Can you help? Do you have ASIA NEWS from 1974?
Maulana Maudoodi's Speech in Toronto being Traced.
by Dr. Kaukab Siddique.
In 1974 Maulana Maudoodi gave his most important speech for Muslims in America to a large crowd. I carried out a simultaneous English translation as he spoke in Urdu.
Some of my readers have been asking for a copy of that speech but over 47 years I have moved from place to place and can't find it. [It was not Online]
Finally, I have received a clue from a highly respected Islamic source. It's a hand written letter in English from Prof. Ghulam Azam, leader of Jamaate Islami in East Pakistan [Bangladesh], which said in part:
"Dear Brother Kaukab sb, walaikum asalam wa rahmatullahe wa barakatuh. Thanks for your letter of 27/8/74 which reached me yesterday. The same day I had the chance to read your name as translator of muhtaram Maulana's speech at Toronto as published in weekly Asia."
Because of this letter, I know that Maulana Maudoodi's speech was published in Asia News on or around August 27, 1974.
Any JI supporter or historian: if you have a copy of Asia weekly for August 27, 1974, please contact me to let me know how I can obtain a copy.
As you know our beloved Prof. Ghulam Azam passed away under arrest owing to the brazen cruelty of the Bangladesh regime.
Pakistan
Kashmir Will be Freed, InshaAllah.
JI leads huge rallies for Kashmir
LAHORE- FEB 5: Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Senator Sirajul Haq has said the people of Pakistan are standing shoulder to shoulder with the freedom struggle of Kashmiri masses against Indian occupation despite the silence of Pakistan rulers and international organizations on the gross human rights violation in the occupied area.
“The participation of millions of Pakistanis in Kashmir Solidarity Day rallies are the prove of the fact that the nation would never allow the rulers to make compromise with India on the Kashmir cause,” he said while addressing a big rally at The Mall on Friday.
A large number of people including women and children participated in the event which was organized by the JI Lahore chapter in connection of Kashmir Solidarity Day. JI leaders Javed Kasuri, Qaisar Sharif, Muhammad Ashgar, Zikrullah Mujahid and Asif Luqman Qazi were also present on occasion.
Thousands of people holding placards and banners participated in the rallies held in different major cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta under the banner of the JI. They shouted full throat slogans against the Indian act of genocide in occupied area and silence of the international community on it. JI Secretary General Ameerul Azim addressed the gathering in Mandi Bahauddin while JI Naib Emir Liaqat Baloch headed the rally in Karachi.
“It seemed the governments of Pakistan and India have decided to maintain the status quo position on Kashmir region. Pakistani nation would not allow it,” said Senator Siraj, urging the Pakistani rulers to shun their silence and make a decisive plan for Kashmir freedom or go home.
“The nation would never allow India to keep occupy even a single inch land of the jugular vein of Pakistan. Thousands of Kashmiris have lost their lives for the cause since 1947. How could the rulers make a surrender before New Delhi on Kashmir?”
The JI chief paid homage to the patience and determination of the Kashmiri leadership and youth who had been bearing worst torture and atrocities of the occupied forces for decades but were not ready to bow before them. Kashmir and Pakistan were indispensable for each other, he said.
Senator Sirajul Haq asked the international community to play a responsible role realizing the sensitivity of the issue and force New Delhi to call back its army from the occupied area and allow the people of Kashmir to exercise their right to self-determination granted to them through various UN resolution. He said Indian hegemonic designs were the serious threat to the peace of the region. He said Pakistani nation could not ready to allow India to continue its atrocities against their brethren and sisters in the held area.
War News
Iraq
Regime Sources Report Fighting Across Iraq. Feb. 1 to 7.
Baghdad regime and Shia news agencies report new military operations and air strikes against the Islamic State in the provinces of Diyala, Anbar and central Iraq in the mountains.
No evidence of success is provided.
There is a report of IS infiltration into Baghdad. Scores of IS supporters have been arrested. Mass executions have been ordered by the regime and human rights groups are complaining.
Full scale military operations are underway years after the Shia-US-Iran regime claimed victory over the Islamic State indicates that things are not going well.
New York Times is publicizing the burial of 104 Yazidis.
There is no further reporting on the destruction of Mosul where tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims were killed in months of bombardment by the regime, USA, UK, Iran and various European jet fighters.
More than a million Sunni Muslims were made homeless. The historic mosque was destroyed. Without investigation, UAE is now claiming that it will rebuild it.
Syria
IS Surprise Attack. 50 Russian air strikes.
Uighters in western Syria.
Feb. 7 Sniping by mujahideen killed an Assad officer in Lattakia province and an Assad soldier in southern Idlib. Regime artillery hit two villages in western Hama. Mujahedeen responded with mortar fire.
Also on Feb.7, in northwestern Hama, Chinese Islamic fighters killed 5 regime Shia troops and injured 9. Three Chinese fighters were killed. [SOHR report.]
