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Muhammed Musaddaq Shaheen Z. Ansari Khalil Hussain
Cape Town Malaysia Venezuela (South America)
Rizwan Mathew Abdullah Ahmed H.R. Azizuddin
IN THIS ISSUE
1. From The Editors Desk.....................3 5. Are Islam And Democracy Compatible......19
2. Call From The Minaret..............................5 6. Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (RA)........22
3. Rahmatul-lil-Alamin................................9 7. Womens Share in Inheritance...............26
4. The Quran and Genetics.........................13 8. ......................32
The MINARET may not necessarily agree with the opinions of the writers
Approved for Schools, Colleges and Educational Institutions vide Circular No. (DE / F.
Pub / 11- A) (3082-3390) 72, Directorate of Education, Karachi Region, dated 8-5-1972
Published by the World Federation of Islamic Missions, Abdul Aleem Siddiqui and Islamic Centre Roads,
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Those who are with your Lord do not feel too proud to
worship Him; they glorify Him and drop down on their knees before
Him. (7:204. 206)
THE CODIFICATION
OF ISL AMIC L AW
ARRANGEMENT AND COMPILATION shun! Nor expect in giving, any increase
OF THE HOLY QURAN (for thyself)! (LXXIV : 1-6).
You might have heard that the Holy Thereafter commenced the general
Quran was not delivered to the Holy preaching and the invitation went forth to
Prophet ( ) just once as a complete book, accept the Divine Message. The members
but was revealed to him bit by bit and of the powerful tribe of the Quraish were
piece by piece, through the Archangel invited to assemble and to hear the Holy
Jibrail (peace be with him!). Prophets ( ) first sermon on the Mount.
The message of the Unity of God was
The Holy Prophet ( ) had completed proclaimed aloud, and polytheism and
forty years of his age and was engaged infidelity were condemned in the most
in a special form of communion with God unambiguous terms.
in the solitude of the Cave of Hira, when
the angel first appeared before him and In the meantime, revelations
delivered before him the first revelation continued to come. The Holy Prophet ( )
which reads: would remember them himself and would
teach them to his Companions, like
Read! in the name of thy Lord and Khadija, Abu Bakr and Ali (God be pleased
Cherisher, Who created, created man, with them!), so that they could remember
out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: them by heart.
Read! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful
Who taught (the use of) the Pen taught A race illiterate as the Arabs, there
man that which he knew not. were very few in Makkah who could read
(XCVI : 1-5). or write. There was no paper, and the pen
and the inkpot were scarce. It was, indeed,
After an interval, came the second a most difficult task to get the revelations
revelation: written down as they came. But the
arrangement was made. A few of those
O thou wrapped up (in thy mantle)! who know the art of writing embraced
Arise and deliver thy warning! And thy Islam. The verses of the Holy Quran were
Lord do thou magnify! And thy garments inscribed on palm-leaves and leather
keep free from stain! And all abomination sheets. Some of the Companions were
MINARET 5 March 2010
specially charged with the duty of learning Not only the arrangement of the
the portions of the Quran as they were verses and the fixing up of chapters was
revealed. Persons were specially selected done by the Holy Prophet ( ) but he also
from among the Companions who would fixed up the serial arrangement of the
take lessons from the Holy Prophet ( ) chapters, and all that he did under Divine
each lesson consisting of ten verses of instructions. To carry the work to its logical
the Holy Quran. They would learn those finish, Abu Bakr the Truthful. Islams first
verses by heart and learn their meanings Caliph, rendered the service of giving the
and interpretations as taught by the Holy separately written chapters the form of a
Prophet ( ) and teach the same to others. consolidated compilation.
Then came the time of the Migration Different portions of the Quran written
to Medina. The Muslim group had been by different people continued to remain,
growing gradually. At Medina it was knit however, in their possession. The people
into a functioning community. Among other of different places also continued to follow
things, the Holy Prophet ( ) made the their local pronunciation of Quranic verses.
