Fortnightly Newsletter (1st September '11 - 15th September`11)
	www.studying-islam.org	Compiled by: Azeem Ayub
	Reflection
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful	All is Well …!   Not always do our plans materialize; not always do our expectations fetch congruous results; not always do our efforts bear fruit. And then, at times we are faced with staggering circumstances: a handicapped child is born, a person dies in the prime of his youth, a flourishing business suddenly runs into great losses, a young lady becomes a widow, cruel relatives deprive their blood relations from even the basic necessities of life. The list of course is unending.   The result of all this more often than not is quite predictable: depression, continued sorrow and sometimes severe anger and rage. The unexpected brings out from within us reactions which cross limits.   The Qur’ān says that there may be various reasons for such untoward circumstances. While explaining one of them it says:   And sometimes you dislike a thing and [in reality] there is great welfare for you in it and sometimes you like a thing and [in reality] there is great harm for you in it. Allah knows and you know not. (2:216)   It is thus expected of a Muslim to submit to the Almighty in all circumstances with the belief that whatever has happened was best for him. We cannot always grasp the profundity of the Almighty’s wisdom. Time, however, often tells how the ‘untoward’ happening actually positively influences the course of our life. So instead of becoming upset and frustrated we must resign to his will and wait to see how things ultimately take shape.   In short, ‘all is well even if does not seem to end well’.   Author: Shehzad Saleem   URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=219
In this Issue
Reflections * All is Well...!
Read & Reflect * Religious Tolerance:    The Islamic    Perspective
Debate & Discuss * Discussion Forum:     Family & Marriage:     Core Issues   Express & Explain * General Discussion    Forum:  Is beating wife    allowed? Does Qur'an      permit?   Pause & Ponder: * Obligation to Offer    the Prayer in    Congregation
Announcements *  "Quran for All"      Series: Surah       Humazah      Uploaded   *  Successful     Participants	Read and Reflect:
	Religious Tolerance: The Islamic Perspective Mankind seems to be divided by religious categorisation. Some religious groups are more exclusive in their approach than others. However, the approach of condemning people belonging to other faiths, although it has become a much less pronounced problem in recent times, has not vanished completely. There have been many approaches adopted by religious scholars belonging to different faiths to check the tendency of growing bigotry amongst religious people. The Vatican adopted the policy of Religious Inclusivism through its decree of 1967 which expressed sentiments of cordiality for other important world religions. Words of sympathy were also reserved in the decree for those who have chosen to follow the approach of atheism.   There are, however, some Christians scholars who believe that Religious Inclusivism, even though it is a welcome improvement on Religious Exclusivism, still falls short of being fully convincing. What has been presented by William Rowland, John Hick, and Paul Badham is an approach to justify what they describe as Religious Pluralism. According to this approach, all important religions are genuine human responses to the same Transcendental Reality, even though influenced by the respective cultural environments of the religious leaders. Thus all of them are simultaneously correct, and all offer important insights into the understanding of the Ultimate.   Both Religious Inclusivism and Religious Pluralism promise more religious tolerance amongst those who choose to adopt these points of view, although the latter seems to be more capable of engendering true respect in the hearts of believers of one faith for the believers in the other faiths. Muslims have normally been considered Religious Exclusivists, who would not hold people of other faiths worthy of being offered respect for their religious commitments. There is, therefore, felt a need to present an Islamic point of view on how Islamic teachings propose to tackle the issue of religious plurality.   Islam, on the one hand takes a firm position in confirming the unquestionable authenticity of its teachings, on the other hand it also calls for genuine respect for all non-Muslims. Even though there seems to be apparently a contradiction in the approach, a better understanding of the various verses of the Qur’ān on the subject would suggest that it is not necessarily so.   