Islam - The Most Beautiful Religion

[I Am In Love]

MASHALLAH , SUBAHALLAH
ALLAH Aap Ko Jaza -e- Khair Ata Karay.

Bohat Khoobsorat Sharing Hay.

Or Aaj Kay Dorr Kay Hisaab Say Aisi Thread Ka Hona Zarori Hay....

Keep Sharing... Muskaan ...

Bohat Sari Duaon Kay Sath....



Regard
Imran ....

[Lost Passenger]

Buhat zaberdast aur behtreen
abhi sirf ek bar perha hey aur
inshallah abhi kai bar perhoo'n ga
kyoo'n k Islam k mutaliq perhna aisa
hi hey jaisey kisi podey ki aabyari kerna
pani detey rahai'n ge tu ye taza rahey ga
Allah tumhari is kawish ko qabool fermaye aur
jaza-e-khair ata fermaye,hamaisha khush raho
Ameen

[JANAT KI TALASH]

Walaikum Asalam !!

Byshak Islam Is the Best Religion ..
I am Proud to be a MUSLIM .. ShukarALHUMDULILLAH

MASHALLAH ... Superb Thread Muski Sis
jazak ALLAH khair !!

Buhat khush rahiya

[JANAT KI TALASH]

Islam is not the Source of Terrorism, But its Solution
.
.

BY - Harun yahya

Introduction

During the last two decades in particular, the concept of "Islamic terror" has been often discussed. In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on targets in New York and Washington which caused the death of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, this concept has once again returned to the top of the international agenda.


As Muslims, we completely condemn these attacks and offer our condolences to the American people.

In this article, we will explain that Islam is by no means the source of this violence and that violence has no place in Islam.

One point that should be stressed at the outset is that the identities of the perpetrators of the acts of terrorism which targeted the United States are not yet determined. There is a chance that these horrible attackers are linked to quite different centres. It may well be a communist organization harboring rage and hatred against American values, a fascist organization opposing federal administration or a secret faction in another state. Even though the hijackers have Muslim identities, the questions regarding by whom and for what purposes these people were used will probably remain to be a mystery.


The fact remains however, that even if the terrorists have Muslim identities, the terror they perpetrated cannot be labelled "Islamic terror", just as it would not be called "Jewish terror" if the perpetrators were Jews or "Christian terror" if they were Christians.


That is because, as we will examine in the following pages, murdering innocent people in the name of religion is unacceptable. We need to keep in mind that, among those who were killed in Washington or New York, there were people who loved Jesus (Christians), Prophet Moses (Jews) and Muslims. According to Islam, murdering innocent people is a great sin that, unless forgiven by God, brings torment in Hell.

Thus, a religious person who has fear of God can never commit such an act.

In fact, the aggressors can commit such violence only with the intention of attacking religion itself. It may well be that they carried out this violence to present religion as evil in the eyes of people, to divorce people from religion and to generate hatred and reaction against pious people. Consequently, every attack having a "religious" facade on American citizens or other innocent people is actually an attack made against religion.

All the three Theistic religions command love, mercy and peace. Terror, on the other hand, is the opposite of religion; it is cruel, merciless and it demands bloodshed and misery. This being the case, while looking for the perpetrators of a terrorist act, its origins should be sought in disbelief rather than in religion. People with a fascist, communist, racist or materialist outlook on life should be suspected as potential perpetrators. The name or the identity of the triggerman is not important. If he can kill innocent people without blinking an eye, whatever his label is, then he is a disbeliever, not a believer. He is a murderer with no fear of God, whose main ambition is to shed blood and to give harm.

For this reason, "Islamic terror" is quite a erroneous concept which contradicts Islam's message. That is because, the religion of Islam can by no means concur with terror. On the contrary, Muslims are responsible for preventing terrorist acts and bringing peace and justice to the world.


The Values of the Qur'an demands Goodness, Justice and Peace

Terror, in its broadest sense, is violence committed against non-military targets for political purposes. To put it in another way, the targets of terror are entirely innocent civilians whose only crime is, in the eyes of terrorists, to represent "the other".
This is an act bereft of any moral justification. This, as in the case of murders committed by Hitler or Stalin, is a crime committed against "mankind".

The Qur'an is a Book revealed to people as a guide to the true path and in this Book, God commands man to adopt good morals. This morality is based upon concepts such as love, compassion, tolerance and mercy. God calls all people to Islamic morals through which compassion, mercy, peace and tolerance can be experienced all over the world:

You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you. (Surat al-Baqara :208)

The values of the Qur'an hold a Muslim responsible for treating all people, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, kindly and justly, protecting the needy and the innocent and preventing the "dissemination of mischief". Mischief comprises all forms of anarchy and terror that remove security, comfort and peace. As God says in a verse, "God does not love mischief makers". (Surat al-Qasas: 77)

Murdering a person for no reason is one of the most obvious examples of mischief. God repeats in the Qur'an a command He formerly revealed to Jews in the Old Testament thus:

So We decreed for the tribe of Israel that if someone kills another person - unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth - it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all mankind. Our Messengers came to them with Clear Signs but even after that many of them committed outrages in the earth. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 32)

As the verse suggests, a person who kills even a single man, "unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth", commits a crime as if he had murdered all mankind on earth.


This being the case, it is obvious what great sins are the murders, massacres and, attacks, popularly known as "suicide attacks", committed by terrorists are. God informs us how this cruel face of terrorism will be punished in the hereafter in the following verse:

There are only grounds against those who wrong people and act as tyrants in the earth without any right to do so. Such people will have a painful punishment. (Surat ash-Shura: 42)

All these reveal that organizing acts of terror against innocent people is utterly against Islam and it is unlikely that any Muslim could ever commit such crime. On the contrary, Muslims are responsible for stopping these people, removing "mischief on earth" and bringing peace and security to all people all over the world. Being a Muslim cannot be reconciled with terror. Just the contrary, it is the solution and prevention of terror.


