.” (TMQ, 12:3). We learn from this that using stories is a very important technique in teaching people and in Da’wa (inviting others to Islam) work in general. We have to invite people to Islam in a nice way, a way that they would like.

This was the first Surah in the Holy Qur’an that relates a complete story. Other stories are cut down into episodes each of which is related in a separate group of Ayahs. These different ways of relating stories are meant to teach us more.

In one of the greatest Arab Universities, a professor of literature and fiction mentioned that he had studied fiction for 30 years; yet, upon reading the Holy Qur’an thoroughly, he was amazed to find in it all the fruits of his 30-year studies. In the Qur’an, he found short stories like the one of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) (Abraham) when about to slaughter his son. The short story also shows in the highly sophisticated dialogue between Musa (AS) and the Pharaoh. He also found in the Qur’an dramatic monologues like the one in which Ibrahim (AS) talks to himself. Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “Then, as soon as he (Ibrahim) saw the moon emerging, he said, “This is my Lord.”” (TMQ, 6:77). He went through with his observation until he reached the story of Prophet Yusuf (AS); which has all the elements of a complete story.

Now, why do you think Allah (SWT) has described Prophet Yusuf’s story as “fairest of narratives” (TMQ, 12:3)? Well, this is because:

1. It includes many lessons and pieces of wisdom that benefit all Muslims, in this life and in the hereafter. It is the greatest of all stories. In it, you can read about economics, trade, the science of Ro’yah (vision) interpretation, management, planning, psychoanalysis, as well as values and ethics.

2. It is the only story with a happy ending for all the characters involved. Prophet Yusuf (AS) was very happy at the end; Prophet Yaqub (AS) (Jacob) finally reunited with Yusuf (AS), restored his eyesight, and enjoyed the reconciliation between his sons, the Aziz’s wife confessed to her mistake, the king became happy after his country had been saved, and Yusuf’s brothers reconciled with him. Thus, the story ended up with everyone being happy.

In the following Ayah, Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “We, Ever We, narrate to you the fairest of narratives in that We have revealed to you this Qur’an, and decidedly before it you were indeed one of the heedless.” (TMQ, 12:3). This was the first time Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) learned about that story. Were it not for the revelation, Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) would have never known anything about it.

Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “As Yu‍suf said to his father, “O my father, surely I saw (i.e., in a dream) eleven planets and the sun and the moon; I saw them prostrating to me.”” (TMQ, 12:4). The story started by relating a vision and ended when that vision came true. Then, Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “And he said, “O my father, this is the interpretation of my vision earlier; my Lord has already made it true;” (TMQ, 12:100). This of course is meant to attract the reader’s attention.

Notice that:

The name Yusuf is an Arabic one, derived from the Arabic word Asaf (apology). This signifies how Yusuf (AS) used to repent and apologize to Allah (SWT) a lot. Yusuf (SAWS) is the son of Yaqub (AS), son of Ishaq (AS) (Isaac), son of Ibrahim (AS). Hence, he, his father, and his grandfather are all Prophets. Even his great grandfather was the one whom Allah (SWT) has taken for a friend. However, despite that, he was stricken by many afflictions. When Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) was once asked about the best of people he said that he is the one who fears Allah (SWT) most. When the companions said that they were not asking about that, he said, “It is Yusuf, the Prophet of Allah, son of the Prophet of Allah, son of the Prophet of Allah, son of the friend of Allah." (The complete version of this Hadith is in Sahih Muslim, Book 030, Number 5862).

Once, Omar Ibnul-Khattab (RA) passed by a man telling his friend, “Do you know who my father is? I am the son of so and so…etc” and he went on telling his full lineage. The names he mentioned were either those of hypocrites or disbelievers, yet, rich people. “Do you know Yusuf?” asked Omar (RA). “Yes,” answered the man. “Do you know who his father is?” asked Omar (RA), “He is a Prophet, son of a Prophet, son of a Prophet, and you are an evil man, and so are your ancestors, and in the Day of Judgment, you will all be dipped deep in hell.”

Yaqub (AS) had eleven sons together with Yusuf (AS) and Benyamin (Benjamin) who were from a different mother. “… and the sun and the moon; I saw them prostrating to me.” (TMQ, 12:4) The Qur’anic expression ‘The Moon’ refers to the mother whereas ‘The Sun’ represents the father who gives knowledge. The sun gives out bright light and represents strength and knowledge, whereas the moon, with its tender light beams, fits the mother who is the source of compassion.

“He said, “O my son, do not narrate your vision to your brothers” (TMQ, 12:5). We know from this Ayah that Yaqub (AS) was an expert in vision interpretation. He inherited this God-given gift from his grandfather Ibrahim (AS). Despite knowing the interpretation of that vision, Yaqub (AS) did not tell his son about it. He wanted him to face his fate without being dependant on anyone or anything and without waiting for what was to come. Actually, this is the wisdom of Allah (SWT) that He grants a very few number of people the gift of vision interpretation so that we would not be dependant on the visions we see and stop working to achieve what we want.

Vision interpretation was acknowledged in the days of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS). He himself used to interpret visions and dreams. Of the companions, Abu-Bakr (RA) was the one who did that the most. Khaled Ibnul-Walid once had a vision. He saw himself moving from a very narrow land to a much wider one. Abu-Bakr (RA) interpreted this as Khaled’s conversion from disbelief to Islam. Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) himself had many visions, one of which was about the battle of Uhud. He saw cows slaughtered, his sword’s blade partly broken, and his hands in an impervious armor. He interpreted this as follows: his companions would be killed and one of his family members would be martyred, whereas the impervious armor stood for al-Madinah. This is one of Prophet Muhammad’s famous visions.

