Better light a candle than curse the darkness

ISSN 2319-4049

http://bakhabar.biharanjuman.org/

Be Aware, Always, Everywhere

Volume 5, Issue 12, December 2012

He who sleeps on a full stomach whilst his neighbour goes hungry is not one of us. (Prophet Muhammad)

"If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich." ~ John F. Kennedy

"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children. Mohandas K. Gandhi,

"No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.,Emma Goldman, author

Editorial
Long live Gaza! The last month has been so eventful that I really dont know where to begin from or how to end this little piece called edit for December. Amid all the darkness of wanton wars, fascist funerals and hurried hangings , I think ,I will choose the easiest subject to hammer upon. The heart crushing Gaza massacre may not come as a surprise to many , but shocking, is the nonchalance with which the world has accepted this truce after the murder of more or around one hundred and fifty Palestinians. Israel can never call this murder, a defence of its land; as this land belongs to Palestine, Noam Chomsky, one of the most influential voices on this issue, tells us . The murder at Gaza is best described by Tom Plastow, Gaza is about 25 miles long and 5 miles wide .Its population is 1.6million people, and nearly half of those are children. Their food water and energy supply are all controlled by Israel. This is not a war. This is shooting fish in a barrel. The slaughter of innocent Palestinians is heinous enough but more monstrous is the silence of the world and our so called Muslim leaders. It is sinister. But another powerful voice of Uri Avnery, comforts, A draw between tiny Gaza and powerful Israel means victory for Gaza. Long live Gaza! Berating Israel comes easier to me, than say near home, where people are arrested for Face book posts and for clicking the like button , and where our free media chokes us with its tiring tirades about natural deaths and unnatural corruptions. I love Malcolm X, when he expounds something like this, If you are not careful the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Fortunate was Malcolm with the big X, that he didnt live in our times of 24 hour news television and more fortunate as he didnt have to put up with the likes of Arnab Goswamis ! [Last I heard Arnab was being nominated for Anchor of the Year Award, for keeping mum for one long second! ] Our media too makes it harder for us to tell fact from fiction and we are left helpless plus hopeless, when from fiction it turns to sheer propaganda. The distortion by media is so horrendous that recently some students told Glasgow university researchers that they believed that Palestinians are the very illegal colonizers of their own land! But empty protests and Facebook updates for Palestine [ or for that matter any other cause ]would not yield much.The Oxpal Project ,[for more info on it please visit, http:// www.medicineafrica.com/node/23] started by an Oxford student ,utilizes its talents to provide quality medical training to the Palestinians. They do this most noble work through online training and a yearly on -ground course in Palestine. What a wonderful way to protest! If you really wish to help a cause, contribute through your work, work for extra hours or save money on those extra luxurious Samsungs and apps , and pay for the food or education of the oppressed. This should be how we should protest. Before signing off, I need to tell you this. We must remember there may be many defeats but WE are not defeated. Peace upon you. Ms.Asma Anjum Khan

Letter to Editor
Dear Editors, I am a member of Biharanjuman and an irregular reader of BAKHABAR. I praise the team of BAKHABAR for their efforts and make DUA from Allah to reward you in both world, aameen! On page- 3 of BAKHABAR, edition, Nov 2012, There are 7 suggestions- Donts after a meal; what are sources for these suggestions. I feel being a science student, one should always quote/cite the source, it not only makes the article, but broadly magazine also more authentic and acceptable. If the suggestions come from citation sources, readers also can inform/share with another person, increases the reward for all of us. PS: on few pages, I find two words collapsed together, no space between them. For an example, on page 2, under Myth title; one paragraph, "So it is illogical to say Vegetarian food makes a person calm andmeat does otherwise". Please forgive me if it hurts you. Regards, Jamil

Beautiful Library

Bakhabar

Khabron ki Khabar

Praise
Seraj Akram Bal Thackrey ko rajkiye samman diya gaya Marne ke baad bhi uski dadagiri qayem rahi, aur ab shivsainki shivaji park me uski samadhi banane par adig Israel ne 100 se zyadah beqasur phalastinion ka qatl kar diya. aur puri dunia ke muslim bare zauq se tamasha dekhte rahe aur begairat ki tarah duniya se aage aana ka fazul darkhast karte rahe. Congress ke khilaf badunwani ke dharna me BJP ke sadar maujud nahi honge. itni to sharm baqi he BJP me shayed ke bharastachar ke khilaf apne bharastachari sadar ko samne kaise laye... Assam ke muslim abhi bhi pareshan haal lekin sarkaar aaj bhi unki pareshani dur karne ko sanjidah nahi, sir kuch tanzeemon ki madad se unke masayel ka permanent hal kaise ho payega. Modi ne 3D techniques se ek sath 4 jagah par bhasan diya yahi technique aur media ka asar he ke aam janta itne bare communal ko PM banane ki bat kar raha he. Misr me train aur bus takker me 50 se zyadah bache maare gaye jab samaj me mahual hi laparwahi ka ho jaye to aise hi qimti janayn zaya hoti hain. Sharab ke businessman Ponty chaddha aur uske bhai ka aapsi ranjish me qatl jab insaan ki kamayi galat dhang se hot uska anjam bhi bura hota he. kuch hi salon ke andar Ponty Chadha ne siasatdano ke sath milkar 25000 crore ka business phaila liya aur siasatdano ne kitna kamaya us par se parda hatna baqi. Bihar ke Ranjit Sinha CBI ke naye director Director badalne se zyadah CBI ke kam ka tariqa badalna zaruri he taaki aam janta ka bharosa qayem rahe. pahli bar ek muslim IB ke chief bane ek muslim ke liye kisi muslim ka koi post pa lene se zyadah zaruri he uske sath insaf ho har kam me. Musalmano ki media se shikayat jari lekin amli kuch karne ki maazuri bhi barqarar Misr me naye sadar Mursi ke khilaf julus aur jab Husni Mubarak pure misr ko loot raha tha to puri khamoshi thi... Bakhabar
Muhammad Tariq Ghazi, based in Ottawa, Canada, is a veteran journalist and historian. He has been editor of several Urdu and English newspapers and journals published from India and Saudi Arabia. He is author of 'The Cartoons Cry', a book on the blasphemous Danish cartoons. He can be contacted at tariqghazi04@yahoo.ca Asma Bibi, No. We should not praise anyone this profusely. In Tasawwuf, great Sufya oppose, rather abhor, such practices. Praise Allah. He deserves all praise so much that He opens His Book with His own praise. That is how He teaches us mortals to extol the Eternal. Now why Sufya dislike such practice is a point to ponder. Have you ever thought about it? Perhaps not. So let us go on a backward time-lapse journey. You know who was Namrud, or Firawn, and the like. They were ordinary men like us, but then we are told that they claimed to be gods. Why? Has it ever occurred to you why did they make such unintelligent declaration, demanding people to worship them? Lets try to find an answer. Those men must have done something significant for their people. Something that ordinary people might not think of. So the people must have started praising them praising day and night, praising in their presence, in their absence, in the company of others. Ultimately such profuse praise made them believe they were not only superior but exercised supernatural power. Hence arrogance. Hence self-deification. Hence condemnation of undue praise of human beings by true Sufya, whose objective is nothing but to constantly reminding The Self of its real worth, rather worthlessness, in the vast immeasurable Universe. To appreciate its vastness, look at our Sun. And then know that here are suns as big as millions of our whole Solar Systems, which is nothing more than a hint of a pin-point on a football. Now think of the weight and value of humans in a smallish planet called Earth that is as big as a green-pea if the Solar System is reduced on scale with The Sun as large as an orange! Here I am not minimizing the status of Man Adam and Eve and their progeny. They are praised by Allah, but we must also know ourselves. Now, if Earth is just a green-pea, think about the more than six billionstrong humanity, and about just one man, me, lost namelessly in those more than six billion humans! Know thyself. That you can do by knowing your Self, realizing your talent: divine gifts of intelligence, understanding, wisdom, thought, expression that have been given to you by your Creator. Whether you know your Self or not is decided by your work, your contribution to society, to collective human knowledge and wisdom and heritage regardless of someone acknowledging it or just ignoring it. If you are satisfied, rest assured you have recognized your Self. That is your reward. And it is not a mean reward. Muhammad Tariq Ghazi <tariqghazi04@yahoo.ca> Ottawa, Canada Tuesday 30 October 2012

Corner
In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Vegetable Hawkers left their carts unattended during Esha (Night) prayer time, without any fear of Theft or Robbery. There are various reasons for this, one of these reasons is; majority of them are God-fearing (probably minority are not). And Saudi Law is strict against Robbery and Theft if criminal is trialed. With the implementation of least part of Shariah law, even people who do menial jobs have security and peace; imagine what kind of peace and security we get with the implementation of Shariah Law across the globe.

Zahacks

Its really strange to share this and this thought makes my faith stronger in ALLAH, that how ALLAH sets up plans though we go through hard-ships in life. 9 years ago, after doing my Engineering entrance exam, my course material was left at home, so I thought of selling it and getting some vegetable oil home (as w e w er e n o t financially that sound). So I told one of my friends that I want to sell my Physics and Chemistry course material; he then had me met a person who wanted to buy those books for his sisters Medical entrance examination. However, I sold it for 50 Rs/- and purchased some edible oil and took it home. Today, I came to know that the sister of that person, who took those books, is MY WIFE who just used those books as a reference course material besides actual syllabus. We dont know how life takes turns and how best of the best plans ALLAH makes for you.

The atrocities of people of Israel from the day-1 itself have surpassed all other atrocities. That is the reason, soon after Jesus arrival, even non-living things like Rocks and Trees will speak out to get rid of Israelites; and the Earth shall seek purity with their extinction. Killing in the name of self-defense is fun to them. For them, everyone who is a Gentile is ought to be killed. They troubled Moses, wanted to crucify Jesus (but ALLAH took him up alive), fought many Apostles of ALLAH and betrayed Mohammed (peace be upon him) many times. And that is the major reason they are referred as Maghdhoob Alaihim (those who earned Anger of God). My words may seem Racist, but I am compelled to speak against those Racists who feel killing is Virtue.

Human Rights Groups and Organizations always raise their voice once the game is over; I remember old Hindi movies where the Police would arrive at the end. If Human Rights Groups really care for lives of i n n o c e n t people, then they can urge t h o s e Governments who in frin ge the basic Human Rights Laws. However, they don't do it when the murder takes place. But, it's always seen they come into picture for formality sake, once the butchering, murder and massacre like that of Iraqis, Burmese and Palestinians is over completely.

Bakhabar

Corner
We have known some wonderful people in Madina, who sold their houses, closed their well-established businesses and left everything in their home countries, simply to settle down with their families in the blessed city of Madina. What a great sacrifice it is!! By ALLAH, when we see them now, they are the most happiest, blessed and content people living on earth who have no comparis o n . Madina is m o s t blessed, i t s climate is blessed, its people a r e blessed. Because the ultimate man on planet 'Prophet MOHAMMED (peace be upon him)' lived here.

Zahacks

A person next to my door never comes to Masjid for praying though Masjids in Saudi Arabia are easily at stone throw-away distance, and sleeps late in the morning without praying even Fajr (Dawn) prayers every day. Despite repeatedly telling he never pays heed. But, I saw him today going to office around 6:30 am, without doing Fajr prayers; upon asking of why he was going so early to office, he s aid his employer would deduct salary for late attendance in office. A person gets disturbed if his salary gets deducted for coming late and rushes to office to reach in time, come what may. But he never gets disturbed if a Salah (Prayer) is missed; he never thanks ALLAH who feeds him, gives him clothing, takes care of him, and helps him through thick and thin. Indeed, how ungrateful is Man.

When most people know you and recognize you, honor and respect you, an edifice of your persona is built within yourself. But at times, when other people dont recognize you or ignore you or talk to you in a way to keep you at a bay, your persona is hurt and you feel disdained. Many times, you even feel disrespected performing low-profile work thinking that can muddle your personality. However, this is a blessing in disguise, which makes you balanced, humble and instills humility; moreover it helps you crush your Ego, which may lead to haughty attitude in future possibly. 2nd Caliph Omar Ibn Khataab (RA) was attending a meeting with some delegates who came to see him; he being Khalifah stood up and helped himself to get some water from Pot, when asked he said this is how we can crush our Ego which slightly creeps in. Today most of the problems arise due to Ego-issues which can be solved by being humble and soft-natured.

We spend almost 20-25 years in academic studies to enjoy the coming 25-30 years luxuriously; however the late working hours, work-pressure, over-time work, 9-10 hours a day, all to make the remaining days of life independent and hassle-free. Finally, when a person reaches 60 or 70, his last abode will be grave. When we spend almost 80-90% of life to make 10% of our life hassle-free, and most of us even think that well become pious and good once we reach that 10% part of our life. Why not recognize its value now? Remember death keeps no calendar; why not spend the whole 60 or 70 years in the remembrance and obedience of ALLAH along with w o r l d l y responsibilities to enjoy the ever-lasting hassle-free life in Here-after?

Bakhabar

Har

Mirch Seraj Akram

OUR JOURNEY TO THE DAY OF RESURRECTION

Gheyas S Mahfoz Hashmi, Jeddah (hgheyas@albatool.com.sa) Continued from previous issue

PART-XVII

is bar bhi Muharam pure rewayati tariqe se manaya gaya...lekin logo ko is ke gahrayi me jane ki fursat nahi ke aakhir is Muharram ne har muslim ko burai ke khilaf larne ka jo sabaq diya he us par kitna amal ho raha he. 2014 me election ki tayyari shrou, sabhi partiyan apne apne mansuba me mashgul, aur muslim dusro ke mansube aur unki chikni baton ek tohfe ke intezar me ...halat ki nazaqat ko dekhte hue kya muslim ko bhi apne dhang se abhi se mansuba bandi aur hikmat amli par kam shrou nahi kar dena chahie? jab sabkuch dusre hi karengay to p h i r i s q a u m ko h a q k a u n dega...baad me pashemandig se behtar nahi ke aage barhakar apne mufad ki hifazat ki jaye... Islam me sadqa jaria par khas zor diya gaya he, pair lagana, school, madarsa kholna aur koi bhi kar-ekhair ke kam ki bari fazilat bayan ki gayi he, agar in kamo ka itna ajr he to duniya me insan ki bhalayi ke liye nayi ijad karne ka kitna sawab hoga, lekin is kam me Muslim itna pichhe kyon? Muslim kaam kam aur shor zyadah kyon karte hain. kya unki zehni gahrai kam ho gai he ya khaloos ki kami he. Masjid ka sahi istemal karna kya ek aham mauzoo nahi he? phir ham is par dhyan kyon nahi dete?

