What is our Motive
for Praying? Do we want others to notice us and think well
of us? Or are we satisfied with only Allah?
Narrated Abu Said (radhiAllaahu 'anhu): I heard the Prophet
(ﷺ) saying:
"Allah will bring forth the severest Hour, and then all the
Believers, men and women, will prostrate themselves before
Him, but there will remain those who used to prostrate in
the world for showing off and for gaining good reputation.
Such people will try to prostrate (on the Day of Judgment)
but their backs will be as stiff as if it is one bone (a
single vertebra)."
[Sahih Bukhari Vol. 6, no. 441.
With thanks to Sis. Kristi.
Important Document given to 100 Pakistani Americans.
On July 20, a 6-page Jamaat al-Muslimeen document was given
to 100 Pakistani Americans at a masjid which caters to the
needs of Pakistani Americans in Catonsville, Maryland. The
response was positive and friendly. One advice we got was
that a page in the document should be in the Urdu
language.
Here is an outline of the 6-pager:
What is the "plan": behind the arrest of Nawaz Sharif and
Maryum Nawaz?
"Militant" attacks in Baluchistan and KP.
Introducing Africa positively: Ethiopia and Eritrea make
peace.
Corruption in Shia Iraq erupts into civil turmoil.
Russian bombing of civilians leads to opposition
surrender in Deraa, Syria.
Hijab in Iran being resisted. Why? + Forgiveness of sins
in Hadith.
For liberation, women's rights and economic development.
by Abdulkabir Oyemomi
[The writer recently visited Zaria University on a study
tour.]
It is pertinent to begin with what knowledge is in Islam as
against that of secularity. Islamic model of affairs
transcends the western model: more humane; a more
responsible attitude towards nature and environment in sharp
contrast to the Western aggressive ideal of education for
the conquest of nature.
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria has students and
teachers from all parts of Nigeria, with, most probably,
Muslims in the majority , hence it being the picked
institution of this vital research work. Therefore, Muslim
students and teachers agree that many Islamic institutions
abound in their communities dish and communicate very
interesting Islamic lessons, and consequently have their
students guided to Islam as their ways of life. So, as far
as knowledge of Al- Islam is concerned, one can conveniently
say that over 50% Nigerian youths are on the threshold of
getting Islamic Education.
There are numbers of additional general purposes of Islamic
Education. For the individual, Islamic Education is a means
of liberation, a path to independence and self- reliance.
The educational system achieves this by teaching the
individual to anchor himself to Allah and through self
-catharsis to purge himself of self- centricity through the
appreciation of the insignificances of the self. Herein lies
a monumental paradox upon which successful living depends.
Man is noble before Allah, yet man"s greatness looms only
through the annulling of the self,only through the
surrendering and anchoring of the self to the Lord. Only
those who are independent depend unconvincingly upon Allah.
Correspondingly , only that education is liberating which
dispenses this value of 'tawwakul'.
Another general purpose of Islamic Education is to create a
civilized universal community that is free of hatred, free
of discrimination , but is compassionate and benevolent
towards one another with each contributing to the welfare of
all,according to the weight of his talents and the size of
his resources.
Also, Islamic Education must instill the discipline of
handiwork and use of the hands to turn gifts of nature to
more useful ends.
Muslim women in Nigeria had long been among victims of the
general ignorance of Muslims among the population, and of
the refusal of all but a few Islamic Scholars and leaders to
speak out about the role and status of Muslim Women. The
cause of Muslim Girls" education had also not been helped by
the way it had been conducted by the government without
emphasis on religious teaching and disregard of Islamic
moral , norms and values in dress and behavior.
Alhamdulah , all these are changing positively through the
establishment of Muslim Students Societies all over Nigerian
tertiary institutions.
In the area of economy, having seen the glaring elements of
deceit and exploitation in conventionally based investments,
banks and companies in the whole of Africa, everybody (not
only Muslims) is vehemently abhorring conventional economy.
The reason for this is not far- fetched as hoarding and all
forms of usurious dealings have been established by these
economic institutions as the ideal instrumentally underlying
investment ventures. They do not bring economy solution in
both macro and micro -economy of Nigerian people. Islamic
economic system came handy and as liberator of masses with
Sharia modes of investments which are applicable to
contractual agreements between two parties or joint set up
by a group of sharers, whether administered by them
collectively in their individual capacities, or being
administered on their behalf through other channels like
banks, companies and other corporations through the heading
of Isamic jurisprudence referred to as "Shirkah". Example is
sukuk bond through which the government of Nigeria is
benefitting people through construction of roads and the
likes.