Ibn-Sireen is considered the most popular Muslim Scholar in the field of dream interpretations. One day, a man came to him seeking an interpretation for a vision where he had seen himself saying the Adhan (call for prayer). Ibn-Sireen, knowing that this man was a devoted Muslim, interpreted the vision saying that this man would perform Hajj (pilgrimage). However, when a sinner related to him the same vision, Ibn-Sireen interpreted it saying that this man would be publicly shamed. He derived the two interpretations from the Holy Qur’an. In the first one, he depended on the Ayah in which Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “And announce to mankind the Pilgrimage;” (TMQ, 22:27), whereas in the second, he depended on the one in which Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “Thereafter a crier announced, (Literally: an announcer announced) “O you (of) the caravan, surely you are indeed thieves!" (TMQ, 12:70). As we can see, the science of vision interpretation is based on the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah, and requires quick-wittedness and sharp intelligence.

“He said, “O my son, do not narrate your vision to your brothers” (TMQ, 12:5). We should note here that there is a difference in Arabic between Ro’yah (vision of the eyes when one is awake) and Ro’ya (vision of the mind or the mental images one sees when one is asleep). Hence, according to this Ayah, you can hide some of the graces that Allah (SWT) blesses you with if you are afraid of being envied. However Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “And as for your Lord’s favor, then discourse about it! (i.e., proclaim it).” (TMQ, 93:11). Normally, you are supposed to tell about those graces, but not in detail so that your enemies would not envy you. Thus, everyone can have a vision; whether they are believers or disbelievers (like Khaled’s vision before embracing Islam), young or old.

The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said, "Nothing is left of the prophethood except al-Mubashirat." They asked, "What are al-Mubashirat?" He replied, "The true good dreams (that conveys glad tidings). (Narrated by Abu-Huraira in Sahih Bukhari Volume 9, Book 87, Number 119). He also said, "A good vision (that comes true) of a righteous man is one of forty-six parts of prophethood." (Narrated by Anas Ibn-Malik in Sahih Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 87, Number 112). The 23 years of Mohammad's prophethood were preceded by a period of six months of true visions. If we divide six months by 23 years, we will find out that they constitute one part of 46 parts. In other words, the period of these six months of true visions constituted an integral part of the forty-six parts of prophethood. In another Hadith, the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said, “The good vision is one part of the 70 parts of prophethood.” (Narrated on the authority of Nafi' in Sahih Muslim, Book 029, Number 5634). The more pious you become, the more parts of prophethood you acquire.

We should not refuse to acknowledge good visions, as they come true, however, we should never set up a legitimate rule based on the visions we have. Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) saw that his hands were in an impervious armor and interpreted this as a symbol that he should remain in al-Madinah. However, he had to give the upper hand to consultation, being a legitimate rule. He consulted his companions and, following their opinion, went out of al-Madinah. He gave consultation the priority over vision, since no legitimate rule can be set up on the latter.

There was a very famous incident in 1978 in which a group of young men occupied the Holy Haram in Makkah. As a result, prayers were stopped in the Haram and eventually police forces had to kill these men. It was later discovered that they all had the same vision where they saw one of them being the expected Mahdi and that they had to occupy the Holy Ka’ba. That is why we say that visions are not a source of legislation.

What do you think is the difference between a vision, a dream, and a Satan's trick? Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) says, "There are three types of dreams: the reflection of one's thoughts and experiences one has during wakefulness, what is suggested by Satan to frighten the dreamer, or glad tidings from Allah (SWT). If someone has a dream which he dislikes, he should not tell it to others, but get up and offer a prayer." (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 87, Number 144). In visions, you might see mind-boggling images; you might for example see yourself falling down and turning into chickens and pigeons; all fantasy. Al-Bukhari said that he used to remain sick for days after having a bad dream until he heard a Hadith narrated by Abu-Qatada in which he said, "I too, used to see a dream which would make me sick until I heard the Prophet (SAWS) saying, "A good dream is from Allah, so if anyone of you saw a dream which he liked, he should not tell it to anybody except to the one whom he loves, and if he saw a dream which he disliked, then he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil and from the evil of Satan, and spit three times (on his left) and should not tell it to anybody, for it will not harm him." (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 87, Number 168).

Now, what are you supposed to do when you have a vision?

1. Any Muslim may have a vision; whether he is young or old, a sinner or a devoted practicing person. A vision is more likely to come true as long as it does not contradict any legitimate rule.

2. If you have a good vision, relate it to those whom you love. If, on the other hand, you have a bad dream, you should never relate it to anyone; just spit on your left and turn to the other direction.

3. If you feel that the vision you had needs to be interpreted, search for a devoted Muslim who knows how to interpret dreams and ask him for an interpretation.

One day, a man came to Ibn-Sireen seeking an interpretation for a vision he had. He saw that all his teeth fell out and was told that this was a symbol that all his family members would die soon. Shocked, the man came to Ibn-Sireen seeking another interpretation. Ibn-Sireen interpreted the vision saying that the man would be the last one to die in his family. Hence, vision interpreters can be bearers of good tidings or bringers of bad news.

Once, a boy saw in a vision Satan incarnate telling a big crowd of people that Allah (SWT) has rendered permissible all that was forbidden before. “You are a liar,” the boy shouted, “It can not be true that Allah (SWT) would permit anything forbidden.” “Then, let us race together and whoever wins will be followed by this crowd,” said Satan. They raced and the boy won. Years later, the boy became one of the greatest Muslim scholars. Thus, do not ask about each and everything. Trust in Allah (SWT) and He will settle everything for you. Finally, let us agree on memorizing this part of Surat Yusuf and next time we shall start talking about the plot of Yusuf’s brothers against him.

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[1] Sala-llahu Alaihi Wa-Sallam = All Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him.

[2] TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

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Management Theories from Islam: Economistan

The management theories of Islam as espoused and practiced by the pioneers of Islam, might be centuries old but they still hold to this day as some of the best ways of managing and leading.

Management Theory Y

The concept of theory Y managers is demonstrated by the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) personal way of leading and managing the affairs of the Muslim Ummah (community). Many early Muslims of the time used to come to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) themselves to ask for any service they could render to the newly born Muslim community. Never was force ever used to accomplish any task, rather it was based on volunteer service to the cause. Even at the times of the battles against the pagans of Mecca, many Muslims would come forward to render their services, even young teenagers. And the Holy Prophet (PBUH) would refuse their plea on the premise of them being too young for such a task.