arrangements whereby a larger number
of Companions could learn to read and Then came the period of the third
write. The work of writing down the Caliph, Osman (God be pleased with
revelations of the Quran continued with him!). Islam was no more confined to
the fullest devotion. Its compilation in the Makkah and Medina, but had crossed the
form of a scripture was attended to. Zaid boundaries of the Arabian peninsula and
bin Thabit, who was a freed slave, was had entered Eqypt, Palestine, Syria, Iraq
one of those Companions who were and Iran. People were entering the fold
entrusted with the task of writing down of Islam in ever-growing numbers. The
the Quran. The revelations continued to interest in Quranic recitation was becoming
come and they were not only preserved universal. Large numbers of people had
in writing, but the Holy Prophet ( ) under only portions of the Quran in their
Divine guidance, would fix up the chapters possession. Misunderstandings could
and would instruct the scribes to insert a arise that only such and such a portion
certain revelation at a certain place in a formed the whole Quran, and that the
certain chapter. other portions were not part of it. Hence,
Caliph Osman got several copies made
Gradually, the delivery of the Word of of the manuscript compiled during Caliph
God reached completion and, at the Abu Bakrs regime and sent those copies
Farewell Pilgrimage, in the plain of Arafat, to the different centres of the Islamic
came the revelation : empire. The copy which Caliph Osman
himself used for study and on which, it is
This day I have perfected your said, the drops of his blood fell at the time
religion for you, completed my favour upon of his martyrdom, remained preserved
you and have chosen for you Islam as first at Medina and was later transferred
your religion. (V : 4). from there to the Imperial library of Istanbul
the Way, I will lie in wait for them on the We will certainly guide them to Our Path;
Straight Path. (7:16). for, verily, Allah is with those who do right.
(29: 69).
The right thinking person will not heed
to call of the Evil One, but will aspire to Even though the Path that leads back
return to Allah, even though such a to Allah may seem difficult, one has to
decision can be challenging, However, always keep in mind that while the present
Allah gives such a person consolation as life may appear to be challenging, it is just
He says: for a short span of time (just for a few
years), but the Hereafter is permanent
And those who strive in Our Cause, and everlasting.
Allah taught us to pray as follows: Allah tells human beings that in front
of every one of them there are two
Guide us (O Lord) on the Straight Path highways; one appears to be attractive
and easy to go on, while the other appears
Allah tells us about the Straight Path to be steep and difficult to travel upon. He
in the following verses: says:
Those upon whom Allah has been Have We not made for him a pair of
pleased to show favours. eyes; and a tongue and a pair of lips; and
shown him the two highways? But he
This way of My sincere servant is the has made no haste on the path that is
way that leads Straight to Me. (15:41) steep. (90:8-11)
The personality of the Holy Prophet Salam is on him the day when he
( ) is the nexus on which is based the was born and the day when he will die
entire structure of Islamic belief and it is and the day when he will be raised
a great blessing that the historical records alive. [19:15], and in the same sura of
of his entire earthly existence have been the Quran, the Prophet Essa ( ) story
perfectly conserved for the benefit of is narrated when confronted by the
mankind and to the utter dismay of the tribesmen, in the lap of his illustrious
enemies of Islam. Despite the nefarious mother, the new born Prophet Essa ( )
designs to manipulate history, Allah (swt) spoke as reported in the Holy Quran:
has blessed the Ummah with intellectual
insight, so vital to the understanding of the And the same peace on me the day
essence of Islam and to dispel such I was born and the day I will die and
calumny. It is this remembrance and the day I would be raised alive. (19:33).
repetition of those epoch making moments
in history that strengthens the heart, In actual fact Allah (swt) exhorts the
rejuvenates the spirit and enhances believers to remember, to recognize the
conviction in the belief system of Islam historical moments and events when Allah
and infuses the essential bondage of the (swt) bestowed bounties on His creation.
love of Allah (swt) and the Holy Prophet In recognition lies the conscious realization
( ) as entailed in the system of belief. of the immensity of the graciousness of
Herein the 7th century revelation quite If we analyze the above revelation we
amazingly describes the three animals of find in it the following characteristics of
one family: And He has created horses, the bee: a) God inspired bee to make
mules and donkeys for you to ride and cells. b) Its eating of all fruits. The Arabic
use for show. And He has created other word thamarat means produce of all plants
things of which you have no knowledge. and trees i.e. flowers etc. c) Its following
(16:8) The desert of Arabian peninsula the ways of its Lord which were made
including the barren land of Makkah is easy for it. d) Coming forth of a drink of
well known, The animal used here for various colours from it, which refers to
carrying loads and travellers is camel. But honey. e) In it are indeed sign for mankind.