The correct Islamic approach towards the non-Muslims is to assume that all of them have, as yet, not been properly convinced about the authenticity of the divine origins of the teachings of Islam. It is for the Muslims to help the non-Muslims to appreciate the truthfulness of the Islamic teachings. That would require not only intelligent preaching on their part but, perhaps more importantly, a behaviour of respect for the fellow human beings, irrespective of their faith. The absence of that behaviour on the part of some Muslims has been an important reason for their failure to present Islam as a message which is worthy of being taken seriously by the non-Muslims. Thus true religious tolerance is at the heart of a proper Islamic behaviour. Thus it will be shown that all Muslims are required to be extremely tolerant of other faiths and to continue their struggle to convince them politely.   This approach is neither Religious Inclusivism of the sort adopted by the Vatican, nor Religious Pluralism as proposed by Rowland Williams, John Hick, and Paul Badham. It is, in fact, a call for religious tolerance because of the possibility of lack of proper communication of the true message of God. Since no body knows whether the other individual has been communicated the message of Islam properly, therefore, no Muslim has the right to condemn any non-Muslim on grounds of religious differences.   Author: Dr Khalid Zaheer   URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=572  return to the top ^
	Debate and Discuss:
	Discussion Forum: Family and Marriage: Core Issues Topic: Disobedient and Parents Siddiq Bukhary (Moderator) When do the children have the right to disobey the parents? saba2 Well can you please be more specific about the age of children. ibrahim Of course adult and mature children. saba2 If they are adult and mature then their is no question of disobedience is there? They are free to make their own choices which can also differ from their parents. I feel there is a very thin line between disobedience and making different choices. I think teenagers who can distinguish between right from wrong may come under the category of being disobedient adult and mature children cannot come under the category of being disobedient. A child can be disobedient when he is being asked to do what is considered gunnah or wrong in Islam and when he feels physically threatened sexually. ibrahim Well, we are bound to follow parents (and all others too) in the limits of Islam. So such disobedience has no value. You are right that there may be a very thin line between the two but one can still differentiate. I give you an example: Parents want to marry a child at one place but he/she want to marry at another. This is a choice difference. However when they ask the child to do any useful thing that he/she must do or ask not to do a harmful thing that he/she must avoid then this will surely be a disobedience. for example two mature kids are fighting with eachother (may be verbally) & when a parent ask them to stop. If they do not, they are disobeying. I hope I'm able to clear the point. Moreover you as a senior MOM can yourself give many examples of both cases. Don't You? It'll need just a deep thinking. saba2 So in the eyes of Allah disobedience is allowed when there is shirk committed and parents expect the children to join in or be a part of it. Is going to shrines and peers and asking them of favors from God considered Shirk? The example you gave of choice differences is the one parents have the most difficulty excepting. You hear all sorts of stories and maximum blackmail when it comes to marriage of choice. “Moreover you as a senior MOM” how can u tell if I am a senior mom? Hmm I like it, it gives me a lot of clout. Can some one please answer the question ibrahim Your described act is a shirk act but one may not be doing it as a shirk. That's a big difference. In Marriage case parents should have the courage to accept the choice of their kids in case of no settlement between them just because kids have been given the last right to choose their life partner. We as a parent can only try our best to guide them the best and in the best possible way. Read on: http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=2058&lang=&forumid=44   return to the top ^
	Express and Explain:
	Is beating wife allowed? Does Quran permit?     loganc Salaam aliukum brothers and sisters in Islam,   Alhmadulilah. Let us keep away from this kind of talk - this leads to division in the Ummah and the only path to success in this diin is together. Rasool Allahi, peace be upon him, said that 73 sects will emerge and only one will enter jennah. Let us hold fast to the Qur'an and the kind manners demanded of us. This is not a place of fighting, insha'Allah ta'ala.   Regarding the topic at hand, we can see some key points regarding the issues of "beating" a wife. Firstly, the Qur'an has laid out certain methods in dealing with disagreement between husband and wife, these must be followed and the last course of action is a light physical one, note that any action leaving marks on the body is too harsh - as taught by Muhammad, peace be upon him. Thus "beating" in the English term is not allowed. However, there is a methodology laid out in the Qur'an and ahadith that allows for minor physical persuasion. Also note that the Prophet, peace be upon him, is the best of examples and did not do this, rather he separated his bed from his wives - and he did this for one entire month at one point. Also brothers and sisters in Islam, note that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said that the best of the brothers are those who are best to their wives.   