Da’watul Islam UK and Eire arranged their annual family gathering at the Markfield Conference Centre with a timely theme – Muhammad (PBUH) the Rahmatullil Alamin (The mercy to the mankind).
Being there in the company of so many families who gave up their long weekend to come the event has been an experience to remember for life. I found my presence to help me up lift my spirit, renew my commitment and revitalise my strengths.
At a time when Islam and Muslims are under fire from almost all quarters in most part of the world, Muslims has nothing but to hold firm in their faith and hope for the mercy of their lord. But it is not easy to hold firm with belief in Allah. Reminding ourselves of the struggle of our leader, guide and prophet, Muhammad (PBUH) and to study and practice his teaching is indeed a major force in strengthening our resolve and empowering our faith. I thus thank the organisers for hosting such a wonderful event and pray to Allah that he rewards the organisers and the participants enormously.
We need the re-empowerment of our faith, renewing our commitment of course first and foremost to stay firm on our ground and to protect ourselves, the individuals. But more importantly, the study and practice of our prophet’s lives and teachings must encourage and embolden us to be active in our communities. We need to blend into society to become part of it and to change it in ways which will eradicate all notion of injustice and bring prosperity and happiness. This is important given the time and circumstance in which we live in. Not just misguided few individuals, even our government throwing unreasonable and unnecessary challenges which could potentially have devastating consequences. It seems apparent that much of these challenges are deliberate and designed to undermine the unique presence of the Muslim communities.
But the challenges we face are nothing new. They may change in kind but fundamentally they remain same: results of ignorance and to some extent prejudice about and towards Islam and the Muslims. This ignorance and the prejudice are issues we need to deal with without fear. We need to hold our ground firmly and be determined to see them through. First step in facing these challenges is to know our society in which we live and to learn about its good and not so good characteristics. Our social problems affect us and we must as a matter of religious duty address these issues. Such is the essence of Islam. Allah says in the Quran that our prophet was like of people from within the community who used to feel aggrieved at by the grievances of his community and joyous at the happiness of his people. Can we say the same about ourselves?
Of course it means little to say we ought to become fully part of the society and to feel for the issues of the society. What I mean in practical term is that we need to engage ourselves on the affairs of our society on a daily basis to clearly demonstrate our commitment to the society. Our acts must be of the kind that it beyond doubt demonstrates our feeling and genuine sincerity to our people. We need to engage to better the economic, education and social condition of our people regardless of their race, gender or faiths. Our engagement must be inspired by our faith and our expectation must be to gain the satisfaction of our master, Allah, the almighty.
For our friends who may not share our faith but feel for us and desire us to be proud member of this society, they must live up to the challenge of the current time. Their friendship must be not merely to provide leap service to our community but to go beyond words and practically work to safeguard our interests. Claiming to be our friend is of little use to us of such friendship does not materialise into shaping policies which genuinely reflects the desire of our community. We are not seeking to be special. We are aspiring to be equal: to be citizens with unique faith, culture and creed who are collectively committed to make our society better, stronger and more cohesive.Remembering our prophet, studying his message and seeking to follow his footstep should inspire us to be proactive in our societies and to go beyond usual lines and work hard tirelessly to make our society significantly better.
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Tackling Extremism
An International Conference is being held in Dhaka to discuss strategies to address ‘extremism’ attended by experts from the South Asian region as well as Singapore and Norway.
From the outset, I respect and appreciate such initiative and, with sincerity and goodwill, such initiative may bring much needed coherence in the strategies of governments in the South Asia and the wider world in dealing with Terrorism. But this optimism I find difficult to hold for practical reasons.
Terrorism now is a global phenomenon and the Western powers have taken much interest on the matter. It is only to be commended that the powerful nations are putting together huge amount of resources to deal with an issue of such importance. However, a closer look and careful analysis of the strategies, actions and outcomes of work by these nations to counter terrorism reveals little to have confidence. In fact, what analysis of most known counter-terrorism reveals is at best ignorance or at worst, prejudice towards a certain belief.