On Feb. 6, a surprise attack by a new Islamic group in western Hama province killed 4 Assad troops, including an officer, and wounded 8. The group is known as Jaysh al-Nasr.
In Deraa province, an intelligence officer of Assad was killed.
In eastern Hama province, in a surprise attack by Islamic State [ISIS] fighters, 19 regime troops were killed including 11 shia miitia from outside Syria. Russia then launched 50 air strikes to stop ISIS from advancing. [SOHR]
News Within the U.S.
One of the three men who assaulted a woman, nabbed.
by Sis. Aisha [Jamaat al-Muslimeen]
[We thank sis. Aisha for this brilliant reporting. The first part appeared in our Januuary 31 issue.]
New York City - UPDATE: On February 2, 2021, one of the suspects, from the Harlem liquor store assault on a woman, was arrested. The other two men are still at large. This young mother was attacked for refusing the sexual advances of the suspect.At the January 30th rally, it had been stated that there were other people involved, including two women. But, the focus is on catching just these three men.
The victim publicly thanked supporters on her Instagram account under the screen name taylor_mariie.
The suspect is Tyrone Cooper, 22 years old, and he was arrested in another domestic violence case where he, allegedly, threw his now ex-girlfriend, 20 years old, down the stairs in her East Flatbush, Brooklyn apartment building. She spoke to the NY Daily News under condition of anonymity. According to her, she was there during the Harlem liquor store attack and was punched by Tyrone Cooper for trying to help the woman he and his friends attacked. These are very young men, who have very serious issues with women.
It is very disrespectful for a man to make catcalls at another woman in front of his girlfriend! During this interview, this ex-girlfriend stated that, although they've only been together for four weeks, Tyrone Cooper has beat her at least 8 times, including breaking her jaw into pieces from repeatedly hitting her in the face. In spite of this domestic violence arrest, reports are that the police are the ones who connected Tyrone Cooper to the Harlem assault, not the ex-girlfriend. This interview could've been about the ex-girlfriend's self-preservation. Both Taylor Marie and speakers at the rally stated that no bystanders intervened on her behalf as she screamed for help.
One thing about New York City is that, besides a reputation for being rat-infested and having rude residents, there is no such thing as safety in numbers here!
According to the Qur'an, the power is not in numbers but, in unity (8:65)! There have been stories where a few attackers have run away after one or two good Samaritans intervened.
Some reports say that a crime wave is sweeping America as a result of this government lockdown. This lockdown seems to be bringing out the worst in people and the most susceptible are the mentally-ill, stressed out unemployed workers, and a criminal element with nothing to lose. This has negatively affected Muslims, too, not just the Unbelievers.
This lockdown is a great example of idle hands being the devil's workshop. Being idle can lead to feelings of hopelessness and frustration. Families are also struggling with hunger. Most Harlem churches are still closed along with their food pantries. But, we knew that this lockdown was an ineffective response to a disease outbreak, especially since houses of worship were told to close, first.
The three things I have been doing during this lockdown is reading my Qur'an, volunteering at my local mosque, and being aware of my surroundings. I find comfort in Allah's Word and being around other practicing Muslims, even if our philosophies differ.
(Note: In the previous New Trend (1/31/2021), I erroneously reported that there were four men involved in this savage attack but, it was three men).
(Source: NYDailyNews.com and NewsOne.com)
Invitation to Think
Women in Shariaby
Imam Ali Siddiqui,(c) 2012
There are many rights that Islam gives women that emphasize the importance of and respect for women. There are various interpretations of Sharia regarding women; however, in several Muslim countries, Muslim women enjoy equal rights/opportunities to thrive in the society and community with opportunities in academics, professions, business, and government. Allah assured man and women in Quran in no uncertain words:
''..I will deny no man or woman among you the reward of their labor. You are the offspring of one another.” Qur'an 3:194
Allah also honored the women of the world by naming a chapter of the Quran, called an-Nisa’, the Women. Another chapter is also named after a woman, Mary, the mother of Prophet Jesus. It is the 19th Chapter of the Quran.
In Quran, Allah has also spelled out the rights, role, and responsibilities of women and which are further strengthened by Hadith, the words and actions of Prophet Muhammad.
Sharia:
As we are talking about Sharia, let us understand what Sharia is? Literally Sharia means the Way – the way how one lives her or his life, or how a community functions. It is also called the law. Therefore, Sharia Law is like calling Pizza Pizza!
Sharia is developed based upon the injunctions of Quran and the Sunnah, the life example of the Prophet Muhammad and the needs of the community. Sharia may be different in different communities and times; however, it has to be based upon Quran and Sunnah and no law shall contradict these sources.
Sharia also deals with the rights, role, and responsibilities of women in all areas including and not limited to personal, income and wealth, business, property, marriage and divorce, inheritance, property and more.
