S

TRAN CEND
Vol. 2- Issue 1 February - April 2010

Winds Of
e
つ
Table Of
Contents

The Magazine Team

Moral Uprightness
4
By Anem J. Nawaz
In The Hearts Of Green Birds 6
By Yousuf Raza
Birds And Bicycles
8
By Hassan Baig
Verbal Accountability
10
By Syeda Afsheen Perwaiz
The Man And The Cocoon
12
Story shared by Shifa Student Society
PDA
13
By Dr. Ali Tayyab
Respect: Commands, Not Demands
16
By Uzair Mushahid
The Head Scarf Martyr
18
By Vajiha Javed
Psychological Warfare
20
By Ali Ahsan
Qur'an And The Natural World
24
By Dr. Muzzafar Iqbal
Winds Of Change
26
By Ahmed Malik
Combatting Whispers
33
By Muhammad Raza
Nojabi To Hijabi
36
Anonymous
Hardening Your Resolve
37
Story shared by Shifa Student Society
Being Guided Among Misguidance
38
By Abdur-Rehman Mirza
Revelation And Reason
40
By Syed Ahmed Faisal Nahri
Uthman bin Affan  44
By Dr. Waqas Ahmed
A Ray Of Hope
48
By Emad Atif Ahmed
What Is Our Excuse
51
A silent message by Shifa Student Society
Dr. Muhammad Amin
Editor's
Dr. Naseem Ansari
Dr. Kazi Zulkadar

Dr. Waqas Ahmed

Dr. Muzaffar Iqbal Note
Dr. Amir Nazir

T
he Muslim world today is strife with countless tribulations and transgressions.
Focusing on Pakistan, the turmoil of our nation can be described in few ways
better than the distressing fact that you will be hard-pressed to find an individual
who has not been affected significantly by terror. Even more depressing is the sad
reality that it is Muslims who are killing one another. The alarming gap between rich
and poor along with the abysmal lack of concern towards those beneath us is another
painful example of the corruption of our materialistic souls.

Our actions when searching for answers to these problems only illuminate how heedless
we have become; when the time for blame comes, many of us unquestioningly skip
Vajiha Javed

Yousuf Raza
Ubaid Khan

from one perpetrator to another, blindly following what the mass media spurns out.
Rather than giving seventy excuses to our brother, we immediately suspect him on the
slightest whim. These trivial obsessions, along with a plethora of entertainment outlets,
deprive us of time needed to remember Allah Ī and reflect on our inner states. With
just an iota of pondering, we would surely despair at our many flaws.
Rishtya M. Kakar

Our negligence of the Prophetic teachings, not the doings of any terrorists or outside
Javeria Naveed

influences, is the reason for this immense turmoil. And the ramifications of this are by
Samar Khan

no means limited to our performance as a nation. The Pakistani family unit is crumbling;
most of our youth lack even the most rudimental basics of Islamic character, and are
disillusioned in both worldly and spiritual realms. It is thus undeniable that change is
needed; however in order to even dream of changing the nation, we must first examine
ourselves closely. How do our honesty, justice, and piety compare to that of previously
successful nations like that of Uthman bin Affan?

It is only once we amend our personal flaws that we may begin to piece together the
Emad A. Ahmed
Asad Mehmood

scattered fragments of our Ummah.

Hiba Khan

Fortunately, some degree of revitalization is already taking place. The number of

Islamic conferences is on the rise, and organizations have shown commendable results
with their creative and contagious ideas. “Take out the Trash” by Zimendar Shehri
(Responsible Citizens) has cleared massive areas of trash and is just one example
of the upbeat, positive undercurrent present amidst the chaos. However, this level of
activity is embarrassingly small. Everyone can participate in improving the state around
him or her. Allah Ī says, “So whosever does good equal to the weight of an atom shall
Ahmed Malik

see it.” Truly if everyone, for example, picked up a piece of garbage, the effort taken by
Ahmad Yasin

each person would be miniscule, but the impact of the cumulative actions on the nation
Ali Ahsan

would be profound.

We implore you to realize that it is an obligation for everyone to participate in bringing

about this change; if not in their society as a whole, one must at least improve themselves
and their family.
Muhammad Raza

Umar A. Shuaib
Anem J. Nawaz

Amidst this feeling of hopelessness, this issue of Transcend is a humble attempt to fan
the Winds of Change.

Umar Ashfaq Shuaib

Chief Editor
4
Moral
U prightness
Anem J. Nawaz - 3rd year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine
(Head of Publications, SSS)
S
hould a friend be asked to fill in a
“proxy” to cover one’s absence from the
class? Should a beaming ambulance
be given the right of way? Should the doctor
on duty be vigilant enough to give attention
to every arriving patient irrespective of his
social status or political clout? Should a
faulty product be sold to a fellow citizen?
Extending the argument a little further;
should a businessperson continue hoarding
stocks of sugar or flour while the poor are
desperately looking for some?
 
These situations are thrown  at us  almost
every day, and require our judgement. While
we do make these judgements, they are
often hasty, and we are quite unaware of the
process and factors that assist us in making
these calls.
 
If we investigate this ‘black box’ a little
further, we find that certain decisions are
made based on strategic, intellectual and
behavioral reasoning, some are mood-
dependent and emotional, and most are ad-
hoc in nature. Collectively, such situations
and our subsequent judgement calls may be
known to some as ‘morality.’ Bernard Gert
of Dartmouth College defines morality as a
‘code of conduct’ put forward by a society (a
religious group or otherwise), or accepted by
an individual as a guide for his or her own
behavior.
All religions and cultures hold morality in
high esteem. Morality holds a prominent
place in the message of Islam. The
underlying theme of morality in Islam is the
“reversibility check”—envisioning oneself
in somebody else’s shoes before making
a decision. Many of the above situations,
like proxying attendance, can very easily be Discussing morality, Islamic scholar Abul
handled if viewed based on moral principles,
with clear avoidance of double standards.
Islam also instructs its followers to be
respectful of others (especially elders), and
to demonstrate honesty and integrity with
oneself and others. It promotes equality of
all humans—irrespective of gender, color,
race or socio-economic status, and taking
care of the orphans and the poor. Islam even
accords special consideration for women,
the elderly and children, and even animals
and plants in war-zones. It forbids behaviors
such as stealing, adultery, gambling, taking
false oaths, abuse, cheating, hypocrisy,
greed, usury, murder, violence, tyranny and
oppression. As is obvious, morality has
many facets, yet one of its most significant
aspects is to practice what one preaches.
In the Holy Quran, an ayah in Surat Al-
Baqarah reads, ‘Do you exhort the people
to be righteous, while forgetting yourselves,
though you read the scripture? Do you not
understand?’’ [2:44]. This is a rhetorical
question to the Bani Israel because they used
to tell others what was right and wrong but did
not practice it themselves. In order to ensure
adherence to the high values of morality, the
Holy Quran commands the believers not to
preach what they do not practice. Prophet
Muhammad Ē made special emphasis on
maintaining high values of morality. This was
the reason that even the worst enemies of
the Prophet Ē were compelled to call him
by the title As-Saadiq and Al-Ameen (‘the
truthful’ and ‘the trustworthy,’ respectively).
It was due to this moral superiority, more
than any other virtue, that the Prophet Ē
succeeded in bringing about the greatest
revolution humanity has ever witnessed.

’Ala Maududi once wrote, “Man has been
blessed with an innate sense of morality,
which has served to guide him through the
ages, enabling him to distinguish between
right and wrong, and good and evil. The
virtues such as bravery and truthfulness have
always elicited praise. In contrast to this, we
find that at no time in the history of man have
qualities such as dishonesty and breach of
trust ever been upheld or regarded as worthy
of praise. Dignity, restraint, politeness and
amiability have always been regarded as
virtues as opposed to snobbery, arrogance,
and discourteousness, which have never
been recognized as good moral qualities.”
If we look into our surroundings, it would be
easy to reach the conclusion that most of
our ills today are due to moral bankruptcy
at all levels. Our political leaders, who are
supposed to be custodians of national
wealth, are the worst plunderers. The
courts are generally found compromising
on justice, the administration is corrupt and
inefficient, religious leaders are often found
compromising with the evils of society, and
businesspeople are involved in hoarding
and in the black-market. Last but not least,
national leaders are advocating simplicity
and austerity but when it comes to their
own lifestyle, they amass luxuries not even
accesible to the US President or to 10
Downing Street.
This is the reason our society is perplexed
today. We condemn the drone attacks, but
quietly accord permission. We condemn the
army action of 1971 in then-East Pakistan
and the massacre of people in Baluchistan,
but hail the killings in Swat and Northern
Waziristan. We teach our students that the
suicidal attack of Joan of Arc was great
martyrdom, but when the oppressed people
in Kashmir, Afghanistan, or Palestine use the
The pirate replied to Alexander,
“Because I do it with only a little ship,
I am called a thief; you, doing it with a
great navy, are called an emperor.”
5
same tactic against the occupation forces
we condemn them as terrorists. Moral
bankruptcy, however, is not only confined to
one geographical location or another.
MIT’s renowned linguist and philosopher
Noam Chomsky in his book, “Pirates and
Emperors”, narrates the story of a pirate
who is captured and brought to the court of
Alexander the Great. The latter asked, “How
dare he molest the sea?”
“How dare you molest the whole world?”
The pirate replied. “Because I do it with only
a little ship, I am called a thief; you, doing it
with a great navy, are called an emperor.”
For the establishment of a just society, Islam
demands from every believer adherence to
basic morality. By adopting Islamic morality,
that is practicing moral principles, not just
preaching, we would be able to create a
just society, where rule of law would be the
guiding principle. The society, then, would be
free of corruption, nepotism, cronyism and
plutocracy, and would enshrine an egalitarian
society with no marginalization due to socio-
economic, political, gender, or religious
reasons. This would ensure social justice,
not just criminal justice, and would ultimately
help bridge the ever-increasing gap between
the rich and the poor. A society thus built on
Islamic morals would be free from terrorism
and extremism as well, since practicing these
values would spread tolerance. The rights
of every individual would be ensured by the
society through a broad based fraternity; no
one would be compelled to resort to violence
and extra-judicial measures. Islam has, in
fact, practically demonstrated this type of
society when Medinah was established,
under the guidance of the Prophet Ē, as
the first Islamic State of the current Muslim
Ummah on this planet.

6
In The
Yousuf Raza - Final year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine
riday, our Prophet Ē told us, is the best
F of days. It was on this day that our father
Adam was created; it was on this day he
was allowed to enter into jannah; it was on this
day that he was expelled therefrom; it is on this
day that life on earth will come to an end and
the Day of Judgment shall be established. And it
was on Friday, the 4th of December, 2009, that
Saad Sadiq and 36 other Muslims, in the course
of their Friday prayers, attained the honor of
martyrdom (in shaa Allah).
At the ripe age of 18, with an outstanding
academic record, a promising future, a plethora
of devoted friends, and a very loving family,
nobody expected Saad’s sojourn in this worldly
life to end so abruptly. Some would say he was in
the wrong place at the wrong time. Some would
call it an atrocity of fate and use it as an example
for how unjust this world is. But that’s not our
perspective. Our perspective is not limited to
the realms of this worldly life, but extends way
beyond that; we believe in an eternal after-life.
Indeed, for someone with a restricted view of life,
a view which only considers the 60 odd years of
this world as ‘life,’ such events are irreconcilable
catastrophes. But for a true believer, death is
but the beginning of another stage; the stage
where we shall reap that which we sowed in
this short yet important worldly life. This is not to
belittle the distress that overtakes a family at the
demise of a loved one, for indeed the Prophet of
Allah himself shed tears at the death of his son
and attributed it to the mercy Allah has placed
between humans. Rather, from this belief stems
our satisfaction with the decree of our Lord
and our desire to struggle for the reward in the
everlasting afterlife.
With that perspective in mind, this is perhaps
one of the best ways to pass from this stage
to that. Some will pass away in a hospital after
struggling through debilitating diseases, some
would go quietly in their sleep; very few get the
Hearts Of
Green Birds
honor of attaining martyrdom and leaving this
world in a state of prayer. Subhan Allah!
But does this justify the preposterous acts that
brought about this martyrdom? Most certainly
not! Just as surely as the martyrs will be
honored, the murderers will be punished. Allah
Ī says: Or should We, perchance, treat those
who surrender themselves unto Us as [We
would treat] those who remain lost in sin? What
is amiss with you? On what do you base your
judgment [of right and wrong]? [68: 35 and 36].
The Prophet Ē told us, as reported in Sahih
Muslim, that there will be a group of extremists
amongst our Ummah, who will appear to be very
fervent in acts of worship, so much so that they
would put the majority to shame. But, they will
have left the fold of Islam like an arrow leaves
a bow. These murderers are the Khawarij of
our time. If the reports are to be believed, and
they are very devout Muslims, the fact remains
that they have joined hands with the enemies of
Islam and are bent upon putting our deen into
disrepute. They fight and kill innocent Muslims
in preference to others, and thereby fit the
description laid down by the Prophet Ē when he
spoke about the Khawarij.
Having labeled the victims as noble martyrs and
the perpetrators as Khawarij do we go on with
our lives as usual? The aforementioned beliefs
are not meant to numb us into inaction. Islam is
not, as Karl Marx thought, another opium of the
masses. If anything, it’s a mild painkiller that rids
us of debilitating pain, without inducing sleep,
and allows us to contribute positively towards
society.
So how do we contribute positively in a time like
this? A time, as predicted by our Prophet, where
the killer does not know why he’s killing and
the killed does not know for what crime he was
killed. The newspapers are rife with examples

which suggest that we are living that prophecy
today. Do we stop going to the masajid out of
fear? Shed our Muslim identities out of shame?
Become apologetic and adopt the ‘innocent’
western identities? Sadly, that is a path many
Muslims have started taking. Everything, from
names to attires, is changing so that we become
more acceptable in the sights of the affluent
west. We seek to be recognized as being
‘progressive’ even if it means compromising the
commandments of our Lord.
When we consider the ‘Taliban’ this is what
we see: A group of fanatics, sporting beards,
brandishing SMGs, blowing themselves and
innocent civilians up; all, they allegedly claim,
to enforce shariah law in the land and oppose
the un-Islamic Western lifestyle. So, simpletons
that we are, we see the obvious wrongs in their
suicide bombings and conclude that everything
else that they promulgate must be wrong as
well. Thus we scamper to western lifestyles
at the cost of our own Islamic values. Just
because they claim to be following Islam, we
have to present a watered-down version that
would appease our western masters, so they
may accept us. In doing all this we conveniently
choose to disregard the notion that these so-
called ‘Taliban’ are being funded by non-Muslim
foreign agencies, the very same we are looking
to appease!
Does this conclusion make any sense? Is it fair
to judge, and deem outdated and inhumane, the
commandments of Allah and His Messenger, just
because a few fanatics miss-interpret them and
seek to force them onto the entire world? This,
my friend, is what they call throwing the baby
out with the bathwater. There is definitely a need
to dump the poisonous bathwater that inundates
our society but why throw out the baby?
In acting thus we have allowed ourselves and
our nations to be occupied. Our religion and
culture lie ignored as we seek to appease our
western masters. The same people who have
left no stone unturned to conquer our minds and
lands, we beg to feed us their crumbs!
My point here is not for us to shun everything
western. We should seek to be progressive in the
true sense of the word but without compromising
our religious values. Simply put, we need to
adopt that which is good and beneficial but
with a critical approach—making sure that our
own religious values are not sacrificed. Most
7
importantly, we need to muster the courage to
call a spade a spade and stand up for what we
believe in.
If we do not, then we will have allowed the
sacrifices of people like Saad Sadiq and
countless martyrs before him to go to waste!
Is it fair to judge,
and deem outdated
and inhumane, the
commandments
of Allah and His
Messenger, just
because a few fanatics
miss-interpret them
and seek to force them
onto the entire world?
As we struggle through our mostly self-inflicted
miseries, Saad and his fellow martyrs reside
in the hearts of green birds flying around in
Paradise, as related by Masruq ē:
We asked Abdullah Ibn Masud about this verse:
“And do not regard those who have been killed in
the cause of Allah as dead, rather they are alive
with their Lord, being provided for (3: 149).” He
responded: “We asked the Prophet Ē the same
and he said: ‘Their souls are in the insides of
green birds having lanterns suspended from the
Throne, roaming freely in Paradise where they
please, then taking shelter in those lanterns. So
their Lord cast a glance at them and said: ‘Do
you wish for anything?’ They said: ‘What shall
we wish for when we roam freely in Paradise
where we please?’ And thus did He do to them
three times. When they say that they would not
be spared from being asked [again], they said:
‘O Lord, we would like for You to put back our
souls into our bodies so that we might fight for
Your sake once again. And when He saw that
they were not in need of anything they were let
be.’” [Sahih Muslim].
8
B irds and
B icycles
Hassan Baig - 3rd year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine

A
s I sat at my desk a few days back, I at me. So I got up and cycled home.
stared out the window and saw a few
birds in the sky. I remember thinking Back at the desk, counting those pages,
to myself, “Hey, these birds seem so happy the “thought of the day” floated back in my
and free, no cares, no worries. Too bad I’m mind. I started to realize its meaning. On
stuck in my room studying for the upcoming that bike ride, I imagined myself on the top
exam.” I gazed into the sky a few moments of the world. Me, by myself, number one! I
longer, then finally pushed the thought aside was so caught up trying to impress others
and continued my work. I got an SMS from a that I had forgotten the most important goal
friend; he usually sends me random “thought in life: getting closer to God. Every time this
of the day” messages, jokes, or news bicycle story comes into my mind, I always
updates. Today’s “thought of the day” was a keep thinking-where is God in all of this. I’m
hadith: “The reward of deeds depends upon bothered that there was no place for God in
the intentions and every person will get the that incident. He simply doesn’t fit in to this
reward according to what he has intended. story. I have left no space for Him; it’s just me
So whoever emigrates for worldly benefits or and my self-righteous thoughts. It dawned
for a woman to marry, his emigration will be on me that my worldly goals and pursuit to
for what he emigrated for” [Bukhari]. That’s get married (ahem) had actually made me
an interesting spin on things I suppose. I let proud. How? After getting a wave from that
the text drift in my mind for a bit, then shovedgirl—achieving a worldly pursuit—the sense
it aside and began my work again. Yet, as I of accomplishment made me believe that
was counting how many more pages were this whole incident was possible because
left, I got distracted once more by a memory of my persona, my glory. So if I strive for
of my days living in Colorado which I’ll share worldly things, all I’ll get in the end is a
with you. feeling of pride—my emigration will be what
I emigrated for. I would have missed the real
I was riding my bicycle one day. You see, goal of life’s journey—building a relationship
Colorado is known as the “fittest state”, with God.
everybody is active and loves the outdoors.
So I joined the trend also. Picture this: a After this revelation, I took a break from the
young, good looking lady-killer speeding books and got up from my desk. I went to
down the block on a pair of wheels. Who the kitchen for a snack. My mother was also
wouldn’t turn their heads at such a wonderful there, and she asked me to put some bread
sight? Well, all of this was in my head anyway. crumbs outside for the birds when I was done
As I was riding down my street, I passed by eating. I obliged because I wouldn’t want to
a few of the neighborhood girls standing on miss an opportunity to watch those care-
the sidewalk. One of them waved at me. free birds. The birds flocked in at the sight of
Heh, I’m good, I thought… just look at me. food, and I went back inside. While I walked
All eyes on me. Who wouldn’t wave at me? to my room, the bicycle story came into
I turned to look back, then due to a strong mind again, but this time I was questioning
wind or bump in the road (not any fault of my what my status was with God. Have I served
own, of course), I lost my balance and fell. Him properly? Have I given Him thanks for
This time, when I looked back, the girls were everything? Have I sought refuge with Him?
pointing, chattering, and probably laughing I sat down on my chair, glanced at my notes,
 9
and was about to read them when another dresser, and on her way out she asked how
memory consumed my mind. the prep was going. I said it was fine but
there was still a lot to do. She answered with
First year medical school had started, and I the same reply she’s been giving me since
had no clue what was going on. What books first year: do whatever is possible and forget
to get? What’s the schedule? Why is the about the rest. I nodded, and she left the
whole school in a single corner of a building? room. Alright, let’s do it then, get it done, I told
And what’s this ragging business? For me, myself. With this thought, something came
these were all minor problems as compared to me. I realized this new-found motivation
to trying to cover all the coursework in time for came from what my mother had said, from
an exam. My summer break before medical the reassurance she gave me. I assume this
school was quite long, about 6 months, so I is why we usually seek out family and friends
was completely out of touch with reading, let in troubled times—to find comfort, relief, and
alone studying a book. I couldn’t cope with it. the strength to move on. Before I could dive
People always used to tell me that medical deeper into this revelation, I was interrupted
school is hell, and I finally got to share in by the chirping of birds outside my window.
their experience. Late nights, no sleep, They seemed agitated, probably hungry. All
constant worries, no time. Do I know it? Why of the food I had put was gone. Then I saw
am I here? I should have been a business my mother go out and put some more food
major… These were my only thoughts for the for the birds. They gathered around and
first few months, and they led to the creation seemed content. So where was I? Reflecting
back on first year again, the reassurances I
received helped somewhat but the tension of
not knowing and uncertainty still remained.
But this time I was Prayers also gave me ease but I couldn’t
understand exactly how this worked—how
questioning what did my interaction with God help? The answer
was right in front of me, outside my window.
my status was with The birds chirped, and my mother brought
food. I asked for relief, and God granted me
God. Have I served clarity of mind and understanding in the long
run. These days in third year, I don’t have that
Him properly? same gripping anxiety. I have been released
from its clasp. In this instance, God is the
One I sought refuge in, unlike my bicycle
of a gripping anxiety which latched onto my incident in which I sought refuge only in my
mind. I didn’t eat much, avoided going out, own grandeur. God is the Granter; obviously,
and didn’t talk much to people at school. nothing can be done without His Will, and so
As I searched for a way to pry this anxiety it is His Will which should be followed. We
off of me, I found talking to my mother and must become His servants and fulfill what
sister helpful. They told me that if I work with has been given to us: duties to ourselves,
maximum effort everything would be fine; do our family and our society. Sure, seeking a
whatever you can do in the time given and decent social status and getting married can
forget about the tension of not knowing. This be goals as long as they remain secondary
reassurance granted me some relief from to the primary goal: fulfilling our duties to
the grasp of the anxiety. Yet in these few God.
months, I particularly remember something
much more effective that acted like a crowbar It was quarter to three in the afternoon. Two
which could rip away anxiety’s hold: prayer more chapters remained. It’s enough time.
times. This was the time I could offer up my Let’s get focused now. As I picked up my
concerns and worries, throw them up to God, book, another thought jumped into my mind.
and just be free: catharsis… If a bike ride had taught me about pride
and birds taught me about God, how much
After staring at the words “Chapter 8” for can this textbook actually teach me about
some time, I looked up as my mother came medicine…?
into my room. She needed the brush on my
10

〵〳erbal
〳〵ccountability


〵
Syeda Afsheen Perwaiz - 3rd year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine

G
ossip, or chit-chat, is one of the cheapest then by the lips. Is it because it is so precious?
forms of entertainment, which is used No. According to scholars, the tongue is so
by almost everyone around us. Have dangerous that it has been given two locks,
you ever wondered how costly this cheap and yet, we wilfully chose to unleash the
entertainment can be for us on the Day of monster hidden behind these two locks.
Judgement? If not, let us analyze something
called ‘verbal accountability’. ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir ē asked, "O Messenger of
Allah, what is salvation?" He Ē said, "Control
Allah Ī has gifted us with a tongue, which your tongue, keep to your house and weep
is a means for us to communicate, to teach, over your sin” [At-Tirmidhi].
to recite the Qur’an, to perform the duties
of a da’ee, among many other things. Yet, We can control our tongue by:
our tongue can also be one of the most
dangerous tools, if we opt to misuse it in Not telling lies
our daily lives. This is when our verbal “Falsehood leads to transgression and
accountability begins. transgression leads to the Hell fire. A
man continues to speak falsehood till he
Our Prophet Ē said, “A Muslim is the one is recorded with Allah as a great liar” [Al-
who avoids harming Muslims with his tongue Bukhari and Muslim].
or his hands.” [Al-Bukhari].
Not spreading rumours
Mention of “the tongue” before ‘the hands,’ in “It is enough for a man to prove himself a liar
the above hadith, serves to caution us of the when he goes narrating whatever he hears”
added risk and consequences of its misuse. [Muslim].
In another place, the Messenger of Allah Avoiding insensitive and abusive
Ē says that people will be thrown into the language
hellfire on their faces or on their noses due “A true believer is not involved in taunting,
to what their tongues have earned for them! frequent cursing (of others), indecency or
[At-Tirmidhi]. abusing” [At-Tirmidhi].
On the Day of Judgement, no one will be At another instance, the Prophet Ē said,
able to hide his or her misdeeds by an act “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last
of deception, like he or she might have done Day, let him speak good or remain silent.”
in the world, as every organ we possess will [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
pledge against us. Allah Ī warns:
How beautiful is this rule of Islam: either
“On that Day when their tongues, their hands, speak well or remain silent. Can you imagine
and their legs will bear witness against them how many problems one can avoid by simply
as to what they used to do” [24:24]. remaining silent? So many fights, so many
angry moments, so many arguments, all
Allah Ī is All-Aware. Looking at our body of which can easily be avoided if only we
we notice that our tongue is safe inside our remain silent.
mouth; firstly, it is secured by the teeth, and
 11
And the justification to ‘speak good or else should hasten to ask forgiveness for it.
keep silent’ is the belief in Allah and the Last
Day! Can there be anything more serious The Prophet Ē said, “He who has done
than that? wrong afflicting his brother’s honour or
What do we end up doing, instead of speaking anything else, let him ask his forgiveness
good or remaining silent? today before the time (Last Day) when he
will have neither a dinar nor a dirham. If he
We talk more, and listen less, even though has done some good deeds, a portion equal
Allah Ī has given us two ears and just one to his wrong doings will be subtracted from
tongue. Tell me, how many times would you them: but if he has no good deeds, he will
shuffle unnecessarily in your seat if you be burdened with the evil doings of the one
knew you were being recorded on a video he had wronged in the same proportion” [Al-
camera for TV? And tell me, how many times Bukhari].
would you speak unnecessarily if you knew
whatever you said was being recorded by an And due to the wrong deeds done by our
audio recorder; probably 75% less? So let tongue, the whole body will bear the burden
us all keep in mind the ayah of the Quran of it.
below:
The Prophet Ē said,
“Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there “When the Son of Adam wakes from his
is a watcher by him ready (to record it)” sleep, all of his body parts seek refuge from
[50:18]. his tongue, saying:
‘Fear Allah with regard
We backbite more, and According to to us, for, indeed, we
apologize less, even are part of you. So if
though Allah Ī says, scholars, the you are upright, then
we will be upright and
“Neither backbite one
another. Would any of
tongue is so if you are corrupt, then
we shall be corrupt” [At-
you like to eat the flesh dangerous that it Tirmidhi].
of his dead brother?
You would hate it
(so hate backbiting).
has been given Therefore, we all need
to think before we let
And fear Allah. Verily,
Allah is the One Who
two locks, and our tongues loose, and
we should talk only that
forgives and accepts yet, we wilfully which is necessary. Idle
repentance, Most talk not only wastes
Merciful” [49:12].  chose to unleash valuable time, but it
also bears greater
We waste time in the monster accountability:
“chit-chat,” and recite
the Qur’an less, even hidden behind “Do not talk much
though the Prophet Ē without remembering
said, “There are two
blessings which many
these two locks. Allah, for, indeed, too
much talk, without the
people do not make remembrance of Allah
the most of, and thus hardens the heart. And
lose out on: good health and free time” [Al- indeed, the people who are farthest away
Bukhari]. from Allah are the ones who have hard
hearts” [At-Tirmidhi].
Brothers and sisters, verbal accountability
is an essential subject that we all need to May Allah Ī give us the strength to control
ponder upon. Yet, in our busy lives, we tend our speech while we can, and save us from
to indulge in gossip, lying, and backbiting. humiliation on the day when our tongues will
The harm that we cause a brother or a sister not be in our control, Ameen.
with our tongues is a dreadful sin and we
12

The Man And The Cocoon

A
man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared.
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to
force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making
any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could
go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of
scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a

swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man
continued to watch the butterfly because he ex-
pected that, at any moment, the wings would en-
large and expand to be able to support the body,
which would contract in time. Neither happened!
In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling
around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It
was never able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the
restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through
the tiny opening were Allah’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the but-
terfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its
freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If Allah al-
lowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never
“fly”!

I asked for Strength ...

And Allah gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom ...
And Allah gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity ...
And Allah gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage ...
And Allah gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love ...
And Allah gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favours ...
And Allah gave me Opportunities.
 
I received nothing I wanted ...
I received everything I needed!