In last issue I have put a write-up about Bidt. Readers may have different opinion on articles but if the opinion is based on knowledge, both are beneficial of it. However, job of Dayi is not to heed towards public reaction but he has to continue conveying message of Allah knowledgably, wisely and professionally. Now we are resuming our account on Houd-e-Kauther. Every prophet will have his own Houd but Kauther will have its own distinction as the nation of the prophet (S) has its own plus-point. Our prophet (S) will be first to be there to welcome his nation. He will be in the middle. His nation will drink it as much as they can. It is said that its length will be from Abla (Israel) or Amman (Jordan) to Aden or Sana (Yemen), and its width from Abla to Al-Juhfa (KSA-Miqat of AhleSham). From this some have perceived that the Red Sea may be converted into Houd-e-Kauther (Tahfeem-ul-Quran). Our prophet (S) had seen this Houd during his Meraj journey. Concerning its water, there are several reporting. Its water is whiter than milk, sweeter than honey and more fragrant than Mushk. The believers will be saturated with its water in so much so that they will never be thirsty, and the one who is deprived of it will never be saturated. Here are some more reporting about Houd-e-Kauther The Prophet (s) said: Do you know what the Kauther is? We said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (S) said: It is a river which my Lord, the Exalted and Glorious, has promised me, and there is an abundance of good in it. My people would come to it on the Day of Resurrection and its cups would be equal to the number of stars. A servant would be turned away from (among the people gathered there). Upon this I would say: My Lord, he is one of my people, and He (the Lord) would say: You do not know what he had innovated new things (in Islam) after you. (Muslim Shariff) The Prophet (S) said: The Kauther is a river which has been given to your prophet on the banks of which there are (tents of) hollow pearls and its utensils are as numerous as the stars (Bukhari Shariff). Addressing an assembly of the Ansar, the Prophet (s) once said: After me you will meet with selfishness and nepotism, endure it patiently until you meet me at the Fountain (Bukhari Shariff) It is said that the water supplied to fill Houd-e-Kauther is from the river in paradise named Al-Kauther. So there are three things: Abundant good, Tank and River, all are called as Al-Kauther. (Fath Al-Bari). to be continued, Allah willing.

"True evangelical faith, cannot lie dormant, it clothes the naked, it feeds the hungry, it comforts the sorrowful, it shelters the destitute, it serves those that harm it, it binds up that which is wounded, it has become all things to all creatures." ~ Menno Simons, Founder of the Mennonites

Bakhabar

The world must follow Prophet Muhammad to achieve success and salvation! . By MuQeet
Ever since the release of the latest dirty video on our Prophet (PBUH), I was thinking to write on the historical reason behind mockery and the hate campaign. The question why Islam and its Prophet is always under attack by some groups of people has just one word answer: Jealousy! Read on.. The Jews and Christians were already informed by their respective Prophets Moses and Jesus (PBUT) about the coming of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the need to obey and follow him. The Old Testament is old and outdated and the New Testament is no more new. Now, the world has to follow the Last and Final Testament, that is the Quran. This is the only way and there cant be any other alternative to success. Arrogance and prejudice have to be shed and things must be seen clearly. Our Creators Mercy is and will be upon those who are conscious of Him. And the sign that a person is conscious of his Lord is his believing in the Last Revelation and thereby following the guidance accordingly. This is the sum and substance of verses preceding verse 157 of Chapter 7 of Quran. Allah then immaculately and eloquently continues in verse 157 declaring the status as well as the role of His Last and Final Messenger, the unlettered Prophet. In addition to this, the responsibility of the followers of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is also clearly mentioned there. Jews used to call non-Jews as Ummi, the Gentiles, and they were considering themselves to be above everyone, an arrogance still found among them! Otherwise there is no reason why Israel defies everything and takes even the United Nations as a garbage bin!! In verse (7:157), Allah uses the same word Ummi to refer to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and by way of responding to Jewish arrogance warns them clearly that even you, O Jews, have no other option but to follow this man, who is unlettered! If you are sincere in your claim of your love to your Prophet Moses (PBUH), then follow this unlettered Prophet (PBUH)! You were informed about his coming and you were anxious to know about him. Now that he has come, dont change your colour. Accept the reality and follow the way shown by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Likewise, Christians have been told that if at all you respect your Prophet Jesus (PBUH) then there is no choice left for you now but to accept Muhammad as your leader as you were well informed about his coming by your own Prophet Jesus. So now, Jesus is not the savior, Muhammad is! (PBUH). And what this unlettered Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us? Let us understand one by one. 1. He commands them al Maroof. Al Maroof in Arabic means: a) recognised norms, b) established principles, c) goodness, virtues, actions or deeds the goodness of which is established by accepted norms. This ayah clearly indicates and declares that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) DID NOT preach, practice or propagate anything absurd, illogical, irrational, uncivilized nor did he call people towards cranky principles! Islam, therefore, is based and built upon the principles of civilized behaviour. 2. and he forbids them al Munkar. Al Munkar in Arabic means: 1. False, untrue, blameworthy 2. Wickedness, abomination 3. wrong doings, wrongs (in contrast to al maroof). This tells us that Prophet Muhammad sal-lal-laahu-alaihi-wasallam DID NOT preach, practice or propagate anything that is false, untrue, blameworthy, wicked, abominable or wrong. By calling people towards al Maroof and stopping them from doing al Munkar, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), not only set the standard of his mission but also made it clear to the people of the world that Islam is a natural way to adopt by any human being who cares to imbibe civilized patterns in his thought and actions, those that are accepted as recognizable and civilized norms at any point in history. This, in other words, means that Islam is a way of life, acceptable at all times, at all places and by all people who care for the accepted norms and hate to commit wrong and evil. 3. and he permits them as lawful the Tayyibaat. In Arabic, Tayyibaat means: a) good, clean, fair, wholesome b) chaste, pure c) agreeable, pleasant. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) allowed his followers all that is good, clean, fair, wholesome, chaste, pleasant and agreeable. The halal things in Islam are nothing but Tayyibaat, pure and wholesome! 4. and he prohibits them from what is bad (and impure). In Arabic, khabaaith comes from kh-ba-th which means impurities, to be impure, to be wicked, to be bad, to be corrupt, to be vicious, to be nauseated; bad deeds, crimes, sins, evil, adultery; obscenities, abominations, sins, evil deeds. In the Civil as well as Criminal Laws of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), all things wicked, bad, corrupt, vicious, criminal, evil, impure, obscene are considered haram or prohibited. 5. He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. Isr in Arabic means load, burden. Islam is a natural and easy way of life. It makes matters simple and reasonable. It is devoid of illogical and irrational claims and sanctions. Islam frees people from superstitious restrictions and regulations imposed by both priests and the common people. Likewise, this Messenger makes their lives free from the fetters with which Jews and Christians themselves had bound their lives. Islam is the greatest liberating force on earth! Allah, then, continues in this verse and spells out the responsibilities of the Muslim Community: After believing in Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the Last and Final Messenger of Allah to humanity, Muslims must: 1. Honour him: We need to obey, respect and honour the Prophet of Islam. There is no better role model than him.We need to send salat and salam, greetings and salutations, upon our Prophet (PBUH). Defending him against mockery and insults is also one way of honouring the Prophet (peace be upon him). 2. Help him:Presenting the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to the people of the world dawah is one way of helping him. He is the Last Prophet of Allah. No Prophet is going to come after him. So we, the followers, must take his message to those who are unaware. We need to convey our Masters message. In this way, we will be helping our Prophet (peace be upon him) to spread his message, far and wide. 3. Follow the light which is sent down with him: I love the word Maa used in this ayah. Allah is not telling us that He has sent the light to him. The light has been sent With Him! The Prophet of Islam came to this world with the light. The the light of Al Quran Al Kareem and the Sunnah an Nabawiyyah. The Enlightenment that has comes to us with the Prophet must be followed in letter and spirit. Then comes the last word: it is they who will prosper! Subhanallah! Prosperity and salvation lies in following the Islam of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). There is no other alternative to success and salvation. Follow Islam, achieve success. The choice is yours!

Bakhabar

Why Bal Thackerays death should be a moment of sadness and reflection for Muslims
By Jahanzeb Mashhadi, Jahanzeb.mashhadi@gmail.com +971557226803 (M), +971 4 3682843 (L)
I am extremely sad as a Muslim to hear about Bal Thackreys death, or as the media and the entire world likes to call him Bala Saheb Thackrey. Rarely is the name of even a prime minister or head of state taken with such reverence not just by his own party members and faithful but also by the media. Even a prime minister or president simply tends to get a respectful Mr or a Mrs as the case may be. But then fear is a powerful weapon. However coming back to my confession of being sad about the demise of Thackrey. There are only three states of reaction to any event; you can be sad about something, be happy or remain indifferent to it. Like I said I am not happy because there is nothing to be elated about. And indifferent you cannot afford to be to Thackrey or the RSS, especially not as a Muslim, a community for which he had a special hatred over & above Bihari migrants, Gujratis, Tamils or any person or community that he simply chose not to like. If you are a Bihari Muslim then you would of course be likely to be bashed up twice by Bal Thackreys Sena; once for your faith and once for your origins. The only logical reaction then is sadness, which I hope does not turn into horror & despair in the immediate future. Consider the facts before you send out congratulatory messages. A man who single handedly held a city to siege for 50 years, a man who openly challenged the authorities, the law and order and constitution of India for 5 decades and led perhaps the most vitriolic political institution in India to new heights of infamy and arson, finally died a peaceful death at the ripe old age of 86, in the peace and sanctity of his own home, an old man, surrounded by his family and friends. I just want to focus on some of the immediate reactions to his death for to try and comment on his entire life would simply take up too much time and energy and take away from the point I want to make with the article. There have been many a comment on how the city has remained largely peaceful in the wake of his death. The Mumbai police have quite unashamedly put out a bulletin saying that residents should only venture out if there is an emergency. Even in death the man continues to hold the city to ransom as he did his entire life. And the police as always instead of taking the bull by the horn and ensuring that the common man and the citizen of India gets to lead a normal life which he/she is entitled to responds by imposing a de-facto curfew. One has to ask people praising the situation why should the city not remain peaceful if a glorified political goon dies a natural death essentially due to old age peacefully at his home? And why should we be thankful to the Shiv Sena for not beating up everybody in sight just because their beloved leader is dead? And why in heavens name should the police instead of ensuring normalcy instead be asking citizens to stay home. Should it not perhaps ask the Shiv Sena to stay home since it is from them that the threat of violence is expected? But then the Mumbai police have had a long history of taking the wrong side when it comes to questions of law & order. There are messages pouring in lauding the man. He is being called a great man, a visionary, a straight forward man, a man of the people, and perhaps quite amazingly also a patriot and a deshbhakt. These messages are to be expected from the BJP or the Shiv Sena as they prescribe to his ideology, and to the Shiv Sainiks he was certainly a great man since he gave political stance and recognition in mainstream politics (albeit at a local or regional level only) to an essentially fascist organization. Political rivals like the congress and political figure heads are led by compulsions of their profession to express grief and condolences to his family. But for anybody else even for political etiquettes to praise the man and the life he led; I feel is a travesty of monumental proportions. Congress being the chief architects of the rise of the Sena of course shares a special bond with Thackrey, which it is nowadays quick to deny in order to preserve the charade of secularism and the compulsions of its adopted political ideology. The far more worrying fact though is the fact that a spontaneous outpouring of grief is being heard from fields as diverse as cinema, art, sports & music with people like Lata Mangeshkar, Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachhan all hastily getting in their comments. These names are icons in their respective fields and for them to openly associate with the man and with the loss essentially of the RSS & his immediate family I feel is a dangerous indication. It is certainly no loss of the nation apart from perhaps the free holidays which used to be on offer because of the frequent disruptions to normal life as a result of RSS goons openly rioting on the streets of Mumbai. Bear in mind also that these are the very people and the fraternities that Bal Thackery and his goons terrorized all his life and no doubt will continue to do so in the near future. People like Amitabh & Sachin are brand ambassadors for their respective professions and a comment by them in some ways reflects a comment by the entire community which they represent & serve. The reactions are worrying proof of the acceptance of essentially a sectarian man who leaves behind a legacy of violence, hatred and divisive politics and confirm the grip that Thackrey had not just on the political but also social and cultural life of Mumbai, a hold that the RSS is not likely to relinquish, simply because the man at the helm is now gone. It is significant that the same people made no comment when India-Pakistan matches were disrupted by the Shiv Sainiks, or when M.F.Husseins gallery destroyed and a great artist forced to live out his life in exile. Hussein if you remember was never able to return to Mumbai or India and died in London a sad and unhappy man. One could argue that Hussain had no business painting nude pictures of goddesses but then the RSS had no business of telling him to leave India and forcing him to live in exile or of burning down an art gallery. This silence either means that the cultural diaspora firmly believed in the righteousness of the man and his actions or was and is too afraid to speak ill of the man even when one of their own is targeted. The fear it seems prevails when the man himself is no more. In either case the conclusion is more than troubling. He is also being praised as a man who was candid, spoke from the heart and did not mince his words. All admirable qualities except for the fact that although he did possess the said qualities he chose to exhibit this candor only when carrying out vitriolic assaults on his chosen adversaries or in instigating RSS cadres to new levels of barbarism and violence, and in instigating the worst communal riots in the history of this country consistently for more than 5 decades. In an interview by Rajdep Sar Desai after the communal riots in Mumbai he was asked to react to people say you had a hand in Mumbai riots. Bal Tahckrey responded by saying haanth kya mera to pair bhi hai, main kehta hun, jo karna hai kar lo (I even have a hand and a foot in it, I am openly admitting, do what you can do!). For a man who preferred to call himself a political cartoonist rather than a politician, he was singularly bereft of humor in his response to critics and criticism. He described Hitler as an artist, extolled dictatorship, and went on record saying that he was against democracy, preferred dictatorship and that he would clean up Kashmir in a day if he were the Prime Minister. If this is straight from the heart and candor, then I fear for an India where more people will adopt this candor and make a mockery of the judicial system and democracy. He has been indicted by the Sri Krishna commission in the Mumbai riots report but has not spent a day in jail for any of the allegations leveled against him. The numerous speeches available freely on You tube are enough evidence of the mans character , but let alone considering a ban on the RSS not even a Gag order not allowing him to publicly instigate violence was ever forced on him. This is remarkable feat for a man who routinely advocated planting bombs in Muslim neighborhoods to protect the nation and advocated the use of Hindu suicide bombers; especially since he had the will, the resources and a perfectly willing force of religious zealots capable of following through on such ambitions. The RSS prints and freely circulates a daily newspaper Saamna continued on page 31