In conclusion, it can be said that Islam will rule the world
in general and Nigeria in particular with nothing less than
70% of the population embracing I slam by 2030, by
consciously or subconsciously adopting Islam as their way of
life .
India
Bigotry against Muslims has reached Extremes. First hand
account of an Educated Muslim's Humiliation on TV.
[With thanks to Br. Kaleem.]
QUOTING SHAMSUL ISLAM
"Unfortunately, the situation in the TV studios has worsened
beyond ones worst fears. The lynch mentality on roads has
reached the TV studios in full steam, with one or two
exceptions, of the so called 'free press'. Whoever opposes
the Hindutva narrative on live discussions is branded
anti-national, anti-Hindu and a Pakistani. If you happen to
be there with a Muslim name, opposing the Hindu nationalist
narrative you are showered with abuses and threatened on
mike and off the mike.
It was at the end of the second week of July (2018) that I
was invited for a 45 minute long live TV debate on the theme
whether India required a Hindu nation or secular India. This
debate was taking place in the aftermath of Congress MP
Shashi Tharoor's comment that if Modi came to power in 2019,
India would turn into a Hindu Pakistan. The other panellists
were Sambit Patra, spokperson BJP, one professor Kapil
Kumar, who was supposed to be an independent expert and
Congress representative, Premchand Mishra.
Even before debate on the Hindu nation was started,
professor declared that instead we should discuss Muslims
who wanted triple-talaq, halala and 5 marriages to continue.
Sambit joined the chorus, declared that Hindu and Hindustan
were synonymous and main danger was Congress which was doing
Muslim politics. He talked about persecution of Hindus by
Muslims in the past. I asked the anchor what we were
discussing but there was no stopping Sambit and the
professor. I asked why he chose only Muslim period for
narrating persecution out of 5 thousand years of Indian
civilization and if for the crimes of Muslim rulers all
Indian Muslims were responsible then who should be held
responsible for kidnapping of mother Sita and disrobing of
Darupadi, both Sambit and professor shouted that I was
insulting Hinduism and mother Sita. In fact, the learned
anchor asked me not to go to that old history! So only the
crimes of the Muslim rulers were under scrutiny.
In this debate I was described as rapist, Islamic State
agent and Pakistan supporter. In order to emphasize the
pro-Muslim character of Congress, Sambit produced a press
clipping of 2014 in which it was written that Election
Commission of India received a complaint that Rahul had
declared that thousands of Muslims would be butchered if
Modi came to power in 2014 elections. The clipping was
presented as if Election Commission had censured Rahul on
this. The Congress representative should have objected to
this manufactured fact. He kept on smiling and I had to
intervene, asking Sambit to share the fact whether Election
Commission took cognizance of the allegation.
Instead of sharing the reality he declared that I was being
paid money through cheques by Congress for defending Rahul.
He in his clowning style repeated this allegation 5 times
but Congress representative did not intervene and kept
smiling. The anchor was also in a forgetful mode.
In the meantime professor after calling me names walked out
of the programme (but remained in the studio) demanding that
instead of my talking on Hindu nation, I should be asked
about triple-talaq, halala and permission of marrying 5
times (how number increased from 4 to 5 nobody knows).
During the break sitting in the studio there he abused me as
'bastard' and 'behenchod (fucker of the sister)'. The
anchor, who was supposed to guide the meaningful debate, the
defender of the Hindu nation, Sambit and representative of
Congress kept quiet, this professor was not asked to leave
even at this stage.
The worst was yet to follow. The anchor instead of
concluding discussion on Hindu nation suddenly announced
that "Shamsul Islam I had promised professor Kapil Kumar to
seek your answer on the issue why Muslims do not give equal
rights to Muslim women", he continued, that Muslims do not
want one nation one law and wanted to practice triple-talaq,
halala and polygamy. I tried to tell him that Muslims are
not a homogenous lot but would follow the judgment of the
Supreme Court. But anchor insisting that I was one of those
who believed in all these anti-woman practices, wanted my
personal view. I told him that I did not believe in all such
things. The debated ended with the following words of the
anchor addressed to the abuser professor Kapil Kumar, "Kapil
sir you must be a bit happy that I got reply (from Shamsul
Islam) to your question". Thus ended debate on RSS agenda of
converting India into a Hindu nation!"
Israeli Bullying Continues,
Israel's 25 Strikes Missed their targets. One Israeli 4
Gazans killed.
The Friday protests continued on July 20 despite the Israeli
attempts to hurt hunded of civilians.
One Israeli soldier was killed by a Gazan fighter and 3
Israeli civilians were injured.
