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Mother Rediscovered

Thanks to the media, the commercial giants have spent heavily on defining motherhood through their products. Biscuits, stationeries, soft drinks, online gift vendors have all rediscovered a sudden fondness for the entity called ‘Mother’. Business as usual.

Islam and the concept of Civilization

It should be known that the Islamic cause does not oppose modern inventions nor do Muslims require that the appliances and tools should bear the inscription: In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful” before they agree to use such tools and appliances at their homes, factories and farms etc. It is quite sufficient if such tools and appliances should be used in the name of God and for His sake. After ail, tools and appliances do not have any religion or homeland, but the way of their use affects all the people on earth. A gun, for example, is an invention which has no religion, color or homeland but you will not be a Muslim if you use it in committing aggression against others. Islam require, that a gun shall only be used in repulsing aggression or in spreading the word of God throughout the world.

ന്യൂനപക്ഷ സ്നേഹം പ്രകടമാകേണ്ടത്‌ പ്രവൃത്തിയില്‍

ഇപ്പോള്‍ നടക്കുന്ന സംസ്ഥാനസമ്മേളനത്തോടനുബന്ധിച്ച്‌ മദര്‍ തെരേസായുടെ ചിത്രങ്ങള്‍ പ്രദര്‍ശിപ്പിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നതായി കണ്ടു. അതുപോലെതന്നെ പള്ളിയുടെയും മോസ്കിന്റെയുമെല്ലാം ചിത്രീകരണങ്ങളും.

ഒരു വശത്ത്‌ ഈശ്വരനാമത്തില്‍ നിയമസഭാംഗങ്ങള്‍ സത്യ പ്രതി ജ്ഞ ചെയ്യുന്നത്‌ അപമാനകരമാ ണന്നു പറഞ്ഞു വച്ചിട്ടു അധികകാലമായിട്ടില്ല. മറ്റൊരു എം. എല്‍.എ കൂദാശ സ്വീകരിച്ചുവെന്നു ഒരാള്‍ പറഞ്ഞത്‌ മോശമായി ചിത്രീകരിക്കപ്പെട്ടതും അടുത്തയിടെയാണല്ലോ. ഒരു കാലത്ത്‌ മദര്‍തെരേസായുടെ ജീവകാരുണ്യപ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങള്‍ മുതലാളിത്തത്തെ നിലനിര്‍ത്തുന്നതിനാണന്നു പറഞ്ഞവര്‍ മദറിന്റെ സംസ്കാരചടങ്ങുകള്‍ ആഘോഷമാക്കി, ഇപ്പോള്‍ ചിത്രങ്ങള്‍ സ്ഥാപിക്കുന്നു!

Tasawwuf: Comprehensive, Modern and Scientific

A critical essay by Shihab Thangal on the developments and present misconceptions about Mysticism in

Malik bin Dinar

On arriving at Malabar, the Arab travelers who had travelled with Cheraman Perumal, built mosques. . .

The coming of Portuguese - The scourge of West

The coming
The Portuguese first arrived at Malabar in 1498 AD (940 AH). The time of trade had finished by then. They studied the economic and political climate of the kingdom and returned back to their country after staying a few months. Their man aim was to explore the markets of Pepper. Until then, they’re buying […]

The story behind ‘Jai Hind’

Indo-Arab relationship is not a new phenomenon. It dates back to around 3000 years. The peacocks and elephant’s tusk were brought to the King Solomon’s palace from Tharshish, thought to be the port of Kodungallur.
The Christians of Kerala believe that St. Thomas, a disciple of Jesus, came to Kerala followed by many groups. They had […]

The fall of Ottoman Caliphate and the Indian Khilafat Movement

Introduction
A western critic once wrote that a visitor from Mars who arrived on earth during the sixteenth century would have probably concluded that the world was on the verge of becoming Muslim. No doubt, with the Mughal Empire in the Indian Subcontinent in the East, Safavid Empire in the center and the Ottoman empire in […]

Genesis and Growth of the Mappila Community

Contributed to Jaihoon.com by Dr. Hussein Randathani. Posted on December 16 2005
The long-standing Arab contact