May Allah guide us to the best of actions. May Allah keep us on His straight path. Amin.   If anything I said was correct it comes from Allah who deserves all praise and if anything is wrong it comes from me and the shaitan.   Salaam aliukum   hkhan (Moderator) nice to see u after a while L; salam how was ur trip to home.   "A good Idea is Best Shared" is written on the wish card i received from local bbc (as we join them occasionally for the discussions about community issues)   yesterday as i was waiting at a tr. signal behind a local service bus i noticed the advert for a new car with a pic where a man is pushing an old car and the front portion of the car is new. it said at the bottom " give a push to your old car. buy a new one at easy terms "etc.   much fuss is made about treating women badly in Islam but we can see the times of ignorance in modern times again. as we read the hx of 'daur e jahlia' in arabia that women were changed frequently just like a shoe or a slipper, today we can see this happening just like the changing of a car model. most of the histories I get from patients and other contacts, it seems like woman is treated no more than an object (am talking about majority. there are still some morals and family virtues to be found)   girls at a very young age are exposed to characters like 'barbie doll' and some other disney characters where the message is looking beautiful and being available for men. this continues throughout life. if she is unable to do so, then she can forget about a suitable place in society, higher status at a job/career etc.   she is valuable, untill she is attractive and colourful to satisfy man's desires. beating or killing her to even death on small issues is not a problem.   no wonder the beloved (prophet Muhammad sws) stressed so much on woman's rights. its a melancholy of all ages and times. loganc   Salaam aliukum,   Jaza'kAllah khier.   Yes, although let me just mention one point to our brothers and sisters in Islam because I assume most of the readers in this forum are Muslims:   We do have an issue within our Ummah regarding the mistreatment of women. I am not talking about western secular standards of human rights and women's liberation, rather I am talking about the Islamic regulations, the Islamic teachings and Islamic mannerisms that are being forgotten and/or ignored.   Recall a hadith where the Prophet, peace be upon him, was asked if a woman ought to greet her husband at the door when he comes home - he, peace be upon him, says that would be nice. The man (subhan'Allah brothers look how little we have changed since the time of Rasooli, peace be upon him), thought that he was on a roll and maybe he could push a little more, so he asks: Is is good for my wife to stand while I eat (thus she is the server of food rather than the co-eater of food)? Rasool Allahi, peace be upon him, says: This is the attitude of tyrants.   1400 years later brothers and sisters, in so many facets of life our brothers are acting like tyrants. Regardless if it is a cultural hangover or something else, it is not Islam. We need to return to, or go to, the diin of Islam insha'Allah ta'ala.   If I have said anything good it is from Allah who deserves all praise and if anything is wrong or mis-said it comes from me and the shaitan.   salaam aliukum     See: http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=2825&lang=&forumid=26    return to the top ^
	Pause and Ponder:
	Obligation to offer the Prayer in Congregation   Question: Why does Javed Ahmad Ghāmidī in his book Mīzān apply the divine law related to the Messengers to the congregational prayers? He seems to hold that the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (sws) directing the believers to compulsorily attend the prayers in congregation pertains to his time only and it is no more applicable afterwards? I mean what is the intrinsic evidence within the narratives which points to the fact that the law should be applied?   Answer: In order to understand this issue, we need to consider the fact that narratives in this regard are of two types. Both are authentic yet apparently contradicting.   