Dr. Ali Tayyab - Ophthamologist at Shifa College of Medicine
ou are at the airport to receive your mother.
Y
You have not seen her in a while; let’s say
a couple of years. What do you do when
you see her? If I were in your place, I’d run, jump
and give her a big hug.
Now replace mother with your cousin (of the
opposite sex and similar age. If she is good-
looking, all the better), if your response is the
same (run, jump and a hug), then people would
probably cry bloody murder!
Why is public display of affection suddenly
under so much scrutiny? You can thank a
very charged student of Lahore University of
Management Sciences (LUMS). After seeing a
lot of “objectionable” display of affection at her
school, she decided enough was enough. She
wrote to the school administration, which, given
the prevailing circumstances in the country, gave
in pretty easily. They sent out a memo saying
that “public display of affection” (PDA for short)
is no longer acceptable on the school premises.
So much so, that the majority of newspapers
printed this clarification from the administration
(and not in an obscure location either)!
Before I go on ranting about this, I am going to
examine how acceptable PDA is worldwide.
I am going to start with the United States of
America, the capital of sin and the root of all evil,
to some. From what we see on television (serials
and movies), it seems as if American kids will
have problems digesting their food if they don’t
practice PDA, in at least some manner. This
“perception” is probably not entirely correct.
Notice I said “entirely”. Many junior (classes 5-8
roughly) and senior high schools (classes 9-12)
do prohibit display of affection. They do this
so that students focus on learning. Unofficially,
though, it is done to promote abstinence.
In most of continental South America, things are
13
much better –depending on how you look at it.
Objecting to displays of affection is equivalent to
intolerance.
Moving on to the Middle East, conditions are
very diverse. On one hand, you have places
like Lebanon, which is open to displays of
affection. On the other, we have Saudi Arabia.
I am sure I do not have to explain what goes
on (or, more correctly, what does not go on)
there. In the middle, are places like the United
Arab Emirates. They are a tolerant society to an
extent. Once you cross a certain line (as did one
British couple), though, you are in trouble. So
as long as your are holding hands, hugging, and
maybe a peck on the cheek, no one is going to
arrest you (they might not like it, but they aren’t
going to say much about it either, not openly, at
least). Once things get more “physical”, expect
to be physically handled!
In India, the Supreme Court considers PDA bad
taste and defines such behavior as unacceptable.
Again, the culture they “export” via their movies
and serials is not exactly in line with the law of
the country.
Coming back to where we started from,
Pakistan, I am going to rewind the clock, say
about 25 years, to the good old days. We did
not know much about the outside world. There
was no readily available satellite television here.
Dupatta-clad ladies on Pakistani Television did
everything from reading the news, to sleeping
in bed, to appearing in shampoo ads while still
wearing them. The school I used to go to (I
think this was grade 7) had a very unique way
to separating boys from girls. We used to sit in
benches of three, a boy in between two girls. The
boys, if I remember correctly, could select where
they wanted to sit. Before your imagination gets
carried away, nothing ever happened; not even
something as “innocent” as holding hands.
14
So why am I going on, and on, when nothing run. Everything begins with holding hands. After
actually happened? It is exactly because of that, the sky is the limit.
that! Nothing happened. I did not have two
girlfriends. The boys hardly ever talked to the This is where the girl from LUMS steps in. I am
girls. Once my partner… err.. the girl sitting sure she had seen a lot before she blew her top
next to me scribbles this message for me on off. There is a level of tolerance involved here—
the desk: This boy (whose name I can’t recall) from holding hands to hugs, to pecks to fondling,
wrote to this girl (also whose name I can’t recall) to the ultimate display (over rated at that). Public
“I love you”. Why, you may wonder, did nothing displays of affection usually turn to displays of
actually happen? The reason being, because attractions and, finally, to a display of your basic
passing on messages like this was considered a instincts.
taboo and against society norms: thus the level
of anonymity. Out of fear of societal scorn, this The question is, was she right to intrude, when
was as far as it went. Boys who gathered in front she herself was not a target of PDA? Was seeing
of all-girls colleges like Kinnaird College were boys and girls having a “good” time enough to
considered the scum of Earth. In essence, these justify her actions?
things were looked-down upon by the society as
a whole —including young people. She was right, as what she saw disturbed her,
because it went against the very foundation of
Fast forward to the present time: I recall an our society. Remember, this country is called the
acquaintance (who, by the way, happens to be a Islamic Republic of Pakistan. There is a good
girl) fretting over her four year old son for calling reason for including “Islamic” in the mix. I am not
a fellow student in his class his “girlfriend”. His going to preach religion or explain the “reasons”.
argument, and quite correctly, was that a) she is Everyone knows them and just about everyone
a girl and b) she is a friend. So is she not my “girl who does not agree with her disregards them.
friend”? Perplexed by the look on his mother’s
face, the child quickly said, “Mama you are my Why did this become acceptable to us? Why
best girl friend.” did we go from regarding having a friend of
the opposite sex as a bad thing to regarding
These days, not having a girl friend is more of a it as something we need, to be “normal”? The
problem than having one–both for girls and boys. reasons are literally in front of us: the second-
If you are a girl, you are probably not noticeable hand reflection of the Western and Eastern
enough to catch a boy. If you are a boy… culture. The apparent glitz and glamour that
come with having boy- and girlfriends, being in
Recently, a girl had to get psychiatric help the “in-crowd”, and being “normal” are so openly
because her friends teased her, as she did not shown, that we take them as the final word.
have a boyfriend (notice “did not”). She was so Throw internet into the mix, especially in a
confused between what her parents taught her country where parents don’t know anything
and what the world was telling her to do. about internet content filtering, and you have
a certain recipe for the “perfect pseudo image
Once we are in girlfriend/boyfriend mode, we are projection of a culture that is neither ours nor
not too far from PDA. What was once confined exactly there’s”
to cars with tinted windows, hotel rooms, and
dimly lit deserted streets, is commonplace. If Our “frustrated,” “deprived” youth suddenly had
you hang around with a friend who happens to an excuse. Hey, if our parents can enjoy scantly
be of the opposite sex, (and not your sister or clad girls dancing and wooing guys, why can’t
your mother, but your age and good-looking) we? If it’s on television in an Islamic country it
two things are bound to happen: must be okay. If they can do it, so can we.

1. You will be attracted to her (you don’t need to
read Freud to figure this).
2. You will want to show your attraction to her.
This is where our friend, “PDA,” steps in.
This happens to girls as well, who are more
reluctant at first, but are more willing in the long
When everyone’s son and daughter are out
doing it, it is easy for parents to give in. I have
heard parents say, “zamana badal gaya hai.” It is
not possible for us to control our children. Even
to the extent that some of them do not mind if
their sons (or, conversely, their daughters) visit
friends of the opposite sex to study all alone,

and, at times, with the door to the “study” room
locked.
Just to add salt to an already very deep and
hurting wound, is the “mood” of the government.
Enlightened Moderation, the slogan of one of
the most popular and, at the same time, most
hated president of this country, did little to
quell an already raging pool of emotions. Just
what is Enlightened Moderation? It is a phrase
developed to calm the west, which was taken a
bit too literally here. When you send out mixed
signals from the top, things are bound to get
confusing. You demolish an illegal mosque
(nothing wrong with this), but why don’t you
raid illegal party houses and nightclubs where
people sit and openly do stuff that people do in
the dark. The message that many, I know, got
from Enlightened Moderation was that religion
teaches fanaticism and being “together” is very
natural.
So from the very public—the President of the
15
Islamic Republic of Pakistan—to the very
private—your TV screen and local TV channels
(don’t need foreign intervention for this)—the
message was the same: Dump religion, pick a
girl (or a boy as the case may be).
Opponents of conservative society talk of locked
up emotions and frustration. What I question is,
would a phrase like “conservative” society have
ever come up, if there was nothing to compare
it against? Were humans not the same during
the time of Prophet Muhammad Ē ? Did we not
have similar emotions? Why were people happy
without PDA? This is because they did not have
a projection of immorality (which is even scorned
at and illegal in regions where we get it from)
and the term “Enlightened Moderation” had not
been coined yet.
Hats off to the young woman at LUMS. At least
she had enough courage to get up and do
something about what was wrong to begin with.

Recommended Readings:

Riyadh-us-Saliheen: Imam An-Nawawi’s masterwork

compilation of the sayings of our Prophet Ē. The perfect
guide to help a reader attain nearness to the ways of the
Prophet Ē.

Autobiography of Malcolm X- Alex Haley: A fascinating

life story of one of the most influential African Americans.
One of the most engaging, thought-provoking, and moving
books you will ever read.

Don’t be Sad - Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni: Don’t Be

Sad gives practical advice on how to replace sorrow with
a pragmatic and eventually satisfying Islamic outlook on
life. It elucidates to the modern reader how the Qur’an
and Sunnah teach us to deal with the tribulations of this
world.
16
RESPECT
commands, not demands
Uzair Mushahid - 1st year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine
A
lways respect your elders. That’s what
you always hear during your childhood.
But what exactly is “respect”? Does
it mean that you come up with flattering
words to convey to the other person that he
is regarded highly in your eyes? Perhaps.
Does a powerful man deserve more respect?
Does it also mean that one who is older is
more deserving of respect than one who is
younger? Maybe. I had these ideas, but I
realized that it’s not only these criteria that
make a person worthy of respect. I have
a very small (some might even say idiotic
and mediocre) example to illustrate my
understanding of the concept of respect. I
am not giving a definition of respect, for that
you can consult a dictionary.
My dad is in the army, and his membership
of an army sports club allowed us to use a
badminton court. The problem was that it
was always crowded and hoarded by other
army officers. Most of them were Colonels
and Majors, and they would always occupy
the court. The most annoying thing was that
since they were senior officers they would
keep on playing, taking other people’s turns
and no one could do anything about it.
“Beta, I have to go in a little while so let me
play another game with Major Sahab.” A
Colonel would say after he lost a game to a
Major. If my friend or I ever had the courage
to say that we wanted our turn, we would get
the reply, “Beta! Don’t you have any respect
for your elders? Is this anyway to speak to
someone senior to you? Go and wait for your
turn, we are playing now.”
My friend and I would then have to wait
till their games were over, then we had to
wait for the other officers to take their turns
(regardless of the fact that we were first in
line) and finally when they were done, we
would get our turn to play. Unfortunately, this
was close to closing time and we got to play
only five to ten minutes.
One particular day I was sitting on the
bleachers with my friend, waiting for our turn.
Now we had become wise enough to arrive
late because we knew we would only get our
turn at around closing time. We noticed that
there were two lieutenants sitting next to us.
They seemed young and full of energy. They
were apparently good friends, chatting away
about politics.
I pointed them out to my friend and said “Look
man, these guys are going to take our turn,
let’s just leave now.” We were about to leave
when one of the lieutenants addressed us.
“Salam. Where do you guys come from?”
We told him where we came from. Then he
asked us about our school. Just then the
Colonel announced, “Okay, does anyone
want to play before they close up, the court’s
free.” My friend and I got up to leave. The
lieutenants were officers and naturally they
had the right to play.
“Stop you guys!” The lieutenant stopped us,
“don’t you want to play?”
“No, you can play.” I said, “you guys are
senior.”
“Nonsense. You guys should play, we’ll play
some other time.” And they got up and left.
Me and my friend played badminton to our
hearts content. We had a lot of fun that
day, not just because of the game but also
because of the humble character of the
lieutenants. We learned a very valuable
lesson that day in a (seemingly) very trivial

and light manner. Respect is earned through
your actions and attitude, not from your
status and authority. Our Prophet Ē told us
that we should respect our elders, but in the
same hadith he also told us to be kind to
youngsters. Most people assume that since
they have acquired a certain title or that they
are older or that they are powerful members
of society, people are obliged to “respect”
them no matter what their actions are. There
is no doubt that there is an obligation to refer
to your elders with respectable words (that
is also the beauty of the Urdu language, it
has a polite form of “you”) and to give them
certain privileges in society. However, if you
really want to inspire respect in the hearts
and minds of the people around you, then
you cannot do it without being kind and
respectful to them. Your every action and
sentence conveys your feelings to the other
person who will grant you respect based on
that and will automatically try to reciprocate
your kindness; otherwise he might just
appear respectful to your face while he is
cursing you in his heart. After all if you give
people a reason to dislike you then Allah Ī
may not forgive you until the people forgive
you.
17
Therefore I believe that we should keep
in mind that just because we have a title
attached to our name or people refer to us
in a respectful manner does not necessarily
mean that they fully respect us in their
hearts. How many times have you had a
teacher who doesn’t know how to teach,
who is arrogant and who is despised by his
students yet is still addressed respectfully.
You can only gain true respect by your
actions and your attitudes. You might ask,
“What sort of attributes or attitudes I should
adopt in order to be respected?” The answer
is that one should adopt those attributes and
perform those actions that are in accordance
with correct principles. Principles are inborn
instincts in humans and a person knows
when he goes against them. These principles
are also explained extensively in the Holy
Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet Ē.
When one follows these principles he can be
sure that not only will he be pleasing Allah
but also other people and he will always be
respected (in the true sense of the word).
After all, respect commands, not demands.
May Allah give us guidance to follow correct
principles and gain respect in this world and
the Hereafter.

Recommended Websites:
www.loonwatch.com - Enjoy how this website unravels Islam-bashers and foils
their baseless propaganda against our deen.

www.suhaibwebb.com - Visit and benefit from this website filled with insightful
and thought-provoking articles. Also featured on the website are lectures deliv-
ered by, the DJ turned Imam Suhaib Webb, in a language you can relate with.
www.tanzeem.org - Free access to all of Dr. Israr Ahmad’s works, in the form
of E-Books, and audio and video lectures.
www.kalamullah.com - One of the biggest online resources for Islamic lectures,
books, articles and a whole lot more 
www.shifastudents.com - Visit our website for details concerning the confer-
ence and other events. We also have archives of previous issues of Transcend
and more! We appreciate your feedback.
18
The Head Scarf
Martyr
Vajiha Javed - 3rd year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine

I
n August 2008, Marwa Ali El-Sherbini, an ecutor decided to appeal the verdict, aiming at
Egyptian Muslim woman, was living peace- a custodial sentence, due to the openly xeno-
fully in Dresden, Germany, with her husband phobic character of the incident and the per-
and two year old son, unaware that a simple sistent statement by Alex about Marwa: “You
trip to the playground would be a turning point don’t have the right to live here”.
in the life of her family. On that day, Marwa
At the appeal hearing on July 1, 2009, Marwa
and her young son were enjoying a blissful day
was present as a witness for the prosecution,
at the nearby public playground, and she was
and her husband and son as observers. No
pushing her son on the swing when suddenly
security personnel were present and no se-
a shadow appeared. The shadow belonged to
curity searches were carried out. After testify-
a man named Alex Wiens. Alex began quarrel-
ing, Marwa began to walk out when, without
ling with Marwa over the use of the swing by
warning, Alex viciously attacked her with a
his niece and Marwa’s son. He then changed
seven-inch-long blade, which he had brought
the argument and started abusing Marwa for
into the courtroom in his backpack. He inflicted
wearing the Islamic headscarf, the symbol of
at least sixteen stab wounds to Marwa’s up-
modesty and morality for all Muslim women
per body and arm; while, in an attempt to pro-
as ordained by the Qur'an and the Sunnah. To
tect his wife, Marwa’s husband Elwi Ali-Okaz,
Marwa’s astonishment he tried to pull off her
was also stabbed at least sixteen times to the
scarf in public. She was called “Islamist”, “ter-
head, neck, upper body and arm. A police offi-
rorist” and according to one report, “slut”. A few
cer was finally called to the scene to intervene,
bystanders tried to intervene but Alex contin-
but mistook Elwi for the attacker and shot him
ued the verbal abuse for several minutes until
in the lower leg. Even their three-year-old son
the police were called to the scene. A trivial
was not spared and was injured while being
issue of the use of a swing had become a seri-
ushered to safety.
ous police case simply due to an individual’s
hatred for religions and values other than his Marwa died at the scene. At the time of her
own. death, she was three months pregnant with her
second child. Alex was arrested on the scene.
However, this issue was not nearly over. Mar-
Elwi, critically wounded in the attack, was in a
wa filed a case against Alex and he was found
coma for two days. He was subsequently treat-
guilty of defamation and was penalized €330
ed for several weeks in a hospital.
and, when he continued to deny his guilt, the
judge raised the fine to €780. The public pros- Alex was formally charged with murder, at-
 19
tempted murder and grievous bodily harm by they are so fast to pick up crimes committed
the public prosecutor’s office. He was found by Muslims from any corner of the world? Is
guilty of the murder of Marwa El-Sherbini and it because they did not find out about it or is it
the attempted murder of her husband Elwi Ali that they did not want the world to know about
Okaz, and sentenced to life imprisonment with it? If there had been a Christian or Jewish vic-
a minimum of eighteen years. tim, they would have broadcasted it to as far as
their influence’s reach. Why is it that the media
On July 6th 2009, at Marwa’s funeral in Alex-
itself, which proclaims “freedom of speech”,
andria, mourners referred to her as “a martyr
obscures certain issues from their audience?
of the head scarf”, the symbol of modesty for
a Muslim woman. “And say to the believing The second responsibility is one that we Mus-
women that they should lower their gaze and lims need to step up to. What did the Muslim
guard their modesty.” [24:31]. news channels across the globe do regarding
this incident? One of our Muslim sisters was
Writing in The Guardian, Anja Seeliger com-
stabbed to death during her pregnancy and we
mented that, “the German media initially re-
as the Muslim Ummah did not have the cour-
ported the case at the back page”, and only
age to even raise our voices against this act
in the light of the vociferous protests by thou-
of brutality? A Muslim sister, a daughter, an
sands of Egyptians in Cairo did “the German
innocent wife and a proud mother—all lost in
federal government, which had kept silent for
the blink of an eye and yet we do not shed a
nearly a week, issue words of sorrow”. Stephan
tear. Why do we sit back so comfortably while,
Kramer, the General Secretary of the Central
in another part of the world someone is being
Council of Jews in Germany also deplored the
punished for following what has been enjoined
“largely unchecked hate propaganda against
upon them by their religion? Not one among
Muslims”. Writing in the opinion section of Al-
us is willing to answer any of these questions,
Ahram Weekly, Abdel-Moneim Said called on
but instead we ask, “What were we supposed
those who mourn for Marwa El-Sherbini “not
to do?” Do you not see the irony?
[to fall] into the same morass of bigotry and
hatred that killed her,” but to “create Arab-Mus- We see American and European media creat-
lim-European fronts, together with other faiths, ing false propaganda against Islam and the
to stand up against fanaticism, bigotry and dis- Muslim Ummah along with bluntly calling Islam
crimination on both sides.” Although there was a religion of “terrorism” and yet, we continue
no official statement from the government in idealizing their cultures, their dress, their val-
Pakistan, the Pakistani media did report the ues, and their language.
killing.
There will not be another prophet coming to
Now I would like to emphasize the responsi- take us out of this spiritual lethargy. It is our
bilities of two parties. First, regarding the in- time to act in a positive direction, to understand
ternational media such as CNN, BBC, CNBC: our religion and to implement the Holy Quran
why was the issue not highlighted by these and Sunnah in our daily lives. The power lies
news channels? Why was the Western main- only in our hands: the power to change our-
stream media so slow in catching up with this selves and the power to change our society.
heinous crime committed by a Christian, when
20

