EQUATING LIFE...><

I said this to my fellow brother,

Had an argument like no other,

With the aim of exploring each other,

Turned out to be much more lesser!



Mankind has a nature of colors,

Differing with one another,

But uniting on one thing or the other.



It seems white or it seems black,

Thinking forever that we’re on the right track,

May it be this or just that,

Whatever it is,it seems far more than what sounds fact.



With every experience,man learns something to view,

To apply,explore and to extract the very dew,

What seemed white now seems darker,

And what seemed black just turned lighter,

Turned out that the color was gray,

Preventing mankind from going astray!



Amidst all this, someone seems lost,

Wondering what this all could’ve cost,

Lamenting on the melting frost,

But what is out of focus ,

Is grayer than just bogus.



We live with each other,

Care for our brothers,

Dare to protect our sisters,

But stand for something better than the other,

Our energies integrate or disintegrate,

Our activities unite or disunite,

Our spirits rise or just shatter!



Rise up to the sky and wonder,

Is it a wonder or a blunder,

That we are all working for each other,

Trying to love our differences,

And to resolve our occurrences,

Not for you or me..,

But the greater part of us!

To make the air much sweeter,

To feel the sun more warmer,

To sense what we have for the other,

And then paint the sky a different color!



Brothers,sisters,mothers fathers,sons or daughters,

It is time that we think not to falter,

To highlight our weaknesses and let them shatter,

To give rise to strengths that are never to bother.



You and me,we and us,

Is a part of a sacred trust,

Explore what is beyond the crust,

And remember never to frust!

For anger is but a tool of the dust,

Threatening us in you and me,



Let us stand for what is and what was,

To give rise to a better clause,

For you and for me and for every feel,

Present, Future and History,

Reviving the very psychy…..!




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‘Why are you Muslim?’ It may sound like an obvious question, but often many of us don’t have a clear answer to it. I remember being asked this question by my elder brother when I was fourteen years of age, my initial answer was ‘Well, our family is Muslim’, his reply to this made me think, he said, ‘If your family were Hindu or Christian, would you be as well?’. I replied with a strong ‘No, Islam is the truth’, the discussion that followed made me question the basis of my life and changed my life for ever. He triggered me to think about how to prove that Islam is the truth rather than just believing it emotionally or blindly. In fact Allah (swt) has condemned people for imitating their forefathers and adopting their belief without clear evidence.

In the Holy Qur’an, He (swt) says:

“And verily guess is no substitute for the truth.” [TMQ 53:28]

“They have no (certain) knowledge. They follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not (‘Isa).” [TMQ 4:157]

"These are nothing but names which you have devised, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. They follow nothing but conjecture and what their Nafs desire. Even though there has already come to them the Guidance from their Rabb" [TMQ 53:23]

"Do you have Ilm (knowledge) for that which you claim so that you provide us with? You follow nothing but conjecture (Zann)." [TMQ 6:148]

The followers of other religions have no decisive proof for their belief, therefore they believe in their religions emotionally or through imitation. Some of them think that you just have to have faith without clear proof. However when it comes to normal things in life people apply a lot of thought such as buying a car, house, choosing a University course or which bank to join, so how can it be that when it comes to the most important questions about life; which define the purpose of our lives that we should just have ‘faith’ without being convinced absolutely.

It is therefore vital for a Muslim to believe in the existence of Allah (swt) without any doubt whatsoever and to believe in the Prophethood of Muhammad (saw) and that the Qur’an is the final revelation sent by Allah (swt) to humanity. Islam is unlike all the other religions as it has a decisive proof that convinces the mind.

Proof of the existence of God

Let us begin by discussing the proof of the existence of Allah (swt). Although we are taught theories regarding the origin of the Universe and origin of the Man such as the big bang theory and the theory of evolution, we should realise that they contradict the clear reality which everyone can sense.