the above verse mentions horses, mules
and asses. Had it been for Muhammad
Inspire means to direct by divine force
( ) to write the Quran as it is held by
or to instruct or to guide. The question
non-Muslims, he would have certainly
arises how an inspiration was drawn into
made mention of camels. But only God
bee? To say inspiration was drawn into
can know the animals of one specie in
mind or heart of bee would be
those pre-scientific days. A horse and a
donkey can produce a hybrid mule, but meaningless, as the creatures do not
certainly a slightest change in the gene possess the mental faculties. After entering
code between horse and ass made hybrid into the science of genetics, man learnt
mule sterile. Hybridization is possible only that every living cell is blessed with genetic
in the same kind. Cats and dogs are from code preserved in genes around its
separate families. Their genes cannot nucleus. Every creature is destined to act
mate and produce an offspring. It is under the limits of its built-in code.
impossible to transgress the limits of Therefore, when the Quran referred: And
species. The above verse also mentions thy Lord inspired the bee, it meant that
that God has created other things which Lord the Creator when created bee
you do not know. Certainly the men of destined in its genes the perpetual
those days knew nothing which vision characteristics to be inherited generation
could not grasp like germs and small after generation. So the inspiration was
organisms. in the form of a genetic code which
included: a) making of cells. The bee in
The Quran refers to another organism its honeycomb makes hexagonal cells in
stating its inherited characteristics: And symmetrical order. A small insect making
Thy Lord taught the bee to build its cells a geometrical design is amazing in itself.
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Western scholars have tried to present Islam, like other faiths, is spiritual and
Islam as anti-democratic and inherently is a code of conduct for over 1.4 billion
authoritarian. By misrepresenting Islam people. The political aspects of Islam are
in this way they seek to prove that Islam derived from the Holy Quran and Sunnah,
has a set of values inferior to western Muslim history and, sometimes, from
liberalism and is a barrier in the way of elements of political movements outside
progress of civilizations. While Turkey and Islam. The poiltical concepts in Islam also
Malaysia set a fantastic example for emanates from the leadership by
nations around the world to see that successors of the Holy Prophet
democracy coexist with a great religion Muhammad ( ) known as Caliphs, Islamic
like Islam. The experience of both the Law, the duty of rulers to seek shura or
above mentioned countries reflects the consultation from their subjects and the
fact that many Muslims, whether living in importance of rebuking unjust rulers.
The political task is to reflect on how The West generally, and the US
this God-given agency can be best particularly, should change their policies
employed in creating a society that will with regard to the repressive regimes in
bring welfare to the people. God cannot Muslim nations to prevent political Islam
become an excuse for installing and from growing as a threat to the West. To
legitimizing governments that are not promote democracy in the Muslim world,
accountable to their citizens and the US and the West should increase the
responsive to their needs. amount of foreign assistance; provide
governments any key interest groups in
The reasons of human rights abuse Muslim societies with incentives to engage
in the Muslim world come not from Islam in democratic reforms. Still, basic
but from economic, political and responsibility lies with Muslim scholars
educational forces. The struggle for human who should reinterpret Islamic laws in the
rights in the Muslim world will be lost or light of the changing needs of a modern
won on the national level, not on the society. (Courtesy: Islamic Voice)
In 503 of the Hijrah, the Sheikh (Those who strive in Our cause We
completed his academic education and shall surely show them the path leading
became a full-fledged scholar of religion. to us).
He even surpassed other scholars of
religion of his time in the depth of his From 503 to 521 of the Hijrah, the
knowledge, but a mere theoretical Sheikh lived the rigid life of an ascetic. He
knowledge would not satisfy him, he would pray during the night and fast during
wanted to put his knowledge to test and the day and lived in solitude in constant
learn the truths of religion through his meditation. Without proper food and
personal experience. clothes and even without shoes, he would
pass silently through the gay streets of
Few of us realise the need of putting Baghdad and was soon became known
the religious concepts to test and knowing as a lunatic. Tired of the loathsome
the truth through personal experience. It surroundings of Baghdad the Sheikh later
is essential at least for the scholars of on began to live in the ancient ruins of the
MINARET 23 March 2010
Persian emperors: There was an old and achieved his aim and was thoroughly
crumbling tower in which he lived for quite enlightened by the Grace of God, It was
a long time which came to be known by time that he appeared in the public and
the people as The Tower of the Ajami guided mankind along the right path.
because of the Sheikh.