Warfare
Psychological

Ali Ahsan - 2nd year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine

H
ow did an article on ‘psychological are encouraged to verify individually before
warfare’ make its way into this Islamic passing this on to others. Here we will talk
magazine is what most readers may about psychological warfare, focusing main-
think. But believe it or not friends and foes, ly on the media aspect, yet there are many
this ‘element’ of warfare is so critical, so other aspects of its implementation, through
lethal and so subtle that you are continuously games, movies, and more.
targeted by it without even knowing—not on
the battlefront of course, but in your own Allah Ī says in the Qur’an: 
comfortable cosy lounges. Our views, our
values, our culture and our priorities are “O you who believe! If a  faasiq  (sinner, liar
‘manufactured’ every day by the western or evil person) comes to you with any news,
media, and this is exactly what makes this verify it, lest you should harm people in igno-
topic pertinent. Unfortunately we are all rance, and afterwards you become regretful
unaware of this ‘fourth generation’ warfare. for what you have done.”  [49:6].
This article is a minute attempt to lift the
blinds. May Allah guide us all. Allah Ī commands all Muslims to veri-
fy  any  news or information they hear from
The U.S department of defence defines psy- a faasiq. If this is the case, then a great re-
chological warfare as sponsibility lies on us to verify any news that
we hear from these media channels, as we
“The planned use of propaganda and other are not aware of the character and credibility
psychological actions having the primary of the people running the channels.
purpose of influencing the opinions, emo-
tions, attitudes, and behaviour of hostile for- This is the crux, the whole essence of this
eign groups in such a way as to support the article: do not fall for the lies and deceptions
achievement of national objectives.” of the western news and media web, whose
sole purpose is to create an environment of
disinformation and confusion through which
Pause for a second and read that definition they indoctrinate and impose their ideas on
again. Reflect. Who is hostile towards ‘them’? us; and whether one likes it or not, we em-
Think about what ‘their’ objectives are. Are brace their ideas with open arms. Keep in
‘their’ objectives in line with what we, the mind that concealing ‘critical’ information is
Muslims, stand for? ‘Novus ordo seclorum’? one of their methods of psychological war-
For those who say ‘yes’, take a walk. fare. The following examples are just a few
drops out of an ocean. I’m sure each and
We are bombarded by a propaganda machine every one of you can come up with some-
(read television) every day, by various cable thing better, just give it a try, and think for 5
TV channels, whether it is drama channels minutes. Do it.
like Star Plus, Sony TV, FOX TV, National
Geographic (yes, National Geographic) or 1. Halabja poison gas attack
news channels like CNN, BBC, Sky News,
FOX news, Geo News (yes, Geo). I am not This incident, which some define as an act
talking mumbo jumbo here; I have examples of genocide, occurred on March 16th and 17th,
to support my argument, which all of you 1988, during the closing days of the Iran-Iraq
 21
War. Chemical weapons, supplied by the For those who lived through the 1965 war,
Americans, were used by Iraqi government there is no need for any reminders for this
forces on the Kurdish town of Halabja in Iraqi
back-stabbing incident to say the least.
Kurdistan. Indeed Saddam Hussein targeted This news was a shocker! India violated
his own people because the Kurds were re- the international border at Wagah and had
bellious against him and sympathised with overcome the small Pakistani force deployed
the Iranian cause. Let me be very clear here,there, and was within striking distance of
the Americans fully supported Iraq in this war
Lahore city. But that in no way, whatsoever,
for it was in American interest to quell the Is-
implied that Lahore had fallen. In the words
lamic Iranian revolution. of Brigadier (Retd)  Shaukat Qadir, who is
the founder and Vice President of Islamabad
In the United States, Halabja was mentioned Policy Research Institute (IPRI), “While the
in 188 news stories in 1988. But then it was Indian offensive continued to make some
reheated by the Bush administration as par- headway, but it was neither very deep, nor
threatening Lahore, even though all India
Radio and the BBC announced on the
evening of September 6th that Indian troops
Allah Ī had entered Lahore.” This propaganda is
perfectly normal coming from the Indians,
commands all but not acceptable coming from the British
whose stance was ‘apparently’ neutral. This
Muslims to was without doubt a psychological tactic
used by the British against the Pakistanis
verify any news to demoralize them and make them lose
or information hope, for where there is no hope, there is
no will, and where there is no will there is
they hear from no way. The effects of this false report were
immense. But Alhamdulillah we prevailed.
a faasiq. 3. The Masjid al-Aqsa deception
In order to understand the importance of the
Masjid al-Aqsa and of Jerusalem and its en-
tial justification for his forthcoming invasion virons to the Israelis, it is necessary to look
of Iraq. Halabja was remembered and criti- at this region through Zionist eyes. Radical
cised severely by American journalists 145 politicized Jewish belief asserts that the pe-
times in February 2003 alone. According to riod beginning with Zionism will culminate
statistical analysis by Robert Fisk in Con- with the coming of the Messiah. To realize
quest of the Middle East, when American this goal, however, radical Jews believe that
reputation was at stake: three important events must occur. First,
an independent Israel must be established
188 mentions in 10 months = 19 mentions in the Holy Land and its Jewish population
per month must increase. The migration of Jews to the
Holy Land has been systematically realized
However, when it was in American interest: by Zionist leaders since the beginning of the
twentieth century. In addition, Israel became
145 mentions in a month alone = 145 men- an independent nation-state in 1948. Sec-
tions per month ond, Jerusalem was to be captured, which it
was, in 1967 during the Six Day War and de-
This blatant bias and the manufacturing of clared the “eternal capital” of Israel in 1980.
public opinion are obvious enough for even
for the blind to see. The third, and only condition still to be met,
is rebuilding the Temple of Solomon (Sulay-
2. ”Lahore has fallen”- false BBC re- man), which was destroyed nineteen centu-
port ries ago. All that remains of it is the Wailing
22
Wall. Today, however Masjid al-Aqsa stands
there. In order for radical Jews to rebuild
the Temple, this religious site has to be de-
stroyed. This is not a hoax, but in fact is rec-
ognized by the Hizbullah Secretary General
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah along with many
other leaders who are in direct clash with
the Zionist agenda and are giving them a
fight. In the words of Hassan Nasrallah, “If
they decided to destroy this mosque, then
the nation of this mosque will destroy all of
the Zionist entity with the blood of the great
martyrdom attackers.” There is a deliberate
attempt in the western media to falsely por-
tray al-Sakhrah mosque
(Dome of the Rock ) as
Masjid al-Aqsa. When-
ever there is mention of
al-Aqsa mosque in the
western news channels,
be it BBC, Sky News,
CNN etc, they focus on
the golden dome of the
dome of the rock delib-
erately. It is proving to
be effective in the way
that now many people
picture the dome of the
rock whenever masjid
al-Aqsa is mentioned.
Pause and think for a
second. If the true Aqsa
were to be damaged or
destroyed, ‘uninformed’
people like you and I
would not know of it
because the false one
would remain unscathed. A massive array
of confusion would result. How convenient.
I hope that one is able to connect the dots
(please refer to the pictures). To be honest, a
couple of months back, I too was a victim of
this propaganda and whenever the word al–
Aqsa was mentioned, I tended to visualise
the Dome of the Rock.
4. The Iraq war ‘intelligence failure’
Now I couldn’t say goodbye without bringing
this up. The worrisome part that must be re-
alized however is that we all gobbled up what
the westerners fed us. ‘Weapons of Mass
Destruction (WMDs) in Iraq is what showed
up on the front page of every newspaper,
magazine and in all the headlines. We were
all constantly bombarded by this phrase and
unfortunately most of us bought the idea.
Yes indeed our minds, our thought process-
es were being conditioned by the media in
order to comply with western interests. On
the 20th of March, 2003 the ‘coalition of the
willing’ (read The Coalition of the Coerced,
Bribed, and Intimidated Idiots) invaded Iraq
under the pretext of eliminating WMDs. Yes,
no WMDs were found. They deceived us and
later dubbed it as an “intelligence failure”.
Now please do not buy this term. Think! The
CIA, the MI6, the Mossad, the German intel-
ligence, the French
intelligence and the
God-knows-whose
intelligence, with
the most sophisti-
cated standard of
procedures, whose
budgets if summed
up build to more
than a hundred bil-
lion dollars, all pro-
duced independent
reports that sup-
ported the idea that
the ‘insane’ Saddam
(note: former ally of
the US) possessed
WMDs that posed a
threat to the world.
All of these ‘appar-
ently independent’
reports proved false.
This only proves one
thing: That all of this was orchestrated and
that all of these intelligence agencies had
made deals under the table because there
is no other way that such a blunder could
have occurred. The media played its part in
synthesizing public opinion to convince them
that their tax money was being put to good
use. After all, nothing happens without pub-
lic support. But the fact of the matter is that
these people have wiped out an entire civi-
lization, an entire culture, precious Muslim
history, and massacred countless women
and children; some heads should roll on this.
I know some of you are still inclined towards
the idea that this was an intelligence failure
and that there is no such conspiracy, so let
the following quote be the ‘last straw on the
camels back’:

“I am aware how almost impossible it is in this
country to carry out a foreign policy [in the
Middle East] not approved by the Jews.....
terrific control the Jews have over the
news media and the barrage the Jews
have built up on congressmen .... I am very
much concerned over the fact that the Jew-
ish influence here is completely dominating
the scene and making it almost impossible
to get congress to do anything they don’t ap-
prove of. The Israeli embassy is practically
dictating to the congress through influential
Jewish people in the country.” [Former Sec-
retary of State John Foster Dulles].
This was the situation approximately 50
years ago. Imagine the strings attached to Know how your enemy operates on every
the news corporations today.
“The West won the world not by the
superiority of its ideas or values or religion
but rather by its superiority in applying
organized violence. Westerners often forget
this fact, non-Westerners never do.” [Samuel
P. Huntington].
23
and it is the Muslim people who are being
ruthlessly massacred. It is only because of
their complete monopoly over information—
and our eagerness to accept what they say
unquestioningly— are they able to conceive
such absurdities. The reality of the situation
is that if they want to live in peaceful coexist-
ence then they should leave our lands. If not,
then we will fight and defend, in shaa Allah,
on any battleground whether it is physical,
cyber or psychological.
"If you know yourself and know your enemy,
you will win every battle." [Sun Tzu, Chinese
Military Strategist].
front. Unfortunately the psychological part
goes unnoticed. First it was Afghanistan,
and then it was Iraq. Who's next?

I’d like to speak my mind here. In addition

to these overt violations, there is something
very sinister, very dangerous, happening be-
hind the curtains which all of us are slightly
aware of but have a hard time digesting. It is
the clash of ideologies; ours versus theirs.
Remember ‘they’ will always try to distort
your ideology through the indoctrination of
‘their’ ideas which is primarily done by the
TV channels, not to mention the vast collec-
tion of games released in the market which
always portray Muslims as the bad guys and
the Americans as the saviours. This is bla-
tantly seen in games like Call of duty and
Command & Conquer Generals. Innocent,
young, fertile minds are being indoctrinated
by their views of the Muslims and we all know
that they are prejudiced about it.
Now let’s look at the bigger picture. People
ask why Muslims can’t coexist with peace. “So do not become weak (against your
What they have to reflect upon is that it is enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior
not Afghanistan that invaded America, it is (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers.“
not Iraq that invaded America, it is not Pal- [3:139].
estine that invaded Israel, it is not Chechnya
that invaded Russia, and it is not Pakistan
that invaded America. It is the Muslim lands
that are being occupied by the non-believers
24
 Qur'an 
And The Natural World
Excerpt from The Making of Islam and Science by Dr. Muzzafar Iqbal -
Founder and President of Center for Islam and Science, Canada

A
lthough the three Abrahamic monotheistic and acts upon Divine Commands, like all else
religions— Judaism, Christianity, between the heavens and the earth. This view
and Islam —share a certain degree of of nature grants it distinct metaphysical qalities.
commonality with respect to belief in one God Rather than being self-subsisting, autonomous,
and certain aspects of creation, their concepts or random, nature is described by the QurāĀn
of the natural world and its relationship to as a sophisticated system of interconnected,
humanity has considerable divergences (Nasr consistent, uniform, and highly active entities,
1996, 53). In the case of Islam, the QurāĀnic view all of which are ontologically dependent on the
of nature is characterized by an ontological and Creator and exalt Him in their own specific ways
morphological continuity with the very concept (Q. 24:41). The seven heavens and the earth
of God—a linkage that imparts a certain degree and whatever is between them sing the glories
of sacredness to the world of nature by making it of God, an oft-repeated refrain of the QurāĀn
a Sign (âya, pl. âyât) pointing to a transcendental tells us. It must be noted here, however, that
reality. However, just as the QurāĀn presents the this dependence and subservience of nature
world of nature to humanity as a sign, it also to God is not a haphazard matter, since God’s
calls its own verses âyât. This semantic linkage is ways and laws are unchanging (Q. 33:62), and
further strengthened through various QurāĀnic thus the entire world of nature operates through
descriptions and modes of communication. immutable laws that can be discovered through
God communicates, according to the QurāĀn, by the investigation of nature. Since these laws are
“sending” His âyât. As Izutsu has noted, both uniform and knowable, and since nature
points to something higher than itself—indeed,
on this basic level, there is no essential difference to the Creator Himself—it follows that the study
between linguistic and nonlinguistic Signs; both of nature leads to an understanding of God, and
types are equally divine âyât … the meaning of is in fact a form of worship.
this, in the sense in which the QurāĀn understands In understanding these relationships drawn
it, is that all that we usually call natural by the QurāĀn, it is important to recall that the
phenomena, such as rain, wind, the structure of QurāĀn is considered by Muslims to be the actual
the heaven and the earth, alternation of day and speech of God, imparted to the heart of the
night, the turning about of the winds, etc., all Prophet by the Archangel Gabriel. The Prophet
these would be understood not as simple natural then conveyed it as he received it. The text of the
phenomena, but as so many ‘signs’ or ‘symbols’ QurāĀn thus becomes the actual Divine Word,
pointing to the Divine intervention in human not retrojective inspirational transcriptions, and
affairs, as evidences of the Divine Providence, so its conception of the natural world is (for the
care and wisdom displayed by God for the good Muslim) grounded in immutable faith.
of human beings on this earth." (Izutsu 1964, It should also be noted that, according to the
142–143). QurāĀn,
Thus science, as a systematic study of nature and "human beings were created by God as His
as it developed in Islamic civilization, could not vicegerents (khalifa) in the physical world lying
treat nature and its study as an entity separate within the finite boundaries of time … [and] the
from Islam. Furthermore, the QurāĀn views very principle of God’s vicegerency also made
nature as a vast system pregnant with movement them His servants (‘abd, ‘ibad) who were—by
rather than an inert body. Nature accepts virtue of a Primordial Covenant (mithaq) they had