Israel responded with 25 air strikes, missed all lof them
but ended up killing 4 Gazans.
Editorial
What do the people of Iraq want?
It's been 10 days. The people of the Iraqi south, the
ordinary people, in their thousands, are on the streets.
They are charging the power structure with corruption,
incompetence,
brutality and control by Iran and America.
Deep in the Shia heartland, Kerbala, Najaf, Basra and now
Baghdad, there is a deep sense of loss.
The casualties are rising, though the police are still not
trying for massacres. Hundreds of demonstrators have been
injured and they have injured hundreds of police.
Fortunately the death toll is still low.
They tried to enter the Green zone on Friday where the
American and Iranian embassies are located. Security forces
had to stop them by force.
Iran demanded payment for electricity and cut it off. It was
a blunder to cut off electricity in the intense heat of
July.
The offices of Iraqi Hizbullah and of the ruling Dawa Party
have been set on fite.
Shiism wanted to set the world on fire and set up Najaf to
replace Makkah. All those grandiose plans are in pretty bad
shape now.
In the northern provinces of Kirkuk, Diyala and Salahuddin,
ISIS is hardly trying to hide its presence though it is
subjected to attacks by the US air force.
Further north, Turkey has advanced thirty miles into Iraq on
the pretext of fighting PKK.
Turkey coordinated with the US to capture an ISIS leader.
Despite everything the Islamic State refuses to go away,
PAKISTAN
Jamaate Islami Leader Raises Serious
Concerns about Elections
by Qaiser Sharif
LAHORE, July 20; Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator
Sirajul Haq, has called upon the care taker government, the
Election Commission and concerned institutions to take the
masses in confidence regarding the questions being raised
about the elections.
Addressing election meetings in Chakdara and Talash, he said
it was the responsibility of the government and the Election
Commission to hold free, fair and transparent elections. He
said that that if the elections were controversial, the
federation and the national unanimity could face serious
threats.
He said that the only way to prevent chaos and bloody
revolution in the country was to restore the people's
confidence in the elections. He said the impression that the
government was patronizing a particular party should
end.
Sirajul Haq said had there been an Islamic system in the
country, a dictator would not have dared to play with
democratic system and the constitution. He said there had
been dictatorships in the country in the name of democracy
for the last seventy years and true democracy was not
allowed to flourish. He said the MMA was striving for an
Islamic revolution so that every citizen got equal rights
and no one could exploit the other.
He said the MMA, on coming to power, would abolish interest
and establish the Islamic economic system so that the common
man could be freed from poverty, unemployment, price hike
and oppressive taxes.
The JI chief said that under the Islamic system, there was
no scope for dictators as Islam was against injustice and
tyranny and did not allow exploitation of any individual. He
said that if the people wanted to save their coming
generations from poverty, illiteracy and worries, they would
have to opt for the MMA.
War News
Iran
Kurdish fighters Active on Iran Border
Kurdish uprising is spreading on Iran's border with
Iraq.
Iran has admitted two of these incidents.
On Jul;y 20-21 night in the Marivan district of Kurdistan
province, 10 Iranian troops of the IRGC were killed in a
clash with Kurdish fighters.
On July 21, a medical emplyhee was killed in an attack in a
town in the same province.
Syria:
Assad Lost two towns.
West Deraa under Russian Bombing.
Shishani's Wife captured by Turkey.
Putin & Netanyahoo agree.
July 20-22. Southern Aleppo area. Assad lost two towns,
al-Fuah and Kafariah. The mujahideen led by Tahrir al-Sham
[al-Nusra] had besieged the towns for a long time. The
Russians and Hizb of Lebanon made repeated efforts to break
the siege. Finally Assad admitted defeat and agreed to
complete evacuation of the town in exchange for Muslim
prisoners in Assad's prison. After Russian and Turkish
negotiation with the mujahideen, 7000 Assad fighters were
evacuated from the two towns in buses. In exchange Assad
released 1700 Muslim prisoners from his notorious prisons.
It was a delicate operation as evacuees from the two sides,
in three batches of buses, were freed only when they crossed
a line which was the frontline for the forces of mujahideen
facing Assad's troops.
Latakia, July 21.Explosions rocked the Jableh area in the
Latakia countryside. Tiny drones sent by mujahideen were
attacking the Russian air base at Hmeimim. The Russian
casualties are not revealed but the Russians shot down two
of the drones.
July 19- 21. West Deraaa. The Russian air force poured a
blizzard of bombs, 1900 air strikes, on the Yarmouk Basin
area held by ISIS. The destruction of the area has caused
numerous civilian deaths but the numbers are not revealed.