Terrorism, when resulting from sheer greed and criminal mindset, is a simple and straightforward issue which needs to be dealt with harshly. Such terrorism exists in many countries, especially the underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh. We are not, however, talking of such terrorism. The kind of terrorism that global community now a day talks about often, if not always, relates to resentment and reaction of people who for one reason or another feel aggrieved. Grievances caused by injustice, prejudice and hatred may result in a kind of resentment leading to terrorist activities which cannot be defeated through guns and bullets. Such terrorism requires pragmatism and sophisticated understanding of the issues backed by sincere desire to eradicate injustice. Only when the rights of all people can be restored, dignity and respect for individuals enshrined in the social fabric and rule of law established will the sense of resentment eventually disappear and the ‘good hearted’ individuals will return to normal life. Those that remain committed to the paths of violence and destruction may continue but will loose munitions for recruitment and retention which will ensure the end of such thugs and criminals.
On the backdrop of this understanding let us focus on the issue of terrorism in the context of Bangladesh. The current government pledged to form a South Asian task force to coordinate response of the governments in the region regarding the issue of counter-terrorism. But such initiative is only at its primary stage and lacks in details as admitted by the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh at the Terrorism conference. Further more, the actions of the government seems to be half hearted, if not dubious. In one hand they seem to claim to be genuinely committed to eradicate extremism on the other, they are pursuing a path of violence and political harassment of opposition. Mass scale attacks on the political activists of the opposition parties will create anarchy and give rise to resentment, just the kind of environment where terrorism flourishes.
The issue of ‘war crime’ during the Bangladesh’s Independence struggle is also relevant here. It is an issue resolved many years ago by the founding fathers of our nation. The present government itself made no serious attempt in the past. It seems to be clear to everyone except the diehard supporters of the government that the move to try the so called war criminals is politically motivated and is orchestrated to ensure political advantage for the ruling party and their allies. It is reasonable to conclude for this reason that any move to try the ‘war criminals’ will only act to divide our nation, exactly the kind of things that aid the growth of terrorist network. Besides, the present government has only been in power for just over a month and has already failed to impress the right minded citizens of their genuine desire to play by the rules.
To deal with terrorism must be a priority. But any strategies and action must be proportionate to the threat and realistic. It must also be free from political motives and must genuinely be aimed at building a respectful society where citizens are brought together by a common sense of identity and values. No action of divisive nature can ever bring peace. Violating core values of human dignity, individuals’ right and political suppression can never be good strategies for countering terrorism.
From the outset, I respect and appreciate such initiative and, with sincerity and goodwill, such initiative may bring much needed coherence in the strategies of governments in the South Asia and the wider world in dealing with Terrorism. But this optimism I find difficult to hold for practical reasons.
Terrorism now is a global phenomenon and the Western powers have taken much interest on the matter. It is only to be commended that the powerful nations are putting together huge amount of resources to deal with an issue of such importance. However, a closer look and careful analysis of the strategies, actions and outcomes of work by these nations to counter terrorism reveals little to have confidence. In fact, what analysis of most known counter-terrorism reveals is at best ignorance or at worst, prejudice towards a certain belief.
Terrorism, when resulting from sheer greed and criminal mindset, is a simple and straightforward issue which needs to be dealt with harshly. Such terrorism exists in many countries, especially the underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh. We are not, however, talking of such terrorism. The kind of terrorism that global community now a day talks about often, if not always, relates to resentment and reaction of people who for one reason or another feel aggrieved. Grievances caused by injustice, prejudice and hatred may result in a kind of resentment leading to terrorist activities which cannot be defeated through guns and bullets. Such terrorism requires pragmatism and sophisticated understanding of the issues backed by sincere desire to eradicate injustice. Only when the rights of all people can be restored, dignity and respect for individuals enshrined in the social fabric and rule of law established will the sense of resentment eventually disappear and the ‘good hearted’ individuals will return to normal life. Those that remain committed to the paths of violence and destruction may continue but will loose munitions for recruitment and retention which will ensure the end of such thugs and criminals.