Bakhabar

The Alleged Dowry OF Hadrat Fatima

Arbazul Hoda <arbazfahad@rediffmail.com> In our society, the marriage of a girl is a source of great honor and prestige for the brides parents. They exhaust their utmost efforts to discharge their parental responsibilities towards their daughters as efficiently as possible leaving no stones unturned. However, in recent times the definition of marriage in our part of the world has been subjected to a bizarre altercation. From being A Holy Union of two souls under the assurance and blessings of God Almighty to some sort of a trade. To the rational mind the existing scenario seems to be some sort of commodity purchase saga i.e. we will marry our son to your daughter provided you provide as gift some fixed amount of money [usually in the Lakh denomination] and certain items of daily use which may range from jewelries to laptops to the entire household and kitchen accessories. These devilish dowry mongers and the pathetic and pervert attitude of the Indian society towards such a holy communion and its inability to eradicate this anomaly from its social and ethical scheme has brought about catastrophic changes. When people hear the news of the birth of a daughter they are engrossed by anxiety and turbulence thinking of the time when they will have to marry the daughter. The aftermath is visible in the form of large scale female feticide. We are currently residing in an era where every 86 out of 1000 men would find it impossible to find a female partner. We boast of harbouring a developing society whose foundations are laid on the pillars of rationalism and scientific spirit, yet practically we are regressing back to the days of Ignorance (Arabic=Ayyam al Jahiliyah). Allah SWT condemns such shallow and insensitive mentality. Allah says: When news is brought to one of them of (the birth of) a female (child) his face darkens and he is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide himself from the people because of the bad news he has had! Shall he retain her on (Sufferance) and contempt or bury her in the dust? AH! What an evil choice they decide on? (Quran 16:58-59). Unfortunately even certain sections of the Muslim ummah have been entangled in the cobwebs of dowry mongering. To justify their wicked intentions they allege that it was the Holy Prophet (SAW) himself who initiated this practice by giving dowry to her daughter Hadrat Fatima when she was married to Hadrat Ali. A succinct and meticulous enquiry into their assertion would prove the futility of their argument. When Hadrat Fatima came of age (18 years old) many prominent personalities such as Hadrat Abu Bakr and Hadrat Umar sought her hand in marriage because establishing blood ties with the Prophet (SAW) was a matter of great esteem and reputation both in this world as well as the hereafter. The Prophet however kept silent and said that he was awaiting some sign from Allah. When Hadrat Ali approached the prophet for Fatimas hand, the prophet sought Hadrat Fatimas consent to which the latter kept silent which was obviously taken as her consent to the proposal. The Prophet enquired Hadrat Ali about what did he posses to give as Mahr. Hadrat Ali was an extremely impecunious sahabi. He did not have even his own home and used to live with the Prophet (SAW). He expressed his inability to the Prophet (SAW) in terms of any monetary possession. The Prophet (SAW) asked him about the shield he had to which the latter consented. The Prophet (SAW) ordered Hadrat Ali to sell the shield. Hadrat Ali sold the shield to Hadrat Uthman bin Affan who later on returned the shield to Hadrat Ali as a mark of goodwill and forbearance. The prophet summoned two women and handed them half the money and ordered them to prepare the bride i.e. Hadrat Fatima. With the remaining money the prophet bought some household accessories which would serve as Hadrat Fatimas bridal gift or Dowry. The same consisted of a bed, a pillow filled with dried leaves of date palm tree, a water bag and a grinding stone.

Points to Ponder
#1.Hadrat Fatima and Hadrat Ali had the same Wali (guardian) i.e. the Prophet (SAW). Even the home in which Hadrat Fatima and Hadrat Ali embarked upon their marital life was gifted to them by an Ansari sahabi, Hadrat Harith bin Numan. #2. The Mahr (The money acquired by Hadrat Ali after selling his shield) was used by the Prophet (SAW) to:1. Get the bride ready for the marriage 2. To buy essential household items Note:-The Prophet (SAW) did not spend anything on his daughters marriage. The money was arranged by Hadrat Ali, the groom. Therefore it was Hadrat Ali (to be husband) who managed the fiscal affairs and not Hadrat Fatimas father (The Prophet SAW). #3.The Resonance and Intellect of the Prophet (SAW) The Prophet (SAW) knew that when Hadrat Fatima would embark on her marital life, she would need certain necessities for day to day purpose Hadrat Ali was not having those items. The Prophet (SAW) knew that for drawing water from the well she would need a pot, so he gave her a water bag. Similarly, the Prophet (SAW) knew that for grinding wheat she would need a grinding stone. For sleeping she would need a bed and a pillow. Her dowry (water bag, grinding stone, bed and pillow) was in complete accordance and compliance only to her day to day needs. One Final statement which would deal a decisive blow to the farcical assertions of the dowry mongers and expose the fallacy of their argument Islamic history records no instance pertaining to the Prophet (SAW) giving dowry to his other three daughters, Hadrat Ruqqayah and Hadrat Umm Kulsum. Both were married to Hadrat Uthman bin Affan (he holds the distinction of being the only man to marry two daughters of a prophet. That is the reason that Hadrat Uthman is honored with the title Zun Noorayn- the one with two lights*). The Reason: Simple, explicit and concise. Hadrat Uthman was a wealthy merchant. Owing to his richness and generous nature he was also known as Uthman Ghani. Hadrat Uthmans home was cushioned with every facility requisite for daily life. The Prophet (SAW) did not give anything (in dowry or as a bridal gift) to his other two daughters. People who allege that the Prophet (SAW) initiated the dowry system are nothing but defaming the Prophet (SAW) and his noble son in law, Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Talib, whose life is a tale of sacrifices espoused for the cause of Islam. Indeed the Prophet (SAW) said: Whoever defames Ali, defames me. So, the next time you hear any of these dowry mongers using the prophetic name to satisfy their material lust, please give a reply to them with a suitable rejoinder which would expose the incongruity and discrepancy in their claim. And Allah knows best and He is the Source of all inspiration *It would be pertinent to note that the first daughter was married to him and when she died the second was also married to him. (This article is inspired by a Public Speech of the late Dr. Israr Ahmad. May Allah shower his mercy and blessings upon him).

Bakhabar

Bal Thackeray: Identity Politics to the Fore

Ram Puniyani The declaration of demise of Bal Thackeray (November 17, 2012) has brought the Mumbai city to a complete halt. Most of the news channels are relaying his death procession round the clock and having discussion about his tall stature most of the time. His grip on the city had been more or less complete from last three decades in particular. The methods he employed had some supporters on one side but for others it filled the people with fear, as his followers had been openly indulging in acts of vandalism time and over again. Today it is very difficult to say that city has come to a halt merely out of reverence for him alone or fear factor is also there behind this closure of the city will have to be assessed over a period of time. As per some accounts Thackeray family had migrated from Bihar and finally settled in Maharashtra. Bal Thackeray came to prominence for voicing the need for jobs for sons of the soil and with open threats to South Indians, Gujarathis, Biharis in that order. His initial role was that of breaking the left controlled trade unions, at the behest of the industrialists and section of the ruling party, Congress. This action of his had led to lot of violence between the leftist trade unions and Thackeray followers. The peak of this was murder of the CPI trade Unionist Krishna Desai, a blow from which the left trade unions could not recover. He later jumped to bandwagon of Hidnutva politics, openly supporting the Bari demolition and playing an active part in the horrific Mumbai violence of 92-93. His writings in Saamna, the Shiv Sena mouth piece, were very provocative and could easily come under the clause of Hate Speech but despite that the case filed by some Mumbai citizens fell through and Thackeray continued to spread his anti Muslim tirade through his speeches and writings. True later Election Commission disenfranchised him for six years from voting. After Babri demolition, someone suggested that the Shiv Sainiks were the one who demolished it; he cleverly lapped it up and said that if Shiv Sainiks have done it I am proud of that. The violence which followed the demolition was probed by Shrikishna Commission. This commissions findings indicted the Shiv Sena supremo. The celebration rallies were organized by Shiv Sena in Dharavi jurisdiction amongst others. The commission pointed out These Celebrations by Shiv Sena had mobs which were chanting provocative slogans: Musalman Ka Do Hi Sthan: Pakistan Ya Kabristhan (Muslims can only be in: Pakistan or Graveyard). In retaliation Muslims shout: Jo ham se takarayega: Mitti me mil Jayega (Those who attack us will be decimated). To cite another example of Thackerays complicity and role in violence one recalls from Shrikrishna Commission report that On 1st January 1993 there was an article in Samna under the caption Hindunni Akramak Vhayala Have,(Hindus should become aggressive now) openly inciting Hindus to violence. (Volume 1 page 13) The more striking observation of the Commission was " From the conversation which could be heard [by Yuvraj Mohite, Mahanagar Reporter, at Thackeray house during the riots], it is clear that Thackeray was directing Shiv Sainiks, Shakha Pramukhs and other activists of Shiv Sena to attack the Muslims, to ensure that they give tit for tat and ensure that 'not a single landya (a derogatory term for Muslims) would survive to give the evidence [vol.ii, Page 173174]...the communal passions of the Hindus were aroused to a feverish pitch by the inciting writings, particularly in Saamna and Navakal. [Volume 1, page 21-22]. ...and violence in January (1993) was taken over by Shiv Sena and its leaders who continued to whip up communal frenzy by their statements and acts and writings and directives issued by Shiv Sena Pramukh Thackeray. This is just a small sample of what was the role of Thackeray and his Shiv Sena in The Mumbai violence. After the Mumbai violence he started being called Hindu Hriday Samrat and had a total grip on the politics of Shiv Sena. He was unfazed by the impact of his beliefs and actions. In his famous interview to the time magazine (titled: Kick them out!) during this time he poured vitriol on the Muslims with all abuses and hate. As Muslims were fleeing Mumbai he said that Muslims need to be taught a lesson. If they are fleeing Mumbai, its OK; else they should be kicked out. He has been an opponent of Indo-Pak friendship all through. Be it the question of Indo Pak Cricket match or the concert of Pakistani Gazal singers, Mumbai witnessed the direct action of Shiv Sainkis in the form of digging the cricket ground pitch at Kotla cricket ground or vandalizing the Gazal concert in Mumbai. Much before the coming to fore of the terror of groups related to Sadhvi Prgya Singh Thakur or Swami Aseemanand, it was Thackeray who had called for the formation of suicide squads by Hindus. A self avowed admirer of Hitler, he conceded that he appreciates Hitler and that he himself has many traits similar to Hitler. He believed in Thokshahi (Dictatorship) not Lokshahi (democracy). The divisive politics of Hidutva or the identity politics built around sons of the soil does run parallel to his opposition to the affirmative action and aspirations of deprived sections of society. True to that he opposed the implementation of Mandal Commission, indicating his anti OBC politics. He was the only one who stated it openly. The other party thoroughly opposed to Mandal, BJP, which is opposed to affirmative action for any weaker section of society, dodged the issue and intensified on Ram Temple issue to bypass this affirmative action for OBCs. Similarly Thackeray has been vehement opponent of dalit aspirations in any form. When the Maharashtra Government published Babasaheb Ambedkars book, Riddles of Rama and Krishna, Shiv Sena stood to oppose it in a serious way and there was some violence between Shiv Sena supporters and dalits. When the issue of changing the name of Marathwada University to Ambedkars name came, Thackeray opposed it strongly leading to another bout of unrest. It is just a tragedy of our times that despite this clear agenda of Thackeray, some dalit parties are allying with his party at electoral level. The massive turnout as his funeral is being read as that he was the voice of Marathi manoos. True a section of Marathi people adore him, but the larger section of poor peasants, the workers and dalits from Maharashtra know that Thackeray has been no representative of their aspirations. With so many problems nagging the poor of Maharashtra there is a need to shift the terrain of politics away from identity politics of the likes of Thackeray to the material issues related to bread, butter, shelter and employment. The politics of Hindu nation and Marathi manoos is against the values of Indian Constitution which call for the principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. How did Thackerays politics conform to these is a matter of introspection. * Ram Puniyani (born 25 Aug 1945) was a professor in biomedical engineering at the IIT Bombay. He is involved with human rights activities, for communal harmony, has taken initiatives to oppose the rising tide of Fundamentalism in India. He is a pillar of secular and democratic initiatives like All India Secular Forum, Center for Study of Society and Secularism and ANHAD. His write-ups appear in reputed Indian newspapers, regularly. Email: ram.puniyani@gmail.com

Bakhabar

10

Of Biharis and Bihar

S.G. Jilanee
Though much neglected in recent times, Bihar is the only state in India whose glorious past has no compeer in the entire subcontinent. It is a crucible of different faiths. Here was born Ramas consort Sita. And Rama came to compete for her hand, winning her after successfully stringing the bow that her father Raja Janak had set as a condition. Here Prince Siddhartha Gautama received Enlightenment and became the Buddha and Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, was born near its present capital, Patna. Also born in Patna were the fifth Sikh Guru Govind Singh and the great Muslim Sufi saint Makhdoom Kamaluddin Yahya Maneri. Pataliputra (present day Patna) was the seat of the glorious Mauriya Empire in 500 BCE, which extended into Afghanistan. That is why there were Buddha statues at Bamiyan. It boasted a residential university at Nalanda and received pupils and visitors from distant places, including Fa Hien and Heun Tsang from China. Until its Chota Nagpur Division was separated to become Jharkhand, Bihar was also richest in minerals; -coal, iron and mica. In the nineteenth century, long before the struggle for independence had begun, Maulana Inayat Ali was recruiting, training and sending batches of fighters to join Syed Ahmad Barelvis jihad against the British in the North-West Frontier Province. His home in Patna was the staging centre for the recruits. In punishment for the rebellion, Inayat Ali was transported to the Andamans. His entire property was confiscated. His family was driven out of their home with only the clothes they were wearing. Not even a needle they could take away with them. Yet, when the property was put up for auction there was no bidder, -not even a nonMuslim. So the British government built the office of the Patna City Municipality. Biharis, both Muslims and Hindus, are plain people, not used to cunning and guile. If they subscribe to a cause they go into it with all their heart and soul. In 1942, during the Quit India Movement for example, Bihar was the only province with worst incidents of sabotage and violence against government property Biharis, both Muslims and Hindus, are plain people, not used to cunning and guile. If they subscribe to a cause they go into it with all their heart and soul. In 1942, during the Quit India Movement for example, Bihar was the only province with worst incidents of sabotage and violence against government property. Similarly, in 1938, Barrister Syed Abdul Aziz, president of the Bihar provincial Muslim League, sold away his sprawling mansion, -the Dilkusha Palace and his mica mine to host the 26th session of the All India Muslim League. With the Exhibition and Fraser Roads on either side and the wide race course road in front, the Dilkusha Palace covered several acres of the choicest property in the city. In political field, Bihar threw up Syed Hassan Imam as president of the Indian National Congress and Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the first president of India, besides, Jagjwan Ram, Maulana Shafi Daudi, Dr. Syed Mahmood, Prof. Abdul Bari and other luminaries. In their eating habits and dress Bihar Muslims are closer to the Bengalis because Bihar and Bengal were united until 1912. Women war sari. The staple food is rice. The language they speak may be called Bihari Urdu with many new words that are not recognized in the established Urdu lexicon.Yet the importance of at least two words Biharis have contributed to enrich Urdu, is undeniable. One of the words is bhat for cooked rice as distinguished from chawal for uncooked rice. In standard Urdu both cooked and uncooked rice are called chawal. Badhna is another. Standard Urdu describes both the utensil with a spout and a firm base and the one with a rounded off bottom as lota. But it is the latter kind that is true lota. It is made invariably of brass and used mostly by Hindus to draw water from a well or boil water or milk etc. The one with the spout is made of any material including plastic. It is exclusively used by Muslims for toilet or pouring water for ablution. Biharis, therefore, call it badhna to distinguish it from lota. It is time the ahle zaban shed their snobbery and recognized the worth of the Bihari Urdu in enriching the language.