affirmed, and a Trust (amanah) they had taken
upon themselves in preeternity—the custodians
of the entire natural world. Humanity was thus
transcendentally charged not to violate the ‘due
measure’ (qadr) and balance (mizan) that God
had created in the larger cosmic whole." (Haq
2001, 112).
The QurāĀnic view of the relationship between
the world of nature and God on the one hand
and between the world of nature and the
progeny of Adam on the other is thus highly
interconnected.
"Adam’s superiority over other creatures and
his regency over nature arise in a context
that is highly complex, with its interdigitating
metaphysical, moral, and naturalistic dimensions:
the conceptual setting here evidently being very
different from that of the Old Testament and
the Evangel." (Haq 2001, 112).
Another aspect of the QurāĀnic view of nature
is intimately linked to the Divine Name al-
Rahman, the Most Merciful (one of the two
names of mercy to be found in the basmala, the
verse of the QurāĀn placed at the head of all
but one of its chapters: In the name of Allah,
the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent). It has
been frequently noted that, in the totality of
the QurāĀnic teachings, God’s Mercy and His
Omnipotence are inseparable (Haq 2001, 118),
and that “these two perfections are the two poles
of divine action, at the same time contrasted and
complementary” (Gardet 1987, 30). According
to the QurāĀn, the very act of bringing into
existence from nonexistence is an act of mercy.
Furthermore, the QurāĀnic view of existence not
only involves this first act of mercy but also the
idea that the continuous existence of things is
entirely due to their being sustained by God,
one of Whose Names is Rabb, the One Who
nourishes and sustains. Thus, according to the
QurāĀn, not only the act of creation but also the
act of providing sustenance for the continuation
of existence is also an act of mercy—and, since
nature is an expression of God’s Mercy, all that
it contains is by its sheer bountiful existence
an undeniable sign of God’s existence (and
Mercy).
The theme of Mercy is especially relevant to
our subject. In a chapter of the QurāĀn entitled
al-Rahman, a vast range of phenomena of the
natural world—the sun and the moon, rivers,
oceans, fruits, cattle—are mentioned as being so
many divine favors and blessings. The QurāĀn
then asks, in a powerful refrain occurring thirty-
three times in this chapter, which of the favors of
25
your Sustainer will you then deny? In fact, one
can say that the whole thrust of the QurāĀnic
view of nature and its relationship with God and
humanity is underscored by three interconnected
concepts: Tawhid (Oneness of God) and the
various associated concepts arising out of the
manifestation of divine attributes; the Amr
(Command) of God in the operational realm;
and the intertwined presence of Qadr (Measure)
and Mizan (Balance) in the material world (Haq
2001). These three QurāĀnic concepts are not
only central to the teachings of Islam but they are
also of immense importance for understanding
the relationship between Islam and science.
Although Islam, “like Judaism, Christianity,
Hinduism, and many other religions, has
developed numerous schools of thought [such
as] theological, philosophical, scientific, and
mystical, dealing with the order of nature” (Nasr
1996, 60), these three concepts remain central
to all schools of Islamic thought. Given these
inherent relationships between God, humanity,
and nature, it is impossible in Islam to conceive of
nature as an independent, self-subsisting entity.
Likewise, science—as an organized enterprise
that studies and explores the natural world—
cannot be conceived as a separate entity which
has to be somehow externally related to Islam.
In fact, the much-touted lack of separation of
state and religion in Islamic polity is applicable
to all other domains, as Muslims believe that
Islam is not merely a set of commandments and
rituals but a complete way of life, encompassing
all domains of knowledge and human activity.
This worldview is based on an uncompromising
insistence on Tawhid, the Oneness of God,
a ubiquitous concept in Islamic thought that
unifies all realms of knowledge, making them
branches of the same tree. Difficult as it may
be for the modern Western mind—accustomed
to regarding religion solely as set of personal
beliefs—to understand this aspect of Islam, it is
impossible to construct a relationship between
Islam and science—or any other domain of
knowledge—as a relationship between two
distinctively separate entities.
We need to understand this relationship like that
of a mother and a child, in which a particular
branch of knowledge—science—emerges from
within the greater body of knowledge dealing with
the world of existing things, a world conceived
as created by and ontologically dependent upon
the Creator. It is a relationship that is inherently
inseparable from the well-articulated concept of
nature as a Divine Sign.
26
Winds Of
e
つ
Ahmed Malik - Final year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine

T
he monk, relying on a strictly scholastic has been successful in the test of this life, with
approach, gave a damning verdict: greetings of “salaam.” The other group bears
“nothing can be done; a person who stern faces. The angels in this group are firm in
has killed so many people can never make up their resolve to beat out the departing soul, which
for his sins.” It was a genuine urge to amend is intensely clinging to this life because it has no
his ways that had brought him to the deeply goodness to anticipate, and ask it, “Did not there
religious monk. Upon hearing this, though, the come to you a warner?” So both these groups
self-professed murderer impulsively gave the came with the Angel of Death to get hold of the
monk his own final verdict, adding one more to soul of this man, who had been a self-professed
the list of 99 killed. Yet, again, he felt the push to murderer in search of redemption. As a result,
seek redemption. He had now killed 100 people the two groups of angels began debating as to
in his town and wanted to know what to do to who would take the man’s soul on the journey
cleanse himself from something he was told was to the next life. The first group claimed that he
unforgivable. Finally, he was informed to seek out was repenting and wanted to change his ways
a certain religious and knowledgeable man—a and so should be welcomed with the greetings
scholar—in the town. The scholar comforted
of salaam; the other group of angels argued
him and after considering his situation told the
that since he had killed 100 people and had not
man that in order to amend his ways he must
done any good, they should pull out his soul in
move from his town to another town. A change
disgrace and admonish it for its evil ways.
of setting was required; he needed to repent to
his Creator and move to the other town because The man’s Creator had not forgotten the man
deeply devout people who could influence him and sent an angel in the form of a man to the
to change his ways inhabited it. arguing angels to present a solution to them. He
With his sense of hope once again revitalized, the told the angels, “measure the distance between
man set off to do as the scholar recommended. him and the town that he had left and the town
He gathered his belongings, walked out of his he intended to enter.” This seemed a fair and
town, and began the journey to the next town. logical way to resolve the dispute. As the angels
On the way, he met his appointed time of death. proceeded to execute the solution, the all-
Remember, there are two groups of angels that knowing, all-able Creator commanded the earth
come along with the Angel of Death, or Azraeel. to shrink so the distance between the man and
One group bears glad tidings and the most the town he intended to enter decreased and the
pleasant fragrance; the angels in this group have distance between him and the town he had left
beaming faces and greet the departing soul if it increased. The angels measured the distances.

The group with angels of beaming faces and
bearing the most pleasant fragrances then took
charge of the man’s soul. They greeted him with
glad tidings and salaam.
This story is derived from the true words of
our beloved Messenger, may the peace and
plentiful blessings of our Creator be upon him, as
mentioned in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
This man, who in modern terms may have
been known as a serial killer, realized his error,
accepted his fault, and
made a relentless and
genuine effort to bring
about a lasting change
in his life. As a result,
our Creator forgave him
and accepted his efforts
even though he had not
yet reached the final
destination on the road to
repentance in this life. What
a true blessing it was for
this man! He only just set
out to correct his wrongs,
and the Most Noble, Allah
Ī, met him with His Mercy
at much more than half the way. Looking at just
this one hadith of the Prophet Ē, we learn how
to bring about a similar change in our lives and
how each individual—an ordinary member of
society, a da’i (one who invites to Allah’s way),
and a scholar—need to contribute to the change
of the society as a whole.
Firstly, the Prophet Ē presents to us the case of
a man who has killed such an immense number
of people that it may almost seem as though
murder should now be an instinct of this man.
However, the man still realized that the path
he was on was evil and he felt a dedication to
change. To begin the journey to change, then,
27
an ordinary member of society desiring to
change must first admit that the path he or she
is on is not acceptable to the Creator and only
true Lord, Allah. Subsequently, he or she must
become dedicated to bringing about a change,
as this man was when he asked a monk to help
him. When the monk told him that there was no
means for his repentance, he killed the monk as
an indication of frustration, but instantly regained
his desire to repent to the Most High, Allah, and
amend his ways. So, he went further to seek
out a scholar, a person of
knowledge, to find a way to
repent. Eventually, when he
learned what he had to do
to become truly repentant
to Allah and to change
his ways, he did what the
scholar had recommended
without any hesitation. This
is exactly what Allah Ī has
also advised us to do: ask
people of knowledge if we do
not know (16:43 and 21:7).
He Ī has also advised us
to actually do what we say
(bring our words to action)
because it is gravely disliked by Allah that we
say things we do not do (61:2-3). Finally, when
the man set out with full determination and
love of Allah, the Most Gracious accepted his
repentance even though he died before reaching
the town of change and even before he had the
chance to do any good deeds. The key to his
forgiveness was an acceptance of his sin, a
desire to repent and change his ways from the
ways of sin, his hope in Allah’s Graciousness,
and, very importantly, the Mercy of Allah Ī.
Secondly, this hadith offers admonition for those
who are blessed with guidance and are in the
habit of practicing the deen, the da’is. Their
28
role in bringing about change in themselves
and society is to never look down on others,
especially those who are away from the deen,
as Allah guides whomever He wills if the person
is seeking guidance. Just as the monk was
mistaken in thinking that the man who murdered
so many people had no route to repentance, so
should all devout people remember that they
cannot judge any individual’s chance of attaining
emancipation on the Day of Judgment and they
must not push a person away in a condescending
manner. Acting in this way falls under arrogance
against which Allah Ī has sternly warned us:
“…And whosoever rejects His worship and is
proud, then He will gather them all together to
Himself” (4:172). Instead, the All-Aware, Allah,
tells us that a true worshipper of Allah should
humble himself: “And the (faithful) slaves of the
Most Gracious (Allah) are those who walk on
the earth in humility…”
Thirdly, from this hadith we learn of the importance
of knowledge. Along with worshiping Allah and
being humble, one must strive to attain knowledge
of the deen in order to help bring about a change
in oneself and their society. That is why the man
did not get a proper answer from the monk, but
got the answer from the scholar. When a person
is endowed with true knowledge, it is incumbent
on him or her to disseminate the knowledge in
an honest and proper manner. If the scholar in
the story of the Prophet Ē had not been honest,
the man in question would not have repented
to Allah. As a person of knowledge, this scholar
had a responsibility to try to understand the
person’s concerns and his situation and offer an
accurate solution to the problem to the best of
his knowledge of the laws of Allah. Being a true
scholar, he was blessed by Allah as the means
of guidance for the man who had killed 100
people. However, only true scholars can attain
this eminence and they are the ones who are
truly aware of Allah, “…It is only those who have
knowledge among His slaves who fear (are
aware of) Allah”(35:28).
Fourthly, we observe that a person desiring
to bring about a change in his or her life must
try to surround himself with people of good
predisposition. A change is easier to bring
about when a person is in the company of
righteous people because there is a continuous
reinforcement of righteous deeds. In essence,
good company works like peer-pressure in a
positive direction. Hence, the scholar told the
man to go to a land where people worship Allah
and to worship Allah with them. This concept is
further impressed upon by another hadith of the
beloved Prophet Ē when he told his companions
that we will be raised with the people we
associate with on the Day of Judgment. Fifthly, it
is a responsibility of those blessed with guidance
and the ability to practice the deen, to create an
atmosphere conducive to a positive change. The
people in the town who were worshipping Allah
Ī would have no effect on the man in the story
if they were not creating a positive atmosphere
in the town, and the scholar would not have
recommended moving there as a way to bring
about a change.
Lastly, a person’s appointed time of death will
not be changed; it will be moved neither back
nor ahead for even a second, “And Allah grants
respite to none when his appointed time (death)
comes. And Allah is Well-Acquainted with what
you do” (63:11). Therefore, a person intending
to repent and bring about a change in his or her
life should not wait for a later time or for old age
because death may overtake him or her before
such a time. The man did not hesitate in moving
to the town recommended by the scholar. He
did not set up extensive plans to move at some
future time and instead he set off right away as
the hadith simply says, “He left.” Yet, a question
 29
may remain in our minds: why is there a need her put the children to sleep. Throughout this
for change? time the lady did not recognize ‘Umar ē—that
was the extent of humbleness with which the
While people are mostly averse to change,
second Khalifah of Islam carried himself. When
history shows that it is change which has allowed
he was preparing to leave the house, the lady
some groups of people to rise above others and
thanked him and told him that he should be the
attain respect and dignity. The sahabah of the
khalifah instead of ‘Umar ē. Even then he did not
Prophet Ē are prime examples of this. When
reveal his true identity. A cursory glance of the
they changed from their old ways of idolatry
leaders of today’s world reveals the magnitude
and tribal warfare, Allah Ī honored them,
of ‘Umar’s humility and true desire to “serve the
“And remember when you were few and were
people.” This was the same person, who before
reckoned weak in the land, and were afraid that
accepting Islam and bringing about a change in
men might kidnap you, but He provided a safe
himself wanted to kill the Prophet Ē and wasn’t
place for you, strengthened you with His Help,
even hesitant to kill his own sister and brother-
and provided you with
good things so that you
might be grateful” (8:26). There is a push and pull, especially felt
Ja’far ibn Abi Talib ē by young people, from all corners of
eloquently described the
pre-change state of the life. On one side, surrounding us is a
sahabah when he told loss of the quality of life or of life itself
the ruler of Ethiopia, “O
King, we were a people because of the non-abating spontaneous
in a state of ignorance explosions and wars. On the other
and immorality,
worshipping idols and side, there is a world of immorality
eating the flesh of dead and promiscuity falsely masked in the
animals, committing all
sorts of abomination shrouds of “freedom.”
and shameful deeds,
breaking the ties of
in-law.
kinship, treating guests badly and [the] strong
among us exploited the weak.” However, after In the world we live in, things are fast changing
the coming of the Prophet Ē they changed as we enter an era of confusion and turmoil.
to such an extent that even as rulers of vast There is a push and pull, especially felt by young
empires they would visit their needy citizens and people, from all corners of life. On one side,
help them in their household chores. surrounding us is a loss of the quality of life or of
life itself because of the non-abating spontaneous
Once, ‘Umar ē was passing by the house of a
explosions and wars. On the other side, there
lady whose children were crying of hunger and
is a world of immorality and promiscuity falsely
he decided to help them out. He brought them
masked in the shrouds of “freedom.” A person
milk for the children and helped the lady warm the
searching for a life of tranquility and a path to
milk and feed the children. He then also helped
30
the Most Gracious, Allah, is sure to be lost in this
perplexity.
Thankfully, there is no doubt, in the mind of a
Muslim, that there will come a day—the day of
hisaab—when all will be brought in front of the
true King, Creator, and Lord, Allah, to answer for
how this life was spent. Consequently, people
who profess Islam adopt one of two ways:
either they strive to gain true knowledge and
understanding of the religion and bring it into
practice and then hope
for Allah’s Mercy on
the day of hisaab,
or they decide that
their claim to Islam,
alone, is sufficient to
help them through
the day of hisaab.
Interestingly, this is not
a new phenomenon.
When Allah Ī made
Islam victorious over vast areas of the Arabian
Peninsula during the time of the Prophet Ē, large
numbers of bedouins began embracing Islam
and would say, “We have believed.” However,
the All-Knowing, Allah, informed the Prophet Ē to
tell the bedouins that they had only proclaimed
their Islam (submission to the truth) while they
had not yet actualized belief or faith (Emaan):
The bedouins said, “We have believed.” Say,
“You believe not but you should say, ‘We have
submitted (to Islam),’ for Faith (Emaan) has
not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey
Allah and His Messenger, He will not decrease
anything in reward for your deeds. Verily, Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (49:14). In the light
of this ayah, we have to make a clear choice
between either of the two ways. The man in our
story had a similar choice, as did the bedouins
at the time of the Prophet Ē. More pertinently,
many present day people also have a similar
choice to make because while we believe in
the Creator’s vast and immeasurable Mercy, we
also believe that He is the Most Just.
It is this conscious understanding of the Most
Gracious and Most Just, Allah Ī, that drives us
to search for a path toward Him. Only when we
find this path to Him and help others find this
path in a united way, will we be able to attain
the tranquility and peace of mind that we are all
searching for in this world of increasing fitin, or
tribulations. The All-Knowing,
Allah, informs us, “And those
who disbelieve are allies of one
another (and) if you (Muslims)
do not do so (become allies
of one another) there will
be fitnah (tribulations, wars,
battles), and oppression on
the earth, and great mischief
and corruption” (8:73).
All around us we see exactly this—fitnah,
oppression, great mischief, and corruption—
even though Allah Ī had warned us of this some
1400 years ago. As a result of this, though,
a sure change is brewing at multiple levels,
the individual, the family, the tribes, and even
the society. The winds of change have begun
blowing, and it is up to us to move with the wind
in the direction of a positive change and reap
the benefits of a tranquil life and peace of mind,
and the abundant blessings of the life to come,
the everlasting life, that come with adopting
this change. Every individual, therefore, has a
responsibility to harness the change in a proper
manner because the doors of Allah’s Mercy are
always wide open and through His Graciousness
He is ready to help the person the entire way.
As He, free from all blemishes, reminds us, “As
for those who strive hard in Our Cause, We will
surely guide them to Our Paths. And verily, Allah
is with the Muhsinun (good-doers)” (29:69).