On the backdrop of this understanding let us focus on the issue of terrorism in the context of Bangladesh. The current government pledged to form a South Asian task force to coordinate response of the governments in the region regarding the issue of counter-terrorism. But such initiative is only at its primary stage and lacks in details as admitted by the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh at the Terrorism conference. Further more, the actions of the government seems to be half hearted, if not dubious. In one hand they seem to claim to be genuinely committed to eradicate extremism on the other, they are pursuing a path of violence and political harassment of opposition. Mass scale attacks on the political activists of the opposition parties will create anarchy and give rise to resentment, just the kind of environment where terrorism flourishes.
The issue of ‘war crime’ during the Bangladesh’s Independence struggle is also relevant here. It is an issue resolved many years ago by the founding fathers of our nation. The present government itself made no serious attempt in the past. It seems to be clear to everyone except the diehard supporters of the government that the move to try the so called war criminals is politically motivated and is orchestrated to ensure political advantage for the ruling party and their allies. It is reasonable to conclude for this reason that any move to try the ‘war criminals’ will only act to divide our nation, exactly the kind of things that aid the growth of terrorist network. Besides, the present government has only been in power for just over a month and has already failed to impress the right minded citizens of their genuine desire to play by the rules.
To deal with terrorism must be a priority. But any strategies and action must be proportionate to the threat and realistic. It must also be free from political motives and must genuinely be aimed at building a respectful society where citizens are brought together by a common sense of identity and values. No action of divisive nature can ever bring peace. Violating core values of human dignity, individuals’ right and political suppression can never be good strategies for countering terrorism.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
The Decree: Part 2
The ‘Kindered’, the Miskin and the Wayfarer
AS I write today we witness the massacre of our brothers and sisters in Palestine by an aggressive and arrogant enemy, Israel who are supported by the global super powers. The chaotic and heart breaking brutality have moved many of us to the extent that we have been very generous to donate thousands of pounds to help the people of Gaza. It is around this theme that I wish to write the second part of my writing. The first part was published in the last issue titled: Worship Allah alone and be Kind to the parents.Islam, I argued in the last article, is a code of life. It is not a mere religion affecting certain aspect of our life, but in fact, Islam is a way of life which encompasses and ought to control all aspects of human affairs, if one is to claim to be Muslim. Such acceptance of Islam which genuinely drives us in all our affairs shall bring peace and happiness. It is for this reason that Islam is termed to mean submission and peace i.e. though total and unconditional submission to the will of Allah, one may gain peace and tranquillity in life here and hereafter. But this concept of total submission is vague and meaningless unless explained in more details giving clear guidelines about practical aspects of our lives. The first and most important aspect of human life is the relationship between parents and children. IN the last issue, I have outlined Islam’s view about this noble relationship clearly spelling out the dos and don’ts. In this article I move on to the next set of principles that Allah outlines in the Qur’an. He says:
“And give to the kindred his due and to the Miskin (poor) and to the wayfarer. But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift. Verily, spendthrifts are brothers of the Shayatin (devils), and the Shaitan (Devil - Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord”
(The Quran 17:26, 27)
Human relationship is extremely important in building a peaceful society where mutual respect, tolerance and justice form the core. After the parents, the most important people are the relatives, neighbours and those we come across in our daily lives, the wayfarers, who we meet at work, during travelling etc. Each of these categories of people has a right on us. As Muslims, we are fortunate because Allah, the most powerful, have told us what are the rights that they have on us. He outlines the laws of inheritance for example in another part of the Qur’an where Allah outlines how our estate should be distributed once we leave this earth. If we follow what Allah outlines for us, this will make us happy, help us avoid being involve in conflicts, avoid hard feelings etc. When we fail in doing so, we may suffer from loss of bonds, anxiety, insecurity and many other issues. Those of you who are aware of your relatives, friends and other having property etc in your country of origin you must have come across the stories where the relatives there occupies the entire property depriving the actual owner his rightful ownership and control. This kind of incidents are not far and few but in fact very common which often result in severing ties with otherwise close relatives and of course the stress and mental torture. Why this happens? Answer is simple: we fail to follow the guidance offered to us out of kindness by our Lord, Allah the Almighty. This is with regards to our kinsmen, those with whom we have blood relations. But Allah here outlines another category of people who have right on us: the Miskin or people in need.