Flat and Lean Organization

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) used the concept of a flat and lean organization and was easily accessible to the Muslim society of the time who would come with a lot of issues and affairs to be resolved by the Prophet (PBUH). The Prophet(PBUH) would always lead from the front and never shied away from doing his personal chores like cooking, stitching and cleaning or helping others despite being the leader of the Muslims.

Participative Style of Management Based on Consultations and Brainstorming

The Prophet (PBUH) used a consultative form of decision making, in which he would listen to the ideas of others and only then a decision would be taken. Brainstorming was extensively used and encouraged. Furthermore, there was no discrimination on the basis of race, creed or color. During one of the battles, the battle of Khandaq where the Muslim army faced a much bigger foe of ten thousand Meccans, a brainstorming session was held on how to ward off the pagans of Mecca. Many ideas were entertained, but the idea that was implemented came from Salman Farsi, a Persian by ethnicity, who had come all the way to Arabia searching for the True Prophet. He gave the idea of digging a big ditch around the entire city, called the “Khandaq”, which was many meters wide and deep. The Khandaq would make it very hard for the invading army to enter the city, as was the norm for battles in Persia. Even at the time of digging the Khandaq, an arduous task, the Prophet led from the front and performed his due share in excavating it. It is also reported that there was a very hard rock at one place of the Khandaq which the companions of the Prophet were having difficulty breaking. The Holy Prophet(PBUH) helped by......

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Management Theories from Islam: Economistan

The Prophet of Islam - His Biography : Islamicity

By: Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah

He was forty years old, and it was the fifth consecutive year since his annual retreats, when one night towards the end of the month of Ramadan, an angel came to visit him, and announced that God had chosen him as His messenger to all mankind. The angel taught him the mode of ablutions, the way of worshipping God and the conduct of prayer. He communicated to him the following Divine message:

With the name of God, the Most Merciful, the All-Merciful.
Read: with the name of thy Lord Who created,
Created man from what clings,
Read: and thy Lord is the Most Bounteous,
Who taught by the pen,
Taught man what he knew not. (Quran 96:1-5)

Deeply affected, he returned home and related to his wife what had happened, expressing his fears that it might have been something diabolic or the action of evil spirits. She consoled him, saying that he had always been a man of charity and generosity, helping the poor, the orphans, the widows and the needy, and assured him that God would protect him against all evil.

Then came a pause in revelation, extending over three years. The Prophet must have felt at first a shock, then a calm, an ardent desire, and after a period of waiting, a growing impatience or nostalgia. The news of the first vision had spread and at the pause the skeptics in the city had begun to mock at him and cut bitter jokes. They went so far as to say that God had forsaken him.

During the three years of waiting. the Prophet had given himself up more and more to prayers and to spiritual practices. The revelations were then resumed and God assured him that He had not at all forsaken him: on the contrary it was He Who had guided him to the right path: therefore he should take care of the orphans and the destitute, and proclaim the bounty of God on him (cf. Q. 93:3-11). This was in reality an order to preach. Another revelation directed him to warn people against evil practices, to exhort them to worship none but the One God, and to abandon everything that would displease God (Q. 74:2-7). Yet another revelation commanded him to warn his own near relatives (Q. 26:214); and: "Proclaim openly that which thou art commanded, and withdraw from the Associators (idolaters). Lo! we defend thee from the scoffers" (15:94-5). According to Ibn Ishaq, the first revelation (n. 17) had come to the Prophet during his sleep, evidently to reduce the shock. Later revelations came in full wakefulness.

The Mission

The Prophet began by preaching his mission secretly first among his intimate friends, then among the members of his own tribe and thereafter publicly in the city and suburbs. He insisted on the belief in One Transcendent God, in Resurrection and the Last Judgment. He invited men to charity and beneficence. He took necessary steps to preserve through writing the revelations he was receiving, and ordered his adherents also to learn them by heart. This continued all through his life, since the Quran was not revealed all at once, but in fragments as occasions arose.

The number of his adherents increased gradually, but with the denunciation of paganism, the opposition also grew intense on the part of those who were firmly attached to their ancestral beliefs. This opposition degenerated in the course of time into physical torture of the Prophet and of those who had embraced his religion. These were stretched on burning sands, cauterized with red hot iron and imprisoned with chains on their feet. Some of them died of the effects of torture, but none would renounce his religion. In despair, the Prophet Muhammad advised his companions to quit their native town and take refuge abroad, in Abyssinia, "where governs a just ruler, in whose realm nobody is oppressed" (Ibn Hisham). Dozens of Muslims profited by his advice, though not all. These secret flights led to further persecution of those who remained behind.

The Prophet Muhammad [was instructed to call this] religion "Islam," i.e. submission to the will of God. Its distinctive features are two:

1. A harmonious equilibrium between the temporal and the spiritual (the body and the soul), permitting a full enjoyment of all the good that God has created, (Quran 7:32), enjoining at the same time on everybody duties towards God, such as worship, fasting, charity, etc. Islam was to be the religion of the masses and not merely of the elect.
2. A universality of the call - all the believers becoming brothers and equals without any distinction of class or race or tongue. The only superiority which it recognizes is a personal one, based on the greater fear of God and greater piety (Quran 49:13).