One report says many civilians escaped from the area but 26
were killed including 11 children. Six small towns have been
destroyed by the Russians and Iranian artillery, [Latest
figures: 20,000 civilians fled.]
However the regime's advance in the ISIS area was repelled
by ISIS [Khalid bin Waleed branch]. SOHR says 53 of ISIS and
36 of the regime were killed in intense ground fighting.
In addition ISIS [Jaysh Khalid] took 6 villages and areas
around them which had been evacuated by opposition factions
who had accepted the Russian plan of "leave or die."
Conspiracy theory exploded: In the Raqqa area, bodies of
Assad's troops are being discovered. The total has now
reached 1076. This is from the time
when ISIS attacked Assad's forces and forced them to flee.
Assad was saved from collapse by the Russians. The
conspiracy theory spread by Boyle and others was that Assad
was in cahoots with ISIS to defeat the pro-democracy groups
opposed to Assad. Many Muslims in FSA believed this and
became enemies of ISIS.
Israeli role: July 19-21. Israeli missiles hit six Iranian
targets in Syria, killing 10 Iranians and 30 of their Syrian
regime associates. Iran has not responded.
Negotiations between Netanyahoo and Putin seem to have
solidified the policy that both want Assad to survive but
Iranian forces should leave Syria along with the Lebanese
Hizb. Iran says it will not leave.
Turkey's Role:
On July 19, in a police sweep in Istanbul, Turkish security
forces captured Neda and her two sons. She was the wife of
Umar Shishani, a top commander of Islamic State who was
killed two years back in a US air strike. Umar who took part
in numerous battles was known as the Chechen and had a large
red beard. Actually he was from Soviet Georgia as was Neda
[who participated in the fighting].]. Source: Associated
Press.
Invitation to Think
How a Prominent Ismaili found out that
Cult followers consider Agha Khan Incarnation of God! They
are not Muslim.
A God Among Us: Do Ismaili Imāms have Aql-e-Kul?
by Akberally Meherally
In 1946, my father Ebrahim Rajan Meherally had donated
300,000 Indian rupees for the Diamond Jubilee of Aga Khan
III. This amount in today's terms and value, after more than
seven decades, would be equivalent to millions of U.S.
Dollars. Since that amount was the highest donation from
amongst the Ismāʿīlis of India, my father had
the exclusive honor of weighing the late Aga Khan in the
Diamonds. In the picture here, my father is seen placing the
boxes of the diamonds, on the weighing scale.
The weighing in ceremony of the Aga Khan in Diamonds is in
progress. My father is placing the boxes containing the
Diamonds on the scale. Aga Khan is seen sitting on a sofa of
the scale, wearing a big turban. Bombay, March 10th,
1946.
In Ismāʿīli tradition, the belief is that
"Hazar Imām is the Mazhar of Allāh and is
Aql-e-Qul" ( meaning, the living Imām is the All-Wise
and All-Knowing Manifestation of Allāh). Like all
devout Ismāʿīlis, my father too had the firm
belief that Aga Khan possessed a divine power and a 'Noorani
vision' which enabled him to predict future events with
certainty. It is common even in the present-day to see
Ismāʿīlis flocking to Canada as per Aga
Khan's instructions. If tomorrow Aga Khan were to instruct
Ismāʿīlis to leave Canada and go to
Australia, the very next day Ismāʿīlis would
start selling their businesses and tender their resignations
in a rush to obtain immigration visas for Australia.
My Father's Move to Congo on Aga Khan's Instructions
A similar immigration advice was made to my father by Aga
Khan III. Since my father was one of the most, if not the
most prominent donor in the Ismāʿīli
community, he maintained constant correspondence with Aga
Khan. My father emigrated from Bombay in the year 1953 and
went to East Africa (present-day Kenya). He wrote a letter
to Aga Khan seeking his guidance and blessings for the
establishment of his business and a quick settlement in
Africa. In response, my father was explicitly suggested by
Aga Khan to move to Belgian Congo from East Africa. Aga Khan
told him that the British Colonies of the East Africa will
be the first to get independence, and Belgian Congo will be
the last country in Africa to be independent. Therefore, the
move to Belgian Congo would provide a longer-term stable
business environment.
My father being a devout follower of Aga Khan, immediately
moved from East Africa and settled himself in Leopoldville,
Belgian Congo (now known as Kinshasha, Zaire), in 1954.
A Visit to Villa Yakimour and Aga Khan's Inquiry for move to
Congo
In December 1954, me and my wife had the opportunity to
visit Europe and requested an audience with the Aga Khan.