In 521 of the Hijrah when the Sheikh
The person of God is the Centre of felt that he should now begin with his
religion and the essence of the religious mission of healing the sick souls, he found
teachings is the love of God, trust in Him that necessary provision was existing.
and submission to His will. The Sheikh One of the men who knew the secret of
was so absorbed in the love of God that the Sheikh offered a building to be used
often he would go into a state of trance, by him as a seminary and the Sheikh
a state in which he would lose even the accepted the offer. He taught his students
consciousness of his own person. Often the Holy Quran, the traditions of the Holy
he would experience it while walking and Prophet ( ), the Islamic Law and Arabic
after regaining consciousness he would language and literature. Naturally, the
find himself at a distance of hundreds of students of such teacher proved in later
miles from where he had started. stages of life as leaders of great spiritual
calibre and busied themselves in reforming
Once, in a state of great love and and uplifting the society to the best of their
trust, the Sheikh vowed that he would not capacity.
take any food or drink unless it was placed
in his mouth. He was then living in the Apart from teaching and writing Fatwa
ruined tower which was avoided by people the Sheikh also undertook the mission of
on account of its ghastly look and also on reforming the public by delivering sermons.
account of the Sheikh who was considered He made it a habit of delivering three
a lunatic. For many days he lay in the sermons a week in different localities of
tower without food or drink; it was a test Baghdad. The first lecture was attended
on both sides. The vow was not known to by two or three listeners; the number of
anybody except God, but one day a saintly the listners continued to grow with
person came to the Sheikh and fed him surprising rapidity until it reached the figure
with his own hand. The vow was fulfilled. of seventy thousand or more. He spoke
The Holy Prophet has said. the same Arabic language as others
spoke, he also had the short coming of
being an Ajami whose mother tongue
was not Arabicif it were a short-coming,
(There is many a person with yet his lectures proved more effective and
disheavelled hair and shabby clothes who more moving and enlightening than those
takes a vow in the name of God and God of any other leader and speaker of his
fulfils it). time. The reason is that the Sheikh did
not only quote from the books, as did
Public lifeA saviour others, he spoke out of faith, out of
conviction and out of his personal
Thus did the Sheikh continue to live experience. Iqbal, the Poet of the East
from 503 to 521 of the Hijrah until he says:
MINARET 24 March 2010
as they felt themselves insecure in the
hands of the tyrant, but they were afraid
to protest for fear of the wrath of the Caliph.
The Sheikh then came forward and
[The speech which comes right from directed a volley of strong protest in his
the heart has its effect on the hearts of sermons against the appointment of such
the listeners: though it has no feathers, it a tyrant to such a noble post. The protest
soars high (in peoples esteem)]. had its effect and it was not long before
the Caliph issued orders for the dismissal
The sermons of the Sheikh had a of the tyrant.
great effect on his audience: they wailed
and wept and repented on their sinful The Caliph knew it that force could
ways and returned with a determination not be resorted to against the Sheikh, so
of reforming themselves. Hundreds of he resorted to temptation. Once he
Jews and Christians embraced Islam. presented to the Sheikh several bags full
Thousands of sinners repented and of gold coins and requested him to accept
reformed themselves. Baghdad, which them as a present. The Sheikh was angry
formerly seemed to be a doomed city now to see such impudence, he cast an angry
began to assume a different lookit was look at the Caliph and reproached him for
in fact a spiritual renaissance. extracting the very life blood of his subjects
in the form of gold coins. As the Caliph
The spiritual power which the Sheikh looked at the bags he felt as if blood were
wielded and the respect and regard which dripping from them. The vision had such
he commanded among the public made a strong effect on him that he fainted away.
the government officers and even the
caliph fear him. They had to forsake their The Sheikh continued to deliver his
sinful, unlawful and unconstitutional ways sermons and teach in his seminary for a
lest the Sheikh should criticize them in period of forty years. His hard work ended
public. It went a long way towards the only when he breathed his last in 561 of
restoration of law, order and justice, while the Hijrah. But before he passed away to
the property and honour of the common his final abode he had filled the world of
masses were secured. Islam with a fresh religious zeal and rid it
of its various ailments of the religious,
Once the caliph appointed a person moral, spiritual and political nature. His
as the Chief Justice of Baghdad. This numerous books and the sermons he had
person was a notorious tyrant and was delivered are still available for readers
unfit for the post. When the announcement and serve as a source of spiritual
was made, people were greatly disturbed enlightenment.
The most important Quranic injunction have left no child; but if they have left a
regarding inheritance is in Surah 4:7. It child, then you shall have one-quarter of
says: Men shall have a share in what what they leave behind. And your widows
parents and kinsfolk leave behind, and shall have one-quarter of what you leave
women shall have a share, whether it be behind, provided you have left no child;
little or much a share ordained (by but if you have left a child, then they shall
God). have one-eighth of what you leave behind.
28
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