Combatting
Whispers
Muhammad Raza - 3rd year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine
(Designer, Transcend)
A
dhan, what a wonderful call towards
Salah! One leaves all worldly work,
walks to the masjid, does wudhu,
stands shoulder to shoulder with his brother
or sister in a nice straight row, and finally
raises his hands to the glorious sound of
“Allahu Akbar.” But wait. Something isn’t
right. Something is distracting my mind and
filling it with all sorts of thoughts: Who is that
person standing next to me, and why is he
moving his feet like that? Why is there a
hole in my own socks? Should I go shopping
today? Which friends should I take along?
What if so-and-so won’t go because of the
test tomorrow? Man, I wonder if I will pass
that super hard test myself. Why is that man
scratching himself now? And whose phone
is that with such a dreadful ringtone? Wait
a minute, that’s my phone! Shoot, I forgot to
put it on silent; man, this is so embarrassing!
Thank God, it stopped ringing, but who must
have called me? I hope the guys haven’t left
for pizza without me. Eww that ant is so huge!
Why is it crawling towards me? Why does it
only have five legs? Shoot, there’s another
one… “Assalam-u-alaikum warahmatullah,
Assalam-u-alaikum warahmatullah.” And
what do you know the Salah ends. Good
job Khanzab, another Salah ruined.
A companion of the Prophet Ē, Uthmaan
Ibn Abi’l-‘Aas ē, said, “The Shaitaan was
interfering with my prayer and recitation of
Qur’an. He Ē said, ‘That is a devil called
Khanzab, so seek refuge with Allah from
him and spit dryly to your left three times.’ I
did that, and Allah took him (khanzab) away
from me” [Sahih Muslim].
I am sure every one of us has had this
problem. This problem, which starts as a
tiny insignificant thought at the back of our
head, slowly grows like a tumor and makes
33
us confused, depressed, despaired and
sometimes even insane whenever we want
to do good or are in the process of doing it.
Dear readers, this problem, or more correctly,
this trap from Shaitaan is called waswasah
(whisper). These misguiding waswaas are
inevitable—go ahead, try your best, they
will keep on coming and casting doubts and
suspicions in your heart until you eventually
leave the boundaries set by Allah without
even realizing it. This is a disease that slowly
blackens the heart, mind, and soul, until the
person being affected surrenders to the
enemy, Iblis. However, there is a cure for
it.
Some of the companions of the Prophet Ē
came to him and said, “We find in our hearts
things that none of us dares utter.” He said,
“Do you really find that?” They said, “Yes.”
He said, “That is clear faith” [Sahih Muslim].
That is clear faith?! Strange, yes, but true.
This crafty enemy whispers the most to the
people of faith. It was for their hatred for
these waswaas, to the extent of fearing to
speak about them, that the Prophet Ē told the
companions that such feelings were a sign of
clear faith. The Messenger of Allah Ē said,
“Allah has forgiven for my ummah whatever
is whispered to them and whatever crosses
their minds , as long as they do not act upon
it or speak of it” [Sahih Al-Bukhari].
Usually, people start by just ignoring
these whispers completely, no matter how
frequently they may come to mind. When
these whispers are ignored, they do not
become established; rather they go away
with time. This is a super cool way to combat
whispers. The best thing about this is that
the person gets the reward of the Mujahid,
as he is actually fighting the enemy of Allah.
34
As for the one who pays attention to these to prostrate, and I disobeyed, so Hell will be
whispers and acts upon them, they increase mine’” [Sahih Muslim].
until they may drive him or her crazy.
Seek Allah’s refuge from all kinds of evil
Hmmm… it seems that we are not much and turn only to Him for help:
different from the spider, which kept on
going up the waterspout even though it got “And if an evil whisper comes to you from
washed away by the rain every time. What I Shaitaan, then seek refuge with Allah. Verily,
mean to say is that we are now very fragile He is the All-Hearer, All-Knower” [Al-Qur’an
Muslims; no matter how hard we try to 7: 200]. As a result, one should recite Ayat-ul-
ignore a whisper, without proper guidance it Kursi [Ayah 255 of Surah Al-Baqarah] to seek
will somehow, someday, somewhere break Allah’s Protection from the devil. Along with
us and make us lose hope. However, we that, one should memorize the various duas
must still try to climb that waterspout, but of seeking Allah’s refuge from the devils that
this time, with more strength. It is obvious the Holy Prophet Ē taught us. Among them
that a waswasah can only overpower the are the duas for entering the washroom, to
one who is ignorant, confused, and does not overcome anger, and of course, the dua for
know what’s what. Thus, the cure is to gain starting the recitation of the Holy Qur’an.
knowledge and wisdom. Because it is crystal
clear that this enemy attacks with the same Keep busy with dhikr, as this prevents
weapon again and again, one must learn one from being distracted:
the art of his attack, use the knowledge and
wisdom one has gained, and be prepared to “… Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do
face him, with the following weapons from hearts find rest” [Al-Qur’an 13: 28].
the Qur’an and/or Sunnah:
Remain with the main body of the Muslims
Adhere to the Qur’an and Sunnah: and choose righteous friends:
“O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam The Prophet Ē said, “Whoever among you
(by obeying all the rules and regulations of the wants to attain the best part of Paradise, let
Islamic religion) and follow not the footsteps him adhere to the main body of the Muslims,
of Shaitaan. Verily, he is to you a plain enemy” for the Shaitaan is with the one who is
[Al-Qur’an 2: 208]. Therefore, whoever gives alone, but he is farther away from two” [At-
up any part of Islam has followed some of Tirmidhi].
the footsteps of the Shaitaan. Adhering to
the Qur’an and Sunnah itself annoys Iblis Oppose the Shaitaan:
greatly. The Prophet Ē said, “When the
son of Adam recites a verse of Sajdah and For example, if he comes to you during Salah
prostrates, the Shaitaan withdraws weeping, and says, “You are showing off, so cut your
saying, ‘Woe to me, the son of Adam was prayer short,” make your prayer lengthy.
commanded to prostrate, and he prostrated, When you wake up in the morning for Fajr
so Paradise will be his. I was commanded and he says, “Go back to sleep” then get up

With the experience of each fall, obstacle and

U-turn one faces in life, he or she will eventually
learn, get stronger and realize that the trap of
Shaitaan was, indeed, a feeble one—just like
an old broken cobweb.

and offer Fajr. Try to be different from him; if
he eats with the left hand, you eat with your
right.
“Verily, he (the Shaitaan) has no power over
those who believe and put their trust only in
their Lord (Allah)” [Al-Qur’an 16: 99].
Repent and seek Allah’s forgiveness:
The Prophet Ē said, “The Shaitaan said to
the Lord of Glory, ‘By Your Glory O Lord, I
will keep trying to misguide your slaves so
long as their souls are in their bodies.’ The
Lord said, ‘By My Glory and Majesty, I will
continue to forgive them
so long as they ask My
forgiveness.’” [Al-Musnad
of Ahmed].
Apart from the above-
mentioned methods,
a little more emphasis
should be laid upon Salah
itself. Allah’s Apostle
said, “When the Adhan is
pronounced, Satan takes
to his heels and passes
wind with noise, during
his flight, in order not to
hear the Adhan. When the
Adhan is completed, he
comes back, and again,
takes to his heels when
the Iqama is pronounced;
and after its completion,
he returns again till he
whispers into the heart of
the person (to divert his attention from his
Salah), and makes him remember things,
which he does not recall to his mind before
the Salah, and that causes him to forget how
much he has prayed” [Sahih Al-Bukhari].
The five prayers, besides being an obligation,
are a way to gain strength; Shaitaan will try
his level best to put an end to our efforts
in establishing them. Proper focus is the
essence of prayer. Prayer without proper
focus is like a body without a soul, and our “Say: I seek refuge with (Allah) the Lord of
aim should be to get that soul back in its mankind; The King of mankind; The God
body. But how?
Well, here are a few tips:
1. One should realize that Salah is
35
compulsory and we must offer it, even
when sick or when traveling. To make
it easier, the Prophet Ē gave many
relaxations for the sick and travelers.
(A sick person may sit and pray if he
or she cannot stand, or lie and pray if
he or she cannot sit; for the traveler,
there is the shortened prayer.)
2. When standing in prayer, one must
realize that he or she is there for the
most important thing in the whole
world. He must bear in mind that he
is conversing with Allah as if he sees
Him and if that is not possible, then,
he should remember that
Allah can surely see him.
3. Strive to think
about what one is saying
and doing, during Salah
and ponder over the
meanings of the Qur’an,
dhikr and duas that he or
she recites.
4. Try to get rid of
the things that may be
distracting during prayer.
Allah says in the Qur’an,
“Ever-feeble, indeed, is
the plot of Shaytaan” [4:
76].
For some, these methods
might seem awesome.
For others, it may be hard
or even impossible; but with the experience
of each fall, each obstacle, and each U-turn
one faces in life, he or she will eventually
learn, get stronger and realize that the trap
of Shaitaan was, indeed, a feeble one—just
like an old broken cobweb. Let us ask Allah
the Almighty, by His most beautiful names
and sublime attributes, to grant us refuge
from the madness of these devils and save
us from despairing in the times ahead.
of mankind; From the evil of the whisperer
who withdraws (after his whisper); Who
whispers in the breasts of mankind; Of jinn
and mankind” [114: 1-6]. Ameen.
36
Nojabi To
Anonymous - MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine
anuary 2006—the period between my
J graduation and college was a time when
I experienced many emotions. The
beginning yielded a freedom that was unheard
of since the demands of school never gave me
the liberty of watching television all night. The
middle was the best part of the whole journey as
it was my sister’s wedding. However, it was the
end of this time period where I discovered the
importance and significance of purdah.
With everything returning to the normal routine
after the wedding, I was left with a lot of spare
time on my hands. Life was boring, and I had
already mastered the art of television, internet
and freedom in repeat. It was then that I decided
it was the perfect time to read the translation of
the Qur’an. This would be my first time reading
it with the translation and I looked forward to it
very much. I read up to Surah Nur where I came
across the verses pertaining to modesty, followed
by similar verses in Surah Nisa, which struck a
nerve. Although I was aware that modesty was
an integral part of our religion, it was the first
time I had read the command in the words of
God Himself. I realized then that these were the
actual words of our Creator and knowing so,
how could I have ignored this? I read it once
more, thoughtfully, and after much deliberation
I decided that if it was mentioned in the Holy
Book then it must have some logic to it. That
very day I started to cover my head.
The next day I stepped into one of the busiest
markets in the city, and for the first time in my
life I covered my head in public. I truly felt the
difference. I felt secure, I felt as if I had taken
one real step towards God. A Muslim is one who
submits him or herself to God’s will. I felt as though
this was my first real act of submission. I felt at
peace with myself whereby I saw everything in a
new light. It was a paradigm shift. Hijab is honor,
pure and simple. Gradually, I realized that it
is not just a piece of fabric; instead it is one’s
personality. The act of taking Hijab symbolizes
the choice of modesty one makes by the will of
Allah. The choice of dress, words, acts are in
accordance with the standard set by Allah, not
the latest trends.
However, the fact that I take Hijab does not
purport that I am perfect by any means. It utterly
confuses me when my peers see my Hijab and
automatically hold me to a higher standard of
morality, and then are shocked beyond belief
when I do something wrong or make a mistake.
Women who embrace Hijab are humans,
nonetheless, and therefore prone to error. I love
it now and, God willing, I will continue to wear
this emblem of modesty till my death.
Adhering to the Hijab has been a struggle
concerning the latest fashion trends at weddings
and big events where the more skin one shows,
the higher one goes on the auntie rishta lists
for potential bahus. By struggle I mean struggle
against myself, and harder still, the initial family
resistance I encountered. Suffice to say, I was the

first person in my family to take the commitment
seriously. I was a novel concept, one not to be
accepted so easily. I know I am not the first to
encounter this disapproval of loved ones in this
regard. But every time the thought occurs to me,
I know that there is someone greater than my
own desires and that He will reward me in the
end for all my efforts in shaa Allah.
37
Decide who your Lord is, the people or God, and
who will come to your aid in the end. For those
of you who want to start but are afraid of how
those around you will react, my advice to you
would be in the words of Nike : Just do it!
“O My servant! If you take one step toward Me,
I take ten toward you.” [Bukhari].

Hardening Your Resolve

nce there was a man who felt great love for the Prophet Ē. As a result

O of this love, he longed to meet Muhammad Ē passionately. Unable to

wait until the Day of Judgment, he longed to at least dream about his
Prophet. However, no matter how hard he tried to do so, he failed. Growing
more and more desperate, he approached a pious and knowledgeable scholar.
He told him his wish, and requested guidance. The scholar welcomed him
into his home, saying that he would elucidate the means by which he could
accomplish his goal.

Being a traditional good host, the scholar had an extravagant meal prepared
for his guest; the guest was served the most mouth-watering selection of
meats and vegetables, garnished with ample salt—a delicacy and rarity in
his time. He ate plateful after plateful heartily. However, soon he noticed
with alarm that something was missing from this perfect meal—water! Upon
finishing his meal, the guest was incredibly parched; however, knowing the
proper mannerisms of being a guest, he did not request water from his host.
To his dismay, he was sent to bed without quenching his thirst—but eager at
a chance to see his beloved messenger.

That night he dreamt about nothing but

water; he saw magnificent waterfalls,
swam in ponds of crystal clear water,
and drank from a multitude of sparkling
streams. He woke up and went to meet the
scholar, who greeted him with a glass of
water. After waiting for him to finish, the
host asked his guest if he dreamt about
anything. Upon hearing his narration, the
scholar smiled and replied: “Only when
you wish to see the Prophet Ē in your dreams as strongly as you thirsted for
water will he visit you in your dreams.”
38
Being
uid e d
Among G a n ce
Mis guid
Abdur-Rehman Mirza - Health Science student at Stony Brook University, New York, USA

T
here is this Muslim brother who went to
my high school that I know very well. Just
so it’s easy to understand the life of this
brother without giving away his name, I will call
him Abdut-Tawwab. He used to sit in my classes
and we hung out with a similar group of friends.
In 9th grade, when I met him, he was just a normal
American kid who had very American dreams.
He wanted a group of friends at school to fit in
with. So what he would try to do was be friends
with every group that he knew. Although this
helped him fit in nicely with everyone, he felt lost
because he didn’t really know his own identity.
Abdut-Tawwab also had some other dreams. He
wanted invitations to the best parties and also to
have a chance to maybe go out with a cool girl.
who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly
guide them to our Paths: For verily Allah is with
those who do right.” [29:69]
This brother Abdut-Tawwab told me his story
one day and it almost made me cry. He told me
about a Sunday school lecture that inspired him
very much. The teacher talked about how all it
takes is one’s will power to turn to God and how
we all have to start with the five prayers. Abdut-
Tawwab was big on finding an identity, and the
individualism and willpower of the talk motivated
him. He heard about how it just takes “you” to
turn to God. He was told to not care about what
anyone else says about you as you become
closer to God.