The day soon arrived - it was the early morning of December
9th 1954, when we left our hotel in Nice (France) and went
out looking for a taxi with a driver that could converse
with us in English. I found one and hired that taxi for the
day. We asked the driver to take us to Villa Yakimour in
Cannes. The Private Secretary to Aga Khan had suggested that
we should take a public bus from Nice to Cannes and then
hire a local taxi, to save money. My wife was expecting a
child, the weather was very cold. Since none of us spoke
French, it was not easy to find our way in the South of
France under these conditions and reach in time for our
appointment in a different town. In those days, we both were
young and very dedicated and devout followers of the Aga
Khan. This appointment to meet and talk face to face with
our Hazar Imam and his young Begum meant a lot to us. We
could not take the risk of being late and miss this once in
a lifetime appointment of a private Deedar and Mulaqat.
Party at Villa Yakimour - Evans Evans, John Frankenheimer,
Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty and Yvonne Blanche Labrousse
(Begum Om Habibeh, at the occasion of 15th Cannes Film
Festival.
Our taxi arrived at the Villa in Cannes, earlier than our
appointment time. We requested the gatekeeper to inform the
Secretary of our presence. We were told to enter the Villa
enjoy the beautiful garden, see the private swimming pool of
the Aga Khan, take photographs of these sites and wait for
the next message. We made the most of this rare photo
opportunity.
Finally, the seventy-seven year-old Sultan Muhammad Shah and
his fourth wife Yvonne Blanche Labrousse (Begum Om Habibeh),
who was nearly forty years younger than him, were ready to
meet us. We slowly climbed the steps leading to the
residence above. We had to be extra careful in climbing
these steps since beautiful flowers were planted between the
joints of the rocks with which these steps were made. Yvonne
Blanche Labrousse (Begum Om Habibeh), who was pushing the
wheel chair of her husband who could not walk, greeted us
with her candid smile. The Aga Khan also welcomed our
visitation as his devoted followers and asked us to come
closer. The Aga Khan was wearing a heavy camel color
overcoat and heavy blanket of the same color covered his
legs to keep him warm. From time to time, the Begum would
pull up the blanket which kept on sliding down due to his
body movements.
We paid homage and offerings to our spiritual leader as any
devout Ismāʿīli would on such occasions. He
accepted the offerings and showered us with his usual
paternal and maternal blessings. Thereafter, my wife made a
request for the name of our second child which she was then
bearing. My second son Abbas, who was born three months
later, has the name that was given on that day.
When all the religious ceremonies were over, the Aga Khan
asked me if I had made my plans for going to Belgian Congo.
I was caught off-guard and I replied that I had not
considered any plans of moving to Africa. I was at that time
living in Pakistan and only a few days ago my parents, whom
we had met in London, had suggested that I should move to
Belgian Congo where my parents had already moved early in
the same year.
As devout Ismāʿīlis, my wife and wondered if
it was a miracle or his divine power that out of all the
things to talk about the Aga Khan spoke of Congo when we had
not even given him the slightest hint of our conversation
with my parents in London. It was only later that I came to
know that the Aga Khan used to maintain personal files of
families of all key office-bearers and donors and it was the
job of his secretary to make sure that the Aga Khan would
review the file of every person he was meeting. Needless to
mention, Aga Khan must have reviewed our family file before
meeting us that morning.
Leaving Yakimour
When we were about to leave Villa Yakimour, the Begum asked
us if we would like to take our photographs with her
husband. In the happiest excitement of the special Mulaqat,
the child's name and the out of the blue mention of Congo,
we had totally forgotten about the photos. She very
generously offered to take the snaps with my Roliflex
camera. Thereafter, my wife suggested that I should take the
photos of the Aga Khan and his beautiful wife - the former
Miss Lyon of 1930. The Begum suggested that she would
request her Secretary to take the photos so that we all can
come in the picture. Below is that memorable picture taken
by the Begum's secretary.
Me and my wife with Aga Khan III and his wife Yvonne Blanche
Labrousse - Photo taken at Villa Yakimour, Cannes, 9
December, 1954
It was now time to go down those flowery steps, get into a
taxi and head back home. At this moment, the Begum noticed
that my wife was wearing her silken Sari but had no overcoat
to cover her body from the cold weather. She inquired about
the overcoat and was informed that my wife had left it in
the taxi below. She immediately whispered into the ear of
her husband and he asked me to give my overcoat to my wife.