The fundamental proof that God exists is that everything that we sense around us whether it is the mountains, the trees, the sun, the moon, the stars or animals and fellow human beings are limited things and are not eternal. By limited we mean that they have restrictions, a starting point and an ending point, and they have definable attributes i.e. they are all finite. Human beings are born and die. There is no-one alive who will not die. During their life span, they will grow to a certain height, weight and volume.

It is true that there are differences between the things that exist in the Universe however all of them share the quality of being limited and finite, the earth may be huge but it still has a certain shape, weight, volume by which it is limited, this applies to all planets, stars, solar systems and galaxies. Even though a galaxy may look huge to us as the earth looks huge to us and it is not eternal. Even if all of the galaxies and elements of the Universe are added together they do not become unlimited and therefore require an origin. No scientist could ever prove using hard facts that the universe has no bounds. In fact when they say that the universe arose from the Big Bang and is expanding they inherently admit it is finite in size, otherwise it could not .....

READ MORE HERE...

a short presentation of ideas by Abdullah Saqib (equatinglife.blogspot.com) in FAST National University..

DEMOCRACY=DICTATORSHIP??
ISLAM=MOLVI+PUNISHMENTS+RESTRICTIONS???
PAKISTAN= ISLAMIC STATE?
MUSLIM= ISLAM?

to find out more... see the video and do comment...


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The weekend in Pakistan saw the much awaited long march take its turn to add itself onto the list of the on-going Political crisis plaguing the country.

President Zardari had pledged to reinstate the deposed Chief justice Mr Chaudhry, who had been removed by Musharraf in the November state of emergency, within 30 days of taking office, but reneged on the promise, fearing the justice would re-open the case of alleged corruption by his late wife Benazir Bhutto and him over which immunity was granted by Musharraf in a potential power sharing deal.

The election of the PPP in power in January and the ‘in-house’ move of Zardari to Presidency saw him back down on his promise during the elections of re-instating the deposed judges if the PPP won.

Whilst Musharraf was in power we saw parties rally around the message that dictatorship was bad for the country and that is should be removed to guarantee ‘real’ progress. The message was not just for Musharraf but anyone with similar ambitions for dictatorial rule which had caused havoc in the country through the pursuance of the war on terror with no consultation from the national assembly, rasing juniors in army ranks above seniors who were more loyal to Musharraf, sending the heads of the two opposition parties into exile and sacking judges who could contest President Musharraf’s authority as un-constitutional.

Today, Democracy, through free and fair elections has bought Zardari, a renowned crook into the highest office of the country, allowed the bombing and killings in swat which has seen 500,000 people misplaced and thousands of innocent men, women and children killed by American drones, lying to the public that American strikes are unstoppable as they take place from Afghanistan whereas new information proves that the Pakistani gave the green light to America to bomb the citizens of the country, banning media reporting against the government as was done with GEO and colluding with the army to crackdown on lawyers, activists and opposition parties calling for the re-instatement of the deposed chief justice.

What can the people of Pakistan expect next even after the Chief Justice has been sworn back into power? How can people rest their confidence in Democracy for Pakistan after the information minister, Sherry Rehman resigned in the wake of the growing clampdown by government on protests by lawyers and opposition groups which speaks volumes on how many in the government see no difference in the previous regime and the new one?
Both Democracy and Dictatorship have wreaked havoc for Pakistan.

Those parties that questioned Dictatorship and contested it under Musharraf’s rule, are they now willing to challenge democracy and ask for its removal after witnessing its fruits?

By Majed Iqbal

Source

The following are some good quotes:

“I have always held the religion of Muhammad (saw) in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him - the wonderful man and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness.” [Sir George Bernard Shaw in ‘The Genuine Islam’ Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936]

“Our use of phrase ‘The Dark ages’ to cover the period from 699 to 1,000 marks our undue concentration on Western Europe... From India to Spain, the brilliant civilization of Islam flourished…To us it seems that West-European civilization is civilization, but this is a narrow view.” [Bertrand Russel in ‘History of Western Philosophy,’ London, 1948, p. 419]

“The Islamic teachings have left great traditions for equitable and gentle dealings and behavior, and inspire people with nobility and tolerance. These are human teachings of the highest order and at the same time practicable. These teachings brought into existence a society in which hard-heartedness and collective oppression and injustice were the least as compared with all other societies preceding it....Islam is replete with gentleness, courtesy, and fraternity.” [H.G. Wells.]

