Fortnightly Newsletter (1st January'12 - 15th January`12)
	www.studying-islam.org	Compiled by: Azeem Ayub
	Reflection
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful	Forgiveness   God is Ever Merciful and we always expect that He will deal mercifully with us and forgive our mistakes even if we falter again and again. But often we do not show mercy to others. There are instances which warrant clemency on our part but we choose to become callous instead. If a person commits a mistake accidentally or does so in ignorance and forgetfulness, we still scold and punish him. Similarly, at times, we become harsh and unforgiving even after a person has made amends and is genuinely sorry for his bad behaviour. Sometimes, we do not forgive a person even after we have taken revenge. At other times, we castigate someone for a small mistake or chide him much more than his mistake calls for. Similarly, at times, we adopt an unforgiving attitude towards a person who comes forward and confesses his mistake even before it comes to our notice. No doubt, all these are instances which warrant clemency and compassion from us. But we become callous, cruel and ruthless.   The Qur’ān says though a person can avenge the wrong inflicted on him by someone, yet forgiving and forgetting this wrong will earn great reward and indeed the pleasure of the Almighty.   Perhaps the most effective way to become a forgiving and forbearing person is to keep a constant and watchful eye on one’s own faults and blemishes. We expect God and our fellow human beings to be magnanimous towards us by forgiving our faults. So we should all the more be ready to forgive the faults of others.   However, there can be instances which warrant an unforgiving attitude on our part. For example if a person is not sorry for his mistake and repeatedly commits the same mistake. Similarly, if a person does not realize his mistake and in fact shows arrogance in this regard, we need not show mercy or compassion.  We may do likewise if a person continues to show carelessness and indifference in realizing that he has done something wrong.   Perhaps, the real test in this regard is to correctly and judiciously choose the instances which merit our forgiveness and those which do not.   Author: Dr Shehzad Saleem   URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=1294
In this Issue
Reflections * Forgiveness
Read & Reflect * The Real Responsibility     of an Islamic State
Debate & Discuss * Discussion Forum:     Family & Marriage:     Core Issues   Express & Explain *  General Discussion     Forum:  Arguments     regarding the     Existence of God   Pause & Ponder: *  Duty to Parents &      Family   Announcements *  "Quran for All"      Series: Surah      Kafirun      Uploaded
*  Successful     Participants	Read and Reflect:
	The Real Responsibility of an Islamic State   God commands you to hand back trusts to their rightful owners and to always pass judgement upon men with fairness. Verily this is from God an excellent admonition. For God is He who hears and sees all things. (4:58)   A look at the context of the above mentioned verse shows that it is related to the state. It says that the real responsibility of an Islamic State is to strive to establish justice in its ultimate form at every level. My mentor Amīn Ahsān Islāhī comments on this verse in the following words:   This is a delineation of the most important aspect of the trust referred to as well as an explanation of the responsibility attached to political authority. The foremost responsibility of the people who are blessed with political authority by the Almighty is that they should decide all disputes that arise among their people with justice and fairness. There should be no difference in the eyes of the law between the various classes of the society like the rich and the poor, the high and the low. Justice should not become a commodity that can be bought or sold. Partiality and bias should not creep into it nor should indifference and apathy arise in dispensing it. No power or influence, greed or fear of any kind should affect it in any way.   