Begum was happy to see my wife wearing my overcoat. She gave
her usual smile and they both waved us good-bye, not knowing
that we were to meet again, after two days.
From Nice to Rome
On 11th of December 1954 we arrived with our baggage at the
airport in Nice. It was a small airport and our twin engine
plane which was to fly us to Rome was waiting on the tarmac.
Before the passengers would embark on the plane, a big car
with the police escort come right up to the tail of the
airplane. Out came the Aga Khan and his Begum. The couple
was holding diplomatic passports and was the first to embark
the plane. Once they had settled comfortably in their seats,
the rest of the passengers numbering a dozen or so were
allowed to embark. When Aga Khan saw me and my wife entering
the airplane he surprisingly shouted: "Mr. Meherally, you
did not tell me you were traveling on this plane." I replied
to him that I had no such plans on that day of the
Mulaqat.
During the journey, Begum and I exchanged the seats. She sat
with my wife and I sat next to the Aga Khan. We briefly
discussed about my article on the subject of "The
Ismāʿīli Theory of Ten Incarnations - Das
Avatar", which I had already sent to him.
This article was based upon 'Juni Gatpat ni Dua' (the old
Ismaili prayer that was recited in the 1950s and published
in Gujrati from the Ismaili Press in Bombay) and on a
Gujrati text book for the religious night schools, entitled;
'Silsila-e-Imamat' (the continuous lineage of Imamate). Aga
Khan promised to send me his approval and suggested that I
should get it printed in the Ismaili magazines.
While Aga Khan and myself were discussing the
Ismāʿīli beliefs of the unceasing physical
manifestations of God as Avatars and the "Triune of Allah"
(Allah, Muhammad and ʿAlī) vis-à-vis the "Trinity
of Christian Doctrine" (The Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ
and the Holy Ghost), my wife informed the Begum that as the
winner of an essay competition, I was awarded a free trip to
London and Rome. During the showing of the famous movie
Roman Holiday (starring, Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck),
the film studio in Rome, the owners of the theater in
Karachi and the traveling agents had jointly sponsored the
free trip to Europe to the winner of an essay 'The City of
Rome'. The panel of judges had declared me the winner and
hence I was on this trip with my wife. Begum gave this good
news to her husband who turned around, smiled at me and
asked; if I was that lucky winner?
Later during the flight some technical difficulties arose
and the engine on our side of the airplane came to a
complete stop. The propeller was stationary. The airplane
was virtually flying on a single engine. The propeller on
the side of the Aga Khan was rotating. He and his Begum were
unaware of this stoppage of one engine. When the Begum came
to us for a chat we informed her of the situation. She
looked outside from our window and saw the stationary
propeller with an awe. She requested us not to tell of the
engine failure to her husband who had by then fallen fast
asleep.
Aga Khan was not in good health - the Begum repeated her
request. We agreed not to say anything. Throughout the
journey, the Begum kept on looking at the stationery
propeller to see if it had restarted. Finally, we landed in
Rome. The pilot (probably requested by the Begum) made no
mention of this abnormality to the passengers, during the
flight. At the airport in Rome, the Aga Khan and his Begum
were the first to disembark and got into their car which was
driven right up to the airplane. The couple waited till we
both got down and wished us a happy journey. They kept on
waving to us from their car. Begum, who loved her husband so
much and used to take great care of her husband, must had
been happy that we had observed the silence as requested by
her.
Back in Karachi - Reminder of moving to Congo
Shortly after I came back to Karachi, I received the letter
of approval of my article "The Ismāʿīli
Theory of Ten Incarnations - Das Avatar". It was an
endorsement to the Ismāʿīli belief in the ten
manifestations of Lord Vishnu, with the Prophet's (pbuh)
companion ʿAlī (ra) being the tenth and final
physical manifestation of Lord Vishnu.
At the bottom of the letter, the Aga Khan wrote in his own
shaky handwriting:
"When do you go to the Congo?" - Aga Khan
My wife and I considered this line of repeated questioning
to be an insinuation. I hurriedly submitted my letter to
chief missionary Al-Waiz Kassamali Mohammed Jaffer in
Karachi who forwarded the article to Bombay from where my my
article was published in the Ismaili magazine "Ayina". In
his own Memoirs published in the same year, Aga Khan
mentioned briefly about all the messengers of the Old and
New Testaments and the Qurʾān and went on to
mention Krishna, and Ram as Messengers of Allāh. Today,
we know that Krishna and Ram were not historical characters
that lived physical lives in India, but were fictional
characters of Indian mythology.
Nonetheless, I began preparations to move to Congo and in
February 1956, after selling my business and personal
assets, I finally moved to Léopoldville in Congo with my
family.