“…Science owes a great deal more to Arab culture (Islam), it owes its existence” [Robert Briffault in the “Making of Humanity”]

“I have to deplore the systematic manner in which the literature of Europe has continued to put out of sight our obligations to the Muhammadans. Surely they cannot be much longer hidden. Injustice founded on religious rancour and national conceit cannot be perpetuated forever. The Arab has left his intellectual impress on Europe. He has indelibly written it on the heavens as any one may see who reads the names of the stars on a common celestial globe.” [John William Draper in the “Intellectual Development of Europe”]

“History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated” [De Lacy O’Leary in ‘Islam at the Crossroads,’ London, 1923]

“Islam is a religion that is essentially rationalistic in the widest sense of this term…and the dogma of unity of God has always been proclaimed therein with a grandeur a majesty, an invariable purity and with a note of sure conviction, which it is hard to find surpassed outside the pale of Islam....A creed so precise, so stripped of all theological complexities and consequently so accessible to the ordinary understanding might be expected to possess and does indeed possess a marvelous power of winning its way into the consciences of men.” [Edward Montet, ‘La Propagande Chretienne et ses Adversaries Musulmans,’ Paris 1890. (Also in T.W. Arnold in ‘The Preaching of Islam,’ London 1913)]

Today's Zaman

As world markets suffer under the weight of the ongoing global financial crisis, the Vatican has put forward a new suggestion, arguing that the principles of Islamic finance may represent a possible cure for ailing markets.

The Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, recently published an article titled "Islamic finance proposals and ideas for the West in crisis," prepared by Italian economists Loretta Napoleoni and Claudia Segre, in which it was suggested that the basic rules of Islamic finance could relieve suffering markets and particularly international financial systems. Noting that Islam prohibits "riba," Arabic for the usurious loaning of money, the article argued that "sukuk bonds," securities that comply with Islamic law, may be an alternative to interest. The article stressed that sukuk bonds are always real investments and never speculative.

The article said that in this atmosphere of crisis banks should take Muslims as an example and that the Islamic finance system may pave the way for the establishment of new rules in the Western world. The Vatican has suggested that the current capitalist system has failed. Pope Benedict XVI recently harshly criticized the capitalist system and the greediness of bank owners in the West. In the meantime, the Vatican itself has been badly affected by the crisis. It had recorded an 18 billion euro budget surplus in 2007, but this number had declined to 6 billion euros by the end of 2008 and is expected to fall further in 2009.

Below is an excerpt from a speech entitled “Technology, Business and our way of life: What’s Next?” given by Carly Fiorina in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 26th, 2001 where she mentions the success of the caliphate as un-paralleled in world History.

“There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world. It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts. Within its dominion lived hundreds of millions of people, of different creeds and ethnic origins. One of its languages became the universal language of much of the world, the bridge between the peoples of a hundred lands. Its armies were made up of people of many nationalities, and its military protection allowed a degree of peace and prosperity that had never been known. The reach of this civilization’s commerce extended from Latin America to China, and everywhere in between.

And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration.

Its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance and magic. Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too steeped in fear to think of such things. When other nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on them, and kept them alive. When censors threatened to wipe out knowledge from past civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge alive, and passed it on to others.

While modern Western civilization shares many of these traits, the civilization I’m talking about was the Islamic world from the year 800 to 1600, which included the Ottoman Empire and the courts of Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo, and enlightened rulers like Suleiman the Magnificent. Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage. The technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Arab mathematicians. Sufi poet-philosophers like Rumi challenged our notions of self and truth. Leaders like Suleiman contributed to our notions of tolerance and civic leadership.