Creation:
A woman is created in the same manner as a man. Allah told us in Quran that all human beings are created from the sounding clay, molded into shape using the best of the molds:
وَلَقَدْ
خَلَقْنَ›
الْإِنسَ›نَ مِن
صَلْصَال£ مِّنْ
حَمَإٍ
مَّسْنُو¦ٍ
“We created human beings (insaan) from the sounding clay. From mud (We) molded into shape. (Quran 15:26)
لَقَدْ
خَلَقْنَ›
الْإِنسَ›نَ فِي
أَحْسَنِ
تَقْوِيم£
“We created human beings using the best of the molds” (Quran 95:4)
This is how Allah, God, created the first human being, not the first man or the first woman:
يَا
أَيُّهَا
النَّاسُ
اتَّقُوا
رَبَّكُم¥ الَّذِي
خَلَقَكُ¥ مِّن
نَّفْسٍ
وَاحِدَة£
“O! Human beings! Reverence Your Guardian-Lord, Who created you from a single soul or person (nafs)”. (Qur'an 4:1)
Then Allah split the first person, or soul (nafs) into the first male and the first female from these two came the rest of us all:
يَا
أَيُّهَا
النَّاسُ
إِنَّا
خَلَقْنَ›كُم مِّن
ذَكَرٍ
وَأُنثَى¨
“O human beings! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female…” (Quran 49:13)
يَا
أَيُّهَا
النَّاسُ
اتَّقُوا
رَبَّكُم¥ الَّذِي
خَلَقَكُ¥ مِّن
نَّفْسٍ
وَاحِدَة£ وَخَلَقَ
مِنْهَا
زَوْجَهَ› وَبَثَّ
مِنْهُمَ› رِجَالًا
كَثِيرًا
وَنِسَاء¡ ۚ
“O human beings! Be careful of your duty to Your Lord Who created you from a single person or soul (nafs) and created its mate of the same (nature), and spread from these two, many men and women…” (Quran 4:1, an-Nisa’, Women)
Allah uses the word NAFS which also means a species, hence the first creation of human beings was neither a male nor a female. The Quran contradicts the Biblical story of creation of women from the rib of man.
Oneness of Human Beings:
From the beginning of the human race, all human beings formed in community. Oneness of human beings is the basic philosophy of Islam which is also manifested in the tradition of Hajj, the Annual Pilgrimage to Makkah.
كَانَ
النَّاسُ
أُمَّةً
وَاحِدَة¡
“Human beings were one nation (ummah)” (Quran 2:213)
وَمَا
كَانَ
النَّاسُ
إِلَّا
أُمَّةً
وَاحِدَة¡
فَاخْتَل¤فُوا ۚ
“Human beings were but one nation, differences developed later.” (Quran 10:19)
This oneness and unity of human beings is inclusive of all women and men.
Man-Woman Relationship:
The man-woman relationship in Islam is the relationship of Equals. Allah defines this relationship in Quran and commanded us to protect each other and treat each other as such:
هُنَّ
لِبَاسٌ
لَّكُمْ
وَأَنتُم¨ لِبَاسٌ
لَّهُنَّ
ۗ
“They are your garments and you are their garments.” (Quran 2:187)
وَالْمُؤ¨مِنُونَ
وَالْمُؤ¨مِنَاتُ
بَعْضُهُ¥ْ
أَوْلِيَ›ءُ بَعْضٍ
ۚ
“The Believers, men and women, are Wali (protectors, supporters, friends and providers), one of another...” (Quran 9:71)
Prophet Muhammad (saw) reminded us: “Man and woman are two equal halves of the whole.” Hadith
Participation in the Decision Making:
Both women and men are part of the community. They have to be engaged to establish justice, promote good, and organize against injustice, exploitation, and wrong. They are obligated to make decisions in families and communities with mutual consultation. It is called the Shura Process. The Quran is explicit on this issue. Leaders shall not make any decision without consultation, and believers are obligated to participate in the Shura Process:
Allah reminded Prophet Muhammad (saw) who was also the head of the community:
“(O Prophet) consult them (men and women) in the decision making…” Quran
Members of the community are commanded to participate in the decision making and declared it as their characteristic:
وَأَمْرُ§ُمْ
شُورَىٰ
بَيْنَهُ¥ْ
“(It is one of the characteristics of the believing men and women are that) they resolve their affairs by mutual consultation.” (Quran 42:38)
Same rule applies in family affairs:
وَأَمْرُ§ُمْ
شُورَىٰ
بَيْنَهُ¥ْ
“(It is one of the characteristics of the believing men and women are that) they resolve their affairs by mutual consultation.” (Quran 42:38)
On more personal matters in the family like breast feeding or weaning a baby of it, Allah has commanded that both wife and husband mutually decide on this issue:
فَإِنْ
أَرَادَا
فِصَالًا
عَن
تَرَاضٍ
مِّنْهُم¤ا
وَتَشَاو¥رٍ فَلَا
جُنَاحَ
عَلَيْهِ¥َا ۗ
“If they both decide on weaning (the baby of breastfeeding), by mutual consent, and after due consultation, there is no blame on them.” (Quran 2:233)
Equal Responsibility and One Call;
Both women and men are commanded to organize in defense and promotion of good and against injustice and wrong:
فَإِنْ
أَرَادَا
فِصَالًا
عَن
تَرَاضٍ
مِّنْهُم¤ا
وَتَشَاو¥رٍ فَلَا
جُنَاحَ
عَلَيْهِ¥َا ۗ
“And from among you (men or women) there should be a group inviting all that is good, promoting what is right, and stopping what is wrong. They (men and women) are the ones who will be successful and thrive. (Quran 3:104)
Equally Qualified For Leadership;
Women in Islam are already engaged in the community and family affairs and they are also required to participate in the decision making. There is no restriction placed on them to lead the community.