Whoever in this world are blessed with political authority by the Almighty are done so that they may discharge justice. Therefore, this is the primary responsibility. A just ruler will receive great reward from the Almighty, and an unjust will be punished grievously [on the Day of Judgement]. Consequently, the verse says that this is an excellent admonition from the Almighty to the believers, who, therefore, must not show slackness in following it. The attributes of the Almighty mentioned at the end of the verse caution us that even the most concealed injustice is in His knowledge. (Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān, 5th ed., vol. 2, [Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1994], p. 323)   It is to this responsibility that the Companions of the Prophet (sws) referred to when they launched an offensive on the Roman and the Persian empires. They proclaimed to the world that whoever among the people wanted, he could leave the servitude of man by entering into the servitude of Allah, and whoever among them wanted he could leave the narrowness of this world and enter into its vastness and whoever among them wanted he could leave the oppression of various religions and enter into the folds of Islam to get justice1.   The Prophet (sws) on this very basis insisted that a person who has greed for a public office should never be considered eligible for it, since justice cannot be expected from such a person. He is reported to have said:   By God! we shall not grant any person a post in this system who asks for it and has greed for it. (Muslim, Kitābu’l-Imārah)   The Prophet (sws) also warned his companions to fear Allah in such matters and never ask for a public office:   Do not seek a post. If it is granted to you because of your desire you shall [find yourself] being handed over to it, and if it is granted to you without your desire, the Almighty shall help you. (Muslim, Kitābu’l-Imārah)   Consequently, history bears witness that in order to establish justice, the Rightly Guided Caliphs always kept their doors open for criticism and for petitions and appeals from the public, adopted the lifestyle of the destitute to the extent that they even wore patched-up clothes and administered their realms with utmost simplicity and austerity. In short, the heavens and the earth bore witness that they lived among the masses like the masses and for the masses: they were like kings even in indigence and princes even in poverty. _______________     1.Tabarī, Tārīkhu’l-umam wa al-Malūk, 2nd ed., vol. 4 [Beirut: Dāru’l-Fikr, 1979 ], p.107. Author: Javed Ahmad Ghamidi   URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=705  return to the top ^
	Debate and Discuss:
	Discussion Forum: Family and Marriage: Core Issues   Topic: Is Marriage Compulsory?   Yazmeenah Prophet Jesus said that if one cannot contain his/her lower self it would be best to marry rather than burn in the hell fires. To me this is saying that he had control and was giving his life to God because that was his calling. Unlike Muslims who are to complete our din, marriage is half of our religion however, I believe that Allah gives a wife to those he chooses   ibrahim Please note that "Essential" does not employ that it's compulsory. Nevertheless marriage is the natural way of living life. To me Living without it is an exception for which there should be a strong reason for it.   atifrafi Sir, Thanks for your comments. If there is no Solid Reason for not marrying, Will a person be liable to be punished?   Actually one of my friend is insisting that he don't want to marry. I asked him about the reason and he said to me :   "My parents are insisting that I have to marry within my cast & as this is against Islam and Humanity, so to protest, I have declared that I will not marry in my own cast"   Sir, do you think that this is strong enough reason, as he is fighting against some odd routine.   Siddiq Bukhary (Moderator) "In order to firmly establish a society on these fundamentals, an everlasting bond between the spouses is made essential in the religion of the Prophets"   I am afraid your inference is not correct. The stress in these lines is upon everlasting. I would suggest you please re-read the following passage of the module 1, and hope after studying there will be no further ambiguity.   "It is asserted with great stress and clarity that in the eyes of the Almighty there is only one legitimate way to satisfy one’s sexual desire: marriage (Nikah). If marriage is somehow not possible then this cannot become a license for gratifying one’s sexual desire without entering into the marital bond. Consequently, the society is urged to wed people who as yet have not been able to marry. Marriage is an open declaration of a contract by a man and woman to live permanently as husband and wife. It is declared in the presence of people through a responsible personality with great solemnity and gravity after he delivers a sermon to counsel and guide them. It is evident from divine scriptures that this way was adopted from the very birth of man on this earth. Consequently, the Qur’an was not required to give a new directive in this regard. As an age old Sunnah of the Prophets, Muhammad (sws) passed it on to his Ummah thus keeping it intact. In the above quoted verses, besides urging people to follow this practice, they are given glad tidings that even if they are poor they should marry in order to protect themselves from immoral acts: hopefully, the Almighty will bless them with resources if they resolve to follow this practice."   