Social Boycott

When a large number of the Meccan Muslims migrated to Abyssinia, the leaders of paganism sent an ultimatum to the tribe of the Prophet, demanding that he should be excommunicated and outlawed and delivered to the pagans for being put to death. Every member of the tribe, Muslim and non-Muslim rejected the demand. (cf. Ibn Hisham). Thereupon the city decided on a complete boycott of the tribe: Nobody was to talk to them or have commercial or matrimonial relations with them. The group of Arab tribes called Ahabish, inhabiting the suburbs, who were allies of the Meccans, also joined in the boycott, causing stark misery among the innocent victims consisting of children, men and women, the old and the sick and the feeble. Some of them succumbed yet nobody would hand over the Prophet to his persecutors. An uncle of the Prophet, Abu Lahab, however left his tribesmen and participated in the boycott along with the pagans. After three dire years, during which the victims were obliged to devour even crushed hides, four or five non-Muslims, more humane than the rest and belonging to different clans proclaimed publicly their denunciation of the unjust boycott. At the same time, the document promulgating the pact of boycott which had been hung in the temple, was found, as Muhammad had predicted, eaten by white ants, that spared nothing but the words God and Muhammad. The boycott was lifted, yet owing to the privations that were undergone the wife and Abu Talib, the chief of the tribe and uncle of the Prophet died soon after. Another uncle of the Prophet, Abu-Lahab, who was an inveterate enemy of Islam, now succeeded to the headship of the tribe. (cf. lbn Hisham, Sirah).

The Ascension

It was at this time that the Prophet Muhammad was granted the mi'raj (ascension): He saw in a vision that he was received on heaven by God, and was witness of the marvels of the celestial regions. Returning, he brought for his community, as a Divine gift, the [ritual prayer of Islam, the salaat], which constitutes a sort of communion between man and God. It may be recalled that in the last part of Muslim service of worship, the faithful employ as a symbol of their being in the very presence of God, not concrete objects as others do at the time of communion, but the very words of greeting exchanged between the Prophet Muhammad and God on the occasion of the formers mi'raj: "The blessed and pure greetings for God! - Peace be with thee, O Prophet, as well as the mercy and blessing of God! - Peace be with us and with all the [righteous] servants of God!" The Christian term "communion" implies participation in the Divinity. Finding it pretentious, Muslims use the term "ascension" towards God and reception in His presence, God remaining God and man remaining man and no confusion between the twain.

The news of this celestial meeting led to an increase in the hostility of the pagans of Mecca; and the Prophet was obliged to quit his native town in search of an asylum elsewhere. He went to his maternal uncles in Ta'if, but returned immediately to Mecca, as the wicked people of that town chased the Prophet out of their city by pelting stones on him and wounding him.

Migration to Madinah

The annual pilgrimage of the Ka'bah brought to Mecca people from all parts of Arabia. The Prophet Muhammad tried to persuade one tribe after another to afford him shelter and allow him to carry on his mission of reform. The contingents of fifteen tribes, whom he approached in succession, refused to do so more or less brutally, but he did not despair. Finally he met half a dozen inhabitants of Madinah who being neighbor of the Jews and the Christians, had some notion of prophets and Divine messages. They knew also that these "people of the Books" were awaiting the arrival of a prophet - a last comforter. So these Madinans decided not to lose the opportunity of obtaining an advance over others, and forthwith embraced Islam, promising further to provide additional adherents and necessary help from Madinah. The following year a dozen new Madinans took the oath of allegiance to him and requested him to provide with a missionary teacher. The work of the missionary, Mus'ab, proved very successful and he led a contingent of seventy-three new converts to Mecca, at the time of the pilgrimage. These invited the Prophet and his Meccan companions to migrate to their town, and promised to shelter the Prophet and to treat him and his companions as their own kith and kin. Secretly and in small groups, the greater part of the Muslims emigrated to Madinah. Upon this the pagans of Mecca not only confiscated the property of the evacuees, but devised a plot to assassinate the Prophet. It became now impossible for him to remain at home. It is worthy of mention, that in spite of their hostility to his mission, the pagans had unbounded confidence in his probity, so much so that many of them used to deposit their savings with him. The Prophet Muhammad now entrusted all these deposits to 'Ali, a cousin of his, with instructions to return in due course to the rightful owners. He then left the town secretly in the company of his faithful friend, Abu-Bakr. After several adventures, they succeeded in reaching Madinah in safety. This happened in 622, whence starts the Hijrah calendar.

Reorganization of the Community

For the better rehabilitation of the displaced immigrants, the Prophet created a fraternization between them and an equal number of well-to-do Madinans. The families of each pair of the contractual brothers worked together to earn their livelihood, and aided one another in the business of life.

Further he thought that the development of the man as a whole would be better achieved if he coordinated religion and politics as two constituent parts of one whole. To this end he invited the representatives of the Muslims as well as the non-Muslim inhabitants of the region: Arabs, Jews, Christians and others, and suggested the establishment of a City-State in Madinah. With their assent, he endowed the city with a written constitution - the first of its kind in the world - in which he defined the duties and rights both of the citizens and the head of the State - the Prophet Muhammad was unanimously hailed as such - and abolished the customary private justice. The administration of justice became henceforward the concern of the central organization of the community of the citizens. The document laid down principles of defense and foreign policy: it organized a system of social insurance, called ma'aqil, in cases of too heavy obligations. It recognized that the Prophet Muhammad would have the final word in all differences, and that there was no limit to his power of legislation. It recognized also explicitly liberty of religion, particularly for the Jews, to whom the constitutional act afforded equality with Muslims in all that concerned life in this world (cf. infra n. 303).

Muhammad journeyed several times with a view to win the neighboring tribes and to conclude with them treaties of alliance and mutual help. With their help, he decided to bring to bear economic pressure on the Meccan pagans, who had confiscated the property of the Muslim evacuees and also caused innumerable damage. Obstruction in the way of the Meccan caravans and their passage through the Madinan region exasperated the pagans, and a bloody struggle ensued.

In the concern for the material interests of the community, the spiritual aspect was never neglected. Hardly a year had passed after the migration to Madinah, when the most rigorous of spiritual disciplines, the fasting for the whole month of Ramadan every year, was imposed on every adult Muslim, man and woman...