This being the case, how did the popular term "Islamic terror" emerge?


What has been examined so far reveals that it is not possible to talk about an "Islamic" terror. Indeed, a closer look at the characteristics of the perpetrators explicitly reveals that this terror is not a religious but a social phenomenon.

Crusaders: Barbarians Who Trampled Their Own Religion



A helmet used by the Crusaders.

The true message of a religion or another system of belief can be at times exposed to distortion by its pseudo-adherents. The Crusaders, who constitute a dark episode of Christian history, set a good example of this.
Crusaders were European Christians who undertook the expeditions at the end of the 11th century to recover the Holy Land (the area around Palestine) from the Muslims. They set out with a so-called religious goal, yet they laid waste each acre of land they entered with fear and violence. They subjected civilians to mass executions and plundered many villages and towns.


Their conquest of Jerusalem, where Muslims, Jews and Christians lived under Islamic rule in peace, became the scene of immense bloodshed. They violently killed all Muslims and Jews. The Crusaders' barbarism was so excessive that, during the Fourth Crusade, they plundered Istanbul, also a Christian city, and stole the golden objects from the churches.


Despite the fact that Christianity is a religion of love and pacifism, the Crusaders slaughtered innocent people in the name of Christ. They misunderstood their religion.

No doubt, all this barbarism was utterly against Christian political doctrine. That is because, Christianity, in the words of the Bible, is a "gospel of love". In the Gospel according to Matthew, it is said that Jesus said "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" to his followers (Matthew, 5/44) In the Gospel according to Luke, it is said that Jesus said "If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also." (Luke, 6/29) No doubt, in no part of the New Testament, is there reference to the legitimacy of violence; murdering innocent people, on the other hand, is unimaginable. You can find the concept of "massacre of the innocents" in the Bible; yet, only in the cruel Jewish King Herod's attempt to kill Jesus while he was a baby.


While Christianity is a religion based on love that accommodates no violence, how did Christian Crusaders carry out the most violent acts of history? The major reason for this is that, Crusaders were mainly made up of ignorant people who could better be defined as "rabble". These masses, who knew almost nothing about their religion, who had never read or even seen the Bible once in their lifetime, and who were therefore completely unaware of the moral values of the Bible, were led into barbarism under the conditioning of Crusaders' slogans as "God wills it".


It is worth mentioning that in that period, Eastern Christians - the people of Byzantium, for instance - who were culturally far ahead of Western Christians, espoused more humane values. Both before and after the Crusaders' conquests, Orthodox Christians managed to live together with Muslims. According to Terry Johns, the BBC commentator, with the withdrawal of the Crusaders from Middle East, "civilized life started again and members of the three monotheistic faith returned to peaceful coexistence." [1] The example of the Crusaders is indicative of a general phenomenon: The more the adherents of an ideology are uncivilized, intellectually underdeveloped and "ignorant", the more likely they are to resort to violence. This also holds true for ideologies that have nothing to do with religion. All communist movements around the world are prone to violence. Yet the most savage and blood-thirsty of them was the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia. That is because they were the most ignorant.


Just as ignorant people may take a violence-ridden opinion to the point of insanity, so they may confuse violence with an opinion against violence (or to religion). The Islamic world also experienced such cases.

The Bedouin Character in the Qur'an


In the period of our Prophet, there existed two basic social structures in Arabia. City-dwellers and Bedouins (Desert Arabs). A sophisticated culture prevailed in Arab towns. Commercial relations linked the towns to the outer world, which contributed to the formation of "civilized life" among Arabs dwelling in cities. They had refined aesthetic values, enjoyed literature and, especially poetry. Desert Arabs, on the other hand, were the nomad tribes living in the desert who had a very crude culture. Utterly unaware of arts and literature, they developed an unrefined, harsh character.


Islam was born and developed among the inhabitants of Mecca, the most important city of the peninsula. However, as Islam spread to the peninsula, all tribes in Arabia embraced it. Among these tribes were also Desert Arabs, who were somehow problematic: their poor intellectual and cultural background prevented them from grasping the profundity and noble spirit of Islam. Of this God states the following in a verse:


The Desert Arabs are more obdurate in disbelief and hypocrisy and more likely not to know the limits which God has sent down to His Messenger. God is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Surat at-Tawba: 97)


The Desert Arabs, that is, social groups who were "obdurate in disbelief and hypocrisy" and prone to disobey God's commands, became a part of the Islamic world in the Prophet's lifetime. In latter periods, they became a source of trouble for the Islamic world. The sect called "Kharijis" that emerged among Bedouins was an example. The most distinctive trait of this perverse sect (which was called "Kharijis" the rebels because they greatly deviated from Sunni practises), was their extremely vulgar, wild and fanatical nature. The "Kharijis", who had no comprehension whatsoever of the essence of Islam or of the virtues and the values of the Qur'an, waged war against all other Muslims and based this war on a few Qur'anic verses about which they made distorted interpretations. Furthermore, they carried out "acts of terrorism". Caliph Ali, who was one of the closest companions of the Prophet and was described by him as the "gate of the city of knowledge", was assassinated by a Kharijite.


In latter periods, "Hashashis" (Assassins), another brutal organization, emerged; this was a "terrorist organization" made up of ignorant and fanatical militants bereft of a profound understanding of the essence of Islam and thus who could be readily influenced by simple slogans and promises.