يَا
أَيُّهَا
الَّذِين¤ آمَنُوا
أَطِيعُو› اللَّهَ
وَأَطِيع¥وا
الرَّسُو¤َ
وَأُولِي
الْأَمْر¦ مِنكُمْ ۖ
فَإِن
تَنَازَع¨تُمْ فِي
شَيْءٍ
فَرُدُّو§ُ إِلَى
اللَّهِ
وَالرَّس¥ولِ إِن
كُنتُمْ
تُؤْمِنُ¨نَ
بِاللَّه¦
وَالْيَو¨مِ
الْآخِرِ
ۚ
“O you who have believed! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (of Allah) and those (men/women) charged with authority among you.” (Quran 4:59)
The phrase: “O you who have believed!
يَا
أَيُّهَا
الَّذِين¤ آمَنُوا"
is an inclusive phrase. It includes all believers irrespective of their gender, scholarship, age, or riches.
Required to Struggle in the Same Way;
Muslim women as well as men are required to be engaged in struggle for justice and liberation for the sake of Allah, the Just. They are giving hope and a reward is promised:
وَجَاهِد¥وا فِي
اللَّهِ
حَقَّ
جِهَادِه¦ ۚ
“And struggle in Allah's Cause as you ought to strive…” (Quran 22:78)
وَالَّذِ نَ
جَاهَدُو› فِينَا
لَنَهْدِ َنَّهُمْ
سُبُلَنَ› ۚ وَإِنَّ
اللَّهَ
لَمَعَ
الْمُحْس¦نِينَ
“And those who strive in Our Cause, We shall certainly guide them to Our Paths, for verily Allah is with those (men and women) who do right.” (Quran 29:69)
Commandment for Justice:
You who believe (men and women)! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: For Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you swerve, if you distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well acquainted with all that you do. Qur'an 4:135
Both shall be Tested in the Similar Way:
Nothing in life is easy. Both women and men are tested from time to time especially those who are engaged in the struggle. So, Allah tells us in Quran:
لَتُبْلَ¨ُنَّ فِي
أَمْوَال¦كُمْ
وَأَنفُس¦كُمْ
وَلَتَسْ¥َعُنَّ
مِنَ
الَّذِين¤ أُوتُوا
الْكِتَاœَ مِن
قَبْلِكُ¥ْ وَمِنَ
الَّذِين¤
أَشْرَكُ¨ا أَذًى
كَثِيرًا
ۚ
“You shall certainly be tried and tested in your possession and in your personal selves; and you shall hear a lot that will grieve you, from other people …” (Quran 3:186)
Allah also gives assurance of success to both women and men:
وَإِن
تَصْبِرُ¨ا
وَتَتَّق¥وا
فَإِنَّ
ذَٰلِكَ
مِنْ
عَزْمِ
الْأُمُو›ِ
“But if you persevere patiently (have Sab'r), and guard against evil, then that will be a determining factor in all affairs.” (Quran 3:186)
Pure Environments and Preventive Society
Men are required to be modest first:
قُل
لِّلْمُؤ¨مِنِينَ
يَغُضُّو› مِنْ
أَبْصَار¦هِمْ
وَيَحْفَ˜ُوا
فُرُوجَه¥مْ ۚ
ذَٰلِكَ
أَزْكَىٰ
لَهُمْ ۗ
إِنَّ
اللَّهَ
خَبِيرٌ
بِمَا
يَصْنَعُ¨نَ
“Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is Well-acquainted with all that they do.” (Quran 24:30)
Then modesty is required for women:
وَقُل
لِّلْمُؤ¨مِنَاتِ
يَغْضُضْ¦َ مِنْ
أَبْصَار¦هِنَّ
وَيَحْفَ˜ْنَ
فُرُوجَه¥نَّ وَلَا
يُبْدِين¤
زِينَتَه¥نَّ
إِلَّا
مَا
ظَهَرَ
مِنْهَا
ۖ
“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof...” (Quran 24:31)
Equal Status in the Society – the Dignity
وَالَّذِ نَ
يَرْمُون¤
الْمُحْص¤نَاتِ
ثُمَّ
لَمْ
يَأْتُوا
بِأَرْبَ™َةِ
شُهَدَاء¤
فَاجْلِد¥وهُمْ
ثَمَانِي¦َ
جَلْدَةً
وَلَا
تَقْبَلُ¨ا لَهُمْ
شَهَادَة¡ أَبَدًا ۚ
وَأُولَـ¨ئِكَ هُمُ
الْفَاسِ¢ُونَ
“And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce not four (4) witnesses (to support their allegation), treat them harshly; and reject their evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors..”. (Quran 24:4)
Reward and Punishment - Equal Treatment:
Their Work Will Never Be Lost
فَاسْتَج¤ابَ
لَهُمْ
رَبُّهُم¨ أَنِّي
لَا
أُضِيعُ
عَمَلَ
عَامِلٍ
مِّنكُم
مِّن
ذَكَرٍ
أَوْ
أُنثَىٰ
ۖ