And perhaps we can learn a lesson from his example: It was leadership based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was leadership that harnessed the full capabilities of a very diverse population-that included Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish traditions. This kind of enlightened leadership - leadership that nurtured culture, sustainability, diversity and courage - led to 800 years of invention and prosperity.

In dark and serious times like this, we must affirm our commitment to building societies and institutions that aspire to this kind of greatness. More than ever, we must focus on the importance of leadership- bold acts of leadership and decidedly personal acts of leadership. With that, I’d like to open up the conversation and see what we, collectively, believe about the role of leadership”.

Source: HP Website

Adam Smith, the 18th Century founder of modern economics whose picture is printed on the current UK £20 note, was exceedingly inspired by the Islamic method of governing. He proclaimed that:

"…the empire of the Caliphs seems to have been the first state under which the world enjoyed that degree of tranquility which the cultivation of the sciences requires. It was under the protection of those generous and magnificent princes, that the ancient philosophy and astronomy of the Greeks were restored and established in the East; that tranquility, which their mild, just and religious government diffused over their vast empire, revived the curiosity of mankind, to inquire into the connecting principles of nature."*

* Adam Smith, ‘History of Astronomy’, The Essays of Adam Smith (London, 1869), p. 353

We think in detail about certain things, typically things that interest us or which we are directly facing. So football fanatics spend time in following up the latest football news, whose playing who, whose been bought and by which team, etc. People into music would know about the latest chart hits, the top ten, what new bands are on the scene and spend time thinking about this. Movie buffs would ponder about the latest movies, upcoming releases, the latest awards and the like.

Despite expending effort in applying thought upon these trivial issues people in Western society often pay little attention to clearly a vital topic, that of death. It has even become a taboo subject to the extent that people try to change the discussion when it is mentioned.

It is completely irrational to avoid thinking about death as it is the most definite thing in life. To turn away from it is avoiding the inevitable, know one lives forever. All of us know of people who have died whether within our families, community, friends or colleagues. The reason for why many avoid the topic is fear. Fear of the unknown and fear of leaving this life. In fact Western society pushes people into all forms of escapism, so that they attempt to escape reality by drowning themselves in music, movies, sport, and popular culture.

All of us will face death one day, our hearts will stop, our brain activity will stop and our bodies will decompose. However as Muslims we know that death is not the end. Allah (swt) has informed us that there is life after death, that we will be accounted for every action we performed and will be either sent to Jannah (paradise) or Jahannam (Hellfire) according to our deeds.

For a Muslim reminding oneself of death strengthens our realisation of the afterlife and commitment to Islam.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “The clever one is he who disciplined himself and worked for what is after death, and the feeble one is he who followed his desires, then made (vain) prayers to Allah”.

No matter how ‘hard’ or ‘cool’ people think they are, one day they will die and will stand in front of Allah (swt).

“Say: The Death from which you flee will truly overtake you: then will you be sent back to the Knower of all things secret and open: and He will tell you (the truth of) the things that you did!” [Al-Jumu’a:8].

It will be too late to change after you have died, you cannot go back and change things and live life in a better way. There is coming back for the Salah (prayers) you have missed or to make right the wrongs you committed.

“Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: “O my Lord! Send me back (to life), in order that I may do good in that which I have left behind!” - No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is a Partition until the Day they are raised up. Then when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no more kinship among them that day, nor will they ask of one another! Then those whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, they are the successful. And those whose scales (of good deeds) are light, they are those who lose their ownselves; in Hell will they abide” [Al-Mu’minun: 99-103],

Thinking about death should make us correct out lives, perform our obligations and stay away from haram (prohibitions). Whilst we are alive it is not too late to change. In fact one of the pious Muslims in the past Al-Rabee’ b. Khaytham had dug a grave in his house, so that if he found hardness within his heart, he would enter it and lay down for as long as Allah wished and read: “O my Lord! Send me back (to life) in order that I may work righteousness in the things I neglected” repeating it, then he would reply to himself saying: “Oh, Rabee’, here, you have been returned, so work.”