In other words, just as the Crusaders distorted and misinterpreted Christianity as a teaching of brutality, some perverted groups emerging in the Islamic world misinterpreted Islam and resorted to brutality. What is common to these sects and the Crusaders was their "Bedouin" nature. That is, they were ignorant, unrefined, uncultivated, vulgar, and isolated people. The violence they resorted resulted from this social structure, rather than the religion to which they claimed to adhere.

The Actual Source of Terrorism: The Third World Fanaticism


These examples from history are enlightening for a better understanding of the phenomenon, the so-called "Islamic terror", which is nowadays on the top of the international agenda. That is because those who emerge and carry out acts of terrorism in the name of Islam or those who back such acts -these people, no doubt, represent a minority in the world of Islam- stem from this "Bedouin character", not from Islam. Failing to understand the essence of Islam, they try to make Islam, essentially a religion of peace and justice, a tool of barbarism, which is simply an outcome of their social and cultural structure. The origin of this barbarism, which may well be called the "Third World Fanaticism", is the benighted initiatives of people who are devoid of love for humans.
It is a fact that, for the last few centuries, Muslims in all corners of the Islamic world, are being subjected to violence by Western forces and their affiliates. The colonialist European states, local oppressive regimes or colonialists backed by the West (Israel, for instance) caused great suffering for Muslims at large. However, for Muslims, this is a situation that has to be approached and responded to from a purely Qur'anic stance.


In no part of the Qur'an does God command believers to "respond to violence with violence". On the contrary, God commands Muslims to "respond to evil with goodness":


A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else, he will be like a bosom friend. (Surat al-Fussilat: 34)

It is no doubt a legitimate right of Muslims to react against cruelty. However, these reactions should never turn into a blind hatred, an unjust enmity. God warns about this in the following verse: "... Do not let hatred for a people who debar you from the Masjid al-Haram incite you into going beyond the limits. Help each other to goodness and heedfulness. Do not help each other to wrongdoing and enmity. Heed God Allah (alone)..." (Surat al-Ma'ida: 2)

Consequently, carrying out terrorist acts under the pretence of "representing the oppressed nations of the world", against the innocent people of other nations is by no means compatible with Islam.


Another point that deserves a special mention here is that all the Western world cannot be held responsible for the aforementioned colonialist (or "neo-colonialist) violence and oppression against Muslims. Actually, the materialist, irreligious philosophies and ideologies that prevailed in the 19th century are responsible for these dismal acts. European colonialism did not originate from Christianity. On the contrary, anti-religious movements opposing the values of Christianity led the way to colonialism. At the roots of the greatest brutalities of the 19th century lies the Social Darwinist ideology.


In the Western world today, there are still cruel, mischievous and opposing elements as well as a culture dominated by peaceful and just elements that have its roots in Judeo-Christian faith. As a matter of fact, the main disagreement is not between the West and Islam. Contrary to the general opinion, it is between the religious people of the West and of the Muslim world on the one hand, and the people opposing religion (like materialists and atheists.) on the other.


Another indication that Third World Fanaticism has nothing to do with Islam is that, until recently, this fanaticism has been identified with communist ideology. As is known, similar anti-Western acts of terror were carried out in 1960s and 70s by Soviet-backed communist organizations. As the impact of the communist ideology faded, some of the social structures which gave birth to communist organizations have turned their attention to Islam. This "brutality presented under the guise of religion", which is formulated by the incorporation of some Islamic concepts and symbols into the former communist rhetoric are entirely against the moral values constituting the essence of Islam.


Anti-Western radicalism once used the communist ideology to support its violence. Now it is trying to use religious concepts.

A last remark about this issue is that Islam is not peculiar to a particular nation or geography. Contrary to the dominant Western perception, Islam is not an "Eastern culture". Islam is the last religion revealed to mankind as a guide to the true path that recommends itself to all humanity. Muslims are responsible for communicating the true religion they believe in to all people of all nations and cultures and making them feel closer to Islam.

Consequently, there is a unique solution for people and groups who, in the name of Islam, resort to terror or establish oppressive regimes and turn this world into a dreadful place instead of beautifying it: revealing the true Islam and communicating it so that the masses can understand and live by it.

Conclusion: Recommendations to the Western World

Today, the Western world is concerned about the organizations that use terror under the guise of Islam and this concern is not misplaced. It is obvious that those carrying out terror and their supporters should be punished according to international judicial criteria. However, a more important point to consider is the long-term strategies that have to be pursued for viable solutions to these problems.


The assessments above reveal that terror has no place in Islam. They further show the inherently contradictory nature of the concept of "Islamic terror". This provides us with an important vantage point:


1) The Western world, especially the United States, will surely take the most dissuasive measures to cope with terror and it has the right to do that. However, it has to state explicitly that this is not a war waged against Islam and Muslims but, on the contrary, a measure serving the best interests of Islam. The "Clash of civilizations", the dangerous scenario envisioned in the 90's should be at all costs prevented.


2) Support should be provided for the spread of "True Islam", which is a religion of love, friendship, peace and brotherhood, and for its true understanding by Islamic societies. The solution for radical factions in Islamic countries should not be "forced secularization". On the contrary, such a policy will incite more reaction from the masses and feed radicalism. The solution is the dissemination of true Islam and the appearance of a Muslim role-model who embraces Qur'anic values such as human rights, democracy, freedom, good morals, science and aesthetics, and who offers happiness and bliss to humanity.


3) The source of terrorism is ignorance and bigotry and the solution is education. To the circles who feel sympathy with terror, it should be said that terror is utterly against Islam, that terror only does harm to Islam, Muslims and to humanity at large. Besides, these people have to be provided with education in order to be purified of this barbarism. The United States' support to such an education policy will yield very positive results.