We are familiar with the concept of Zakah which we normally give to the poor at the end of Ramadan. But besides, we have a responsibility to offer our support and help to the needy at all times. Of course our support must be proportionate to our ability. We must be generous but generosity does not mean that we ought to accept poverty and hardship for ourselves by giving to poor. Generosity is about being kind and big hearted resulting in donations and kind words when we have the ability to do so. When we have the mean to be generous but we chose not to be, Allah warns us. He says:
“And let not your hand be tied (like a miser) to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach (like a spendthrift), so that you become blameworthy and in severe poverty”.
(The Qur’an 17:29)
Clearly from the verse above we can see that Allah encourages us to be generous when we can and not be miser, nor he wants us to be so generous that we invite severe poverty for ourselves. When Allah says ‘do not do’ something, it becomes and obligation for us to avoid doing that thing: for if we fail in our obligation decreed by our Lord, we are indeed among the most unfortunate ones.
Living in the UK, we do not often come across people who are so poor that they need our generous financial support. But we come to know millions of people from around the world of people via various charities and media who are in dire need of support where a pound of our contribution can feed a family for one whole day. We have the ability to spare some money and we can reach to them through numerous organisations. It would be utterly unacceptable for us not to contribute towards their plight. Given the killing spree prevailing in Gaza at the moment by the Zionist war mongers, we ought to extend our generosity and donate abundantly.
I soon shall conclude, but let me make two other points which I have indirectly touched upon. Allah points to two kinds of people who he dislikes: the spendthrifts who he said to be the brothers of Devil and the misers. Dealing with spendthrifts, those who waste money or abuses it, it may be helpful to remember that in the UK billions of pounds worth of food is being wasted every year. Think about this, a billion pound can change a poor country, yes one whole country. So with the money we waste on food which we do not eat, we can change the lives of the millions of destitute people, orphans and others. We all should therefore be extra vigilant and be not a wasteful person. For if we become among the evils, we are doomed to go astray.
For the misers, who are stingy and not spend at time of need despite having the ability, Allah indeed dislikes them, and those Allah dislikes are doomed to be failure too. So the message today is that we must guard the rights of others on us and be kind to the needy. We need to widen our heart to the greatest length possible. If we do so, Allah says:
Truly, your Lord enlarges the provision for whom He wills and straitens (for whom He wills). Verily, He is Ever All-Knower, All-Seer of His slaves. (The Quran 17:30)
May Allah enlarge all provisions for us, Ameen! (To be continued)
Saturday, 27 December 2008
New Dimension to Global Politics
Only two days ago the UK officials and parliamentarians were outraged by the decision of a TV channel to broadcast alternative view of the most powerful Middle Eastern leader for the benefit of the viewers to make their mind in a free society. The core argument supporting their outrage was the ‘potential danger’ that individual leader posses to Israel. Of course some attempted to attribute crimes such as genocide and mass killing to him but of course little hard evidence they had to support such assertion. The bigotry, prejudice and very one sided political understanding was clearly present in the reaction of those officials and politicians, however, there was one hope too which was that at least these people are against injustice and shall come to the aid of the suffering, oppressed and helpless people wherever they may be.
Now that the Zionist war machine brutally humiliate a nation, subjugate an entire human civilisation and ruthlessly kill dozens, surprisingly these voices for justices are remarkably silent. Perhaps their silence is not so surprising if we dig a little deeper into discovering their true identity. They are united in their love for the Zionist war machine in Israel, they are blind in their support for Zionist oppression and they are united in their hatred of Arabs. For they are unable or perhaps unwilling to accept Palestinians as having any right to exists, perfectly happy to deny all sorts of human rights to these Arabs and wholeheartedly supportive of killing these people.
More importantly however, their attitude is no different from that of the majority of western leaders in positions to make a difference. They are fearful of freedom for people, flourishing democracy that offers real choices and potentially challenges the status quo of a very one sided concept of western democracy. Such fear instilled deep inside their heart guard them from the influence of reason and logic and make them ignorant of the concept of justice yet have the audacity to claim to be civilised. Such are the states of many of our leaders. Let us hope that in a new year we will be better equipped to distance ourselves for them and pave the way for a new dimension to global politics, a trend underpinned by spirit of justice, freedom and equality for all human.