continued from page 28

Insulting the Prophet

tore the letter into shreds and forthwith dictated a command to his viceroy in Yemen to send troopers to arrest the Prophet and bring him to his presence. The Prophet Muhammad upon hearing of how his divine call was received invoked God against him, May Allah tear up his kingdom. As soon as the troopers reached the city of Madinah, the Prophet was informed by Divine Revelation that the emperor of Persia had been murdered by his own son. The Prophet disclosed to them my Lord has killed your lord. The news stunned the troopers, and the Prophet instructed them to tell their new monarch that Islam would prevail everywhere and outstrip the sovereignty of Chosroes himself. Where is the Persian Empire today? Consigned to the annals of history, no trace remains of their kingdom and their proud rulers have left no legacy. Ironically, the divine retribution for insulting the Prophet Muhammad by tearing up his letter was to have their ancient and proud kingdom torn to shreds. So what of those today who insult the Prophet Muhammad through ridicule, smutty cartoons and low budget films? The divine precedent remains exactly the same. Muslims believe that God has sent His Prophets and given people the choice to believe or disbelieve, promising each their due recompense. He has however given no license to insult, ridicule or mock his Prophets. The message of the Prophets of belief in one God and that He alone deserves worship must remain in its pristine condition, accessible for all people at all times. It must not be permitted to be disfigured by venal individuals who seek to gain profit through peddling vile obscenities, courting controversy and offending the sensibilities of countless millions. So where you find a culture or civilisation attacking the persona of the Prophet Muhammad, it is a sure sign of the beginning of their end. A sure sign that they have become so intoxicated with the perception of their own power that they no longer see truth from falsehood, morality from obscenity, or that which benefits them from that which destroys them. Where you find a civilisation that respects and honours the Prophet Muhammad, even if they do not profess faith in his religion, then that is a sure sign of a nation endowed with some wisdom and knowledge, and of a civilisation that has taken its precautions to preserve its very existence. ________________________________________ Sources: www.islam21c.com Notes: Islam21c requests all the readers of this article, and others, to share it on your facebook, twitter, and other platforms to further spread our efforts.

Bakhabar

11

Dawah in Canada
Syed Asif Ali Shah (Servant of Allah, in the Service of Islam.)
I came to Canada in the year 2010 for my higher studies after the completion of my Engineering degree in Computer Sciences Alhumdulillah with one of the main intensions of doing dawah Alhumdulillah. Western World was a new world for me with different people from all sorts of backgrounds , cultures , faiths , languages, colors and all , it is a land of immigrants which actually gives you more opportunities of doing dawah or in other words it is a land which needs more dawah . I was inspired and motivated for Islamic dawah by Dr. Zakir Naik Alhumdulilllah. I have been into the field of Dawah for the past 7-8 yrs now Alhumdulullah and delivering public talks is into my blood by now Alhumdulillah , but soon after coming to Canada I was in a state of confusion as to how should I establish myself here for Dawah ? And one thing was really pinching me that I need to start it right from the scratch and establish myself here for Islamic Dawah. The days were just passing by right in front of me and my tension and worry was increasing as I am a public speaker and am not getting any opportunities to have public talks here though I was doing dawah on one to one basis but that wasnt satisfying me and I wasnt able to satisfy myself with that. I used to call to my teachers and seniors in dawah and cry over the phone presenting my worries towards dawah and tell them that I fell as if my hands and legs are been chopped off and I am left all alone in a desert and I am not able to do anything despite the fact that I want to do everything Allah hu mustaan. And one night with this worry and fikar in my mind I went out for dinner in a restaurant and surprisingly the owner of the restaurant was having a keen eye on me of which I was completely unaware he came to my table and said are you br. Asif ? , I looked to my side and said yes , he then sat with me suddenly and started talking to me saying I have seen you on YouTube and read your status always on facebook , have read your articles Alhumdulillah and this day was the start of my dawah carrier in Canada Alhumdulillah. Then this brother took me and introduced me with other people and we went to universities and met few other people who were working in the field of Dawah and I was very well introduced to them Alhumdulillah. But even till this point I wasnt delivering pubic talks and I was still waiting for that time very patiently. then came the time for the Journey of Faiths conference which is held in Canada every year and in that conference by the mercy of Allah I with the other brothers who were working with me in the field of dawah formed and organized a dawah department in the Journey of Faiths conference and this conference never had any dawah department before this and this was its first time Alhumdulillah. I was working in the dawah department of the Conference and was mentoring the dawah team members Alhumdullillah and was responsible to handle the table talks with the non Muslims who come to visit the conference Alhumdulillah. This dawah department and my team brought phenomenon success during the table talks with 7 sahadas in two days Alhumdulilillah the lengthiest table talk I had was with a black Christian brother which continued for no less than 7-8 hrs Alhumdulillah which was possible only with the help of Allah Alhumdulillah. This journey of faith conference opened my gates to public talks in Canada Alhumdulillah as my dawah team in the conference had one of the best and top students of Dr. Farhat Hashmi too Alhumudlillah and after the conference this student of Dr. Farhat organized straight two public talks of mine Alhumdulillah , out of which one was to be held on the International peace day which is celebrated in Canada . I also spoke to my master and inspiration Dr. Zakir Naik before these two talks of mine and told him about these upcoming lectures and topics of these lectures that were going to be, Rediscovering Peace through Islam and Why is Islam the Fastest growing religion in the West? and also told him about the organizers as I was already introduced to Dr. Farhat Hashmi through her student Alhumdulillah. He gave me lots of duas and asked me to continue with the Islamic dawah Alhumdulillah. After that public talks of mine which was held on the international peace day the audience who were present in the lecture started organizing my lectures in different mosques and Islamic centers. Alhumdulillah Allah has his ways Alhumdulillah. My schedule was going really tuff and tight as I was take care of my studies , my job and now lectures ALhumdulillah but because of this busy schedule I wasnt able to concentrate on my research and preparations of my lectures , but Allah put barakah in my time Alhumdulillah and I used to do my preparations of my lectures in while I am travelling ,I used to do my research , prepare my lectures and everything while travelling because other than this time I never used to have any other spare time Allah hu mustaan , even till today this is how my schedule goes Alhumdulillah and Allah has put lots of barakah in my travelling time Alhumdulillah. I was invited as a guest speaker in Islamic society of North America i.e., ISNA Canada ALhumdulillah invited by shaykh Abdullah Idrees Alhumdulillah where I addressed the audience on the topic Islam and Secularism Tolerance or Intolerance ? Followed by an open Q and A session. The gates to public talks kept on opening Alhumdulillah one after the other Alhumdulillah. Shaykh Imam Nafees twice invited me in Jame Mosque coopers also called as the Islamic propagation centre, where I delivered two lectures on different occasions on the topic, Why do we need Islam in the West ? and second was on the topic , Myth, Misconceptions and Clarifications about Islam ,and after that Shaykh Mohammad Baru organized my public talk in his mosque Ibn Abbas Ahumudlillah where I delivered a lecture on the topic ,Fundamental Beliefs of the Christians , Alhumdulillah I kept of receiving invitations for the public talks and I was accepting all for the sake of Allah as Allah opened and gave me those oppurtunities Alhumdulillah. One of the best and not forgetful experiences was when I was invited for a public talk in a university organized by the MSA (Muslim Student Association) where I told the organizers that I will be speaking on the topic, Introduction to Christ Jesus pbuh in the light of the holy bible and Glorious Quran. I choose this topic as it was a university environment with full of non Muslims audience Alhumdulillah and this lecture had a 90% of non Muslims audience followed by an open Q and A session Alhumdullillah , but after the Q and A session there was some problem created by the Christian audience and I was suddenly taken into security and was taken for interrogations by the security and I was interrogated for some time in a closed room and then asked to have a closed room Q and A sessions with exclusive Christian audiences Alhumdulillah which was one of the most successful events Alhumdulillah recorded in the camera Alhumdulilllah this event boosted the moral of the other Muslim students in the university for Islamic dawah and gave them guts to talk to the non Muslims and give them dawah Alhumdulillah. My recent public talk was in Toronto Islamic Centre where I addressed the audience on the topic, Islams offer to the western world. I am

continued on page 31 Bakhabar

12

A VERY DISTURBING INCIDENT

I read the news in the National daily, the Hindustan Times, New Delhi, August 09, 2012 (After Baby Boy, Desperate Mom Tries to Sell Daughter). The news item was not adequately highlighted as it has become the way of life in our country. But I had to lower my head in shame. I recollected the earlier incident involving the same woman when she had sold her eight months old son for only Rs. 62/50. This time she tried to sell her eight year old daughter for another paltry sum. Name of the woman is Shannu Khatun and she is from Araria (Bihar). The news item this time as well as earlier clearly mentioned that the woman was unable to support herself and her children. So, she was forced to sell the children to save them from starvation. Thankfully, the girl was rescued. Otherwise there was strong possibility that she could have landed up in some brothel or she was kept as a slave to do household chorus in some rich household. After all, the person, Ramchandra Rishideo of Nepal who bought her was not going to adopt her as his daughter or so. I felt ashamed because the woman was a Muslim and belonged to Araria in Bihar. I am not very well aware of the population structure of the Araria town. I had heard about the town from my deceased uncle who was posted there about ten years back as Dist. Auditor. Also, taking into account the general pattern of population in the region I am sure there must be sufficient number of Muslims in the town and surrounding areas and a substantial number of the Muslims should be of the financial status for whom Zakaat should be obligatory. With this background, if a Muslim woman had to sell her children for paltry sums, it reflects on the entire Muslim community of the area. I can conclude either of the two: The first conclusion is that Muslims who are supposed to pay Zakaat are not fulfilling their obligations honestly. I have come across cases where people, who are millionaires, paid 500, 1000 or so to one or more Madarsaas once a while and considered that their obligations were fulfilled. That too they do because some 'Safirs' from the Madarsaas arrive at their doorstep. The other conclusion is that people do pay adequate Zakaat. But they do it the easiest way. They pay the amount to street beggars or beggars sitting outside Dargaahs, mosques etc. irrespective of the fact that they are professional beggars. Most of them do begging as profession. Another way in which people pay Zakaat is to give the amount to the Safirs of Madarsaas. No one will be against that. After all, the Madarssas do need support for their survival. But many a times the amount is given to Madarsaas about which we have no idea whether they exist and if so what is their strength and activities. I have personally encountered Safirs from Bihar, West Bengal etc. in Gurgaon. They carry a Receipt Book, one or two Letters of Authorization signed by someone and some Photographs. On the basis of the same people pay the Zakaat to them. Interesting is the fact that they come from places like Kishanganj, Barsoi, Purnea, Bhagalpur, Murshidabad, Patna etc., all of which have large percentage of Muslim population and substantial numbers of them are well off, on whom Zakaat will be obligatory. But the Safirs travel more than 1000 km to collect contributions from Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad etc. for the Madarsaas. These places do not have high percentage of Muslim households. More importantly there are local Madarsaas etc. which deserve the support first. Still, the Safirs arrive in hordes, especially during Ramazaan. How much money they spend on travelling and logistics etc. can be easily estimated. The question is why they do not work in their own area? One apprehension that comes to my mind is that those Madarsaas may be only in the bags carried by the Safirs. Another possibility is that the institutions are too small and ill-equipped to attract attention of local people. People outside pay in good faith. Chances are that the money is wasted. I am confident that everyone is aware of the fact that these Safirs collect contributions on Commission basis and these days the percentage of Commission has risen to 60% or so. That is the reason that large numbers of these Safirs are whole-timers. Round the year they do only collection and nothing else. Also, incidents have been reported in media about Non-Muslims carrying Receipt etc. in the name of non-existent Madarsaas to collect funds. Still people give their Zakaat money to those Safirs. There are two reasons for the same. One, that they are ignorant of the instructions of Quran, and another because that is the easiest path. The Safirs arrive at their doorstep or can be easily located in the mosques, especially after the Friday Prayers. They just handover the money to them and feel relieved. But, in both the instances the obligation of Zakaat cannot be considered fulfilled. It has been made adequately clear that we have to pay Zakaat which is obligatory, if we have adequate surplus assets/wealth. In today's situation the valuation will work out to a little more than Rs One Lakh. Hundreds of Muslim families will be there in most cities and towns on which Zakaat will be obligatory. The second direction is: "Wazil Q u r b a a , W a l Ya t a a m a a , W a l Masaakeen...........". We are supposed to find those who are close to us and are needy. They may be in our own family, among relatives or in the neighbourhood. They should be provided first. Next priority is for the Orphans, who need financial assistance. Finally, the general poor find place in the list. I agree that the Madarsaas are generally populated by children from poor families, who are unable to send them to formal schools. But that does not give them priority over the first two categories as mentioned in Qur'an. Obviously people of the Araria town have not been obeying the instructions given in Quran. Otherwise the woman had not to sell her two children. The people of Araria could have easily provided money meant for Zakaat, Fitraa, Sadqaa etc. and she could support the family without any problem. That is the purpose of Zakaat, Fitraa and Sadqaa etc. Here we need to analyse one more aspect. Most of the Muslims recite Quran regularly and in Ramazaan the intensity and frequency is much more. There are people who finish entire Quran at least once during the Ramazaan. Many finish the recitation of Quran twice, thrice or even more times. The intention is to collect Thawaab, which they must be receiving. But the purpose of Quran is not only to receive Thawaab. Quran is a complete guide to for us to lead our life on day to day basis. The problem is that we recite the Quran in Arabic. But most of us do not understand the lessons/instructions given there. Reason is that we do not understand the meaning/sense, as we do not learn Arabic as a language. To facilitate the same various scholars have translated Quran in the languages we understand. There is no such language on the Earth in which translation of Quran is not available. Also, Tafaseer (explanations) are available in all languages. There those minute points are explained which do not become clear in translations. We need to understand Quran while reciting it. For that we need to read the translation and Tafseer. Only then we can lead our life as ordained by Allah and suggested by Prophet SAW. Only then the actual purpose of Zakaat, Fitraa, Sadqaa etc. and other obligations will be clear to us and we will be able to fulfill our duties in the desired manner. ********** Dr. M.A. Haque C-1713, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon-122017 Mobile: 9313707275

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DA'WAH at Zoo- Banglore

Umar Sharief
DIET, Discover Islam Education Trust, in Bangalore, organised a field work at the Zoo, towards promoting an awareness on Islam. The program "Da'wah Net" included about 140 members who donned white T-shirts carrying the message on its back, "Worship the Creator; not the creations". the distribution of literature in public places; then how could anyone stop us? Hence we left the matter to Allah, and went ahead with our mission. Alhamdulillaah, all praises and thanks be to Allah. It was more than a field work. We had good food, prayed our salaah in congregation, socialised with each other and played games; which made our day, a day of Islamic recreation. What a way to have real fun! I personally had couple of interactions with youngsters of other faiths. Their minds were inclined towards darwin's theory and atheism. Alhamdulillaah I did enjoy the discussions with them. One of our participants was questioned by a Muslim woman at the Zoo. She asked why we are forcing the passers-by to collect the literature. For which the participant said there is no force; it's up to the individual whether he/she wants the literature or not. Many amongst our community are not quite clear of the importance of the da'wah activity. One of the lady who received the literature, enquired about DIET, and was very happy to hear about our activities. She just pulled out 1000 Rs and donated for the work of da'wah. That was indeed a noble thought. May Allah bless the lady.