Our hope is that these measures will help to the world get rid of terrorism and all other bigoted, brutal, barbarous structures. With its Christian-dominated culture and population, the United States, which defines itself as "a nation under God", is in fact a real friend of the Muslims. In the Qur'an, God draws attention to this fact and informs us that Christians are those who are "most affectionate to those who believe". (Surat al-Ma'ida: 82)

In history, some ignorant people (for instance, Crusaders) failed to understand this fact and caused conflicts between these two great religions. To prevent the repetition of this scenario, true Christians and Muslims need to come together and co-operate.


Notes

(1) - Alan Ereira, David Wallace, C r u s a d e s : Terry Johns Tell the Dramatic Story of Battle for Holy Land, BBC World Wide Ltd., 1995.

[JANAT KI TALASH]

If It Is Extreme, It Is Not Islam!

by - Syed Husain Pasha

Allah's Boundaries: What a Glorious Concept!

I trust you are doing well. And having fun.

"Islam and fun?" you may raise your eyebrows.

"What an oxymoron!" Some may exclaim in disbelief, even disdain.

Others may simply say Astaghfirullah and move on.

But some others may think - and that is what really matters: "Subhaanallah! What a Deen! What a beautiful miracle this Deen of Allah is that it attends to every human need. That it even lets people have fun!"

Provided, of course, I must hasten to add, both to set the record straight as well as to set at rest my readers' apprehensions and skepticism, it is done within the boundaries of Allah.

Just like everything else.

The fact is that there is no life without fun. It is all a question of what kind of fun you have and how. Fun, Islam teaches us, must be pursued within the boundaries prescribed by Allah.

Just like everything else.

The basic principle is this: You do things within the prescriptions and boundaries of Allah, they are right and good. They are a boon for you.
You do them outside Allah's boundaries and contrary to Allah's commands and prescriptions, they are wrong; they are bad; and they become the bane of your life.

Of course, all this is to be understood within the overall framework of Halal and Haram - the basic tenets of Islamic law. So, adultery and fornication never become right or permissible no matter what the reason or the excuse or the circumstances. Same is true of interest-based financial dealings.

And the same is true also of consumption of liquor - or of incest or cannibalism.

If your doctor tells you three glasses of red wine a day is what your heart condition needs, find a new doctor. If a Muslim store sells something they call "Halal Beer," run from that store. Because if they are not afraid of deceiving Allah, how do you trust them not to deceive you? And sex outside marriage is forbidden under all conditions and at all times.

So, when we talk about fun we are talking about things that are not clearly and categorically ruled by Islam as forbidden or Haram. And the list of such things in Islam is, contrary to what many Muslims may think, a very short one.

So, Allah's boundaries are what we all need to remember and be mindful of - all the time. And what a glorious concept it is - Allah's boundaries: Hudoodullah!

Deenul Fitrah, as Islam is often referred to - a complete and comprehensive culture and way of life entirely in keeping with the basic needs of human nature and perfectly in consonance with the primordial functioning of the broader laws of nature that govern the universe.

And it makes perfect sense.

Laws of Nature, Laws of God: Optimizing Human Life on Earth

For those who know (Alladheena ya'lamoon, as the Qur'an calls them), these are all laws and ways of Allah put in place to aid, facilitate, optimize and enrich human life on earth. And for those who don't know (Alladheena laa ya'lamoon, as the Qur'an calls this other group), they are little more than laws and ways of nature, based on little more than chance, in whose midst human life is a mere straw in the wind without any direction or destiny.

The expression Nature for these wonderful people is simply a code word that stands for "all that we don't know."

In the language of statisticians, and scientists, these unknowns of Nature are the error component attached to our understanding, knowledge and science. Call them unexplained variance if you wish.

To me, it is "unexplained hitherto." For, the unknown - and unexplained - of yesterday is the known and knowable of today and the new research focus, frontier and scientific challenge of tomorrow.

And the notion of Allah's boundaries fits nicely into that divine scheme of things. Allah's boundaries are put in place to protect and optimize human life on earth - physically, psychologically and spiritually.

And, don't forget, socially.

It is the very definition of life, if you ask me, this notion of setting limits and drawing lines of demarcation.

Can you imagine a living cell - in human or animal tissue or in a plant - without a surrounding cell membrane or cell wall to delimit and guard its identity and ensure its wellbeing? If there are no cell membranes or cell wall, there will be no life on earth. Period. Not animal life; not plant life; not human life.

Am I right on that? I don't know. Why don't you ask your high school biology teacher and find out?

That is why Islam says, go, seek knowledge. Get an education that is. That means along with everything else you do or don't, and along with everything else you learn such as Qur'an, Hadith, Fiqh and everything else, go get yourself at least a high school diploma.

Learn the languages. Learn science. And learn math, which is as universal a language of Islam as any. And, from that point of view, as well as from a practical perspective, required of all Muslims. I mean math.

How can we call ourselves Muslims and not know not only Arabic, but also mathematics at the most rudimentary level? Explain that to me.

That means: You are a Muslim? Go to school. Regardless of who else does or does not do what. It is as simple as that.

Boundedness: Secret to Life on Earth

So, boundaries provide order and predictability to life. And life without boundaries is anarchy, confusion and chaos - and headed toward self-destruction. A boundary-less life is an anachronism and a virtual impossibility.

It is amoebic and pre-amoebic. It is little more than a blob. It is just a blotch on nature's wall. Even those have boundaries.

That means no shape; no form; no boundedness; no life.

That is why Allah calls Qur'an and Islam and the message of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallaam, the pathway to life itself. For, they teach you the secret to life on earth - and to life in the hereafter.

Here are the words of the Qur'an. Read them and enjoy them. And pass them around.

Istajeeboo lillahi wa lirrasooli idhaa da'aakum limaa yuhyeekum.

Paraphrase:
Respond to Allah and to the Rasul, Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, when he calls you to that which will give you life.