For more on this article, please click on the following link: The Prophet of Islam - His Biography : Islamicity

Islamic Banking and Finance: Historical Perspective and Future Prospects: Economistan

Islamic banking and finance had its major beginnings in the year 1975 with the establishment of the Islamic Development Bank. Islamic banking has flourished in various countries since then with Malaysia, Indonesia, UAE, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia being in the forefront. Islamic banking has also recently done rather well in non-Muslim countries with the reported size of UK Islamic banking overtaking that of majority Muslim countries like Pakistan. Islamic banking assets are thought to be anywhere from 700 billion dollars to 900 billion dollars as of 2009. The credit crunch that has affected much of the western world has not taken its toll on the Islamic Banks, mainly because of the nature of the underlying transactions which admonish Riba and encourage instead a partnership based approach. The result is that the actual profit or loss is shared with the shareholders rather than an arbitrary number called Riba or “interest” which they have to come up with to please the investors regardless of the market situation. In this way, Islamic Banking also helps in depicting the true state of the economy.

Islamic indices historically have also been outperforming the other indices with the Dow Jones Islamic Developed World Index outperforming the MSCI World Index consistently over the past few years. Growth in Islamic banking has also been stellar and it has been growing at a healthy rate of 15-20% per year according to estimates. Moody’s has projected that Islamic banking would expand to a total value of $4 trillion dollars in another five years. The reason to this growth can also be attributed to the western banks taking interest in the Islamic banking instruments. Lloyd’s bank in the UK spread Islamic instruments to all of its two thousand branches in 2006 from five branches a year earlier. HSBC, Standard Chartered and Citigroup are some of the conventional western banks which have invested in Islamic banking.

Islamic bonds called Sukuk have been....

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Muslim investors profit by adhering to faith: San Francisco Chronicle

Matthai Kuruvila

As credit markets have imploded, triggering a global economic crisis, Islamically correct investors have seen a change of fortune: The conservative principles this small group of devout Muslims clung to during the economic heyday has insulated them from the worst of the past year's suffering.

Their renunciation of the interest-based economy kept them away from investments in financial services companies, whose stocks have collapsed, and out of traditional mortgages.

"There was a time two or three years ago that Islamic finance was considered simply too conservative," said Professor Ibrahim Warde, author of "Islamic Finance in the Global Economy" and an adjunct professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. "Right now, many people are recognizing that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing."

Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes, which represent benchmarks for Islamically correct investment categories, have been outperforming their non-Islamically compliant counterparts by 3 to 4 percent in key indexes. The two Amana Income and Growth funds, the largest Islamic mutual funds in the country with $1.2 billion in combined assets, have been outperforming the S&P 500 in the past year by 13 and 7 percent, respectively. (Both Amana funds also outperform the S&P index on 5- and 10-year comparisons.)

Bay Area residents who bought homes through an Islamically compliant lender in San Jose, the Ameen Housing Cooperative, don't have to worry whether their lender will work with them if they lose their jobs. Islamic lenders are required to work in good faith with distressed borrowers to figure out ways to make payments manageable - and co-op leaders say they will.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Muslim investors profit by adhering to faith: San Francisco Chronicle

Can Muslims provide solutions to the Current Economic Crisis?: Islamicity

By: Dr. Aslam Abdullah
IslamiCity* -

America Muslims cannot sit on sidelines talking only about foreign policy related issues. We must play a role in coming up with ideas to help the economy.

The Quran requires Muslims to be part of any change that promotes justice, equality, liberty and rule of law for every creation of God anywhere in the world.

The Quran instructs the believers to cooperate in things that are virtuous and lead to the fulfillment of the covenant with God and to avoid things that promote repression, aggression and things that result in undesirable consequences (Quran 5:2).

Can Muslim Americans offer something new to the nation that will help it overcome its worsening economic crisis and reassure the world that America is a nation that caters to justice and equality of all?

Muslim Americans have ample intellectual resources to make an attempt in this direction if they assume the much needed responsibility of the hour. With many intellectuals, educationists, economists, religious scholars and social activists, a debate within the Muslim community can be initiated to welcome and promote ideas that would result in concrete proposals for the betterment of the nation as a whole.

Muslims claim that the Quran offers guidelines to use human and material resources for the betterment of all. What are those guidelines and how can those guidelines can be given a concrete form and shape?

Muslim American organizations and Muslim intellectuals ought to offer relevant ideas to ensure that they play an active part in the economic recovery process.

Economists alone cannot find an answer to all the fiscal woes that the nation has at present. Economists can help to manage and utilize resources in an efficient and professional manner, yet the economists also need directions to move forward avoiding stagnation in their own ideas.

Can Muslim intellectuals offer some alternative ideas to utilize the natural resources in an affective manner and suggest ways and means to increase the circulation of money in such a way that it is distributed justly among people rather than being controlled and monopolized by a few?

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Advice of the Prophet: Islamicity

Companion of Prophet Muhammad , Khalid ibn El Waleed narrated the following:

A Bedouin came one day to the Prophet and said to him, "O, Messenger of God! I've come to ask you a few questions about the affairs of this life and the Hereafter. "

The Prophet responded Ask what you wish.

I'd like to be the most learned of men.

Fear God, and you will be the most learned of men.

I wish to be the richest man in the world.

Be contented, and you will be the richest man in the world.

I'd like to be the most just man.

Desire for others what you desire for yourself, and you will be the most just of men.

I want to be the best of men.

Do good to others and you will be the best of men.

I wish to be the most favored by God.

Engage much in God's praise, and you will be most favored by Him.

I'd like to complete my faith.

If you have good manners you will complete your faith.

I wish to be among those who do good.

Adore God as if you see Him. If you don't see Him, Know that He sees you. In this way you will be among those who do good.

I wish to be obedient to God.

If you observe God's commands you will be obedient.

I'd like to be free from all sins.

Bathe yourself from impurity and you will be free from all sins.

I'd like to be raised on the Day of Judgment in the light.

Don't wrong yourself or any other creature, and you will be raised on the Day of Judgment in the light.

I'd like God to bestow His mercy on me.

If you have mercy on yourself and on others, God will grant you mercy on the Day of Judgment.

I'd like my sins to be very few.