Life in Congo
In just over a year after we moved to Congo, Yvonne Blanche
Labrousse (Om Habibeh) became a widow. Here in Congo, the
independence movement gained momentum. On 4 January 1959, a
prohibited political demonstration organised in Léopoldville
by a Colgolese political party, which was very vocal against
Belgian colonial rule, got out of hand. At once, the
colonial capital was in the grip of extensive rioting. It
took the authorities several days to restore order and, by
the most conservative count, several hundred died. The
eruption of violence sent a shock-wave through the Congo and
Belgium alike. The movement for independence was in full
swing.
I left the Congo and came back to Pakistan. From here, began
the series of events which were in total contradiction to
what Aga Khan had 'foretold' his followers: In June 1960
Belgian Congo and in August 1960 French Congo became
independent. In the entire continent of Africa, the Congo
was the first region (as opposed to being the last, as Aga
Khan had predicted) to become independent. Kenya, which was
supposed to get its independence first, as Aga Khan had
predicted, was actually the last to become independent on
December 12, 1963 - all these events seemed to me as if they
happened for a reason - as if to prove, that no one but
Allāh alone knows what will happen in the future - no
matter how much Ismāʿīlis think that Aga Khan
is the possessor of Aql-e-Kul, he actually had absolutely no
knowledge of future.
Aga Khan himself, knew this very well. Upon his death, he
mentioned in his will that his wife, Yvonne Blanche
Labrousse (he mentioned this name and not Om Habibeh) would
guide the next Aga Khan (Karim Aga Khan) for a period of the
first seven years of Karim Aga Khan assuming the position of
the Ismāʿīli Imām.
How can a mortal woman who is not an Imām, guide
someone who Ismāʿīlis ask health, wealth and
happiness from and assume him to be the bearer of all
knowledge?
This further solidified all the doubts I had in the divinity
of Aga Khan.
Yvonne Blanche Labrousse (also known as Om Habibeh or Mata
Salamat), dancing with David Niven at Bal de la Rose in
Monaco in 1968 - eleven years after the death of her
husband, Aga Khan III.
with Prince Serge Obolensky at Imperial Ball in Waldorf
Astoria, New York on January 14, 1957.
Guidance
They eat the fruits of Paradise
by Sis. Yasmin
It has been narrated on the authority of Masruq
(Razi Allah Anhu) who said:
that we asked 'Abdullah (Razi Allah Anhu)
about the Qur'anic verse...
'Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as
dead.
Nay, they are alive, finding their sustenance
in the presence of their Lord...'
{Source ~ 'Qur'aan'~Surat 'Äli 'Imran (Family of Imran)~ 3~
A # 169}
he said: we asked the meaning of this verse from the
Holy Prophet~ (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him) who
said:
The souls, of the Martyrs live in the bodies of
Green Birds who have their nests in
chandeliers hung from the throne of the Almighty.
They eat the fruits of Paradise from wherever they like
and then nestle in these chandeliers.
Once their Lord cast a glance at them and said...
' Do ye want anything ' {?}
They said...
'What more shall we desire ?
We eat the fruit of Paradise from
wherever we like.'
Their Lord asked them the same question thrice.
When they saw that they will continue to be asked and not
left without answering the question
They said:
'O Lord, we wish that Thou mayest return our souls
to our bodies so that we may be slain in
Thy way once again.
When He (Allah) saw that they had no need,
they were left to their joy in heaven.
[Source: Sahih Muslim~ Book # 20 Hadith # 4651]
Chapter: THE SOULS OF THE MARTYRS ARE IN PARADISE;
THEY ARE ALIVE AND FIND THEIR SUSTENANCE FROM THEIR
LORD.
... MY 'SALAAMS' TO ALL ....
Y a s m i n.
VIEWPOINT
China
Hundreds of thousands of Muslims are being held in prison
camps.
Kazakh Muslim woman reveals terrible Suffering of Muslims in
Western China.
[Courtesy AFP via Yahoo news]
Secretive "re-education camps" allegedly holding hundreds of
thousands of people in a Muslim-majority region in western
China are the focus of an explosive court case in
Kazakhstan, testing the country's ties with Beijing.
On trial is Sayragul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh Chinese
national who is accused of illegally crossing the border to
join her husband and two children in Kazakhstan.
But it is the 41-year-old's testimony about her forced work
in the camp system in the Xinjiang region that has drawn the
most attention.
Beijing has stepped up a crackdown in Xinjiang against what
it calls separatist elements.