S o m e members are wondering why we chose the Zoo for the da'wah work. We ask them, why not the Zoo. Zoo is a place which a t t r a c t s tourists from various parts of the world. Wherever there are people, then that's the best place for da'wah. Registration fees for the da'wah field work was Rs. 300, which covered the expenses for T-shirts, breakfast, lunch, commute facilities and 2 bottles of mineral water. Every process was meticulously planned and executed accordingly. We exhausted thousands of pamphlets and hundreds of books; which means thousands have received our literature. Books on oneness of God and the life of Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu alaihi wasallam, in English, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil were distributed. Individual and group discussions with nonmuslims were also witnessed. The members who participated in the 'Da'wah Net' included about 80 men, 20 boys, 20 women and 20 girls. The little boys and girls of 5th and 6th standard of Al-Basheer International School too were engaged in the da'wah program. In one of the incident, a boy of std 6 gave literatures on Islam to a non-muslim man, and finally he even suggested the man to embrace Islam. What makes me wonder is the daringness and the conviction of the boy who was bold enough to invite a stranger to Islam. It reminded me of the life of Ibraaheem 'alaihissalaam, who as a child was a forerunner towards inviting people to Islam. May Allah make this child blessed in this world and the

The members who participated at the zoo feld work are looking forward for more such events in the future. Inshaallaah a plan is on its way to get into certain areas in the Bangalore city, with the similar field work. We at our da'wah centre generally wait for the visitors to walk in to our premises. But in the field work we get to meet many members. Theres great scope for dawah in the field work. Inshaallah in the coming days we have lots of dawah activity coming up. We need you. Lets make a difference to the world through da'wah. Let our aim be the pleasure of Allah. If you too want to join us, you are most welcome. The people of India are open to hear to our words; but are we ready to open our mouths? The world is thirsty for the truth about their purpose of life on earth. Lets just share the knowledge that has reached us. -Umar Shariff

hereafter. Many people who heard of our preparation towards going to a Da'wah field work to Zoo were inquisitive to know about our safety. They feared repercussions from the mischief makers who might interrupt the field work. They enquired if we have taken the permission from the authorities and such. We didn't find any need to ask the authorities to distribute the literature, as we follow the motto, "everything is permitted, unless forbidden". There's no such law or such that restricts

President, DIET www.discoverislam.co.in 98450 41234

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serajakram@yahoo.com

continued on next page

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Bihari Doctor Makes Groundbreaking Research in Cancer Treatment

Published in Patna Daily, on Monday, 26 November 2012 Dr. Inamul Haque. St. Louis, USA: Dr. Inamul Haque, a Bihar-born scientist and an internationally known cancer biologist working jointly in the Kansas Citys Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Missouri, USA and the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA, has discovered the molecular mechanism for invasiveness and stem cell characteristics of pancreatic cancer. Working in the area of new drug discovery and development of new therapies to treat breast and pancreatic cancer, Dr. Haque's research has the potential of providing cures for patients suffering from these devastating diseases. His mentors, Dr. Sushanta Banerjee and Dr. Snigdha Banerjee, congratulated him for his invention and explained that this finding is valuable in both scientific and clinical aspects. Scientifically, we identified the molecular mechanism of local invasiveness and stemness in pancreatic cancer. Clinically, our results provide a druggable target, CCN1, for developing therapeutic strategy against advanced pancreatic cancer. This study will provide important information for developing the personalized medicine of pancreatic cancer. Dr. Banerjee says. A native of Supaul Bazaar, Biraul, Darbhanga, Bihar, Dr. Haque, after completing his PhD from Jamia Millia University in Delhi, came to the USA in 2006. For the last six years, he had been involved in the area of new drug discovery and development of new therapies to treat breast and pancreatic cancer. Recently, his findings were published in the November 9, 2012 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry (USA).

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RAHBAR
C OACHING C ENTRE BHAGALPUR
RAHBAR Coaching Centre, Bhagalpur conducted its 13th Awards Ceremony, on 11th November 2012, at Middle School, Puraini: Chief guest on this occasion was Janab Dr. Abdul Aziz sb. (Medical Officer, State dispensary), while Janab Aainul Abdin sb. (President of committee of middle school, Puraini Bhagalpur) graced the function as guest of honour.

HAZARIBAGH
RAHBAR Coaching Centre, Hazaribagh @ Khirgaon conducted its 13th Awards Ceremony, on 12-11-2012, at Millat Academy, Khirgaon: The RCC was honoured by the presence of Janab Prof. Fazruddin sb. (H.O.D, Deptt. Of Urdu, Karanpura College, Barkagaon, H.bagh, Ph.D, M.A., Academician, Social Activist, Secretary, Madrasa Nazirul-Uloom, Sirma, Barkagaon, Hazaribagh) as chief guest. Prominent personalities who graced the occasion as special Invitees included Janab Syed Waquar Ahmad Faizi Sb. (Cashier cum Accountant, Punjab National Bank, Hons. In Economics), Janab Ahsanul Haque Sb. (M.A., B.Ed, Senior Teacher, St. Xavier School, H.bag, Academician, Counseling Expert), and Janab Sadrul Hoda Sb. (President, Educational Development & Welfare Society, Social Activist, Businessman). The Programme was conducted by Mr. Parwez Ahmed. The Programme began with the recital of holy Quran by Roshan Jahan, a student of Grade IX, at 4 pm. A Naat Shareef was presented by Kaneez Fatima and Saba Perveen presented a speech on Health and Hygiene, both of them of Grade IX. The guests of Honour presented their thoughts, one by one, on the importance of Education. The Chief Guest Prof. Fazruddin sb. Speak about the reason of backwardness of the Ummah i.e. lack of Education. He said that we are still not giving much importance to learning and especially to higher education despite of our backwardness and lagging behind other communities. He stressed upon the higher education that must be achieved by the new generation of our community and brighten their future. It is the only way for our community to be in the front line and lead others. Then the prizes were distributed among the Award-winning students and the programme concluded with Dua.

Important N e w s about the RCC: 1 . A n extensive drive to increase t h e number of students w a s carried on v i a announcements in mosques and meeting with parents and Alhamdulilah, the total strength of students have increased to 71. Awareness of benefits of education is spreading in the locality. 2. Due to special attention on weak students and motivation boosting sessions the students are performing better in the tests now, and better results are expected. 3. The location of the coaching center has been changed from Middle School Puraini to Proposed Fatima Girl's high School, Puraini (about 300 m from the existing location), due to the problems being faced in getting full-fledged timing of the classes. As winter is approaching and it was difficult to finish the coaching classes before the school commences. The awards ceremony started at 9:00 am. After distribution of prizes both honourable guest blessed the student with their valuable thoughts, suggestions and guidelines. The function was attended by other elites of the locality and the guardians who thanked Bihar Anjuman for organizing and maintaining such a valuable educational centre. The function ended with vole of thanks to all by Jb. Syed Ali Manzoor Sb. committee head and Jb. Najmul Haque Sb. Centre-in-charge. The guests were served with light refreshment and toffees were distributed among the students.

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CHAPRA
RAHBAR Coaching Centre, Chapra conducted its 22nd Awards Ceremony on 11th November 2012 @ Islamia High School, Olhanpur, Chapra Janab Dr. Imteyaz Ahmad Khan Sb., Retired consultant Doctor, based in UK who was visiting his native village, graced the ceremony as chief guest. Prominent among other special invitees were Janab Afaq Ahmad Khan Sb., Professional in Delhi, Fazle Alam Khan, Marketing Professional in UAE and Janab Salam Khan Sb. The program started at 8 am with recital of the Holy Quran by Janab Janab Abdul Talib Sb.

Janab Fazle Alam Khan Sb. anchored the program; he welcomed the chief guest and introduced him to the audience. He explained the activities of Bihar Anjuman and its coaching project objectives. He requested the guardians to inquire about their wards activities and the time given to the studies. Janab Afaq sb advised the students that through education you would become rich faster than a person who is not well educated and also advised to live a disciplined life. The chief guest, Imteyaz Ahmad Khan sb, on this occasion he narrated his own story that he was from the same place, got education from the same school, and today he is in UK as a consultant doctor. He enquired from every student about the benefit they are getting through this coaching. He also advised students to utilize time in a proper way. The ceremony was followed by prize distribution to the students who had scored well in August exams. The Vote of Thanks was delivered by a senior teacher Janab Danish sb. The ceremony concluded at 10.00 am.

AURANGABADRafiganj RABAR Coaching Centre, Aurangabad @

conducted its 23rd Awards ceremony, on 7th November 2012, at Shams Academy, Rafiganj: Janab Mohammad Raza Sb. (sales Manager projects) Doha Qatar was the chief guest at the function, while prominent persons among the special attendees included Dr. Md Zeyauddin Sb. (T.L, Rahbar coaching centre, Rafiganj) and Dr. Md Ejaj Ahmad Sb. The Award Ceremony started at 3 PM with recital of the Holy Quran by Sahzeb Rizwan (a student of RCC). Janab Dr. Zeyauddin sb, local team-member of the centre, conducted the function, and introduced the aims and objectives of the RCC, with focus on the Rafiganj centre. The chief guest Janab Mohammad Raza sb. appreciated the RCC team's dedication towards improving the educational status of the Rafiganj community. He urged the students to keep their hearts and minds focused towards their goal of making to the top of the world. He also gave valuable tips to students to enhance the outcome of their studies and become more efficient. Later, he distributed the monthly prizes among students. The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Md Ejaj Ahmad Sb. The ceremony concluded at 5:00 P:M

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RAHBAR
C OACHING C ENTRE MOTIHARI
RAHBAR Coaching Centre, Motihari (East Champaran) @ Siswa conducted its 14th Awards Ceremony, 4th November 2012, in the campus of Al-Ameen Educational and welfare trust, Siswa. Dr. Mrs. Tahera Tabassum Sahiba graced the awards ceremony as chief guest, while special invitees included Janab Dr. Umais Akhter Sb., Jb. Dr. Sibghatullah Sb., Jb. Dr. Wafaur Rahman Sb., Jb. Asif Reja Sb (Teacher), and Jb. Ghalib Ahsan Sb. The award ceremony started at 4:30 p.m. with recital of the Holy Quran by Shabana Khatoon (Student of class 8th). Then, Tarannum Jahan (student of class 8th) recited Hamd-o-Naat. The award ceremony was conducted by Janab Maulana Md. Ali Umri (Principle of Kullia Aisha Siddiqua). The chief guest, Dr. Tahera Tabassum Sahiba, expressed great amount of joy on a coaching centre like this, far away from the city area where no commercial coaching would venture. She urged the students and their guardians to take maximum benefit from this golden opportunity that has been provided by Allah through the Al Amin Trust and Bihar Anjuman. If they cooperated and worked hard, they could succeed with flying colours in the 10th board exams. Highlighting the importance of education, she mentioned that in every area of life, we could succeed only by means of education. Dr. Umais Akhter Sb., in his enlightening speech, said that the motive of education must be clear to the students, and they are the ones who must set a target for their lives, because without a goal, no success is possible in any area. Finally, the chief guest among the students distributed the awards. The coordinator of Siswa unit of Rahbar Free Coaching Centre, Jb. Mukhtarul Haque Sb. thanked the guests, guardians and teachers. At the end of the programme, Shaista Mukhtar, a student, read the benedictory poem in her melodious sound. Eyes of the audience were filled with tears listening to the melancholic rendition. The programme concluded at 5:00pm.

RAHBAR
C OACHING C ENTRE TAJPUR
RABAR Coaching Centre, Tajpur, Samastipur conducted its 15th Awards Ceremony on 10-11-2012, in the Madrasa RAHBAR-eBanat's hall (Rahimabad village, near Tajpur): The presence of famous Pune-based trainer, Janab Sayyed Saeed Ahmed Sb, was an exhilerating moment for this RCC, and for the invited guests - to cater to the larger audience, this program had to be conducted in the Madrasa RAHBAR-e-Banat's hall. Janab Maulana Atiqur Rahman Sb, Principal of Madrasa RAHBAR-e-Banat, Janab Jameel Mazhari Sb, Manager, RAHBAR (NGO), Janab Md Abdullah Sb (Advocate), and Janab Maulana Abdul Hadi Sb, Janab Nooruzzoha Sb, Janab Abrar Ahmad Sb, Janab Abu Md. Fakhruddin Sb were the prominent personalities who graced the event as Special Invitees. The Award Ceremony started at 2:30 pm with recital of the Holy Quran by Munira Iqbal, a student of RCC Tajpur. Janab Maulana Atiqur Rahman Sb, Principal, Madrasa RAHBAR-e-Banat, presided over the ceremony. As an introduction of his training program, Janab Sayyed Saeed Ahmed Sb, said, "There are two types of personalities - the good personality and the bad personality. If one wants to adorn the good personality, then it's mandatory for him to make Quran and Hadees as one's operational manual." Janab Sayyed Saeed Ahmed Sb., in his talk, further said, "Our primary subjects are Quran and ahadees. Quran has more than six thousand ayahs, out of which some 150 ayahs guide us about Tauheed (monotheism). However, a huge number, almost 756 ayahs invite human beings to use their thinking faculties and wisdom. If our life is a play, then l e t ' s become the best players. And, if it is a test, then we must prepare well for this test, so that we come out of this test in flying colours. Considering this, there can be no doubts that our lives cannot become successful without following the Quran and ahadees most sincerely. The ceremony, arranged in a haste to utilize the Bihar visit of Janab Saeed Sb, drew a large number of participants from the neighbouring villages. On this auspicious occasion, apart from the general public, those who graced the occasion included Janab Advocate Mohd Abdullah Sb, Janab Nuruz Zoha "Aafo" Sb, Janab Maulana Abdul Hadi Sb, Janab Taj Sb and Janab Ehtasham Sadri Sb. This special program was conducted by RAHBAR manager, Janab Jameel Mazhari Sb.