“And their Lord has accepted them, and answered them: ‘Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any one of you, be a male or a female: you are the offspring of one another.’ ” (Quran 3:195)
وَأَمَّا
الَّذِين¤ آمَنُوا
وَعَمِلُ¨ا
الصَّالِ—َاتِ
فَيُوَفّ¦يهِمْ
أُجُورَه¥مْ ۗ
وَاللَّه¥ لَا
يُحِبُّ
الظَّالِ¥ِينَ
“And to those who believe and work righteousness, Allah will pay them (men/women) their reward (in full); but Allah loves not those who do wrong.” (Quran 3:57)
Reward of Paradise and the Company of Allah
فَالَّذِ نَ
هَاجَرُو›
وَأُخْرِ–ُوا مِن
دِيَارِه¦مْ
وَأُوذُو› فِي
سَبِيلِي
وَقَاتَل¥وا
وَقُتِلُ¨ا
لَأُكَفّ¦رَنَّ
عَنْهُمْ
سَيِّئَاžِهِمْ
وَلَأُدْ˜ِلَنَّهُɝْ
جَنَّاتٍ
تَجْرِي
مِن
تَحْتِهَ›
الْأَنْه¤ارُ
ثَوَابًا
مِّنْ
عِندِ
اللَّهِ ۗ
وَاللَّه¥ عِندَهُ
حُسْنُ
الثَّوَاœِ
“Those who have left their homes, or been driven out of their homes, or suffered harm in My Cause, or fought or been slain, - Verily I will blot out from them their inequities, and admit them into Paradise with rivers flowing beneath; - a reward from the Presence of Allah, and Allah’s Presence is the best of the reward.” (Quran 3:195)
Equal Pay for Equal Work:
Equal pay for equal work is the way of Allah the Just:
فَاسْتَج¤ابَ
لَهُمْ
رَبُّهُم¨ أَنِّي
لَا
أُضِيعُ
عَمَلَ
عَامِلٍ
مِّنكُم
مِّن
ذَكَرٍ
أَوْ
أُنثَىٰ ۖ
بَعْضُكُ¥ مِّن
بَعْضٍ ۖ
"..I will deny no man or woman among you the reward of their labor. You are the offspring of one another.” (Quran 3:194)
Women’s Earning is Their Own
وَلَا
تَتَمَنّ¤وْا مَا
فَضَّلَ
اللَّهُ
بِهِ
بَعْضَكُ¥ْ عَلَىٰ
بَعْضٍ ۚ
لِّلرِّج¤الِ
نَصِيبٌ
مِّمَّا
اكْتَسَب¥وا ۖ
وَلِلنَِّاءِ
نَصِيبٌ
مِّمَّا
اكْتَسَب¨نَ ۚ
وَاسْأَل¥وا
اللَّهَ
مِن
فَضْلِهِ
ۗ إِنَّ
اللَّهَ
كَانَ
بِكُلِّ
شَيْءٍ
عَلِيمًا
“And in no wise covet those things in which Allah has bestowed Allah’s Gifts more freely on some than the other: to men is allotted what they earn, and to women what they earn: but ask Allah for the bounty; for Allah has full knowledge of all things.” (Quran 4:32)
Marriage and Divorce:
Women have the free choice in marriage. After marriage she also retains her individuality by maintaining her name, property, wealth, and all rights as human beings. She also has the right to divorce. She can also remarry.
Family Relationship - Husband and Wife:
Husband Is the Head of the Family
الرِّجَا¤ُ
قَوَّامُ¨نَ عَلَى
النِّسَاŸِ بِمَا
فَضَّلَ
اللَّهُ
بَعْضَهُ¥ْ عَلَىٰ
بَعْضٍ
وَبِمَا
أَنفَقُو› مِنْ
أَمْوَال¦هِمْ ۚ
“Men are the economic providers and the administrators of women, because Allah has given the one more than the other, and because they support the women from their means.” (Quran 4:34)
House Should Be Run With Mutual Consultation
“(O Prophet) consult them (men and women) in the decision making.” Quran
“(Characteristic of the believing men and women is that) they resolve their affairs by mutual consultation.” (Quran 42:38)
“There is no blame on them, if they both decide on weaning, by mutual consent, and after due consultation.” (Quran 2:233)
Equal Rights in the Family:
Women have equal rights in the family, community, and at work. Allah set the rules in Quran:
“And women shall have the rights similar to the rights against them, according to what is equitable.” (Quran 2:228)
“They are your garments and you are their garments…” (Quran 2:187)
Education:
In Islam, education is very important and seeking knowledge is commanded. Revelation of Quran began with the word: Iqra, meaning Read and Qalam, Pen, emphasizing reading and writing. (Quran 96:1-4) Many places in Quran, Allah addresses believers as “thinkers, intellectuals, wise, people of understanding, etc.