If you seek the forgiveness of God as much as you can, your sins will be very few.

I'd like to be the most honorable man.

If you do not complain to any fellow creature, you will be the most honorable of men.

I'd like to be the strongest of men.

If you put your trust in God, you will be the strongest of men.

I'd like to enlarge my provision.

If you keep yourself pure, God will enlarge your provision.

I'd like to be loved by God and His messenger.

If you love what God and His messenger love, you will be among their beloved ones.

I wish to be safe from God's wrath on the Day of Judgment.

If you do not lose your temper with any of your fellow creatures, you will be safe from the wrath of God on the Day of Judgment.

I'd like my prayers to be responded.

If you avoid forbidden actions your prayers will be responded.

I'd like God not to disgrace me on the Day of Judgment.

If you guard your chastity, God will not disgrace you on the Day of Judgment.

I'd like God to provide me with a protective covering on the Day of Judgment.

Do not uncover your fellow peoples faults, and God will provide you with a covering protection on the Day of Judgment.

What will save me from sins?

Tears, humility and illness.

What are the best deeds in the eyes of God?

Gentle manners, modesty and patience.

What are the worst evils in the eyes of God?

Hot temper and miserliness.

What alleviates the wrath of God in this life and in the Hereafter?

Concealed charity and kindness to relatives.

What extinguishes hell's fires on the Day of Judgment?

Patience in adversity and misfortunes.

Imam El Mustaghfiri said: "I have never heard a tradition more comprehensive of the beauties of religion, and more beneficial than this hadith. It collects all the good things of Islam but not put to use." (Related by Imam Ibn Hambal)

Article taken from Islamicity.com, for a link to this article, please click on the following link: Advice of the Prophet: Islamicity

United States, an "International Migraine"

Never has there been so much strife and trouble in the world which threatens ordinary civilians living in the cities as has been since the US has taken over as the primary bully starting from the end of the cold war. In a uni-polar world the United States has left no stone unturned to use its military might to create chaos in one country or another. Whether, that is through supporting despotic regimes (Egypt etc.) to accomplish sinister designs or initiating war in the name of the so called “war on terror”. The United States is also in the fore front of the neo-conic crusade to settle the Jews in the Middle East in order for the second coming of Christ to take place, thereby, spreading chaos in the entire Middle East. Iraq is yet another mess along with Afghanistan where the war shows no sign of abating, thanks to overwhelming support from the local population of Afghanistan, besides help from the shadowy Al Qaeda.

Human Rights Violations by the US

US’s support for other like-minded terrorist states such as India and Israel is no surprise since they are all joined at the hip. Each of them is in business to terrorize, subjugate and suppress freedom of the respective countries or territories which they have occupied by force. Suppressing human rights has also been the main objective of these countries with human rights groups severely chastising these terrorist states but to no avail. Guatanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib are telling examples of how the US runs its business. Bush has finally conceded in the latest interview that the occupation of Iraq was a big mistake. Mahatir Mohamed, the ex-Malaysian Prime Minister in an interview with Al-Jazeera has called for the world to declare George Bush and Tony Blair as international terrorists and hold them accountable for the turmoil and misery they have spread throughout the world in the name of the so called “war on terror”. United States is continuing to destabilize neighboring Pakistan where Pakistani troops have already suffered close to a thousand deaths at the hands of the terrorists which the US is unable to handle in Afghanistan. Pakistani cities have also undergone a regular spate of suicide bombings for showing support to the US with the US having no plan or clear cut deadline for withdrawal.

Myopic Policies of the US and Pakistan in the Line of Fire

The Afghanistan government recently conceded that the real solution to the problem is to talk to the Taliban instead of fighting a losing battle. US firepower is of no use in the terrain, training and time the insurgents have at their disposal. If the US does not have support of the local populace, this war can go on for centuries without an end. It is about time Pakistan asked the US for at least 100 billion dollars in damages to the Pakistani way of life where terror has become part of ordinary everyday life. Pakistan should tell the US categorically to find a way that is workable without spreading terror through Pakistani cities. The best way for the US would be to leave immediately from Afghanistan and let the Taliban govern Afghanistan. The US can still maintain a good diplomatic relationship by having a pact with the Taliban emphasizing that no Al Qaeda be allowed to operate from Afghanistan. The sooner the US realizes the importance of diplomacy, the sooner we can stop the whole region and the world at large from descending into the US led chaos. Diplomatic engagement can accomplish much more than any bullet or missile can do and engaging Taliban is the key. Holding talks between the Afghanistan government and Taliban in Saudi Arabia was a step in the right direction. Myopic and gung-ho policies of the US are to blame for the current pandemonium we see everywhere in South Asia.

Indian Oppression in the Occupied Territories of South Asia

India has long been subjugating and oppressing freedom movements from various parts of India. Kashmir is in the forefront because Pakistan has fought three wars with India over Kashmir already and it has come very close to a full scale war with Pakistan on at least three occasions previously. Tamil freedom movement in the south is also not far behind in its scale and resolve where the movement has engaged India and Sri-lanka militarily on a daily basis. Khalistan movement in the Indian Punjab along with freedom movements in Assam, Nagaland and Mizo(90 percent Christian, wanted to join Burma) and parts close to Nepal have also shown their determination from time to time.Kashmir is an especially troubled region where the indigenous population has fought against Indian occupation for many years now. Hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris have already laid their lives for the cause of an independent homeland. Recently, even Indian journalists have started to take notice of the human rights violations that the Indian Army is committing in the occupied Kashmir. State terrorism from India it seems would never be able to subdue the local population as there has never been any precedence from history where an occupier has ever held on to a territory without the consent of the locals.

Hindu Muslim Conflict in India and India’s International Relations

Muslim population in India elsewhere has also suffered at the hands of the majority Hindus with Gujarat Massacre the most publicized event of them all. Even in Mumbai there has always been a sense of uneasy calm between the Muslims and the Hindus at daggers drawn during the Mumbai bombings a few years back. Even very recently there have been riots in the Hyderabad Deccan between Hindus and Muslims. On a national level India itself has never had good relations with any of its neighbors including China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma and Bangladesh; blaming each of these countries for supporting insurgencies or intrusions in the adjoining areas. Pakistan is no exception.