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RAHBAR
C OACHING C ENTRE SITAMARHI
RAHBAR Coaching Centre, Sitamarhi conducted its 16th Awards Ceremony on 7th November 2012, Crescent Public School, Rajopatti: Janab Tarique Jamal sb (Regional Co Ordinator of HWF, New Delhi) graced the monthly event as Chief Guest, and as a special Invitee Janab Maood Hamidi (ZAC Member of SiO Bihar) attended the program. The programme started with Tilawat-e-Quran by the student of class 8th, at 8:30 AM. Jb Amir Iqbal sb (Chairman of Sitamarhi Coaching center), welcomed the guests, and briefed them about the aims, objectives, and functioning of RAHBAR coaching centres. He also shared with them the performance of RCC students of last batch in 2012 board exams (10th). He also informed the audience that the coaching was absolutely free, and reserved completely for poor students; still its condition and management was very good and not like the government system. Chief guest, Janab Tarique Jamal sb (Regional Co Ordinator of HWF, New Delhi) highlighted the importance of rewarding students and preparing them for the ensuing competitions of their forthcoming life. He suggested the students to study their course book properly and also suggested that study some other books other than the course-book. He also praised the work of RCC by Bihar Anjuman. Janab Maood Hamidi (ZAC Member of SiO Bihar) urged the students to improve their personality in all direction and they should improve themselves under the guidance of The Holy book Quran and Hadith. Afterwards, the awards were distributed by the hands of the chief guest, and the programme came to an end.

RAHBAR
C OACHING C ENTRE PATNA

39th Awards Ceremony @ RAHBAR Coaching Centre, Patna on 24th November 2012, at Najam High School, Phulwari Sharif: Chief Guests on the occasion was Janab Dr. Khursheed Mallick Sb, Founder Chairman, IMEFNA, Chicago, USA. Special invitees on the occasion were Janab Najmul Hassan Najmi Sb., Janab Mohd Enam Khan Sb, and Janab Shoaib Khan Sb, IPS, retired DIG, and Janab Hasseeb Ahmad Sb. At 11am, a student of class 10th at RCC Patna recited the holy Quran before commencement of proceedings.

Janab Najmul Hasan Najmi Sb. introduced all the guests and invitees to the audience. He thanked all the guests for taking time out of their bust schedules for this occasion. He expressed his heart-felt appreciation for Dr. Khursheed Mallick Sb for donating valuable floors in Anand Place to promote education among the community's youth. Janab Enam Khan Sb., attending the 1st awards ceremony after performing Hajj, briefed the audience about organizing Award Ceremonies in all RCCs and reporting the performance to the sponsors and Bihar Anjuman every month. He urged the students to concentrate on their aim of making the best of their educational career and work hard to reach their target. He also informed the audience that eight students of this RCC completed their Diploma Engg from MANUU in June 2013. There are also six students doing diploma from previous batch. Three girl students qualified for the diploma engg courses, and all of them are doing very well. Dr. Khursheed Mallick Sb., a medical consultant doctor (retired), better known for his noble social initiatives to empower the muslim community, asked some important questions to students and discussed them interactively. He explained why they must have knowledge of those subjects and how they are related to their academic goal. He advised them to complete all their homework the same day; if they miss it one day, it will become more difficult the next day, because the next day they will have two lessons homework. He said that time is really precious; it never comes again. Enam Khan Sb. on behalf of Bihar Anjuman delivered vote of thanks to guests for coming to this function. The ceremony concluded at 1:00 p.m. with dua of Enam Khan Sb.

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RAHBAR
C OACHING C ENTRE CHITARPUR

RAHBAR
C OACHING C ENTRE CHAKRADHARPUR
RABAR Coaching Centre, Chakradharpur (Jharkhand) conducted its 27th Awards ceremony, on 21st November 2012, at Town Hall Urdu School: Mr. R. N. Singh (Science teacher Mahatma Gandhi High School) was the chief guest at the function. The Award Ceremony started at 9am with recital of the Holy Quran by Sharique Qamar of class IX, followed by Hamd by Nayla parween of class (Viii), and Naat by Asgari khatoon of class (Viii). In order to encourage the students to improve their communicational skills, they were asked to come forward to show their talents. Jafar sadique delivered a speech based on the life of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru followed by Naat by Saquib Ansari and jokes by Afreen Parween respectively. The chief guest of the ceremony, Mr. R. N. Singh (Science teacher Mahatma Gandhi High School) delivered a speech in which he emphasized students to work hard and get knowledge as much as possible, threw light on the importance of education, he advised students to study honestly and work hard. The chief guest, teachers and Janab Muhammad Aurangzeb Sb, the team-leader of this RCC, distributed awards to students who excel in their monthly assessments.

RABAR Coaching Centre, Chitarpur, Ramgarh (Jharkhand) conducted its 13th Awards ceremony, on 12th November 2012, at Darsgah Islami, Chitarpur: Janab M. Nusrat Ullah Nadvi Sb. (Islamic Feqah Academy, Delhi) was the chief guest at the function. The program started at 4:30 pm with the recital of the Holy Quran by Shahzada Ahmad, a student of Class VIII at this RCC. Br. Ahmad Ullah Falahi welcomed and greeted all teachers and specially the chief guest. He induced the students towards education and their career and pointed out some important facts. The chief guest jb. Nusrat Ullah Nadvi, asserted sacrifice is not only about Eid ul Azha but also relates to struggle and perseverance. Eid ul Azha is not only a custom but also comprises and ample message of love and truth, he added. He said that everyone could achieve his ultimate goal. The students can also make their lives successful and prosper with the assistance of sacrifice and utmost effort. The students should be obedient and honest towards their teachers, he highlighted. Therefore, perseverance, hard work, dedication and tired less effort are the keys to success. In return, your teachers would love you greatly. You can fulfill the needs of the society and would be vital members of your society, if you work hard. The teachers are doing their job tremendously, so you also must repay them by your progress. The program concluded at 5:30pm with dua.

Real Friend
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RAHBAR
C OACHING C ENTRE BAGHAKURI
RAHBAR Coaching Centre, Baghakuri, Kumardhubi, Dhanbad (Jharkhand) conducted its 12th Awards ceremony, on 13th November 2012, in its own premises, near Jama Masjid: Janab Muhammad Enayatullah Ansari Sb. was the chief guest at the function, while prominent persons among the special attendees included Engineer Shahid Amin Sb., Janab Muhammad Ashraf Sb., Janab Wakil Ahmad Sb., and Janab Muhammad Imran Sb. The Award Ceremony started by recitation of the Holy Quran with its translation, at 8am. Some students presented beautiful Nasheed. Teachers of Rahbar Coaching Centre delivered welcome lecture and purpose of organizing monthly award distribution ceremony. They motivated students of class X to get highest score. Engg. Shahid Amin explained how practice in a disciplined way is necessary to achieve our goals. Students must have a dream to be beneficial for the society. He delivered a short introduction of various course after matriculation. According to him Polytechnic Entrance Exams conducted by State Governments and MANUU are good opportunity for students of class X to start career. Mr. Ram Narayan Shahu the teacher of the Coaching also motivated the students to prepare for entrance exam of polytechnic. He also shared his experience as a teacher. After the speeches by the guests, the monthly awards were distributed by Jb Muhammad Ashraf Sb and Shahid Amin Sb. The program ended with Dua, for all man kind, for peace of the world, and for true light of education, at 9:15am.

RAHBAR
C OACHING C ENTRE HAJIPUR
RABAR Coaching Centre, Jadhua, Hajipur (Vaishali) conducted its 18th Awards ceremony, on 10th November 2012, at Minority Hostel Campus Jadhua, Hajipur. Mr. Manoj Kumar Ray, Ward Commissioner, was the chief guest at the function, while prominent persons among the special attendees included Janab Haidar Ali Sb Ward Commissioner, Janab MD. ANWAR Sb (TEACHER), Janab ABU SYED Sb (TEACHER), Janab MD WAHID Sb., and Janab HAJI M. MOHIUDDIN AHMAD Sb. The Award Ceremony started at 3 P.M. with recital of the Holy Quran by Maulana Hassan Raza sb., Assistant teacher of Rahbar Free Coaching Centre, Hajipur.

BBC reporter of Arabic service with dead body of his 1 year son killed by Israel
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RAHBAR
C OACHING C ENTRE DARBHANGA
RABAR Coaching Centre, Darbhanga conducted its 15th Awards ceremony, on 16th November 2012, at Darsgah Islami, Purani Munsafi: Janab Prof. Badre Alam Khan Sb., principal of C.M. Law College, Darbhanga was the chief guest at the function, while prominent persons among the special attendees included Dr. Ahmad Naseem Arzoo sb., medical practitioner and well-known social activist, Janab Nafeesul Haq (Rinku) sb., Janab Shahid Athar Sb, representative of Bihar Anjuman's Muscat chapter, and Janab Jameel Mazhari Sb, Manager of RAHBAR (NGO), Patna.

Personality Development Programs arranged by Bihar Anjuman

Personality Development Programs arranged by Bihar Anjuman in RAHBAR-e-Banat madarsa-cum-school for girls (Rahimabad village of Saamastipur district), and in many other places all over Bihar, during 5th to 14th November 2012: Sayyed Saeed Ahmed, Pune-based famous personality development trainer and motivator, took thousands of Bihar young and old through a life-changing experience. The program was sponsored by Dr. Khursheed Mallick Sb, Chicagobased renowned social activist and founder chairman of IMEFNA (better known for its Upward Bound programs of scholarship and grants, throughout India, and Self Study Learning Centers in Patna and Delhi). The schedule of the programs is presented below with some photographs to view a large collection of photographs covering all the places where the program was conducted, please visit http://bit.ly/V6gosO

Sl. No. 1.

Location Usman Ghani Computer Institute, Haroon Nagar, patna Al-Mahad Ali, Phulwari Sharif Khanquah Muneimia, Patna City M.M.R.M.T.I., F.C.I. Road, Patna Hazrat Ali Academy, Muzaffarpur Rahbar Banat, Samastipur National Urdu School +2, Bihar Sharif Bettiah
th

Date 6 Nov 2012

2 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

7th Nov 2012 7 Nov 2012 8th Nov 2012 9 Nov 2012 10 Nov 2012 11 Nov 2012 13th and 14th Nov 2012
th th th th

Beautiful Library

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Bakht Khan: Winner of a lost battle Part2

...By Ms.Asma Anjum Khan

A much garlanded and battle hardened veteran of Afghan wars, with huge handlebar moustache and sprouting sideburns. Known personally to several of the British officers.
But unfortunately the fact that Bakht Khans attempts had been gaining success went unreported, unrealized at Delhi court due to the absence of a parallel intelligence system like their adversary had. The British had knit an intricate network of spies throughout the city and at the Red Fort. Reports about every single move of the King, the parleys held at the court, the movements of the rebel forces and their strategies planned for the future attacks, reached the British ears without fail. Many prominent and respected people were on their payroll. But sad to say, no such system was in place, at the other end of the battle camp. W. Dalrymple observes sharply, The lack of intelligence reaching the city meant that no one among the rebels realized how successful Bakht Khans tactics were proving [15] They didnt know how fragile the British forces had become and what a tremendous pressure Bakht Khans tactics had put on them. Unfortunately this ignorance about his success was perceived to be his seeming failure and this set his detractors buzzing. Mirza Mughal had nursed a grudge since the General caused his removal from the military affairs. Bakht Khans undiplomatic ways too didnt help. He was ruthless enough to ask the princes to keep away from military and administrative affairs as he believed everyone knew that they were good for nothing fellows. It was but an ugly truth. Bakht Khan informed the king that Prince Khizar and others were stashing away the taxes collected from the city traders and due to this salaries of the army could not be paid. Prince Khizar was asked to return the booty. The commoners were pleased with him while the Mughal princes vowed vengeance. Undoubtedly Bakht Khan was a man of the world but he was not at all, worldly. He frequently failed to decipher his detractors nasty plans and eventually became a victim to their malice. The Neemuch brigade-his force- was well-known for its valor; but the two of its generals Ghaus Khan and General Sidhari Singh [supporter of Mirza Mughal] parted ways, from Bakht Khan, as they couldnt digest the fact that, an officer of the similar rank as theirs should get so much importance from the King. During the battles he was left alone to fend for himself. A most ridiculous charge of his being a British spy also came along. All this put him under great pressure and he had to issue a statement denying all these charges. Whether it was failure to capture the army bastions at Alipur, Manali Bridges and the Ridge and almost all the failures were wrongly attributed to the General. Zafar too now was infected with doubt and the devious designs of his foes resulted in Bakht Khans removal as Governor General by the end of July. A Court of Administration was established to run the affairs of the Mughal Darbar. The General and his Bareilly brigade kept their distance from it but their assaults grew weaker and the tremendous pressure that he was able to put on the British began to diminish. Dalrymple remarks, the end of Bakht Khans military system brought instant relief to the British on the ridge. [16]. It is indeed saddening that such lowly games of selfishness and rivalry did the good General in and ultimately caused the struggle for freedom, a catastrophic damage, giving a boost to the enemy. Richard Barter joyously announced that, And so, when we were scarcely able to stand, the attacks ceased, as if by a dispensation of Providence, and gave our force the repose they so much needed.[17]. The one man who possessed the potential for defeating the enemy was thus, rendered impotent. As no intelligence about the success of the good Generals methods reached the court and Delhites, it led to huge misgivings about his military forays. Resentments, against this good soldier soon began to build up. As mentioned earlier, he was accused of being a British stooge himself. His own colleague from the Neemuch Brigade Sidhari Singh accused him thus. Other former co-workers too were not far

behind. Gauri Shankar [who was himself a British spy] and Talyar Khan, on 20th August, arranged for a Sikh to proclaim that Bakht Khan provides all information about the court happenings to the enemy. But the truth was found out and the witness was rejected for his false claims. The General himself issued a public statement denying this in the presence of Mirza Mughal and other army generals. The ever eternal quintessential factors of jealousy envy and contempt did this great warrior in. Quite perceptibly his disenchantment began to grow. He became more cautious but continued to be at the forefront of the war and the biggest headache for the British. He marched towards Najaf Garh separate from the Neemuch brigade as his own soldiers refused to take orders from him (and resultantly was smashed by their rivals). Like before, the General was unjustly blamed for this fiasco, as well. Nevertheless Bakht Khan still remained defiant. He was unrelenting and rejected Zafars suggestion of opening the gates of Delhi, if the British could not be defeated. He elaborated on some new strategies and it was quickly reported by the spies present at the court to the Gora Sahibs. Needless to add this rendered his plans useless. His failures thus began mounting up. Yet he succeeded in defeating the opponents at the Delhi Gate even in those final hours, and kept a strong vigil at the Ajmeri Gate till the last moments of the war. Despite his failures, more due to the non co-operation of his team than his own faults, what he did achieve was the delay in recapturing of Delhi by the British, as long as he could. The erstwhile Dilli would have been rounded up, quite early in the day, had it not been for the efforts of General Bakht Khan Rohilla. Memorial for British soldiers at Delhi Ridge. No memorial for Indian soldiers though. His military achievements despite the hostilities he faced were amazing; be it capturing three hundreds of British horses taking supplies to their masters, or one of his final determined attacks with his Bareilly and Neemuch troops, which forced the British to make a hasty retreat, from Hindu Raos house. Bakht Khans advance up to the house of Hindu Rao was no mean achievement; it threatened to cut off the British troops from their camp.[18] Had he been supported efficiently by his own people at the time, his success rate would have been much higher. Miyan Muhommad Shafi, in his famous work, Pehli Jang-e-Azadi-Waaqeyaat wa Haqaayeq, blames this sorry state of affairs on the conspiracies hatched against Bakht Khan by the unfortunate and unreasonable Mughal Princes, who conspired against him, unaware of their approaching terrible end. He says, The courtiers created havoc each and every time and put blame on him for everything going wrong, without providing him with any kind of general support. All this and the corruption at the court and among the army rank and noncompliance of the troops, disheartened this most able of the fighters, Bakht Khan and after being relieved from his various significant positions , he got reduced to taking care of his own original regiments alone. This turn of events and colossal difference of opinions, among the different elements at the court, led eventually to the downfall of Delhi, the arrest of Zafar and slaughtering of his sons, not to mention hundreds and thousands of Delhites being butchered and displaced, forever.[19] But in the mayhem of 1857 mutiny what was more tragic perhaps, was the ruin of Shehar e Dilli and its uniquely rich Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb. It died forever.