Abdut-Tawwab only had one religious friend who He made a promise to himself that he would
told him about a youth group at his mosque. always pray his five prayers no matter what. And
He also knew about a Muslim club in his high you know, my dear brothers and sisters, a human
school which he would attend once in a while. being who has good in him is always guided first
His best friends were usually girls, and he got and foremost to the prayers. The prayers are the
close enough to them to consider them his only most important thing and, in fact, one’s Eeman
true friends. His Sunday school was just like grows only if their prayers strengthen. If they
any other American Sunday school. It was the don’t pray, their faith remains on edge with no
one day where many kids would practice their strong foundation in it at all. Prayer is the time a
faith before becoming regular American kids for person talks to God; so what can you say about
the rest of the week. You can just imagine this a human that doesn’t feel the need to talk to his
brother’s environment: How do you expect him Creator, ever?
to turn out by college?
Abdut-Tawwab has one religious friend
But you know that is where the most amazing ,Muhammad. Muhammad took him to their
thing about God and faith comes in: Allah Ī mosque’s youth group. This brother saw Abdut-
guides whom He wills and He says: “And those Tawwab start to pray and hung out with him and
 39
never judged him. He would also see Abdut- can stop it.
Tawaab doing things that weren’t right Islamically,
Abdut-Tawwab related that one of the things that
but he never abandoned him. Whenever Abdut-
kept him on Islam even after committing sins and
Tawwab would ask Muhammad if what he was
doing wrong things was that he kept pursuing
doing was right, his religious friend would open
Islamic knowledge. He would never think that he
up and tell him about Islam. This friendship
knew everything about Islam. This is the problem
inspired Abdut-Tawwab to learn more about
you find with most misguided people. They are
Islam, to feel inspired to become a better person,
not practicing and on top of that when they are
and even start giving khutbahs.
asked to learn more about Islam, they claim that
You know, some people change by themselves they already know what Islam is all about. I will
and not because they are forced to. They are be honest: if we actually knew Islam, we would
just advised slightly to come to the right path be practicing it. This pursuit of knowledge by
and they listen. This is how Abdut-Tawwab was. Abdut-Tawwaab and his humility in realizing that
But it’s hard to believe his change occured in he knew very little about his faith kept him on
an environment such as a regular white majority track. Today, he is my friend and he is by my
high school. His friends partied and dated on side. He is my inspiration as I try to get closer to
weekends and his religious schooling was very God myself.
weak, so he didn’t really have a clear path to
In this brother’s story, we realize one last point.
God in many senses. But that is what Allah’s Ī
The journey to God never
power is all about:
ends. Never should a human
When Allah Ī
feel satisfied in his state with
wants someone to
God, for if he does, then he
be good, not even
has become like Satan. How
the whole world can
so? It is arrogant for a human
make them bad. It’s
being to think that he is fully
just that the person
guided and this is when Satan
should really desire
really gets people. When he
to be good with the
sees that they think they are
deepest crevices of
perfect, he can attack them
his or her heart.
and persuade them to go
Abdut-Tawwab had against God. Abdut-Tawwab
his chances to go to bad parties and hang with would tell me that he always made sure to
the wrong crowd. Every time he would make the remind himself after every good deed that he
intention, Allah would save him. A friend would was in need of God. A beautiful way to end this
forget to invite him or he would get busy with story is the Prophet’s du’aa, which he made
schoolwork that weekend or he would oversleep and asked Allah Ī himself: “O Ever-living, self-
and miss the party or hangout. Really, the fact subsisting Lord, do not leave me to myself for
is that it was Allah’s guidance, and when He even the blink of an eye.” We are guided as long
wants to grant someone good, no one can stop as Allah is with us and misguided if he leaves us
him from that. In the end, only Allah can guide even for a moment.
someone; when Allah wills good for us, no one
40
Revelation and Reason:
Understanding and Resolving the Dilemma
Syed Ahmed Faisal Nahri - MBBS graduate student,
Department of Usul Al-Din and Comparative Religion,
International Islamic University, Malaysia
F
resh religion, as presented by a Prophet or
a Messenger of Allah, appears to argue in
a rational (i.e. reasonable) manner. Indeed,
fresh religion secures an edge for itself by pointing
out the irrational and unsubstantiated nature of
beliefs and practices in the aged forms of religion
that are prevalent in a society where the Prophet
seeks to restore the original Dīn al-Qayyim.1 But
following the death of Prophet, the refreshed
religion again starts aging and in the process
loses its rational character. Irrational elements
creep in to the religious beliefs and practices,
and finally Tertulian’s argument—I believe it
because it is absurd—becomes a necessity for
the devoutly religious. Consequently, as religion
ages in the aging civilization, a higher place is
sought for revelation than for reason in order to
protect the irrational dogmas accruing in religious
thought over the course of history; the originally
complementary relationship between revelation
and reason no longer remains the case.
The relationship between revelation and reason
is one of the major epistemological issues
faced by the Muslim world today. Muslim
civilization has also experienced aging; as part
of the aging process, the relationship between
revelation and reason has become the subject
of controversy. This short paper seeks to identify
various positions held about the relationship
between revelation and reason, and the issues
that arise if one or the other of these positions is
subscribed to. In the analysis of these positions,
the background which led some people to
advocate one or the other position will also be
considered. It is hoped that the paper will allay
1 Al-Imām al-Ash‘arī rightly pointed out that Qur’an argues
with reason, for its first audience was not a community of
believers; of course, to begin with Qur’an was to address
unbelievers.
the confusions of young Muslims regarding the
relationship between revelation and reason.
Identifying the Positions and the Issues
When we discuss the relationship between
revelation and reason, we seek to determine
whether revelation is to be given a priority
over reason, or reason is to be given a priority
over revelation, or the two are equally valid
and complementary. When any one of these
positions is taken, some subsidiary questions
arise. These subsidiary questions associated
with the three possible positions will be identified
in the following lines.
If revelation is given priority over reason, then
the following questions have to be answered:
• Can we silence reason when it appears to
contradict revelation?
• Is revelation rational? Or are there some
irrational propositions in revelation, which
cannot be protected unless a higher place
is secured for revelation than for reason?
• Is priority of revelation over reason
applicable under all circumstances? If
not, then when exactly or in what sense is
revelation given a priority over reason?
Next, if we give reason a priority over revelation,
then the following questions have to be
answered:
• Can reason validate or invalidate the
commandments of revelation?
• Is an understanding of the rationale behind
an injunction a precondition for compliance

by a Muslim?
• Is priority of reason over revelation
applicable under all circumstances? If
not, then when exactly or in what sense is
reason given a priority over revelation?
Finally, if one holds that revelation and reason
are equally valid, then the following issues have
to be addressed:
• If revelation and reason are considered
equally valid, how would one resolve a
conflict between the claims of revelation
and reason should such a situation arise?
• Why would one want to hold that revelation
and reason are equally valid?
An Evaluation of the Controversy
A review of the literature indicates that scholars
have often taken one or the other of the
aforementioned positions about the relationship
between revelation and reason; the positions
have been thought of as mutually exclusive.
Furthermore, whichever position is adopted is
held to be applicable under all circumstances
and in every way. This, however, does not
appear to be realistic.
In reality, each of the aforementioned positions
is backed by compelling arguments, yet leaves
some issues unaddressed, as we have seen
in the preceding section. It may be argued that
none of the positions is applicable under all
circumstances and in every possible sense.
Instead, each of the position is true in a
particular way or under certain circumstances,
but inapplicable in some other ways or under
different circumstances.
The whole controversy about the relationship
between revelation and reason can be
understood and resolved if one apprehends the
fact that different people have meant different
things from the word ‘reason’, and have had
different preoccupations that compelled them
to take their respective positions. Not only
that, but a failure to take into account the other
considerations also led people to preclude the
applicability of the positions other than their own.
41
In the following paragraphs, with the help of a
diagram, we shall discuss the diverse usage of
the term ‘reason’, and the various considerations
that have justified one or the other positions.
The diagram indicates three different meanings
in which the term ‘reason’ has been used. These
are as follows:
1. ‘Reason’ has been used to represent the
human intellectual faculty that processes
a variety of information as premises
to draw conclusions thereupon. The
premises utilized by the human intellectual
faculty and the conclusions drawn thereof
can be identified with one or the other
discipline of knowledge. Moreover, the
human intellectual faculty is not merely
considered a processor of information, but
is also believed to harbor at least some a
priori knowledge consisting of self-evident
principles. In other words, it has been
argued that a priori knowledge of self-
evident principles (also known as the ‘first
principles’) is built-in to human intellectual
faculty unlike other sources of knowledge
(such as revelation, observations,
transmitted reports) that are basically
external.
2. ‘Reason’ has been used to represent the
various types of premises (reasons) that
are employed by human beings in their
inferences. Each of the various kinds of
premises represents a source of knowledge,
which is characteristically associated with
one or more disciplines of knowledge.
3. Finally, ‘reason’ has been used to represent
the exercise of intellectual faculty in
the absence of revealed premises,
observations and transmitted reports.
42
Such exercise of human reason has been
expressed in literature as ‘pure reason’,
‘independent use of reason’, ‘reason in the
absence of revelation’ etc. Here, I contend
that reason (i.e. human intellectual faculty)
cannot be exercised in a ‘pure’ and
‘empty’ state in the absence of revelation,
observations, transmitted reports, or a
priori knowledge (if that is recognized as
a separate source of knowledge). What
has been called ‘pure reason’ actually
employs ‘assumptions’; thus, the exercise
of human intellectual faculty in the absence
of revelation, observation and transmitted
reports makes use of ‘conjecture’ as the
premise. It appears that such utilization of
conjecture as the premise has not been
very clearly identified in epistemological
discourse. At least partly, this is because
philosophical ideas founded on conjecture
have often been packaged and presented
as ‘logically necessary’—something that
completely shun reason; instead they suggested
a restricted meaning and role of reason as a
tool that merely analyzes and infers—which
essentially meant the use of reason in the first
sense of the word (as described earlier). These
latter critics also identified conjecture as the
problem and articulated their criticism of it.
Repulsed by the mu‘tazilite rationalistic
discourse, many of the later theologians and
fuqahā’ often compromised on the rationality (i.e.
reasonability) of Islamic beliefs and practices.
The aversion to reason and rationality lasts until
today. It is no wonder that contemporary scholars
who attempt to restore the complementary
relationship between revelation and reason are
not welcomed. This is because the vast majority
of Muslims does not realize that the rationality
alluded to by the contemporary Muslim scholars
is not the same as the Mu‘tazilite rationalism.
Conjecture and philosophy are rapidly losing

It is not fitting
would necessarily follow from a priori
knowledge. Of course, philosophers would
rarely attribute their ideas to conjecture, for
this would strip their ideas of any credibility.
If we identify conjecture as the premise in
the exercise of so-called ‘pure reason’, then
for a Believer,
it would become obvious that much of the
criticism of ‘reason’ is actually a rejection man or woman,
of ‘conjecture’ and not of reason per se.

The varied use of the term ‘reason’ is noticeable

to exercise
in the scholars’ arguments over the relationship
between revelation and reason. Historically, the
employment of ‘conjecture’ by the mu‘tazilah
personal
and Muslim philosophers in their use of ‘reason’
has invoked much criticism of reason and discretion after
rationality in general. The mu‘tazilah and Muslim
philosophers often went on to answer questions
on which revelation was silent and observation
a matter has
was not available. Although the ‘logical deductive’
discourse of the mu‘tazilah and philosophers
was often based on assumptions and conjecture,
been decided
their answers to subtle metaphysical questions
were almost always portrayed as ‘self-evident by Allah and His

truth’ that necessarily followed from a priori
knowledge. Such use of reason in the third sense
of the word (as described earlier) understandably
Messenger
led their critics to argue for a priority of revelation
over reason. Furthermore, most critics of the
mu‘tazilah and philosophers, failing to isolate ground even in the Western discourse, and
and criticize conjecture as the sole problem in the scope of a priori knowledge of self-evident
the rationalist discourse, ended up criticizing principles is increasingly narrowed down to
reason in general. But at the same time, some the effect that presumptive ideas cannot be
of the critics of the rational discourse did not conveniently presented as matters of logical
 43
necessity. When contemporary Muslim scholars Conclusion
argue for the complementarity of revelation and
reason, they mean reason in the second sense We have discussed the use of ‘reason’ in various
of the word (described earlier); in particular, meanings and the implications of such varied
they seek to emphasize that human observation usage of the term in the discussions of the
and authentic historical reports cannot possibly relationship between revelation and reason. We
contradict revelation. may now conclude that revelation and reason
are complementary sources of knowledge
It is possible to articulate a Qur’anic view on and that a real contradiction between the two
the various kinds of premises that constitute is not possible. Should there be an apparent
the sources of human knowledge. A deep contradiction between revelation and reason,
examination of Qur’an indicates that revelation, the reader should review his understanding of
observation, transmitted reports, and a both to see if a subtle point has been missed;
priori knowledge are acceptable sources of such practice is expected to resolve all apparent3
knowledge, but conjecture and assumptions are contradictions between revelation and reason.
unacceptable as a source of knowledge. Thus, In terms of the unity of truth and the impossibility
Qur’an requires that religious belief be founded of a contradiction between revelation and
on al-kitāb, sultān mubīn, burhān etc., which reason, the two may be considered equally
implies that revelation is an acceptable, even valid and complementary to each other.
However, notwithstanding the complementarity
necessary source of knowledge. Then Qur’an is
of revelation and reason, an understanding
also replete with āyāt that encourage the reader
of the rationale behind an injunction is not
to ‘observe’ the natural and physical phenomena a precondition for compliance by a Muslim;
that surround him; it is also repeatedly once a person becomes a Muslim after having
emphasized that an ‘observation’ of nature would ascertained the truth of Islam for himself, he is
reveal to the observer the ‘signs’ of the Creator, expected to unconditionally submit to the will of
His Majesty, the Author of Qur’an. This implies Allah as proposed by Qur’an and the authentic
the acceptability of observation as a source of Sunnah of the Prophet salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa
human knowledge. Similarly, Qur’an questions sallam. “It is not fitting for a Believer, man or
the reader on different occasions in more or less woman, to exercise personal discretion after
the same words: alam ya’tikum naba’u alladhīn a matter has been decided by Allah and His
kafarū min qabl (has the news of those who Messenger.”4 In that sense, revelation reserves
disbelieved before not reached you?), which a priority over human reason. On the other hand,
implies the acceptability of transmitted reports reason judges between the various religious
as a source of knowledge.2 Finally, Qur’an also truth-claims and enables man to embrace the
endorses the judging capacity of human reason one that is most plausible and therefore nearest
(the human intellectual faculty). On the other to truth; in that judging capacity, reason reserves
hand, the unmistakable Qur’anic rejection of a higher place than revelation.
zann, amāniyy and iftirā’ ‘ala Allāh indicates
the unacceptability of conjecture as a source of Confusion in how revelation and reason relate
knowledge. With a fresh understanding of the to each other has grappled the Muslims in
sources of knowledge endorsed and rejected the present age. A clear understanding of the
by Qur’an, it may be argued that authentic relationship between revelation and reason—
human knowledge—reason, in the second how and when one has a priority over the
sense of the word—cannot possibly contradict other, and in what sense the two are equal—is
revelation. In fact, the absolute necessity of the expected to facilitate the Muslims in moving
complementarity of revelation and reason could beyond this fundamentally important theoretical
be argued on the grounds that observation of dilemma to advancement in all fields of human
the physical and the historical phenomena is knowledge and resolution of the more significant
all that is available for mankind to ascertain the contemporary issues facing the Muslim world.
plausibility of the metaphysical propositions of
revelation.