At a public hearing, Sauytbay said she was granted access to
classified documents that shed light on the sprawling
network of re-education centres.
China's predominantly Muslim ethnic minority groups are
believed to make up the majority of the camps'
populations.
Chinese authorities have denied the existence of such
facilities despite mounting evidence from both official
documents and testimonies from those who have escaped
them.
Asked under oath about a so-called "camp" where she worked
as an employee of the Chinese state, court spectators gasped
when Sauytbay replied it held some 2,500 ethnic Kazakhs.
"In China they call it a political camp but really it was a
prison in the mountains," she said.
Sauytbay said authorities had told her she would never be
allowed to enter Kazakhstan, where her family had obtained
citizenship.
"That I am discussing this camp in an open court means I am
already revealing state secrets," said Sauytbay, who asked
Kazakhstan not to send her back to China.
- 'This person will disappear' -
Sauytbay is one of many ethnic Kazakhs separated from
relatives over the border after a crackdown in Xinjiang,
where authorities cite separatist and extremist threats as
justification for repressive policies.
There are about 1.5 million ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang.
They had however avoided extreme state repression suffered
by Uighurs, another mostly Muslim Turkic group that forms a
demographic majority in many parts of the region.
Unlike Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs had long moved freely between
China and their historic homeland.
About 200,000 of them became Kazakh citizens since the
Central Asian country's independence in 1991.
That freedom disappeared however after a Chinese official
known for his aggressive surveillance and population control
measures in Tibet took charge of the nominally autonomous
region in 2016, overseeing mass detentions and programmes of
re-education for Muslims.
In late 2016 authorities took the unprecedented step of
calling in Muslim minorities' passports, forcing anyone
needing to leave the country to file official requests.
Sauytbay's husband Wali Islam testified that for several
months the family lost contact with her after she was
reassigned to a re-education centre from a state
kindergarten.
Sauytbay told the court she had been tricked into working at
the camps by authorities.
The family was reunited only after she crossed the border
this April. Kazakh security services arrested her on May
21.
Sauytbay's lawyer Abzal Kuspanov said the testimony of his
client -- who briefly consoled her 13-year-old daughter as
she was ushered into the dock by police -- was a sufficient
indicator as to what will await her if she returns to
China.
"We are not saying that she has not committed a crime by
violating state borders using false documents. We have
admitted that to the court and we are prepared to accept
punishment," Kuspanov told AFP Friday.
"What we are saying is -- don't give her back to China. If
we do send her back, this person will simply disappear,"
said Kuspanov.
- Diplomatic tensions -
The situation of ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang is embarrassing
for Kazakhstan, which is China's leading economic partner in
Central Asia.
While the government is hesitant to confront Beijing, it is
under growing pressure to speak out against the
repression.
China has enlisted oil-rich Kazakhstan as a key partner in
its trillion dollar Belt and Road initiative aimed at
improving overland trade routes between Europe and Asia.
So far Beijing has kept silent on the allegations: two
Chinese diplomats present at the hearing refused to answer
questions from activists and journalists.
Under public pressure, Kazakhstan's foreign ministry has
called for "an objective and fair review" of detentions of
Kazakh citizens in the region.
But Kazakhstan, which is seeking massive investments from
China, is in a poor position to lobby for the rights of
Chinese citizens like Sauytbay.
Her trial is a test "of the maturity of Kazakhstan-China
relations", said Serikzhan Mambetalin, a Kazakh political
activist.
But if Kazakhstan hands a member of the diaspora back to
China, "people will say the government cannot protect its
own people," he said.
Contribution from a Reader
Invitation:
Ceremony to Honor Youths in Gambia who have Memorized the
entire Qur'an.
14th July, 2018
To: Brother Kaukab Siddique
Asalam Alaikum brother,
It pleases the management of the association to cordially
invite you to attend the ceremony and presentation of
certificates to Muhammad L. Drammeh, Basiru Camara, Buba
Bayo, Malang Saidy, Kalipha Touray, Muhammad Saidy, Ousman
Ceesay, Mamady Saidy, Ebrima Saidy and Musa Touray who
completed the memorization of the Holy Qur'an; this is
scheduled to take place on September 2018 without specify
date yet due to some reasons but will be dated in a
while.
Your presence will be highly appreciated as you played a
great role in their memorization of the Holy Qur'an.
VENUE: The Gambia, MEDINA SALAAM SCHOOL'S GROUND.
Morning activities will be the recitation and revision of
the Qur'an by the association's students.
By:MUNIRU MANNEH, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ASSOCIATION
With thanks to Br. Abu Talib in Brooklyn, New York