Militant Attacks in India

The acts of terrorism brought about by these freedom movements are also not so uncommon in India. In fact, they are the result of the oppressive Indian policies towards its own populace. It is interesting to note that some of the acts of terrorism have also been perpetrated by the extremist right wing Hindu parties. Very recently a serving Colonel of the Indian Army was arrested on charges related to terrorism. Blaming Pakistan for all of India’s problems can be a workable cry during election rallies but holds no weight if India itself does nothing to alleviate the problems in Kashmir and elsewhere.

Historical Freedom Movements in India

India has a history of territories that have broken apart from India simply because many South Asians do not find it acceptable that their territories and their lives be governed from the Hindu majority ruling from the center. Many states have already achieved freedom or separation from India. Pakistan and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma and Chinese Kashmir are the territories which have already separated. In order to avoid any further division of India, the Indian Army is in the habit of using full force to subjugate freedom fighters to keep modern India in one piece and calls these freedom movements as terrorist movements. United States is also hand in hand with India in depriving humanity freedom from oppression and calls many of these movements as terrorist movements. United States and India think they can fool the world in whatever banner or politically correct name they can conjure up.

Towards a Multi-polar World

United States thinks that bank rolling the United Nations can help it run the entire world as it feels free. It is about time the head quarters of the United Nations was shifted from the US to a neutral country or territory say Antarctica and all countries given their due voice. The current UN Security Council is ruled by the rich and powerful for the rich and powerful. Present day UN is just a tool used by the US to wage and legitimize one war after another. United States of Warica as it should be called should stop its bullying tactics and start following the playbook of China if it truly wants to earn respect and succeed as an economy. Waging war and financing current account deficits from borrowed money from the central banks of the entire world using the US treasury bills might have worked in the past but I am afraid in the modern world where there are plenty of sound options available especially with the West in the financial crunch; old strategies would be of no use. It is about time the US saw the writing on the wall; worried about its own economic problems and stopped meddling in the affairs of the entire world. Ethics over the politics of power would prevail.

Follow the Idol Breaker: Islamicity

Today, we live amidst a tide of idols, however, these idols, although man-made like their predecessors, enjoy a form that is far more deceptive than the word idol usually conjures up for us.

One of the rituals of Hajj is the throwing of pebbles at the three pillars of temptation that symbolizes Satan, when he tried to dissuade Prophet Ibrahim from carrying out the command of God.
The pile of broken umbrellas, huge rocks, and of course, rubber slip-ons of all hue piled around the pillars of temptation tell more than a story. The minor story of course is that some people come to Hajj unprepared and thus unaware what to hurl at Satan. The major story is that why only small pebbles are needed. The questions, what to hurl and why only small pebbles are closely connected.
The completion of the rites of Hajj, as we know them, was executed by Prophet Muhammad after he removed all idols from the Kabah. The objects that needed major demolition equipment had been done away and what now remain are fresh idols that keep cropping up at all times. The need for heavy demolition equipment does exist, but the heavy-duty stuff that needs to be removed are not big rocks of idols, but the rocks of corruption, greed, power, vanity and self-indulgence. The equipment needed to remove these rocks, are sincere doses of God Consciousness (Taqwa).

Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), perhaps, the foremost idol-breaker, launched a mission against idolatry when it was the absolute norm - he stood firm against the tide of idol worship and challenged this deep-rooted social norm. Today, we live amidst a tide of idols, however, these idols, although man-made like their predecessors, enjoy a form that is far more deceptive than the word idol usually conjures up for us. The modern day idols of the love for power or recognition is taking many forms, and most often these idols in the guise of current-day social norm are not only hurtful to the individual but indeed the community.

Prophet Ibrahim was confronted by the same psychological and emotional challenges that confront us: making and worshipping idols was the norm, and in his case the family's livelihood too. This is where his greatness lies that he was able to break from these barriers and demolish the idols. Yes, there was opposition, but none from within him. He felt no fear, no hesitancy in undoing his family's source of income. He was driven by a desire to break the shekels of idolatry and establish the worship of One true God.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Follow the Idol Breaker: Islamicity

Book Review: AL' AMERICA: Islamicity

By: Paul M. Barrett

Peace Be Upon UsIslamic and Arabic traditions have long been part of American culture.
It was a rough election season for American Arabs and Muslims. The McCain-Palin ticket shamelessly amplified the Internet smear that Barak Obama is a crypto-Islamic fanatic who fraternizes with terrorists. Obama responded by insisting, persuasively, on his credentials as an observant Christian. But in the process, he did little to point out the inherent bigotry in the Republican strategy Colin Powell, during his televised endorsement of Obama, eloquently challenged the assumption that Arabs and Muslims deserve to be held at arm's length. But the former secretary of state couldn't single-handedly do much to change the perception of these groups as a political liability.

Jonathan Curiel intends his book Al' America as an antidote to the fear. Ignorance, unsurprisingly, lies at the heart of it. Start with basic demographics: Most Arab-Americans are Christian, not Muslim, and most American Muslims are not Arab. Private surveys show that the largest segment of the American Muslim population -- about one-third -- traces its roots to South Asia, primarily Pakistan and India. Arabs make up only about a quarter of the Muslims in this country; African Americans, mostly converts and their children, another fifth.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Book Review: AL' AMERICA: Islamicity

Welcome to the Human-Machine Civilization: Islamicity

By: Dr. Aslam Abdullah

From the midst of the modern civilization is emerging yet another set of ideas that would probably exhaust all possible means to reportedly make human beings smarter to the extent of promoting a new scientific world known as human-machine culture.By year 2009, as predicted by Ray Kurzwell, one of 18 thinkers chosen by the US National Academy of Engineering to identify the great technological challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, "we will have intelligent nanobots go into our brains through the capillaries and interact directly with our biological neurons." These nanobots, he concluded, would make us smarter, remember things better and automatically go into full emergent virtual reality environments through the nervous system."