Also important is the nature of those boundaries. Human life sinks into tyranny when the boundaries are unfair, arbitrary and unduly restricting, just as life turns into a free-for-all fracas when boundaries are vague, ill defined or porous.

On the other hand when boundaries are fair, just, reasonable, meaningful, necessary, clearly defined and almost predictable - as Allah's boundaries are with regard to everything - they protect, enhance and enrich life.

They add the essential elements of zest, fun and excitement to life.

They provide security and add to human wellbeing. They reduce anxiety and uncertainty. And they optimize the experience of a tranquil, peaceful and truly meaningful life on earth for everybody.

And how much of a better world would we have built if we had only embraced and respected God's boundaries and steadfastly adhered to them!

A great many problems we experience in the world today are almost all a direct result of people disregarding and transgressing Allah's boundaries in one way or another. Are they not?

Imagine how much better our land, water and air would have been today if human beings had done a better job of respecting Allah's limits and directives - Hudoodullah - with regard to their consumption of energy; their discharge of pollutants in air and water; and their profligate and wasteful ways in general.

Hudoodullah would have saved countless animal and plant species from extinction. They would have saved our planet from global warming and impending peril. And they would have saved our global financial systems from bankruptcy and collapse.

And they would have kept our planet safe from all kinds of rapacious wars many of which were waged to feed and appease individual as well as collective excess, greed and aggressive tendencies in the hearts and minds of so many human beings around the world.

And how much of a better world our world would have been overall!

Divine Boundaries vs. Human Boundaries

Furthermore, human boundaries are for some, whereas Allah's boundaries are for all.

Human boundaries are generally meant to protect some people, and often their privileges, against encroachment by the many. Allah's boundaries, on the other hand, protect all human beings against all harm and evil. And often against their own worst nature as it were.

Human beings set up boundaries out of concern for their own claims, interests and possessions. Allah, on the other hand, sets up boundaries out of concern for the welfare of human beings - all human beings.

What a magnificent difference!

Allah's boundaries are there to protect people from what their creator knows will hurt and harm them and diminish the experience of life for them on this earth. Allah's boundaries, therefore, are part of the unfolding of Allah's Rahmat and love and mercy for his creation on his earth.

And it is a tremendous blessing from Almighty Allah that he defines his boundaries clearly and fairly. And that he openly warns human beings about them. Allah says in the Qur'an: "Those are Allah's boundaries, don't go near them."

Tilka hudoodullahi fa-laa taqrabooha!

What a Loving, Caring, Doting God!

What a loving, caring God - a most doting God, as I have described him elsewhere. Himself Rahmaan and Raheem. Sends his man Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, as Rahmat.

So, what else do you expect to come out from the source of all Rahmat if not Rahmat?

And not just for this or that chosen or privileged part of his creation but for all his worlds, whatever and wherever they may be and in whatever form and shape they may be.

Where is the surprise then if Rahmatal lil'aalameen is how God Almighty describes his messenger of love, peace, mercy and blessings? What else do you expect from the master of all the worlds - Rabbul 'Aalameen?

What a clear and powerful miracle, every Aayat of this Qur'an! How can an unlettered man, from an illiterate culture, sitting in a cave 1400 years ago, in a barren desert full of rock and sand, and an occasional palm tree, design a perfect equation like this?

Is this proof enough that this Qur'an is indeed from God Almighty? If it is not, then maybe you should work a bit more on learning the basics about the nature of proof in this world.

What Happens When We Break Allah's Boundaries

So, Allah created his boundaries - Hudoodullah - out of his immense and abiding concern for your wellbeing and not because he wanted to protect something that belonged to him or to take away all fun from your life.

Below is a partial list of all the terrible things that happen to us when we break Allah's boundaries. They are just a few of the problems that afflict human life today. Almost all of them are the product of human beings violating the boundaries of God Almighty on earth - Hudoodullah!

*A punctured ozone layer.
*Global warming.
*Air and water pollution and toxification.
*Many forms of cancer.
*Heart and lung diseases.
*Widespread poverty and hunger.
*Famine and growing water shortages.
*Drug and other harmful and dangerous substance abuse.
*Alcoholism and its widespread corrosive effects on human life, family, workplace, society and the world in general.
*Unsustainable weight gain and obesity in some parts of the world.
*AIDS and other killer diseases - what the Hadith calls Sayyi-il Asqaam.
*Wars, wars, even more wars and the devastation they cause.
*You cap all that with Allah's wrath and displeasure, you have a real disaster on your hands - in this world as well as in the next world.
How can we reverse the clock on many if not all of these problems? The answer: Hudoodullah!

That is the unfailing formula for building a better world. Respecting the laws and bounds of Allah in his creation.

Hudoodullah! is the answer to many of our problems.

You respect them, and Allah will respect you and give you a better life - both here in this world as well as after death in the next world.

Every Aayat of the Qur'an a Miracle



Governments of this world pursue, penalize and punish those who violate their boundaries: their laws and the legal boundaries they set up. God Almighty's government issues warning notices - and often lightly punishes in this world itself - those who persistently disregard his laws and violate his boundaries - hudoodullah.

God Almighty's forgiveness is great, his patience immense. But so is his wrath - and his punishment.

He says in the Qur'an:

Nabbi' ibaadee annee anal Ghafoorur Raheem. Wa anna 'adhaabee huwal 'adhaabul aleem.

Paraphrase:
Inform my slaves - (you and I and every other human being that is) - that I am indeed the most forgiving and the most merciful and loving, and that my punishment is indeed the most severe and painful punishment of all.

Now do we understand why after every Aayat - not verse, Muslims, Aayat - I feel like saying: Subhanallah, what a beautiful Aayat. What a miracle! Each single Aayat!