Cheraman Perumal

The First Indian to accept Islam
Cheraman Perumal, of Kodungallur, Kerala, was the first Indian to accept Islam. Many historians have recorded this fact in their writings. For example, M. Hamidulla writes in “Muhammad Rasoolullah” quoting some old manuscripts from India Office Library (ref no. Arabic, 2807, 152-173)
“There is a very old tradition in Malabar, South-West […]

Sayyida Nafisa at-Tahira

Rare Lady Saint of the Egpytians
[Excerpted from From the Light of Ahl al-Bayt: My Spiritual Experiences Unveiled] by Imam Metawalli ash-Sha`rawi
Sayyida Nafisa was born in Makkah on the 11th of Rabi`a al-Awwal, the same night that the Prophet (s) was born, in the year 145 H. Her father had been appointed governor of Madinat al-Munawwara […]

Great Ones are grown in the lap of Noble Mothers

[A life sketch of Sayyeda Khairunnisa, the mother of Maulana Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi.]
Maulana’s mother was a hafidhah (committed Holy Quran into memory), a scholar and a poetess. A few of her books, including two poetry collections, have been published. She enjoyed good command over the women of the village and hence led […]

Don’t let machines rule your mind- Sheikha Jawaher

[By Eman Al Baik -Sharjah, October 10 2002, Gulfnews ]
Technology and technical knowledge must be used to foster youngsters’ love of history, heritage and a sense of belonging, Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, […]

Rabia Basri : The jewel from Basra

Life sketch
Rabi’a’s parents were so poor that there was no oil in house to light a lamp, nor a cloth even to wrap her with.
She was the fourth child in the family. Her mother requested her husband to borrow some oil from a neighbor. But he had resolved in his life never to ask for […]

Unique pearls on the shore of Islam

This is an age where there are many struggles for the equality of women. Seminars, books, talk show demonstrations…what else not is used in propagation of the feminist agenda. And in this process, the apostles of feminism don’t waste any chance in painting Islam as a backward and discriminatory religion. Hijab is labeled as ‘an […]

Hindus protect mosque in Bihar

While Gujarat was burning, a small town in Bihar set an example of communal amity, when a group of Hindus got together and protected a mosque from being vandalised.
During Friday’s bandh in Muzzaffarpur, called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to protest the Godhra carnage, a group of hooligans tried to enter the Company Bagh mosque […]

Godhra: Burnt from inside!

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ WEDNESDAY, JULY 03, 2002 12:05:58 AM ]
AHMEDABAD: The mystery over the burning of the S-6 compartment of Sabarmati Express at Godhra on February 27, which killed 59 passengers and set off an unprecedented spate of communal frenzy all over Gujarat, has turned deeper with the forensic report on the incident discounting […]

Don’t ask me for that Love again.

[ Islamonline.net, By Anthony J. Aschettino Peace Activist – USA 21/06/2002]
Sometimes you go through an experience in life that leaves an indelible mark on your soul and an inerasable footprint on your mind. My trip through the West Bank as a participating member of the International Solidarity Movement for the Palestinian People was such […]

7 reasons why America is ‘Muslim Nation’

[Islam: The next American religion? By Michael Wolfe , Arabnews.com]
The US began as a haven for Christian outcasts. But what religion fits our current zeitgeist? The answer may be Islam. Americans tend to think of their country as, at the very least, a nominally Christian nation. Didn’t the Pilgrims come here for freedom to practice […]

‘Let’s Run a Race, but First Let Me Break Your Knees.’

An edited version from the article by by Arundhati Roy, ‘Buy One, Get One Free’ ; Sponsored by the Center for Economic and Social Rights; May 19, 2003. Copyright 2003 by Arundhati Roy
In these times, when we have to race to keep abreast of the speed at which our freedoms are being snatched from us, […]

‘Arabs! Change, or you will be changed.’