Prophet Muhammad (saw) emphasized education:
“Seek knowledge even if you have to travel as far as China.”
“Knowledge is the lost camel of a believer; grab it wherever you find it.”
He commanded: “Seeking knowledge is incumbent on believing men and women.” But he also made it very clear: “Educating a man as if educating a man; but educating a woman is as if educating a nation.”
Conclusion:
After all said and done, both women and men are equal, mutual supporters, and in need of each other. In Quran, chapter 9 verse 71, Allah has summed up this relationship:
“The Believers, men and women, are Wali (protectors, supporters, friends, comrade, and providers), one of another: enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil: they establish Salat, practice Zakat, and obey Allah and the Messenger of Allah. On them Allah pours His Mercy: for Allah is Exalted in Power, and Wise.” (Quran 9:71)
Allah has spoken the truth!
Was Salaamu Alaikum, With Peace.
Imam Ali Siddiqui
Director, Muslim Institute - Interfaith Studies & Understanding, Washington D.C. 20018
Coordinator. Interfaith Dinner Dialogue, Fairfax, VA
Congregation Action Network, Washington D.C.
Researcher/Lecturer, Muslim History Workshop
Muslim Interfaith Liaison; DMV Clergy Social Action; DMV Hospital/School Chaplain
alisiddiqui.imam@gmail.com; 707-534-0041
Guidance by Sis. Yasmin.
What is most Beneficial for the Heart?
Ibn Al Qayyim (r) [ may Allah have mercy upon him] says...
In short, there is nothing more beneficial for the heart than reading the Qur’an and with contemplation and reflection. The Qur’an encompasses all the levels of the travellers, the conditions of the workers, and stations of those possessing knowledge.
It is the Qur’an that generates love, desire, fear, hope, repentance, reliance, pleasure, entrustment, gratitude, patience, and the rest of the different states that are life to the heart and perfection of it.
Likewise, it repels all the rebuked characteristics and actions that cause the corruption and ruin of the heart...{!}
If people were to possess a realization of what recitation of the Qur’an with contemplation contains, they would devote themselves to it at the expense of anything else.
When the person reads it with reflection and he comes across an 'Aayah' that he is in need of, for the cure of his heart, he repeats it, even if he does so a hundred times or the whole night.
Hence, to recite a single 'Aayah' of the Qur’an with contemplation and reflection is better than reciting the Qur’an to completion without any contemplation or reflection !
It is also more beneficial for the heart and more conducive to attaining 'Eemaan' and tasting the sweetness of the Qur’an...{!}
~ My 'Salaams' to all ~
~Y a s m i n~
'Do Not Despair of the Mercy of Allah'.
{'Qur'an ~ Surat Az-Zumar~ 39 :A # 53 }
Source: Miftaah Daar as-Sa’aadah, page # 204 | Ibn Al Qayyim (r)
Transcribed from: Causes Behind the Increase and Decrease of
Eemaan | Shaykh ‘Abdur-Razzaaq al-’Abbaad
Hadith of the Week
Narrated byAbu Huraira, r.a.:The Prophet said, "Faith (Belief) consists of more than sixty branches (i.e. parts). And Haya (This term "Haya" covers a large number of concepts which are to be taken together; amongst them are self respect, modesty, bashfulness, and scruple, etc.) is a part of faith."
Bukhari Vol 1,Book 2, # 8
[With thanks to Sis. Kristi]
Du'as from Imam Badi Ali. February 6 and 7
As-slamu alaikum,
Prophet (pbuh) said:
“Allah does not look at your bodies nor does he look at your faces, but He looks at your hearts.”
(Bukhari, Muslim)
The ones who worship with honesty and sincerity will be granted success in life and the hereafter.
It is reported from Ibrahim ibn Adham that: "He is not sincere or truthful to Allah who loves fame."
May Allah cleanse our hearts from hypocrisy and grant us sincerity in everything that we say and we do. Ameen.The dua said by Prophet Yunus inside the whale is one of the most well-known duas in the Quran:“There is no God but You, Glorified be You! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers.”
The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said about this duaa:
“No Muslim ever prays to his Lord with these words for anything, but He will answer his prayer.”
[At-Tirmidhi]
Subhanullah! Learn this dua and teach it to your family members.
O Allah, there's no God but you. Glory to you. How perfect are You for I have been among the wrongdoers. Ameen..
Bangladesh
Prime Minister Hasina and her top General involved in torture, murder, corruption and Human Rights Violations.