What a wonderful proof that this Qur'an can only be from Allah.

And now do we see why Allah himself refers to the passages of the Qur'an as Aayaat - miracles? And proofs? For, that is what they are - a miracle, each one of them.

And a standing proof each one of them that this Qur'an and this Deen and this prophet, Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, are all directly from Allah. And they could have emanated from anywhere else.

And that is what the Qur'an itself calls them - Aayaat: miracles.

Or proofs!

Versification of the Qur'an

Muslims, stop the poeticization of the Qur'an.

The Urdu-speaking Muslims did a great job when they retained that almost untranslatable expression Aayaat in their own language. Thus they kept the original divine expression intact and in the process enriched the Urdu language and culture.

English translators of the Qur'an - Allah bless them - on the other hand, got carried away by what the Biblical tradition and standard English usage handed them. And what the earlier non-Muslim translators of the Qur'an handed them.

They naively borrowed from the West the expression "verses" to describe what the Urdu and Farsi translators would often describe as Aayaat-e-Kareemah of the Qur'an.

This unfortunately resulted in the "versification" of the Qur'an in English, rather than in highlighting the miraculous nature of the Aayaat of the Qur'an and the enrichment of the English language and Western culture.



Islam, Thy Name Is Freedom!

And Islam, thy name is modernity. Even though I don't know what modernity really means and I have trouble with some of the key definitions and measures of that expression or concept.

But if one reasonable measure of this mythical concept of modernity is freedom for the human mind and spirit and the freedom of belief, conscience and expression that goes along with it, then, no other system has a greater claim to modernity than Islam.

And if modernity means the alacrity, resilience and resourcefulness of the human intellect to reinvent a new future of inquiry, achievement and freedom in every age, and the powerful theoretical framework that makes it all possible, then the teachings of Islam and the Qur'an have a near-lock on the concept of modernity.

In any case, those were their days. Those were the days of the former English translators of the Qur'an. And, may Allah bless them, the Muslim English translators of the Qur'an did their best in their own days and in their own ways.

Now these are our days.

Let us now forever change that expression "verse" to Aayat (or Aayah) and proceed to enrich the English language. A language that has now become mother tongue to entire new generations of Muslims in many parts of the world - and enrich Western culture that Allah has now made home to so many of us.

As some Muslim scholars - 'Ulamaa' - used to say a long, long time ago: Hoom rijaalun wa nahnu rijaal!

Subhanallah, what an expression! They were men, and we are men. They were people and so are we. That is what those Arabic words mean: Hoom rijaalun wa nahnu rijaal!

Meaning: They played their innings and left the wicket; we must play our innings now. They did their job and now it is we who must do our job. They were then; we are the ones now. Earlier, it was their turn; now, it is our turn.

That means other than to Allah and his beloved Rasul, Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, human beings cannot be in permanent thrall to any other mortal. They should respect their elders and their aslaaf - the blessed generations that came before them. But they should not blindly follow everything they did or uncritically accept everything they said.

What a message of intellectual freedom, human dignity and personal empowerment these great Ulamaa' (scholars) of Islam laid down in a few words - Hoom rijaalun wa nahnu rijaal.

Thank you Islam, for, thy name is freedom.

And thank you, God Almighty, for the blessing of Islam - and what a blessing it is indeed!

And thank you, great and sincere and selfless scholars (Ulamaa'), champions, advocates and defenders of Islam, for your service to God Almighty in heaven and to God's creation right here on earth. May Allah forgive your shortcomings and fill your graves with his beautiful light that floods heavens and earth!

Internal vs. External Boundaries

Let me talk a bit more about Allah's boundaries - Hudoodullah - before I move on. Not that I can do justice to a vast and important topic like this or in any sense really leave it behind. For this topic envelops every aspect of human life.

The first thing I want to point out is that in life there are boundaries and then there are boundaries. And among the most important boundaries to observe in life are the ones that lie within our own selves. Our own internal boundaries as it were. I am talking about all the checks and limitations that must exist within ourselves.

These are boundaries that are mostly determined by factors and considerations inside a person's head and heart - their spirits, minds and souls as it were. At the top of this list is the all-too-common human tendency to commit excess, aggression and then finally violence against others - especially against those over whom we may have a measure of power or control.

Avoiding Excess Even in War

As an antidote, Islam places a high premium on forgiveness, generosity, kindness and compassion. At the same time, Islam permits people to defend themselves when attacked by others.

But the interesting thing is the way in which Islam wants people to fight back.

Fight back without committing any excesses, says the Qur'an. And here is where and how the Qur'an says it:

Qaatiloo fee sabeelillahilladheena yuqaatiloonakum wa laa ta'tadoo.

And here is a paraphrase of that magnificent aayat - in several parts:

1. First of all, you are forced to defend yourself because someone else started the fight. So, what viable option do you have now but to fight those who fight you?

2. Even in the most defensive of situations make sure you are fighting purely for God's sake and in his path - and not for the sake of your own name, fame, power, gain, wealth and passions.

3. That means fight those who fight you, but do so for the sake of justice, fairness, equality and opportunity for all and not just for your own favored few. For, that is what it means to fight in the name of and for the sake of and in the path of God.

4. That means don't fight to conquer, control, dominate, subordinate, exploit, humiliate, plunder or exterminate others but to liberate, elevate, empower everyone.

5. That means, while some others may fight in the name of king, country, tribe, color, race, religion, political party, pet cause, personal ego, vengeance, hate, mercenary gain or some other selfish reason, and perpetrate all kinds of atrocities along the way, make sure your fight - even when you are only defending yourself against those who fight you - is always for a higher, nobler and more just, equal, humane and inclusive cause and undertaken in the most civilized and compassionate way.