atifrafi Respected Siddiq Sb, thanks for the clarification. Sir, what would you say about my other question.   Siddiq Bukhary (Moderator) If a person does not marry, whether will he be punished or not, shariah is silent in this regard, however keeping in view the overall mood of the Shariah it can be said that he will not be punished provided he keeps his chastity and piety. Marriage is helpful for the purpose.   The problem indicated by you is not religious rather a social one, and it should be resolved on social grounds. If the proposed marriage is otherwise OK, then I think, he should surrender before his parents because marrying within his caste will bring some social fruit for him. I think it is not a solid reason for refusal though the obduracy of his parents is also undue. He should record his protest and communicate his feelings in some better way.   Further read on at : http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=1443&forumid=42     return to the top ^
	Express and Explain:
	General Discussion Forum: Arguments regarding the Existence of God     aijaz47 Dear Mr. Hanif   Existence does not necessarily have to be physical. As regards Mermaids, their existence is imaginary or fictional. Thus if it has a name it exists.   Secondly, denial does not mean that that particular thing does not exist. One shall have to provide the prove for the denial. Physical existence is an attribute. So far it seems Mermaids do not have that attribute. Their existence is fictional. Can you deny the fictional existence of Mermaids?   Thirdly, Allah is The Creator of Universe and Claims to be so. I have not heard of anyone claiming to be the creator of The Creator. Answer shall be provided when the question arises.   student1 This is your reply to Mr. Hanif but I would like to present my comments on your reply and I hope you wont mind.   quote:   Dear Mr. Hanif   You Said: Existence does not necessarily have to be physical. As regards Mermaids, their existence is imaginary or fictional. Thus if it has a name it exists. Comment: I agree with you on that, existence doesn’t necessarily has to be physical since their are many non-physical elements which have existence but they are invisible for us. As far as Mermaids are concerned, no doubt they are considered to be fictional and imaginary but if it has a particular name, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they exists, take an example of Aliens, they have a name but so far their existence is just a hypothesis and their are no explicit evidence which could really prove their existence. You Said: Secondly, denial does not mean that that particular thing does not exist. One shall have to provide the prove for the denial. Physical existence is an attribute. So far it seems Mermaids do not have that attribute. Their existence is fictional. Can you deny the fictional existence of Mermaids? Comment: I agree with you, denial doesn’t mean that a particular thing does not exist but if it does exists then their has to be some explicit evidences which should prove its existence. You said: Thirdly, Allah is The Creator of Universe and Claims to be so. I have not heard of anyone claiming to be the creator of The Creator. Answer shall be provided when the question arises. Comments: According to my limited knowledge, we have not heard anyone claiming to be a Creator of the Creator but history tells us that during the period of Pharaoh, People of Egypt use to worship him since he use to claim that he was (Naoozubilah) God and he gives life and death to people but he never provided any strong evidences to prove himself as God but still people use to blindly worship him because they feared his power of kingdom.   Their were several people who claimed to be Gods but how would you convince an atheist that their is no God but Allah(swt)?   aijaz47 So you agree that denial does not mean that a particular thing does not exist. Thanks for accepting my point. Allah is The Creator of the universe. In the known history I have not been able to find anyone other that Allah who claimed to be the creator of the universe. If you know someone kindly introduce it to me. People have been worshiping many imaginary gods since the beginning of the time but have you ever heard any of them making any such claim.   