Transcript of Shaikh Mohammad’s opening speech @ the Arab Strategy Forum
I wish a warm welcome to our guests.
This forum is held on the first day after the end of the mourning period for our dear departed Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. May Allah have mercy on his soul.
As we resume our official activities and […]

We are All Collateral Damage

Zaid Shakir
The recent terrorist tragedy in London is disheartening. Once again some nefarious force has seen fit to totally disregard innocent human life in pursuit of a vile agenda that few of us know and even fewer could understand. The response of the world leaders assembled in Edinburgh for the G-8 Summit is perhaps more […]

Annemarie Schimmmel : On Deciphering The Signs Of God

Annemarie Schimmel, whom we are remembering today, has been a larger than life scholar in the great tradition of German scholarship. Schimmel’s spanned centuries of Islamic learning to make her an authority on the literary heritage of different Islamic peoples - Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Sindhi and Pashto. Plus this was a connoisseur of music […]

“The believer is like rain, wherever he goes is goodness” Amr Khaled’s message to US Muslims

Amr Khaled was recently named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Persons in the world, and he had been invited to the United States. Transcript: CAIR/ISNA - ‘An Evening with Amr Khaled’
On Saturday, May 12, the Maryland and Virginia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD/VA), in cooperation with the Islamic Society of […]

Sheikh Zainudhin Makhdum

Introduction
Sheikh Zainudhin Makhdum I, son of Ahmed bin Ma’bari, was born in 872 A.H at Cochin. He settled at Ponnani and being a master of Arabic language, he had several literary works to his credit including Murshid, Adkiya and Shubul Iman.
He had also written a treatise called ‘Tahrees Ahlil Imani Ala Jihadi Abdatisuul Bani’ appealing […]

A medical dimension

Kerala, today, is the proud home of the ancient therapeutic system of Ayurveda. Some of the special treatments in vogue in Kerala like Pizhichil, Navarakkizhi, Dhara, etc, the curative effects of which are a wonder even to the great protagonists of the modern system of medicine, have contributed to add luster to Kerala’s fame and […]

Kerala: Everywhere a dustbin?

The visiting students delegation from a Japanese university had much to share with people of ‘God’s Own country’. They were visiting Kerala as part of their course of Global Citizenship, which was organized by OISCA, a body promoting environmental awareness. The seminar was organized by the Edappal Chapter of the environmental organization at Kuttippuram beside […]

Umar Qazi - Sufi Poet on Horseback

Introduction
In 19th and 20th centuries, India had to bear many sufferings at the hands of British rule. The Indian Muslims fought with full vigor to oppose the British imperialistic designs. They had to face drastic economic consequences as a result. In the anti-imperialistic battle, great leaders who left their marks on history led them.
Umar Qazi […]

Mampuram Sayeds

The Syed Leadership at Mampuram
Just like the Makhdum Family, the Syeds at Mampuram also held the reign of the spiritual leadership of the Muslims of Malabar.
Syed Sheikh Jifri, a great scholar and writer, arrived at Calicut in 1159 accompanied by his scholarly father. They traveled across Malabar in order to spread Islam. The Samudiri king […]

The Unique position of Muslims

[This is an abridged version of a speech delivered by the late Maulana Syed Abul. . .

Great Ones are grown in the lap of Noble Mothers

[A life sketch of Sayyeda Khairunnisa, the mother of Maulana Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi.]

Maulana’s. . .

Syed Sulaiman Nadwi on Shah Waliyullah’s Works

“Cultivation of knowledge in the true sense is but another form of recollection of God. . .

Hadith : The Crown of Knowledge

“The crown of all infallible knowledge and the source and foundation of religious branches of learning is the science of Hadith which gives us an account of the sayings and doings of the noble Prophet as well as tell of his tacit approval of the things done in his presence. The Ahadith are like luminous torches in the surrounding darkness, the milestones of guidance or like the brilliant moon shedding light in a gloomy light.

Creation Of Worship From Benevolence

When knowledge of man about God is correct and he finds all the favors, small and great having flowed from Him on his outward as well on his inward and finds the Lord of benevolence more noble, more worthy and more glorious than any of the creatures in glory and nobility then that all cannot be valued and compared with the amount of love coupled with veneration and humbleness which man bears for Him.

Relevance of Mujaddid

“Now it demands a critical assessment of the intellectual and historical, moral and social and. . .

Prophet-Source of all blessings

Whatever God has given me, it was made available because of my following the Prophet. . .

Limitations of spiritual and intellectual faculties

A great achievement of the Mujaddid as a Renovator of faith consisted of his demonstrating. . .