We are on the brink of advances that, many argue, will change the face of the world, in a dramatic fashion, unknown and unseen by anything in the past. We thought the computer was the smartest invention we ever had. The emerging new changes will make every scientific discovery up till now seem primitive.
The idea of placing tiny robots implanted in our brains to give us more intelligence will indeed change the way we think, act and respond, some argue.

However, in the realistic terms, those who will design the software for such a robotic implantation, would essentially control the definition of everything that goes with the word "smart". The software engineers will determine based on the guidelines given to them by consumer driven multinational-controlled capitalism, how to interfere with human nature in terms of proposing courses of actions that would serve their interests.

Under this new so called nanobot technology, we would be virtual slaves to those who will manufacture the best software, something that the rulers of the world were unable to do in the past. We witnessed in our long recorded history several attempts to subjugate human will to the dictates of the most powerful people at the helms of affairs, yet none could even come close to controlling human thinking and actions as this nanobot inventors intend to do.

This will create the ability to make us eat drink and do what we are told by robotic implanting. We could be thinking the way we are programmed. But how will that be done?

According to the Quran we believe that human beings are created by the divine with part of His spirit infused in us (Quran; 32:9, 15:29, 38:72, 21:91, 66:12). We believe that God is the one who creates, invents, and designs (40:64,59:24, 64:3)? We believe that He is the one who are created us with the faculty of rationality that gives us options to choose between various alternatives available to us in all aspects of life (3:191). We also believe that in a world that is yet to come, we will be questioned for all our actions in this world (2:210).

In a nanobot controlled and driven world, rationality would be determined by the investors in the device, alternative actions will be drafted by programmers, choices will be pushed by competing entrepreneurs and so on so forth.

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US takes a closer look at Islamic banking: Islamicity

By: Mohammed Rasooldeen

The US government is currently studying the salient features of Islamic banking to ascertain how far it could be useful in fighting the ongoing world economic crisis, Robert M. Kimmitt, US deputy secretary of the Treasury, said at a press conference held at the US Embassy here yesterday.

Kimmitt, who is on an official visit to the Kingdom, also held discussions with Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf. Today, he is scheduled to meet Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) Gov. Hamad Al-Sayari, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) Gov. Amr Al-Dabbagh, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of the Kingdom Holding Company, and Saudi investors and bankers. He said that the agenda for the G-20 summit to be held in Washington on Nov. 15, has to be carefully prepared since important topics are to be discussed in just one day. "I am not sure that Islamic banking will also be itemized in the agenda, but it is a subject that is often dwelt in the public and private sectors," he noted. He said that experts in the US Treasury Department are currently learning the important features of Islamic banking.

However, he added that his country is focusing on activities of various governments and central banks in tackling the economic issues. He pointed out that the member countries in the G-20 also includes Islamic countries such as Indonesia and Turkey, besides the Kingdom which has been a member for the past 10 years. Representatives from these countries could present their experiences of Islamic banking in the light of the prevailing situation.

He hoped the G-20 summit will provide an effective platform for the member countries to exchange their views on the current economic problem and lay out a plan for the countries to draw out their respective national plans to ease the situation.

Commenting on his meeting with Al-Assaf, Kimmitt said the items that could be included in the agenda were also discussed. "The geographical representation from member countries would provide a broader view of the crisis and would also benefit the non-member countries through their experiments," he added.

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Videogame delayed over ‘offence’ to Muslims: Dawn

LONDON, Oct 20: Developers delayed release of one of the most eagerly anticipated games in the history of the Sony PlayStation because of concerns that some of the background music might offend Muslims, the developers said on Monday.

LittleBigPlanet, in which gamers can customise the rag-doll protagonist Sackboy and allow it to roam through an interactive world filled with different challenges, had been hailed by video games website IGN as “nothing short of astounding” and given a review rating of 9.5 out of 10.

But its release date has been put back after one of its background music tracks, a song by Mali-born artist Toumani Diabate, was found to have included expressions from the Holy Quran, which could be interpreted as an offence to Muslims.

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Islamic Finance appeal growing in face of credit crisis: Islamicity.com

By: Umesh Desai
International Herald Tribune* -

The global credit crisis presents the $1 trillion Islamic finance industry with an opportunity to expand its appeal beyond Muslim investors, as a haven from speculative excess.The message may have particular resonance in the West after the crumbling of the U.S. mortgage market left banks holding hundreds of billions of dollars of nearly worthless credit instruments tied to home loans by a web of complex structures.While conventional banks worldwide are nursing losses of more than $400 billion from the credit crisis, Islamic banks are virtually unscathed. And they are playing up the contrast to scalded shareholders, bondholders and borrowers and fearful depositors."It's very much a return to old-fashioned conservative lending," said David Testa, chief executive of Gatehouse Bank, which began operations in April as the fifth Islamic bank in Britain.

"The current global market condition has given Islamic finance a great opportunity to show what it can do - help to fill the liquidity gap," he said.Investors traumatized by the credit crisis could seek comfort from the stricter rules imposed on lending by Islamic law, which bans some of the structures and financing methods that quickly unraveled during the U.S. mortgage crisis.Testa said that Islamic finance practices were more fiscally conservative, with direct participation by investors in plans that do not involve parking assets in off-balance-sheet vehicles.Islamic finance is based on Shariah, or Islamic law. It requires that gains be derived from ethical and socially responsible investments and discourages interest-based banking and investments in sectors like pork, gambling and pornography.The Asian Development Bank estimates that Islamic assets globally have a combined value of about $1 trillion, with annual growth of 10 percent to 15 percent a year. Al-Rajhi Bank of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Finance House are the two biggest Islamic banks in the Gulf region. In Malaysia, the largest Islamic lender is Maybank Islamic, a subsidiary of Malayan Banking.

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