aijaz47 Main Entry: alien Function: noun Date: 14th century 1 : a person of another family, race, or nation 2 : a foreign-born resident who has not been naturalized and is still a subject or citizen of a foreign country; broadly : a foreign-born citizen 3 : extraterrestrial Main Entry: alien Pronunciation: ‚†-l‡-„n, ‚†l-y„n Function: adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin alienus, from alius Date: 14th century 1 a : belonging or relating to another person, place, or thing : strange b : relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government : foreign 2 : differing in nature or character typically to the point of incompatibility synonyms see extrinsic –alien£ly adverb –alien£ness \-l‡-„n-n„s, -y„n-n„s\ noun Main Entry: alien Function: transitive verb Date: 14th century 1 : alienate, estrange 2 : to make over (as property) Above are the meaning of the word Alien from the Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictonary.   aijaz47 This is in reply to your question "who created Allah?" My answer is that if it is created then it is not Allah. Allah is the Supreme Creator. jxmedina I must say that I have not read through the other area where this topic was discussed, but I wanted to make just a couple of comments. Denial does not take away existence, and for me, atheists that I have known in college, affirm Allah's exists in their very denial. Because if something is nonexistence then there is no reason to deny it. One can only deny something, but cannot deny nothing. This is my opinion. Also, I agree there are things that exist that are physical and intangible. Does courage not exist because we cannot see it or touch it? Does fear not exist although we cannot see it or touch it? How about love? How about thinking? Thoughts and memories are intangible, but we all know they exist. But again, it does depend on what type of existence is under investigation. We see the power and creations of Almighty Allah in everything and everyplace, and everyone. Allah created all things whether we choose to believe or not, it takes nothing away from the fact that He exists. May Allah guide us all.   aijaz47 Kindly go to Forums> History of Quran> Collection under Abu Bakar ( may Allah be pleased with him).   Jhangeer Hanif (modeator) You write: Existence does not necessarily have to be physical. Comments: I think you want to say that existence does not have to be 'actual'. Because we know that mermaids do not actually exist; they are fictitious in contrast to reality. We are not taking about the nature of God's existence - spiritual or physical; we are talking about whether it is actual or not. Hence when we talk about mermaids, we know that their existence is not actual or real. Is this the case with God? You write: Secondly, denial does not mean that that particular thing does not exist. One shall have to provide the prove for the denial. Physical existence is an attribute. So far it seems Mermaids do not have that attribute. Their existence is fictional. Can you deny the fictional existence of Mermaids? Comments: In the second response, you are again confusing 'actual or real' with 'physical'. I am not talking about the nature of existence. I am talking about whether something really exists? Hence the stress is on real. I had written About second argument, If someone denies the existence of mermaids, they are right in doing so. This does not prove the existence of mermaids - which no one has ever been foolish enough to profess. Does it? I meant to say that their existence is not actual. So if someone denies that mermaid in reality does not exist, they would be right in doing so. You write: Thirdly, Allah is The Creator of Universe and Claims to be so. I have not heard of anyone claiming to be the creator of The Creator. Answer shall be provided when the question arises.   Comments: About the third argument, the atheist would simply say that I do not see him make such a claim. Because, if he were to see God as making a claim, he would not question his existence since it would have been empirical for him.      Further more URL: http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=902&lang=&forumid=1      return to the top ^
	Pause and Ponder:
	Significance of the Worldly Life Posted on: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 - Hits: 572   Question: Actually, I heard a preacher quoting a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (sws) saying, “You should strive in the world according to the proportion you have to live here, and strive for the hereafter according to the proportion you have to live there”. While well knowing the amount of time there, when one day would be equal to thousands of days on this earth one can easily infer that the infinite life over there would be greater than million years on the earth. This implies that we should completely forget/ignore this world as it would have infinitesimal value as compared to the hereafter and pass our whole life only in worrying about the life after death. I personally believe that there should be a balance. I remember an author quoting the daily schedule of the Holy Prophet (sws) that he had divided his day into three (3) portions, i.e., one for worship, one for the people/trade and one for his family. But I’m not sure how far are these Ahadith quoted properly. I need your guidance in this regard.   Answer: The statement you have quoted in your question is correct, but the meanings sometimes construed from it are misleading. Indeed we should devote time for the worldly affairs proportionate to its significance and likewise for the Hereafter. However, that doesn’t imply that we should say goodbye to the worldly obligations completely. Had that been Islam’s ideal, we would have found the Prophet (sws) not participating in any worldly activity at all. The fact that he fully participated in the worldly affairs is enough reason for us to reject this understanding. The truth of the matter is that we are expected to earn our rewards for the Hereafter from this very life. That would require us to get involved not only in ibadat but also in ‘‘mundane worldly affairs’’. However, in the case of the latter activities, we are expected to abide by the rules laid down by Islam. Thus if we carry out our worldly obligations in accordance with the injunctions and the spirit of Islamic shari‘ah, we will be leading a fully akhirah-oriented life. As for the question of how an individual should allocate his time for various possible engagements that would enable him to get the best results (from the point of view of the afterlife), there can be no one answer for everyone. It depends on many factors: one’s circumstances, abilities, and natural inclinations. However, whatever one does, one should be obsessed with the concerns of the life hereafter. Allah Almighty, it is hoped, will be kind in forgiving our minor blemishes. wassalam Dr Khalid Zaheer   see: http://www.studying-islam.org/querytext.aspx?id=998    return to the top ^
	Announcements:
	"Quran for All" Series: Surah Kafirun 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,  Surah Humazah,  Surah Feel, Surah Quraysh, Surah Ma'un, Surah Kawthar we have uploaded Surah Kafirun 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 Kafirun 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 14372 Belief in God UK E+ 14372 Belief in the Hereafter UK D 14372 Belief in the Prophets UK D+ 14146 Family and Marriage: Core Issues Pakistan B 14350 Family and Marriage: Core Issues USA B+ 14372 Family and Marriage: Related Issues UK D 14350 Family and Marriage: Related Issues USA B 14372 Hajj and 'Umrah UK C+ 14350 Islamic Customs and Etiquette USA C 10910 Islamic Punishments: Basic Directives Pakistan A+ 14350 Islamic Punishments: Basic Directives USA B 14350 Islamic Punishments: Misconceptions USA B 14355 Issues Related to Interest Pakistan A 14350 Norms of Gender Interaction USA B+ 14350 Preaching Islam USA A 14350 The Ritual of Animal Sacrifice USA B+ 14142 Islami Sazayn: Chand Ghalat Fahmiyah Pakistan C+ r  return to the top ^
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	Youtube Videos   English   Was Eve Created from Adam's Rib? (Some Misconceptions) The Names taught to Adam (sws) (Some Misconceptions) Allegation of telling Lies on Abraham (sws) (Some Misconceptions) Defamation of David (sws) (Some Misconceptions) Was Ayesha (rta) 9 years Old at the time of her Marriage? (Some Misconceptions) Urdu کیا حضرت عیسی (علیہ السلام) خدا کے بیٹے ہیں؟ (چند غلط فہمیاں) کیا حضرت آدم (علیہ السلام) کی پسلی سے حضرت حوا کی پیدائش ہوئی؟(چند غلط فہمیاں) حضرت آدم (علیہ السلام) کو سکھائے گیے نام(چند غلط فہمیاں) حضرت ابراہیم (علیہ السلام) پر جھوٹ بولنے کا الزام(چند غلط فہمیاں) حضرت داؤد (علیہ السلام) کی کردار کشی(چند غلط فہمیاں) Articles   English Globalization: An Analysis in Islamic and the Western Contexts Is Islamic law all about God's will? Explanation of a Qur’anic Verse (4:159) A Citizen of Paradise (Written on the Martyrdom of Dr Habib ur Rahman) Islamic or a Secular State in Pakistan? Urdu  محبوب کی محفل کو محبوب سجاتے ہیں  توہین رسالت کی سزا (٢) توہین رسالت کی سزا (١) (١) عورتوں کی تعلیم۔ (٢) کافر کی تعریف   QnA   English Doctors and the Punishment of Unintentional Murder Obligation to offer the Prayer in Congregation Mundane and Spiritual Activities Significance of the Worldly Life When Confronted with Differing Opinions   Urdu    نماز میں اختلافات  قبل از اسلام نماز نماز میں سلام اور تشہد میں انگلی اٹھانا موکدہ سنتیں  return to the top ^
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