Now that the Zionist war machine brutally humiliate a nation, subjugate an entire human civilisation and ruthlessly kill dozens, surprisingly these voices for justices are remarkably silent. Perhaps their silence is not so surprising if we dig a little deeper into discovering their true identity. They are united in their love for the Zionist war machine in Israel, they are blind in their support for Zionist oppression and they are united in their hatred of Arabs. For they are unable or perhaps unwilling to accept Palestinians as having any right to exists, perfectly happy to deny all sorts of human rights to these Arabs and wholeheartedly supportive of killing these people.
More importantly however, their attitude is no different from that of the majority of western leaders in positions to make a difference. They are fearful of freedom for people, flourishing democracy that offers real choices and potentially challenges the status quo of a very one sided concept of western democracy. Such fear instilled deep inside their heart guard them from the influence of reason and logic and make them ignorant of the concept of justice yet have the audacity to claim to be civilised. Such are the states of many of our leaders. Let us hope that in a new year we will be better equipped to distance ourselves for them and pave the way for a new dimension to global politics, a trend underpinned by spirit of justice, freedom and equality for all human.
Sunday, 23 November 2008
The Spirit of our Father, Ibrahim
Only few in human history truly deserve to be called the greats. These are the people who, through their activism and utmost sacrifice, brought profound change in human existence. One such greatest personality, among the best of Humanity, is our forefather, the father of the greatest faiths, Ibrahim. Soon we shall celebrate Eid-ul-Adh’ha commemorating his extraordinary journey in the way of Allah, the almighty.
Ibrahim as a boy was curious in the world around him. He was dissatisfied with issues and practices in his society and wanted to know for sure who his master was. In his extraordinary journey, he proved his determination to find truth and his absolute commitment to truth. One such great example is his willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismael, for the pleasure of His Lord, the Lord of this universe, Allah. But what the remarkable story of Ibrahim hold for us is really this: to be a Muslim is to truly submit oneself to the will of Allah the almighty even if that means sacrificing the most valuable of things for him.
Of course in principle we agree and express our desire to commit such act. But in reality that is far from the case. What we often fail to realise is that although we may in rhetoric express such willingness, we fail in most obvious of our acts, to be truthful, honest, trustworthy, reliable and sympathetic to fellow believers. For minor worldly gains, petty political, socio-economic interest, out of many false senses of pride, we indulge in plotting, misleading, mishandling, deliberate misguiding and backstabbing of our brothers, sisters. These, above all, are signs of our weak faith, the shortcomings of our human minds. They are the indicators of our position in the ‘ladder’ of Taqwah. Keeping true to the spirit of our father, Ibrahim and being consistent with our previous great occasions, Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr, on this Eid we must resolve to improve ourselves, strengthen our Imaan and renew our commitment to our faith, our people.
Eid-ul-Adh’ha is a great moment of joy in many ways. For it offers the opportunity for millions of Muslims from across the world, of many cultures and races to come together as a whole, one community of brotherhood. This moment of nationhood identified by our faith, Islam, is a great inspiration and shall drive us to move forward in purifying out heart, restructuring our life and remodelling our relationships with our brothers. May Allah grant us forgiveness, accept our efforts and guide us in the right paths, the path of the Sirat-al-Mustaqim, Amen.
Ibrahim as a boy was curious in the world around him. He was dissatisfied with issues and practices in his society and wanted to know for sure who his master was. In his extraordinary journey, he proved his determination to find truth and his absolute commitment to truth. One such great example is his willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismael, for the pleasure of His Lord, the Lord of this universe, Allah. But what the remarkable story of Ibrahim hold for us is really this: to be a Muslim is to truly submit oneself to the will of Allah the almighty even if that means sacrificing the most valuable of things for him.