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Purpose of Education
Mohammad Atiqur Rahman Throughout the lives of young students it has been drilled into their heads that if you get good grades and study hard than youll get into a good college. A good college leads to a good job. Thats how education is perceived, but there is much more to it. The purpose of education is to acknowledge not only ones career but also ones character. It provides one with the ability to make decisions and achieve their goals. It is to develop logic and reason. It should help learners to discriminate the knowledge and ignorance, light and dark, space and time, life and death, illustration and illusion, image and mirage etc. In addition, common values such as punctuality, following rules, cooperation, learning to work and get along together as well as a sense of responsibility are all important factors of education. The combinations of knowledge and skills as well as the common values help young students bloom into adults and become responsible and productive citizens. Many of the problems we face todaycorruption, injustice, oppression, poverty, etc.are man-made, i.e. they are largely traceable, directly or indirectly, to the education system that produced the people who perpetuate the problems. The rulers who sell out to their own selfish agendas and subjugate their people; the bureaucrats who enforce laws based on injustice; the generals who wage war against their own people; the businessmen who exploit and cheat; the journalists who lie, sensationalize, and promote indecencies; they are all educated people, in many cases highly educated people. Their education was meant to prepare them for the roles they are playing in real life. Influenced by the mere materialistic approach, present education system is based on only the career development to produce the workforce for the industry rather than providing good human being for the society. For the peace, prosperity, growth and stability of the society we need an education system which is based on human values. Each and every individual should be taught moral and ethics as a primary and compulsory education and then s/he should be trained for the science and technology, commerce and trade. Without that we are producing lots of doctors, engineers, scientist, entrepreneur, etc. but not good human being. Students who are the future leaders of the society must study the practical social sciences with a complete knowledge of social well beings, social reforms and social systems. I recently came across a very old advertisement for the post of an Imaam for the Grand Mosque of Istanbul at the time of Khilaafat (Khaleefa Sultan Suleyman) during 1520 1566 AD. In those days Imaam used to be a government official ( like an IAS officer or a minister today). The qualifications asked in the advertisement were : - To have mastered the languages of Arabic, Latin and Turkish and Persian. - To have mastered the Qur'an, the Bible and the Torah. - To be a scholar in Shari'ah and Fiqh. - To have mastered physics and mathematics up to teaching standard. - To be a master of chivalry, archery, dueling and the arts of Jihad. - To be of handsome countenance. - To have a strong melodious voice. (Source: Al Ahram newspaper 22nd September 1986, Egypt) Practically, it is impossible to find one such person with this qualification in any part of the world today. You may find a person who has mastered in Physics and Maths but it is highly unlikely that he is master in the Arabic and Quran as well. Even if he is master in Physics, Maths and Quran but it will be almost unrealistic to expect that he is master in Bible, To r a h o r o t h e r scriptures. It is all because we have not made our education system to take care of these educations. There are very few schools in the country that have got good infrastructure and facilities to teach sports along with science & technology but there are no educational institution to teach or master students in various scriptures. In reality, social knowledge, growth, peace and prosperity depends upon the study of scriptures alone. How well are scriptures gone inside the social fabric of society? More we study the scripture better is our understanding on of social responsibilities and development. Scriptures are sent to us by The Creator who has created all human beings (societies) and made an arrangement to teach us all about the society through Prophets (pbut). Only through Him we can achieve true education that can bring peace to an individual and society as a whole. Isaac Newton used to spend more time in study of Bible than science; George Gamow (who gave theory of Big Bang) was a priest and a physicist. Albert Einstein describes his thoughts about God as I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this element or that, in the spectra of this element or that, I want to know His thoughts, and the rest is detail. . In earlier days Astronomy, Biology, physics, Maths etc were studied under Fiqh that is where Muslims became the world leader and they were progressive and advanced.

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Bhindi (Okra) Health Benefits

1. The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize the blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract. 2. Okra's mucilage binds cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. 3. Okra helps lubricate the large intestines due to its bulk laxative qualities. The okra fiber absorbs water and ensures bulk in stools. This helps prevent and improve constipation. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, okra's mucilage soothes, and okra facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic. Okra binds excess cholesterol and toxins (in bile acids). These, if not evacuated, will cause numerous health problems. Okra also assures easy passage out of waste from the body. Okra is completely non-toxic, non-habit forming, has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economically within reach of most individuals unlike over-the-counter drugs. 4. Okra fiber is excellent for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics). This contributes to the health of the intestinal tract. 5. Okra is a supreme vegetable for those feeling weak, exhausted, and suffering from depression. 6. Okra is used for healing ulcers and to keep joints limber. It helps to neutralize acids, being very alkaline, and provides a temporary protective coating for the digestive tract. 7. Okra treats lung inflammation, sore throat, and irritable bowel syndrome. 8. Okra has been used successfully in experimental blood plasma replacements. 9. Okra is good for summer heat treatment. 10. Okra is good for constipation. 11. Okra is good in normalizing the blood sugar and cholesterol level. 12. Okra is good for asthma. Okra's vitamin C is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which curtail the development of asthma symptoms. 13. Okra is good for atherosclerosis. 14. Okra is believed to protect some forms of cancer expansion, especially colorectal cancer. 15. Eating okra helps to support the structure of capillaries. 16. Some information shows that eating okra lowers the risk of cataracts. 17. Okra is good for preventing diabetes. 18. Okra protects you from pimples and maintains smooth and beautiful skin. We understand the reason why Cleopatra and Yang Guifei loved to eat okra

Right posture to work on computer

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Invocations
HAAFIZA SIDDIQUI SYED* Of the immeasurable bounties of the Lord, the one that really makes me feel the closest and most beholden are the early winter mornings. Winter has yet not firmly rested its feet in the desert sands of this city but the mere precursor of its arrival fills me with immense gratitude and peace that cannot be put into words. Fortunate enough to have a vantage point of 20 stories the views that fill my heart and mind are the source of my inspiration and meditation. Gazing away from my balcony I watch the city scapes on my left and the ocean on my right ;the pre-winter breeze caressing me and my thoughts, transporting to a realm that gives me a sense of balance, balance between the growth of urbanization and the deep rootedaustere truth of nature. This is the place I return to in moments of chaos and confusion. This humble space that tells me to slow down when I am rushing with life, the same space that pushes me on when I have stopped moving and reaching for my dreams; in cryptic metaphors, it speaks to me. From dawn to the mid-morning light as I witness the city awaking from its slumber, I am amazed at the changing hues and shades the ocean takes, mirroring the sky. I sit and gaze with open eyes and mind and am lifted to a state of tranquility and awakening that is conscious and liberating .I cant gather enough words of gratitude towards the Creator, the One that sends peace and tranquility; The One that paints the world with such artistry, not just for the eye, but for the soul as well. Sometimes it doesnt take books and manuals to reach God, we just need to open our eyes and feel His presence. Its there in the days that turn into nights and the scorching summers that turn into soothing winters, from dusk to dawn, season to season , chaos to order, and from pain to healing ; His propinquity is everywhere, it just has to be felt with a conscious heart. * she is an artist based in Dubai

"I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite all the wise and educated men of all the countries and establish a uniform regime based on the principles of Qur'an which alone are true and which alone can lead men to happiness."
Napolean Bonaparte (Napoleonic Code was based on Maliki School) Napolean Bonaparte as Quoted in Christian Cherfils, Bonaparte et Islam, Pedone Ed., Paris, France, 1914, pp. 105, 125. Original References: "Correspondence de Napolon Ier Tome V pice n 4287 du 17/07/1799..."

The more arguments you win, the fewer friends you will have

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Insulting the Prophet The beginning of the end

Abu Haneefa Sohail For Muslims, he is the Messenger of God. The final Prophet sent to mankind to complete the legacy of Abraham, Moses and Jesus. He was known by his community prior to Prophethood as Al-Amin (The Trustworthy). And at the age of 40 he was visited by the Angel Gabriel who revealed the very first verse of the Quran, Read. In the Name of your Lord, who creates. This remarkable journey continued for another 23 years until the Prophet Muhammad discharged the responsibility entrusted upon him of conveying the final revelation. If I was sure I would be faithful to him, I might hope to meet him, and if I were with him, I would wash his feet. - Heraclius, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire[1] The Prophet Muhammad stands alone as the most remarkable and influential figure in human history. He was described by Michael Hart in his The 100 A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History as "supremely successful" in both the religious and secular realms. He was the ascetic who spent his nights weeping to God and standing in solemn prayer until his feet swelled; He was the military commander who launched 19 battles, fighting in 8 with sword and shield in hand, unifying the tribes of the Arabian peninsula, shaking the foundations of the Byzantine empire and demolishing the Persian empire. He was the diplomat who negotiated treaties with heads of state, never breaching his word or compromising his integrity. He was the head of state who transformed the marauding Bedouin Arabs into a sophisticated, wellorganised and just society. He was the loving grandfather, devoted to his children and grandchildren, remaining in prostration for extended periods until his grandchildren finished playing on his back. He was the loving husband who described his wife Aisha as the most beloved person to him, treating her with the affection and romance of a true gentleman, breathing his last breath while resting in her arms. He was the quintessence of human perfection and refined character. He was the leader who stands tall above all other leaders. For Muslims, he is the Messenger of God. The final Prophet sent to mankind to complete the legacy of Abraham, Moses and Jesus. He was known by his community prior to Prophethood as Al-Amin (The Trustworthy). And at the age of 40 he was visited by the Angel Gabriel who revealed the very first verse of the Quran, Read. In the Name of your Lord, who creates. This remarkable journey continued for another 23 years until the Prophet Muhammad discharged the responsibility entrusted upon him of conveying the final revelation. Late in the 19th year of Prophethood, on his return from signing the Treaty of Hudaibiyah that guaranteed peace between the early Muslims and the pagans of the Arabian Peninsula, the Prophet Muhammad sent letters to the kings beyond Arabia calling them to Islam. In order to authenticate the credentials of his envoys, a silver seal was made in which were graven the words, "Muhammad the Messenger of Allah."[2] The manner in which two of these letters were received reveal much of the mindset of their respective civilisations, but more importantly, they provide an insight into the final end of those who ridicule or insult the Prophets of God. The first of these letters was sent to Heraclius, King of the Byzantine Empire, also known as the eastern Roman Empire with its capital in Constantinople. It simply read: "In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the slave of Allah and His Messenger to Hercules, King of the Romans. Blessed are those who follow true guidance. I invite you to embrace Islam so that you may live in security. If you come within the fold of Islam, Allah will give you a double reward, but in case you turn your back upon it, then the burden of the sins of all your people shall fall on your shoulders[3]. The response of Heraclius was completely consistent with an empirical rational approach that was to become the forte of progressive western societies. He investigated, questioned and then arrived at an evidencebased conclusion free of bias. He summoned Abu Sufyan, who was the chief of the pagan Arabs and an adversary of the Prophet Muhammad, and placed behind him his companions, instructing them to contradict Abu Sufyan if he spoke a lie. Heraclius then proceeded to interrogate him regarding this man who claimed Prophethood. Abu Sufyan answered as follows: "Muhammad descends from a noble family. No one from his family has ever assumed kingship. His followers are those deemed weak with numbers ever growing. He neither tells lies nor betrays others, we fight him and he fights us but with alternate victory. He bids people to worship Allah Alone with no associate, and abandon our fathers beliefs. He orders us to observe prayer, honesty, abstinence and maintain strong family ties."[4] The response of Heraclius reveals a leader who was endowed with some wisdom and understanding and knew too well the lofty status of the Prophets of God. He neither mocked the call of the Prophet Muhammad, nor accepted it blindly but verified his claim: I fully realize that Prophets come from noble families; he does not affect any previous example of Prophethood. Since none of his ancestors was a monarch, we cannot then allege that he is a man trying to reclaim his fathers monarchy. So long as he does not tell lies to people, he is for the more reason, immune to telling lies as regards Allah. Concerning his followers being those deemed weak with numbers ever growing, it is something that goes in agreement with questions of Faith until this latter assumes its full dimensions amongst all places and all peoples. I have understood that no instance of apostasy has as yet appeared among his followers, and this points to the bliss of faith that finds its abode in the human heart. Betrayal, as I see, is alien to him because real Prophets hold betrayal in abhorrence. Bidding worship of Allah with no associates, observance of prayer, honesty and abstinence and prohibition of paganism are traits bound to subject to him all my possessions. I have already known that a Prophet must arise but it has never occurred to me that he will be an Arab from among you. If I was sure I would be faithful to him, I might hope to meet him, and if I were with him, I would wash his feet.[5] Despite the fact that the Byzantine Empire remained at war with the Muslims, their armies frequently meeting on the battlefield, the respect and honour afforded to the Prophet Muhammad by Heraclius set a precedent that was to be observed by future generations of Byzantine monarchs. The 12th century Muslim historian, al-Suhayli, reports that Heraclius ordered the letter of the Prophet Muhammad be preserved in a golden tube. It was venerated by successive generations of monarchs until it reached the monarchs that conquered Toledo in central Spain. Abdul Malik ibn Sad, a commander of the Muslim armies in Spain narrates that a Christian king brought forth the letter from a golden tube and identified it as the letter of the Prophet Muhammad. Abdul Malik wept and asked permission to kiss the letter but permission was not granted. Being a people of Christian faith, endowed with knowledge of the Gospels they fully recognised the Prophethood of Muhammad. More importantly they understood that venerating the signs of this Prophet such as his letter, was a sure means of preserving their kingdom. The second of these letters was sent to Chosroes, Emperor of the Persian Empire. It stated simply: "In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah to Chosroes, King of Persia. Peace be upon one who follows true guidance, believes in Allah and His Messenger and testifies that there is no god but Allah Alone with no associate, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I invite you to accept the religion of Allah. I am the Messenger of Allah sent to all people in order that I may infuse fear of Allah in every living person, and that the charge may be proved against those who reject the Truth. Accept Islam as your religion so that you may live in security, otherwise, you will be responsible for all the sins of the Magians."[6] The reaction of the Persian emperor reveals ignorance of Prophethood, and a level of arrogance that would prove to be their own downfall. The proud monarch was enraged by the style of the letter as the name of the Prophet had been put above his own name. He