6. So, according to this formulation, even the most defensive wars by those who believe in God must be fought in the most humane, civilized and compassionate manner, setting the stage for the Geneva Conventions, preparing the world for them and taking them to a whole new level, which the world has not been able to reach to this day.

7. And finally - how can anyone say "finally" when they are talking about an Aayat of the Qur'an? - even when you are only fighting those who fight you, and you are doing it for the sake of and in the name and path of God and for the highest goals and purposes, you should not commit excesses and transgressions and atrocities of any kind.

If all this is not proof that the Qur'an is from God Almighty - and Islam is directly from the creator of the universe himself - what is?

Proportionality Is Us

Nothing proves this fact more than the notion of proportionality that the Qur'an advocates so vigorously. How can I explain this to non-Urdu speakers?

There is a beautiful expression in Urdu - and Urdu is an incredibly beautiful language, just like Farsi - which says "Had say badhjaanaa," which means going beyond the limit; crossing the boundary; committing an excess; or doing too much of something generally negative or bad.

Such is often the common human tendency: getting carried away, going overboard and trying to do too much.

Islam is extremely vigilant in warning human beings against their own propensity to excess, whether it is with regard to business or worship or personal life, and whether it pertains to this world or the next world. For, in all things human, humans would inevitably tend to exceed the limit in one direction or another if given a chance.

That is human nature.

That is why God Almighty - in Islam - wields a firm scale and makes proportionality a requirement in all human affairs. And he does so in the most clear, specific and unambiguous terms. So much so that when it comes to the question of proportionality in human conduct, we can very easily say: Proportionality Is Us!

We invented the whole game of proportionality. We wrote the book on it. We hold the patent on it.

For example, how are those people supposed to respond who may be subjected to some wrong - those against whom aggression, excess or violence may have been perpetrated by some others?

Are such aggrieved people allowed to respond in kind? Can they exchange blow for blow? And if they can, how exactly are they supposed to do it?

When and where do they stop?

Or are they supposed to completely wipe out and obliterate the wrongdoers - those who started the fight as it were? Those who initiated the aggression and committed the first acts of excess?

Two Miraculous Aayats in the Qur'an: Out of All the Others

You know what I say at every opportunity I get, right? Every Aayat of the Qur'an is a miracle? It is a proof about the fact that this Qur'an is and can only be from God.

But listen to the Qur'an on the subject of proportionality and tell me how much clearer it can possibly get. And who, if not Allah, can conceivably promulgate a formula like this for the human species that he created and let lose on earth?

And that too 1400 years ago, on this earth?

These are the same humans about whom the angels had argued that they would cause mischief and corruption on earth and shed bloods? Yes, that is right. The Qur'an does use the plural "bloods"?

The Qur'an says, Dimaa', which is plural, instead of Dam, which is singular for blood.

(1) The first of the two Aayats I have in mind is the one that I quoted above:

Qaatiloo fee sabeelillahil-ladheena yuqatiloonakum wa laa ta'tadoo.

Paraphrase:
Fight those who fight you, but do not commit aggression or excess and observe limits.

(2) And the second Aayat is:

Wa in 'aaqabtum fa-'aaqiboo bi-mithli maa 'ooqibtum bihi.

Paraphrase:
And if you were to punish, do so in proportion to the wrong that was done to you.

How can human minds come up with a formula like that? And how can human temperaments, steeped in greed, deceit, arrogance and selfishness as they are, accept such a foolproof recipe for universal peace and justice?

And that too 1400 years ago, on this earth, and among some of the most barbaric and bloodthirsty people in the world.

And here is a combined paraphrase of the two Aayats I just quoted:

1. Fight in the path of God those who fight you but do not commit excess or cross the bounds.

2. And if you were to inflict harm on some people in response to the harm they did to you, then make sure it is proportional to the harm to which you yourselves were subjected by them.

Which part of which one of these two Aayats requires a commentary or an explanation? And where is extremism in all this?
In fact, have you ever seen a more iron-clad teaching or guarantee against extremism anywhere in any culture, tradition or political document of any kind?

Associating Islam with Extremism

Therefore, associating Islam with extremism is as foolish as practicing extremism in the name of Islam. There are no ifs or buts about the utter foolishness and falsehood of either one of them.

Yet, why do some people associate Islam with extremism? Answers are not hard to find. Some people do it because they don't know better. And there are two reasons for their ignorance.

(1) One, Muslims never bothered to communicate the right picture of Islam to them. Or did an extremely poor job of it.

(2) Two, because these other folks themselves never bothered to find out the real facts about Islam.

(3) There is a third reason too: Muslims, no matter what they may or may not preach, are in many ways such awful role models and such poor practical examples of much of what Islam really stands for. This in turn affects Muslim credibility in general.

So, what should the Muslims do to remedy the situation? At least two things:

(a) That means Muslims need to do a better job of informing people about the real teachings of Islam.

(b) At the same time, Muslims must also do a better job of putting into practice what they say they believe in.

(c) Another thing Muslims need to do is learn more about Islam and understand its teachings better, which brings me to the fourth thing Muslims need to do.

(d) Understand much better than they do now the world in which they live, for, without a proper understanding of the world, it is not possible to either understand Islam or to practice it properly and effectively.

Propaganda: Knowingly Mixing Truth with Falsehood to Cover Up Truth

Some other people associate Islam with extremism, not out of ignorance or misunderstanding, but with full knowledge and understanding of what they are doing. They know what they are saying is wrong but they go ahead and say it anyway.

That is because their purpose is propaganda - turning truth into falsehood and falsehood into truth.