Of course in principle we agree and express our desire to commit such act. But in reality that is far from the case. What we often fail to realise is that although we may in rhetoric express such willingness, we fail in most obvious of our acts, to be truthful, honest, trustworthy, reliable and sympathetic to fellow believers. For minor worldly gains, petty political, socio-economic interest, out of many false senses of pride, we indulge in plotting, misleading, mishandling, deliberate misguiding and backstabbing of our brothers, sisters. These, above all, are signs of our weak faith, the shortcomings of our human minds. They are the indicators of our position in the ‘ladder’ of Taqwah. Keeping true to the spirit of our father, Ibrahim and being consistent with our previous great occasions, Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr, on this Eid we must resolve to improve ourselves, strengthen our Imaan and renew our commitment to our faith, our people.
Eid-ul-Adh’ha is a great moment of joy in many ways. For it offers the opportunity for millions of Muslims from across the world, of many cultures and races to come together as a whole, one community of brotherhood. This moment of nationhood identified by our faith, Islam, is a great inspiration and shall drive us to move forward in purifying out heart, restructuring our life and remodelling our relationships with our brothers. May Allah grant us forgiveness, accept our efforts and guide us in the right paths, the path of the Sirat-al-Mustaqim, Amen.
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Dangerous Precedence
The war on terror and the ‘strategic partnership’ between US and Pakistan in that war enters a new era. With Musharraf gone and the US strike in the Frontier province of Pakistan, a new phase seems to be under way. This is an important development signalling a major shift in international policy.
The war on terror resulted from the barbaric attacks on the twin towers in New York changed the dynamics of global geo-politics. Suddenly the established legal rules of respecting the integrity and sovereignty of Nation seems to have disappeared. The Invasion of Iraq, in the view of many authoritative figures, was an illegal war violating international laws. Now we see the mastermind of such gross violation, the single super-power of the present time, deliberately intrudes into yet another sovereign nation, Pakistan.
We wish not to doubt the sincerity of US authorities and accept that they are doing whatever is necessary to curb the rise of militancy and as such are hitting on all positions deemed safe heaven for the militants. We assume that US is not necessarily violating the territorial sovereignty of Pakistan and merely trying to be effective in their war by strategically targeting specific terror cells which incidentally happened to be in the Pakistan. Even with such acceptance and assumption, can we accept too that this act of the US is responsible and beneficial in their pursuit of the terrorists masterminds?
The reality is that the US, ever since the end of cold war began to feel confident in asserting its authority in international issues unilaterally. Their assured position of singular superpower offered them confidence which soon transformed into a kind of arrogance which reached its zenith at the time of Iraq invasion. The destruction caused in Iraq and the continued violence effectively marked the end of normal sovereign Iraq that we have known. The death toll of innocent civilians in Afghanistan, too, has long passed the US loss suffered in the twin tower. More shockingly, despite all of this, the world in which we live in is no more safe than it used to be, in many ways grown to be much more dangerous.
In truth, our world is now divided in three camps: one lead by the new-cons where significant proportion of the western population is induced to believe that somehow military might ought to be used to suppress the rise of ‘Islamic Extremism’ regardless of the legal position and the potential damage it may do to the international rules and law. The other camp, suffering the brunt of US arrogance feeling angry and aggrieved who are determined to fight the war with US regardless of their clear inferiority in strength. They are contempt to hate US and everything to do with US. Then there is third group of people, perhaps the majority, who genuinely are concerned about our world and yearns for a better solution but are either confused or marginalised.
The US leaves a dangerous legacy for the Human civilisation. The people of Pakistan and their friends across the world will feel aggrieved and shall seek revenge in whatever form they can. This will create another state detracted from ensuring better life style for its citizens and devoted to balance the competing factions of militant groups. The militant groups will find an increased population of aggrieved people to recruit from and the cycle of violence will continue. We just hope that the last 7 years of bloodshed and lost lives will force US administration to pause and look critically at its policies. We hope that US will follow a path of peace and stability by respecting international law and pursuing strategies not defiant of commonsense.