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Increase the remembrance of that which destroys all desires” [Al Tirmidhi]

And he (saw) said, “If animals knew what the sons of Adam knew of death, you would not have found any fat on them to eat” [Al Baihaqi in “Al Sha’ab”].

Thinking about death should not have only a temporary affect on us, so that if someone who is close to us dies, we get ill or have a near death experience, we go to the mosque for a while and start following Islam. However some time passes the affect wears off and we are back to our old ways. On the contrary, death should be at the forefront of our minds and should affect us in a permanent way.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said to Abdullah b.Umar (ra), “If you awoke in the morning, do not speak to yourself of the evening, and if you reach the evening, do not speak to yourself of the morning. Take from your life for your death, and from your health for your illness, as you, oh Abdullah, do not know what your name will be tomorrow” [Bukhari].

We shouldn’t think that by temporarily following Islam and repenting to Allah (swt) and then going back to being negligent in our duties and entering into sin, that our repentance will count.

“Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds, until death faces one of them, and he says: “Now I repent” nor of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them have we prepared a painful torment” [An-Nisa: 18].

Pondering about death should make us prepare for it, so that we treat this life as a journey and a test not as a time to be obsessed with enjoying ourselves disregarding the limits that Allah (swt) has placed on us. Allah (swt) says:

“And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment” [al-Hadid: 20]

Ibn ‘Umar (ra) said, “I came to the Prophet (saw), and I was the tenth of ten men, when a man from the Ansar asked: Who is the most clever and the most honourable of people, Oh Messenger of Allah? He (saw) replied: “Those who remember death the most and work the hardest to prepare for it; they are the clever ones. They have left with the honour of this world and the dignity of the Akhirah” [Ibn Majah]

‘Uthman bin ‘Affan (ra), in the last Khutba he gave in his life, said: “Allah (swt) gave you this world to request the Akhirah, and did not give it to you for you to rely upon, for this world ends and Akhirah is everlasting. So let not that which ends make you disregardful, nor keep you busy from that which lasts. Choose to seek that which lasts over that which ends, for this world will be cut off and our return is to Allah.” Death reminds us of Akhirah, and there is no better reminder.

There are specific actions that the Prophet (saw) encouraged us to undertake to remind ourselves about death.

Abi Tharr (ra) said The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Visit the graves, as it will be a reminder of the Akhirah, and wash the dead, as taking care of an empty body is an outstanding admonition, and pray over the Jana’iz (funerals), as it may sadden you, for the sad one is in the shade of Allah” [Ibn Abi Al Dunya and Al Haakim].

And Ibn Abi Mulaykah said, The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Visit your dead and pray for peace upon them, for there is an admonition for you in it” [Ibn Abi Al Dunya - Good chain of narrators].
And Al-Dhaahik said: A man once said: Oh, Messenger of Allah, who is the most Zaahid (abstinent) of people? He (saw) said: “He who does not forget the grave and abandoned the luxuries of life, seeking that which lasts above that which ends, not counting yesterday as one of his days, and counted himself amongst the people of the graves”. It is easy to leave the thought of death at the back of your mind and believe that you have a long life left. The angel of death leaves no one, whether young or old when their time has come.

In fact the remembrance is not crying and wailing and blaming one’s self when one is on the brink of death, or attending a funeral or visiting graves alone. Rather, remembrance of death is when a believer imagines that he will meet his Lord at any moment, and his actions will be cut off, as will his ability for repentance. So he will be aware of himself, careful to obey Allah (swt), wary of his Lord every second of his life.

"Say: ‘My life, my death and acts of worship are all for the Lord of the mankind (Rabil alamin)” [Al-An’am: 162]

courtesy: islamicsystem.blogspot.com