The first type of narratives gives the message that praying in the mosque is an obligation that must be fulfilled at all costs and there can be no reason for a person who hears the adhān to not come to the mosque. For example:   A blind person once asked relief from the Prophet (sws) in coming to the mosque, he was at first given the permission; and then the Prophet (sws) asked him: “Do you hear the voice of the adhān?” When he answered in the affirmative, the Prophet (sws) said that he would then have to come to the mosque.1 The Prophet (sws) warned people: “I would like to burn the houses of those who do not come for the prayer, and would like to have them thrown over these people.”2   It is narrated by Ibn Mas’ūd (rta) that even the sick in those times would come to the congregational prayer by limping on the shoulders of two people.3   The second category of narratives give the message that praying in the mosque is highly rewarding though it is not an obligation. Some of the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (sws) in this regard are the following:   The congregational prayer is twenty seven times more rewarding than the individual prayer.4   If people knew how highly rewarding reaching the mosque at the time of the adhān is and standing in the first row is, and if for this they had to cast lots, they would have done this. And if they knew the reward of outdoing others for the zuhr prayer, they would have done so. And if they knew the reward for the fajr and ‘ishā prayer they would have reached the mosque even if they had to drag themselves for this.5   A person who prayed the ‘ishā prayer in congregation is like a person who stood for worship till midnight and a person who prayed the fajr prayer in congregation is like a person who spent the whole night standing in worship.6   Both these types of narratives, of course, oppose one another and cannot be true at the same time unless there is some other explanation to them.   A deliberation on the Qur’an shows that in the times of the Prophet (sws), there had come a time after the truth had been conclusively communicated to his addressees when true believers were separated and isolated from the Hypocrites and Disbelievers so that the final judgement of God could be pronounced on the latter two denominations. The first category of narratives seems to be an application of this directive of God: coming to the mosque was a barometer in determining who was a true believer and who was not. Hence this was regarded as compulsory. However, after the departure of the Prophet (sws), this was of course no longer required since the divine practice of God regarding His Messengers had reached its culmination. In other words, what can be said is that while the first category of narratives relates to the divine practice of God regarding His Messengers, the second category gives a general picture. Needless to say that all narratives must be related to their basis in the Qur’ān and Sunnah or in the norms of sense and reason for narratives cannot give an independent directive of religion. They must be related to their basis in the original sources.       1. Muslim, Al-Jāmi‘ al-sahīh, 623, (no. 1486). 2. Al-Bukhārī, Al-Jāmi‘ al-sahīh, 106, (no. 644); Muslim, Al-Jāmi‘ al-sahīh, 263, (no. 1481). 3. Muslim, Al-Jāmi‘ al-sahīh, 264, (no. 1488). 4. Al-Bukhārī, Al-Jāmi‘ al-sahīh, 106, (no. 645); Muslim, Al-Jāmi‘ al-sahīh, 262, (no. 1477). 5. Al-Bukhārī, Al-Jāmi‘ al-sahīh, 107, (nos. 653, 654); Muslim, Al-Jāmi‘ al-sahīh, 185, (no. 981). 6. Muslim, Al-Jāmi‘ al-sahīh, 264, (no. 1491).     see: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/query.aspx?id=878    return to the top ^
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	"Quran for All" Series: Surah Humazah Uploaded   After Surah Mulk, Surah Qalam, Surah Haaqqah,Surah Ma'aarij, Surah Nuh, Surah Jinn,  Surah Muzzammil, Surah Muddaththir, Surah Qiyamah, Surah Dahr, Surah Mursalat, Surah Naba, Surah Nazi'aat, Surah Abas, Surah Takweer, Surah Infitar, Surah Mutaffifin, Surah Inshiqaq, Surah Buruj,  Surah Tariq, Surah A'laa, Surah Ghashiyah, Surah Fajr, Surah Balad, Surah Shams, Surah Layl, Surah Duha, Surah Alam Nashrah, Surah Teen, Surah Alaq, Surah Qadr, Surah Bayyinah, Surah Zilzal Surah ‘Adiyat, Surah Qariah and Surah Takathur, Surah Asr we have uploaded Surah Humazah in the “Quran for All” series. The “Quran for All” Series is a software for understanding the meanings of the Quran for those who do not have any knowledge of Arabic but are able to read the Quran. Remember in order to study Surah Humazah one must first study Surah Mulk and then other surahs in the sequence that they occur in the Quran and are also provided in the software in this sequence. Admn Off   Successful Participants   ID Course Country Grade 13958 Arrangement of the Qur'an USA E+ 13920 Arrangement of the Qur'an Pakistan A+ 13918 Belief in God USA A+ 13751 Belief in God Pakistan C 13911 Belief in God USA B+ 13727 Belief in the Hereafter Australia B 13935 Islamic Customs and Etiquette India B 13920 Language of the Qur'an Pakistan B 13920 Qur'an ka Nizam Pakistan B+ 13218 The Directives of Jihād UK A 13218 The Fast UK B 13927 The Prayer Swedan B+ 13218 The Prayer UK B 13918 The Religion of Islam USA A+ 14004 The Religion of Islam Philippines A+   return to the top ^
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