The war on terror resulted from the barbaric attacks on the twin towers in New York changed the dynamics of global geo-politics. Suddenly the established legal rules of respecting the integrity and sovereignty of Nation seems to have disappeared. The Invasion of Iraq, in the view of many authoritative figures, was an illegal war violating international laws. Now we see the mastermind of such gross violation, the single super-power of the present time, deliberately intrudes into yet another sovereign nation, Pakistan.
We wish not to doubt the sincerity of US authorities and accept that they are doing whatever is necessary to curb the rise of militancy and as such are hitting on all positions deemed safe heaven for the militants. We assume that US is not necessarily violating the territorial sovereignty of Pakistan and merely trying to be effective in their war by strategically targeting specific terror cells which incidentally happened to be in the Pakistan. Even with such acceptance and assumption, can we accept too that this act of the US is responsible and beneficial in their pursuit of the terrorists masterminds?
The reality is that the US, ever since the end of cold war began to feel confident in asserting its authority in international issues unilaterally. Their assured position of singular superpower offered them confidence which soon transformed into a kind of arrogance which reached its zenith at the time of Iraq invasion. The destruction caused in Iraq and the continued violence effectively marked the end of normal sovereign Iraq that we have known. The death toll of innocent civilians in Afghanistan, too, has long passed the US loss suffered in the twin tower. More shockingly, despite all of this, the world in which we live in is no more safe than it used to be, in many ways grown to be much more dangerous.
In truth, our world is now divided in three camps: one lead by the new-cons where significant proportion of the western population is induced to believe that somehow military might ought to be used to suppress the rise of ‘Islamic Extremism’ regardless of the legal position and the potential damage it may do to the international rules and law. The other camp, suffering the brunt of US arrogance feeling angry and aggrieved who are determined to fight the war with US regardless of their clear inferiority in strength. They are contempt to hate US and everything to do with US. Then there is third group of people, perhaps the majority, who genuinely are concerned about our world and yearns for a better solution but are either confused or marginalised.
The US leaves a dangerous legacy for the Human civilisation. The people of Pakistan and their friends across the world will feel aggrieved and shall seek revenge in whatever form they can. This will create another state detracted from ensuring better life style for its citizens and devoted to balance the competing factions of militant groups. The militant groups will find an increased population of aggrieved people to recruit from and the cycle of violence will continue. We just hope that the last 7 years of bloodshed and lost lives will force US administration to pause and look critically at its policies. We hope that US will follow a path of peace and stability by respecting international law and pursuing strategies not defiant of commonsense.
Saturday, 26 April 2008
The Decree
Part Two: The Parents
Worshipping Allah is the most important aspects of a Muslim. But it is only the beginning of an Islamic life. But Allah has given us guidance about our entire life and decreed us to follow his guidance in dealing with our life. Our life starts from our birth made possible through our parents. To have guidance about life means we must be guided to treat our parents as they should be. Our life starts with the family and family begins with our parents, then siblings, wife and children and the chain continues. Allah so beautifully spells out the guidance for us in that order. Right after he decreed us to worship him, he told us how to treat our parents. He says: ‘and that ye be kind to parents’ though it does not stop there. Generally, we all behave well with our parents. While we are young, dependent upon them, we have little choice but to be kind and respectful towards them. The trouble often starts when we begin to become stronger, more ‘important’ then them and they with the effect of age becomes weaker, less able. Once they reach old age, it presents us with difficulty. Their weaknesses may cause us loose our patience. Allah warns us with clear guidance of how we should treat them. He says: ‘Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour’. Allah is so full of wisdom, so kind, he spells out even how we should show our kindness and respect for our parents. He clearly states that we must not show our displeasure, anger or dissatisfaction even to the slightest. At all time, we must show utmost honour for them and do nothing that can mean otherwise.
Allah of course understand our weaknesses. After all he is the most powerful, the doer of all things. Unless he empowers us with the strength and patience necessary, we are bound to fall short. Hence He tells us the way to seek his help in our affairs with our parents: And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood”. If we pray to him in the way he taught us, Inshallah he will bestow upon us his mercy and enable us to be in the right path, the Path to salvation. May Allah forgive us all and empower us with the necessary strength of character. Amen.
2:208 ‘O ye who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy.’
[To be continued]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