3. Isma‘il R. al-Farūqī: al-Tawhīd – Its Implications for Thought

and Life, (Herndon: IIIT, n.d.) pp.43-44.
2. Qur’an 64:5. 4. Qur’an 33:36.
 U
44

 The Third Of
The Rightly Guided
Caliphs
Dr. Waqas Ahmed - Consultant Cardiologist at Shifa International Hospital

I
t was the 9th year of Hijrah (630 AD) when the (from his maternal grandmother’s side) of the Noble
expedition to Tabūk from Medinah was made. Prophet Ē. When he grew older, he took trading as
The four hundred miles journey in sweltering his profession, in which he became exceptionally
heat and the prospect of facing a massive well- proficient and successful. During one of his trips to
equipped army of the Roman Empire made the Syria, he had a dream in which he heard a caller in
journey an extremely undesirable prospect. The the desert, “Sleepers, awake, for verily Ahmad has
Noble Prophet Ē had ordered all able-bodied men come forth in Makkah.” On his return to Makkah, he
(roughly 30,000) to march with him. The distance met Abu Bakr ē, and on his invitation, embraced
and the large number of Companions necessitated Islam; he was 35 years old then. Subsequently, the
extra supplies, and posed a serious challenge, as the Noble Prophet Ē gave Uthmān ē the hand of his
then nascent Islamic state did not have sufficient daughter Ruqayya (Ĕ) in marriage after her divorce
resources to carry out such an expedition. While from Utbah bin Abi Lahab, on the insistence of his
the Noble Prophet Ē sat in Masjid al-Nabawi, his parents, Abu Lahab and Umm Jameel. Uthmān and
Companions made meager contributions to the Ruqayya ĕ were among the small group of early
task ahead, a person named Uthmān bin Ăffān Muslims who emigrated to Abyssinia (modern
ē walked in with one thousand gold dinars and Ethiopia) on the orders of the Prophet Ē in 614-15
deposited at the feet of the Prophet Ē. But that AD.
was not all, this extraordinary spirit of sacrifice was
In 622 AD, after their arrival in Medinah, Ruqayya
followed by one thousand camels and horses for
ē became seriously ill when the expedition which
the Muslim army. The Prophet Ē appeared jubilant,
eventually became the Battle of Badr, left Medinah.
and an authentic hadith quotes him: “Nothing
The Prophet Ē permitted Uthmān ē to stay in
Uthmān does after today, will harm him.”
Medinah to look after her, and made it clear that
He is the third in the venerated list of “The Ten” Uthmān ē would share the reward of those who
(Ăsharah Mubasharah) who were given glad tidings actually took part in the expedition and subsequent
of Paradise by the Noble Prophet Ē. battle as well as in the war booty. Ruqayyah Ĕ died
during the period of Badr conflict. In the following
Background
year, the husband of Hafsa bint Umar bin Khattāb
His name was Uthmān bin Ăffān bin Abil-Ăs bin ĕ died, and Umar ē approached Uthmān ē and
Umayyah bin Ăbd Shams bin Ăbd Munāf, and asked him to marry Hafsa Ĕ. Uthmān ē maintained
belonged to the respected Banu Umayyah clan. His silence. Umar ē made the same suggestion to Abu
lineage meets that of the Noble Prophet Ē in Ăbd Bakr ē who also remained quiet, since the Noble
Munāf. He was born in Tāif and was also a cousin Prophet Ē had hinted to him that he would marry
 45
Hafsa Ĕ. Umar ē was hurt by the apparent rejection Hudaybiyah ,and Uthmān was sent to Makkah as
of his daughter’s hand in marriage and approached the emissary of the Prophet Ē. After their refusal
the Noble Prophet Ē, who said to him, “Uthmān will to allow the Muslims to enter Makkah for the
be married to someone better than Hafsa and Hafsa pilgrimage, the Quraysh did not allow Uthmān
will have a husband better than Uthmān.” ē to return. Rumours spread that Uthmān ē had
been killed by the Quraysh. Upon hearing this, the
The words materialized when the Noble Prophet
Prophet Ē sat under a tree and took a pledge from
Ē himself married Hafsa and gave the hand of his
his Companions to fight till death to avenge Uthmān
other daughter Umm Kalsūm to Uthmān ĕ. As
ē. Every man presented his hand to the Prophet Ē,
a result, Uthmān ē got the title of Dhul-Nūrayn
who then used one of his own hands as the hand of
(the one with two lights), an honour not shared
Uthmān ē and the other as the pledge taking hand,
by anyone in the Ummah of Muhammad Ē. The
another unique honour
enormous love the Noble
for Uthmān ē. Later when
Prophet Ē had for Uthmān
the Quraysh learned of the
ē was made more evident
intention of the Muslims,
after Umm Kalsūm Ĕ
they allowed Uthmān ē to
also died following the
return back.
expedition of Tabūk, when
he Ē said, “If I had another Once the Prophet Ē
daughter left, I would have climbed the mountain
given her hand in marriage Uhud in the company
to Uthmān as well.” of Abu Bakr, Umar and
Uthmān Ė. The mountain
Even in the time of his
shook and the Prophet Ē
‘ignorance’, Uthmān ē
put a firm step on it and
never indulged in a sinful
said, “Steady O Uhud! There
life. He was famous for his
is none over you except a
chastity and his kindness.
Prophet, a siddiqque and
The Noble Prophet Ē said,
two shuhadah,” foretelling the martyrdom of Umar
“Even the angels show modesty to Uthmān as he
and Uthmān ĕ.
shows it to Allah and His Messenger.”
He was chosen as the caliph and the leader of the
When the Muslims migrated to Medinah, there was
believers (Ameer-ul-Mominin) by a group of seven
a shortage of fresh water, and the only fresh water
august Companions handpicked by the second
well, Bāir Rūmah, was owned by a Jew who wanted
caliph, Umar-bin-Khattab ē, after he was mortally
to sell it to Muslims. The Prophet Ē said, “Who
wounded by an assassin’s dagger.
will buy this well and share it with the Muslims in
return for Paradise?” Uthmān ē bought the well for During his reign as Caliph, the Muslim Empire
several thousand Dirhams and donated it to all the spread in the West to Morocco, in the East to the
Muslims. Sub-Continent and in the North to Azerbaijan. His
caliphate was also accredited with the establishment
In the 6th year of the Hijrah, the Noble Prophet
of the first Muslim Navy. Uthmān ē also undertook
Ē made a voyage to Makkah with around 1400
the expansion of Masjid Al-Nabawi and the Kabbah
Companions to perform Umrah. They camped at
46
during his caliphate. Though he was a businessman
par-excellence, after becoming a caliph, he devoted
his entire energy to the affairs of the Muslim state
and slid into a life of utmost modesty and simplicity.
Never a day went by when he did not perform an
act of charity. After embracing Islam, he used to free
a bondsman every week. Once during a famine in
Medinah, he donated hundreds of loaded camels
for the inhabitants of the city. His life was a model
of the Qurānic injunction of infaqfi sabąl illah (to
spend in the Way of Allah).
One of his greatest contributions was in the service
of the Qurān. After all, he was the one who narrated
from the Noble Prophet Ē, “The best amongst you
are the ones who learn and teach the Qurān,” He
personified this hadith by becoming a hafiz of the
Glorious Qurān. To this day and till the end of time,
we, the Ăajami’s (the non-Arabs), owe our correct
recitation of the Qurān to Uthmān bin Ăffān ē for
it was he who, during his caliphate, had uniform
copies of the Qurān written in the dialect of the
Quraysh (in whose language the Divine Text was
revealed) and distributed to all the corners of the
Muslim Empire.
His caliphate lasted for twelve years. The latter part
was marred by a rebellion instigated by a master
plotter, a Jew by the name of Abdullah bin Saba. 4. Muslim, Sahih. English Translation. Al-Alim V-6.0.
This rebellion ultimately led to the martyrdom of
the brave and forbearing caliph in his home, close
to the holy burial ground of the Noble Prophet
Ē. Despite repeated offers by several prominent
Companions as well as Muāwiyah bin Abu Sufyān,
the Governor of Damascus, to send an army to
protect the caliph from the rebels. He refused,
saying that he did not want the blood of Muslims
spilled for his sake. He was reading the Qurān when
he was struck by the sword of one of the rebels. His
blood stained the Mushaf on the verse, “Verily, Allah
will be sufficient for you against them.” [2:137].
He is buried in al-BaqiĂ. May Allah Almighty shower
His Mercy and Blessings on Uthmān bin Ăffān ē.
References:
1. Lings, Martin (Abu bakr Siraj uddin). Μuhammad:
his life based on the earliest sources. Suhayl
Academy Lahore, Pakistan.
2. Najeebabadi, Akbar Shah. The History of Islam.
Darussalam, Riyadh.
3. Raz, Muhammad Daud. Bukhari, Sahibh, vol-5
(Urdu with sharh). Maktabah Naumania, Lahore,
Pakistan.

He was reading the Qurān when he was

struck by the sword of one of the rebels.
His blood stained the Mushaf on the
verse, “Verily, Allah will be sufficient for
you against them.” [Al-Qurān, 2:137].
48

Emad Atif Ahmed - 3rd year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine

ne Sunday afternoon, a young You’re probably thinking that developing a

O man was watching the news on

the television with his 12-year-old
nephew. He stared at the depressing box
positive view is easier said than done. There
are so many things that happen in a single
day that can be disheartening, but that is no
that seemed to harbor nothing but misfortune excuse for adopting a submissive lifestyle.
and troubling times. He turned and gazed
The Prophet Ē reported that Allah Ī had
at his nephew, and observed the boy was
promised: “Anyone who approaches Me by
fixated on the dismal news report. The man
a hand-span, I approach him by an arm-
said to his nephew, “Together you and I will
span. Anyone who approaches Me by an
end corruption in Pakistan.”
arm-span, I approach him by two arm-spans.
“This is Pakistan, that’s impossible,” the boy If he comes to me walking, I come to him
replied without any hesitation. Caught off running.” [Agreed upon].
guard, the young man began to ponder why
pessimism and despair, rather than optimism This hadith reminds us of two truths. First,
and hope, dominate the mind-set of today’s that Allah Ī is the One in Whom we must
youth. confide in and seek refuge. Secondly, that
Allah Ī will remember those who remember
This is more than a true story- it is the reality
Him. This means that we have to make an
we live in today. Optimism is a characteristic
effort to initiate the change we want to see in
attributed to someone who has a general
ourselves and the world around us. How can
disposition to expect the best in all things.
we expect to receive anything without giving
Sadly, the term has become synonymous with
something in return? No individual is afflicted
foolishness and lacking an understanding of
with a burden beyond his or her capability;
how things in Pakistan “work”. It seems the
the logical solution to any problem is for each
general consensus is that we, as a nation,
of us to help ourselves rather than waiting
have reached a level where we are beyond
for someone or something else to come and
help, and that to think otherwise is a waste
miraculously make everything better.
of time. Islam teaches us that this is the
wrong approach, and frankly, we are setting Now I know that it is not realistic for a
ourselves up for failure by adhering to this person to just make up his or her mind at
belief. Whether it is our attitude towards our night before bed that tomorrow he or she is
country or our relationship with Allah Ī, going to make the world a better place, and
there is no room for despair. expect to wake up to a utopia. However, in

order to change our country, we must begin
by changing ourselves. After all, a nation is
not a separate entity, but comprised of its
people; ultimately, the flaws in our society
are a direct result of flaws in each of us.
“Verily never will Allah change the condition
of a people until they change which is in
themselves.” (Surah Al-R’ad, 13:011).
So where does that bring us? Back to the
individual—we need to assess ourselves,
and how we interact with each other.
Observation of these interpersonal relations
shows that there is
no room for trust in
our dealings today.
If we look at our
schools, work places,
homes, or even daily
activities on the
street, we will find
that we are always
ready to assume the
worst about each
other. Supposedly
everyone has an
ulterior motive that
dictates his or her actions. In fact, Islam
teaches that we are to trust one another
unless we have sufficient reason not to.
Granted, it is impractical to say we should
not take precautions and or be aware that
some people are untrustworthy, but we must
give each other the benefit of the doubt when
we can. This principle is expressed in the
Qur'an in the following verses from Surah
Al-Hujarat:
“O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much
(as possible): for suspicion in some cases is
a sin: And spy not on each other behind their
backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh
49
of his dead brother? Nay, ye would abhor
it…But fear Allah: For Allah is Oft-Returning,
and Most Merciful.” [49:12].
These small incidents and attitudes may
seem trivial, but they do have an impact on
us and our society. An everyday example of
beginning change might be not to believe a
rumor you hear about someone, or not to
assume that a friend who offended you did
so intentionally. When you consciously instill
this positive outlook into your life, eventually
it will stop being an effort of will and actually
be assimilated into your way of thinking. We
can only hope to bring
about such a change
in our society if each
of us first does so in
him- or herself.
Taking all these things
into consideration, the
scenario of the young
man and his nephew
is a prime example
of how harmful
cynicism is, especially
to our youth. The
environment in which we are growing up
teaches that we should accept the injustices
in our society, because no amount of effort
will be enough to make a difference. Is
this really the mentality we want to foster?
People say that tomorrow is controlled by
our investment in the youth of today. Then
what does the future hold for us, when even
children are in despair? That’s comparable
to a person starting a race sitting down—it
just doesn’t make sense. The hopelessness
we see is not so different from a debilitating
disease; it hinders a person’s ability to
make the most of this life, to give her or
his full effort to a cause worth fighting for.
50
Even adopting an upbeat step in our walk absurd. Little did they know that Hazrat Ali
is essential, because of the effect it has on ē would prove his words true, as he stood
others. Negativity and optimism are both by the Holy Prophet Ē countless times; and
highly contagious qualities; it’s our decision that they would indeed go on to change the
what message we want to convey. world.
Finally, we can truly understand what it Lastly, we must always remember to pause
means to have a hopeful approach to and consider our priorities in life. Talk of
changing the conditions of the world around optimism and hope is meaningless unless the
us if remember the story of Hazrat Ali ē and changes we aspire to bring about are for the
how he reverted to Islam. right cause. Excessive hope is dangerous if
it causes an individual to become enamored
Hazrat Ali ē was only ten years old when the
of worldly ambitions and oblivious of the
Holy Prophet Ē began receiving revelations.
Hereafter. The most crucial truth to keep
The Holy Prophet Ē invited all of his family
in mind when talking about hope can be
members to a feast so that he could share his
explained in this verse from Surah Al-A‘raf:
mission in spreading the message of Islam
with all of them. The Holy Prophet’s Ē words “Your Lord is swift in retribution, and He is
were not received well. In fact, his family Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (7:167).
members ridiculed his belief and questioned
We need to remember that, above all,
how one man could change the world.
we must have hope in the Mercy of Allah
At that moment, Hazrat Ali ē, much to his Ī, and balance that hope with fear of
family’s surprise, stood up and confidently His punishment. If we incorporate these
said, “Though my eyes are sore, my legs concepts into our lives, then we will find that
are thin and I am the youngest of all those having an optimistic view of life and its many
present here, yet I will stand by you, O tribulations is not as difficult as we believe.
Messenger of Allah.” Upon hearing these We will find that making a positive change is
words, everyone except the Prophet Ē not merely possible, but is very much within
laughed, as they found the idea of one man our grasp.
and one boy making an impact on the world

People say that tomorrow is controlled by

our investment in the youth of today. Then
what does the future hold for us, when even
children are in despair? That’s comparable
to a person starting a race sitting down—it
just doesn’t make sense.
 What Is Our

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 “The slave is not afflicted with a punishment greater
than the hardening of the heart and being distant from Allah.
For the
Fire was created to melt the hardened heart.
The most distant heart
from Allah is the heart which is hardened.
If the heart becomes hardened,
the eye becomes dry.”
-Ibn Al-Qayyim 

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