Seven prominent human rights groups have called on the United Nations to review its use of Bangladeshi peacekeeping troops after the world body denied claims by the country’s military that secretly bought mass surveillance equipment, exposed by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit, was used for peacekeeping missions.
The Al Jazeera investigation, All the Prime Minister’s Men, revealed how the Bangladesh armed forces, led by General Aziz Ahmed, bought intrusive mass surveillance technology, the so-called IMSI-catchers, from an Israeli company.
Haris Ahmed, using a fake identity partially created with the help of the Bangladesh army, has been able to set up several businesses in Hungary, including fulfilling contracts for BangladeshHe also boasted about receiving bribes from officials to help them obtain high-ranking positions in the police force.
“Police work as our thugs. Who needs regular thugs,” Haris told an Al Jazeera undercover operative.
The Ahmed brothers, five in total, have long been closely linked to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In their statement, the human rights organisations renewed calls for an investigation into the actions of RAB, a unit HRW has described as a “death squad”.
“Abuses by RAB, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances, are well documented,” the statement said.
“The UN Committee Against Torture and the UN Human Rights Committee have repeatedly called for investigations into RAB and for it to be made into a purely civilian force.”
REVEALED: Massive Chinese Police Database
Millions of Leaked Police Files Detail Suffocating Surveillance of China’s Uyghur Minority
The order came through a police automation system in Ürümqi, the largest city in China’s northwest Xinjiang region. The system had distributed a report — an “intelligence information judgment,” as local authorities called it — that the female relative of a purported extremist had been offered free travel to Yunnan, a picturesque province to the south.
The woman found the offer on the smartphone messaging app WeChat, in a group known simply as “Travelers.” Authorities homed in on the group because of ethnic and family ties; its members included Muslim minorities like Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz, who speak languages beside China’s predominant one, Mandarin. “This group has over 200 ethnic-language people,” the order stated. “Many of them are relatives of incarcerated people. Recently, many intelligence reports revealed that there is a tendency for relatives of [extremist] people to gather. This situation needs major attention. After receiving this information, please investigate immediately. Find out the
background of the people who organize ‘free travel,’ their motivation, and the inner details of their activities.
”Police in Ürümqi’s Xiheba Precinct, near the historic city center, received the order and summarized their work in a 2018 report. The one person rounded up as a result of the order, a Uyghur, had no previous criminal record, had never heard of the WeChat group, and never even traveled within China as a tourist. He “has good behavior and we do not have any suspicion,” police wrote. Still, his phone was confiscated and sent to a police “internet safety unit,” and the community was to “control and monitor” him, meaning the government would assign a trusted cadre member to regularly visit and watch over his household. A record about him was entered into the police automation system.
Based on their notes, police appear to have investigated the man and assigned the cadre members to “control and monitor” him entirely because of religious activities, which took place five months earlier, of his eldest
sister. She and her husband invited another Uyghur couple in Ürümqi to join a religious discussion group on the messaging app Tencent QQ, according to police records. The other couple bought a laptop and logged onto the group every day from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; the husband stopped smoking and drinking, and the wife began wearing longer clothes. They began listening to “religious extremism information” on their laptop, the report said.
Between the two couples, police recovered 168 religious audio files deemed illegal, likely because they were connected to an Islamic movement, Tablighi Jamaat, that advocates practicing Islam as it was practiced when the Prophet Muhammad was alive. The fate of the eldest sister and her husband is unknown; the report simply states they were transferred to a different police bureau. The other couple was sent to a re-education camp.
Details of the investigations are contained in a massive police database obtained by The Intercept: the product of a reporting tool developed by private defense company Landasoft and used by the Chinese government to facilitate police surveillance of citizens in Xinjiang.The database, centered on Ürümqi, includes policing reports that confirm and provide additional detail about many elements of the persecution and large-scale internment of Muslims in the area. It sheds further light on a campaign of repression that has reportedly seen cameras installed in the homes of private citizens, the creation of mass detention camps, children forcibly separated from their families and placed in preschools with electric fences, the systematic destruction of Uyghur cemeteries, and a systematic campaign to suppress Uyghur births through forced abortion, sterilization, and birth control.
The database contains police reports from Ürümqi, the capital and largest city in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It offers an inside view into police intelligence files and auxiliary community police meetings, as well as the operation of checkpoints that are pervasive in Ürümqi. It also details phone, online, and financial surveillance of marginalized groups, showing how granular surveillance purportedly on the watch for extremism is often simply looking at religious activity.
Among the revelations from the database is information on the extensive use of a tool that plugs into phones to download their contents, the “anti-terrorism sword,” deployed so frequently that Chinese authorities worried it was alienating the populace. It shows authorities tracking how their policies succeeded in driving down mosque attendance. It also offers evidence that the “Physicals for All” biometric collection program, which authorities insisted was solely a health initiative, is intended as part of the policing system. And it quantifies and provides details on the extensive electronic monitoring that goes on in Xinjiang, containing millions of text messages, phone call records, and contact lists alongside banking records, phone hardware and subscriber data, and references to WeChat monitoring as well as e-commerce and banking records.