An incommunicable feeling

(Iqbal’s observations on Mystic Experience)
Since the quality of mystic experience is to be directly experienced, it is obvious that it cannot be communicated.
Mystic states are more like feeling than thought. The interpretation which the mystic or the prophet puts on the content of his religious consciousness can be conveyed to others in the form of […]

The element of Response

(Iqbal’s observations on Mystic Experience)
To the mystic, the mystic state is a moment of intimate association with a Unique Other Self, transcending, encompassing, and momentarily suppressing the private personality of the subject of experience.
Considering its content the mystic state is highly objective and cannot be regarded as a mere retirement into the mists of pure […]

God is not a dead equation!

(Iqbal’s observations on Mystic Experience)
The first point to note is the immediacy of this experience. In this respect it does not differ from other levels of human experience which supply data for knowledge.
All experience is immediate. As regions of normal experience are subject to interpretation of sense-data for our knowledge of the external world, so […]

Kant and Gazzali

The nightmare of Rationalists
It cannot be denied that Gazzali’s mission was almost apostolic like that of Kant in Germany of the eighteenth century. In Germany rationalism appeared as an ally of religion, but she soon realized that the dogmatic side of religion was incapable of demonstration. The only course open to her was to eliminate […]

The concept of Direction in Prayer

The form of prayer ought not to become a matter of dispute. Which side you turn your face is certainly not essential to the spirit of prayer. The Quran is clearly on thus point.
“The east and west is God’s: therefore whichever way you turn, there is the face of God.’ (2:29)
Yet we cannot ignore the […]

The Sufi vs. Observer of Nature

Mysticism has no doubt revealed fresh regions of the self by making a special study of this experience. Its literature is illuminating; yet its set phraseology shaped by the thought-forms of a worn-out metaphysics has rather a deadening affect on the modern mind. The quest after a nameless nothing, as disclosed in Neo-Platonic mysticism-be it […]

A Muslim University

Many studies have been conducted on establishing an Islamic university. But this topic requires to be viewed from another angle i.e. from a religious point of view. In my opinion, any problem facing the Muslims, be it cultural or otherwise, is basically a religious problem. Every problem is related to their religious problem.
The popular belief […]

O Prophet! We belong to you

Oh you, solace for us, the downtrodden,
Deliver the community from fear of death.
You destroyed Lat and Manat of old,
And revived the timeworn world.
Meditation and remembrance of man and jinn,
You are the morning, prayer of Azan.
Burning and ecstasy is from la-llah.
We made no god from quadruped,
Nor bowed low before the hermit,
Nor bend the knee before ancient […]

Communism and Imperialism

The soul of both of them is impatient and restless,
Both of them know not God

The Ultimate Aim of Ego

Art thou in the stage of, life “, or “death”, ‘death-in-life’?
Invoke the aid of three witnesses to verify thy ‘Station’.
The first witness is thine own consciousness-
See thyself, then, with thine own light.
The second witness is the consciousness of another ego-
See thyself, then, with the light of an ego other than thee.
The third witness is God’s […]

The Materialistic Culture

Of this civilizations of ungodliness beware
At war which is with men of truth;
The mischief-monger nothing but mischief breeds,
In the Harem it reinstalls the idols of Lat and Uzza.
By its sorcery the eye of the heart is sightless,
The soul thirsty with its barrenness;
The joy of eagerness it kills in the heart,
Nay the heart itself it destroys.
The […]

The Idea of an Islamic Journal

The Idea of an Islamic Journal
Letters of Iqbal to Dr. Syed Abdul Latif, published in Iqbal Review (Journal of the Iqbal Academy, Hyderabad, Vol : 15, Issue 1, Apr 2006)
Dr Sir Mohammad Iqbal kt
M.A. Ph.D
Barister-at-law
Lahore
Dated 1st Nov 1935
Dear Dr. Abdul Latif,
The idea of starting a journal of the kind you mention in your letter is […]

Profit for one, Death for many

Though Europe is radiant with the light of knowledge,
The ‘Ocean of Darkness’ is barren of the ‘Fount of Life’
In splendor, in seduction and in grace,
The buildings of banks outsoar the Houses of God.
In appearance it is trade, in reality gambling,
Profit for one, for thousands sudden death,
Science, philosophy, college, constitution,
Preach man’s equality and suck men’s blood.
Want […]