Qur'an defines this diabolical game of propaganda that some people, nations, groups, organizations and institutions play in a most amazing and insightful manner. Hear the Qur'an say it:

Lima talbisoonal haqqa bil baatili wa taktumoonal haqqa wa antum ta'alamoon.

Paraphrase:

Why do you mix truth with falsehood and cover up the truth - knowingly?

So, there you have it. How I wish some of us Muslims had gone to school and learned not only about what we think is Islam but also about how Allah's world works. For, without knowing how the world works you can neither know Islam nor practice it.

In Allah's real world these folks know only too well what they do. And that is to give Islam a bad name deliberately. And they don't much care how they do it. I mean many of the folks who associate Islam with extremism.

That means in general these people are motivated by considerations of political, religious, personal and economic gain for themselves and for their respective groups. And they are out to paint Islam and Muslims in the worst colors so that they can take political, economic, religious, personal and military advantage of them.

To many of these people, giving Islam - and Muslims - a bad name is simply a means of pursuing political, military, religious, personal and economic power, wealth and influence. Such people don't care for truth and they are not bothered by morality, honesty or integrity. And they have no qualms or inhibitions about tarnishing and defiling the good name of Islam - and Muslims - using any means at their disposal.
To them all that matters is to win and they don't care how they do it.

Muslims need to expose this evil propaganda and continue to present Islam to the world in the most proper and positive manner. Just as the Qur'an requires them to do: Wa jaadilhoom billatee hiya ahsan - counter them with a better strategy and a more effective and superior and nicer set of techniques.

A Bit of Context to the Proportionality Doctrine

Let me provide a bit of context to the Aayats of proportionality that makes them even more poignant. Don't forget, the first addressees of this miraculous message of proportionality were the free, fearless and independent tribes of Arabia who lived a life of anything but proportionality.

When someone bothered them, they bothered those people who bothered them and their entire tribe many times over. When someone killed one of theirs, they killed a hundred of the other side. Unending revenge was their way of life.

Incessant and ongoing retaliation was the fuel that fired their life.

Listen to what one of their poets had to say on the subject - knowing of course what a critical role poets and poetry often played in their lives and culture:

A-laa laa yajhalan ahadun 'alainaa. Fa-najhala faowqa jahlil jaahileena.

Paraphrase:
Don't let anyone behave arrogantly toward us, lest we behave even more arrogantly than all the arrogant people in the world.

What a wild, free - pure - and indomitable people these pre-Islamic Arabian tribes were!

It was this raw material of utter indomitability that Islam took and converted into the soft, gentle and yet immensely tough and powerful dynamo that changed the world and at the same time set new standards of fairness, compassion and equality for humanity. Standards that the rest of the world is to this day struggling to rival or emulate.

Some More Context to the Proportionality Doctrine

There is more context to these Aayats of proportionality. The early Muslims who were being told to observe moderation and proportionality while defending themselves were the same people who had been subjected to the worst atrocities, brutalities and excesses by their enemies continually for more than 13 years.

During this entire period of persecution, the Muslims were repeatedly told not to resist or take any defensive action. They were told to simply accept their persecution at the hands of their enemies and have faith and patience. The Muslims were told to take the enemy onslaught on the chin and not retaliate or defend themselves - or flinch.

What a superhuman test of human endurance and greatness this was. And what an amazing training this was in discipline, self-control and dedication to their mission and to the supreme code of conduct the fulfillment of that mission would require from them in the future.

The responsibility of changing a greedy and selfish world into a more just, compassionate, fair and noble one would require nothing less.

It is these same people who were now being given permission to fight back in self-defense. And it is these same people whose hands were still being tied with the warning that they should observe proportionality even when defending themselves after a sustained persecution of 13 long years.

Now that adds a whole new dimension to the concept of proportionality.

And to the notion of Allah's boundaries - Hudoodullah.

After knowing and realizing all this, what would anyone say who has any sense of fairness, decency and integrity except perhaps: Thank you Islam, for, thy name is moderation, compassion and proportionality!

As for extremism, it has absolutely, positively nothing to do with Islam.

Not in so-called "religious" matters such as prayer, fasting or pilgrimage. Not in so-called "secular" matters such as war, business or politics. In fact, whatever it is you think, say or do, if it is extreme, it is not Islam?

Got a better deal, anyone?

Allahu Akbar!

[bluemoon]

wa'alaikum salam
jazak ALLAH .. sooper dooper sharing
khush rahen

[*Muskaan*]

Asslaam Alaikum

Thank you all for visiting..
Looking forward for your sharings too...
JazakAllah Khair

@ M@hi.. Great sharings MashAllah..

May Alla(swt) bless us all, guide us in practising everything in Islam as guided .. and May Allah(swt) be pleased with us always..ameen

[life.]

Jazak Allah ...............

[Lost Passenger]

Buhat khobsurat intikhab Mahi, Jitni bhi tareef ki jaye kam hey
ek tu Harun yahya ki tehreer buhat ghazab ki hoti hey aur
phir Allah k hawaley se tu unhoo'n ne kai kutub likhi hai'n,Mairey pas
bhi un ki kai kutub hai'n,Allah tumhai'n jaza-e-khair ata fermaye
aur hamaisha salamti k sath apni aman mai'n rakhey,Ameen

[JANAT KI TALASH]

Buhat khobsurat intikhab Mahi, Jitni bhi tareef ki jaye kam hey
ek tu Harun yahya ki tehreer buhat ghazab ki hoti hey aur
phir Allah k hawaley se tu unhoo'n ne kai kutub likhi hai'n,Mairey pas
bhi un ki kai kutub hai'n,Allah tumhai'n jaza-e-khair ata fermaye
aur hamaisha salamti k sath apni aman mai'n rakhey,Ameen

JAZAK ALLAH khair !!

Sum Ameen !!
Buhat Khush rahiye