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continued on page 11

Understand Quran the Easy Way (workshop)

Understand Quran the Easy Way (workshop), 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Nov 2012, from The Understand Quran Academy, Hyderabad (3 Day Short Course, developed by Adbul Azeez Abdur Raheem), organized by Bihar Anjumans Patna chapter @ Anand Place, Anand Vihar, opposite Police Colony, Anisabad, Patna: This was precious and a very pleasant event in the life of participants of Understand Quran-The Easy Way Workshop held from 2nd Nov to 4th Nov 2012. At the request of Bihar Anjuman this 3-days workshop was conducted by Jb. Abdul Raheem Nayeemuddin Sb, the coordinator of Understand Al-Quran Academy, Hyderabad, at Anand Place, Anand Vihar, Anisabad, Patna. The workshop was jointly sponsored by Bihar Anjuman & Indian Muslim Educational and Social Welfare Trust-Patna. The workshop commenced at 8:30 am on 2nd Nov 2012 in the presence of Jb. S.S. Taqiuddin Firdaus Sb., Jb. Wali Rahmani Sb. & Jb. Maulana Rizwan Ahmad Islahi (Ameer-e-Muqami, JIH). Jb. S.S. Taqiuddin Firdausi Nadwi, the former HOD of Ministry of Education, Gov. of Saudi Arabia, inaugurated the workshop. In his inaugural speech he talked on the topic Understanding QuranNecessities and Importance. According to him the life, character & saying of Prophet Muhammad PBUH have the best explanation of The Holy Quran. The Quran is the only book in which message of our Creator is preserved in its original form. This is the only book, which guides us how to live according to the wishes of Allah SWT, so without understanding it is impossible to get success in this world and the hereafter. After the inaugural speech, Jb. Abdul Raheem Nayeemuddin Sb. welcomed all the participants of the workshop. He congratulated the sponsors and management of the workshop to make such a nice arrangement for a good cause. He delivered a lecture to convince the audience that it is easy to understand Quran. According to him, every tenth word of the Quran is from Al-Fatiha so if any one understands the meaning of Surah Al-Fatiha he attains 10% vocabulary of Quranic Words. In Quran Allah SWT says And We have indeed made the Qur'n easy to understand and remember, then is there any that will remember (or receive admonition)? So we must believe in words of Allah. He convinced that by the grace of Allah SWT after completion of the workshop all of you will be able to understand 50% of Quranic words. He introduced the TPI (Total Physical Interaction) methodology of teaching. He demonstrated how easy it is to remember words using TPI. The technique developed by Jb Abdulazeez Abdul Raheem, the director of Understand Al-Quran Academy-Hyderabad, is now accepted globally as the best learning method; hence it is being used in various madrasas and academies in India and abroad. The first session ended at 12:00 noon. After Namaz-eJuma, lunch was provided at subsidized rate to the participants. The second session started at 03:00pm, which lasted for two hours. During the workshop, there were arrangements of refreshments. There were separate arrangements for gents and ladies to take rest and offering of Salah during the breaks. View full report of the program, many more images, and a short video at http://www.biharanjuman.org/events/understand_quran_course_in_patn a.php

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Secrets of Success
1. Define your goal
The first step is to define your goal. Perhaps you've always dreamt about running a race or learning a new language? Maybe you're determined to seek a promotion or you simply want to shed a few kilos. Consider everything. What would you do if you had more time? What would you like to accomplish in the future? What do you regret about the past? In the words of motivational speaker Les Brown (www.lesbrown.com), "Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life." Whatever you choose, make sure your goal is specific, achievable and tangible. by believing that you already have it."

6. Spot the Obstacles

Now identify your potential obstacles. When suddenly faced with obstacles it can be difficult to remain focused and energetic. They can sap your energy, time and enthusiasm. What may hinder your progress? Old habits die hard and current mindsets can be difficult to shift, but identifying the obstacles will prepare you for the road ahead - forewarned is forearmed after all. "Be perfectly honest with yourself," says Carolyn, "this is the only way to identify all the possible problem areas. And only when you identify these can you develop strategies to minimise them."

7. Seek the Solutions

Think about how you can overcome these obstacles. What in your lifeneeds changing? This is your opportunity to plan your strategies for handling the setbacks. If you consider each obstacle, one by one, you can easily identify a suitable solution; this may mean a change to your usual routine, enlisting the support of a friend or family member or a change to your current mindset. "If you can't find the solution yourself then ask someone who has achieved a similar goal how they did it" says Lucy, "or imagine you are sitting with a role model, a top athlete, for example. Ask them what to do and then put yourself in their shoes and give the advice they would give."

2. Set your deadline

A goal without a deadline can be forever postponed, so set a deadline and aim to be as realistic as possible. If your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight for example, count on losing 2 pounds (around one kilo) per week. If you have your eye on that promotion, think about when your next appraisal is scheduled or another opportunity when you will have the chance to shine. Diana Scharf Hunt, author of The Tao of Time (Fireside), summed it up perfectly by saying, "Goals are dreams with deadlines."

8. practise visualisation
Take time to imagine that you have achieved your goal. What is it like? How do you feel? Excited? Exuberant? How has your life changed? How does it look, feel or sound? Capture that moment in your head and never lose sight of it. Try to make your vision so clear that you can perceive it with all five senses. The clearer the image in your mind, the easier it is to manifest into reality or in the words of Napoleon Hill, author of Think & Grow Rich (Ballantine Books), "What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve."

3. Identify your purpose

True motivation comes from understanding your underlying purpose, so think about what that is. Ensure your goal is something that you really want and not what others want you to do. Ensure also, that the goal you have set is in line with your overall purpose. If your purpose is to get fit, then a weight-loss goal may not be in line with this - it is possible to be slim, but still be unfit. Instead, it should rather be, "To achieve the same fitness levels I had when I was 20".

9. Create your action plan

Create a step-by-step action plan detailing exactly what you need to do to achieve the goal. Remember in step one we identified that goals are the road maps that guide you? Well think of your action plan as the specific directions to get you to your destination, via the quickest and easiest route possible. Depending on the nature of your goal, identify any major milestones necessary to achieve it, then break down each milestone into specific tasks or steps. Sometimes just knowing where to start is hard, in which case enlist the support of others, be it friends, colleagues or a support group. Be prepared to journal the process. Writing things down helps to collate our thoughts, handle potholes and identify and deal with weaknesses. Strive to make progress every day. Every single day. And tell everyone you know about your goal accountability is a great way to ensure that you do what needs to be done source: unknown

4. Recognise the benefits

Determine, and better still, write down, the benefits you expect to enjoy from reaching your goal. Ask yourself what you will achieve from conquering your goal? Defining the benefits will help you to overcome moments of weakness. Evaluate these carefully and your goals will become much more attainable and your motivation increased. Lucy Mackintosh, NLP Coach and founder of The Law of Attraction Group in Dubai (www.lawofattractiondubai.com) says, "Write them on post-it notes and stick them on the fridge, in the car, on a mirror; by never losing sight of the benefits of success, your goal will remain at the forefront of your mind which will only strengthen your resolve."

5. Instill self-belief
You must believe your goal is achievable; unless you believe you can 100 per cent reach it, you will have no true motivation. Those who think they can and those who think they can't are both right; the power of positive thinking knows no end. According to Carolyn Mitchell, NLP Life Coach and owner of Blue Sky Life Coaching (www.blueskylifecoaching.ae), "Affirmations are an excellent tool to promote self-belief and assure ourselves of positive outcomes. Begin with fast forwarding to the time when you have achieved your goal. Learn what it feels like [in your mind] to experience what the success of achieving your goal means to you. Feel it or see it for yourself. Once you have learned what success feels like, you simply can't 'unlearn' it. By writing, reading and re-experiencing those feelings of success over and over again you are essentially telling yourself what you want

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continued from page 8

Why Bal Thackerays death should ...

which is openly inflammatory if not downright anti-national given much teeth by Bal Thackreys frequent rhetoric and yet the magazine has not faced any threats of
shutdown or even attempts at moderation. The RSS has a rich history of participating in communal riots, arson, public beatings and has always taken the law into their own hands at the slightest pretext of a provocation, but never has the organization ever faced even the threat of any kind of ban be it political or financial. As Dilip Patgaonkar so aptly put it in a debate on NDTV late last night, Yes certainly Bal Thackrey was a candid man but you should also ask people who were at the receiving end of his candor, people like the Biharis, and minorities like the Muslims what they felt about his candor and straight forwardness and whether thy would languish the same praise on him that the BJP so freely would. He was a man who knew he could be candid because he was protected by a horde of Shiv Sena men who would take to the streets at the slightest provocation, and he could not be paid back in kind or replied to in his own language. There is enough testimony that he did not appreciate the same candor or even a sense of righteousness in others. As the man himself said it many a time If you touch me/lay one finger on me, Mumbai will burn. This is not candor or straight forwardness or speaking from the heart, this is essentially the language of a glorified goon with a vast horde of henchmen uttering whatever he wishes to, and crossing lines with every statement, simply because he knows he can afford to. He frequently replied to questions that journalist put to him over the past years where they would ask him about living life on his own terms with the answer so what is wrong with that? If I want to live the way I want to. His living life the way he wanted to; meant quite often that a vast majority of Non Marathi, Non Mumbaikar or NON Marathi Manush as the Shiv Sena calls them, was not allowed to live the life they wanted to. The sheer arrogance of the man was testament of his complete isolation form any persecution whatsoever. This is a fact that is conveniently being ignored by the BJP & its allies in their praise. If the man was such a menace, you could perhaps ask at this point of time that is there not then reason to rejoice in the fact that the rhetoric might now be toned down and the RSS momentarily stricken. Well yes and No! Yes the RSS will be momentarily at a loss but the loss is only temporary. Bear in mind that the Shiv Sena has not really been doing all that well in polls in the recent past and that some had even (albeit at the risk of their lives) started calling Thackrey a toothless tiger. His death then far from proving detrimental to the Shiv Sena might just provide the shot in the arm so desperately needed. It might even result in the coming together of son Udhav and estranged nephew Raj, thereby ending the in-fighting and lending back strength to the RSS. The BJP - RSS combination when aligned with Raj Thackreys party MNS together have a 51.4% majority and Thackrey death might just be the catalyst which brings them together. Then there is also the inevitable sympathy wave though it might not be enough on its own to swing things in their favor as the supporters of Thackrey brand of politics have always been avid vote casters and the numbers are not likely to swell by his demise. It might just give the party the plank and positioning it needs though to re-invent itself, something which many critics felt the RSS needed to do. The record as they say was sounding a little broken of late. There is thus the chance of a strengthened resurgent Sena emerging from his death rather than crumbling to pieces, which would again be more cause for worry rather than joy. The RSS whatever its ideological flaws is a very efficient organization one which works at the grass root level, one which spreads venom at the root. It believes in cadres, in catching them young and instilling in them loyalty when the mind is impressionable. Bal Thackrey might have been the Mumbai Poster boy and a powerful crowd puller, but the work of the RSS and the Sangh is done at a much more basic level, quite surreptitiously with infinitely more discretion. This work in Indias villages and towns has been going on forever and will continue to go on. As the poor CONGRESS MP Dewas Sajjan Singh Verma (when he praises the RSS workers for their dedication , a day after the congress ession in Surajkund, and compared it to the reluctance of Congress leaders to step out of their AC chambers and cars) found out its a truth nobody wants to acknowledge, but nevertheless is true. The politics of RSS is a politics of hate, and hate is an emotion which does not always need tangible logic. Hate is built up on presumptions and biases and if you have the right resources and muscle to run a propaganda machine in a society with biases galore and also a rich history of subjugation, then chances are you are more likely to succeed than to fail. It is this success which the RSS has tasted and although Bal Thackrey was the man who popularized it, he was far from the man who defined or invented the Shiv Sena ideology. The man might be dead, but the Sena ideology lives on and as long as there is a free hand granted to the Shiv Sainiks as in the past, it will find ample takers, with or without Bal Thackrey. By Jahanzeb Mashhadi Jahanzeb.mashhadi@gmail.com +971557226803 (M) +971 4 3682843 (L)

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Dawah in Canada
also invited for a public talk in the university of Toronto Alhumdulillah whose date and topic are yet to get decided inshaAllah along with these public talks simultaneously my dawah on one and one basis , table talks and discussions with the

non Muslims is still on Alhumdulilllah , Canada has given me opportunities to meet scholars from different parts of the world to sit with them and learn from them Alhumdulillah scholors like Dr. bilal Phillips , shaykh saeed rageh , shaykh mohtesham al hameedi ,Abdullah hakim quick and many others Alhumdulillah. Allah has also blessed me with a job where in I am able to do dawah while working, give to the non Muslims copies of the Quran and convey to them the message of Islam Alhumdulilllah which is next to impossible at a work place in Canada. I talk to the non Muslims for hours and hours at my place of work Alhumdulillah and may Allah reward my boss at work for his lenient attitude towards me Alhumdulillah Aameen. I have noticed that the Muslims of Canada are strong and active mashaAllah and at the same time there has to be a lot of dawah needs to be done to the non Muslims, I have seen that the western world is thirsty today and needs their thirst to be quenched with Quran and with the guidance of Allah mentioned in the Quran and the teaching of the prophet Mohammad peace be upon him. Allah subhaanwatalla has blessed me with this work Alhumdulillah and gave me this ability to convey the message of Islam to the non Muslims in the west Alhumudillah and blessed me with few very good brothers whose favors are not and never forgetful till death inshaAllah , who have been very supportive to me in this work of mine in Canada in all aspects till date Alhumdulillah and Allah knows them and to them only Allah can reward with the best Aameen.i have many many more things to share and write but this space is not alloweing me to write everything Allah hu mustaan I ask my brothers and sisters to make dua for me that Allah keep taking the work of his precious deen from me till my last breath and accept whatever very very tiny done in his way from my side and forgive me my faults and my short coming and grant me with iqhlaas and accepts this work which is done only and only for his sake and for his deen Aameen may Allah reward my parents with best in both the worlds Aameen and grant them with janatul firdaus Aameen above all because of their support, trust and help to me I came into this field Alhumdulillah

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Last moment of Qaddafi, the ruler of many decades of Libya

The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God. Mother Teresa, A Simple Path: Mother Teresa

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