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BaKhabar  Download pdf
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Moderation and Extremism, Part-2 … By Shakeel Ashraf <sashraf1966@yahoo.com> Part-1 of the article is available here (click) Community of middle way: [Quran 2:143: And it is thus that We appointed you to be the community of the middle way (ummat wasat) so that you might be witnesses to all mankind and the Messenger might be a witness to you.]  This is the declaration of the leadership of the Muslim Community - a righteous and noble community, which must not go beyond proper limits, but follow the middle course and must deal out justice evenly to the nations of the world as an impartial judge, and must base all its relations with other nations on truth and justice. The meaning of "We have appointed you as ummat wasat so that you may be witnesses in regard to mankind and the Messenger may be a witness in regard to you" is: On the Judgement Day when all mankind will be called to account together, the Messenger, as Our authorized representative, will give evidence in regard to you to prove that he had imparted to you, by word and by deed, without any reservation, the whole teaching of sound thought, righteous deed and justice given by Us. Then you, being representatives of the Messenger, in your turn, will be required to give evidence to prove that you had done your utmost to impart, by word and deed, to mankind whatever the Messenger had imparted to you just as you had received it from the Messenger. Quranic classification of Muslims: [Quran 35:32: Then We made those people heirs of this Book, whom We chose (for this inheritance) from among Our servants; now someone of them is being unjust to his own self, and someone following a middle course, and someone excelling in good deeds by Allah's leave. This is the supreme bounty.] According to the above verse, the Muslims, who have been sorted out from all mankind so that they may become heirs to the Book of Allah, and convey its message to others after the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Though this Book has been presented before all human beings, those who accepted it in the first instance were chosen for the honor to become heirs to a great Book like the Qur'an and the trustees of the teaching and guidance imparted by a great Messenger like the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). All these Muslims are not alike but are divided into three classes: (1) Those unjust to themselves: They are those who believe sincerely and honestly that the Qur'an is the Book of Allah and Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) the Messenger of Allah, but in practical life do not fully follow the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. They are believers but sinful; culprits but not rebellious; weak of faith but not hypocritical and unbelieving at heart. Therefore, although they are Šunjust to themselves," they have been included among the chosen servants of God and among the heirs to the Book; otherwise, obviously the rebels and the hypocrites and the unbelieving people could not be so treated and honored. This class of the believers have been mentioned first of All because they are most numerous among the Muslims. (2) Those following the middle course: They are the people who fulfill the obligations of this inheritance to some extent but not fully. They are obedient as well as erring. They have not left their self altogether free but try as best as they can to turn it to God's obedience; however, at times they give it undue freedom and become involved in sin. Thus, their life becomes a combination of both the good and the evil actions. They are less numerous than the first group but more than the third; that is why they have been mentioned second. (3) Those excelling in good deeds: They are the people of the first rank among the heirs to the Book, and they are the ones who are doing full justice to the inheritance. They are in the forefront in following and adhering to the Book and the Sunnah; in conveying the message of God to His servants, in offering the sacrifices for the sake of the true Faith, and in every pious and good work. They arc not the ones who would commit a sin deliberately, but if they happened to commit a sin inadvertently, they would be filled with remorse as soon as they became conscious of it. They are less numerous than the people of the first two groups, and therefore, have been mentioned last, although they merit the first place in the matter of doing justice to the heritage of the Book of Allah. Conservative, moderate and liberal: Recently in a discussion a participant described that Muslims are divide in three categories namely conservatives, moderates and liberals and are sitting at three different poles of a triangle. He considered the ‘moderates’ as true followers of Islam. Do we see any similarity here with Quranic classification? Who is conservative? Is he unjust to himself, or he is a follower of middle course or he is the one excelling in good deeds? Similarly who is moderate and who is liberal? Real moderate? In all our prayers five times a day while reciting surah fatiha we ask Allah, “show us the right way, the way of those You have favored, who did not incur Your wrath, who are not astray”. ‘Serat e Mustaqeem’ is not just a thin straight line on a drawing. It is a broad highway that can lead man to eternal success. Alas, conservatives try to narrow it to the size of their mean understanding and liberals think the verbal recitation of kalm-e-shahdat has put them on an expressway of limitless width. There are others who think being complacent to their religion is moderation and one who is devout and steadfast is conservative. Real moderate is not the one who is carried away with prevalence and contemporariness of life but the one who after adopting the right way excels in good deeds with sincere intention to please his Lord. Limits prescribed by Allah are not to curtail material progress of mankind but it is to protect the mankind from its harms. [By the Time! Man is surely in loss, except those who believed and did good works, and exhorted one another to Truth, and exhorted one another to patience. Surah Al Asr]. |
The
Paradoxes Of Faith ...
 This Poem is a tribute to the 45 Shia Muslims killed in a bomb blast in Karachi on March 04, 2013. Also it is a sarcastic assessment of our regressive and turbulent mentality “The Silent resonance of sobs and laments, Antiquated are tales of our constant torment O Allah! Be thou witness of our plight In killing Muslims, Muslims conceive delight” “What is our fault? Do divine legislations take Summersaults?” “Such savage and belittling treatment, Just because we are Shia? Alas! What is the remedy of our panacea?” “My home plundered, my comrades killed, A grotesque formula By the one who claims La Ilaha Illallah” “Wandering in selfish contumacy, In earnest need of divine succor The Ummah is trembling, akin a ship in a stormy sea, Without captain and rudder” “A bootless stance, constant sectarian strife, Black has become the shade of my life, My son was killed, my daughter maimed in blasts in the neighbourhood ***The Quran affirms “The believers are but a single brotherhood”*** “The air is cold, future bleak and atmosphere scratchy, I ve witnessed Karbala in Kabul and Karachi, Know that! The feverish prayers of an innocent soul will never go unheard The silent soul, whom you mercilessly butchered”  “Eternal is the law of God, Justice is its name, Far removed from the worldly chalices of playing the blame game, Fain are your prayers, your charity and fasts are buried in vanity, ***One who slays an innocent soul, slays the whole of humanity”*** “O Muslims, unjust is your proposition, Irrational to evident exposition” **“You have forfeited the innate essence of the pristine faith** Arguing over caps and beard is your token of belief, Unheralded are islamic values of Forbearance, benevolence and simplicity, A matter of intense grief” “Berift is your conscience of sagacity, Rather than unifying the Ummah, you strive to spread discord and animosity The need of the hour is, To eschew our mutual differences with immediate affect, ***To hold fast to the rope of God and not to create sects”*** “My eyes have visualized a dream That the dominance of Islam extends over the globe, And the legislation of Allah reigns supreme Wherein Islam is the Institution, And Quran is the Constitution” “Enjoining good, forbidding evil, Striking at the roots of all beliefs medieval I rest my case With an ardent desire that “The world might be a better place” Notes: 1. “The Believers are but a single brotherhood” "The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy." Quran 49:10 2. “One who slays an innocent soul, slays the whole of humanity” He who kills a soul unless it be (in legal punishment) for murder or for causing disorder and corruption on the earth will be as if he had killed all humankind; and he who saves a life will be as if he had saved the lives of all humankind. Quran 5:32 3. “To hold fast to the rope of God and not to create sects” And hold fast all together to the rope of God, and never be divided. Remember God's favor upon you: you were once enemies, and He reconciled your hearts so that through His favor, you became like brothers. Quran 3:103 4. “To enjoin good and forbid evil” (O Community of Muhammad!) You are the best community ever brought forth for (the good of) humankind, enjoining and promoting what is right and good, and forbidding and trying to prevent evil, and (this you do because) you believe in God. Quran 3:110.   |
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