The database also sheds light on the extent of policing and detention in Xinjiang. It details how former residents who went abroad and applied for political asylum were flagged as terrorists. In some cases, it appears as though fixed-term sentences were assigned to people in re-education detention — undercutting the idea, promulgated by the government, that the lengths of such detentions are contingent on rehabilitation or vocational training..
The January 31 issue of New Trend reached 63,714 Muslims via facebook. These included 9,968 women.
There were 7,730 post issue engagements.
The main articles in this issue were as follows:
There are no saviors in Islam. Each one of us must strive. [Dr. Siddique]
Imran regime opposes release of Daniel Pearl suspects.
JI critique of international lending agencies and Imran.
IS commander Abu Yasir killed by Brits?
Major article on Kashmir by Dr. Fai.
Crimes against women in NY: Sis. Aisha
Cave of Hira where Prophet, pbuh, received revelation. Sis. Yasmin.
Hadith on requirements of Faith. Sis. Kristi.
Du'a by Imam Badi.
Palestine. Another Israeli atrocity.
Data base of Chinese police repression of Muslims uncovered. [Intercept]
THE WRONGS, THE RIGHTS AND THE TRUTH
By Abdulkabir Oyemomi
Let me start this with what I call “ epistolary scoff” on people that would have been ordinarily adjudged as liberators or true freedom fighters. Here I am particular about Chief Sunday Igboho and his disciples as well as failed PDP politicians who suddenly became so concerned about the plights of sons and daughters of Yorubaland in the hands of miscreants amongst Fulani herdsmen. To be frank, these disgruntled elements in the garb of herdsmenship are brutal and their activities have culminated in the demise of many.
A fact that is very hard to discredit is that Igboho has a very good cause, given the ramshackle in the state of things in the western part of Nigeria, which has made it difficult for security of lives and properties to be guaranteed by Yoruba political leaders. To them, politics matter more and successive leaders consider it suicidal to deal with common problems so as to maintain championship in given constituencies.
Sunday Igboho broke the jinx and unstoppably rose to stardom within weeks. The reason is that his move was supported by many, including religious people, either expressly or tacitly. However, this crusade was glaringly tending towards anarchy with Igboho’s addendum of less decorum and maladroit remarks and declarations. But thanks to his last hooey against the Ooni of Ife , the traditional ruler of Ife kingdom and one of the most prominent Kings of Yorubaland. The insult is, to me, a blessing in disguise as it served as quietus to Igboho in one hand, and to the volatility of the region on the other. It is impossible to continue to defy the constituted authorities, whether they are considered competent by us or not. When your voice is heard, you're sanely bound to give room to dialogue, which is the best way to resolve crises.
For you, the expired politicians, who luxuriate in instability of the country simply because the power that be is no longer within their becks and calls and as such want it crumble at all costs, it is clear that you're lobotomized beyond reversal. That you refuse to learn from white supremacists and their countries you run to remains a mystery to me. Do you feel safe if this country boils? Continue!
Of funniest irony is that of attitude of governor of Oyo State in Seyi Makinde. This guy defies virtually all instructions of the federal government but laughably ran to the president for cover against Sunday Igboho, whose source of wealth can hardly be divorced from supporting PDP (Seyi's party that crumbled this country in 16years of misrule).
Sadly, President Muhammadu Buhari is far from helping the matters ,given his poor degree of responsiveness to sensitive matters like this. This matter would be easily nibbed in the bud by a proactive and responsive president for sure. Baba, some of your body languages are unpresidential! Or, do you believe that no herdsman is guilty of any of these allegations? Many of which are confirmed? Then investigate. But pacify the victims with kind words first. That is what a caring father does. You must show to us that you're truly detribalised now. We need you to give us a mouth against an Ortom of Benue State , the most tribalistic governor ever produced in this country. Gov. Ortom's ramble is gullibly applauded by unsuspecting Nigerians because Mr President failed to use his office to rekindle hope in many that are confused about his style.
Hello, die hard of APC government and fake Buharists. I am not sure you're worth my ink here again because I had written voluminously about you in the past. The only advise or plea I want to make here is introduce wisdom in the cause of following your food, Biko. You're the reason the president does not know where the shoe pinches actually. I pray you don't become victims before you realize that the government needs to step up her game in the face of insecurity. My most trusted friends, foster fathers and business allies are from the north, I swear to God. If I had to place the source of my food over the truth as I see it, this piece would never come to life because they will certainly read it. Alhamdulilah, they are all Muslims and know the place of truth in our Deen.
What I am saying is stop covering the truth. Stop mixing the truth with falsehood. Some herdsmen are wrecking serious havock and it has to be looked into with all sense of responsibility. Even though, we know that self inflicted injuries from ritualists amongst Yoruba Muslim Jalabists and Christians pastors are much more.
Conclusively,in all, what is lost is godliness on the part of the stakeholders and others. Let us go back to Allah in sincere repentance and see one another as indivisible because Allah designed us to be together.
